Matt Albers

Albers got off to a fast start with the Brewers and even served as closer for a brief time in April. He eventually lost that job, but still carried a 1.08 ERA through the end of May. Everything went downhill from there, though, as he gave up eight runs over his next four outings, missed over a month with an injury, and then allowed a whopping 17 earned runs over his last 10 outings. Albers was outstanding from April of 2017 through May of 2018 and has another year left on his contract, so he's a good bet to spend another year in Milwaukee. However, given how he ended last year and the Brewers' deep bullpen, he is not a lock to make the club.

Due to injuries and poor performance at the back end of the Nationals' bullpen during the first half, Albers fell into the closer role briefly, earning his first two career saves in his 12th major-league season. Manager Dusty Baker made it known that Albers was not a viable long-term solution -- after all, Albers has averaged 6.5 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9 for his career -- and lobbied the front office to make a trade, which they eventually did, acquiring Sean Doolittle and Ryan Madson from Oakland and later Brandon Kintzler from Minnesota. Those additions pushed Albers back down in the pecking order, and while he finished with a sub-2.00 ERA for the second time in three seasons and averaged better than a strikeout per inning, he's unlikely to be in the mix to close ever again. The 35-year-old inked a two-year deal with the Brewers in January of 2018; with Corey Knebel locked in as the team's closer, Albers figures to work in a middle-relief/setup role for his new club.

Albers' 2015 success seemed fairly unsustainable, so his 2016 certainly came as a bit of a surprise. His ERA skyrocketed to 6.31, his strikeout rate dipped to 5.3 K/9 and he allowed nearly two homers per nine innings. Although his stats weren't necessarily good at home (4.21 ERA, 1.36 WHIP), his road numbers really dragged him down, as he posted a 8.42 ERA and 1.99 WHIP while striking out fewer batters than he walked. Albers' control was poor (3.3 BB/9) and even though his FIP was lower than his ERA, a 5.85 FIP is still nothing to write home about. Even after signing a minor league contract with the Nationals, last season's tough campaign will make it hard for the right-hander to garner anything more than a middle-relief role in Washington's unsettled bullpen, especially at age 33.

Albers broke his finger in a scrum with the Royals in late-April and sat out the next two months. He returned shortly after the All-Star break, and after a couple initial hiccups, made 21 straight scoreless appearances to end the season. The right-hander lacks the gas of the prototypical late-inning arm, instead relying upon a sinker that induces swings-and-misses and a slider that induces groundballs. He enters the offseason as a free agent, and should be able to land a middle-relief role, with the potential for some holds depending on where he lands.

A free agent signing by Houston, Albers allowed one run in 10 relief innings to open 2014 before right shoulder tendinitis forced him to the disabled list in late April. The injury wasn't expected to sideline him much longer than his initial 15-day DL stint, but pain and discomfort in the shoulder persisted, causing the veteran reliever to miss the remainder of the season. While the Astros weren't willing to gamble on Albers' health for 2015 -- they declined his option for $3 million in October -- the extreme groundballer (4.33 GB/FB in 2013) will likely find a new team who can offer him a low-leverage middle-relief or situational role out of the bullpen.

Albers took a small step back in his first season with the Indians in a middle-relief role, posting ratios that were worse than his combined results from 2012 between Arizona and Boston. At this stage, the strikeout-per-inning performance he delivered in 2011 appears to be an outlier, and as a contact-inducing reliever, Albers seems best suited for lower-leverage opportunities. He might also find use in the occasional situation where a groundball could induce a double play, as he carried an excellent 4.33 GB/FB mark last season. Albers will work in a late-inning role with the Astros after signing a one-year deal with Houston in December.

The D-Backs acquired Albers from the Red Sox in July to bolster their right-handed bullpen depth. Over the final two months, Albers' strikeout rate jumped to 8.1 K/9, while he carried the highest groundball rate of his career (57.1%). The success Albers had overall in 2012 was hinged to an improved walk rate (3.3 BB/9), but his xFIP (3.90) is one indication that the 2.39 ERA he carried is unsustainable. Sent to Cleveland in December, Albert could wind up in a setup role at some point now that he's on a roster with less bullpen depth than the D-Backs.

Albers was a bright light out of the Red Sox bullpen for much of last season and filled the role Boston expected Bobby Jenks to perform. All that ended in August when Albers couldn't buy an out and his ERA topped four once again. He's walked more than four batters per nine innings in his career, which isn't a good trait in relievers. We don't see a big role for him in Boston, should he make the 25-man roster out of spring training.

The Orioles non-tendered Albers, who struggled throughout most of the season in the bullpen. He is 28-years-old, and odds are that a team will use him in middle relief since he doesn't miss enough bats (5.8 K/9IP) to warrant consideration for a high-leverage setup role. Albers signed with Boston in the offseason and pitched well enough in spring training to earn a spot on the major league roster.

After returning from shoulder surgery, Albers spent the 2009 season on the shuttle between Baltimore and Triple-A Norfolk. His time in Baltimore wasn't pretty, and he may have lost some stuff after surgery in late 2008. Look for Albers in middle relief if he makes the team at all this spring.

After he failed to make the rotation out of spring training, Albers became a very reliable pitcher out of the bullpen. Eventually, he earned another look in the rotation, but a torn labrum in his throwing shoulder ended his season prematurely. Keep an eye on Albers in spring training to see whether the Orioles want to put him back in the bullpen or make him a starter, but don't expect him to go back and forth again after the shoulder injury.

Albers began last season at Triple-A Round Rock, but spent the vast majority of the year in the majors. He made 18 starts, and added 13 relief appearances, posting a 4-11 record with a 5.86 ERA, with unimpressive K:BB and HR rates. He'll be 25 years old when the season starts, so he still has time to develop, but he projects no higher than an end-of-the-rotation starter. The Astros sent him to the Orioles as part of the Miguel Tejada deal in December, so he'll try to break camp as Baltimore's No. 4 or No. 5 starter.

Albers went 10-2 with a 2.17 ERA at Double-A Corpus Christi and 2-1 with a 3.96 ERA at Triple-A Round Rock before getting called up to the big league club. He went 0-2 in four appearances -- including two starts -- with the Astros. He consistently hits 93-94 mph with his fastball, and can get it up to 97 mph. His curveball and slider both have the potential to be plus pitches, and he has a chance to be the fifth starter in the rotation this season, competing with Fernando Nieve for that spot.

Albers bounced back from suspension and rehab in 2004, and a rocky start to 2005, to stay among the Astros' top pitching prospects. He's a four-pitch guy who sits in the low 90s and projects as No. 4 starter in the majors. He's at least a year away.

Albers enjoyed an 8-3 campaign with a 3.31 ERA and finished with 140 strikeouts in 111 innings for Low-A Lexington and should move up another level in the Astros minor league system in 2005.

Alvers, a 23rd round Junior College pick in 2001, led the New York-Penn League in strikeouts in 2003 with 94 in 86 and a third innings. Largely ignored because of a squat size, he’s lost body fat from his six-foot frame since turning pro and needs to be considered a prospect based on his low-minor results thus far. He has a fastball that can get into the mid 90s and a hard, sharp breaking pitch. Despite the low level, he already has the makings of a change up, and will throw any pitch at any time. A showing at low Single-A is likely in 2004, and the 21-year-old should find himself at high Single-A by the end of the season. Older because of college time, his true test will be at the higher levels. If he’s able to continue his strikeout rate, he becomes a legitimate prospect.