MLB fans chuckle as Minnesota Twins give Dallas Kuechel a shot at career redemption: "Pitch him against the White Sox so they can get back to .500"
The Minnesota Twins are trying 2015 American League Cy Young Award winner Dallas Kuechel on for size, signing the 35-year-old pitcher to a minor league contract on Thursday.
Keuchel, the one-time ace of the Houston Astros, helped pitch the team to its first World Series title in 2017, but quickly fell off the table thereafter.
He pitched for three different MLB teams in 2022, totalling a 2-9 record with a 9.20 ERA over 14 games with the Chicago White Sox, Arizona Diamondbacks and Texas Rangers.
Dallas Keuchel is signing minors deal with Twins
Minnesota Twins manager Rocco Baldelli told reporters that signing Dallas Kuechel to a minor league deal is a low-risk, potentially high-reward scenario for the American League Central leaders.
"We're glad to have him in the organization and to give him an opportunity to go out there and pitch and show all the things that he's been working on," Baldelli said.
However, fanbases around the league figure the Twins have found fool's gold.
@JonHeyman Pitch him against the White Sox so they can get back to .500
@JonHeyman About 5 years too late.
@JonHeyman Hang it up already
According to reports, Dallas Kuechel has been working with an organization called Driveline Baseball to improve his metrics. He reportedly has increased his velocity from 87.2 to 89 mph by working on his mechanics.
Yet, 89 mph is still not "blazing" by any stretch of the imagination. Many fans still question the logic of the signing, because while the Minnesota Twins are barely hanging on to the lead of the worst division in baseball with a 38-38 record, the team's pitching has not been the problem.
@JonHeyman 15.00+ ERA looking good I guess. I thought that Arizona league would’ve been his last destination in baseball, lol.
@JonHeyman He’s still in the league? Lol
@JonHeyman this is the most Twins signing of all time
While the MLB world chuckles, many Minnesota Twins fans are rubishly excited by the move. We're not certain if they don't realize that time travel does not exist and Minnesota is not getting the 2015-2017 Keuchel, but many fans still get excited just by seeing a name that they recognize.
@JonHeyman Reloading with a Cy Young Award Winner
@JonHeyman Twins are so back!
Best rotation in the league with Keuchel!
@JonHeyman surely this solves all of our problems
Keuchel's performance dropped off quickly following the Astros' 2017 title. He pitched his final season with Houston in 2018, compiling a 12-11 record and 3.74 ERA.
He pitched for the Atlanta Braves in 2019, going 8-8 with a 3.75 ERA before returning to the AL with the White Sox in 2020. In 49 starts over three years with Chicago, he went 17-16 with a 4.79 ERA.
@JonHeyman You know there’s something dignified about a player who knows when it’s over…
Minnesota Twins don't really need Dallas Kuechel
The Twins' pitching has been keeping the team afloat despite Minnesota's woeful hitting. The Twins are fifth in the majors with a staff ERA of 3.71.
However, as the adage goes, "you can never have enough pitching." In 268 major league games, Keuchel has a 101-91 record and a 3.98 ERA.