Having missed out on the Jeff Samardzija sweepstakes but still in contention in the increasingly volatile American League East, the Yankees made a splash today by picking up starting pitcher Brandon McCarthy from the Diamondbacks for hurler Vidal Nuno. The oft-confused Diamondbacks were even nice enough to devour half of the $4.1 million McCarthy is still owed this season, because everyone knows the Yankees were totally concerned about that extra money.
There’s a good chance that McCarthy was actually the most formidable starting pitcher left on the open market after the Shark ‘n Hammel deal the A’s and Cubs negotiated. (Unless David Price‘s departure from Tampa actually becomes a reality.) McCarthy, who turns 31 tomorrow, is having a much better season than his 3-10 record and 5.01 ERA might lead you to believe. He’s striking out 20% of opposing batters, walking just 4.3% of them, and owns a 3.79 FIP. As usual, he’s been a groundball getter, inducing worm murderers just over 55% of the time in 2014.
Don’t assume the Diamondbacks got a prospect in this deal, as Vidal Nuno is a 26-year-old southpaw who’s been all over the place in the Yankee system over the last few years. He seems to have settled down this season, logging 14 starts and 17 total appearances for the major league squad. Then again, it’s hard to call what Nuno has done “settling down,” as he owns very pedestrian strikeout and walk rates and his ERA and FIP are both quite unruly (5.42 ERA and 5.15, respectively). His heat doesn’t crack 90 and he gets by on control if he gets by at all, so Nuno likely isn’t anyone for Arizona fans to get excited about. He seems to have developed quite a fly ball tendency as well, and that doesn’t bode particularly well anywhere for a guy possessing iffy stuff.
Perhaps I’ve misjudged the market on McCarthy, but I really feel Arizona could have snagged a more interesting player in return. Pitching is at a premium for a few teams, especially with so few legitimate rotation pieces on the market. Given that fact, it really seems as if the Diamondbacks could have done a bit better for themselves by shopping a while longer.
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