Minnesota Twins designate Jason Marquis for assignment

This past offseason, the Minnesota Twins signed Jason Marquis to a cheap one-year deal worth $3 million to solidify the back of the rotation. Through 34 innings this season, Marquis has done anything but that. Without Scott Baker, the Twins starting rotation has been a train wreck, which is pretty much what everyone thinks of this team. Marquis has been one of the main cogs in this wreck, with a terrible 8.47 ERA to his credit.

Marquis’s most recent outing exemplifies this, as the veteran starter allowed eight runs on eight hits in 1.2 innings against the Milwaukee Brewers. He was worth 1.4 WAR last season with his career high being a 4 WAR monster year for the Colorado Rockies in 2009, in which he was named to the All-Star team. Marquis has never been league-average, although he was close in 2004 and 2008 while pitching in the NL Central.

Despite his poor start to the season, Jason Marquis is a decent, veteran back-of-the-rotation starter who can be worth 1 WAR for a team. He will likely be signed by a different team, so the Twins are saying so long to $3 million in what was a waste of money, even if the deal passed the sniff test at one point.

In response, the Twins have called up Cole DeVries from Triple-A, and he will replace Marquis in Minnesota’s makeshift bullpen. The young right-hander has a 3.80 FIP in 46.2 innings this year, and he finished with a 3.55 FIP in 62.1 innings last year.

Jason Marquis Projection (based on ZiPS projections, 2011 season, and career totals): 105 IP, 4.8 K/9, 3.4 BB/9, .311 BABIP, 52.8 GB%, 4.85 ERA

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