The Diamondbacks have been in contact with free-agent reliever Tyler Clippard and the club believes it has made progress toward a deal, a source said Monday.
After the Jean Segura/Aaron Hill trade late last month saved the Diamondbacks around $4 million, the club took another look at the free-agent relief market and reached out to Clippard, who has been one of the more effective setup men in baseball over the past several years.
Clippard posted a 2.92 ERA last year, pitching for the both the Oakland Athletics and the New York Mets. He has averaged 75 innings a year over the past seven seasons, most of it spent with the Washington Nationals, and he leads all major league relievers with 464 1/3 innings pitched since the start of the 2010 season.