Sean Doolittle has agreed to a one-year deal to join the Cincinnati Reds (pending a physical), Jon Heyman reports, a contract valued at a reported $1.5 million plus additional performance bonuses.
Doolittle, 34, was a key contributor to the Nationals' World Series title in 2019 and a fan favorite since arriving in Washington via trade from Oakland in 2017. In that time, he went 10-10 with a 3.03 ERA and 75 saves in 147 relief appearances (142.2 IP) across four regular seasons for the Nationals.
Doolittle proved to be one of Washington’s few reliable relievers during the 2019 postseason, in which Washington primarily depended on its starting pitching to pull them through, pitching to a 1.74 ERA, allowing just six hits, two earned runs and one walk with eight strikeouts in nine relief appearances (10.1 IP). He earned two saves along the way, closing out Game 1 of the NLCS and the World Series. He also pitched a scoreless 10th inning to close out the Dodgers in Game 5 of the NLDS.
Doolittle struggled to land his best stuff when he was available in 2020, pitching to a 5.87 ERA with four bases on balls to six strikeouts in just 11 appearances (7.2 IP) as he fought through multiple stints on the Injured List. Throughout the course of a season he can get out of whack mechanically, sometimes needing that time off to set himself straight, time he just didn't have during the pandemic-shortened 60-game season.
While Doolittle had hoped to return to Washington, understanding the business side of the game, he penned an emotion-filled thank you to Nats fans in October, saying in part, "It was a privilege to wear the curly W and play for you at Nats Park."
