Braves sign reliever Collin McHugh to two-year deal
Mar. 16—Having solidified first base, the Atlanta Braves moved to fortify their bullpen Tuesday, signing veteran reliever Collin McHugh to a two-year contract.
McHugh's contract is worth $10 million guaranteed, with a $6 million club option for 2024 that includes a $1 million buyout. He is set to make $4 million this season and $5 million in 2023.
The 34-year-old McHugh is set to join a Braves bullpen alongside holdovers Luke Jackson, Tyler Matzek, A.J. Minter and Will Smith.
McHugh, 34, pitched in 37 games and made seven starts for the Tampa Bay Rays last season, compiling a 6-1 record and a 1.55 ERA with 74 strikeouts and one save.
McHugh's 2.11 ERA as a reliever since 2018 is second-lowest in the majors, trailing only Kirby Yates, who the Braves signed to a free agent deal prior to the lockout.
McHugh, a right-hander, has a 64-44 record and a 3.77 ERA over 247 career games — including 126 starts — with the New York Mets (2012-13), Colorado Rockies (2013), Houston Astros (2014-19) and Tampa Bay (2021) over a nine-year career in the majors. McHugh signed with the Boston Red Sox for the 2020 season before opting out of the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.
McHugh finished eighth in balloting for the American League Cy Young Award in 2015 after going 19-7 with a 3.89 ERA for the Astros. The 6-foot-2, 190-pounder has pitched primarily in relief since 2018, going 13-4 with a 2.11 ERA in 158 innings out of the bullpen in that span.
Originally selected by Mets in the 18th round of the 2008 draft out of Berry College, McHugh made his debut for New York in 2012. Houston acquired him prior to the 2014 season, and he compiled an 11-9 record and a 2.73 ERA over 25 starts that year to earn a fourth-place finish in Rookie of the Year voting.
An Atlanta resident, McHugh attended Providence Christian Academy in the Gwinnett County suburb of Lilburn before going to Berry.
