As the Minnesota Twins look to the offseason, where could they possibly invest some money to get a bargain pitcher?
The Minnesota Twins have been rumored by a number of writers to have a significant amount of money to use. Instead of focusing that money on one “ace”, could they instead use those funds to spread across a number of undervalued players and possibly buy an elite pitching staff rather than an elite pitcher or two to add to their current staff?
We’ll look at 5 starters and 5 relievers, going in alphabetical order…
Jhoulys Chacin, RHSP
Age on Opening Day: 30
2017 Salary: $1.75 million
2017 Stats: 32 GS, 180 1/3 IP, 13-10, 3.89 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 9.4% BB, 20% K
Info: What is crazy to consider is that Chacin could have been signed in 2016 for a mere minor league deal. The Atlanta Braves did that, and they flipped Chacin for a flyer type of prospect quickly after he showed well in the major leagues, likely not wanting to “ruin” his trade value. While he was not an elite pitcher in 2016, he began to show the signs of what he could do in 2017.
Chacin spent his career previous primarily with the Colorado Rockies, outside of a short stint at the end of 2015 with the Arizona Diamondbacks. His excellent spin on his sinker was negated heavily by the Colorado air, and he seemed to find that pitch in his time in Los Angeles in 2016, really leaning heavily on it in 2017.
Chacin is not a guy who is going to front a rotation by any means. However, his sinker/slider/curve combination could be a solid mid-rotation addition that would give you 5 innings out each time, but the team would likely want to keep him from going through the lineup the 3rd time unless that slider (one of the best in the league) is really spinning well in that day.
The Twins faced Chacin on a day when things were spinning very well for him this season. He went 7 innings that day, throwing shutout ball, allowing 3 hits and 2 walks, striking out 3.
Chacin likely would be looking for a multi-year deal, and while you wouldn’t want to invest premium dollars simply because of the volatility of his pitch mix, a contract of 2 years, $8 million with a team option for a 3rd year at $7 million, which would allow Chacin to hit the market again at 33 if he’s really shown himself well. The Twins could add in incentives as well to sweeten the deal.