Once one of the best Tiger pitching prospects, Jacob Turner wound up in a trade to the Marlins, who for head-scratching reasons, put him on waivers to clear a 40 man roster spot.
Just as bizarre, the woeful Rockies, in need of pitching, passed on Turner. The Cubs, next in line, put in a waiver claim. And apparently, got the young, prized pitcher for two minor leaguers.
The Tribune’s Paul Sullivan reports that two Class-A pitchers will be headed to the Marlins, and Keith Law follows up by saying hat it’ll be a pair of relievers, neither of whom is well-regarded.
Turner, 23, is a former first-round pick of
the Tigers, and it wasn’t long ago that he was regarded as one of
baseball’s top prospects. Acquired by Miami as the centerpiece to 2012′s Anibal Sanchez/Omar Infante deal with Detroit, Turner has struggled with the Marlins and was
designated for assignment because he is out of minor league options.
While the Marlins reportedly had lost patience with Turner after his
struggles in both the rotation and the bullpen, the move is a curious
one for a team that typically doesn’t spend much; cost-controllable
starters with this type of upside are hard to come by, and Turner’s
rotation spot will reportedly be filled by journeyman Brad Penny, making this decision a puzzling one, to say the least, according to MLBTR.
Though Turner’s ERA jumped from 3.74 last year (in 118 innings) to
5.97 in this year’s 78 1/3 innings, Turner’s K/9 rate, swinging strike rate and
average fastball velocity have all increased (though the velocity is
likely tied somewhat to his eventual transition to the
bullpen). Meanwhile, his BB/9 rate has dipped from 4.1 to 2.6. He’s also
seen his ground-ball rate spike from a solid 45.7 percent to a strong
51.3 percent this season.
Turner, who signed a Major League deal out of the draft (before the
CBA banned such contracts), has a $1MM option for next season and can be
controlled via arbitration once he has accumulated three years of Major
League service. He’s controllable through at least the 2018 season for
the Cubs.
From the Cubs 2015 prospective, Turner may fall into the fifth starter role or long relief. Since the Cubs need young starting pitching, one will think that the Cubs will hope Turner can be an effective starter in spring training.
