It appears that Dallas Keuchel has found a new home. According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Arizona Diamondbacks have signed Keuchel to a minor-league deal.
He will begin his stint in Triple-A. The deal includes an opt-out date and if he isn’t added to the major league roster by the deadline he will hit the free-agent market once again.
The Chicago White Sox announced on May 28th that they had designated Keuchel designated for assignment. This will be Keuchel’s fourth MLB team in eleven seasons. The highly decorated left-hander spent the last three seasons in Chicago after signing a deal worth $55.5 million. Rick Hahn added the highly decorated left-hander with the hopes of adding bolstering the rotation and adding some championship experience to the clubhouse.
Diamondbacks signing free-agent left-hander Dallas Keuchel to minor-league deal, sources tell @TheAthletic.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) June 6, 2022
At the time Keuchel was a four-time Gold-Glove Awards winner, two-time All-Star, Cy Young Award winner, and a World Series Champion. It initially looked like the White Sox got their money’s worth. In 2020 he posted a 1.99 ERA. But there were signs that it was fools gold.
He only averaged slightly over five innings an outing and struggled to pitch deep into games. The following season he got hit hard. His ERA ballooned up to 5.28, the worst mark of his career. His expected ERA was in the bottom four percent of the league.
Meanwhile, Keuchel’s whiff rate, expected batting average, and strikeout percentage all ranked near the bottom of the league. He was so bad that the White Sox left him off the playoff roster.
The 2022 season turned out to be a make-or-break year for Keuchel. The southpaw was confident he could rebound. Instead, things got worse. In eight starts Keuchel had a 7.88 ERA. His fastball velocity was the worse in the MLB.
His demeanor in the locker room didn’t help things either. After an abysmal outing in which he allowed a career-high 10 runs, he was quick to point the finger at the defense.
Between the poor performance and delusional comments, cutting bait with Dallas Keuchel was an easy decision. He is even more expendable when you consider that he was the weakest link in an otherwise solid starting rotation that has reinforcements on the way.
The Arizona Diamondbacks will present a drastic change of scenery for Keuchel. He is used to playing on contending teams. After starting his career in a rebuild in Houston he has spent seven of the last eight years in the thick of the postseason race.
The Diamondbacks are a rebuilding team who sits in fourth place in the AL West standings. At 26-29, they are in danger of missing the playoffs for the fifth consecutive season.
Their starting rotation has not been the issue so there is no guarantee that Keuchel even makes the roster. Zac Gallen has an excellent 2.40 ERA. Madison Bumgarner owns a 3.31 mark, while Merrill Kelly has a 3.66 ERA. The fourth spot is held by Zach Davies who owns a 4.18 ERA. All of their numbers are leaps and bounds better than Keuchel’s.
