Feb. 15, 2:40pm: Jon Heyman of the New York Post provides details on the bonuses. Chafin will receive $250K by appearing in 55, 60, 65 and 70 games. There’s also a one-time $250K bonus for getting traded.
Feb. 15, 11:40am: Chafin has passed his physical, and the Diamondbacks have formally announced his signing.
Feb. 11: The Diamondbacks have agreed to a reunion with Andrew Chafin, as the veteran left-hander will rejoin his original team on a one-year deal with a club option for the 2024 season. Chafin will earn a $5.5MM salary in 2023, and Arizona’s club option is worth $7.25MM (with a $750K buyout). Up to $1MM in bonus money is also available for Chafin if he makes at least 55 appearances in 2023. Chafin is represented by Meister Sports Management.
Chafin was drafted 43rd overall by the D’Backs in 2011 and he spent his first seven MLB seasons in an Arizona uniform before being dealt to Chicago in a 2020 deadline swap. That initial stint with the Diamondbacks led to mostly positive numbers, as Chafin logged a 3.68 ERA over 271 2/3 innings in his first go-around with Arizona, though he was struggling (albeit in the small sample size of the abbreviated 2020 season) at the time of his trade to the Cubs.
In the two full seasons since that trade, Chafin has taken things to another level while pitching for the Cubs, A’s and Tigers. Over 126 innings since the start of the 2021 campaign, Chafin has a 2.29 ERA, 47.9% grounder rate, 7.5% walk rate, and 25.7% strikeout rate. That above-average K% is further bolstered by very strong chase rates in the last two seasons and an 87th-percentile 31.4% whiff rate in 2022. Chafin has also done a very good job of inducing soft contact.
On the basis of a good platform year with the Tigers in 2022, Chafin declined a $6.5MM player option for 2023 in order to seek out a longer-term contract in free agency. Even though Chafin was one of the better relievers on the marker this winter, he couldn’t find a multi-year pact, and will now end up receiving slightly less (in guaranteed money) than the amount he rejected on his player option. The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal recently wrote that Matt Strahm’s two-year, $15MM deal with the Phillies seemed to throw off the market for left-handed relievers, to the extent that Chafin, Matt Moore, and Zack Britton were all still looking for new deals despite quite a bit of interest from multiple clubs.
It puts some added pressure on Chafin to continue his good form as he enters his age-33 season, yet he’ll get to pitch in a comfortable and familiar environment in Arizona. The deal becomes a two-year, $12.75MM pact if the Diamondbacks do exercise their club option, which still unexpectedly puts Chafin behind Strahm in total value.
From the Diamondbacks’ perspective, landing Chafin at a relative discount price is a very nice outcome for a team in sore need of bullpen help. After the relief corps was a weak link in 2022, the D’Backs have responded by signing Miguel Castro and Scott McGough to MLB contracts, and brought in a wide array of experienced arms (including Jeurys Familia, Austin Brice, Zach McAlister, Jandel Gustave, Sam Clay, and several others) to camp on minor league deals.
Arizona heads into Spring Training with plenty of competition for bullpen jobs, so Chafin will be one of relatively few Diamondback pitchers that are assured of spots on the Opening Day roster. With an unsettled closer’s position also up for grabs, Chafin could even be a candidate to make some saves, even though he has mostly worked as a setup man throughout his career.
MLBTR ranked Chafin 39th on our list of the offseason’s top 50 free agents, and projected the left-hander for a two-year, $18MM deal. Jurickson Profar and Michael Wacha are the final two players still unsigned from that 50-player list.
The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal (Twitter link) was the first to report the signing, and the general financial parameters. Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic (Twitter links) had the specific financial breakdown, and reported that the D’Backs held a club option.
Awesome
I don’t know about this signing, this guy rubs me the wrong way.
Took me 24 hours to get this. Not my proudest moment. Well played.
Arizona is a dry climate, That should help the Chafin.
Wow. No wonder him and Moore have held out. In what world is Matt Strahm getting paid nearly 3 times as much as Chafin?
Huh?
Strahm signed a 2yr 15 million $ contract. Chafin’s deal is 1 yr 6.5 with an additional million in incentives….
Update: $5.5+incentives
Plus the buyout.
Dombrowski likes to plug holes early, and Phillies are willing to pay market value or higher. The Chafin signing is obviously better value, but the Phillies got what they wanted early.
A world where Chafin should have signed sooner. If PHi had waited they may have had Chafin for less than what they signed Strahm for. Timing matters regardless of performance value
So true. And timing seems to matter in the relief market more. I’m not sure what causes that. I get the impression Chafin was holding out for 2 years and more $$$. It just didn’t happen
It was reported early on that Strahm wanted to go somewhere with a chance to start so maybe that added to his value
He gave up on marketing himself as a starter before the winter meetings. His contract was not Dombrowski’s shrewdest deal in hindsight
Everyone in Philly panned the overpays for Hand/Knebel/Familia last year and it certainly didn’t stop the team from nearly winning it all.
And how much did those guys contribute down the stretch and in the postseason? Wouldn’t call those good moves either regardless of how the rest of the team performed
Hand was a big contributer all season.
To the tune of .3 WAR…
WAR is a useless stat for relievers.
Yeah that’s fair. If you watch a lot of playoffs games, it’s hard to undermine how important the pen is.
Why’s WAR a useless stat for relievers particularly?
@Poster formerly unknown as…
Due to the heavy reliance on context of leverage in RP roles, a context-independent stat like FIP can’t adequately encompass what’s going on (and obvious small sample size caveats in regards to ERA/FIP apply), even if it is still factoring important rate stats like K%, BB%, etc.
ERA/FIP are what most pitcher WAR models ultimately have to utilize (not to mention not considering inherited runners at all). Leverage Index is a better stat to start evaluating RPs, and it can be compared against other stats of that vein.
WAR is not context-independent, and fWAR includes a leverage factor for relievers:
“Once you have a number that you can compare to league average, you need to convert that from runs per game to wins per game. To do that, you need to divide by runs per win. This gets more complicated for pitchers than hitters because pitchers directly influence their run environment in a way that hitters do not. So instead of using the league average runs per win value, we calculate it specifically for each pitcher.
“Then we need to add in replacement level, which is different for starters and relievers. After that we scale the number based on innings pitched. For relievers, we also add a leverage component. Finally, we make a small uniform adjustment at the end so that the league-wide WAR value matches our target.
“Here’s the basic construction:
“WAR = [[([(League “FIP” – “FIP”) / Pitcher Specific Runs Per Win] + Replacement Level) * (IP/9)] * Leverage Multiplier for Relievers] + League Correction”
library.fangraphs.com/war/calculating-war-pitchers…
and how does war account for inherited runners? Some pitchers come in with runners on base / bases loaded then have that inherited runner score. Guess who those runs get tacked on to … not the reliever that just let them in.
How about if they pitched 5 games out of 7 or warmed up all the games in that week? Maybe they only pitched once in a week. Were those inning pitched as an “opener” or halfway into the inning?
WAR can give you a very high level gauge but for relievers there are way t0o many variables and way too much volatility to give you an accurate depiction. Perfect example would you rate Colin McHugh? is he a better reliever than say AJ Minter or Kenley Jansen or Josh Hader? Would you put him in elite status such as Edwin Diaz because he is only one WAR away from him and better wars than all 3 of the other ones i mentioned.
I missed the word “adequately” in my rush to reference inherited runners, but the sentiment still remains.
Again, that formula shows inadequate consideration for inherited runners. You can say that they’re considered in the Leverage Multiplier for Relievers, but Leverage Index doesn’t consider nearly as much “noise” (nor is it just present on the back-end of calculations; the explicit purpose is evaluating differently than WAR).
And again, Small Sample Size caveats that you should be familiar enough with if you have some degree of familiarity with WAR (which you obviously do, you’re trying to base your argument around it).
WAR is not context independent? Oh, you’re referencing fWAR? The stat that’s based on FIELDING INDEPENDENT PITCHING? Totally a ton of context-dependence that we’re evaluating with FIP. /s
No offense bro, but in your rush to be contrarian you’re missing a bit more than the word “adequately” in your reply.
Everyone in Philly panned the overpays for Hand/Knebel/Familia
=============================
Pretty much his entire FA class was a disaster. $61M for Schwarber, Castellanos, and those three guys.
DD’s strength is recognizing weaknesses and convincing the owner to bust the cap.
Schwarber was fantastic last year. Phillies bullpen was one of the most improved in the NL. You can pick apart a few signings, but more of DDs moves worked than didn’t. Even some of the cheaper under the radar signings.
Knebel wasn’t an overpay. He was a gamble, due to his injury history, but 1 year at 10m was a fair deal for both parties. Hand and Familia were both bad deals at the time, (6m per yr) and the results were not surprising.
@ JB – You are very distinctly underselling the DD narrative. Not trying to defend every move, but that is the point. The nature of making those types of moves is that a number of them are not going to work out as hoped…that is the talent business.
Pat Gillick taught the Phillies something when he was here. It was less about worrying about what didn’t work…it was having the courage to move on as soon as you understood where the needle was pointing. DD seems to get that as well. The professionals understand that that they need to not be wedded to their own mistakes.
Maybe this will be helpful . . . or not:
blogs.fangraphs.com/what-determines-reliever-lever…
BTW, “deLI” stands for “deserved leverage index.”
I’m confused here. Are highheat and Flyby two different posters or a single poster with two different screen names? The comments seem to intersect conversationally, so I can’t tell who’s speaking to whom.
In any case, I draw attention to this sentence in the Fangraphs explanation of pitcher WAR:
“For relievers, we also add a leverage component.”
Not the same poster; to be clear I never suggested that WAR was “useless” for RP, but I did suggest that it wasn’t nearly as useful due to relying heavily upon FIP.
My apologies on my rush, I type pretty frantically and space out. I was talking about the “Win Probability” section on FG (which includes Win Probability and Leverage Index variants of statistics). Many of which have the sole purpose of factoring the game state when pitchers enter/leave the game.
There’s some fascinating stuff in there and it’s much more specific than WAR can be (obviously more stats are better when evaluating, due to more context).
@poster
different person
“In any case, I draw attention to this sentence in the Fangraphs explanation of pitcher WAR:
“For relievers, we also add a leverage component.”
and as i mentioned as well to the war calculation
“WAR can give you a very high level gauge but for relievers there are way t0o many variables and way too much volatility to give you an accurate depiction. Perfect example how would you rate Colin McHugh? is he a better reliever than say AJ Minter or Kenley Jansen or Josh Hader? Would you put him in elite status such as Edwin Diaz because he is only one WAR away from him and better wars than all 3 of the other ones i mentioned.”
Are you saying Colin Mchugh is an elite reliever as i believe he is a middle reliever and not really a high leverage guy where Jensen and Hader were closers and think thats a little higher leverage than a middle reliever yet McHugh was almost double the WAR of either. The calculation is not perfect but that was just looking at atlanta since they were the first team and comparing them to the top name closers. Maybe i picked the exception but i cant imagine this is that uncommon.
“Perfect example how would you rate Colin McHugh? is he a better reliever than say AJ Minter or Kenley Jansen or Josh Hader? Would you put him in elite status such as Edwin Diaz because he is only one WAR away from him and better wars than all 3 of the other ones i mentioned.”
Minter’s fWAR in 2022 was 2.1, fifth-highest of all relievers in the league. Diaz’s fWAR of 3.0 was tops among relievers and more than twice McHugh’s. Hader had a 5.22 ERA compared to McHugh’s 2.60 ERA and was taxed with 5 losses to McHugh’s 2 losses. WAR, as the name implies, has to do with Wins value.
The only pitcher you cited who might support your argument is Kenley Jansen. The difference between Jansen’s fWAR and McHugh’s was only 0.3, and McHugh ranked second in fWAR on Atlanta’s relief corps, while Jansen ranked third, tied with Dylan Lee. Kenley was in the third tier in blown saves among all relievers in the league with 7. Kenley gave up 8 home runs, the most of all Atlanta’s relievers. McHugh led Braves relievers in Total Batters Faced and yielded 5 fewer runs than Jansen.
“Are you saying Colin McHugh is an elite reliever”
Are you saying he isn’t?
McHugh has a 2.30 ERA and 2.53 FIP since 2020.
I think WAR tells approximately how many more wins a player was worth to his team above a so-called replacement player in a given season. It gives a rough-sketch picture of the player’s contribution to wins, that’s all.
Also, it’s cumulative. You’re looking at one season — one in which Hader struggled uncharacteristically — and complaining that McHugh’s fWAR was higher than Hader’s. If you look at their respective fWAR since 2020, Hader ranks 9th among relievers, while McHugh ranks 19th.
As Fangraphs’ writers explain it:
‘WAR offers an estimate to answer the question, “If this player got injured and their team had to replace them with a freely available minor leaguer or a AAAA player from their bench, how much value would the team be losing?”’
“WAR is not meant to be a perfectly precise indicator of a player’s contribution, but rather an estimate of their value to date. Given the imperfections of some of the available data and the assumptions made to calculate other components, WAR works best as an approximation.”
With that in mind, the difference between McHugh’s fWAR and Jansen’s in one season is fairly meaningless.
Whoa! Sounds like too much work…I think I’ll stick with the old eye test for now on this one…
@Poster formerly unknown as…
I know I’m jumping back in to answer, but:
“WAR works best as an approximation”
That’s the point. Being that WAR is a cumulative stat and RP is SSS in nature, they’re prone to large swings in WAR value due to inevitable hot/cold streaks. As such, it’s not an entirely accurate depiction of what’s going on.
That’s not even to mention the difference between RP that come in and accrue value through quality production in multiple innings versus the shutdown guys that get most of their WAR through appearing in high-leverage spots.
RP get to value through different ways (and different WAR formulas evaluate them differently), it’s best to have added context of the leverage of situations to have a decent idea of who operates best in higher-leverage and more specific roles.
You can get that added context from Win Probability and Leverage Index statistics under the “Win Probability” tab on FG player pages.
“Being that WAR is a cumulative stat and RP is SSS in nature, they’re prone to large swings in WAR value due to inevitable hot/cold streaks.”
I have no idea what “SSS” stands for, but large swings in performance will affect any statistical measure, so I’m not sure what your point is.
“That’s not even to mention the difference between RP that come in and accrue value through quality production in multiple innings versus the shutdown guys that get most of their WAR through appearing in high-leverage spots.”
Would you mind explaining this idea that these two different classes of reliever accumulate WAR value differently; specifically, could you detail the math behind that calculation?
Meanwhile, I’ll continue to assert that WAR has value as a rough-sketch picture of pitcher performance, so “WAR is a useless stat for relievers” is a false statement.
Again, I never asserted that WAR was “useless” for evaluating relievers, it’s just significantly less useful.
SSS (a common statistical acronym) stands for Small Sample Size; again you’re missing the point. The idea of stats like WAR are to view everything and try to separate as much statistical noise as possible to get an evaluation of the player’s overall value; that becomes possible only with a larger sample size, and RP profiles are so volatile that they can have different valuations year-to-year due to lack of reps to establish a reasonable baseline.
“WAR = [[([(League “FIP” – “FIP”) / Pitcher Specific Runs Per Win] + Replacement Level) * (IP/9)] * Leverage Multiplier for Relievers] + League Correction”
The issues with the math in evaluating a quality LR compared a high-leverage CP are with FIP (due to SSS) and IP/9 (all innings initially evaluated the same).
Late inning situations are entirely context reliant, so understanding who operates best within those contexts is a better indicator of sustainable success than high RP WAR evaluations. WAR is absolutely a “rough-sketch”, but adding context of leverage is fleshing out the picture.
@highheat
I would save your breath i think they have adjusted this discussion about 3 or 4 times in here to fit their narrative. First it was WAR, then fWAR, now cumulative WAR, who knows what will be next incremental WAR? maybe thumb WAR, WAR the card game?
They haven’t come across disrespectful to me, and they’re just asking questions; granted that we could do without the firmly ingrained notion that WAR is a “catch-all stat” (there’s no such thing). They’re all tools for different tasks, and just using different brands of the same tool doesn’t get the job done (especially when they’re not right for the job).
I like asking questions too and would hope somebody would be kind enough to point out where my beliefs are a bit shaky; so while it’s a bit tedious, I’m willing to extend that same courtesy (if they were disrespectful it would’ve been a different story).
It doesn’t show their value to their team instantaneously like it does for position players or starters. War/ip might be a better stat to show value for them. Not sure if that exists though.
Is leverage really a thing. Isn’t it your job as a pitcher to limit runs regardless whether it is in the first inning or the ninth. I guess there is more to it like inherited runners but either you stop the flow or you don’t.
Correct, but some pitchers are more capable than others in regards to coming in with runners on (or RISP in general), whether that be through operating better out of the stretch or presence of a “clutch gene”, or are more capable of going multiple innings due to arsenal depth/quality or durability. Possibly even some guys being more uncomfortable with less opportunities for the team to come back if they do struggle.
The point is whatever the reason, Win Probability and Leverage Index variants of stats do a better job of showing whether something extra is going on (regardless of whatever it is) by evaluating the context of the situations that pitchers appear in.
‘highheat7 hours ago
‘Again, I never asserted that WAR was “useless” for evaluating relievers, it’s just significantly less useful.’
This is the comment I responded to initially:
‘You Can Put It In The Books .2 days ago
‘WAR is a useless stat for relievers.’
You jumped into my conversation with that poster when I asked him to clarify why he thought WAR was useless for relievers. He never did respond, but you went on about WAR being context-independent (it’s not) and opining that leverage index was more useful — none of which established what the original poster asserted and which I asked him about: Why is WAR useless?
As for the leverage component, here’s how Fangraphs describes that factor in the calculation of reliever WAR:
‘Leverage
‘We want to give relievers who pitch in higher leverage spots more credit, but we have to make an adjustment to their leverage index first. The idea behind WAR is that we are comparing a player to a replacement level player. For a starting pitcher, that’s easy enough to do. If you get hurt, you’re replaced by someone from Triple-A. But relief pitchers have a hierarchy. If the closer gets hurt, a Triple-A player doesn’t slot into the closer’s role. Rather, everyone in the pen moves up a slot and the Triple-A arm takes the lowest rung on the ladder. As a result, we want to account for this by considering the reliever’s role in the WAR calculation. You may hear this referred to as “chaining.”
‘LI Multiplier = (1 + gmLI) / 2
‘Essentially, we’re regressing the pitcher’s average leverage index halfway toward average to account for the chaining effect. Once you have the LI Multiplier, multiply it by “WAR” for relievers. You can ignore this step for starters.’
They’re not treating every inning equally.
Again, WAR is useful as a rough-sketch image of player value. Here are the top 10 relievers in fWAR since 2020:
1. Edwin Diaz
2. Liam Hendriks
3. Devin Williams
4. Raisel Iglesias
5. Emmanuel Clase
6. Ryan Pressly
7. Giovanny Gallegos
8. A.J. Minter
9. Josh Hader
10. Kenley Jansen
Which of them isn’t an elite reliever?
Go to Fangraphs and scroll down the list of the relief pitcher leaders in fWAR for the past three seasons. fWAR clearly gives “a rough-sketch picture of pitcher performance.” It is not useless.
But if you want to keep arguing that other metrics serve you better, go ahead. It’s not something I was arguing about, but keep on keeping on, if you wish. Me, I’m satisfied that I made the sole point that I intended to make from the beginning, so I’m done here. Have fun and have a good night.
Just so you know, Flyby, “fWAR” stands for “Fangraphs WAR.”
There are different formulas for WAR used by different websites. Baseball Reference has its own formula for calculating WAR, and it’s typically referred to as bWAR (or sometimes rWAR).
The numbers at the different sites don’t always agree, which you’d expect since they use different formulas.
But all WAR, however it’s calculated, is a cumulative stat — in other words, the more plate appearances a hitter has or the more innings a pitcher pitches, the more Wins Above Replacement (WAR) he can accumulate.
You have to keep that in mind so you don’t look at a small sample from one player and assume that his minuscule WAR means he’s a worse player than another player with a large sample. It’s not an averaging metric like OPS, BA, ERA, etc.
Okay?
The point of me jumping in wasn’t because I was supporting Flyby’s assertion, it was trying to explain to you that WAR isn’t the all-encompassing number for RP that you think is (or it isn’t without added context).
I’m trying to explain this to you so you could use it in fantasy if you so choose (and obviously wasting my time to do). You weren’t being disrespectful before but you are now, so I’ll point out that maybe a person that doesn’t understand what SSS means isn’t exactly familiar enough with stats to know how to use them properly? That ever cross your mind, or did you need an expert definition explaining that to you too?
You’re misrepresenting my words again; this is the last time I’ll explain. All innings are evaluated the same INITIALLY and the RP Leverage Multiplier is baked-in on the BACK-END (after everything else is factored).
Stripping context out (with FIP) and then adding it back in (based on a Multiplier, even if there are adjustments made for individual pitchers) to evaluate is not the same as just evaluating the leverage of the actual situation they appear. People that don’t refuse to accept that have an advantage over you because they’re capable of evaluating players by different means to get a more clear picture of what’s going on; that’s just the way stats work.
Again, I’m not saying throw the baby out with the bathwater; WAR of all variations are fine stats (great even), but like every stat their vulnerabilities are generally in niche cases in which sample size is small enough that statistical noise overtakes to some degree (which is essentially the definition of a RP role).
Using other stats in concert helps you evaluate that noise, because it’s much easier to take chances on volatile player profiles once you find suggestions as to what that “noise” is and whether it’s actually concerning.
Again, in your rush to be contrarian, your reading comprehension is lacking.
P.S. due to inability of RP to reach reasonable sample sizes to get an accurate reading of their baseline level of production, there’s difficulty in projecting them year-to-year (so WAR projections are a year behind in many cases, and you can’t just prorate WAR)
Or, we could be REALLY crazy and do this…actually watch the games and pay attention to the player performances, while then adding some context with the metrics without overstressing them.
The metrics are there to add value to the evaluation process, but they do not DEFINE the evaluation process at all as so many on here seem to think. Analytics are a key cog, but just one point of reference in the overall talent evaluation and player development process.
“it was trying to explain to you that WAR isn’t the all-encompassing number for RP that you think is”
But I don’t. I never use WAR for anything other than — as I’ve said several times now — a rough-sketch impression of a player’s value.
The owners (AKA the league) wanted to use Fangraphs WAR to establish the salaries of players instead of continuing with the arbitration process:
mlbtraderumors.com/2021/11/mlb-proposes-replacing-…
The players said, “Nope.”
My impression of WAR is that it was a noble effort at creating an all-encompassing metric, but there are too many variables — especially on the defensive side — for that venture to succeed. Maybe someday.
I never use WAR in isolation from other metrics when comparing two players, just as I don’t use Def, UZR/150, DRS or OAA alone to get a read on a defender I haven’t had the opportunity to see in many games. The imprecision of those metrics is manifest in their frequently disparate conclusions.
As for fantasy baseball, I couldn’t care less. I stopped participating in that years ago. Too time-consuming for my taste.
I’m sorry that I came across as disrespectful, and I apologize for that. I think I let frustration get the better of me because you kept arguing points that I wasn’t disputing. I’ll try to do better in that regard.
Do you watch every game played by every team, Carver?
Unless one is a math maven who’s enraptured with calculations (and there are such people, I’m sure), why would anybody pore over metrics if they saw on a regular basis the players they were trying to appraise?
If I’m wondering how good a player is, and I haven’t seen him play much, stats are pretty much my only resort. I don’t watch baseball to confirm statistics; I watch baseball because it’s an engaging, unscripted athletic drama in real time. I’m not a math maven.
I perceived it as adding points, but my apologies for the unnecessarily added condescendion (I don’t necessarily think it’s a bad thing, but it was out of place in an initial reply on my end).
I stepped over a line in turn, and I apologize for suggesting lacking understanding when you clearly have a decent grasp.
I was just trying to get the discussion to a middle point, because WAR isn’t completely “useless” for RP, but it’s also not nearly as useful in their case.
The point wasn’t whether you like Fantasy Baseball or not; you can make a decent chunk of change just doing daily lineup bets for $1 or less over the course of the season, and I like seeing people better equipped to make money in corner cases if they want to put in the time to identify smart bets (at lower values to accommodate higher allotment picks that are more sure bets).
Whether you (or anybody else) want to do anything with it is up to you, but I just wanted it to be known.
Hope you have a nice day! We can agree to disagree on points, but I’m glad we both got to a mutual understanding in the end.
Thanks for your cordial reply. I’m confident that you know more about the innards of the various metrics than I do, as I generally take their creators’ math on faith, not being particularly adept or advanced in that regard.
I appreciate the altruism behind your explications and hope your own bets are winners.
@Poster formerly known as…
A point I’ll add in favor of stats is that they can give you a more accurate picture of what you’re seeing on field and what is sustainable (granted that I am a math maven).
Having the ability to have confidence in deals (whether trades or FA) and potentially questionable levels of production by conventional standards helps me to enjoy the game more; even when the team is struggling (which is a necessary viewpoint for DBacks fans lol).
They don’t even need to be in-depth calculations, for example:
Chafin lost velocity on his FB combo this year; however, they had identical velocity, identical Spin Direction, and had very small gaps in final destination based on movement (3.3 in of vertical separation and 5.5 in of horizontal separation). Which is enough to keep the barrel off of the ball when the pitches look identical, so I have confidence in the SI/4S being able to sustainable generate soft contact against RHB/LHB and gets misses when located on the edges of the zone.
He only had his Slider as an offspeed offering, and while it broke more vertically than average, it broke SIGNIFICANTLY less horizontally than average. So little movement in fact that it was only 0.2 in, and less horizontal movement is an indicator that a Slider has the potential to be platoon neutral. Plus he had the smallest velocity separation from Sinker in his career, at only 8.7 mph (so batters have technically have less time to identify the pitch, even though he was throwing slower). It is THE WEAPON when thrown at the edges of the zone.
In regards to that, he threw a below average rate of pitches in the zone, but threw an above average rate of total pitches at the edge of the zone. So he was locating his pitches fairly optimally.
Acknowledging all of that, I have confidence in his pitch-mix remaining effective in spite of velocity dropping. Numbers are fun lol.
That’s easy for you to say. ; )
I promise if you give it a shot you’ll find some interesting questions and things to look for, some examples of things I’m looking for in DBacks Spring Training would be:
-How Blaze Alexander’s mechanically tweaks and return to an aggressive approach look
-How Lourdes Gurriel Jr’s LF defense and baserunning looks after working with Dave McKay
-How Pavin Smith’s return to a less selective approach (with little power) to avoid getting in holes in the count
-Geraldo Perdomo same as Pavin
-How Ketel Marte’s defense/approach looks
-Nick Ahmed same as Marte
-How Josh Rojas’s defense at 3B looks
-Dominic Fletcher and Jorge Barrosa same as Blaze
-Why Diego Castillo was acquired (and whether it’s the same reason as acquiring Rivera; believing they can make tweaks to optimize the profile)
-Jordan Lawlar because Jordan Lawlar
-How Drey Jameson’s further developed pitch mix/command looks (the Sinker is relatively new and worked well with his 4S, plus having a more than viable SL/CH combo with a CU for good measure)
-How Ryne Nelson’s further developed secondaries look (his 4S is already great)
-Brandon Pfaadt because Brandon Pfaadt
If you’re inclined to see a game at Salt River Fields (it’s a nice park) you should keep an eye out for those things (and more)
He’s not. He’s getting paid $1M more than Chafin.
Math is hard.
@Colavito
If you’ve looked at the current state of Baltimore inner city schooling, that appears to be the case.
Too soon?
In a world where most of us don’t have a clear idea of how the new shift rules will affect most pitchers.
When I said he would get a one year deal way short of ten million, folks told me I was nuts.
Just saying.
But the Reds could have beat that two months ago.
I did well with my overall projections, but not on The Sheriff. I was thinking three years at 7-8 million per year. Dodgers should have signed Chafin instead of Peralta! I thought a reunion with Cubs would keep him close to his farm. Maybe Chafin figured he would get to close after Melancon loses the job again.
Strahm didn’t sign for three times Chafin, but I do think Strahm, and specifically the Phillies, did cause some early market and inflation among other relievers, when then led to a rapid period when many relievers signed. I think those like Chafin held out for their piece of the pie, believing they were worth much more than Strahm, but it never showed up, or the size of the slice they wanted never showed up.
A very reasonable deal. Amazing how many teams claiming to be competitive opted to pass even at this salary level.
Are you sure they passed or just Chafin had no interest at all playing for them? Im sure daddy Cohen checked in on him but maybe Chafin preferred to stay somewhat in the central US instead of the coasts. Also as mentioned earlier it probably gives him a realistic chance to close on a no pressure team.
I don’t know which United States you live in, but in this universe, Arizona is way closer to being a coastal state than a central one. Go look at a map.
LMAO
Great signing by the Diamondbacks.He is returning to the Arizona Diamondbacks. Now, I understand why he was signed by the Cardinals, the Cardinals were not willing to pay him that amount. I really wanted him with the Cards.
He was not signed by the Cardinals.
I hope the Cardinals do not regret that they did not sign Chafin. I sure was hoping they would and now that he signed with Snakes for just one year I am really puzzled. Not sure who they are banking on from the left side.
Depending on the prospects offered Chafin might end up playing most of his games after the break with the Cardinals. He won’t be in the desert after July.
dont sleep on the arizona diamondbacks, this year’s baltimore orioles
The Cardinals just are lost when building a pitching staff
Why so long to sign? Maybe spent three months snacking?
Holding out for best offer or at least a preferred destination. Lefty Relievers aren’t as highly sought after as they were in years past thanks to the new rules.
Sadly, this is probably the best collection of Lefty Relievers ever in a free agent class and none able to cash in like they would have even 5 years ago
Lefty relievers are extremely sought after… but to a point. Clearly none of the major clubs are willing to spend this kind of money for anything other than a closer. Case-in-point, if you’re the Cubs persay, how does it look if the highest paid guy in your bullpen is a guy you’re bringing in the 7th? or 8th? Your Closer (Boxberger) is making less money. Chafin has top-end value as a lefty bullpen arm, but clearly teams are sending a strong message they’re only going to pay so much for ANY bullpen arms. Look at the bath the Yankees took on Chapman.
All things being equal, If Michael Fulmer is tossing mid 90’s again after all the injuries I’d much rather have him than Chafin if I had to make a choice. So Jed is still hoping one of his Lefty Minor League signings finally pays off.
Agreed. I think they’re gonna see if there’s anything left in Wieck. Also they’re gonna keep grooming Hughes to be that guy. Don’t forget about the flyer they took on Borucki as well.
Wieck is out for all of 2023. More likely Borucki, or the one I would have the most hope for would be Roenas Elias. But hey Jeds signed like 20 LH P’s the las 3 years, One has to hit.
I’d still like to have seen Jed sign Chafin. He was so good when he turned it around in Chicago a couple of seasons ago and he’s sustained it. I thought he was looking for a lot more money. I like the Fulmer addition but he could’ve done both.
I guess he wasn’t Chafin to sign.
Sounds way low.
I agree. I’m kinda shocked. If he could’ve been had that cheap, the Cubs should’ve signed him before Christmas. Something tells me either A) Andrew had a VERY specific list of teams he was willing to play for, and/or B) he over-played his hand and other teams moved on, setup their rosters and ghosted his agent. Either way…. I’m shocked. He’ll be flipped to an actual contender by the trade deadline this — no doubt.
Agreed. With waiting this long to sign I was honestly expecting more money and at least two years guaranteed. I am surprised if it turns out nobody else would match this deal. Either way he’s an excellent reliever and the DBacks didn’t have to overpay for him.
Used to work with a guy with the last name of Chafin.
We used to call him Maballsbe.
Great signing. He performs well and he’s a nice trade chip at the deadline or possibly a solid bullpen arm for a surprising Dbacks team fighting for a wildcard spot…
He had the same salary with the Tigers and was closer to home. I’m sure he thought this trip through FA would be better.
No doubt. This is a “settle” deal.
With Harris cutting budget, probably returning to the Tigers for that same amount was never offered.
Stymee, it was guaranteed if he wanted it. Instead, Chafin opted out because he thought he could do better elsewhere… He was wrong.
from the article: “Chafin is represented by Meister Sports Management.”
That will soon read “Chafin will no longer be represented by Meister Sports Management.”
All things considered, however, he gets into camp on time and that gives him the best shot at having another good platform year for a chance at a better deal.
yeah, that’s what he thought after opting out of the Tigers contract – how’d that work out for him?
Completely agree Tram. It’s looking like he should’ve stayed put in Detroit.
I think he broke even, not counting the incentives. Plus, he’s out of Detroit.
Not bagging on the Tigers, just that he’s 32, and they won’t be contending in 2023. If he were 23, it’d be a different story.
At least he would have been reasonably close to his farm in Massillon, Ohio if he stayed in Detroit, which I thought was part of his goal.
Clevland, Pittsburgh and Detroit aren’t in the free agent market. Chicago and Cincinnati aren’t close enough to drive so we should assume he decide to go to a favorable metro area.
Agree w/ the first part. I’d fire my agent. Unless it was Chafin’s idea to roll the dice and he lost.
Opting out has been the right decision regardless. Chafin can obviously earn more than $ 6.5m through incentives (which were not explained in the article so far) and he had a chance to explore free agency. It is also possible that he chose his former organization – the only long-time one he had – over better offers.
Gruß,
BSHH
Wow. I’m very surprised they got him for that little. Good deal for them. I was holding out hope that the Tigers would re-sign him. Motor City Bengals had a write up today suggesting the Tigers grab him, Edwin Rios and Jurickson Profar.
Why? The Tigers have a better chance at losing 100 than making the wild card. Andrew Chafin, although a good pitcher, does not help the Tigers nor do any other free agents this year. Maybe next year.
I mean.. you could say the same about the dbacks.
May look to flip him at the deadline.
While they may look to flip him at the deadline potentially, DBacks are far more likely to be .500+ than lose 100.
Fwiw, Vegas odds have them both at +12500 to win the ws. Dbacks and tigers.
Playoff odds are much more bullish on D’Backs at +450 vs + 1800 or so for the tigers.
Thought he’d go to a contender
This is one instance in which I’m comfortable saying Vegas is off-base; their estimates are based entirely on the premise that 3B will be a platoon between Rojas/Rivera with Longoria in a reasonably large DH role.
That’s significant because Longoria is on the record saying that he’s going to be the platoon partner of Rojas, meaning there’s no logical reason for Rivera to have the timeshare he’s projected for unless there’s an injury. As such, one of Smith/Thomas would be in the running for the 5th OF spot (both of whom’s playtime projections would be drastically different because of the error with Rivera’s).
They’re projected to be one of the better defenses in the NL without Thomas’s contributions (and more estimated playtime for Gurriel at negative value in LF), and their bullpen was actually tied for 12th in the FG Power Rankings (tied with HOU, LAD, and PHI) pre-Chafin signing, which pushes multiple SU projections into MR. The bullpen is lacking in high-end impact currently, but it’s really (like REALLY) deep in terms of quality arms, many of which are LHPs (3 to be exact, with a 4th that’s already showed well in a MLB SSS).
That line is also based on a projection of Bumgarner getting 140+ IP with poor results; he won’t be in the rotation that long if he performs that poorly, and there are multiple guys with higher quality stuff already (and significantly more upside) at AAA behind him. All of which have to be projected conservatively due to lack of data.
This isn’t even to mention that highly rated farm system that offers multiple desirable pieces if they do decide to pursue an upgrade at the deadline (but with no clear need to yet) or the rule changes that favor their particular brand of offense (in a ballpark that favors that same brand); Vegas is WAY low on the DBacks, and the DBacks/Tigers are not even in remotely comparable situations (no offense, there’s just a significant discrepancy in talent).
You’ve obviously got a better understanding of AZ. But just looking at the competition, I figure you’ll get at least one wc in the east, either sd/lad, then a competition for the last spot between stl/mil, sf, one of atl/phi/nym/mia (maybe?), and I guess az?
I don’t see it happening, but you’re right in that the gap between det is significant. Detroit is lost at sea.
Thats not me trying to flex knowledge, because I’ve spent a lot (and I mean A LOT) of time poring over data; there are much more effective uses of a life lol. That’s just me explaining why I think the over is a safe bet (that was only the tip of the iceberg lol), so you can decide whether you feel the same way.
I won’t pretend to know who will make the Postseason as a Wild Card, just stating that with the new changes (including more games against Central Division teams, where there are clear haves and have-nots) I am very comfortable in saying that they’ll be over .500.
Reports said he was looking for a 3 year deal so next year and the year after would have been in play with that type of deal. Are you not surprised he only got a one year deal after all the chatter? I sure am.
How does Matthew strahm get 2/15
Didn’t he decline his option with the Tigers for about the same money?
Yeah. It happens. Guys think because their option is a lock they can get more on the market, but it turns out the remainder of that contract *is* their market, so they have to settle for the same money and years (or year, as it were)
They call it “pulling a Conforto” idk why.
Not surprised by the AAV (I know it’s only for one year), but very surprised it was only for one year and no options and that it took this long for him to sign.
Really thought it’d be for 3 years/$20M or so and that he’d have come off the board much earlier.
Unfortunate a reliever of his caliber could not secure a multi-year deal. But hopeful this leads to the Cubs signing Moore on a team-friendly 1yr pact as Matt looks to solidify himself as a quality LHP.
Hopefully. I still think the Cubs need a vet lefty in the bullpen with Hughes.
Figured he was holding out for top dollar but didn’t see him returning to ARZ. Nice pickup for their bullpen.
I guess he thought getting out of Detroit was more important
I think there’s something to that.
Have you ever worked in an environment based on continual improvement and everyone gains…
then go on to work in an individualistic atmosphere? In one, every person is focused of the ultimate goal. The other is internal strife and personal gain for only a few.
Rosenthal’s a buffoon for attempting to suggest that Strahm getting $7.5 million per from a club that has given out $10 million AAV contracts for RP like candy the past two off-seasons somehow threw off the whole RP market. Strahm maybe got $2-$3 million in total contract value than expected.
Yeah, but Kenny is saying that the clubs themselves hardlined on the AAV because of what Strahm got. I still think clubs are starting to balk at these skyrocketing RP prices… even tho I think Chafin was worth every dime of $10M AAV.
Good job Angels on missing out on this arm. smh
As usual Arte is all bluster and no conviction.
“Unfinished business” but wouldn’t beat this deal for a piece that could’ve really helped.
He still thinks Ohtani can pitch everyday.
The angels and Rockies are my two favorite bad teams.
The Rockies because they consistently pretend that they’re not going to be somewhat bad (yet always are) and the angels because they’re somehow managing to squander two actual (albeit different) generational talents in trout and ohtani.
The have similar owners who have historically hired the wrong executives who then brought in the wrong players.
All while having unbridled belief in their future success despite all their past failures.
Hi
Your name ain’t funny buddy.
He sucked
How? Go look at his stats bud.
Our best reliever sucked? Give your head a shake
Me and you have a different definition of “sucked”. I’m assuming most Snakes right now are hoping he sucks all over Chase like he did last year. *rolls eyes*
We’re ecstatic in AZ! Mostly because that makes Melancon the #7 arm in the bullpen, but still… Ecstatic! Lol
🙂
Chafin (LHP), Mantiply (LHP), Castro (RHP), McGough (RHP), Ginkel (RHP), Nelson (LHP), Melancon (RHP), and Martin (RHP) for the projected bullpen (with little room for error from Melancon/Martin lest they not make Opening Day) looks mighty nice at this point.
Especially after the pre-Chafin group projected as 2% better than average by the initial FG Power Rankings.
highheat
Now Dbacks need to sign Matt Moore!?!
Call me crazy but I actually liked the bullpen enough to head into the season before the Chafin signing, we’re obviously clearly shifting past the “Waiver Claim Lottery” phase.
The only Waiver Claims remaining are:
-Nelson (if CLE is protecting guys like Vargas, no wonder he hit Waivers)
-Sulser (who is better served in AAA, but had better swing-and-miss than most of the bullpen last year)
-Zuber (who slipped off of the 40-man but stayed in the system)
-Castellanos (injured, but technically still around)
Those guys along with Martinez/Vargas (who both have already tasted AAA), Holton (another MLB-capable LHRP), and the NRIs (particularly Familia, Gustave, Stumpo, Brice, and Hendrix in my eyes) should be able to give Melancon/Martin a run for the last couple spots.
YES!!
Wow. Cheap. Relatively.
I figured after all this time, Chafin would get more than that.
We. All. Did. *stunned*
Ah well… I was hoping we’d acquire him.
Me too, as a Met fan
Same bro
Chafin is an odd duck..he probably heard the fish were biting in the old lake he lived by in his trailer out there..who knows why he signed for that low but the d backs have a good young club. Wish Jed would’ve signed him though. Hope he has a good year.
If the Cubs do well in the division, you never know. Might be in pinstripes in August. We’ll see.
With Chafin signing with Arizona, only Profar and Wacha remain from MLB Trade Rumors’ Top 50 Free Agent list.
If Wacha would accept he’s not going to get paid like a low-tier #2 starter, he’d already be signed. He’s not getting $15 mil. a year for one decent year with questionable sustainability after multiple years of being a #4/#5 starter. He should pursue a low-base/high-incentive deal. Something like $10 million base with $13 million in incentives.
And Profar?
Please tell me you mean 23 million max over 2 years and not 1.
Cheap! Why did Cy and 28 other GMs blow this opportunity? Fools
So much for the theory he wanted to be close to his farm. I don’t think he could of gotten further away if he tried.
This is surprising because I thought he was determined to stay close to his farm.
He wanted to be near his Parm, and that’s at Anzio’s.
DBacks have a chance to be sneaky good.
I hope he doesn’t regress to his previous form. That 3.68 ERA was artificially low. To pull a Chafin: come in with runners on base, fail to record an out, allow the onbase runners to score, and get pulled before the runners that count against you can score. He really wasn’t as good in AZ as everyone thought.
He needs a better agent
Way to go Cardinal’s. Morons.
Every contender dropped the ball on this one. There’s not a team out there that couldn’t use another lefty of his caliber at that price.
He has history in AZ. You’re assuming he’d have accepted the same deal elsewhere.
This. AZ may be a 2nd home “feels” for him. Wearing Sedona Red, Black & Gold may feel like home week again. He might’ve told other teams “I’m only interested for an extra mil or two, but for the DBax, I’ll give them a discount.” He might just prefer pitching in Chase to pitching in Citi Field or Yankee Stadium or Wrigley Field. We dunno.
We adore Chafin out here; I can’t think of a single person that was happy to see him traded.
I was happy to see him traded. He couldn’t get an out to save his life leading up to the trade.
The Mets, with two ancient, erratic setup men anchoring their pen and having no bullpen depth, are going to seriously regret not picking up Chafin or a comparable arm, particularly at this price. Wth are they thinking?
Exactly
Agreed w/ both. That’s why I don’t buy the “he’s not that valuable. Lefty RP aren’t as valued as they used to be”. Crazy talk. If Chafin could be split 30 ways, all 30 teams would’ve made an offer. A guy like that is always valuable to any team. He’s actually shown sign of getting better w/ age.
Chafin appeared to be picky on where he played; to the point of sacrificing a lot of $$. I can’t fault the Mets or Chafin.
Excited about this signing in AZ! Didn’t expect any more transactions before Pitchers/Catchers report on Wednesday.
Bullpen is the only part of this up and coming team that is/was suspect. There still is no established Closer, but overall it is a vastly improved bullpen over last year’s disaster.
Where were the Twins on this one? This would’ve been a great move at this price.
He took a pay cut to pitch farther away from his home… This makes no sense.
He spent the first 6+ seasons of his career as a Diamondback and still owns a home in Paradise Valley in the Phoenix area.
Man, that is an underpayment. To get him on a one year deal is crazy good for the Snakes. I’m surprised nobody was willing to go 2 years.
It’s “technically” a two year deal, but it’s a Club option.
Arizona might mess around and make the playoffs at this rate.
Good luck D-backs fans
@JaysFan1981
Hope you’ve been well and you’re excited for the Jays season! They’re evaluated pretty favorably and got a pretty nice extension to boot.
Very excited for the DBacks this season, hope you tune into a couple games (and read the rest of my comments in this thread for a betting suggestion lol)
At a ufc party, but I always like a good bet
I’ll be sure to check out the thread in depth later
Hope all is well in AZ
Jays, who you got? Volk or Islam?
It’s an earlier comment where I talk about Vegas’s estimates of the DBacks being significantly off due to flawed methodology in projections.
The general gist is that misprojecting the 3B platoon as Rojas/Rivera causes a further misprojection in regards to Smith/Thomas due to them missing a hefty chunk of PAs in lieu of Rivera, who has no place on the Active Roster due to the 3B platoon actually being Rojas/Longoria.
Added context is that none of the rate projections were altered from before the Varsho deal and Longoria signings. So there was no readjustment for the LHP PAs that Carroll/Smith/Thomas were less likely to see with the addition of Gurriel Jr. (nor was there readjustment for the increased availability of RHP PAs after dealing Varsho).
They’re more well equipped to leverage the platoon advantage in lineups (so many of those names technically have room for higher production through PA optimization; which is kind of wild to say about Carroll). Plus, since Longoria is operating as the short half of a platoon (not a reasonable volume DH), there is some likelihood that he’ll over perform his projections through PA optimization as well.
I’ll leave some other points for you to read up there, but I’ve just been doing some pretty in-depth research regarding the DBacks farm system (up to and including mechanical tweaks analysis) and really like my findings. Keep an eye out for Blaze Alexander, I think he has a shot to be an everyday guy (anywhere really, because his arm is that good).
Really surprising that he got that little money. For that price he would have made a nice addition to the Angels pen.
Is there a better dark horse candidate for the NL playoff race than the D-Backs? Awesome to see these guys adding to their talented young crop, and I really hope Nick Ahmed has a great year offensively (pretty much a lock to be one of the best defenders).
It’s shaping up to be another really competitive year among these playoff contenders. The added bonus of each team playing all others is going to be really interesting to watch too.
Pads & the Astros seem like the teams to beat going into the season, imho. Not taking *anything* away from Philly because they were awesome in the second half, and obviously the playoffs, but the Padres nearly won the West, are super stacked, and beat the Dodgers head-to-head.
I like the D-Backs, both the team in general and their future prospects. Had some fun talking with their fanbase on the eve of the Phillies eliminating the Brewers. The Brewers snatched victory from the jaws of defeat that day, but the Phillies eventually finished off their win over Houston not long thereafter. I insisted they had good things coming and that I would enjoy seeing them in the playoffs down the line. Their biggest obstacle is the ir division – they’re probably looking at 3rd in the West even with a good season, and that may not be enough for a playoff spot if 3 teams come out of the East again (my current prediction).
Agreed that the division is a big obstacle, but the team as currently constructed (even without the answered questions of #4/#5 OF, BU IF, #5 SP, #7/#8 RP, and technically CP still) looks particularly well equipped to take advantage of their ballpark (having a spacious OF to snag extra bases, thats not exactly favorable for HRs).
The #4 OF is most likely Lewis if he’s healthy enough to be productive, and the #5 OF is a competition between Smith (strong plate discipline, but BABIP reliant profile) and Thomas (speed/defense profile with contact, but needs to make better swing decisions). Neither is a bad option for a 5th OF.
Perdomo is the frontrunner for the BU IF, and he settled in defensively at SS while showing a decent glove at 3B (so he’s a viable late game defensive replacement for Rojas/Longoria, and more than likely Marte). He’s not Ahmed, but a lot of SSs aren’t Ahmed. Remember the name Blaze Alexander also in that competition. 80 grade name, 80 grade arm, good batting eye, and swing tweaks that have helped him more reliable access power in game. Castillo was a decent depth add that likely also factors into the RHH OF mix in case of Lewia injury.
We already know Bumgarner is the #5 SP by results, but in the actual grand scheme the battle between: Jameson, Nelson, Henry, and Pfaadt figures to be an interesting one. There’s no guarantee that Bumgarner even makes it to season’s end in the rotation.
Melancon and Martin at the bottom of the bullpen are on their last chances, and there are multiple names that are significantly more intriguing than both at this point; there’s no guaranteed that both make it out of Spring Training without a better option assuming their role (and a ton of these guys that aren’t DFA candidates have options, so there’s flexibility to move them throughout the season).
There is no true CP in the sense that it’s still a battle between: Chafin, Mantiply, Castro, McGough, and Ginkel, so there’s a good likelihood they’ll be a decent back-end regardless of who occupies what role in what capacity. Plus adding Nelson into the group (as I haven’t mentioned him here) leaves the DBacks with 3 LHP that are non-LOOGYs; I’d consider that a luxury.
They’re definitely equipped to fight hard on any given night (that Bumgarner isn’t starting), though.
*Lewis injury, goodness me
I don’t see the D-Backs beating out the Dodgers or Padres in the next 5 years.
Not saying it’s the most probable outcome, but it’s certainly not outside the realm of possibility. All of those clubs are going to see the other teams in Postseson contention more and all of those clubs are going to see bottom feeders more; however, there’s a difference between the Padres/Dodgers playing less games against the DBacks/Rockies and the DBacks playing less games against the Padres/Dodgers.
The club as currently constructed is trying to optimize outcomes in accordance with Chase Field’s park factors from almost every position on the roster (which is not exactly easy to play defensively); there’s only a couple standout talents atop the Active roster, but the expected production dropoff from one option to the next isn’t huge in most instances.
It’s a reasonably high floor group with a surprisingly high ceiling (due primarily to the younger options). They’ll surprise a lot of people.
Not many decent players like Chafin gamble on themselves and lose In the wacky financial world of the MLB.
As for alleged opt out reason #2, he’s almost as far away geographically from his secondary goal that he could possibly get. He won’t be seeing much Ohio time in 2023.
Who knows. Maybe playing baseball anywhere but Detroit was always behind this. After all, YOLO. Why repeat a year of misery?.
I’m a Mariners fan. We could’ve used a lefty bullpen guy. I hope that we were in on the negotiations and just lost out cuz Chafin chose the Dbacks. But we could have offered more, we have the financial ability to have done so. Oh well, what’s done is done…..
Meister Sports Management, Chafin’s agency, weren’t such meisters in this case, leaving $250,000 on the table.
Too bad Cashman couldn’t unload any of his overpaid underperformers. The Yankees could use a southpaw reliever, but signing Chafin, even at this comparative bargain price, would’ve put them into the next tier of the luxury tax with the guy across the river.
fantasy.espn.com/baseball/league/join?leagueId=106…
Maybe he took less money to go to AZ thinking it was his best chance to be a closer.
This chaps my ass as a Mariners fan. Wouldve been a nice fit for 1 year 7m or 2/13
I’m sorry Arizona fans, but he’s probably going to be flipped at the deadline. Also, Hoyer sucks, this should have been a no brainer for the Cubs, or any contending team.
You still bitter about getting stood up at prom?
Is there a no-trade clause? If not, he probably gets traded again at the deadline.
So Diamondbacks doing this fake contender kind of thing probably end up trading him at the deadline but who knows! Join for activity fantasy.espn.com/baseball/league/join?leagueId=205…
I functionally have been handing out fantasy advice in regards to DBacks projected playtime breakdowns up and down the thread to anyone willing to read; I would have significantly less scruples in a league with folks lol, so hard pass from me.
DBacks aren’t trying to be contenders this season, they’re trying to be competitive night in and night out. Everybody on the Active roster with exception toward Bumgarner, Melancon, and Martin (who have little time left and multiple higher upside arms behind them) figures to give them good chances to do exactly that. I’m going to enjoy watching them regardless.
Sure, fun team
First priority for any MLB ownership is to build a competitive team that interests fans through the six-month-long regular season. Arizona looks to be a good and interesting team.
It’s a good thing he left to make all that money……$$$$$$
Most of us would pay significant money to get out of living in Detroit. Sorry bud.
Well he did, hope he’s happy.
The Sherriff is back in Town. DBACKS are putting the Puzzle back together. Give them a couple of years. TOUGH DIVISION. Playing for 3rd
For those who said why go Back to AZ. I hope your watching WM PHOENIX OPEN and Phoenix Coverage of SUPER BOWL. Also CATCUS LEAGUE in Phoenix Driving Time between farthest Stadiums are about a hour. DBACKS SHOULD be able to get get better FA’s.
But, but, why would they go there to finish 3rd or 4th?
Agreed, and they’re already stacked with high upside talent, plus they’ll have a lesser burden of sunk costs after this season (some potentially as early as Spring Training); which would clear more play time for SIGNIFICANTLY higher quality players by raw tools/stuff (many of which have decent plate discipline and defensive skills).
And there’s a STABLE of guys ready in the near-term, as no one on the 40-man is projected to open below AAA. Plus the only non-FA/extension players on the Active Roster that don’t currently have remaining options are: Walker and Martin. So there’s a ton of roster flexibility present to address the rigors of a 162 game season, with fairly strong quality depth to utilize in those scenarios.
To all you parents. Teach your kid to throw left handed. They’ll always have a shot at making big $$$,
The Red Sox should have signed him instead of relying on brasier or Ort