Veteran lefty Andrew Chafin triggered an opt-out clause in his minor league contract with the Reds and is now a free agent, reports Jon Heyman of the New York Post.
The 35-year-old Chafin has already been with two teams this season. He spent most of spring training with the Twins but was granted his release after being informed he wouldn’t make their Opening Day roster. Chafin posted good bottom-line results with shaky rate stats both in camp with the Twins and in Triple-A with the Reds. He tossed six spring innings and allowed only two runs; he struck out 20% of his opponents but also walked 12% of them. It’s been a similar story in Louisville with the Reds’ top affiliate. Chafin has allowed only one earned run in 9 1/3 frames (0.96 ERA) with a nearly average 21.6% strikeout rate, but he’s walked 16.2% of his opponents.
During spring training, Chafin sat just 85.7 mph with his four-seamer and sinker alike. He’s added some life back to both pitches as he’s ramped up, evidenced by his 88 mph average four-seamer and 87.7 mph sinker with the Reds’ Louisville club. Both, of course, are still bottom-of-the-scale velocity marks in today’s game. Chafin posted a 2.41 ERA in 33 2/3 big league innings last year while averaging 89.5 mph on his four-seamer and 89.7 mph on his sinker. That was the first time since his brief 14-inning MLB debut in 2014 that he averaged less than 91 mph on either pitch, however.
While some clubs may express trepidation over his diminishing velocity, Chafin has never been a hard thrower and has still found consistent success in the majors. He’s averaged just 91.5 mph on his four-seamer and sinker dating back to 2021 and still has a 3.03 ERA in that time. He’s fanned 26.7% of his opponents against a 10.3% walk rate along the way, tacking on a slightly above-average 43.3% grounder rate for good measure. Chafin has picked up 17 saves and 71 holds in that time. Overall, he has a 3.35 earned run average, 20 saves and 153 holds in parts of 12 major league seasons between the D-backs, Cubs, A’s, Tigers, Brewers, Rangers, Nationals and Angels.
There’s no shortage of teams in the league currently in need of some help in the bullpen. The Twins may regret opting not to carry him on the roster after their bullpen has predictably been a disaster (5.31 ERA — 28th in MLB). The Astros have MLB’s worst bullpen by ERA (6.20). Chafin’s former Angels sit between that pair with a 5.62 ERA on the season. The Brewers have three lefty relievers on the injured list. The Cubs have five relievers on the IL at the moment. Chafin’s track record ought to earn him a look with another club before too long.
