JUST NOW: Cincinnati Reds confirms Major Deal with Kansas City Royals for highly rated reliever
The Cincinnati Reds, quiet for much of the offseason since acquiring Brady Singer from the Kansas City Royals, have picked up the pace over the last two days. On Wednesday, the team claimed reliever Roansy Contreras off waivers from the Texas Rangers. Today, they signed veteran reliever Bryan Shaw to a minor league deal that includes an invitation to spring training, as reported by Robert Murray of Fansided.
Shaw has a history with new Reds manager Terry Francona, having spent seven seasons under his leadership in Cleveland between 2013 and 2022 (with stops in Colorado and Seattle during that span).
During the prime of his career (2011–2017), Shaw was a reliable reliever, appearing in 475 games with a 3.13 ERA. He led the league in appearances in three of the final four years of that stretch, cementing his reputation as a durable bullpen arm. However, after signing with the Rockies in 2018, his performance declined. Over two seasons in Colorado, he posted a 5.61 ERA before being released.
In 2020, Shaw struggled in Seattle, allowing 12 earned runs in just six innings. He returned to Cleveland in 2021, showing signs of a rebound with a 3.49 ERA and leading the league in appearances (81). Unfortunately, his performance dipped again over the next three seasons, during which he posted a 5.00 ERA across 103 games with Cleveland and the Chicago White Sox.
In 2024, Shaw made only four MLB appearances for the White Sox, allowing five runs in four innings. In Triple-A with Salt Lake, he recorded a 4.14 ERA over 39 games but struggled with control, issuing nearly as many walks (34) as strikeouts (28) in 41.1 innings.
Despite his recent struggles, Shaw’s veteran experience and past connection with Francona may provide value to the Reds as they evaluate bullpen options for the upcoming season.
You can see the career stats for Bryan Shaw here
The right-handed reliever is now 37 years old and has posted a 5.12 ERA in his 30s at the big league level. These days, he primarily relies on his cutter and slider, which accounted for 90% of his pitch usage in 2024. He occasionally mixes in a 2-seamer, curveball, and changeup.
Earlier in his career, Shaw was known for generating ground balls, but that wasn’t the case in 2023 when he threw 45.2 innings at the major league level. However, this past season, while pitching 41.1 innings in Triple-A, he returned to his ground ball ways with a 52.1% ground ball rate, which is well above the league average of 42%.
The old saying about the value of pitching depth holds more true than ever today. Shaw represents insurance as a potential depth piece in case of a series of injuries, but the Reds shouldn’t—and likely aren’t—counting on him to play a significant role at the major league level given his recent struggles.