Storen for Later?
Earlier this afternoon, the Cincinnati Reds made it official that they had signed right-handed relief pitcher, Drew Storen, to a one-year deal. The deal is worth $3 million dollars and includes $1.5 million dollars in incentive bonuses as well as a $500,000 dollar payout were Storen traded to a different team during the 2017 season.
The last part of the statement above begs the question: will Storen be stored for trade bait later on in the 2017 season or will he be in a Reds uniform through the conclusion of the coming season? That answer has yet to be seen, but a valid argument could be made that Cincinnati will likely look to rebuild Storen's value and trade him off to a contender come the trade deadline for a prospect or two in return depending on how Storen is doing at that point.
Storen himself is coming off of a rocky 2016 season which followed a rough 2015 where he found himself injured with an uncertain future, but with a good bit of success. Last season, Storen started out the year with the Blue Jays where he struggled posting a 6.21 ERA in 33.1 IP. Later on, he was eventually traded to the Seattle Mariners in exchange of reliever, Joaquin Benoit, where he did fairly better albeit in a smaller sample size, putting up a 3.44 ERA in 18.1 IP.
In regards to the 2017 season, it is fairly simple to see why the Reds would want to take a one-year flyer on a pitcher like Drew Storen. Not only does he provide some veteran leadership in a Cincinnati Reds bullpen that is both old and young, he is also a pitcher who could very easily return to his form of 2011, 2012, and 2014.
During those three seasons alone, 2011, 2012, and 2014, Storen combined to put up a 2.11 ERA in 162 IP. For example, look at the 2014 season, where Storen posted a 1.12 ERA in 56.1 IP with the Washington Nationals. He recorded 46 strikeouts during that span, had a 0.97 WHIP, a home run-per-9 ratio of 0.3, and a walks-per-9 ratio of 1.8. Those alone are very good numbers for a reliever and would provide a big boost for a Cincinnati Reds bullpen that posted a 5.09 ERA in 583.0 IP last season, the second highest in the league behind the Colorado Rockies.
Although the move might be considered questionable by some, it could end up paying off especially if Storen returns to his form of earlier seasons in his career and proves to other teams how valuable he can be at the back end. If things don't work out, then Cincinnati is only committed for one season and can easily move on from him come next winter.
