*Photo from Halos Heaven*
Fresh off a rebound season, Steve Cishek is heading back east. Cishek and the Washington Nationals have agreed to a one year, $1.75 million deal with another $500,000 in bonuses, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. The deal has been confirmed by the Nationals.
After a down season in 2020, Cishek signed with the Los Angeles Angels on a one year deal prior to the 2021 season. That move paid off, as Cishek finished last season with an 0-2 record to go with a 3.42 ERA and 1.49 WHIP, striking out 64 hitters and walking another 41 in 68 1/3 innings pitched, making 74 relief appearances.
Cishek, who is famous for his side arm delivery, used a combination of his sinker and slider to allow mostly weak contact in 2021, allowing just two home runs all season. Opposing hitters recorded a 32.7 hard hit rate against Cishek, and an average exit velocity of 85 miles an hour. Both of those rank in the 90th percentile or better among qualified pitchers.
In 12 seasons of major league play, Cishek has a career 32-39 record with a 2.85 ERA and 1.19 WHIP, with a total of 669 strikeouts across 644 1/3 innings pitched, totaling 668 appearances, all of which came out of the bullpen. Cishek has appeared in just one postseason game, throwing 2/3 of an inning for the Chicago Cubs in the 2018 NL wild card game.
In his career, Cishek is no stranger to baseball, having been a part of 7 different teams. He spent the first 5 1/2 seasons of his career with the Florida/Miami Marlins, before spending the second half of 2015 with the St. Louis Cardinals. He spent 2016 and the first half of 2017 with the Seattle Mariners, then spending the second half of the season with the Tampa Bay Rays. He spent 2018 and 2019 with the Cubs, before landing with the Chicago White Sox in 2020, and the Angels last season.
Cishek will join a Nats bullpen mix that includes Will Harris, Tanner Rainey, Paolo Espino, Sam Clay, Gabe Klobosits, and Erick Fedde, among other names.
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