What’s the saying, “It’s cheaper to keep ‘er”? Dodgers once again have a surplus of pitching but need depth around the infield – is there anyone who would take a broken starting pitcher?
Now that anxiety has passed over with Japanese star Masahiro Tanaka signing with the Yankees, the Los Angeles Dodgers look for other options at the end of their pitching rotation.
Hey, how bout Matt Garza?…….. Hmmm, at this moment, no, he reportedly is heading to Milwaukee to play with the Brewers (pending a physical) but no one knows what exactly is going on at this point. David Price? Max Scherzer? No, at least not for now, their heading back to their respective 2013 teams on 1-year deals.
Well, then maybe the Dodgers will break another baseball barrier and just run with a 4-man rotation? No, can’t do that…… that’s just ludicrous. Hey! How about Josh Beckett and Chad Billingsley? Well, not the most desirable options, but they may be worth the gamble.
For Beckett, a lot has changed since winning the 2003 World Series Most Valuable Player Award (Florida Marlins). What started as a slight decline in productivity has turned into a night-and-day pitcher who has looked more like Greg Oden (NBA-Miami Heat) and Percy Harvin’s (NFL-Seattle Seahawks) respective careers. After starting last season 0-5 with an ERA of 5.19 (8 starts), Beckett found himself riding the DL with Thoracic Outlet Syndrome which required the removal of one of his ribs. To say last season was a nightmare is an understatement.
Moving forward, Beckett looks to bounce back in 2014 and is reportedly in line for the fifth starter in the rotation. Is this an ideal situation for the Dodgers? Maybe not, but it’s a necessary gamble. Beckett will make $15.75 million next year, whether he has been worth that number or is worth that number is out of the question, but if the Dodgers are going to pay him, then they better get what they can out of him.
With that said, there are no guarantees he holds his spot in the rotation or even finishes the year with the team, but as the team approaches Spring Training, the Dodgers have to see what their investment is all about.
22-year-old Zach Lee may give Beckett a run for his money. Lee, who was drafted as the 28th overall pick in the 2010 Amateur Draft (Dodgers) is expected to make his MLB debut sometime this season. With the way things have gone, injuries may get Lee on the mound sooner than later.
With the back end of the rotation still under construction, Beckett makes the most sense to “ride it out” with. It’s kind of like the Matt Kemp situation, on a much smaller scale of course, if the Dodgers take the gamble on either player who didn’t make or break the 2013 NLCS run, and they do return to their form then not only will the Dodgers be dangerous, they’ll be deep.
With recently-acquired Dan Haren penciled in as one of the final two starters behind Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke, and Hyun-Jin Ryu, that fifth starter will be a tough competition. It may be Beckett’s right now, but once Billingsley returns from Tommy John Surgery, he’ll have a chip on his shoulder to prove to the world that his best years are not behind him, but he again can be a 10-12 win starter as he was from 2007-2012 (73 wins). Oh by the way, Billingsley will also be collecting $12MM in salary next season. Talk about an expensive fifth starter, between Beckett and Billingsley they’ll be expected to rob the Dodgers for $27 million next year who also went a combined 1-6 in 2013.
Careers are often over before they even get off the ground, but more often than not, Major League Baseball has had it’s fair share of players who one year are making a run at a Cy Young or MVP and then the next season battling injuries and beginning the decent on a life that was once only imagined as a child. Beckett and Billingsley are in this scenario now and as two of the eight highest paid players on the team 2014 should be a new beginning for them and play a major contribution to get the Dodgers past the NLCS.
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