Milwaukee Brewers agree to deal with RHP Neftali Feliz

The Milwaukee Brewers added veteran depth to their bullpen on Thursday by reaching agreement with free agent right-hander Neftali Feliz on a one-year, $5.35 million deal.

Feliz can earn an additional $1.5 million in incentives as part of the deal with the Brewers, who traded closer Tyler Thornburg to the Boston Red Sox in early December. Thornburg had assumed the closing duties after Jeremy Jeffress was traded to the Texas Rangers on Aug. 1.

Feliz passed his physical on Wednesday in Milwaukee, which was a positive sign considering the 28-year-old Dominican saw his 2016 season end on Sept. 3 due to arm fatigue.

"We kept in touch with his representatives throughout the offseason and we're happy to be able to get something done with him," general manager David Stearns told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "We saw some things last year in his repertoire, in his stuff and usage that we thought were positive trends. We think he threw the ball very well. We think there's still room for growth with him and we think he's going to be a nice addition to the back of our 'pen."

Feliz earned American League Rookie of the Year honors in 2010 after recording 40 saves with Texas. He helped the Rangers advance to the World Series in 2010 and 2011, but he blew a save in Game 6 of the 2011 World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals that ignited a difficult stretch in his career.

Feliz underwent Tommy John surgery in 2012 and missed the majority of the following season as a result. He also spent plenty of time on the disabled list in 2014 and 2015.

Feliz posted a 4-2 mark with 3.52 ERA in 62 appearances with the Pittsburgh Pirates last season. He owns a 19-14 record with a 3.22 ERA in 308 career appearances with Texas, the Detroit Tigers and Pittsburgh.