In May of 2015, Henderson Alvarez was placed on the Disabled List with shoulder problems and he would not return. At the time, the Miami Marlins were upset about this development. “Here is the disciplined middle-rotation starter that we need,” the front office thought after landing him in the blockbuster Jose Reyes trade. After just 51 starts with the Marlins before injuries consumed Alvarez, that excitement faded fast.
Enter the Oakland Athletics, who decided that Alvarez could be what they need at the back of their rotation. Though he was (and still is) recovering from shoulder surgery, the A’s brought in Alvarez for one year at the price of $4.25 million. Alvarez’s contract also includes $1.6 million available in incentives, so we can kind of get an idea of the confidence the A’s have in him.
There is not much to go off of in terms of 2015 production, but we do know that a pattern throughout Henderson Alvarez’s career has been a low K/9 and a high GB%, combining to form a low ERA. Sounds good to me, but I would not pay too much on draft day given the injury history.