Reds claim Dan Straily, competent pitcher, off waivers

Dan Straily is 6'2, went to Marshall University, and is now a Cincinnati Red.

The righty came up through the Oakland A's organization before becoming a centerpiece to the Jeff Samardzija trade (Cubs) and then heading over to the Astros for Dexter Fowler. Homeboy's always had high strikeout rates and not-too-shabby walk rates in the minors but he hasn't really put it together in the Bigs quite yet.

"Thundering" Dan Straily was the subject of a Fangraphs piece just a bit ago that detailed his offseason workout regime: he was having trouble getting his fastball back to the low-90s, so he worked on some new drills and I dunno, like, wore a mask while working out because Tom Hardy made that seem really bada$$ in the last Batman movie worth watching.

He's a reclamation project, to be sure. But the Reds can afford one of those, especially if it means giving Stephenson a bit more time to learn and Melville a bit more time the hell away from the mound. The Padres couldn't use him because they were trying to make room for Rule 5 pick Jabari Blash, who is named Jabari Blash.

Straily has upside for the rotation and could be a swingman if necessary. It's a little concerning that two teams already spent Spring Training determining that he was cooked, but maybe the Reds know something they don't! Besides knowing that they need to plug that rotation oh-so-badly, that is.