Revisiting the Mike Clevinger trade
With Mike Clevinger set to make his return to the Padres rotation today, it's time to remember how he got here and what the team paid for him.
Today is a big day. Mike Clevinger is set to start for the San Diego Padres against his former team, the Cleveland Guardians. It has been 587 days since he last pitched in an MLB game, and a lot has happened in the time since.
When healthy, Clevinger is one of the most effective starting pitchers in baseball. He went 41-20 with a 2.96 ERA from 2017 to 2020 before injuring his arm and requiring the dreaded 2nd Tommy John surgery to fix it.
The history of pitchers finding success after getting that surgery a 2nd time is short. But the Padres are hoping that Clevinger can at least find some of that old magic for one season. I doubt they’re thinking about long-term just yet.
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