The Dodgers made a move over the weekend to bolster a relief staff that has been lees than good. They claimed right-hander Casey Fien off the waiver wire on Saturday from the Minnesota Twins. Per Cary Osborne at Dodger Insider:
Between 2013 and 2015, Fien had the sixth-best strikeout-to-walk ratio among relievers in the Majors at 5.5. His 3.9 percent walk rate in that span was fifth.Charlie Wilmoth at MLB Trade Rumors writes more about him:
He had a 3.55 ERA/1.09 WHIP in 62 games for the Twins last year. However, the home-run ball hurt him this year with the Twins. He surrendered five in 13 2/3 innings and had a 7.90 ERA/1.76 WHIP in 14 appearances.
Fien allowed 12 runs and five homers in 13 2/3 innings with the Twins this season. He had been significantly more effective in the previous several seasons, however (even as his strikeout rate has progressively declined), and last year he posted a 3.55 ERA with 5.8 K/9 and an excellent 1.1 BB/9 over 63 1/3 frames. He also hasn’t shown a significant loss of velocity in 2016 as compared to last season. Fien clearly seems able to throw strikes, but that tendency might sometimes get him into trouble, as he’s an extreme fly-ball pitcher.