The Philadelphia Phillies made the trade. The Phillies have acquired right-handed relief pitcher Michael Rucker from the Chicago Cubs for cash, the team announced this afternoon. To make room on the 40-man roster, pitcher Andrew Bellatti was designated for assignment.
The Phillies acquired right-handed pitcher Michael Rucker from the Chicago Cubs for cash. To make room for Rucker on the 40-man roster, right-handed pitcher Andrew Bellatti was designated for assignment.
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) February 6, 2024Rucker’s move comes at a time when the free agent market for quality relief pitchers has thinned significantly in recent weeks. Two Phillies targets were signed to new teams earlier this week. Phil Maton reportedly reached an agreement with the Tampa Bay Rays and Jakob Junis reached an agreement with the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday night.The Cubs assigned Rucker on February 1 to make room for recently signed former Phillies relief pitcher Héctor Neris.What should Phillies fans expect from Michael Rucker?Although it’s a small deal, the 29-year-old Rucker has risen in his short MLB career. The right-hander, drafted by the Cubs in the 11th round of the 2016 draft out of BYU, will make his 20-game debut in Chicago in 2021. Last season,
Rucker was 2-1 with a 4.91 ERA and 40 strikeouts. 40 1/3 innings in 35 games.
In 2022, Rucker had a great season in the Cubs bullpen. In 40 games, Rucker went 3-1 with a 3.95 ERA, 50 strikeouts in 54 2/3 innings. In his career, Rucker is 5-2 with a 4.96 ERA and 120 strikeouts in 123 1/3 major league innings.According to Baseball Savant, Rucker has four pitches and his main offerings are the four-seam, cutter and slider. His 85.8 mph slider was very effective in 2023, as opponents managed just four hits (all singles) and a .133 batting average while striking out 14 times with a 51 percent strikeout rate. His four-seamer has a 94.
6 mph fastball and was less effective last season, but has a .222 average and 14 RBIs in 2022.The Phillies obviously see something positive in Rucker. It’s possible he’ll bring back his four-seam fastball in 2024 and dominate hitters with his plus slider. Every season, players like Rucker emerge and find roles in good leagues. Can we watch this season and the Jeff Hoffman version? That’s what the Phillies may have had in mind with this move.
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