The Los Angeles Angels need to fill a vacancy in their starting rotation following the loss of Garrett Richards last Wednesday. On Tuesday, Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen left the game with rib discomfort, but will play tonight against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Yesterday we talked about some pitching options for the LA Angels after it was announced that Wade LeBlanc - the starter who filled in for the loss of Garrett Richards - would be taken out of the rotation as a result of his poor outing against the Miami Marlins (3 1/3 innings, seven hits and six runs). New York Mets pitcher Bartolo Colon looked like the Angels best bet, but his $11 million salary in 2015 would put the Angels over the luxury tax limit and the Mets are reportedly unwilling to pay any part of his salary in a trade.
But now, Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times believes that Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Trevor Cahill could be an option for Los Angeles. The 26-year-old right-hander missed over a month this season while he was on the disabled list with a hip contusion. Prior to his DL stint, Cahill was used as a reliever, but when he returned, the D-Backs put him back in the starting rotation. In eight starts since coming off the DL, Cahill is 2-3 with a 4.37 ERA, but received two no decisions in outings where he went beyond six innings and gave up two runs or fewer. Although he is owed $12 million next season, the Diamondbacks are willing to pay some of his salary, which could attract the Angels.
It was mentioned yesterday that Jonathon Niese, Scott Feldman and Colon were viable options because they cleared waivers, but their salaries posed a problem for the Angels' 2015 salary cap. Additionally, the Mets willingness to trade Niese is unknown as is the Astros' willingness to pay some of Feldman's salary, so the Angels will have to look for pitchers who haven't cleared waivers and talk to some teams about a trade.
Also reported yesterday, the reigning NL MVP Andrew McCutchen left last night's game against the St. Louis Cardinals and the Pirates feared he may have re-injured his fractured rib that he suffered earlier this month. McCutchen was activated from the disabled list last Tuesday and is batting .258 with three home runs and four RBIs since his return. The Pirates are just one game behind the San Francisco Giants for the second wild card spot and they can't afford to be without their best player down the stretch.
But it appears they won't be missing his presence. The outfielder says he expects to play in the series finale on Wednesday night against the Cardinals, according to NBC Sports HardballTalk. McCutchen apparently aggravated the injury making a catch against the outfield wall and then left the game after his next at-bat, but the Bucs will see him suit up tonight and can let out a sigh of relief.
