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Is it possible to make a splash in minor league free agency? That sounds like an oxymoron. But heck, we’re in a lockout. Any transaction that could impact a major league roster in 2022 is a splash.
Speaking of which, the Diamondbacks have reportedly signed 33-year-old righty Dan Straily to a minor-league deal with an invitation to spring training.
All jokes aside, the move changes the team’s starting rotation outlook for 2022. That’s really why Straily chose the Diamondbacks in the first place.
“Opportunity, opportunity,” he explained on an episode of his podcast. “When things don’t work, organizations are looking for ways to find things that will work. And [the Diamondbacks] came in and basically said… we think that you’re a piece that’s going to help us win a lot more games.”
Geography also played a factor, as he and his family can travel easily from their home in central Oregon both to Arizona and the team’s Triple-A affiliate in Reno, Nevada.
In eight seasons in the majors from 2012 to 2019, Straily went 44-40 with a 4.56 ERA, 681 strikeouts and 312 walks in just over 800 innings. That included stints in Oakland, Houston, Cincinnati, Miami and Baltimore.
He struggled in 2019 with the Orioles, posting a 9.82 ERA with 22 homers allowed in 47.2 innings. Those results became less dumbfounding when he learned that he pitched the entire season with a torn meniscus. Nonetheless, his struggles — combined with a pandemic that was just beginning — led him to search out opportunities overseas in 2020.
Straily has spent the past two seasons in Korea with the Lotte Giants, posting a 25-16 record with a 3.22 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 369 strikeouts and 118 walks. His numbers were less impressive in 2021 than in 2020, but that difference may be explained more by BABIP noise than anything else. His command was noticeably less sharp in 2021, but his fastball velocity actually ticked up.
Several tweaks likely played a role in Straily’s success. He added a couple hundred RPM to his fastball spin rate, altered his changeup grip and increased the usage of his slider, which has always been his best pitch.
Straily’s arsenal now consists of a low-90s fastball, a mid-80s slider, a mid-80s changeup and a mid-70s curveball. In 2021, hitters saw either a fastball or slider nearly 80 percent of the time.
Straily’s most important stat from his two years in Korea, though, is his innings pitched: 360.1. Because of the abbreviated 2020 season, no Diamondbacks starter — major league or otherwise — has even broken 200 innings in that span. Straily, meanwhile, made 31 starts in each of his seasons with the KBO.
Given his durability, it’s no wonder that Straily fielded about 15 offers from teams around the league. Notably, the Diamondbacks were not the highest bidder.
However, with several question marks in the team’s starting rotation, Straily’s wish to spend most of the 2022 season in the majors looks like a strong possibility. Moreover, coming to Arizona means a reunion with pitching coach Brent Strom, with whom Straily is familiar from his time with the Astros in 2015.
“I loved learning from him,” Straily said during an MLB Trade Rumors live chat. “He was the one that taught me to throw high fastballs based on my 2600 RPM. He was really good at helping me be the best version of myself.”
This isn’t the first time the Diamondbacks have turned to the KBO for starting rotation help. Merrill Kelly, who spent 2015-19 with the SK Wyverns, is arguably general manager Mike Hazen’s best free agent signing ever.
Even on a minor-league deal, Straily understands the opportunity in front of him. But he’s not going to stress over it, either.
“I mean, it’s just baseball,” he said. “Let’s not let’s not put too much pressure on ourselves here. I’m good at like two things on this whole planet and throwing pitches is one of them.”
As a minor-league signee who is not on the 40-man roster, Straily is not subject to any restrictions that result from the lockout. He’ll report to camp shortly, doing everything he can to relive his dream of being a major leaguer.
“I’m going to go worry about myself,” he said. “I’m going to go sleep great, eat great, work out, work on my pitches, take my rest days and be ready to go for a 30-start season. And if I go down and take care of business, I know that I’ll be making those 30 starts in Arizona.”
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