The St. Joseph Jokers entered the off-season with a clear goal to solidify a pitching staff that posted a 4.30 ERA and finished 14th in scoring last season. GM Rick Steen took a big step in that direction Friday as they announced a four player deal with the Alamo Short Stacks. The Jokers will acquire right-handers Yu Darvish (3/$26) and Jon Gray (2FA/$5) along with outfielder Michael Brantley (2/$25) from the Stacks in exchange for catcher Omar Narvaez (2/$7) and 2022 2nd and 3rd Round Picks (21st and 31st Overall).
Darvish was a bona fide ace for his first 13 starts, posting a 2.28 ERA, 30% strikeout rate and 0.91 WHIP while averaging over 6 frames per start. Then came the crackdown on sticky stuff which left a rollercoaster of performance over his final 17 outings. A K/9 over 11 left the Jokers confident Darvish could post another 400+ point season in 2022, the final year of his $26 contract.
Gray signed a four-year, $56 million contract with the Texas Rangers in November which will be a welcome sight for his new club as he exits Coors Field. The 30-year-old made 29 starts for Colorado during the 2021 campaign and logged a 4.59 ERA and 1.33 WHIP in 149 innings. He holds a 323.0 point projection for 2022 according to CBS.
Brantley continued to fend off father time when on the field, slashing .311/.362/.437 but was limited to 121 games with a pair of IL stints. Carrying a 426.0 point projection by CBS, Brantley is set to serve as a major boost to the Jokers lineup behind Trea Turner and likely keeper Jose Abreu.
The Stacks' decision to move Gray and Darvish tips their hand that left-hander Tarik Skubal is set to hold down the 3rd spot in the rotation behind co-aces Julio Urias and Brandon Woodruff while likely retaining Emmanuel Clase and Kenley Jansen in the bullpen. Logan Gilbert will get a look this Spring, but the shortened Spring Training will likely keep him under a Minor League contract to start 2022 for the Stacks.
Without a strong catching option under contract, the addition of Omar Narvaez will give the Stacks some certainty behind the plate. Narvaez finished 2021 ranked 8th in catcher scoring, slashing .266/.342/.402 with 11 home runs and 20 doubles for the Brewers.
The addition of the 2nd and 3rd Round picks is a welcome sight to the Stacks Scouting Department. Before the deal, the club's first pick was 57th overall in the fourth round thanks to a series of 2021 trades.
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