The
San Francisco Giants selected Grilli in the first round, fourth overall, of the
1997 Major League Baseball draft.
Minor leagues Grilli earned high reviews from
scouts before the draft, who noted his good delivery, size and bloodlines.
Milwaukee Brewers scout Russ Bove wrote that Grilli reminded him of
Jim Palmer. As a high draft pick, Grilli was immediately considered to be a top prospect.
Baseball America ranked him as the No. 54 prospect in 1998 and the No. 44 prospect in 1999. Grilli began his professional career in 1998 with the Double-A
Shreveport Captains of the
Texas League and the Triple-A
Fresno Grizzlies of the
Pacific Coast League. In 21 games for the Captains, Grilli went 7–10 with a 3.79 ERA with 100 strikeouts in 123
innings pitched. With the Grizzlies Grilli went 2–3 with a 5.14 ERA in eight games, all starts. Grilli was named a
Texas League All-Star for the 1998 season.
Florida Marlins On July 25, 1999, the Giants traded Grilli and
Nate Bump to the
Florida Marlins to acquire
Liván Hernández. Grilli made his major-league debut on May 11, 2000. Grilli missed the entire 2002 minor-league season following
Tommy John surgery on his pitching elbow. He returned in 2003, pitching most of the season with the AAA
Albuquerque Isotopes.
Chicago White Sox Grilli was drafted by the
Chicago White Sox in the 2003
Rule 5 draft. He had previously been heavily scouted as an amateur by White Sox scout Doug Laumann. He spent 2004 in the White Sox organization after being selected. In January 2005, after the White Sox signed
Tadahito Iguchi, Grilli was
designated for assignment and eventually released.
Detroit Tigers In 2005, Grilli signed a
minor league contract with the Detroit Tigers. Tigers scouts and GM
Dave Dombrowski were familiar with his abilities, having previously traded for him while running the Marlins in 1999. After helping the Triple-A affiliate
Toledo Mud Hens to the
International League Championship (he clinched the deciding game), Grilli joined the parent club for a brief late-season audition. Grilli pitched for Team Italy in the
2006 World Baseball Classic. He also had a good
spring training and earned a spot in the Tigers bullpen as a
long reliever, leading to his first extended stint in the majors. During the 2006 season, Grilli went 2–3 with a 4.21 ERA. He helped the Tigers to the
2006 World Series where they lost to the
St. Louis Cardinals. In 2007, Grilli posted career highs in almost every category, including games (57), innings (79), strikeouts (62), wins (5), and holds (11). However, Grilli heard boos at
Comerica Park during the season, mostly due to his home ERA of 7.96. He was much more effective away from home, posting a 1.91 ERA in road games. Tigers manager
Jim Leyland defended Grilli: "I like Grilli because he's got a resilient arm. ... There's a lot to be said for that." It was during his time with the Tigers that Grilli decided to abandon his big-breaking
curveball in favor of a
slider. The move coincided with a transition from starting games in the minor leagues to relief pitching in the major leagues. Tigers teammate
Jeremy Bonderman, known for throwing a very effective slider, helped Grilli tweak his grip and delivery. "I knew I could throw a slider because it's just a minor adjustment on how you release the ball", Grilli said."
Colorado Rockies . On April 30, 2008, Grilli was traded to the
Colorado Rockies for minor-league relief pitcher Zachary Simons. This move was made to clear a roster spot for incoming reliever
Francisco Cruceta. In January 2009, Grilli announced that he would again pitch for Team Italy in the
2009 World Baseball Classic. On June 5, 2009, Grilli was
designated for assignment by the Rockies.
Texas Rangers On June 9, 2009, Grilli was acquired by the
Texas Rangers for cash considerations. In October 2009, Grilli was granted free agency.
Cleveland Indians On December 2, 2009, Grilli signed a minor-league contract with the
Cleveland Indians with an invitation to spring training. Grilli suffered a severe knee injury in
spring training while running
sprints and would later undergo surgery for a torn
quadriceps muscle. The injury and rehabilitation caused him to miss the entire
2010 season. Grilli filed for free agency on November 6, 2010.
Philadelphia Phillies On January 30, 2011, Grilli signed a minor-league contract with the
Philadelphia Phillies. He pitched for the Triple-A
Lehigh Valley IronPigs, posting a 1.93 ERA in 32 innings, before being released on July 20.
Pittsburgh Pirates Grilli signed a minor-league contract with the
Pittsburgh Pirates on July 21, 2011, and spent the rest of the season on the Pirates major-league roster. The signing reunited Grilli with Pirates manager
Clint Hurdle, who had been Grilli's manager with the Rockies several years earlier. Grilli played in 64 games for the Pirates in the
2012 season, recording a 1–6 record and 2.91 ERA. His 32
holds were second-best in the National League, and his 13.8 strikeouts per nine innings was the fourth-best among NL relievers with 40 or more innings pitched. Grilli's fastball averaged 93.6 mph that season, his top velocity since 2007. On December 12, 2012, the Pirates announced that they had re-signed Grilli to a two-year contract, the first multi-year deal of his career. Several sportswriters noted that Grilli turned down more lucrative offers from other teams to remain with the Pirates. Just two weeks later, the Pirates made a major trade by sending incumbent closer
Joel Hanrahan along with infielder
Brock Holt to the
Boston Red Sox for infielder
Iván DeJesús Jr., relief pitcher
Mark Melancon, relief pitcher
Stolmy Pimentel and outfielder
Jerry Sands. The move opened up the Pirates closer role for the upcoming season, with Grilli as the presumed favorite. Grilli again pitched for Team Italy in the
2013 World Baseball Classic. Grilli opened the 2013 season as the Pirates closer. Before 2013, he had accumulated five career saves spanning 10 seasons. After the end of April in the 2013 season, Grilli was named the
Delivery Man of the Month. He finished April 2013 with 12 game appearances, a 0.82 ERA and 10 saves in 10 save opportunities through 11 innings of work. Grilli became just the second Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher to save 10 games in the month of April since
Mike Williams in 2002. Jason Grilli tied
Jim Johnson of the
Baltimore Orioles,
Sergio Romo of the San Francisco Giants and
Mariano Rivera of the
New York Yankees for the most saves in the MLB that month. Grilli again was named the Delivery Man of the Month for May 2013. Grilli was named to the 2013 National League All-Star team, and pitched the ninth inning of the
2013 MLB All-Star Game. After giving up a leadoff triple to
Prince Fielder, he retired the next three batters for a scoreless inning. On July 22, Grilli became the first Pirate since 1992 to be on the cover of
Sports Illustrated; in that night's game, he injured his forearm and was placed on the 15-day DL, another victim of the magazine's
cover jinx. His replacement at the closer position was
Mark Melancon. Grilli was activated from the DL on September 3, resuming his role as closer. He helped the Pirates to the 2013 playoffs, the team's first postseason appearance since 1992. Grilli pitched a scoreless ninth inning in the Pirates win over the
Cincinnati Reds in the
2013 National League Wild Card Game. He appeared in three games in the Pirates series loss to the
St. Louis Cardinals in the
2013 National League Division Series. Grilli has not had a run charged against him in nine career playoff appearances spanning 6 innings. In his 54 appearances in 2013, Grilli went 0–2 with a 2.70 ERA going 33 for 35 in save opportunities, striking out 74 in 50 innings. In 2014, Grilli struggled with effectiveness and an
oblique muscle injury. He lost the closer role to Melancon.
Los Angeles Angels On June 27, 2014, Grilli was traded to the
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in exchange for relief pitcher
Ernesto Frieri. Grilli's performance improved following the trade.
Atlanta Braves On December 23, 2014, Grilli signed a two-year contract with the
Atlanta Braves. Grilli's original intended role was to serve as
Craig Kimbrel's setup man in the eighth inning of games. However, when Kimbrel was traded to the
San Diego Padres on the day before opening day of the 2015 season, April 5, Grilli had to assume the closer's role. He had done well, earning 24 saves for the Braves during the first half of the season. On July 11, in a game against the
Colorado Rockies, Grilli was covering first base on a ground ball when he tripped and ruptured his left Achilles, causing him to miss the rest of the season.
Toronto Blue Jays On May 31, 2016, the Braves traded Grilli to the
Toronto Blue Jays for Sean Ratcliffe. Grilli earned his first save as a Blue Jay on June 12, closing out a 10–9 win over the Baltimore Orioles. On July 2, he recorded his first win as a Blue Jay in a 9–6 victory over the
Cleveland Indians. In 42 regular season innings with the Blue Jays, Grilli posted a 6–4 record, 3.64 ERA, and 58 strikeouts. He made five appearances in the postseason, and allowed one hit in 3 total innings. On November 5, 2016, the Blue Jays picked up Grilli's $3 million option for the 2017 season. In a June 3, 2017, game against the
New York Yankees, Grilli gave up four home runs in a single inning of relief, becoming the first Blue Jays reliever to do so. On June 27, Grilli was designated for assignment.
Return to Texas On July 2, 2017, Grilli was traded to the Texas Rangers for minor league outfielder Eduard Pinto. He became a free agent following the season. ==Personal life==