San Diego Padres Sign RHP Jhoulys Chacin
The San Diego Padres’ 2017 rotation is slowly taking shape.
A.J. Preller has been working the phones diligently, and with that, the team will inch towards building a starting rotation for this upcoming year.
The rotation currently has the names of Christian Friedrich, Luis Perdomo, Jarred Cosart, Paul Clemens, Cesar Vargas, and Zach Lee battling it out for a spot. Well, you can now add the name of Jhoulys Chacin into the mix, and with his background, he looks to be a virtual lock for one of the five spots, providing his health is 100 percent.
#LVBP_Oficial: Jhoulys Chacín viajará a San Diego y se perderá una apertura #Leoneshttps://t.co/JdrTld5AXE
— Fanático Beisbol (@FanaticoBeisbol) December 17, 2016
The Padres’ future is bright, but not necessarily the 2017 season. Not that the team will not be fun to watch this coming season, but they lack pitching to really be considered a relevant team in a tough N.L. West. Hunter Renfroe, Wil Myers, Austin Hedges, and Manuel Margot provide a solid offensive nucleus. The team just needs a few starting pitchers to develop fairly quickly.
Chacin had an outstanding end to his 2016 season with the Angels. He could be a strong candidate for a bounce-back season and the Padres were wise to invest in him.
He owns a career record of 46-57 record with an impressive 3.94 ERA in 842 innings and 165 games (135 starts). His best two seasons were pitching in Colorado where he went 11-14 in 2011 with a 3.62 ERA in 194 innings pitched. He also went 14-10 in 2013 for the Rockies, recording a 3.42 ERA. At 6′ 3″, the native of Venezuela has excellent size, but is not considered a strikeout pitcher. He relies on a sinker and generally batters put the ball in play against him.
#Padres taking a flyer on Chacin, who is still only 28 yrs old. Finished strong in ’16. Last 40.2 IP w/ LAA: 1.99 ERA, 36 H, 12 BB, 39 K.
— Jason Martinez (@mlbdepthcharts) December 17, 2016
The deal is for 1 year, and with that, he could be flipped before the trade deadline if he has a productive first half. The signing will be official after a physical. Chacin has had shoulder issues in the past, so that is something to keep an eye on. You have to wonder if once again the Darren Balsley factor will play into the upcoming season when it comes to the starting staff. The Padres’ pitching coach will have plenty of reclamation projects with this years’ rotation.
James was born and raised in America’s Finest City. He is a passionate baseball fan with even more passion towards his hometown Padres. Editor-In-Chief of EastVillageTimes.com. Always striving to bring you the highest quality in San Diego Sports News. Original content, with original ideas, that’s our motto. Enjoy.