NL East Notes: Mets, deGrom, Mejia, De Aza, Nola, Capps
Longtime Mets media relations executive Shannon Forde passed away this evening after an extended battle with breast cancer. She was only 44 years of age, and leaves behind a husband and two young children. Her loss has sparked a remarkable outpouring of grief, and it is evident that she had a huge impact on many people who worked for or around the team. We recommend this piece from Joel Sherman of the New York Post as we join so many others in expressing our sympathies to her family and friends.
Here are some notes from New York and the NL East:
- Mets GM Sandy Alderson said today that there are no current extension talks with the team’s slate of young starters, as MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo reports. Emphasizing that he doesn’t see much “urgency” given the length of control over most of the club’s key pitchers, Alderson said that it’s also rather early in camp for such discussions to be held. “There hasn’t been any discussion with any of our starting pitchers,” he said, “not because we’re unwilling or because there isn’t any interest on the part of the players necessarily — just we are where we are in the spring-training schedule. It’s a little early. Agents don’t typically come in until later. I don’t think you can draw anything from that.”
- Meanwhile, the Mets renewed the contract of surprise ace Jacob deGrom at a rate of $607K, which is well above the minimum salary but also hardly reflects his outstanding contributions over the last two seasons. While deGrom declined to agree to that deal — a symbolic formality — it doesn’t appear that there’s any cause for hard feelings going forward, as DiComo further reports. “We haven’t talked about anything yet, and I don’t think this will affect that in any way,” said deGrom. “I think we’re still open to discussions for long-term things, but nothing’s in the works now.” For what it’s worth, as I’ve suggested before, I see deGrom as the likeliest of the New York hurlers to sign on to a long-term contract given his high rate of play, relatively advanced age, and approaching arbitration eligibility.
- Another Mets pitcher, banned reliever Jenrry Mejia, claims that he was only guilty of one of his three PED-related suspensions, as he tells Ben Berkon of the New York Times. He also accused the league of participating in some kind of “conspiracy” against him and suggested that the union had failed to adequately defend him. An MLB spokesman denied that any league official had ever even met with Mejia relating to his trio of failed drug tests. As Berkon notes, his comments don’t seem likely to help him if he chooses to seek reinstatement, though he has some time to think about how to approach that matter.
- The Mets haven’t received any interest in outfielder Alejandro De Aza and aren’t shopping him, Mike Puma of the New York Post recently tweeted. Though the veteran outfielder’s utility was greatly lessened when the club made a late strike for Yoenis Cespedes, it seems that it will take a change in circumstances for him to be moved to another organization.
- Aaron Nola impressed in his first 77 2/3 innings last year for the Phillies, and he tells MLBTR’s Zach Links (via Twitter) that he’s not interested in easing his way into things this year. “I want to go 200+ innings. I want to throw as many innings as I can,” Nola said recently. Actually, that seems like rather an attainable goal, as he ran up 109 1/3 innings in the minors last year.
- The Marlins are waiting to see what Dr. James Andrews recommends on Monday with regard to key reliever Carter Capps, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports. Miami won’t seek to strike a deal for another pen arm before that time, per the report, but it seems that an addition may well be contemplated if an extended absence results. At this point, even in the best of circumstances it seems likely that Capps will be required to spend some time resting and rehabbing.
Carter Capps To Visit Dr. James Andrews
THURSDAY: Capps is headed to see famed surgeon Dr. James Andrews on Monday, he told reporters including Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald (Twitter link). While that link hardly means that Tommy John surgery is inevitable, it does suggest that there’s significant concern with his elbow, and even a non-surgical option would likely involve a reasonably lengthy rest and rehab period. The club is still “weighing options,” MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro adds on Twitter.
Capps tells Spencer that he is “in the wait-and-see stage still” with regard to his elbow. Though he’s obviously hoping to avoid surgery, he added that “peace of mind would be nice” given the uncertainty he’s currently experiencing. He indicated that his MRI showed “some stuff there,” though it’s unclear when the issues cropped up. Andrews examined Capps back in 2014, advising against a procedure at the time, and the hope is that his experience (with Capps and many others) will help reach a conclusive decision.
“On the mound, stuff comes out really good,” Capps said. “It’s just really painful right at the end (of the delivery) right now. It just kind of crept up, like tightness, and then it started progressing something more. I never felt it pop or anything.”
TUESDAY: Marlins righty Carter Capps, who is expected to play a key role at the back of the bullpen, is headed for an MRI after experiencing elbow soreness, Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reports. Per the report, Miami has begun making making trade inquiries for relief help.
While it isn’t yet clear whether Capps has received a diagnosis, let alone what it might be, it appears as if the club could be preparing for the worst. Whatever the results, Capps will seek a second medical opinion, per the report.
The 25-year-old already missed significant time down the stretch in 2015 due to a sprained right elbow. Based in part on that history, as well as his propensity for throwing hard, Capps rated as the 10th most likely pitcher in all of baseball to require Tommy John surgery in the recently-compiled research of MLBTR contributor Bradley Woodrum.
That was an unfortunate way for Capps to end what was otherwise a breakout campaign. Over his 31 frames on the year, he compiled a sparkling 1.16 ERA. He backed that up with exceptional peripherals, including 16.8 K/9 against just 2.0 BB/9, that suggested he was at least as good as his results. (Indeed, his league-leading 0.87 SIERA indicated he might well have been even better.)
Spencer notes that Capps had been expected to challenge A.J. Ramos for the Marlins’ closer role, based in part on a desire to give him a more limited and predictable workload. Losing him for any significant stretch would represent a significant loss for a club that has hopes of turning things around after a disappointing season last year. There are other right-handed power arms on hand in the persons of Bryan Morris and Kyle Barraclough, but neither showed anything close to Capps’ overall form in 2015 and moving them up the pecking order would open more questions in the middle relief corps.
NL East Notes: Klentak, Marlins, Maddux, Moore, Drew
Here’s the latest from around the NL East…
- Phillies GM Matt Klentak has already been through rebuilding (while with the Orioles) and spending on big free agents (while with the Angels) in previous front office jobs, and he tells Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer that he hopes both experiences will help him in the initial and latter stages of the Phils’ rebuild. Perhaps Klentak’s best example of a successful rebuild, however, is how his own team rebuilt in the early 2000’s to form the core of the squad that won five NL East titles and the 2008 World Series.
- Edwin Jackson is battling some younger arms to win a spot in the Marlins rotation, and the veteran righty tells Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald that he has unfinished business as a starting pitcher. “I still look at myself as a starter. There’s still something I want to prove to myself, not to anyone else,” Jackson said. Pitching exclusively as a reliever in 2015, Jackson posted a 3.07 ERA, 1.9 K/BB rate and 6.5 K/9 over 55 2/3 innings, though advanced metrics indicate he was perhaps a bit fortunate to manage such a low ERA. Still, it was a big improvement over Jackson’s rough previous two seasons in the Cubs rotation and now he’s hoping to rebound in Miami.
- In another item from Jackson, Marlins president of baseball operations Michael Hill expects big things from his lineup, saying he’d “put our position player talent against anybody in the National League.” Miami scored the second-fewest runs in baseball last season, yet Hill expects a big improvement thanks to Barry Bonds‘ contributions as hitting coach, more development from young players and better health (most notably in the case of Giancarlo Stanton).
- Pitching coach Mike Maddux may prove to be the Nationals‘ best offseason acquisition, the Washington Post’s Thomas Boswell writes. Hiring the very well-regarded Maddux represents a new step for the franchise, as Boswell notes the Nationals have rarely invested much money in managers or coaching staffs.
- Tyler Moore took some grounders at third base seemingly just as a routine drill, though as MASNsports.com’s Mark Zuckerman writes, versatility at a new position could help save Moore’s job. Moore is out of options and faces a roster crunch to make the Nationals‘ Opening Day roster. Learning the hot corner is easier said than done, of course, especially since Moore has never played anywhere besides first, left or right in his eight-year professional career.
- Stephen Drew knows how being a qualifying offer free agent can impact one’s market, so the new Nationals infielder tells MLB.com’s Bill Ladson that he sympathizes with what Ian Desmond is going through as the former Nat continues to look for a new team. After rejecting the QO in the 2013-14 offseason, Drew didn’t find a contract until May, re-signing with the Red Sox (notably, the only team that weren’t required to give up a draft pick to sign him). As you might expect, Drew is all for changes to the qualifying offer rule in the upcoming collective bargaining talks. “The union has to do a good job going over that rule and check out what we can come up with. As players, we probably want to get rid of it. We need to really take a look at the way the logistics are,” Drew said.
NL East Notes: Lazarito, Phillies, Lincecum, Wright, Colon
The Phillies are not pursuing Lazaro Armenteros (aka Lazarito), writes Todd Zolecki of MLB.com. The club will begin the next international spending period with a little over $5.61MM of pool money – the largest bonus pool in the league. They can trade for an additional $2.8MM. Lazarito figures to sign for well over either maximum. Since the team is rebuilding and may have another large pool in the 2017-2018 period, Zolecki doesn’t believe the club is willing to incur spending prohibitions. However, the signing of Jhailyn Ortiz for $4MM last summer indicates the club will use it’s financial might on other highly talented names.
Here’s more from the NL East:
- Phillies GM Matt Klentak is excited to see his prospects in live action, writes Jim Salisbury for Baseball America. Notable players who could reach the majors this season include J.P. Crawford, Nick Williams, Andrew Knapp, Jorge Alfaro, Jake Thompson, Mark Appel, and Zach Eflin. The Phillies have acquired enough major and minor league depth that these players can develop at their own pace. In other words, there’s no guarantee we’ll actually see any of them this year, or they could all reach the big show.
- The Marlins are continuing to monitor the free agent and trade markets for pitchers, writes Joe Frisaro of MLB.com. The club is happy with their current staff, but there is room to add more depth. Frisaro mentions Tim Lincecum by name, but the former Cy Young winner has yet to schedule a day to throw in front of scouts. Such an outing has been rumored to be in the works since January.
- Mets third baseman David Wright elaborated on the plan for managing his spinal stenosis, writes Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. Previously, GM Sandy Alderson suggested Wright would play about 130 games. Now, Wright is saying “you can’t have a plan” for managing the injury. He’ll ease into Spring Training and see how his body responds. The important thing is that player, manager, and GM are all on the same page – even if that’s frustrating for fans. One unmentioned aspect of Wright’s injury – the club may want to consider another backup third baseman beyond Wilmer Flores and Ruben Tejada.
- The $7.25MM contract Bartolo Colon signed with the Mets wasn’t the best offer he received, writes DiComo. Per Colon, “there were higher-money offers, but that’s not something that even interested me because this is my family here.” Colon is the elder statesman of a young, exciting pitching staff. It appears he signed for the always-rare “hometown discount.”
- The Nationals are not negotiating an extension with Bryce Harper, GM Mike Rizzo tells reporters including Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post. The club has engaged in some basic conversations with agent Scott Boras to start the ball rolling. Harper is under contract for another three seasons. A highly marketable player, the Nationals and Harper have every reason to take their time proceeding.
NL Notes: McCutchen, Rockies, Morrow, D-Backs, Mattingly
Pirates superstar Andrew McCutchen voiced his desire to spend his entire career in Pittsburgh yesterday, and on Tuesday general manager Neal Huntington told ESPN’s Jayson Stark that the Bucs would explore an extension for McCutchen at the “appropriate time,” though he declined to delve into specifics. Huntington explained that the Pirates would love to retain McCutchen for “an awfully long time,” though he noted that the remaining three years on McCutchen’s deal is a lengthy period of time in its own right. “At the same time, we do want to honor his interest,” the GM told Stark. “And at the appropriate time, in the appropriate way, we will look to see if there is a common financial ground that allows us to build a championship team around a given player. … Any team can basically afford any player. It’s just how do you afford championship-caliber players around that one player.”
Some more notes from around the Senior Circuit…
- Rockies GM Jeff Bridich declined to put a timeline on the Rockies’ path back to contention when meeting with reporters today, writes Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post. “Why limit ourselves?” Bridich asked rhetorically. “So if I were to come out and say something that’s pleasing to the ear of you, or a fan here or a fan there, and I say, ‘We’re not going to win for X.’ So what? What’s the point of doing that? It’s about people. It’s about process. … Why say something where it’s got to happen X number of months and years in the future, where really a lot of good things can happen this year?” The Rockies have certainly acted as if they believe they can win in 2016 this winter, and Bridich’s comments seem to imply they indeed hold that belief, even if it’s not necessarily an expectation.
- Brandon Morrow tells Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune that he probably could’ve secured a big league deal elsewhere this winter, as he had “soft offers” of Major League deals from other clubs, but he wanted to remain with the Padres and “wasn’t afraid” to take a minor league deal with an invite to camp. Morrow didn’t specify exactly what he meant with that explanation — verbal willingness by other teams to explore big league deals, perhaps — but he went on to explain to Lin that he thinks highly of San Diego’s training staff, team doctors and strength coaches. He also voiced an oft-overlooked aspect of remaining in one place (or in securing a multi-year deal): “I didn’t want to bounce around, I guess. It’s just the continuity; the doctors knew me since I was injured, obviously. … Going to a new spot, they’d only know what you tell them instead of having firsthand knowledge.” It’s easy to suggest that players should be comfortable on one-year deals, though Morrow’s comments serve as a reminder that there are benefits to the stability of remaining in one place.
- Diamondbacks CEO Derrick Hall held court with the media on Tuesday and explained that the deferred money included in Zack Greinke‘s stunning six-year contract isn’t the start of any sort of trend, writes Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. “It’s not something that we’re going to start doing now,” said Hall of deferring money,” “but in this case we felt we needed to really bite the bullet on this one, with that window we talk about and our big glaring hole.” As Piecoro notes and as Hall implies in his later comments, the D-backs have previously run into problems by offering too many deferred payments and don’t want to start down that road once again.
- The hiring of manager Don Mattingly already has Marlins players buzzing about the upcoming season, writes Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald. Mattingly held a closed-doors meeting with the team before the first full workout of Spring Training, and the new skipper wasted little time in getting his players on his side. “I went out to practice [Tuesday] like I wanted to eat the world,” Jose Fernandez told Spencer. Fellow right-hander Tom Koehler said that Mattingly’s address gave him “chills.” Mattingly spoke to Spencer after the speech and discussed the upcoming season, noting that he believes payroll to be a largely overblown component of successful teams, highlighting the Royals’ back-to-back World Series appearances.
Minor MLB Transactions: 2/21/16
Here are the latest minor moves from around baseball, with the newest transactions at the top of the post…
- The Marlins released left-hander Troy Patton, the team announced. Patton was a non-roster invite to Miami’s spring camp after signing a minor league deal with the club in December. Patton’s 2015 season was limited to 30 1/3 innings for the Royals’ Triple-A affiliate, as he missed much of the year serving an 80-game suspension for testing positive for amphetamines. The southpaw has a 3.25 ERA, 7.2 K/9 and 3.14 K/BB rate over 169 career innings with the Astros, Orioles and Padres, though only 14 of those frames have come in the last two seasons.
- The Angels have hired Brendan Harris and Ben Francisco as pro scouts, Pedro Moura of the Los Angeles Times reports (via Twitter). The hirings would suggest that Harris and Francisco are retiring after lengthy professional careers that saw both men play for six different franchises and play their last big league games in 2013. Harris spent eight seasons in the majors, with 390 of his 529 career games coming as a regular with the Rays and Twins from 2007-09. The versatile Harris saw lots of time at shortstop, third base and second base over his career and he hit .256/.314/.381 over 1876 plate appearances with six different franchises. Francisco saw regular action in the outfield with Cleveland and Philadelphia from 2007-2011 before bouncing around to four other clubs in his final two seasons. Francisco hit .253/.323/.418 with 50 homers over 1771 Major League PA, though he may be best remembered in Philadelphia for his three-run homer that helped the Phillies win Game 3 of the 2011 NLDS against the Cardinals. MLBTR congratulates Harris and Francisco on their fine careers and wishes them the best as they move into the scouting world.
Dodgers Sign Yaisel Sierra
FEBRUARY 21: The Dodgers announced the completion of the deal. Sierra will earn a $6MM signing bonus and then salaries of $1MM, $2.5MM, $3.5MM, $4MM, $5.5MM, and $7.5MM, per another Heyman tweet. He will have the ability to opt into salary arbitration if he becomes eligible.
FEBRUARY 20: Sierra and the Dodgers are expected to complete their deal soon, Jon Heyman tweets. It will be in the $30MM-$31MM range.
JANUARY 12: The Dodgers have reportedly agreed on a six-year deal with Cuban righty Yaisel Sierra. Jon Heyman tweeted that a deal was in place after Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports reported this morning that agreement was close (Twitter link).
Per Passan, Sierra is expected to receive a guarantee of around $30MM. The Dodgers “pulled ahead” with an offer of between $30MM and $35MM over six years, MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez reports (Twitter links). The other teams that have at least made a “strong push” for Sierra are the Marlins and Cubs, he adds. (Miami’s pursuit was recently reported.)
Needless to say, Los Angeles has been remarkably active on the international market, and the addition of Sierra only continues that trend. The club already added Japanese hurler Kenta Maeda in the new year, signed and traded Hector Olivera last spring, landed a number of high-priced July 2 prospects (led by Cuban hurler Yadier Alvarez) over the summer, and then continued to pay 100% overages on large bonuses to Cuban prospects Yusniel Diaz and Omar Estevez.
Sierra, like Maeda and Olivera, is more or less MLB ready, though he’s probably more likely to see big league action out of a pen in the near term. The Dodgers’ rotation is already arguably somewhat overloaded, though, so Sierra could factor as a 2016 relief piece while looking to tap into his starting upside down the line.
The 24-year-old seems to come with a fairly intriguing ceiling. While he didn’t post good results in his most recent action in Cuba’s Serie Nacional, he is said to have a mid-90s fastball with a good slider. The ready comp is Reds’ righty Raisel Iglesias, with Ben Badler of Baseball America explaining (subscription required) that Sierra has more physical tools but less polished command than did Iglesias when he signed.
Sierra boosted his stock with a showcase in late October that drew a throng of scouts. And recent scouting reports have suggested that the righty has shown improvement in cleaning up both his delivery and command. As Badler noted today on Twitter, Sierra looks like a potential mid-rotation starter at his best.
It’s easy to see the rationale here from the Dodgers’ perspective. Even as the team increasingly eschews large commitments to veterans, it is putting its admirable financial position to work by doling out huge bonuses on the international market. While Sierra won’t require the team to pay a 100% tax, as he wasn’t subject to international signing limitations, the investment still represents a significant up-front cost that probably won’t yield a commensurate return on the field in the immediate future (if it ever does).
Of course, that’s precisely the gamble that all teams take when they dedicate resources to amateur talent. But Los Angeles is uniquely well-situated right now to utilize cash to accumulate young, controllable assets. With the strict limitations applicable to the draft, and the organization’s coming two-year ban on international signings of over $300K, it wouldn’t be at all surprising if we see yet more outlays over the next several months.
Pirates Notes: Joyce, Benedict, Cole
It appears outfielder Matt Joyce, who recently signed to a minor-league deal, might have a good shot at making the Pirates out of camp. Joyce’s locker is in the same room as players already on the 40-man roster, despite the fact that he himself is a non-roster invitee, Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review tweets. Joyce himself, meanwhile, says that Pirates manager Clint Hurdle says the Bucs “see me as kind of like the fourth outfielder,” as MLB.com’s Adam Berry notes (via Twitter). Joyce does note that he’ll have to prove himself in camp. The Bucs’ three starting outfield spots are set with Starling Marte, Andrew McCutchen and Gregory Polanco, but there isn’t much depth behind them, with Jason Rogers, Jake Goebbert and Sean Rodriguez previously looking like they had the clearest shots at any spare playing time in the outfield. Rogers and Goebbert can both be optioned, however, and Rodriguez can play other positions. Here’s more on the Bucs.
- Former Pirates pitching guru Jim Benedict could be the Marlins’ most important offseason acquisition, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports writes. The Pirates had already lost another executive, Marc DelPiano, to the Marlins when the Fish came calling for Benedict, so the two teams worked out a related deal in which Miami sent pitching prospect Trevor Williams to Pittsburgh as compensation. “The challenge becomes when that same organization continues to come back for people,” says Bucs GM Neal Huntington. “It becomes harder to lose somebody that has insight on your organization and who the talented people are in your organization. We do need to protect ourselves from being raided by a single organization or exploited by a single organization.” Huntington adds that while the organization will miss Benedict, the team retains “parts of what allowed him to be successful” — including, presumably, well-regarded big-league pitching coach Ray Searage.
- Bucs starter Gerrit Cole is behind schedule in Spring Training due to a right rib inflammation, Biertempfel writes. The injury took place in mid-January. Obviously, the absence of their ace from an already dubious rotation would be a significant blow to the Pirates. The condition does not appear serious, however, as Cole is already throwing from flat ground and is expected to soon begin throwing from a mound. “It’s just a modified throwing program at this point,” he says. “I’m not too far behind everybody else, but I feel good.”
East Notes: Gallardo, Mets, Harrison, Fernandez
Talks between the Orioles and Yovani Gallardo are still ongoing and still positive, Eduardo Encina of the Baltimore Sun reports. Though it’s been quite some time since we first heard a deal was nearing completion, there’s continued optimism that an agreement can be pushed across the finish line in the days to come.
Here’s more from the game’s eastern divisions:
- Despite losing Jenrry Mejia to a lifetime PED ban, the Mets don’t expect to add a reliever on a major league deal, GM Sandy Alderson told reporters, including ESPNNewYork.com’s Adam Rubin (via Twitter). If anything, Alderson suggested, a late-spring trade for a pen arm could be pursued if there was a need.
- The Phillies don’t expect lefty Matt Harrison to appear at camp this spring after a recent trip to a back specialist, GM Matt Klentak told reporters, including MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki (via Twitter). Indeed, it would seemingly come as a surprise if he returns to pitch all season as he continues to deal with serious back issues. Harrison went to Philadelphia as part of the financial balancing in last summer’s Cole Hamels trade, and his new club would stand to recoup some insurance proceeds for whatever period he is unable to work. Though he had rather remarkably returned to the hill for Texas, Harrison hasn’t suited up since.
- Jose Fernandez of the Marlins is the next NL East ace whose post-Tommy John innings will be watched, and Jon Morosi of FOX Sports reports that there’s yet to be any kind of determination on the number he’ll be allowed to throw. Meanwhile, new skipper Don Mattingly indicated that a 180-inning limit has at least been batted around, as Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports on Twitter. The issue could have bearing not only on Miami’s prospects for the coming season, but also Fernandez’s own career trajectory and relationship with the club.
Latest On Marlins, Jose Fernandez
The Marlins are “under the impression” that Jose Fernandez‘s representation will be seeking $30MM per year when the pitcher hits the open market, according to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. The Marlins have no intention of meeting that number and, therefore, they have made peace with the fact that they will not retain him past 2018. Of course, the Marlins could also trade the young hurler before the 2018/19 offseason and get something in return rather than lose him for nothing.
Monetary problems aside, there are also some issues between Fernandez and team management. For starters, a friend of Fernandez tells Jackson that the pitcher was bothered by the team’s trades last summer. The Marlins made a number of deals in July, including trades that shipped out notables like Sam Dyson, Dan Haren, Mat Latos, Michael Morse, and Steve Cishek.
Fernandez was also bothered by the removal of pitching coach Chuck Hernandez, who has since been replaced by Juan Nieves, according to the friend. On the whole, the source close to Fernandez contends that ex-Marlins player Jeff Baker soured Fernandez – and other players – on the Marlins’ front office.
A Fernandez trade could bring back a significant haul of prospects for the Marlins, but the Wei-Yin Chen signing this winter would indicate that the Marlins are hoping to contend in the immediate future. Chen’s five-year, $80MM deal includes an opt-out after two seasons, giving the Marlins a strong rotation arm to pair with Fernandez for the next two years at least. Then again, a Fernandez trade could bring back a mix of prospects and MLB-ready talent, so the Marlins wouldn’t necessarily be signing up for a rebuild if they moved him.
Fernandez won NL Rookie of the Year in 2013 when he pitched to a 2.19 ERA with 9.7 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 across 28 starts. Since then, Fernandez has made a combined 19 big league starts, pitching to a 2.71 ERA with 11.5 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9 between 2014 and 2015.