The Rangers and right-hander Drew Hutchison have agreed to a major league contract, according to an announcement from Texas. Hutchison, an ACES client, will start the Rangers’ game against the Orioles on Sunday.
The Rangers are the third major league organization of 2018 for Hutchison, who inked a minors pact with the Phillies in February and did well enough in camp to earn a season-opening roster spot. The 27-year-old worked out of the Phillies’ bullpen, making 11 appearances and tossing 21 1/3 innings of 4.64 ERA ball, before the club designated him for assignment in late May.
Hutchison, who went on to reject an outright assignment to Philly’s Triple-A affiliate, then caught on with the Dodgers on another minor league contract. He did not return to the majors with them, though, and after posting a terrific 2.14 ERA in 42 innings (nine appearances, seven starts) with their Triple-A club, opted out of his deal this past Tuesday in favor of free agency.
Returning to the open market proved to be a wise move by Hutchison, who will now get a chance as part of a thin Rangers rotation. Texas, which is well out of contention, has seen its starters log the majors’ second-worst ERA (5.28) and third-worst fWAR (2.3) this season. Hutchison has generally been more successful than that at preventing runs, though he has only combined for three starts since 2017. He’s best known for his run with the Blue Jays from 2012-16 – a 76-appearance, 73-start stretch in which he put up a 4.92 ERA/4.23 FIP with 8.28 K/9, 2.84 BB/9 and a 38.7 percent groundball rate over 406 1/3 innings. Hutchison also racked up at least 150 frames in two individual seasons (2014-15) during that span.
While Hutchison had his moments as a Blue Jay, he has fallen off the radar somewhat since they dealt him to the Pirates at the trade deadline in 2016. Hutchison wound up spending all of last season with the Pirates’ Triple-A affiliate. Now, Hutchison will get his best major league shot in a while, and if he performs well down the stretch, he could emerge as a multiyear find for Texas. The pitching-starved Rangers will have an opportunity to control Hutchison via arbitration for up to three years.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
If you can at least throw a baseball you got a job with the Rangers
Yet you’re not working for them? Hooks for hands?
Ah, salty ranger fan is back.
Calling me a Pirate?
Good prove to be a low-risk, high(ish)-reward type signing. He just has to have some consistency.
Any port in a storm, baby. Coming soon to an Arlington near you: Zach McAllister and Josh Tomlin. They’re not the worst, but they at least kinda get outs.
McAllister can, not Tomlin.
Hey rangers can keep signing them, they can’t get any worse
They can if they sign Jason Wheeler.
Or Jeff Beliveau.
Good luck to you Hutch. You seemed like a good dude when you played for the Phillies. I’ll be rooting for you.
Facepalm
So they trade everybody like you begged, what was your big master plan that would have been better that what has transpired over the last month or so?
Yeah, I’m not sure what there is to be upset about here. No one worth mentioning is being blocked by this move and the chance (however remote) exists that Hutchison could pitch his way into a longer term role the final two months of the season.
The Rangers have innings to give in August and September. They should them to find as many viable rotation pieces as possible for next year and beyond.