Héctor Neris Seeking $50M Contract amid Yankees, Rangers Buzz

Veteran reliever Héctor Neris has reportedly set his asking price for interested suitors.

According to MLB insider Héctor Gómez, Neris is aiming to get $50 million over three years.

MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand reported last Saturday the New York Yankees and Texas Rangers were “emerging as potential frontrunners” for the right-hander.

You always want to start high in any negotiation. Even with that in mind, Neris might be significantly misjudging his value on the open market.

An average salary of $16.7 million would make him the second-highest-paid relief pitcher in MLB behind New York Mets closer Edwin Díaz. Not only is Neris not a closer, but he also might not even be considered an elite setup man. Spotrac pegged his value at $7.6 million per year, comparing him to Chris Martin and Aaron Loup, among others.

Across 68.1 innings in 2023, Neris had a 1.71 ERA and a 3.83 FIP. His 4.1 walks per nine innings were the second-highest rate of his career, and some of his other peripherals raise concerns.

According to Baseball Savant, the 34-year-old averaged 93.0 mph on his fastball, down noticeably from his velocity (94.1) in 2022. His ground-ball (31.8 percent) and fly-ball (51.6 percent) rates are going in the wrong direction as well, per FanGraphs.

Especially for a reliever, losing some zip on your fastball and watching opposing hitters elevate the ball more is a recipe for disaster.

That’s not to say Neris wouldn’t be a good fit for the Yankees or Rangers. Both teams could benefit from adding some bullpen help.

But it’s hard to justify a contract upwards of $15 million or $16 million a year.