Twins Claim Brooks Raley from Cubs

According to MLB Trade Rumors (via Mark Gonzales), the Minnesota Twins have claimed left-handed pitcher Brooks Raley from the Chicago Cubs. He takes the 40th roster spot vacated earlier this month by Andrew Albers.

The lefty was the Cubs 6th round pick in 2009 out of Texas A&M University. He made five starts in 2012 for the Cubs, and made nine relief appearances in 2013. Combined, he has 38.1 MLB innings and sports a 7.04 ERA. Raley is 6-3 and 220 pounds. He is 25 years old.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]

Last year in AAA Iowa (of the PCL), he posted a 4.46 ERA over 141.1 innings. He had just 95 strikeouts to go with 45 walks. However, in 2012, he posted a 3.62 ERA in 14 starts in the Pacific Coast League.

Raley does have a four-pitch mix. He has a fastball that averaged 89 mph last year with the Cubs. He also throws a lot of sliders, usually in the low-80s. He also has a changeup and a curveball.

Frankly, he sounds an awful lot like Scott Diamond. The 2012 Diamond would be terrific for a team. The 2013 version, maybe not. It's also entirely possible that the Twins will now attempt to pass him through waivers.