Welcome to the Cubs, Nicholas Castellanos. He hit 2 HR last night for the Cubbies and is quickly becoming a sensational trade deadline acquisition. He has raked thru 8 games in the NL. With the Tigers, his production was nothing to write home about in 2019, and his peripherals didn't support too much better than his performance. However, this could be a clear case of improving by playing for a new, competitive team in a playoff race -- and in a much better lineup. With all that said, I'm bullish on Castellanos going forward. He won't maintain his MVP pace, but I expect a marked improvement from his performance with the Tigers.
Greg Holland was designated for assignment by the D-Backs on Wednesday. Holland led the NL in saves just two years ago, but has struggled mightily with effectiveness since. His 4.54 ERA this season is in line with his peripherals, so it's unlikely that we'll see him in a closer role again this season or next. Holland pitched well in the latter half of 2018 (0.84 ERA in 21 innings with the Nationals), so he may still have something in the tank at 33, but it's unclear which Holland will show up when he (likely) joins a new team.
Alex Wood struggled yesterday, going only 3 IP while allowing 5 runs (2 ER) in an ineffective outing. It's only been three starts, but the early results for Wood are not particularly encouraging. For those (like myself) that stashed him on the IL all season, it may have been a waste. His SIERA entering yesterday was 4.76, and got meaningfully worse. The season is still young and he's technically still getting going, but there's not much of the season left to shake off the kinks. Proceed with caution with Wood.
Cole Hamels was lit up yesterday as regression to the mean made an appearance. Hamels went just 3 innings, allowing 8 hits and 5 ER. Hamels came in with a sparkling 2.84 ERA, which was materially better than his SIERA and xFIP. Hamels should play to an ERA in the 4.00 ballpark with a decent K rate; don't count on a sub-3.00 ERA.
Dallas Keuchel likely wished he was still unsigned last night, as he allowed 8 ER thru 3.2 innings. This may be an unpopular opinion, but I think Keuchel belongs on the waiver wire. He's struggled this season, and was far from impressive last season with a 4.15 SIERA on the Astros. The Astros are Starting Pitcher savants, so a below average ERA with that squad doesn't give me much confidence that Keuchel can be successful afterward. His SIERA entering yesterday was 4.51, with a pedantic 17.5% K Rate. No thanks
