Diamondbacks Sign Pitcher Blake Cederlind

0:00It's April 10th. Welcome in. This is MLB News Today, where the game meets AI. I'm Corey with the story. The Arizona Diamondbacks just added some pitching depth with a minor league signing of Rayhander Blake Cedarland. This 30-year-old vet was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the fifth round back in 2016, and he made a quick one-year jump to. The majors in the shortened 2020 season, tossing just four innings, after that debut, things got rough for Cedarland. He missed all of 2021 and 2022 with a UCL injury that needed Tommy John surgery, then bounced between the Pirates and Padres in 2023 before getting released. He hasn't pitched professionally since, sitting out 2024 and 2025 entirely. Fans and analysts aren't buzzing much about this move, seeing it as low-risk depth for the system. Cedarland shifted from starter to reliever early on, and his brief big league time showed a hard sinker touching 98.2 miles per hour, plus a cutter and slider.

1:04But those numbers are six years old, pre-surgery. He's been assigned to the Arizona Complex League for now, with a minor league career ERA, around 535, in limited time, above AA. There's a tie to D-backs assistant GM Jeremy Blake, who worked Pirates pitching development during Cedarland's peak stretch. Word is, don't expect him in a big row anytime soon, unless injuries hit hard up top. This feels like a flyer on a guy rebuilding velocity, keeping Arizona's options open as spring ramps up.