San Diego Padres: Jhoulys Chacin Added to 2017 Rotation

A.J. Preller and the San Diego Padres improved a depleted pitching staff this weekend by signing an experienced right-handed starter.

Jhoulys Chacin is a reasonably well known name around baseball. While never necessarily dominant, the 215-pound right-hander has been around in the majors since 2009, logging a total of 842 and 2/3 innings.

Now, he has reportedly been signed to a one-year deal with the San Diego Padres.

For $1.75 million, the signing is a very affordable one which may end up paying off immediately. Chacin, an eight year veteran, will join San Diego’s 40-man roster immediately, assuming he is able to pass a physical.

Chacin is most well known for his six seasons with the Colorado Rockies. After brief stints with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Atlanta Braves, the 28-year-old spent 2016 with the Los Angeles Angels.

With a respectable career ERA of 3.94, Chacin could be considered a steal of a signing for the Padres. However, he is not without downside. Walking 345 in his career, he averages almost a half of a walk per inning. Even leading the league in free passes in 2011, control is one less than desirable aspect of Chacin’s game.

Regardless, the Venezuelan’s chances to win a spot in the starting rotation are very high, if not pretty much a given. With Luis Perdomo and Christian Friedrich currently holding the top two rotation positions, Chacin will easily be thrown into this mix as well.

In his career, the long time major leaguer has started 135 games. He has made 163 total appearances, meaning that he has also spent time in the bullpen. In fact, 12 of these relief appearances came last season.

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But Chacin is still a natural starter, and there is no reason to believe he will not be a part of San Diego’s rotation. With the current state it is in, this move comes as no surprise. It is encouraging though, as A.J. Preller displayed that he is still capable working out a deal with a well known pitcher with multiple suitors. Even more so, he was able to successfully work out a reasonable price for the Padres, giving them flexibility as to how they will use Chacin.

The only problem is, this deal only lasts one year. But even if Chacin’s tenure in San Diego does not last beyond 2017, he will have served his purpose, bridging the gap until more rotation help arrives. For under two million dollars, that is hard to complain about.

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Chacin has spent the last three seasons with three different teams, making a long term deal seem even less likely. But at 28 years old, the right-hander probably won’t be part of the long term solution. He will, however, quite possibly be the oldest starter in 2017’s rotation.