Clifton was released by the Diamondbacks on Friday, JJ Cooper of Baseball America reports.
The 25-year-old righty was a noteworthy prospect with the Cubs after a breakout year at High-A in 2016, but that represents the high point in his prospect value. He had a 5.18 ERA, 1.49 WHIP and 84:50 K:BB in 99 innings at Triple-A with the Cubs last year.
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Diamondbacks' Trevor Clifton: Invited to Diamondbacks' camp
Rotowire
Clifton signed a minor-league contract with the Diamondbacks on Thursday as a non-roster invitee, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.
Clifton struggled with Triple-A Iowa last season, recording a 5.18 ERA with a 1.49 WHIP over 99 innings. The 24-year-old has yet to make his major-league debut, but he'll get the chance to compete in the Diamondbacks' major-league spring training in 2020.
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Cubs' Trevor Clifton: Tosses six one-hit innings Monday
Rotowire
Clifton gave up one hit, walked two, and struck out nine over six scoreless frames for Double-A Tennessee on Monday.
The 22-year-old righty retired 13 straight batters at one point in the outing and lowered his season ERA and WHIP to 3.69 and 1.11, respectively. Clifton, a 12th-round draft pick in 2013, isn't viewed as a marquee prospect in the Cubs' system due to his weak fastball and so-so command. He's unlikely to emerge as much more than back-end rotation piece or long reliever once he hits the big leagues.
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Cubs' Trevor Clifton: Holding his own at Double-A
Rotowire
Clifton, 22, has a 2.43 ERA and 46:23 K:BB through 55.2 innings for Double-A Tennessee.
The walks are a bit alarming, though Clifton has managed to limit the damage overall, posting a sub-3.00 ERA for the second straight year. Still, his strikeout rate is down from a season ago; combine that with the added walks, and Clifton does not appear to have the chops of a front-line rotation anchor.
