The Marlins are in agreement with right-hander Vladimir Gutiérrez on a minor league deal, reports Francys Romero (X link). He’ll be in major league camp as a non-roster invitee.
Gutiérrez joins the second organization of his career. The Cuban hurler was a high-profile international signee by the Reds back in 2016. Cincinnati paid a hefty $4.75MM for his services. Gutiérrez was just 21 at the time and began his affiliated stint in High-A. His prospect stock dimmed over the next couple seasons as he struggled at the higher levels of the minors.
Cincinnati nevertheless called Gutiérrez to the big leagues in 2021. He held a spot in the rotation for the majority of that season, starting 22 games and logging 114 innings. Gutiérrez allowed 4.74 earned runs per nine innings while striking out a below-average 17.7% of opposing hitters. He started eight of 10 appearances the following year and was tagged for a 7.61 ERA with nearly as many walks as strikeouts.
In early June, the Reds placed Gutiérrez on the injured list with forearm soreness. That often ominous diagnosis predated a Tommy John procedure the following month. He spent the remainder of that year and almost all of 2023 on the injured list. Gutiérrez logged 6 1/3 minor league innings late last season but didn’t return to the big leagues. The Reds placed him on waivers at the start of the offseason, sending him to free agency.
Now that he has put the surgery behind him, Gutiérrez profiles as rotation or long relief depth for the Fish. Miami hasn’t done much to address a rotation that lost Sandy Alcántara to Tommy John surgery last October. They acquired Darren McCaughan in a small trade with Seattle and have brought in Matt Andriese, Yonny Chirinos and Kyle Tyler on non-roster deals.
I wish him well. He had sone promise before his injury troubles. I am surprised they didn’t keep him around because of that for relief if nothing else. They don’t have a lot of prospects in that regard that I have seen.
This guy never lived up to expectations – putting up pretty mediocre numbers in the minor leagues. When the Reds signed him he was expected to be a Cueto, Chapman, Iglesias, etc but turned out to be a Jose Acevedo. When he was originally brought up in 21′ he was great in his first 8 starts or so, than he ran out of gas and the scouting reports got out on him and he became a disaster and ended up getting injured beyond that.
I remember when he was better than Prime Greg Maddux
I think the Reds should have kept a hold of this guy myself. Reds rotation is weak and having this guy around, would probably help. Not saying Pirates rotation is any better currently, but they are both about equal. No rotation is better than the other in the NL Central.
It should be an interesting season and it’s anyone division to win. This division hasn’t been this weak since the 1997 season. Pirates lost to the Houston Astros over the last few weeks of the season. Pirates finished 5 games back of the division.
NL Central 1997
Houston 84-78
Pittsburgh 79–83
Cincinnati 76-86
St Louis 73-89
Chicago 68-94
Everyone of their away records were bad. All but the reds had a winning home record. This 2024 season will be similar to the 1997 season (with Milwaukee replacing Houston) and whatever team stays healthy and gets hot last month of the season, wins the division.
Reds rotation certainly is NOT weak, so…
Vladimir was quoted on the back of his baseball card.
In America you throw baseball
In Russia baseball throws you,
It’s always cool to sign a guy named Vladi.