Southpaw options:
With the need for a left-handed starter, many fans will point to Cole Irvin‘s numbers with Lehigh Valley. However, the Phillies won’t prematurely burn a 40-man spot when the hurler doesn’t require protection until after the 2019 campaign. Why wait? Most players don’t make an impact until or after their third year..
As for Ranger Suarez, he is on the 40-man roster and received three 2018 starts. Auditions! Klentak had to protect him last winter from the Rule-5 Draft. Besides, the red pinstripes have three developing arms ahead of their Triple-A challengers.
Keuchel, 30, received a national publication estimate of $18 million each for four summers. For the record, he has had three sub-3.00 ERA seasons out of five since his first two 162s and produced a 3.74 ERA in ’18. And he relies on an 89-90 mph sinker with a slider, cutter, changeup and four-seam fastball.
Targeted by the Yankees, Corbin had a solid 2018 going 11-7 with a 3.15 ERA and even better ERA estimators. He depends on both a sinker and a four-seam fastball at 92.1 mph with a slider, cutter, changeup and curveball. As for his estimated price tag, it’s $16 million for each of five campaigns.
Corbin had his best 162 after pedestrian results in 2016 and 2017. So, was he having a career year in his fifth season, or is he something else? A late bloomer?
Having the same six pitches as Corbin, Ryu, 31, finesses the opposition and had solid results for 15 outings: 7-3 with a 1.97 ERA for 82 1/3 frames. He has a 3.20 ERA for 96 career starts: 19 games per 162. Dollar-wise, he made $7 million in 2018 and could get $10 million each for 2-3 summers. But can he stay healthy?
Last winter, Klentak signed Santana ($20 million) and Arrieta ($25 million) for $45 million AAV (average annual value). But if the exec inks Machado ($35 million AAV) and Keuchel ($22 million AAV) for 10 and three years respectively, the decision-maker would add $57 million AAV. One of each, again?