Pitchers? We Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Pitchers.
By KURT HELIN
Updated 10:24 AM PST, Mon, Jan 5, 2009
Brad Penny has gone to Boston. Derek Lowe is outta here, even if he hasn’t figured out where he’s going to land. Greg Maddux has hung up his cleats.
Combined, that’s 58 starts and 22 wins gone from the Dodgers starting rotation last season. And to replace them this winter the Dodgers have done… nada. Zip. Zilch. And Ned Colletti doesn’t seem to be bothered by this in the least. The Dodgers have made no big moves to bring in a pitcher, focusing instead on Manny Ramirez and looking for a sucker that wants Andruw Jones.
Of course, part of the problem might be the quality of pitchers still out there is not thrilling. But still, the Dodgers need arms.
They have a few. The Dodgers will bring back Chad Billingsley, Hiroki Kuroda and Clayton Kershaw to their starting lineup. That’s three solid starters, although none would be considered a true number one starter (unless you thing Billingsley is going to take a big step forward).
Jason Schmidt is still around and getting paid way too much. He was a number one starter. Want to bet on that returning?
There are in house options for the Dodgers: Eric Stults for one. James McDonald could be moved into the rotation. But that would leave a lot of youth and a manager in Joe Torre that likes his veterans.
The Dodgers need at least one more starter, the problem is who do they get?
One veteran still out there is Ben Sheets, the Milwaukee veteran starter who had 13 wins last year but is likely to get injured just walking out to the mound. He could be had for a short-term deal (he made $12 million last season) but it would cost the Dodgers a first-round pick in compensation. That’s a healthy risk for an unhealthy pitcher.
After that the pickings get slim: Oliver Perez, the erratic 26-year-old lefty most recently of the Mets; Randy Wolf of the Astros; Jon Garland of the Angels.
Not ideal, but it’s not like the Dodgers have a lot of options
Copyright NBC Local Media
First Published: Jan 5, 2009 10:20 AM PST
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