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  • Twins Claim RHP Jharel Cotton


    Seth Stohs

    According to Robert Murray, the Minnesota Twins have claimed RHP Jharel Cotton from the Texas Rangers. 

     

    Image courtesy of Jim Cowsert, USA TODAY Sports

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    Today, the Twins announced that Alexander Colome has become a free agent after his mutual option for 2022 was not picked up. 

    Teams are making roster moves, as they do every year at this time. Players are being removed from the 40-man rosters and teams will be making claims. 

    Cotton has been in the majors since 2016, but underwent Tommy John surgery in May of 2018 and hadn't returned to the majors until this year. 

    The most impressive of his 2021 work happened in AAA-Round Rock, where he pitched in 24 games, and in 42 innings, he walked 17 and struck out 57 batters. That's an eye-popping strikeout rate.

    He was promoted to the Rangers on July 30th and struggled initially, ballooning to a 6.23 ERA towards the end of August. But he had a September to remember, posting a 1.62 ERA and just a 465 OPS against. Most significantly, he walked fewer batters.

    He also seemingly changed his third pitch mix from when he last appeared in the majors. He's still throwing his fastball about half the time, but he has completely give up on a cutter to throw a standout changeup more often and .... surprise, surprise ... mix in a slider. He also occasionally throws a curveball. 

    He won't blow batters away with his velocity. Cotton averaged about 93.5 mph on his fastball, and that matches what he did before Tommy John. 

    As mentioned, he had not pitched in the big leagues since 2017 when he made 24 starts for the Oakland A's. He has missed a lot of time due to injuries, mostly to his elbow even after surgery, but the 29-year-old has always had an intriguing arm. Cotton is eligible for arbitration for the first time this offseason, with MLB Trade Rumors projecting a $1.2M salary for next year. The increased price tag likely contributed to Texas parting ways.

    The Twins have also announced the move. In addition, Rob Refsnyder was outrighted. 

     

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