Biographical

Portrait of Grant Balfour

Grant Balfour P

Player Cards | Team Audit | Depth Chart

Career Summary
Years G IP W L SV ERA WARP
17 534 539.7 30 23 84 3.49 9
Birth Date12-30-1977
Height6' 2"
Weight200 lbs
Age46 years, 2 months, 28 days
BatsR
ThrowsR
WARP Summary

MLB Statistics

Historical (past-seasons) WARP is now based on DRA..
cFIP and DRA are not available on a by-team basis and display as zeroes(0). See TOT line for season totals of these stats.
Multiple stints are are currently shownClick to hide.
YEAR Team Lg G GS IP W L SV H BB SO HR PPF H/9 BB/9 HR/9 K/9 GB% BABIP WHIP FIP ERA cFIP DRA DRA- WARP
2001 MIN MLB 2 0 2.7 0 0 0 3 3 2 2 97 10.1 10.1 6.8 6.8 0% .143 2.25 14.72 13.50 103 4.92 102.1 0.0
2003 MIN MLB 17 1 26.0 1 0 0 23 14 30 4 102 8.0 4.8 1.4 10.4 0% .284 1.42 4.40 4.15 89 3.30 69.1 0.6
2004 MIN MLB 36 0 39.3 4 1 0 35 21 42 4 102 8.0 4.8 0.9 9.6 0% .301 1.42 4.09 4.35 102 4.09 84.4 0.6
2007 MIL 0 3 0 2.7 0 2 0 4 4 3 1 106 13.5 13.5 3.4 10.1 0% .333 3.00 11.42 20.25 91 2.96 61.3 0.1
2007 TBA 0 22 0 22.0 1 0 0 26 16 27 1 103 10.6 6.5 0.4 11.0 0% .424 1.91 3.62 6.14 96 4.41 91.2 0.3
2008 TBA MLB 51 0 58.3 6 2 4 28 24 82 3 104 4.3 3.7 0.5 12.7 0% .217 0.89 2.24 1.54 77 2.83 60.4 1.7
2009 TBA MLB 73 0 67.3 5 4 4 59 33 69 6 105 7.9 4.4 0.8 9.2 0% .296 1.37 3.80 4.81 100 4.47 95.9 0.6
2010 TBA MLB 57 0 55.3 2 1 0 43 17 56 3 106 7.0 2.8 0.5 9.1 0% .274 1.08 2.65 2.28 93 3.28 74.0 1.0
2011 OAK MLB 62 0 62.0 5 2 2 44 20 59 8 95 6.4 2.9 1.2 8.6 0% .232 1.03 3.80 2.47 96 3.54 82.2 0.9
2012 OAK MLB 75 0 74.7 3 2 24 41 28 72 4 94 4.9 3.4 0.5 8.7 0% .201 0.92 2.97 2.53 90 3.07 70.3 1.5
2013 OAK MLB 65 0 62.7 1 3 38 48 27 72 7 93 6.9 3.9 1.0 10.3 0% .263 1.20 3.52 2.59 86 2.58 61.7 1.5
2014 TBA MLB 65 0 62.3 2 6 12 49 41 57 3 94 7.1 5.9 0.4 8.2 0% .274 1.44 3.98 4.91 107 4.00 98.0 0.4
2015 TBA MLB 6 0 4.3 0 0 0 3 4 0 1 98 6.2 8.3 2.1 0.0 0% .133 1.62 9.56 6.23 137 8.15 190.4 -0.2
2007 TOT MLB 25 0 24.7 1 2 0 30 20 30 2 104 10.9 7.3 0.7 10.9 0% .000 2.03 4.46 7.66 95 4.25 88.0 0.3
CareerMLB5341539.730238440625257147996.84.20.89.538%.2651.223.573.49943.5379.39.0

Statistics for All Levels

'opp' stats - Quality of opponents faced - have been moved and are available only as OPP_QUAL in the Statistics reports now.
Minor league stats are currently shownClick to hide.
YEAR Team Lg LG G GS IP W L SV H BB SO HR PPF H/9 BB/9 HR/9 K/9 GB% BABIP WHIP FIP ERA cFIP DRA DRA-
1998 ELZ Rk APL 13 13 77.7 7 2 0 70 27 75 7 8.1 3.1 0.8 8.7 0% -.578 1.25 4.38 3.36 0 0.00 0.0
1999 QUD A MDW 19 14 91.7 8 5 1 66 37 95 7 6.5 3.6 0.7 9.3 0% -.424 1.12 3.87 3.53 0 0.00 0.0
2000 FTM A+ FSL 35 10 89.0 8 5 6 91 34 90 8 9.2 3.4 0.8 9.1 0% -.619 1.40 3.75 4.25 0 0.00 0.0
2001 MIN MLB AL 2 0 2.7 0 0 0 3 3 2 2 97 10.1 10.1 6.8 6.8 0% .143 2.25 14.72 13.50 103 4.92 102.1
2001 NBR AA EAS 35 0 50.0 2 1 13 26 22 72 1 4.7 4.0 0.2 13.0 0% -.258 0.96 2.02 1.08 0 0.00 0.0
2001 EDM AAA PCL 11 0 16.3 2 2 0 18 10 17 2 9.9 5.5 1.1 9.4 0% -.533 1.72 5.08 5.52 0 0.00 0.0
2001 Gra Wnt AFL 13 0 12.0 0 1 0 10 10 16 0 7.5 7.5 0.0 12.0 0% -.385 1.67 4.17 4.50 0 0.00 0.0
2002 EDM AAA PCL 58 0 71.3 2 4 8 60 30 88 3 7.6 3.8 0.4 11.1 0% .326 1.26 2.79 4.17 0 0.00 0.0
2003 MIN MLB AL 17 1 26.0 1 0 0 23 14 30 4 102 8.0 4.8 1.4 10.4 0% .284 1.42 4.40 4.15 89 3.30 69.1
2003 ROC AAA INT 21 11 71.0 5 2 5 48 16 87 6 6.1 2.0 0.8 11.0 0% .256 0.90 2.73 2.41 0 0.00 0.0
2003 Car Wnt PRL 3 0 3.7 1 0 0 5 1 9 0 12.2 2.4 0.0 21.9 0% -.500 1.62 -1.06 2.43 0 0.00 0.0
2004 MIN MLB AL 36 0 39.3 4 1 0 35 21 42 4 102 8.0 4.8 0.9 9.6 0% .301 1.42 4.09 4.35 102 4.09 84.4
2006 DYT A MDW 2 0 2.0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 13.5 0% .000 0.00 0.30 0.00 0 0.00 0.0
2006 SAR A+ FSL 5 0 5.0 0 0 0 8 3 7 0 60 14.4 5.4 0.0 12.6 0% .421 2.20 2.84 9.00 87 5.23 109.7
2006 RDS Rk GCL 2 2 1.2 0 0 0 1 3 2 0 89 7.5 22.5 0.0 15.0 0% .500 3.33 10.08 15.00 129 9.35 196.2
2007 MIL MLB NL 3 0 2.7 0 2 0 4 4 3 1 106 13.5 13.5 3.4 10.1 0% .333 3.00 11.42 20.25 91 2.96 61.3
2007 TBA MLB AL 22 0 22.0 1 0 0 26 16 27 1 103 10.6 6.5 0.4 11.0 0% .424 1.91 3.62 6.14 96 4.41 91.2
2007 HUN AA SOU 8 0 11.3 0 0 2 8 4 21 0 94 6.4 3.2 0.0 16.7 0% .364 1.06 0.72 2.39 40 2.58 52.8
2007 NAS AAA PCL 24 0 32.0 1 1 5 17 11 47 2 100 4.8 3.1 0.6 13.2 0% .246 0.88 2.43 1.69 57 1.60 32.9
2008 TBA MLB AL 51 0 58.3 6 2 4 28 24 82 3 104 4.3 3.7 0.5 12.7 0% .217 0.89 2.24 1.54 77 2.83 60.4
2008 DUR AAA INT 15 0 23.7 1 0 8 5 10 39 1 87 1.9 3.8 0.4 14.8 0% .114 0.63 1.84 0.38 52 1.66 33.9
2009 TBA MLB AL 73 0 67.3 5 4 4 59 33 69 6 105 7.9 4.4 0.8 9.2 0% .296 1.37 3.80 4.81 100 4.47 95.9
2010 TBA MLB AL 57 0 55.3 2 1 0 43 17 56 3 106 7.0 2.8 0.5 9.1 0% .274 1.08 2.65 2.28 93 3.28 74.0
2010 PCH A+ FSL 2 2 1.7 0 1 0 2 3 2 0 10.6 15.9 0.0 10.6 0% .400 2.94 6.37 10.59 0 0.00 0.0
2011 OAK MLB AL 62 0 62.0 5 2 2 44 20 59 8 95 6.4 2.9 1.2 8.6 0% .232 1.03 3.80 2.47 96 3.54 82.2
2011 SAC AAA PCL 1 0 1.0 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 18.0 9.0 0.0 0.0 0% .400 3.00 6.78 9.00 121 6.63 135.3
2012 OAK MLB AL 75 0 74.7 3 2 24 41 28 72 4 94 4.9 3.4 0.5 8.7 0% .201 0.92 2.97 2.53 90 3.07 70.3
2013 OAK MLB AL 65 0 62.7 1 3 38 48 27 72 7 93 6.9 3.9 1.0 10.3 0% .263 1.20 3.52 2.59 86 2.58 61.7
2014 TBA MLB AL 65 0 62.3 2 6 12 49 41 57 3 94 7.1 5.9 0.4 8.2 0% .274 1.44 3.98 4.91 107 4.00 98.0
2015 TBA MLB AL 6 0 4.3 0 0 0 3 4 0 1 98 6.2 8.3 2.1 0.0 0% .133 1.62 9.56 6.23 137 8.15 190.4
2015 DUR AAA INT 8 0 9.7 0 0 0 9 4 11 1 8.4 3.7 0.9 10.2 0% .308 1.34 3.46 2.79 89 3.57 78.3

Plate Discipline

YEAR Pits Zone% Swing% Contact% Z-Swing% O-Swing% Z-Contact% O-Contact% SwStr%
2008 1004 0.5179 0.4482 0.7044 0.5865 0.2996 0.7410 0.6276 0.2956
2009 1170 0.5291 0.4547 0.7744 0.6317 0.2559 0.8210 0.6454 0.2256
2010 943 0.5122 0.4454 0.7690 0.5839 0.3000 0.8369 0.6304 0.2310
2011 1001 0.5115 0.4166 0.7986 0.5879 0.2372 0.8472 0.6724 0.2014
2012 1226 0.4935 0.4135 0.7535 0.5653 0.2657 0.8041 0.6485 0.2465
2013 1136 0.4560 0.4296 0.7254 0.6158 0.2735 0.8119 0.5621 0.2746
2014 1107 0.4869 0.3803 0.7743 0.5863 0.1849 0.8133 0.6571 0.2257
2015 89 0.3596 0.3708 0.8182 0.7500 0.1579 0.8750 0.6667 0.1818
Career76760.49870.42570.75760.59610.25740.81140.63490.2424

Injury History  —  No longer being updated

Last Update: 12/31/2014 23:59 ET

Date On Date Off Transaction Days Games Side Body Part Injury Severity Surgery Date Reaggravation
2013-02-14 2013-03-21 Camp 35 0 Right Knee Surgery Meniscus 2013-02-14 -
2011-07-30 2011-07-30 DTD 0 0 - Back Contusion Batted Ball During BP - -
2011-06-22 2011-07-07 15-DL 15 13 Right Abdomen Strain Oblique -
2010-07-29 2010-09-01 15-DL 34 32 Trunk Strain Intercostal -
2009-03-08 2009-03-12 Camp 4 0 Right Elbow Contusion Lateral -
2008-04-19 2008-05-02 Minors 13 0 Not Disclosed -
2006-03-31 2006-10-07 60-DL 190 162 Right Shoulder Recovery From Surgery Labrum and Rotator Cuff 2005-09-29
2005-09-29 2005-09-29 On-Alr 0 0 Right Shoulder Surgery Labrum and Rotator Cuff 2005-09-29
2005-03-25 2005-10-03 60-DL 192 162 Right Elbow Surgery Tommy John Surgery 2005-05-13
2004-07-26 2004-08-17 15-DL 22 19 Right Shoulder Inflammation -
2004-04-04 2004-05-14 15-DL 40 33 Right Shoulder Soreness -
2004-02-23 2004-02-28 Camp 5 0 Right Elbow Soreness -

Compensation

Year Team Salary
2015 TBA $7,500,000
2014 TBA $4,500,000
2013 OAK $4,500,000
2012 OAK $4,000,000
2011 OAK $3,750,000
2010 TBA $2,050,000
2009 TBA $1,400,000
2008 TBA $500,000
2007 MIL $415,000
2007 TBA $415,000
2006 TBA $340,000
2005 TBA $330,000
YearsDescriptionSalary
11 yrPrevious$29,700,000
11 yrTotal$29,700,000

 

Service TimeAgentContract Status
10 y 99 dLevinsons ACES2 years/$12M (2014-15)

Details
  • 2 years/$12M (2014-15). Signed by Tampa Bay as a free agent 1/23/14. $1M signing bonus. 14:$4M, 15:$7M. $2M annually deferred. Assignment bonus: $0.5M if traded. (Tentative deal with Baltimore for 2 years/$15M fell through.) DFA by Tampa Bay 4/19/15. Released by Tampa Bay 4/27/15. Re-signed by Tampa Bay as a free agent 5/5/15 (minor-league contract). Retired 4/29/16.
  • 2 years/$8.1M (2011-12), plus 2013 club option. Signed by Oakland as a free agent 1/14/11. 11:$3.75M, 12:$4M, 13:$4.5M club option, $0.35M buyout. Award bonuses, including $50,000 for All-Star selection. Oakland exercised 2013 option 10/29/12.
  • 1 year/$2.05M (2010). Re-signed by Tampa Bay 12/11/09 (avoided arbitration).
  • 1 year/$1.4M (2009). Re-signed by Tampa Bay 1/16/09 (avoided arbitration).
  • 1 year/$0.5M (2008). Re-signed by Tampa Bay 12/13/07 (avoided arbitration). DFA 3/29/08. Contract purchased 5/29/08.
  • 1 year/$0.415M (2007). Signed by Milwaukee 1/07. Performance bonuses: $15,000 for 30 games. $25,000 each for 40, 45, 55 games. $45,000 for 60 games. Sent outright to Triple-A, released 3/07. Re-signed by Milwaukee 3/07 (minor-league contract). Contract purchased 7/16/07. Acquired by Tampa Bay in trade 7/28/07 after being DFA 7/27/07.
  • 1 year/$0.34M (2006). Signed by Cincinnati as a free agent 1/06. Claimed by Milwaukee off waivers from Cincinnati 10/06.
  • 1 year/$0.33M (2005). Re-signed by Minnesota 3/05. Non-tendered 12/05.
  • Signed by Minnesota 1997 as an amateur free agent from Australia.

2019 Preseason Forecast

Last Update: 1/27/2017 12:35 ET

PCT W L SV G GS IP H BB SO HR BABIP WHIP ERA DRA VORP WARP
Weighted Mean?????0.0?00?.0000.000.00?0.00.0

BP Annual Player Comments

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BP Articles

Click here to see articles tagged with Grant Balfour

BP Chats

DateQuestionAnswer
2014-03-12 14:00:00 (link to chat)Have a favorite pick you've made in the reliever draft thus far? Didn't make it into your league so can't see your roster.
(Alex from Milwaukee)
My league is in the middle of the 13th round. My 12 picks so far:

Craig Kimbrel
Grant Balfour
Junichi Tazawa
Kevin Siegrist
Craig Stammen
Will Smith
Carlos Martinez
Adam Ottavino
Wade Davis
Manny Parra
Heath Hembree
Santiago Casilla

(For anyone who doesn't know what we're talking about, Sam is running a reliever-only fantasy league with Effectively Wild listeners. Only categories are runs allowed and strikeouts, and only relief innings count.) (Ben Lindbergh)
2013-11-05 13:00:00 (link to chat)Seems like there are a number of older "proven closers" on the free agent market with only a handful of opportunities out there- Joaquin Benoit, Grant Balfour, Joe Nathan, Fernando Rodney, Edward Mujica not to mention the injury reclamation projects like Brian Wilson, Ryan Madson and Joel Hanrahan. With the success that the Cardinals had moving Edward Mujica back two innings and then doing the same with Trevor Rosenthal and Carlos Martinez in the playoffs, are the days of spending big on closers finally over? Does a team like the Cubs with no great in house solution and a smart front office take advantage of the oversaturated market or pass on all those guys?
(Scott from LA)
We'll continue to see a wide variety of approaches to how teams handle the late innings. On the one hand there is certainly something to the idea that there are people who can close and people who can't. But you'd be hard pressed to get a closer enough innings in a season to justify paying big for them (unless, like the Yankees, Phillies, Red Sox, etc. you simply have the money to spend). St. Louis has such a glut of arms they have no reason to go outside the org, but for many teams there simply aren't good reasons to limit a young, high ceiling arm to a closer role. I imagine the Cubs will look for a reasonably priced arm that they think can handle the job, rather than committing more money over multiple years. (Nick J. Faleris)
2013-10-11 14:00:00 (link to chat)If you were Oakland, who stays and goes for 2014? Some choices are obvious -- Chris Young and Kurt Suzuki are gone. Grant Balfour and Bartolo Colon are probably not affordable. Brett Anderson, Seth Smith, and Josh Reddick are all non-tender candidates, though Smith and Reddick could be back because it doesn't look like Michael Choice is ready. How do they fix the middle of the infield? Jed Lowrie isn't going to put up this type of offense to make up for that poor of a glove and Eric Sogard and Albert Callaspo -- just, no. The Coliseum hides the total mediocre state of the A's rotation.
(Dave from Chicago)
Great question. Agree on Young and Suzuki. Balfour will probably price himself out of Oakland, a team that has no problem with a revolving door of closers. I think that Reddick sticks around, unless his homer counts exorbitantly drive up the price in his first year of arbitration. It will be interesting to see what Colon wants contractually, and the A's could easily bow out if he wants a multi-year deal. There is no way that the A's pay $8 million for Anderson next year, so his option will be declined, but it will be interesting to see if he re-signs on a one-year deal to re-establish his value. Coco Crisp will probably be taken up on his $7.5 million option, given his somewhat unique blend of speed and power in CF (as well as his clubhouse appeal). The A's like the power that Lowrie offers in the middle of the diamond, and their backup options are less than inspiring (Nakajima has turned out to be a waste of $6.5 million).

The A's pitching succeeds in many ways that are tough to see. Yes, the Coliseum and its immense foul territory certainly help, but the A's have an excellent system in place for pitcher development. They emphasize balance, posture, and pitch repetition - and they eschew the slide step! So they earn the benefit of the doubt when it comes to developing pitchers from within and identifying which arms to bring into the system.


On the jukebox: Aerosmith, "Ragdoll" (Doug Thorburn)
2013-09-12 18:00:00 (link to chat)Some non-closer this year that are good bets to earn 20+ saves next year are _____?
(Joanah from Redwood)
Hi Joanah.

No non-closer is ever a good bet to earn 20+ saves. If you had Kevin Gregg with 30 saves this year, raise your hand. Not so fast, every single one of you.

But if you're asking for names, I like Cody Allen in Cleveland, Ryan Cook in Oakland, and Trevor Rosenthal in St. Louis if he stays in the bullpen. All three are risks, but that's the nature of a question like this; these are all guesses at this point. I think the Indians will non-tender Perez, but maybe they sign him for $9-10 million. Grant Balfour probably leaves for free agency, but maybe he doesn't. Edward Mujica probably leaves, but maybe the Cardinals keep him or maybe Jason Motte is healthy and gets the role back. I used to shy away from the skills over roles thing, but now I believe it. If you grabbed Rosenthal in your fantasy league this year, you probably were very satisfied with the overall numbers (and especially the strikeouts) even though he never wound up closing. (Mike Gianella)
2013-09-12 18:00:00 (link to chat)Thank you for the chat, Mike. If you're the Angels and you're looking to rebuild the pen, which free agent relievers would you target? Would Balfour or Mujica be potential targets, and which would you prefer?
(Dennis from LA)
Hi Dennis:

Thanks! Glad to hear it.

I'm not a fan of adding free agent relievers if it can be avoided, but if the Angels are going to go this route, I think I'd prefer Edward Mujica over Grant Balfour. He's a little younger, and the HR/FB risk is mitigated in that park. Balfour would probably be fine too, but I feel like he dodged more than a few bullets this year and might not be so lucky in 2013, especially since he'd have to face the A's now. (Mike Gianella)
2012-08-17 13:00:00 (link to chat)How would you get out if you were placed into a giant blender alongside Ray King?
(dipotonotdipoto from brooklyn)
I don't have a great answer for this, which makes me unqualified to work for Goldman Sachs (hooray!). But I will note that it took me Ray King's entire career, plus four years of inactivity, before I finally realized today that his name is Raking. Not quite Grant Balfour or Dave Heaverlo, but an underrated pitcher aptonym. (Sam Miller)
2012-05-07 13:00:00 (link to chat)The closer carousel has already begun. What current closers should be looking over their shoulders and who will they see?
(LoyalRoyal from Kansas)
I'll give you three names:

Most likely: Brett Myers – I think he'll be traded and that Fernando Rodriguez or Wilton Lopez take over.

Very likely: Grant Balfour – Again, traded. Ryan Cook is the next in line.

The wild card: Fernando Rodney. Kyle Farnsworth could be back in early-to-mid June. Maybe the Rays just slide Farnsworth into the eighth inning spot but I wouldn't be too surprised if they gave Farnsworth the job back and let Rodney go into a set-up role. (R.J. Anderson)
2012-03-14 13:30:00 (link to chat)Who will be the Astros' All-Star? A's? White Sox?
(Eric Sogard from Surprise)
This is a fun question, and a hard one. Mike Fast can't qualify, right? I'll go out on a limb (it's hard to pick an Astro All-Star without going out on a limb) and guess Jed Lowrie stays healthy for a half season and earns a spot. For the A's and White Sox, I'll go with relievers: Grant Balfour and Addison Reed. (Ben Lindbergh)
2012-03-06 13:00:00 (link to chat)Any picks for non-closers worth taking for pure K/WHIP/ERA/maybe win-stealing upside? Basically Tyler Clippard types...
(Mark from Cleveland)
Kenley Jansen #1, but his save upside will make him expensive. Clippard is good. Mike Adams, Sergio Romo (if they let him face more lefties this year and he gets more than 40 IP), Jonny Venters, Hong-Chih Kuo (if healthy), Joaquin Benoit, Grant Balfour (if he doesn't close), Matt Thornton/Addison Reed (whoever doesn't close). (Derek Carty)
2012-02-14 13:00:00 (link to chat)Who do you think will end up closing for the A's?
(Xavier from Texas)
As of right now, I'd give Grant Balfour the edge, but Fautino De Los Santos and Joey Devine will be in the mix as well. De Los Santos figures to be the long-term option there, especially if he can harness his control/command a bit more. (Derek Carty)
2012-01-10 13:00:00 (link to chat)Who are some breakout closers you have in mind for 2012? Not just save collectors, guys that could be elite. Kimbrel was a a draft day jewel for lots of people last year, no doubt.
(froston from Canada!)
Rafael Betancourt, Jason Motte, Addison Reed, Grant Balfour. Betancourt and Motte have already shown elite skills and will likely start the year with the jobs. Reed's riskier but could be elite too (also might not get the job), Balfour's a tier below but still good (and too might not get the job). (Derek Carty)
2011-08-17 13:00:00 (link to chat)Anyone come to mind when you think of non-closers this year that could go for 30+ saves (MLB) next year?
(MJ from Madison, Wis.)
Bard? Mike Adams? Grant Balfour? (Sam Miller)
2011-01-18 13:00:00 (link to chat)The A's just signed Grant Balfour and now are apparently targeting Brian Fuentes. All this on top of the signings of Rich Harden and Brandon McCarthy. Obviously a lot of injury risk, but do you see the A's looking to move one of their relievers in a package for another bat?
(Tom from Madison)
Someone is going to have to go somewhere if they keep doing this, but I'm just not sure who they are going to move. It was smart of them to wait until the market died down a little though. You know a reliever is going to get hurt in the spring or a team won't have as many quality options as they thought they did. (Marc Normandin)
2010-12-20 13:00:00 (link to chat)MIN has had good luck in getting mileage out of retread relief pitchers. Any guesses who they turn to this year? I think they still need one more and the organization isn't bursting with anyone that didn't underwhelm last year.
(Cris E from St Paul, MN)
Mahay could go there and produce well as a LOOGY. I'd still like to see them give Condrey another shot if he can stay healthy. Maybe Grant Balfour too. But this brings up a very good point. The Twins got guys like Jesse Crain and Matt Guerrier from the scrapheap, and these guys each just signed lucrative three-year deals. Finding ways to get good bullpen production without spending any money is, to me, the next big market inefficiency. (Eric Seidman)
2010-12-14 13:00:00 (link to chat)Am I crazy to think that the Twins can put together a darn good bullpen even with losing Crain, Guerrier, Rauch, and Fuentes (assuming they all leave)? I think it's very funny that Twins fans complain that Jose Mijares is inconsistent but also worry that Crain will leave; call for Anthony Slama and Rob Delaney for nearly two years, but now fear the bullpen will be awful when they might get a chance; and don't trust any low-cost options when a guy like Guerrier was originally claimed off waivers. If the Twins can sort through the many options, they could piece together a very effective group. That being said, any established relievers you would recommed for relatively cheap?
(russadams from St. Paul)
You're not crazy, and you can find the next Matt Guerrier. I think Grant Balfour's worth getting, and Arthur Rhodes and Chan Ho Park or even Kevin Gregg are names worth spending seven figures for. Kerry Wood, Dan Wheeler, an NRI for Justin Duchscherer... it's still a buyer's market as far as finding relief help, given the multiplicity of alternatives. (Christina Kahrl)
2010-11-16 13:00:00 (link to chat)If you had to guess now, who do you think becomes the FA bargain of the offseason? My guess was Kuroda, but his deal was quick and relatively expensive. Dunn the other year was a great example of what I mean.....a good player sitting there at a bargain price for anyone to take later in the offseason.
(Will from Mactaquac)
I was with you on Kuroda. Maybe Magglio Ordonez, who hasn't seemed to generate a buzz commensurate with his offensive abilities. Javier Vazquez might make an NL team happy. The market for late-inning relievers is deep enough that someone like J.J. Putz or Grant Balfour could end up signing a below-market deal. (Ben Lindbergh)
2009-04-16 13:00:00 (link to chat)Troy Percival sucks, Dan Wheeler isn't much better and J.P. Howell and Grant Balfour haven't been good...yet. What do you make of the early struggles of the Rays pen?
(Tommy from DRaysBay)
Wait, a bullpen couldn't repeat its performance from last year, one which was above and beyond expectations during its successful run? I liked the Rays to be better than last year for reasons outside of their bullpen. I think we'll see Howell and Balfour pick it up a bit, but if you expect them to replicate last year again, you're in for a long season. (Marc Normandin)
2008-07-29 16:00:00 (link to chat)If the Rays are looking to add a reliever, why would they deal Dan Wheeler, who has been one of their best relievers?
(Tommy from Outsperswing)
It's a value equation. "Cardiac Dan" has been supplanted as an 8th inning guy/CIW by Grant Balfour, but has good numbers and is seen by the league as a premium setup guy. That has a pretty big value, considering someone like Brian Fuentes would cost a David Price to acquire. If you can trade Wheeler, get a RH bat, and plug in one of the available guys or even Price in September, shouldn't they consider it? (Will Carroll)


BP Roundtables

DateRoundtable NameComment
2008-10-02 11:00:00Thursday Playoff GamesRandom fact #6: According to the Rays media guide, Grant Balfour went on a tour of the Australian vineyards in the past offseason.

I am not kidding when I say that the Rays media guide is as good, if not better, than any I've seen. Ditto their media relations department, actually. (David Laurila)
 

PITCHf/x Pitcher Profile

A Collaboration between BrooksBaseball.net and Baseball Prospectus - Pitch classifications provided by Pitch Info LLC


Although he has not thrown an MLB pitch in 2023, Grant Balfour threw 8,331 pitches that were tracked by the PITCHf/x system between 2007 and 2015, all of them occuring in Spring Training. In 2015, he relied primarily on his Fourseam Fastball (91mph), Slider (86mph) and Sinker (90mph), also mixing in a Change (86mph). He also rarely threw a Curve (82mph).