Hey, they finally did something!
Source: #orioles are signing RHP Andrew Cashner to a 2-year deal with $16 million guaranteed
— Roch Kubatko (@masnRoch) February 15, 2018
Andrew Cashner, most recently of the Texas Rangers, joins the Orioles as a much-needed actual MLB starting pitcher. That’s fun!
Less fun are Cashner’s recent numbers and very concerning peripherals, of course.
He was 11-11 for the Rangers in 2017, pitching 166.2 innings, allowing 156 hits, striking out 86 and walking 64, while posting a 3.40 ERA and 4.61 FIP. On the bright side, his 4.6 bWAR was the best of his career, while on the other hand, in addition to his FIP outpacing his ERA by 1.2 runs, his 4.64 K/9 was well below his career average of 6.99, and his velocity continued a years-long trend of decline.
FanGraphs’ Steamer doesn’t like him much for 2018, projecting a 5.40 ERA.
Still, Cashner is just 31-years-old, and is much less of a question mark than any of the other “potential starters” the Birds had in camp up until this point. He added a cutter to his repertoire in recent years, and his fastball velocity, while not what it once was, hasn’t fallen off a cliff. Maybe the O’s will be the beneficiaries of a guy becoming a more savvy veteran hurler?
Hey, we can dream, right?
Many O’s fans have been quick to point out that Cashner looks a whole lot like another former Texas Ranger the O’s brought in a couple years back, Yovani Gallardo.
Gallardo had a strong track record, but concerning peripherals, and it seemed like just about everything that could go wrong did go wrong every time he took the mound in orange and black.
Here’s to Cashner having a little better luck (and missing more than a few more bats).
We have another pitcher, O’s fans. Get pumped!
I’m pretty bummed that Cashner’s bitchin’ beard will be a victim of the Orioles’ archaic facial hair policy, that’s for damn sure.
