After lasting just three innings and allowing five earned runs on seven hits in a loss to the Dodgers on Sunday, Reds right-hander Bronson Arroyo admitted to reporters (including C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinati Enquirer) that his career could be over. “You have to put up enough quality starts for a ballclub to want to keep you around, you know?” said the 40-year-old. “That could have been the last time I was on the field, yeah. It’s just the way it is.” Given that injuries kept Arroyo out of action between August 2014 and the start of this season, it’s somewhat remarkable that he has even rebounded to make 14 starts in 2017. But most of the longtime innings eater’s appearances this season haven’t gone well, as he has logged a 7.35 ERA and allowed a major league-worst 23 home runs over 71 frames. Arroyo has also battled soreness in his surgically repaired shoulder, contributing to his poor output. “I was hoping my arm would continue to get better and better as the year has gone on,” stated Arroyo. “It’s almost like it’s telling me ‘Hey man, I’m not going to run this race for you anymore.’’
Here’s more from the majors’ Central divisions:
- The Tigers announced Sunday that they’ve recalled righty Anibal Sanchez from Triple-A Toledo and optioned fellow righty Buck Farmer. Sanchez will make his first major league start of the year Monday against the Mariners. After getting off to a poor start out of the Tigers’ bullpen this season, the 33-year-old Sanchez requested a demotion to the minors in May so he could work out of Toledo’s rotation. Since then, Sanchez has pitched to an underwhelming 4.60 ERA over 15 2/3 innings and four starts, though he has also notched 11.49 K/9, 2.87 BB/9 and a 45.2 percent ground-ball rate. Sanchez, who’s in a contract year and making $16MM, has been a quality big leaguer for most of his career, but he hasn’t been particularly effective since 2014.
- With his expensive salary, Sanchez has been a key part of the Tigers’ high payrolls in recent years. As mentioned, though, he’ll be off the books after this season, when the Tigers plan to tamp down their spending. “I don’t think you’ll see us spending over $200 million on payroll like we have in past. You’ll see more lean payroll,” general manager Al Avila told MLB Network Radio on Sunday (Twitter link). Detroit is right around the $200MM threshold at the moment, per Jason Martinez of MLBTR and Roster Resource, but has only managed a 32-36 record and is on pace to miss the playoffs for the third straight year.
- As of 10 days ago, Major League Baseball was looking into domestic violence allegations against Cubs shortstop Addison Russell. A resolution to the matter doesn’t seem to be in sight, writes the Chicago Sun-Times’ Gordon Wittenmyer, as Russell told him, “As far as I know I haven’t heard anything, and that’s where I’m going to leave it.”
Arroyo’s ERA is 7.01 and his FIP was 7.03 before this game. He’s toast. Thanks for the memories.
Id like to see him make one more start at home. Thank him.
He was one of my favorite pitchers to watch just for the high leg kick.
Well the red cold have taken gore in the draft and you could remember the kick
Dontrelle Willis’ high kick was always my favorite.
There’s no doubt he is not a major league pitcher any longer. But the next guy to take the ball likely won’t be better. That’s how bad the rotation has been. Once Disco, Homer, and Finnrgan return from the DL, it may get better, but until then, the next starter will likely be as weak as Arroyo.
Homer and Finnegan will be back in the next 1-2 weeks.
Realistically….how much do you expect from them? Homer has been out for about 2 years (for the most part)….and Finnegan’s ratios aren’t that great.
I expect zero from Homer. Never been a fan of his. But perhaps he can be at least competent (think Scott Feldman). Finnegan is like 24 years old and showed some real steps of improvement in the second half last year that carried over into 2017.
arroyo is toast, but you gotta give the dude credit for coming all the way at his age and trying.. and admitting when he’s done
MLB shouldnt be looking into domestic violence allegations. Should let the proper authorities look into it. Should report any suspicions they have and be cooperative.
All the MLB should do is require players to be fully cooperative with investigations and reserve the right to fine/suspend players if they dont cooperate and/or are charged.
The MLB isnt the legal system and fines suspensions and blacklist bans arent restraining orders and jail time.
You’re right, but MLB is doing it to make a statement.
What statement are they exactly making?
That MLB doesn’t stand for that behavior?? They aren’t making any statement with their b.s. investigation…
I can promise you it is nothing more than a tactic from their crisis management team for their brand.
Completely agree. He was ACCUSED of something. That doesn’t mean he did it. There are some crazy @ s $ women out there that will accuse a guy of anything, simply to extort money or save face. Until authorities convict him of something, he should rightfully stay where he was.
You are exactly correct in everything you stated in your comment. The NFL is definitely the worst professional american league, when it comes to investigating their own players’ battles with allegations.
They also love to play to the court of public opinion. More often than not, the NFL will hand out penalties and/or fines, before said player has even seen his day in court.
Often times when the leagues do this, they love to make it public knowledge that they have an ongoing investigation, or when they conclude their “investigation” they make it well known they have handed down a penalty or “x” amount of fines.
In my opinion, the leagues do this, and quickly make it so public, because they want people to think they are going out of their way to be proactive about crimes or illegalities involving hot button topics like domestic violence, crimes against women, the illegal use of prescription drugs/steroids, etc.
To me, it is nothing more than a publicity stunt saying “look at us, we do not stand for nor tolerate this type of behavior, and we mean it because we are being proactive about it and taking action!”
It’s nothing more than a joke…let the actual legal courts handle such matters, not the court of public opinion.
MLB should absolutely be working to investigate these kinds of allegations. They don’t have to be the legal system; you can get fired for your job for all kinds of things that aren’t illegal.
MLB is good to get out in front of this, unlike the NFL, which looked away for too long until Ray Rice forced them to address the issue, which they then did in a completely neutered way. (For those who don’t remember, Rice beat his wife unconscious in an elevator, on-camera, and got a 2-game suspension.)
We see it in boxing, too. Floyd Mayweather, an illiterate who has beaten basically every woman he’s ever been with, continues to collect 100-million dollar paydays in the ring. I’m a fan of baseball and would certainly think less of the game if they behaved as the NFL or the Nevada Boxing Comission has about this issue.
Fines suspensions bans. That doesnt help doesmtic violence issues esp when the fine wont exceed 50k most likely. Doesnt help women being abused. Calls attention and gives the MLB a good image but literally does nothing to actually combat and stop domestic violence.
Fines and suspensions dont come with mandatory behavior counselling or restraining orders or jail time. The legal system actually does its job theres 0 reason to fine and suspend cause the abuse victim probably filed a civil suit thatll take 10x what a fine would of been and theres jail time like 30 days or whatever. Plus the player loses sponsors- so the fine and suspend are already implemented in the punishment and fallout.
What the MLB could do is implement a rule that any player formally charged with domestic violence or any violent crime teams can nullify their contract immediately and let the teams decide if they wanna invoke that rule or not.
That’s standard contract language. It’s hard to enforce. The Rockies tried to enforce it when Neagle got caught with a prostitute and couldn’t.
Russell proly learned how to beat his wifey from Manny. Uk the elder abuser, when he beat up an elderly clubhouse guy with Red Sox. Then Manny’s wife accused him of abuse. Then the multiple suspensions for peds.
Maybe Addison thinks that beating on the wifey is some kinda slump buster? who knows these days.
I just read an article about Russell’s recent accusations. The closing sentence states: “Russell does not want to have anything to do with his African-American biological father.”
Maybe he got this kind of behavior from his dad…
Or he wants to get away from a toxic person and change what he’s been taught.
The move makes sense: Recalling Anibal Sanchez is the Tigers’ last ditch effort to find himself just long enough to him trade away.
Only way they can trade him at this point is to pay the rest of his salary this year.
“It’s almost like it’s telling me ‘Hey man, I’m not going to run this race for you anymore.’’
Man, that quote from B.A. was pretty sad, to say the least.
I have to imagine for a guy and competitor like Arroyo, there aren’t too many things worse than a slap in the face from reality saying you can no longer physically do the thing you love the most.
He certainly gave it all he had and then some. .I never closely followed Arroyo, nor any of his teams he actually played for, but I cannot help but admire the guy for truly giving his all to play the game he loved the most.
I have a funny feeling baseball hasn’t seen the last of this man. I wouldn’t be at all suprised to see his name on a line-up card in the not so distant future. Although, next time, it will be next to the title of coach…
I always hated that with the Red Sox Arroyo was bad pitcher but as soon as he goes to the Reds he becomes their ace
He was never the Reds’ ace.
Correct. He was the #3 starter on those good Reds teams.
Could have made a case for him as the #2 for a few of those years, but definitely not the ace. But I agree, for most of his career, he was the #3