May 11--The Angels on Wednesday acquired a pitcher to add to their beset starting rotation. They traded a rookie-league pitcher to Atlanta in exchange for right-hander Jhoulys Chacin, who will likely join their rotation on Saturday in Seattle.
Not long ago, the 28-year-old Chacin was Colorado's ace. But the Rockies designated him for assignment during 2015 spring training to avoid paying his full arbitration salary, and this will be his fifth organization since.
He made four major league starts for Arizona last season, with a 3.38 earned-run average, and five starts for Atlanta this year, with a 5.40 ERA. His 27-8 strikeout-walk ratio this year portends a better mark.
At 22, Chacin starred for Colorado with an improbable 3.28 ERA, considering half his starts came at Coors Field. He had a 3.60 ERA over the next three seasons, and then lost nearly 3 mph off his fastball.
So began his spiral through baseball. In a limited sample this season, Chacin has regained about half of the lost velocity. He relies heavily on a sinker to get ground balls.
The Angels sent right-hander Adam McCreery to Atlanta. McCreery, 23, has never pitched above rookie-league ball in two professional seasons.
The Angels also recalled right-hander Matt Shoemaker from triple-A Salt Lake and designated first baseman Ji-Man Choi for assignment. Choi, who had one hit in 24 plate appearances as an Angel, will go through the waiver system. If he clears, Baltimore can accept him back. If the Orioles turn that down, he can return to the Angels' organization, likely in triple-A.
Shoemaker will start Wednesday night against St. Louis. After early-season injuries to Garrett Richards and Andrew Heaney, the Angels' five-man rotation is now: Shoemaker, Chacin, Nick Tropeano, Hector Santiago and Jered Weaver.
Twitter: @pedromoura
