In a move that set the trend for what was to come under Los Angeles Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, the club acquired Juan Nicasio from the Colorado Rockies last November in effort to bolster the pitching staff.
Nicasio and the Dodgers avoided arbitration for the 2015 season by agreeing to a $2.3 million contract. He earned $2.025 the year prior.
Nicasio went on to appear in 53 games, posting a 3.86 ERA, 2.83 FIP and 1.56 WHIP. He was one of two players — Lisalverto Bonilla being the other — non-tendered by the Dodgers earlier this month.
The 29 year old wasn’t a free agent for long as according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, Nicasio agreed to a one-year contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates:
Source: Nicasio is one year, $3M with #Pirates.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 10, 2015
Opponents hit .237/.329/.331 off Nicasio during the first half of 2015. He owned a 3.41 ERA and 1.41 WHIP over 29 games (37 innings) prior to the All-Star break.
Nicasio struggled a bit after returning from the 15-day disabled list in late August and was left off the Dodgers’ National League Division Series roster.
In 24 games in the second half, Nicasio had a 4.64 ERA and 1.83 WHIP. He did however, manage to slightly increase his strikeout to walk ratio from 9.7 to 10.5 post-All-Star Game.
On the season, the right-hander fared better in 26 games on the road (2.45 ERA, 1.40 WHIP) than in 27 home games (5.28 ERA, 1.72 WHIP).
