Mike Adams

Adams was supposed to provide the Phillies with a dominant setup arm in front of closer Jonathan Papelbon, but a shoulder injury caused him to miss the latter half of the 2013 season. He was scheduled to begin a throwing program in December, and hopes to be ready to pitch in spring training. Whether or not he will still be an effective middle reliever again remains to be seen. His shoulder injury involved tears in the labrum and rotator cuff. This type of injury has often made it difficult for a pitcher to come back and perform at his previous level of performance. If you are looking to grab the next guy in line for saves in Philly, it might be a safer bet to draft Antonio Bastardo or Justin De Fratus until Adams proves he's healthy and effective on the mound again.

Adams had his season cut short due to a neck/shoulder injury, eventually requiring surgery in the offseason for Thoracic Outlet Syndrome. His struggles down the stretch as he attempted to pitch through injury took some shine off his season, and cost him several million on the free-agent market as well. After signing with the Phillies in the offseason, Adams will work in a setup role in front of closer Jonathan Papelbon in Philadelphia.

Adams served as Texas' setup man following a midseason trade from the Padres, continuing his excellent run as one of the elite late-inning relievers in baseball. Texas' offseason signing of Joe Nathan, and related move of Neftali Feliz to the rotation, could result in a handful of saves for Adams if the Rangers are reluctant to use the aging Nathan three of four nights on occasion, but you should bid expecting Adams to be an excellent staff filler and setup option and consider any save chances he receives a bonus.

Adams quietly had another fantastic season as a member of the Padres bullpen, aka the "PENitentiary." His walk rate jumped up to 3.11 BB/9IP, but he still struck out more than a batter an inning thanks to one of the best cutters in baseball. A top notch setup man, Adams would excel in a closer role, if ever given the opportunity. Unless Heath Bell suffers an injury or gets traded, he'll be a part of the bridge to the ninth inning.

Last year's stats were driven by a silly .163 BABIP and having 75 percent of the runs he allowed flagged as unearned. That said, Adams is something of an unknown treasure, with a career 2.53 ERA and 4.0 K/BB. If the Padres deal Heath Bell, a healthy Adams -- never a certainty -- could be in line to play Bell to Bell's Trevor Hoffman.

Once a closer for the Brewers, Adams became the latest post-prospect reliever to excel in the Padres' pen, improving his already strong strikeout skills while displaying much better control. Unfortunately, he needed labrum and rotator cuff surgery in October, almost certainly delaying his 2009 debut until some time after the All-Star break.

Adams bounced between four organizations in 2006, mainly serving as a middle reliever in Triple-A. The once-promising prospect now looks like a journeyman who could be past his prime at age 28. He has strikeout stuff (48 K in 59.1 Triple-A innings in 2006), but walks too many batters (22) and gives up a fair number of runs (3.94 ERA). The Padres have a reputation for salvaging middle relievers, but Adams is far from a lock to make the big-league club.

After a breakout year in 2004, Adams took a step back in 2005 and spent most of the season at Triple-A Nashville. While his rate of 11.25 strikeouts per nine innings was strong, his ERA clearly was not. He'll try to earn a setup role this spring.

Adams started strong in 2004 but faded down the stretch in his rookie season. With the trade of Danny Kolb, the Brewers announced Adams will be their closer entering spring training. While his job security will be tenuous, he's shown enough control to think he'll be successful at the job. He's a nice sleeper as a result.