They ended up going with option 3 - both sides decline their original options and likely ended up in the best situation. What a fun contract he had!
I hope that they continue to add to the bullpen because, while they were great this year, there is a high chance that the magic will disappear for some of the lower end guys - Cabrera, Richards, etc. Mayza has been an up and down guy throughout his career but he showed a lot this season and hopefully, he figured it out.
The team seems to be pretty dedicated to taking a conservative approach with most of their starting rotation (I guess the Berrios debacle could potentially test the validity of the approach) and requires the bullpen to play a huge role.
I'd pony up for Jordan Hicks. As unpredictable as bullpen arms can be, Hicks' stuff mitigates the risk. His likelihood of turning into a pumpkin is a lot less likely than guys who rely on smoke and mirrors like Adam Cimber or Trevor Richards. He might not close games regularly but could form a bit of a triumvirate with Swanson and Romano to lock down games from the 7th onwards. Combined with Green, that would be a heck of a bullpen for couple of years (Green, Romano, and Swanson are free agents after the 25 season).
They might as well aim to have the best bullpen in the league while they are in the current window which looks to be about two years. It takes strain off of a strong but aging rotation.
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