The 2022 season hasn’t been kind for left-handed pitcher Dallas Keuchel.
It hasn’t been kind at all.
The southpaw has been waived or released by two different organizations: the Chicago White Sox and the Arizona Diamondbacks.
He started the year with the former, but had a horrible 7.88 ERA in 32 frames.
The D-Backs gave him a second chance, and he was even worse, with a 9.64 ERA in 18.2 innings of work.
They released him, too, and now, the Texas Rangers are giving him a third, and probably last, chance at showing he can still be a decent MLB pitcher.
“TEX has agreed to terms on a minor league contract with LHP Dallas Keuchel, and he is expected to report to Round Rock (AAA) later this week. The 2015 A.L. Cy Young Award winner is a 2-time All-Star and 5-time Gold Glove Award winner. He has 12 starts for CWS and ARI in 2022,” the Rangers announced via Twitter.
TEX has agreed to terms on a minor league contract with LHP Dallas Keuchel, and he is expected to report to Round Rock (AAA) later this week. The 2015 A.L. Cy Young Award winner is a 2-time All-Star and 5-time Gold Glove Award winner. He has 12 starts for CWS and ARI in 2022.
— Texas Rangers PR (@TXRangersPR) July 26, 2022
He Is A Shell Of His Old Self
His 2015 Cy Young season with the Houston Astros seems like ages ago.
He was a beast, and performed well in the postseason, too.
Unfortunately, he always seemed to rely on command and control over stuff, and those pitchers often don’t age well.
He is 34, so he is definitely not ancient: he just declined earlier than expected.
Or, perhaps he hasn’t been in the right organization that knows how to work with his strengths and minimize his weaknesses.
Maybe the pitching-starved Rangers can be that organization for him.
It wouldn’t hurt to find out: he will start in Triple-A, and if he shows he still has it, he will receive another chance in the majors.
The 43-52 Rangers have nothing to lose with this signing.
NEXT: The Rangers And Kumar Rocker Make It Official