Jason Motte

Jason Motte

41-Year-Old PitcherP
 Free Agent  
2024 Fantasy Outlook
There was no outlook written for Jason Motte in 2024. Check out the latest news below for more on his current fantasy value.
$Signed a minor-league contract with the Cardinals in February of 2018.
Wraps up playing career
PFree Agent  
June 27, 2018
Motte was hired as the director of player development for University of Memphis baseball program earlier in June, effectively ending his playing career, Evan Barnes of The Memphis Commercial Appeal reports.
ANALYSIS
Motte's nine-year run in the majors came to an end in March, when he was released by the Cardinals during spring training. After failing to latch on elsewhere, Motte will stay involved with baseball in Memphis, where he makes his offseason home. The 36-year-old appeared in 444 career games with the Cardinals, Cubs, Rockies and Braves, logging a 3.30 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 60 saves. He led the majors with 42 saves in 2012 as a member of the Cardinals and was a key reliever for St. Louis during its run to the 2011 World Series title.
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2017
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Past Fantasy Outlooks
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Motte delivered good ratios over 46 appearances for the Braves last season, thanks to a very low hit rate (28 hits allowed in 40.2 innings). His peripherals were among the worst of his career, as he struck out just 16.3 percent of the batters he faced while he issued walks at a career-high 12.1-percent clip. If he's on a 25-man roster in 2018, it seems highly unlikely that he'll be utilized as a ninth-inning option, as high-leverage work may be out of the question now that he's unable to miss bats. As positives go, he posted the highest groundball rate of his career in 2017 (45.2 percent), but unless he finds a way to ratchet that rate up even further, his ERA is more likely to soar above 5.00 than to remain in the mid- 3.00 range. If this turns out to the be the end of the line for him, Motte will retire with 60 career saves, 375 strikeouts in 397.2 innings, a 3.30 career ERA, and a 1.15 career WHIP.
Like much of the Rockies' bullpen, Motte was hot and cold in 2016. The veteran reliever missed much of the first two months of the season with a shoulder injury, but he came out of the gate hot with a 2.81 ERA and 9.0 K/9 in his first 20 appearances. The good times ended abruptly, however, as he was shelled in his next few outings and headed back to the disabled list shortly thereafter with another shoulder issue. The right-hander returned to pitch three scoreless innings in September, but it wasn't enough to salvage his ERA, which ballooned to 4.94 by the season's end. Motte proved that he can still get the ball past batters even at age 34, and he actually found a lot of success on the road (0.84 ERA, 0.94 WHIP). That being said, it'll be tough to gain much value if he continues to struggle at Coors Field considering he'll likely pitch half of his innings there.
The old Jason Motte doesn't look like he's coming back. Tommy John surgery kept him on the shelf for all of 2013 and much of 2014, and when he returned, the high strikeout rate was gone. In 2012, Motte struck out 10.8 batters per nine innings, but after the surgery that number has fallen to 6.3, and he's lost a few ticks on his fastball as well. True, he saved six games last year as the occasional closer, but that's a far cry from the 42 he had for the Cardinals in 2012. A shoulder injury kept him out of action during the last six weeks of the season as well as the entirety of the postseason, but that didn't stop the Rockies from handing him a two-year pact for $10 million. Colorado will hope that Motte returns to form, but don't bet on it. With Jake McGee on board, Motte should work out of the eighth inning most nights.
One of the more popular sleeper picks last offseason, Motte failed to return to his form from 2012 when he was one of the best ninth-inning options in the National League. Motte made his return in late May and was serviceable for most of the season outside of a few multi-run blowups. He missed most of August with a back injury before pitching sparingly in September and not at all in October. Perhaps the most telling was his 17 strikeouts in 25 innings, easily the worst strikeout rate of his career, almost 10 percentage points off his career mark. Motte signed a one-year deal with the Cubs in December, for whom he could quickly become an option to replace Hector Rondon if he can find his pre-surgery form.
Motte didn't pitch in 2013 as he tore an elbow ligament in spring training and underwent Tommy John surgery in May. The 31-year-old was one of the game's top closers in 2012, but will likely go into a setup role with Trevor Rosenthal positioned as the team's closer heading into 2014. Motte will also join Kevin Siegrist and possibly Carlos Martinez in a bullpen that projects to miss a ton of bats. Motte struck out 86 batters in 72 innings during his 2012 campaign and the Cardinals are hoping he can return to his old form as he gets further away from surgery.
It took the Cardinals a long time in 2011 to realize they had a great closer on their roster, and in 2012, Motte rewarded them with another outstanding season, saving 42 games and winning four more. Motte's K/BB ratio continues to skyrocket as well, all the way up to an elite 5.06 last year. The only blip: nine home runs allowed in 72 innings. If Motte can take care of the long ball, he could be the best closer in the National League.
Despite pitching in a dominating fashion all season, Motte didn't get a chance to close for the Cardinals until Fernando Salas blew two save opportunities in August. It helped that Motte was in the midst of going more than 10 weeks (33 appearances) without giving up an earned run. One bad week in September pushed his ERA over 2.00 for the year, but ultimately he was the best pitcher in the St. Louis bullpen and improved all of his numbers - most notably his now-elite K:BB and home-run rates - from his strong 2010 campaign. Now that the closer job is his going into the spring, expect to pay heavily. If the last two years are any indication, he'll be worth it.
Motte was the closer for all of one day in 2009, but he recovered from his Opening Day meltdown to post serviceable numbers as a rookie. In 2010, he took a huge step up, and it's clear he's next in line to close should Ryan Franklin falter, perhaps as early as this season. Motte retired 32 batters in a row at one point last year, and his 54:18 K:BB ratio helped him earn two saves and 12 holds. He missed three weeks with a shoulder injury in August, but after coming back, he didn't give up a run the rest of the season.
The Cardinals' 2009 Opening Day closer imploded in the first game and never got a real chance to close again, though that probably had more to do with the emergence of Ryan Franklin than Motte's skills. Motte struck out nearly a batter per inning, but he ultimately gave up too many baserunners to be counted on in key situations. After getting 14 holds in his first 35 appearances, he had just one in his last 34 appearances. Depending on how things unfold with Franklin in the closer's role, Motte could be limited to a setup spot this season.
Motte was phenomenal in a brief stint with the Cardinals in 2008, striking out 16 and giving up just five hits in 11 innings. He was even better in the minors in 2008 (check out that strikeout rate), and he'll compete with Chris Perez for the closer's role this year. Don't forget his name on draft day.
More Fantasy News
Released by Cardinals
PFree Agent  
March 23, 2018
Motte was released by the Cardinals on Thursday, Joe Trezza of MLB.com reports.
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Will not make Opening Day roster
PSt. Louis Cardinals  
March 22, 2018
Motte will not be on the Cardinals' Opening Day roster, Joe Trezza of MLB.com reports.
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Headed to St. Louis on MiLB deal
PSt. Louis Cardinals  
February 16, 2018
Motte signed a minor-league contract with the Cardinals on Friday, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
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Reinstated from disabled list Friday
PAtlanta Braves  
September 15, 2017
Motte (oblique) was activated from the 10-day DL prior to Friday's game against the Mets, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.
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Placed on disabled list Friday
PAtlanta Braves  
Oblique
September 1, 2017
Motte landed on the 10-day disabled list Friday due to a right oblique strain.
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