Some major speculation and an abundance of small deals made their way through the baseball world today.
Yankees Hoping For Another Starter
Barely any time has passed since Patrick Corbin met with the Phillies and he’s already on the move, this time scheduled to talk with the Yankees. According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, the meeting will take on Thursday, which could lead to a strengthened Yankees rotation as Corbin would join James Paxton.
Corbin, who won’t turn 30 until mid-season next year, finished fifth in Cy Young voting this year as a result of a strong final year with the Diamondbacks. He posted a 1.05 WHIP and 5.13 K/BB ratio while keeping his ERA below 3.50 for the first time since 2013.
If he does play for the Yankees next season, he will most likely have the edge over Paxton. This isn’t just due to his better ERA, but also for the fact that Corbin has a track record of being a workhorse. He has pitched 545 and ⅓ innings since 2016 while Paxton threw 417 and ⅓ innings.
Cubs Add Depth
The Cubs bolstered their depth by pulling off a trade for Yankees utility-man Ronald Torreyes. Jesse Rogers of ESPN says Torreyes was acquired for either cash considerations or a player to be named later.
In 2018, Torreyes appeared in one game in the outfield but split time at second, third, and short while hitting .280 and posting a 0.4 WAR through 100 at-bats. Katherine Acquavella of CBS Sports suggests that the Cubs pulled the trigger on this deal as insurance if they don’t go forward with Addison Russell following his suspension.
This will be Torreyes’ second stint with the Cubs after spending some time with their AA team in 2013.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported that in addition to the Cubs trading for Torreyes, they also signed Kyle Ryan to a major league deal. He hasn’t pitched in a game since the first month of the 2017 season and spent all of 2018 in the Cubs system.
In 2017 he pitched just 5 and 2/3 innings for the Tigers while giving up five runs. With the Iowa Cubs in 2018, he posted a 2.86 ERA through 66 innings with an even 1.0 WHIP and a 2.5 BB/9 ratio. If the Cubs keep him in the majors to pitch out of the bullpen, he would be a solid addition alongside fellow newcomer Rowan Wick.
Having pitched just five innings in the majors since the start of the 2017 season, there’s no guarantee that Ryan will be able to have a consistent season, but the Cubs seem ready to rely on him going into the new season.
Dodgers DFA Pat Venditte
The Dodgers have acquired Adam McCreery from the Braves for cash considerations and in the process have designated Pat Venditte for assignment, according to Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times. The 33-year old switch pitcher only appeared in 15 games for the Dodgers in 2018 after missing all of 2017, but had his greatest season. He posted a 2.57 ERA, a 1.9 BB/9 ratio, a 1.0 WHIP, and an ERA Plus of 155.
Entering the 2018 season, his career ERA was 4.97 and a 4.1 BB/9 ratio. Most of his success came after being promoted on August 24, closing out the season without giving up a single run over 9 and 2/3 innings. That was all possible thanks to Venditte changing things up in the minors and posting a 1.75 ERA through 45 games with the Oklahoma City Dodgers.
Astros Looking at Eovaldi
The Houston Astros are showing interest in adding right-handed pitcher Nathan Eovaldi according to Jon Morosi of MLB Network. The Astros could possibly lose two starters in free agency, Dallas Keuchel and Charlie Morton.
Eovaldi, 28, finished off the 2018 season strong with a 1.61 ERA in 22.1 postseason innings as he helped lead the Red Sox to a World Series win. During the 2018 regular season, he went 6-7 with a 3.81 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 3.60 FIP and 5.05 K/9 in 111 innings between the Red Sox and Rays.
