MONDAY: The deal is now official, per a club announcement.
FRIDAY: The Rangers are nearing a deal with free agent righty Andrew Cashner, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). It’s expected to be for a one-year term at $10MM, per MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan (Twitter links), who says the deal appears to be done.
If a pact is completed, it would make Cashner the fourth rather significant starter to reach agreement already this winter. Charlie Morton, Bartolo Colon, and R.A. Dickey all previously agreed to short-term pacts.
Texas was one of the organizations that made the clearest sense for Cashner, as MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes noted in his breakdown of the top fifty free agents — which placed Cashner 28th in earning power but predicted he’d pursue a one-year deal with hopes of rebuilding his stock for next winter. While we ultimately guessed that he’d head instead to the Pirates with an $8MM guarantee, this result certainly lands within range of expectations.
Cashner, 30, will look to get his career back on track in his native Texas. He delivers a big-time fastball and has long been seen as a premium talent. It’s important to remember, too, that he has been a quality big league starter before: over 2013-14, he worked to a 2.87 ERA in nearly 300 innings. But he hasn’t been able to sustain that, and the last two seasons have been rough.
Since the start of 2015, Cashner has compiled 316 2/3 innings with an ugly 4.72 ERA. His strikeouts did tick up to 7.9 per nine, but he has also walked 3.6 batters and surrendered more than a home run per regulation game. Things only got worse after a mid-season trade to the Marlins last year.
That being said, there are signs of hope. Cashner still induces grounders on nearly half of the balls put in play against him, and has been a victim of both high BABIPs (.330 and .315 in 2016 and 2017, respectively) and low strand rates (65.6% and 69.1%). Of course, this past year in particular, the quality of contact against him may have been more of a driving factor than poor fortune or bad defense. He generated just 12.5% soft contact in 2016 — worst in all of baseball among pitchers who logged at least 100 frames.
[RELATED: Updated Rangers Depth Chart]
It’s a calculated risk for the Rangers, who evidently felt that Cashner offered more promise than did Derek Holland. The club declined its option over the lefty, choosing to reallocate those funds to Cashner. Texas will surely hope that he’ll make good on the trust, as the organization still has a rather uncertain outlook in its rotation after top two hurlers Cole Hamels and Yu Darvish. At a minimum, the team needs Cashner to soak up some of the innings departing with Colby Lewis.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Photos.
Great pick up. Could be another Ian Desmond type player for them
You obviously haven’t seen him pitch. Big step down from a healthy Holland. Guess they’re going after reliability, but he’ll get absolutely rocked in TX. Only good pitch is a straight-but-hard fastball.
I’m a huge fan of Derek but I don’t see him as a “big step down.” Derek has been on the DL a lot the last three years and this year, his velocity is down. Sure, Jamie Moyer proved you don’t need a 95mph heater — but you do need to know how to hit the corners if you DON’T have that good #1 and Holland was very inconsistent. If the Yanks, Pirates or someone else wants to offer him long term/big money, I’d have to say “bye bye dutch oven” too. Cashner isn’t really any better but he was willing to sign today for the one year deal at that price and the Rangers had to cover themselves.
Ian Desmond is a hitter, Texas is a hitters paradise.
Andrew Cashner will be…pitching in a hitters paradise. Probably as bad a sign as a 1/10 sign can be, which isn’t really “bad”, but Texas is probably only seeing him as a 5th starter/lottery pick who they can quickly switch to a RP if things go south. Don’t love it but its 1 year, they can afford to punt if he’s bad.
Actually, the ballpark is more neutral than anything thanks to the additions and changing of certain dimensions there.
I agree. Cashner couldn’t pitch in San Diego. Texas? Bad advice on his agents part… Pittsburgh would’ve been ideal if they had a need.
He’s going to make $10 mil for one year of being a bad pitcher. The agent’s advice could’ve been much worse.
Cashner was actually really good in San Diego. It was everywhere else he wasn’t very good.
Stop, the tigers signed Pelfrey to a 2/16mil….it’s the norm salary now. Time to adjust your thinking
That’s a very poor comparison
Now that he is away from Derek Norris and he gets to have his beard again, his performance will improve. Seamaholic, I have seen him pitch alot and his FB has good movement, At 11.4 MOV according to Pitch F/X it ranks in top 20 in baseball. The marked increase in the use of his 4 seam fastball from 31% in 2014 to 53% and 51% in 2015 and 2016 also didn’t help. Norris asked him to throw many more of his 4 seam middle and up in the zone to increase strikeouts and that is not his game. The decrease in the usage of his sinker under Norris was also a bad call. In 2013-2014 it was a staple of Cashner’s repertoire, especially late in counts, and led to a lot of weak contact.
If Derek Norris was the problem then why did Cashner do even worse in MIA.
Lol because pitchers are brainless robots with no agency that have to throw whatever the catcher calls, right? If Cashner doesn’t like the call and knows that his sinker is the better pitch but throws the four seamer anyway, he is as much to blame as anyone when it gets hit out of the park.
Something interesting on fangraphs today about Cashner showed that despite his elite velocity (top 20 in the majors among starting pitchers) his perceived velocity is about 1.1 MPH lower than his actual velocity because he doesn’t get extension on his delivery. So he drops from 94 to under 93, and it’s a straight fastball anyway. Just putting that out there because I think it’s interesting. Perhaps a pitching coach could re-work his delivery to make his velocity look more like what it actually is.
Yes very possible
That was meant for what Eric stated
That figures as the Pirates were supposed to be going after him and now the rangers are getting him.Just another sign that the Pirates are playing cheap again and will not contend again
My thoughts exactly
Given that “playing cheap” led to the Pirates being one of the top teams in baseball from 2013-2015, I would say that contending isn’t out of the question. Especially since “playing cheap” led to Ray Searage turning around the careers of many struggling pitchers over the past years.
I’m a big fan of Ray Searage, but Jim Benedict should be credited as well. How many careers did Uncle Ray turn around this year after Benedict made his way to the Marlins?
I’m guessing if Cashner stinks in 2017, then he will ink with Pittsburgh for 2018. He’s still young enough to get Searage to turn him around.
Pirates are not interested in actually winning! It’s a con game where mr nutting makes money every year!
One year at $10mil per TR Sullivan. Good start for the Rangers.
Will he be a starter for 4-5 innings per game or a elite relief arm?
This isn’t an either/or proposition. He could easily be terrible in relief.
Cashner is pretty awful but it’s only 1 year
Great deal for “only” $10 mil. Wouldve liked to have seen him reunite with the Cubs. Low risk with a good bit of upside. Not sure if that park suits him (same wouldve been w wrigley). Only time will tell.
No upside anymore. Over 700 IP now and no injury excuses. Career 4 ERA pitching in some of the most pitcher friendly parks in baseball. And now going to one of the most hitter friendly. He’s nothing but a guy-who-can-stay-healthy-all-year, which I guess is something.
His FIPs (superior to ERA) are actually not bad, outside of 2016. Texas has a great team defense, so while he will have to turn back to clock, its only to 2014.
Seam forgets that in addition to a horrendous game caller behind the plate in Norris, the Padres had some of the worst defensive teams in team history the past 2 seasons. Bottom 3 in the NL the past 2 years. The Rangers, on the other hand, are near the top.
All of which explains why he rebounded so well when he was traded from the Padres to the Marlins…
Lol colons deal looks amazing when cashner gets 10 million
Colon was a great signing for ATL. He was the most consistent pitcher on the Mets for the past 3+ years. I would have loved for him to come back on a low-cost deal, but the market is bare and he got paid. Good luck ‘tolo! (except when you play the Mets).
5-9 4.95 ERA – Will have 3 good starts in a row and then miss a month due to injury. Then will come back and be terrible the rest of the year.
Lol
Your name fits you. What are you going to say when he comes back with a mid 3s era in 2017?
That’s likely not going to happen
10 mil for a mediocre injury ridden China doll? Good luck with that!
Sounds to me there was not very much for him to choose from. A pitcher making a comeback that goes to a hitters park is not idea. This is a do or die contract for him. If he pitches well for the rangers next year its a big contract. Do poorly and his career is about over.
Definetly all valid.
TEN MILLION?? Why would any team even accept his offer to pitch for free?
Can you pitch a 4.00 ERA in the best league in baseball?
No, but neither can cashner
10 million for a No.5 starter while Colon is getting paid 12.5 to be an anchor in the Braves rotation. What a silly, stupid signing this is.
Don’t like Cashner at any price.
Just had a conversation with my brother and both agreed he’d be better off in the bullpen. As a starter I have to think he’d be a negative WAR player as a starter.
I like this signing.Hopefully Cashner can pitch better in Texas.
wow teams must very desperate if cashner is getting $10 million.
Cashner has talent but the first inning or the fifth inning seems to unrail what otherwise would be a solid start. He will forever be the mistake for Anthony Rizzo in San Diego and his beard seems to have more value to him than focusing on the problem inning.
I wish him well and maybe being close to home and pitching for one of the TX teams will give him a new life. I can see a Desmond type bounce back. Heck, they made Matt Bush work..
Rizzo struggled badly in San Diego and there is no way to know if he would have succeeded in SD the way he is currently thriving in Chicago. The padres got some good years out of Cashner but just had bad teams.
Cashner definitely has the stuff to be a force out of the pen. Hopefully that’s where he ends up.
Rizzo got called up too early and struggled in his first big league callup. It happens. A map of his home runs shows that next to all of them would have gone out in any park. He would be an All Star no matter who he was playing for. Perhaps he wouldn’t be QUITE as good with the Padres but still an All Star nonetheless.
Cashner is a closer, maybe someone will figure that out eventually.
when is the last time you heard Charlie Morton described as a “rather significant starter”
its been a while 🙂 Good luck Chuck!
He’s been in a major league rotation every year since 2008. In a weak free agent class, Morton having been a major league starter for eight seasons (albeit two innings as a releiver in 2008) is a significant starter.
I’m thinking CF Ender Inciarte and SP Mike Foltynewicz plus MLB SP William Perez and MLB IF Jace Peterson plus MLB top 100 Pitching prospect Touki Toussaint for two backup infielders Joey Gallo and Jury Profar and catcher prospect David Garcia. Rangers fill two gaping holes and lose only two backups while also getting a top pitching prospect.
I hope that’s a joke. Coppolella hangs up mid-sentence.
Terrible move. Ranger fans will be hating this move before the end of May.
Rangers fans, have fun watching as this guy stresses you out with his erratic pitching. I don’t know what happened, maybe all the injuries got to him or something, but it definitely seems like he is a shell of his former self.
Money well wasted Texas. My condolences
Thank god we got rid of holland