The Rockies are interested in trading for Miami Marlins starting pitcher Dan Straily, according to Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald. Spencer writes that the Brewers and Royals are also interested in acquiring Straily.
Straily is a 28-year-old starting pitcher with three years of team control after this one. He wouldn’t be a rental. Straily’s bounced around among five major-league teams since his 2012 debut, having accrued just over two years of service time in the process. He finally found his stride in 2016 as a member of the Cincinnati Reds. In 1911⁄3 innings, Straily posted a 3.76 ERA and a 4.88 FIP. He struck out 3.76 batters per nine and walked 3.43. In other words, he was the beneficiary of some luck.
The Marlins traded three players (Austin Brice, Luis Castillo, and Isaiah White) for Straily this past offseason, and he’s improved all around. In 1171⁄3 innings pitched so far in 2017, he has a higher 3.84 ERA but a lower 4.38 FIP. Straily has also upped his strikeouts while lowering his walks. He’s struck out 8.21 batters per nine innings and walked 2.53.
Straily’s primarily a fly ball pitcher. His career fly ball rate is 46.8 percent, and his career groundball rate is 34.2 percent. It’s not clear where Straily would fit into the Rockies’ 2017 rotation, or where he would fit long term. But it is true that a team can’t have too many starting pitchers, so perhaps that’s what the Rockies are thinking. Or, it might be that the Rockies interest in Straily isn’t that strong.