Brandon Finnegan

Acquired by Cincinnati in 2015 as part of the Johnny Cueto trade, Finnegan suffered through a disastrous 2018 campaign and looked nearly as bad in attempting to bounce back last season. The southpaw lost his spot on the 40-man roster in late March, went unclaimed on waivers, then posted a 6.60 ERA in 15 innings with Double-A Chattanooga. He didn't pitch competitively at all until the end of July, instead working with a third party on his mechanics and strengthening in hopes of regaining the form that made him a first-round draft pick in 2014. Finnegan did post a healthy 10.2 K/9 in his limited time last season, but there's little chance of a return to the majors unless he's able to tame his considerable command issues that have resulted in an ugly 5.7 BB/9 across all levels since 2017. Whether the Reds -- or any other team -- are willing to invest time in him moving forward is anybody's guess.

Finnegan is yet another data point demonstrating how difficult it is for pitchers to recover from shoulder injuries. Ever since he first got sidelined with what was initially disclosed as minor shoulder soreness early in 2017, Finnegan hasn't provided much cause for optimism. While 2017 was a lost season, 2018 was worse -- simply a disaster both with the Reds and at Triple-A Louisville, where he was ultimately transitioned to relief work. Finnegan's average fastball was down 2.1 mph from 2017 in his brief time with the Reds. Watch his outings in spring training. If he starts working in the 93-95 mph range, there still could be reason for hope. If it's down in the 89-91 mph area, Finnegan probably won't even go north with the big club.

Finnegan's first start of 2017 was a gem -- he threw seven shutout innings against the Phillies, striking out nine while allowing just one walk and one hit. Alas, that was the lone highlight from his season. In his next start against the Pirates, he had to get bailed out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam by Michael Lorenzen in the third inning, somehow allowing just one run on four hits and five walks. His next start was worse and he subsequently went on the DL with a shoulder problem. He made one more attempt to pitch in June and needed another trip to the DL afterward. Left in Finnegan's wake was the need to find 30 starts from a parade of starters that the Reds ran through, with predictable poor results. When healthy, Finnegan has one of the best sinkers in the game along with a plus changeup and slider, but right now he's a pitcher coming off of two shoulder strains in the prime of his development.

Finnegan took an asymmetrical path toward being in a big league rotation, first rocketing through the Royals' system as a reliever after being drafted in the first round in 2014. He didn't begin his career as a starter until mid-2015, and not in earnest until after he joined the Reds in the Johnny Cueto deal. Over the first half of the season he took his lumps, with a few good starts mixed in, but he really turned it on over the second half, posting a 2.47 ERA after the All-Star break. The key to Finnegan's surge was refining his changeup after talking to teammate Dan Straily. He then threw it more often (up to 20 percent over the end of the season), making his fastball that much more effective. Like teammate Anthony DeSclafani, he doesn't quite profile as an ace or even as a No. 2 starter, but he's looking like a solid mid-rotation starter that will net owners decent ratios and strikeouts.

Finnegan raced his way through the minors and into the major league bullpen, but it seemed that Kansas City was still looking at him as a future starter. That transition was expedited when he went to Cincinnati via the Johnny Cueto trade and was plugged into their all-rookie rotation at the end of the season. He was lit up for three home runs at St. Louis, but that was his only blip in four starts (all on the road), and even in that game he fanned seven in five innings. Finnegan showed three pitches as a starter, amplifying his changeup usage to 12 percent, and only lost a half mile per hour off of his fastball (92.5 mph average). He gets whiffs with all three offerings and cut his walks substantially while starting (3.0 BB/9, compared to 5.0 as a Reds minor leaguer). The Reds will give him a real chance at starting and even if it doesn’t all come together immediately, he should at least be a strikeout asset.

Finnegan rose quickly through the Kansas City farm system in 2014 after being drafted 17th overall in June, and showed enough promise for manager Ned Yost to be comfortable using the 21-year-old in high-leverage playoff situations down the stretch. He pitched well in those pressure-filled scenarios, though allowing five runs in his ultimate appearance left a black mark on his final stat line. The potential is certainly there, however, as Finnegan has solid command of a mid-90s fastball, in addition to both a slider and changeup. He displayed the ability to strike hitters out in the majors, fanning 14 batters in 13 innings during the regular season and playoffs. If those secondary pitches continue to develop as hoped, Finnegan could work his way into the back end of the rotation, but he can always use a fastball-slider combo in the bullpen as a fallback option. He won't have much fantasy value working in the bullpen behind Greg Holland, Wade Davis and Kelvin Herrera, but a starting role could make him an intriguing sleeper heading into 2015.