Diamondbacks Sign LHP Dallas Keuchel
Roughly a week ago, baseball fans were asking what was the future of left-handed starting pitcher Dallas Keuchel, who was released by the Chicago White Sox in the final year of a three-year deal.
Those people got their answers on Monday afternoon as the Arizona Diamondbacks signed Keuchel to a minor-league deal, a low-risk, high-reward move for them.
Arizona will only be paying Keuchel prorated league minimum deal if he gets to the big league club while Chicago will have to pay the final $18 million of his contract, plus an additional $1.5 million for his 2023 buyout option.
It was quite the rough start to the 2022 season for Keuchel, who through his last start on May 26 against the Boston Red Sox, had a 7.88 season ERA.
While he struggled mightily in his final two starts in Chicago, his two previous starts to that are a positive sign to hopefully build off of for the Diamondbacks.
In his starts on May 8 & 14, he combined to give up two earned runs in 11 innings of work, giving up 12 hits and striking out eight. The 12 hits isn't necessarily the best number, averaging out to over one per inning in that time.
However, Keuchel is only 34 and should still have plenty in the tank considering that in the Covid-shortened 2020 season, he was a Cy Young candidate, going 6-2 with a 1.99 ERA in his first year for the White Sox.
As MLB Trade Rumors reported, Keuchel will head to the minors and once he gets up to the big league club, he'll be reunited with his former pitching coach from his time with the Houston Astros, Brent Strom.
That bodes well for the 2015 AL Cy Young Award winner as he hopes to bounce back with now his fourth MLB team later this season.
