The Twins have reached an agreement to sign free-agent right-hander Jhoulys Chacin, according to Robert Murray. Chacin, who is represented by GSE Worldwide, will join the team on a minor league contract with an invite to big league camp, as MLB Network’s Jon Heyman confirms. Per Daniel Alvarez of El Extrabase, Chacin will earn $1.6MM with an additional $1.5MM in incentives if he makes the Major League team.
Although Chacin, 32, is coming off a dreadful season that resulted in his release from the Brewers, he is only a year removed from a solid 2018 season in which he anchored the Milwaukee rotation. And while a minor league deal doesn’t guarantee anything, Chacin seems like a solid bet to crack the Twins’ opening day roster. The Minnesota club has made it known that they set out this offseason to bolster the rotation, but after striking out on top-tier arms like Hyun-Jin Ryu and Madison Bumgarner, they’ve had to settle for the more modest combination of Rich Hill and Homer Bailey.
But there’s no way around the fact that Chacin ranked as one of the worst starters in baseball last year. He only managed a 6.01 overall ERA, and a brief tryout with the Red Sox didn’t yield much better results than his Brewers tenure. For what it’s worth, he did see an uptick in his strikeouts during his stint in Boston: in 14 2/3 innings, he struck out 21 batters, good for an average of 12.9 K/9. If there’s a silver lining, it’s that Chacin may have been one of the unluckiest pitchers in baseball when it came to home runs, which account for much of his dropoff from 2018 to 2019. Indeed, among pitchers with at least 100 innings pitched, Chacin’s 21% HR/FB rate ranked as the eighth-highest, meaning that we might expect some of those home runs to turn into mere flyouts next year.
Despite the ugly on-field results, Chacin’s slider still graded as a solidly positive offering last year, and it’s the most important pitch in Chacin’s arsenal: its increased usage coincided with his 2018 breakout. Opponents did most of their damage against his sinker and four-seam fastball, so it should come as no surprise that Chacin has decreased his usage of those pitches each of the last two years. If he can rediscover his 2018 form, expect Chacin to push hard for a spot at the back end of the Minnesota rotation, which will be missing the suspended Michael Pineda for some time and currently has the inexperienced combination of Randy Dobnak and Devin Smeltzer penciled in to round out the starting staff.
Chacin can help the starting rotation.
Yes sir
Wondering how much help they think he will be if he only signs a minor league deal.
This guy is still a major leaguer in my opinion and I’m probably others opinions too
It’s a win-win… Chacin gets to go to spring training and play, and given the Twins roster right now he has as good a shot as anyone of snagging a 4th or 5th starter slot. If he makes the team, great… if he pitches OK but doesn’t make the team he got to showcase himself and he’ll pick up somewhere else in short order.
They sure been busy.
Source?
As long as he’s your 5 or long relief, you could a lot worse
Let’s hope today’s Chacin is better than he was last year. A lot better. He was one of the worst starters in 2019.
He had a decent run in Atlanta then Anibal Sanchez had a better run. Can King Felix turn things around as well ????
Probably not but I’d love to see it
You mean he had a decent run in San Diego? That’s where he turned it around, then Milwaukee gave him a two year deal
He was solid in ATL before the trade.
Atleast to us anyway. You have to understand the state of our rotation that year to get where Atlanta fans are coming from here lol
If they get 2018 chachin it would be a solid pickup
dang i think they’re getting 2020 chacin
Touché my friend
So much will depend on the ball for some of these guys. Brewers saw Chacin, Jeffress, and Guerra all struggle to some extent last year because of the laces being less elevated from the surface of the ball. (I think Verlander is the guy I heard describe it like that) All 3 of those pitchers relied on splitter type pitches and saw them have less bite last season and were less effective pitchers as a result.
another good signing by the Twins… t
Sure, he’s coming off the worst season of his career, but he’s been pretty good in the past and should be a good back of the rotation option.
Low cost bridge till Pineda and Hill are ready to join the rotation.
Maybe of the “pontoon” variety?
Something that provides stability yet is temporary….
Would’ve rather signed Cashner, but this works too.
This guy is either pretty good or awful. The pinnacle of inconsistency.
I guess if you load up with enough pinnacle of inconsistency good or awful rotation options you’re bound to have a couple of them land on the good side.
This is a good move in case one of the others doesnt pan out. Maybe spend a month or two at AAA
You’re one classy dude
Likely rotation pieces leave something to be desired. Hope they get some good luck with try envoys they have. Love rooting for The Twins as they were my grandpas team.
Meant to be pieces they have.
Police Academy-Police Academy 2-Police Academy 3
Indians shaking in their boots now
Indians owners stashing $ in their boots with that pathetic payroll…
No doubt
No diggity
Since the Red Sox snagged him and he’s moving on he will do well. They are often “a day late and a dollar short” on marginal pitchers. The list is long.
The Twins should also sign Taujaun Walker. He should be worth a look since he has had success in the past.
His brother Taijuan is also worth a shot!
If the Twins roll out Chacin every 5th day, I like the Cleveland Indians chances even more.
He’ll be on a short leash. I think we have a wealth of better options already on the team. I’d rather have give a prospect a shot than have to deal with this guy’s 3rd inning meltdowns! One of my least favorite players.
Chacon had some good outings early but like all the bullpen, they were used so much the arms almost fell off.
Hi
This is the project pitcher that Falvey and Co. have been hoping for all off season. You watch the Twins will turn this guy into cute young. Way to get the pitching upgrades!
Long shot to make the 26 man but you never know.
Chacin is only a year removed from a pretty good season with Milwaukee so there is no reason to think he can’t rebound in Minnesota.
His 2019 is a big reason why he doesn’t rebound. One of the worst starters in all of baseball! Sometimes pitchers who lose their mojo have a difficult time recapturing it. Worth a shot, I guess.
Ks are there, pitching coach must have an improvement plan for him. If 2019 is considered an outlier he should have something left in the tank.
I think his 2018 season was the outlier. Underwhelming overall tools, I don’t have much hope he will help this team in any way at all. I believe he will hurt them if given the chance.
Think not. His career tendencies suggest 2017-2018 might be more representative of expectations than 2019. It is a yawner issue to be debating, a minor league signing for a possible shot at a 5th starter role, but any MLB experienced pitching is worth a look in the Twins system. And I wouldn’t overlook the K rate and the apparent unluckiness from last year. If the slider is real, Wes Johnson may have something to work with.
Low risk signing for both parties. If Chacin finds himself, the Twins might have a useful back of the rotation starter. If Chacin finds himself, he may find himself on a team that can win into the playoffs. If Chacin is a bust, he can walk away, hang up his spurs, and know he gave it his best.
I would like the Twins to sign Taijan Walker to a similar minor league deal.
He had a bad year last year, but he’s a solid #5 type pitcher and has been decent for years. Can’t complain to much about this deal. Worse case, slightly expensive long reliever mop up guy.
If Jhoulys Chacin can return to form, he could bump Homer Bailey from the rotation. CAREER ERA Chacin 4.03 Career ERA Bailey 4.57.