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Offseason In Review: St. Louis Cardinals

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This is the latest entry in MLBTR’s 2017-18 Offseason In Review series.  Click here to read the other completed reviews from around the league.

The Cardinals brass made a concerted effort to improve their roster through retooling and talent consolidation this offseason. They’ll hope those tweaks can help them get back to the playoffs after missing them in back-to-back seasons.

Major League Signings

Trades and Claims

Notable Minor League Signings

Notable Losses

Cardinals 25-Man Roster & Minor League Depth Chart; Cardinals Payroll Overview

Needs Addressed

The Cards entered the offseason facing the pressure of a roster crunch; myriad players would soon become vulnerable to the Rule 5 Draft, and spots on the 40-man were already prime real estate. They lost right-hander Luis Perdomo two years prior, and would need to navigate the process carefully to prevent losing valuable players such as Alcantara, Tyler O’Neill, Oscar Mercado, Derian Gonzalez and Austin Gomber.

Through some clever maneuvering, the Cardinals managed to entirely avoid being targeted during the draft’s major league phase. Alcantara, along with a pair of pitching prospects, went to the Marlins in exchange for Ozuna, while the latter four players of concern earned protection by way of addition to the expanded roster. Ozuna’s acquisition gave the Redbirds a formidable outfield trio, making Piscotty and Grichuk more luxury than necessity. Because of that, and with the safety net of outfield prospects Harrison Bader and O’Neill, they were able to flip Piscotty and Grichuk to fill a need in the bullpen and pad their farm depth.

It’s worth mentioning that while Ozuna was certainly a high-profile addition who should prove a marked improvement over Piscotty or Grichuk, he’s somewhat of a consolation prize in the Giancarlo Stanton sweepstakes. The birds made a strong run at Stanton over the offseason, and indeed seemed to have made an offer the Marlins liked. Unfortunately for both clubs, the reigning NL MVP and MLB homer champ had no interest in going to St. Louis; he chose not to approve a deal to the Cardinals and ultimately found his way to the Yankees instead.

As the now-infamous free agent freeze continued through December, the most daunting task for St. Louis was to find stability for the back end of a bullpen that had lost Trevor Rosenthal midseason to Tommy John surgery, and saw three more relievers depart in free agency. Part of this was addressed relatively early on with the Gregerson signing, and with the acquisition of Leone from the Blue Jays for Grichuk in mid-January. When Bud Norris’ price tag had fallen far enough, the team seized yet another opportunity by nabbing him on the cheap.

But even at this point, the club’s job of patching up its relief corps could only be given a B grade at best. The Birds still lacked a truly reliable shutdown presence; this only became more glaring when Gregerson began to deal with injuries during spring training. Leone didn’t exactly have an extensive MLB resume, and it would be fair to describe Norris’ 2017 season as up-and-down.

Greg Holland | Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY SportsThe result of these circumstances was a game of free-agent chicken with free agent closer Greg Holland. Though the two seemed to be an obvious match throughout the majority of the offseason (which I briefly mentioned in both Holland’s Free Agent Profile and our Offseason Outlook for the club), the Cardinals went on record multiple times saying that they weren’t interested in a lengthy commitment to a reliever. Holland’s market failed to develop as he and agent Scott Boras had hoped after he declined both a $15MM player option and a $17.4MM qualifying offer, and subsequently turned up his nose at a Rockies offer reportedly in the range of the three-year, $52MM deal Wade Davis ended up signing. Ultimately the Cardinals won the stare-down, as they ended up locking Holland into a one-year, $14MM deal that was less than all three of the pacts he’d rejected across the previous months.

The Cardinals didn’t just need relievers, though. With the subtraction of Lance Lynn (and reported lack of interest in bringing him back), they needed to fill at least one hole in the rotation, or else rely heavily on both the oft-injured Adam Wainwright and unproven prospect Jack Flaherty. They opted for the former, and did so creatively by signing Mikolas, who was fresh off another impressive performance in Japan in 2017.

Though they didn’t need to tinker with their infield much, the Cardinals addressed a long-term need by inking shortstop Paul DeJong to a six-year, $26MM extension. He certainly earned that deal after leading the club in homers last season despite not getting a promotion until mid-May. It didn’t come as much of a surprise; as I mentioned in the offseason outlook for the Cards, they’ve got a track record of extending players before they hit free agency, and DeJong seemed a prime target for one of those pacts.

Questions Remaining

It would be a stretch to claim that the Cardinals have any glaring weakness remaining. But at the same time, it would be tough to make the case that any one area of their roster stands out as a strength. Their outfield, infield and bullpen could all be described as above average, while the rotation seems stable enough. But outside of the Reds, the NL Central is unlikely to be a pushover. The Cardinals have neither the offense to out-slug the Brewers, nor the pitching to out-duel the Cubs.

If they do have a strength, it’s offensive depth. St. Louis has a strong pair of outfield prospects (Bader, O’Neill) and a group of infielders that can play multiple positions, which has already proved useful this season during Jedd Gyorko’s temporary absence. Luke Voit and Yairo Munoz aren’t top-end talent but could certainly step in and perform at least passably if called upon.

Jack Flaherty | Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY SportsPerhaps the most concerning issue facing the Cardinals right now is the club’s starting pitching depth, or lack thereof. With Adam Wainwright back on the shelf, the Cardinals are already being forced to use their most viable depth option in Jack Flaherty. Top prospect Alex Reyes could return from Tommy John surgery in late May or early June, but the Cardinals reportedly plan to use him out of the ’pen for at least part of his first season since going under the knife.

Outside of swingman John Gant, none of their other decent pitching prospects have more than a handful of innings’ worth of experience beyond the Double-A level. If the Cards end up in a position where they’re forced to turn to Gant or Gomber for more than a spot start, there’s likely to be some white-knuckling on the part of the front office and in the club’s dugout.

Overview

In essence, the Cardinals were able to check off every item on their to-do list over the course of the offseason. While Ozuna was probably the only acquisition that could be considered splashy, each individual move they made served to solve a problem with a reasonable solution. An outgoing pitcher was replaced with one who projects to do just as well. Four strong bullpen arms were added to replace three free agent relievers and one lost to injury. They began with a surplus of outfielders, which they essentially consolidated to add a more talented one. And while one could argue that they only marginally improved the team this winter, they’re certainly likely to see improvements from a number of talented young players.

How would you grade the Cardinals’ offseason? (Poll link for app users)

Wei-Yin Chen, Dan Straily Nearing Return To Marlins’ Rotation

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The Marlins could soon be installing a pair of veteran arms into their struggling young rotation. Craig Mish of SiriusXM reports that lefty Wei-Yin Chen will be activated to start Saturday’s game against the Rockies (Twitter link), and it seems that right-hander Dan Straily won’t be far behind (link via Doug Padilla at MLB.com). Straily tossed 88 pitches in yesterday’s rehab assignment and, so long as his arm feels good today, his next outing will likely be at the big league level.

Late last season, the Marlins organization expressed uncertainty as to whether Chen, who had a minor tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow, would be able to pitch at all in 2018. However, he’s made multiple rehab starts in extended spring camp and Class-A Advanced and is now set for his 2018 debut. MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro tweets that a scout who was at Chen’s most recent start felt he looked ready to return to the big leagues. Chen allowed one run on five hits and a walk with 11 strikeouts in 7 2/3 innings in his two Class-A rehab appearances.

A healthy Chen would have to be considered a huge bonus for the Marlins, who have routinely trotted out a collection of inexperienced arms thus far in the season. Jose Urena is the most seasoned arm in the Marlins’ rotation at present, with rookies Caleb Smith, Trevor Richards and Dillon Peters following him up. Lefty Jarlin Garcia technically isn’t a rookie, but this is his first big league season as a starter and just his second year in the Majors overall.

The 32-year-old Chen, unsurprisingly, forwent the opt-out clause in his five-year, $80MM contract this offseason, as opting out would’ve meant leaving $52MM on the table. That enormous financial commitment remains immovable for a Miami team that tore down the vast majority of its roster this offseason, and that’s highly unlikely to change regardless of how Chen performs. If Chen rounds into form, though, perhaps we’ll see Miami offer to eat a notable chunk of the remaining salary on his contract this July in an effort to at least partially unburden themselves — though a lot will need to go their way for that to even be possible.

Miami inked Chen prior to the 2016 season in large part due to the durability he displayed with the Orioles. While he never cleared the 200-inning mark in the regular season, Chen averaged 29 starts per year (30 if you count his postseason work). Since signing in Miami, however, he’s pitched a total of just 156 1/3 innings over two seasons combined, due to the previously mentioned elbow issues.

Straily, on the disabled list for the first time in his big league career, has also been working his way back via minor league rehab appearances after his 2018 debut was delayed by a forearm injury. Unlike Chen, he’ll immediately become a relatively desirable trade asset, assuming good health. Controlled for two seasons beyond 2018 and earning a modest $3.375MM this season, Straily has made 64 starts and pitched to a combined 4.01 ERA over the past two seasons combined. Straily drew plenty of interest on the trade market last summer, and it stands to reason that he’ll be in demand again as one of the few controllable starters available in trade.

MLB Daily Roster Roundup: Buehler, Garcia, Lauer, Perez

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ROSTER MOVES BY TEAM
(April 23rd-April 24th)

NATIONAL LEAGUE

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AMERICAN LEAGUE

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FUTURE EXPECTED MOVES

White Sox Place Avisail Garcia On 10-Day DL, Promote Daniel Palka

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9:36pm: White Sox GM Rick Hahn classified the strain as “mild to moderate,” tweets Bruce Levine of CBS Chicago. While it seems that Garcia has at least avoided a significant injury, Hahn added that he’s not sure how much time Garcia can be expected to miss at present.

11:21am: The White Sox have placed outfielder Avisail Garcia on the 10-day DL with a strained right hamstring, per a club announcement. He’ll be replaced by Daniel Palka, who gets his first call to the majors.

Garcia, 26, left last night’s contest in visible pain, so it’s no surprise to see this placement. The severity of the strain is not yet known; his anticipated timeline could vary quite a lot depending upon the particulars.

The time on the shelf will come after a brutal start to the season for Garcia, who is hitting just .233/.250/.315 and has yet to draw a walk in 76 plate appearances. That’s particularly disappointing after a 2017 season in which he had finally broken through with a .330/.380/.506 slash and 18 home runs after years of showing hints but never fully coming around.

Last year’s output came with a caveat, to some extent, as Garcia rode a .392 batting average on balls in play. Though he has long fared well in that department, it was obviously an unsustainable level.

That said, whatever good fortune he benefited from in 2017 has thus far been repayed with bad luck. Sustaining top-end production without drawing many walks will always be a challenge, but there ought to be some positive regression to come. Garcia has struck the ball well in 2018 despite the poor outcomes, with a .345 xwOBA that lags his actual .244 wOBA by a yawning margin.

While the White Sox await Garcia’s return — hopefully, in time to present as a potential trade candidate this summer — they’ll take a look at Palka, who was claimed off waivers from the division-rival Twins last fall. He’s off to a good start at Triple-A, where he’s slashing .286/.384/.476 with three home runs over 73 trips to the plate.

AL Notes: Hendriks, Lind, VerHagen, Gordon

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Athletics righty Liam Hendriks is undergoing a relatively minor surgical procedure on his ailing hip, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The Australian-born reliever is a cyst removed from his right hip and will also receive a platelet-rich plasma injection to accelerate the healing process. A’s trainer Nick Paparesta tells Slusser that Hendriks, who was set to have the procedure earlier today, will rest for the next 10 days before beginning rehab. Slusser notes that it’ll be a matter of weeks before he’s back on the mound. Hendriks, 29, logged a 3.99 ERA with a terrific 149-to-37 K/BB ratio in 128 2/3 innings for the A’s from 2016-17.

More from the American League…

  • Adam Lind will be paid a pro-rated $2MM base salary for any time spent in the big leagues with the Yankees on his new minor league deal, tweets USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. Lind, who returned to the Yankees last week after initially being granted his release in early March, also has the ability to opt out of this deal on each of May 1, June 1 and July 1 if he is not on the Major League roster. He’ll give the Yankees a depth option at first base while Greg Bird is on the shelf, although Tyler Austin has been swinging a hot bat as of late, albeit through just 60 plate appearances.
  • The Tigers have already placed right-hander Drew VerHagen on outright waivers after designating him for assignment yesterday, manager Ron Gardenhire revealed today (link via MLive.com’s Evan Woodbery). Gardenhire explained that the decision to designate VerHagen simply boiled down to the fact that the team feels he needs to improve his control and is too thin in its bullpen ranks to allow the out-of-options righty to work on it in the Majors. “”Hopefully he’ll clear (waivers) and get back in our system,” said Gardenhire. “…he’s got the arm and the stuff. It’s just very inconsistent and we can’t afford it right now the way our bullpen’s set up.” As I noted when he was designated, VerHagen has struggled but also shown some positive indicators: namely an uptick in his velocity and a significant spike in his swinging-strike rate.
  • Corey Brock of The Athletic chatted (subscription link) with Mariners center fielder Dee Gordon and manager Scott Servais about the dying art of the stolen base in an era of baseball that is increasingly focused on power. Gordon noted that his skill set isn’t as in demand as it once might have been, pointing out the discrepancy between the manner in which steals and speed are valued in the regular season as compared to in the postseason, when teams will often roster a pinch-running specialist. As Brock notes, that’s one of the reasons that the Mariners traded for Gordon — perhaps believing his skill set to be undervalued in today’s baseball landscape. Gordon discusses changes to pitching mechanics that have made it more difficult to steal bases as well as the changing philosophies teams have toward “middle-of-the-road big leaguers” (non-stars). None of that changes Gordon’s game or the manner in which the Mariners plan to use him, though; Servais tells Brock he’d love to see Gordon swipe 80 bases this season — and he’s on pace to clear that mark at present.

Knocking Down The Door: Adames, Ferguson, Kingham, Kopech, Poche

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The 2018 debut of “Knocking Down The Door” is here!

Over the next four months, I will be identifying Minor Leaguers who I believe are putting themselves in position to earn a big league call-up in the near future. Walker Buehler and Gleyber Torres would’ve gotten serious consideration had they not already been promoted. Many others who make this list will get never get the call. Ask Chance Adams, who made this list in 2016 and 2017.

Here’s a look at five Minor Leaguers who are currently “Knocking Down The Door” to the Major Leagues.

Willy Adames, INF, Rays (Triple-A Durham) | Rays Depth Chart

Willy Adames | Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

The Rays didn’t get a great immediate return from the trade that sent away one of the best pitchers in baseball, David Price, nearly four years ago. Nick Franklin never panned out, and Drew Smyly made 49 starts in two and a half seasons before being flipped for outfielder Mallex Smith and lefty Ryan Yarbrough. Smith and Yarbrough are both on the roster now and controllable for years, and the trade could soon pay additional dividends with the 22-year-old Adames closing in on the Majors.

After hitting for the cycle Monday, Adames is slashing .345/.441/.582 in the first 16 games of his second Triple-A season. Year one wasn’t overly spectacular, though Adames was one of the league’s younger players at 21 years of age, and did have some very productive stretches. His strong start to year two, however, has to have the Rays’ infielders on notice. A current 10-for-22 hot streak could help the light-hitting Adeiny Hechavarria deflect any current thoughts of Adames taking his starting shortstop job. Second baseman Joey Wendle (.867 OPS) and fill-in third baseman Daniel Robertson, who went 4-for-4 on Sunday, are also doing what they can to extend Adames’ Triple-A tenure.

In all likelihood, Adames will be in the Majors very soon. The only question is where he’ll play. While he should be able to make a quick transition to second base, he’s played all but 21 games in his career at shortstop (10 games at third base in the Dominican Summer League and 11 games at second base in ’17). With Hechavarria in the last year of his contract and the Rays unlikely to compete for a playoff spot, Tampa Bay could look to trade him or move him into a part-time role where he could help mentor Adames.

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Drew Ferguson, OF, Astros (Triple-A Fresno) | Astros Depth Chart

The combination of Derek Fisher, Marwin Gonzalez and Jake Marisnick appeared to be a sufficient stopgap for top prospect Kyle Tucker, who would presumably need at least a few months in Triple-A before taking over as the team’s starting left fielder. But despite a strong start by the Astros, they’ve gotten very little production out of the Fisher-Gonzalez-Marisnick trio. While Tucker is doing just fine early on in his first Triple-A season (.270/.360/.392) and Tony Kemp continues to be productive (.324/.427/.405), it’s the 25-year-old Ferguson who is making the most noise.

The former 19th-round pick is slashing .362/.457/.580 with two homers, five doubles and nine multi-hit games. He might not be the long-term answer in left field, but he could certainly give a spark to the Houston offense, particularly the bottom third of the order.

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Nick Kingham, SP, Pirates (Triple-A Indianapolis) | Pirates Depth Chart

It was three years ago that Kingham was closing in on an MLB rotation spot. After allowing one run through five innings in an early May start at theTriple-A level and striking out the leadoff man in the sixth, though, he exited the game with elbow discomfort.

Kingham underwent Tommy John surgery a few weeks later and didn’t return until late in the 2016 season. Despite making 19 starts in Triple-A last year, he never quite made a push for a big league call-up. But after four starts into what is his fourth season in the International League, it appears he’s finally back on track. The 26-year-old pitched five shutout innings with 10 strikeouts in his 2018 debut, followed it up with back-to-back quality starts and another strong outing on Sunday (5 2/3 IP, ER, 6 K).

While Steven Brault has done a decent job filling in as the No. 5 starter, he could possibly give the Pirates a bigger boost as a multi-inning lefty out of the ’pen. The same could be said for Joe Musgrove, a setup man with the World Champion Astros, who was slated to the be the team’s No. 5 starter before landing on the disabled list with a shoulder injury. But that all depends on whether Kingham can lock down a rotation spot once he’s given a chance. And he deserves a chance.

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Michael Kopech, SP, White Sox (Triple-A Charlotte) | White Sox Depth Chart

A prospect of Kopech’s caliber isn’t necessarily waiting for a big league spot to open for him. When he’s ready, the White Sox will make room soon thereafter. But the need for a spot starter in Saturday’s double-header and an injury to Miguel Gonzalez—his spot is being filled by Chris Volstad on Tuesday and will come up again on Sunday—could at least force them to decide if the 21-year-old is ready now.

One of the best pitching prospects in the game, Kopech has a 4.4 BB/9 and 11.6 K/9 since being drafted by the Red Sox with 33rd pick in the 2014 draft. But in six Triple-A starts (three at the end of ’17 and three in ’18), he’s shown more control (3.0 BB/9) while maintaining his high strikeout rate. In his most recent start, the right-hander walked one and struck out 10 in five innings of work. He’s yet to reach 100 pitches in any of his three starts—he surpassed that total five times in ’17—but as long as he continues to throw strikes consistently, he should be able to navigate past the fifth inning on a regular basis against MLB hitters.

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Colin Poche, RP,  Dbacks (Double-A Jackson) | Diamondbacks Depth Chart

There is “dominant,” and then there’s whatever Poche has done in his first eight innings in Double-A. The 24-year-old lefty has allowed just one hit and one walk. Of the 24 batters he’s retired, he’s struck out 19. Left-handed hitters have yet to put a ball in play against him. He’s struck out all seven.

Keep in mind that another Diamondbacks lefty, Gabriel Moya, also had great success in Double-A last season (0.82 ERA, 14.2 K/9 in 43.2 IP). But instead of getting the call-up for Arizona’s playoff run, he was traded to the Twins in July for backup catcher John Ryan Murphy. In other words, the front office wasn’t all that impressed with Moya despite him making this list a month earlier. Still, it’s impossible to ignore what Poche has done thus far. He should be able to help the D-backs at some point in 2018.

“Knocking Down the Door” is a weekly feature that identifies minor leaguers who are making a case for a big league promotion.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Dodgers Select Contract Of Daniel Hudson, Option Walker Buehler

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6:29pm: MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick tweets that the expectation is that Buehler will return to the club Saturday and serve as 26th man in the Dodgers’ doubleheader against the Giants, starting one of the two games.

5:41pm: The Dodgers announced tonight that they’ve added veteran right-hander Daniel Hudson to the 40-man roster and brought him up to the Majors. Top prospect Walker Buehler, who tossed five shutout innings for the Dodgers yesterday, was optioned to clear a spot on the 25-man roster. Los Angeles had 39 players on its 40-man roster prior to adding Hudson, so no corresponding 40-man move was necessary.

The veteran Hudson joined the Dodgers on a minor league pact back on April 2 after being cut loose by the Rays at the end of Spring Training. Tampa Bay will be responsible for paying the bulk of Hudson’s $5.5MM salary, with the Dodgers owing him only the pro-rated league minimum for time spent on the big league roster.

Hudson, 31, is coming off a mediocre season with the Pirates, during which he totaled 61 2/3 innings and averaged 9.6 K/9 against 4.8 BB/9 with 1.0 HR/9 en route to a 4.38 ERA. He’s demonstrated impressive velocity since moving to the bullpen after his second Tommy John surgery, and while Hudson has shown flashes of brilliance over the past three seasons, the aggregate results have been fairly pedestrian.

Hudson opened the season with 4 2/3 shutout innings early in Triple-A, and the Dodgers will hope to catch lightning in a bottle with him in similar fashion to the manner in which they struck gold on Brandon Morrow last year. Of course, L.A. isn’t shy about quick roster turnover, so if another roster need arises, it’s also possible that Hudson’s stay with the team will be an abbreviated one.

[Related: Los Angeles Dodgers depth chart]

Buehler, 23, will head back to the minors and continue to work in the rotation, though it stands to reason that he’ll likely be back with the Dodgers later this year. The former first-rounder (24th, 2015) is generally regarded as one of the game’s elite pitching prospects but still has just a total of 36 innings at the Triple-A level under his belt (in addition to 14 1/3 MLB frames). Rich Hill tossed a four-inning simulated game today and will rejoin the rotation Monday (Twitter link via Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times) so there’s no long-term spot in the rotation for Buehler to occupy. When Hill returns, he’ll join Clayton Kershaw, Alex Wood, Hyun-Jin Ryu and Kenta Maeda in the starting five.

Padres Designate Buddy Baumann For Assignment, Select Contract Of Eric Lauer

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The Padres announced this afternoon that they’ve designated left-hander Buddy Baumann for assignment in order to open roster space for southpaw Eric Lauer, who’ll start for San Diego in his MLB debut tonight. Additionally, first baseman Eric Hosmer has been placed on the family medical leave list.

Baumann, 30, gave the Padres 27 1/3 innings of quality relief from 2016-17, averaging 10.2 K/9 against 3.6 BB/9 with a 2.96 earned run average. But he was hit hard in his lone outing this season, retiring just one of the six men he faced and yielding five runs (two earned) on a pair of hits and a pair of walks (in addition to an error committed behind him). Baumann’s big league experience is limited to the past three years, but he has a strong track record in Triple-A: a 3.15 ERA with 9.3 K/9, 3.4 BB/9 and 0.7 HR/9 in 257 1/3 innings there.

As for Lauer, the 22-year-old former first-rounder (25th overall, 2016) becomes the latest potential core piece for the Padres to reach the Major Leagues. He’s considered among the top 15 farmhands in a stacked Padres system, ranking 12th at MLB.com and Baseball America and eighth per both ESPN’s Keith Law and Baseball Prospectus. Lauer has made three starts in Triple-A this year and turned in a 3.00 ERA with a 19-to-6 K/BB ratio and a 40.9 percent ground-ball rate. Scouting reports on him vary, of course, but the general consensus on the southpaw is that while he lacks a true out pitch, he has a fairly high floor and is a near-MLB-ready fourth or fifth starter.

As the Padres have demonstrated with Joey Lucchesi thus far in the young season, they’re not afraid to make an aggressive promotion and give a young arm the opportunity to claim a spot in the long-term rotation picture if performance dictates. With Luis Perdomo recently being optioned after an ugly start to the season, Lauer should have the opportunity to claim a spot alongside Lucchesi, Clayton Richard, Bryan Mitchell and Tyson Ross.

Reds Designate Kevin Quackenbush For Assignment

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The Reds announced on Tuesday that they’ve designated right-hander Kevin Quackenbush for assignment. His spot on the roster will go to fellow righty Kevin Shackelford, who has been reinstated from the 10-day disabled list.

Quackenbush, 29, was tagged for 11 runs on 13 hits and six walks with seven strikeouts in nine innings out of the Cincinnati bullpen this winter. He’d been in camp with the Reds on a minor league deal and made the club out of Spring Training, but his stay in Cincinnati looks like it’ll ultimately prove to be brief.

Prior to the 2018 season, the entirety of Quackenbush’s MLB experience had come with the Padres. He was excellent in his debut season as a 25-year-old back in 2014 (2.48 ERA, 9.3 K/9, 3.9 BB/9, 0.3 HR/9) and pitched to a respectable 3.50 ERA in his first three big league seasons. Quackenbush struggled through a disastrous 2017 season, however, yielding five homers and issuing 16 walks in just 26 1/3 innings, en route to a 7.86 ERA.

Rockies Select Contract Of Brooks Pounders, Designate Zach Jemiola

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The Rockies announced on Tuesday that they’ve selected the contract of right-hander Brooks Pounders from Triple-A and cleared a spot on the 40-man roster by designating fellow righty Zach Jemiola for assignment. Right-hander Scott Oberg was optioned to Triple-A to open a spot for Pounders on the 25-man roster.

Pounders, 27, has appeared in the Majors in each of the past two seasons, totaling 23 innings between the Royals (2016) and Angels (2017) but struggling to a 9.78 ERA in that time. The 6’5″, 265-pound righty has posted solid K/BB numbers, punching out 25 batters against eight free passes (one intentional), but he’s been far too homer prone in that time as well. In those 23 big league frames, he’s surrendered a whopping 10 home runs.

However, Pounders has consistently thrived at the Triple-A level, where he’s pitched 141 2/3 innings of relief with a 2.99 ERA, similar K/BB numbers and a much more palatable 0.7 HR/9 rate. He’d notched a 3.60 ERA with nine strikeouts against four walks to begin the 2018 season in Albuquerque.

Jemiola, 24, was a ninth-round pick of the Rockies back in 2012 but found himself protected from the Rule 5 Draft after turning in a pair of solid seasons in A-ball and Double-A, respectively, in 2015 and 2016. Jemiola faltered with a 6.48 ERA in 93 innings last season, however, and a solid showing in the Arizona Fall League (2.74 ERA, 19 strikeouts, nine walks in 23 innings) ultimately wasn’t enough to save his spot on the 40-man roster when the Rox found themselves in need of a fresh arm at the big league level.

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