Dan Straily is now the newest pitcher to join the Miami Marlins rotation. On Wednesday, he was sent to the Marlins from Cincinnati Reds in exchange for right-handed pitching prospects Luis Castillo and Austin Brice. The deal also included outfielder Isaiah White.
This offseason, the Marlins front office has discussed and attempted to improve the rotation. While Straily could be a great addition, many are still skeptical about his abilities overall.
Straily’s value grew unexpectedly in 2016 after being claimed by the Reds from San Diego Padres. He posted a 3.76 earned run average and a 14-8 record with a franchise in rebuilding mode. The former Oakland Athletic was falling off the map after his best season in 2013 when he compiled a serviceable 3.96 ERA and ten wins. After that, he had a couple of forgettable seasons alternating between the Chicago Cubs (11.85 ERA) and Houston Astros (5.40 ERA).
Straily is now 28 years old and according to Fangraphs, his predictions for next year are not very hopeful. After a great 2016 season, the Steamer projections see a setback in Straily’s development, as they predict him to end the season 8-12 with a 4.74 ERA.
Then again, that could be a conservative estimate. He could still finish in the field of 10 wins with an effective 4.00 ERA. Although he tends to be a fly ball pitcher — 48 percentage of opponents’ connections go airborne — Marlins Park could help Straily keep them in the yard. He also showed other significant improvements last season. His batting average on balls in play (BABIP) of .244 was the best of his entire career in 2016 — and even bested Max Scherzer, Madison Bumgarner and Jon Lester — and he led the Reds in wins (14), innings pitched (191) and strikeouts (162) last year.
In the end, he did not cost much to the Marlins, who let go three of their prospects, none of them high-profile.
Straily will be a free agent in 2021. He now has to face one of a pitcher’s biggest challenges: settling down.
Francys Romero is a beat writer for OPSN and specializes in the coverage of Miami Marlins and international and Cuban players. Follow him on twitter @FrancysRomero10.
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