Diamondbacks sign former highly touted Blue Jays pitcher.
Photo credit: https://www.bluebirdbanter.com/
The Arizona Diamondbacks have agreed to a one-year $3.3 Million major league contract with former Toronto Blue Jays reliever Kendall Graveman.
The 23-year-old started 2014 where he ended 2013, with the Lansing Lugnuts.
He appeared in four games before being promoted to High A Dunedin.
He pitched in 16 games, going 8-4 with a 2.23 ERA.
He then received a promotion to the Double-A New Hampshire Fishercats in late July 2014.
He pitched in only one game before being promoted to the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons. He debuted on Aug. 2nd.
A month later he found himself with the Blue Jays.
Two months after Graveman's debut with the big club, Alex Anthopolous made him part of one of the best trades of GM's tenure in Toronto.
Sending fan favorite Brett Lawrie, Graveman, prospects Franklin Borreto and Sean Nolin to the Oakland Athletics for Josh Donaldson.
A decade later, Graveman, now 34, missed the 2024 season while recovering from shoulder surgery but had a strong run between the Mariners, Astros and White Sox across the three prior seasons.
The former Blue Jays starter moved to a relief role late in the 2020 season after returning from Tommy John surgery and found fast success in a high-leverage role.
From 2021-23, Graveman pitched 187 1/3 innings with a 2.74 ERA, 51 holds, 24 saves, a 24.5% strikeout rate and a 10.4% walk rate.
Though last season was lost to shoulder troubles, Graveman was cleared to begin throwing late last summer.
He progressed through a normal offseason throwing and conditioning program and is ready for spring training.
When he's been healthy, Graveman has relied upon a power sinker sitting north of 96 mph, pairing that offering with an upper-80s slider and a lesser-used changeup that sits 89-90 mph.
That heavy sinker has allowed him to consistently post ground-ball rates comfortably north of 50%.
The right-hander lost a bit of life on all those pitches in 2023 and saw his command erode considerably in the season's second half, following a trade from the White Sox back to the Astros.
Good luck to him in Arizona.
| POLL | ||
FEVRIER 14 | 130 ANSWERS Diamondbacks sign former highly touted Blue Jays pitcher. Is this a good signing by the Arizona Diamondbacks or is Kendall Graveman over the hill? | ||
| Yes | 26 | 20 % |
| Over the hill | 48 | 36.9 % |
| Too early to tell | 56 | 43.1 % |
| List of polls | ||
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