Atlanta Braves bullpen improvement solution : Julio Teheran
By Fred Owens
Marcus Stroman
The Blue Jays launched full rebuild mode and Marcus Stroman looks like the jewel many covet. After a rough start to the season due to a shoulder strain, Stroman’s last three starts produced a 3.78 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP.
The Jays control Stroman for two more years fairly cheaply. Pitching in the WBC gave him big game experience and exposed a bulldog mentality that carried through to Jay’s postseason run.
The Jays ask likely includes a couple of good prospects and another good, low-level player, but he’s well worth it.
Joe Musgrove
Joe Musgrove sits at the other end of the experience scale. The Pirates picked him up in the Cole trade and he’s pitched well for them. Musgrove threw seven innings three times – two of those shutouts – and six innings once in seven starts.
The Reds abused him on June 17 and Arizona did the same on June 23rd but Musgrove bounced back with seven shutout frames against the Padres on the 29th. Ignoring those two outings the big righty posted a 1.68 ERA with 23 strikeouts and five walks in five games.
He’s 25, pre-arb eligible and under team control through 2022 but he was part of the Astros World Series roster so he understands the pressure. He wouldn’t be cheap but the Pirates always seem to be looking for a deal.
Zack Wheeler
I wanted Zack Wheeler before his arm blew out. He missed the 2015 and 2016 seasons with TJ surgery, returned in 2017 and struggled. He spent time on the DL for bicep tendonitis in June and went on the DL at the end of July for a stress reaction in his right arm.
Wheeler missed the rest of the season but returned this year looking like his pre-surgery self. His 95 innings in 16 games, produced 91 strikeouts, and 35 walks. Those 16 starts included:
- Four – seven inning appearances,
- Eight-six inning or better outings, and
- just two games with less than five innings pitched