Colorado Rockies Rundown: Lyles, Murphy, Flande, Arenado, Chacin

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Aug 29, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks relief pitcher J. Chacin (47) throws during the first inning against the Oakland Athletics at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

The future is bright for Jhoulys Chacin

(via MLB Trade Rumors, AZ Central)

AZCentral has a big write-up on potential starting pitching options for the Arizona Diamondbacks next season. Here’s the full portion on Jhoulys Chacin:

"Chacin is a unique case because it’s difficult to know what he would cost to keep around for next year. The right-hander signed for $5.5 million last winter to avoid arbitration with the Colorado Rockies, but was released in spring and paid just a quarter of that sum. He signed a minor-league deal with the Cleveland Indians but opted out down the road, latching on with the Diamondbacks at the Triple-A level. In two big-league stints later in the season he had success. A tough question to answer with Chacin is what to expect from a season in the future. He had a 3.61 ERA in five seasons with the Rockies before an injury-affected campaign in 2014, but he is not throwing as hard as he used to. It’s hard to say if three big-league starts in 2015 are enough off which to judge him. Not for La Russa. “I’ve seen enough from Chacin,” La Russa said. “He’s got a track record. I’ve seen enough here that he knows how to pitch and how to change speeds, enough to say that he’s in the competition.” La Russa added that Chacin won’t “be so expensive that we couldn’t afford him,” but the financial picture with the 27-year-old is far from clear. He’s arbitration-eligible again this year, and while raises aren’t guaranteed in arbitration, they’re more the rule than the exception. If Chacin ends up costing more than the $5.5 million he signed for a year ago, the Diamondbacks might have to ask if that money can be better spent on a pitcher with fewer question marks surrounding him."

This is small in terms of Colorado Rockies news, of course, but it’s great news! Jhoulys Chacin has worked very hard to come back after injuries set him back in the Rockies’ organization. It’s great to see that he’s back on track, because you’d think he obviously still has quite a few innings left in him when healthy.

I get the feeling he’d be a guy who goes out and burns the Colorado Rockies every time he faces them with the Diamondbacks… and I can’t say I’d be too upset about that!

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