Jared Burton

Burton turned in another productive season as Minnesota's top setup man for Glen Perkins, pitching in a career-high 71 games, as the injury-plagued years he had at the end of his stint in Cincinnati seem behind him, after two healthy campaigns with the Twins. Overall, Burton has good velocity (92.1 mph average fastball), with a changeup-splitter hybrid (a pitch he calls a "splangeup") as an out pitch. He basically duplicated his 2012 season except for a few more hits, which may have been a byproduct of an increase in BABIP to .305 from .231. He'll serve again as the primary setup man for Perkins and should be next in line for saves, if the closer needs rest at any point.

After missing most of the previous two seasons with a hypothyroid issue, oblique strain and shoulder surgery, Burton revived his career in Minnesota and became a key member of the back end of the bullpen. Burton had a strong 55:16 K:BB in 62 innings and was particularly tough on righties by allowing just a .421 OPS to right-handed batters. He emerged as a key setup man early in the season (18 holds) and even split closing duties with Glen Perkins for about a month. Burton had the second best fastball velocity of his career (92.9 mph average fastball) and also had success with a changeup-splitter hybrid (a pitch he calls a "splangeup"), which batters swung at and missed an impressive 32 percent of the time. Burton's success was not a fluke as he had a 3.41 ERA and 7.6 K/9 during his career with the Reds. However, he is an injury risk given his many ailments the previous three seasons and the Twins were mindful to limit his workload. He will enter the spring with a key setup role and could get frequent save chances during games when Perkins is used against a key lefty before the ninth inning.

Burton missed most of the 2011 season with a shoulder injury, so he'll likely need to prove himself at Triple-A before getting a shot at the majors again. He had a low-90s fastball and was tough on lefties before the injury, so he could have a shot at a final bullpen role.

A hypothyroid condition and an oblique injury ruined much of Burton's season, leaving him mired in Triple-A Louisville. He finally made it up in September and pitched well in four outings, and that combined with his previous history with the Reds encouraged them to tender him a contract for the 2011 season. He'll be in a non-critical role in the bullpen to start the season, but if Nick Masset regresses at all, Burton could take his place.

Burton had a turbulent 2009, first getting off to a slow start, then getting demoted shortly after he had gotten back on track, and later needing a DL trip thanks to a recurrence of childhood asthma. He's better than his 4.40 ERA indicates, but he's not currently in a fantasy viable role.

A strained lat muscle cost Burton six weeks on the DL, and when he returned he wasn't the same pitcher, giving up nine runs over his next five outings. Fully rested, he should come back in the spring as a pretty reliable set-up man and source of strikeouts. Between Burton, Bill Bray and Mike Lincoln, the Reds have quietly assembled a competent bullpen to set up Francisco Cordero.

The Reds struck gold twice in the Rule 5 draft, engineering their trade for Josh Hamilton and then selecting Burton away from the A's. Burton flourished in the second half under interim manager Pete Mackanin after a shaky start with the team. Before the Reds signed Francisco Cordero, Burton was the hardest thrower on the team and projected to be a future closer. He'll have to wait to fulfill his destiny there, and it's probably for the best until he can lower his 4.6 BB/9IP rate.