The client did not play in 2015 after suffering a right elbow injury which required Tommy John surgery. The team’s efforts to rebuild the starting rotation is better served without Arroyo taking innings from any of the Reds’ young starting pitchers. Former superstar Dan Uggla, who also came with a strong resume and clubhouse reputation, ended up on the Nationals bench for most of the 2015 season after signing a minor league deal.
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Will Arroyo challenge for a role in the Nationals’ rotation, or start the year as rotation depth? The Reds started rookie pitchers for the final 64 games of last season.
First, he was traded from the Diamondbacks to the Atlanta Braves in a trade that sent the 16th overall pick in the 2014 MLB Draft, Touki Touissant, to Arizona.
“I wanted to give the Reds every opportunity to keep me”, Arroyo told MLB.com.
The Nationals rotation is made up of Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez, Joe Ross and Tanner Roark.
The possibility of signing him makes a lot of sense because it will reunite him with manager Dusty Baker, the same man who Arroyo worked with during his days with the Cincinnati Reds from 2008 up to 2013. His base salary of $2M will be a bargain if Arroyo can regain the form he displayed with the Reds over his career in Cincinnati.
In his last full season in the majors in 2013 with the Reds, Arroyo was (14-12) with a 3.79 ERA, a 4.49 FIP, 34 walks (1.51 BB/9) and 124 Ks (5.52 K/9) in 32 starts and 202 innings pitched.
As for the Reds, the team quite simply didn’t need him. From 2004-13, he averaged 207 innings pitched. It’s a minor league deal so the Nationals pretty much have nothing to lose even if Arroyo doesn’t pan out.
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If an offer from the Nationals surfaces, it certainly would be good news for him who is looking to have another crack at a major league stint this season.
