Not long after Craig Kimbrel signed with the Chicago Cubs, the other big-name pitcher remaining on the free-agent market has found a home of his own: left-handed starter Dallas Keuchel has signed with the Atlanta Braves on one-year deal worth a reported $13 million. The club announced the deal on Friday night following their win over the Marlins.
Some additional details:
Keuchel agreed in contract with #Braves to be optioned on June 8 and be recalled no later than June 18. If injured while in minors, he will be recalled and placed on major league Injured List.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) June 8, 2019
For those wondering, the New York Yankees appear to have been outbid by a couple million dollars:
Yankees had the prorated qualifying offer (11M-12M) for Keuchel on table for a week plus but never came off it.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) June 7, 2019
Keuchel, 31, had previously spent his entire seven-year big-league career with the Houston Astros. During his time in Houston, he had amassed a 3.66 ERA (109 ERA+) and 2.76 strikeout-to-walk ratio in nearly 200 appearances, and won the AL Cy Young award in 2015. Over the past three seasons, he posted a 3.77 ERA (107 ERA+) while averaging 173 innings per year.
Keuchel had remained unsigned this winter due to a combination of factors, including draft-pick compensation and his style -- he's a low-spin, low-velocity pitcher in an era where teams want hard-throwers who can challenge batters up in the strike zone.
