*Photo from ESPN*
Another reliever is off the board entering spring training. The Arizona Diamondbacks and LHP Andrew Chafin have agreed to a one year, $6.5 million contract, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Arizona has confirmed the deal.
Hitting the free agent market for a 3rd straight season after opting out of his deal in Detroit, Chafin heads to the D-Backs for his second stint, playing the first 6 1/2 seasons of his career in Arizona before being dealt to the Chicago Cubs at the 2020 trade deadline. There is a team option for the 2024 season as well as another $1 million in bonuses.
Chafin enjoyed a strong season with the Detroit Tigers in 2022. He ended the season with a 1.17 WHIP, 2.83 ERA, and 3.06 FIP, converting 3 saves and striking out 67 hitters while throwing 57 1/3 innings over 64 relief appearances.
The addition of Chafin is a necessary one for the D-Backs. Their bullpen struggled mightily in 2022, ranking 25th in the league in ERA and dead last in fWAR with -0.7. Chafin leads all pitchers in appearances since 2017, logging 375 while recording an ERA+ of 140 in that time.
Chafin has played for the D-Backs, Cubs, Tigers, and Oakland Athletics over his 9 year career. In that time, he has compiled a 3.23 ERA, 3.17 FIP, and 1.23 WHIP, throwing 400 2/3 innings over 3 starts and 473 relief appearances while picking up 11 saves. Chafin has allowed one earned run in one inning pitched over 4 postseason appearances.
Last season, Chafin did most of his damage with his slider, with opponents hitting just .085 with a .127 slugging percentage on his slider last season. His 60.4 whiff rate on sliders was the second highest mark induced by pitchers with any pitch type last season, with a minimum of 100 swings.
The former first round pick Chafin is effective against both right handed and left handed hitters but has been slightly better against lefties. In 2022, Chafin held righties to a .586 OPS against him in 138 plate appearances. Lefty hitters posted a .665 OPS in 105 plate appearances.
Arizona has had a busy offseason as they try to quickly improve the roster. They've re-signed Zach Davies while adding Scott McGough and Miguel Castro to the pitching staff. At the plate, they've brought in Evan Longoria, Diego Castillo, Kyle Lewis, Lourdes Gurriel Jr, and Gabriel Moreno.
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