Seattle Mariners: 4 Under-the-Radar Offseason Trade Targets

RHP TYLER CHATWOOD

When the Cubs signed Tyler Chatwood, the consensus was that he would wind up as one of the more underrated moves of last year’s offseason. The 28-year-old righty was average at best for the Rockies, but did show the propensity to be dominant outside of Coors Field, which made him so attractive to other teams. Simply put, Chicago hoped that they had found their very own Charlie Morton, but instead wound up with Chatwood’s worst season in an MLB uniform.

There’s no way around it, really. Chatwood was terrible in 2018. What really stands out is the absurd amount of walks he allowed, giving up seven free passes in two separate games, and six in three other appearances. Over the course of 103.2 innings pitched, Chatwood’s BB/9 ballooned to an abysmal 8.25. This has been a problem for Chatwood throughout his career, though, as he usually hangs around a BB/9 higher than 4.00 most seasons.

The Cubs phased Chatwood out of their rotation at the end of July, shifting him to a bullpen role that he only appeared in four times. Upon returning from a hip injury in September, Chatwood made one last appearance (it didn’t go well) before riding the pine for the final 22 days of the season. Chicago has clearly moved on from him, and with a lot of their young superstars lining up to get paid, they’ll likely look to shave off as much of the remaining $25.5 million of Chatwood’s deal as they can.

While Safeco Field has begun to lose its reputation as a pitcher-friendly ballpark, perhaps the change of scenery could finally help Chatwood reach the potential some believe he still has. Given that it isn’t very likely for the Mariners to hike up a whole lot in terms of prospects or dollars to get him, it’s not a very risk-heavy deal even if Chatwood continues on this downward spiral. If they do hit on him, however, having him controlled in 2020 as well would make a potential deal even better.