The Los Angeles Angels acquired left-hander Tucker Davidson and Jesse Chavez in a salary dump trade that sent Raisel Iglesias to the Atlanta Braves this past season, but Davidson’s short time with the club left a lot to be desired moving forward.
Davidson was a top-10 prospect in the Braves system, and even made his way up to No. 2 and started Game Five of the 2021 World Series. But his regression has been quite glaring. After he burst onto the Major League Baseball scene with a 3.60 ERA, in 12 games this past year he posted a 6.75 ERA.
The 26-year-old had an elevated FIP in 2021, and it hinted at some glaring issues, which would have given the Braves some motivation to move off of the former 19th-round pick in the 2016 MLB Amateur Draft.
He compiled a 1-5 record in eight starts for the Angels after the trade, with a 6.87 ERA, 6.30 FIP with a 0.6% strikeout-to-walk ratio.
The Angels have a chance to work with Davidson with the hope he figures out his problems, but the bright spot is he has a relative amount of team control and the club has enough depth to give him that time.
But the Braves weren’t going to give up much value in a pure salary dump move to take on the entirety of Iglesias’ contract, and there shouldn’t be much to expect from Davidson unless some deep fixes occur.
Tucker Davidson 2022 highlight
Davidson had no really solid outings with the Angels last season, but when with the Braves he tossed five shutout innings against the Milwaukee Brewers on May 17, striking out three while allowing three hits, earning the win.
It would be his first of two wins on the year, his second coming three months later while a member of the Angels on Aug. 14.
2023 outlook
Davidson is under team control until 2028 and isn’t eligible for arbitration for a few more years in 2025, so the Angels will do whatever it takes to get production from him, which will likely come in a rotation depth role. However, it wouldn’t be a shocker if the team designates him for assignment if a roster spot is needed.
Still, as a former top prospect, the Angels will hope they can unlock some of that upside and turn him into a productive piece for their ball club.
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