According to reports, free agent Tyler Chatwood signs a three-year deal with the Chicago Cubs worth $38 million. The deal keeps him in a Cubs uniform through the 2021 season.
Tyler Chatwood's contract with #Cubs is worth around $40 million over 3 years, source says. @MLB @MLBNetwork
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) December 7, 2017
Tyler Chatwood signs with the Chicago Cubs
Chatwood, 27, played 33 games for the Colorado Rockies last season. He posted a 8-15 record with a 4.69 ERA last season. Chatwood’s 15 losses is a career high for him. Although Chatwood’s 7.9 H/9 (hits per nine innings) attributed to his ERA, he was playing in Coors field where the ball easily flies out of the park. With a 107 ERA+, Chatwood actually pitched better than his regular ERA shows because of the ballpark he was playing in. He was able to rack up a high 7.5 K/9. He was an average defender on the mound last season, posting a 0 dWAR (defensive Wins Above Replacement) but he was able to record a 2.1 WAR in 2017.
Chatwood has spent six seasons in the majors. He broke into the league with the Los Angeles Angels, and then was traded to the Rockies in 2012; where he spent the last five seasons. He has pitched a career 4.31 ERA with 438 strike outs in 647.2 innings, and has appeared in 130 games in his career.
Chatwood comes out of Redlands, CA and was drafted by the Angels out of high school in the 2008 Amateur draft. Chatwood was a second round draft pick. He made his debut with the Angels in 2011 against the Cleveland Indians. In his debut, Chatwood went five innings giving up four runs, four hits, four walks in a losing effort. He did however pick up three strike outs.
Signing Chatwood was huge for the Cubs. With the uncertainty of Jake Arrieta returning to Chicago, the Cubs picked up a reliable right-hander for a rather cheap price. Arrieta helped the Cubs break their century-old title drought in 2016, and also led Chicago to three straight NLCS appearances. These accolades will surely make Arrieta an expensive commodity this off-season. Chatwood’s experience playing in Colorado should help the Cubs keep the ball in the ballpark. For Chatwood, playing at Wrigley should help show the Cubs and other teams around the league, how valuable a pitcher Tyler Chatwood actually is.
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