Veteran right-hander Julio Teheran is opting out of his minor league cope with the Cubs, in response to Jon Heyman of the New York Put up. Teheran signed with the Cubs again in April after a quick stint with the Mets earlier this 12 months however now seems poised to return to the open market as a free agent.
Teheran, 33, has pitched in components of 13 large league seasons since he made his debut with the Braves again in 2011. The suitable-hander first stepped right into a full-time position with the membership as a member of their rotation again in 2013 and spent the following seven seasons in a mid-rotation position with the membership, making not less than 30 begins in every of these seasons and pitching to a 3.64 ERA (111 ERA+) with a 4.22 FIP total throughout that point. That spectacular sturdiness allowed him to submit the ninth-most innings amongst all large league pitchers throughout these seven seasons whereas making fewer begins than solely Jon Lester, Jose Quintana and Max Scherzer throughout that timeframe.
Teheran’s time with the Braves got here to an finish following the 2019 marketing campaign, nevertheless, and he’s bounced between a number of MLB organizations within the 5 years since then. He’s pitched for the Angels, Tigers, Brewers and Mets on the large league degree throughout that point and spent the 2022 marketing campaign out of affiliated ball, as an alternative pitching within the Atlantic League and Mexican League that 12 months. The suitable-hander’s outcomes on the large league degree have left one thing to be desired since he departed Atlanta; in 110 2/3 large league innings because the begin of the 2020 season, Teheran has posted a 6.10 ERA with a virtually matching 6.11 FIP whereas putting out simply 16.1% of batters confronted.
Whereas these outcomes definitely go away one thing to be desired, Teheran’s 14-appearance stint with the Brewers final 12 months, the place he posted a league-average 4.40 ERA with a 4.93 FIP in 71 2/3 innings, supplied some cause for optimism that he might nonetheless be a helpful arm on the large league degree. That was sufficient to earn Teheran a one-year large league cope with the Mets in early April, however he made solely one begin for the membership earlier than being designated for project and returning to the open market. That’s when Teheran landed with the Cubs, who on the time have been coping with accidents to Justin Steele and Jameson Taillon within the rotation whereas veteran starter Kyle Hendricks was struggling badly.
Since then, nevertheless, Steele and Taillon have returned from the shelf to hitch Shota Imanaga within the membership’s rotation and children Ben Brown and Javier Assad have impressed in beginning roles of their very own, clouding Teheran’s path again to the large leagues within the Cubs group. With the aforementioned quintet, Hayden Wesneski, and even perhaps Hendricks all forward of him on the organizational depth chart, it’s comprehensible that Teheran would favor to return to the open market in hopes of discovering a membership that may supply him a clearer path to the large leagues.
Teheran’s efficiency at Triple-A Iowa throughout his time with Chicago is unlikely to assist him in that endeavor, as he struggled badly with an 8.82 ERA in 32 2/3 innings of labor. Nonetheless, it’s definitely possible to think about a membership in want of beginning depth providing Teheran a spot of their minor league system, the place an damage or two might create a possibility for the 33-year-old to make his method again to the majors.
