The Cleveland Guardians traded Canadian right-hander Cal Quantrill to the Colorado Rockies for minor-league catcher Kody Huff on Friday.
The move comes after the Guardians designated Quantrill for assignment on Tuesday.
Quantrill battled a shoulder injury and underperformance in 2023, pitching to a 5.24 ERA over 19 starts and 99.2 innings while striking out just 58 hitters on the season.
The Guardians had just a week to either trade Quantrill or try to pass him through outright waivers where he could have been claimed by any team.
A native of Port Hope, Ont., Quantrill started the season as the ace of Team Canada during the World Baseball Classic but struggled in his lone start against Great Britain.
Quantrill is projected to make $6.6 million in arbitration this off-season, according to MLB Trade Rumors.
Prior to his disappointing 2023, the 28-year-old had emerged as a top-of-the-rotation arm in Cleveland. Between 2020-22, he owned a 3.08 ERA over 368 innings pitched while racking up a 25-8 record.
The Rockies are in serious need of pitching help after finishing the 2023 campaign with an MLB-worst 5.68 ERA.
Huff, 22, spent all of 2023 in low-A Fresno, slashing .262/.357/.374 with five home runs in 86 games. He was Colorado’s seventh-round pick in the 2022 MLB draft.