There isn't much choice for teams in search of starters, but some remaining free agens will provide rotation depth, if not dominance. Mike Hampton, Livan Hernandez, Braden Looper, Pedro Martinez, John Smoltz, Chien-Ming Wang and Jarrod Washburn are among the starters looking for jobs. Let's take a look at some of the teams with the least rotation depth:
- The Nationals have limited depth after John Lannan, Jason Marquis and Scott Olsen. Stephen Strasburg may be the most talented pitcher the Nats have, but he'll presumably have to prove it before they hand him a rotation spot. Washington is considering Wang and if that falls through, they figure to move on to others.
- The Mets haven't solidified their rotation this offseason. Smoltz is a possibility, but he's seeking $4MM, which would be an obstacle for Omar Minaya & Co.
- If the D'Backs aren't comfortable with Ian Kennedy and Billy Buckner in their rotation, they could look to free agency. They have been linked to Todd Wellemeyer and Dana Eveland recently, which suggests they would consider cheap depth options.
- The Orioles haven't been in touch with Wang or Washburn recently, but the club may want to supplement its trio of young starters. Brian Matusz, Chris Tillman and Brad Bergesen are all 24 or younger.
- Kyle Farnsworth will compete for a job in the Royals' rotation, which tells you that they don't have tons of starting pitching depth. Their interest in Erik Bedard also suggests they are open to adding arms.
- It's no secret that Jarrod Washburn would return to the Mariners, but they haven't made the lefty an offer. After Felix Hernandez and Cliff Lee, the Mariners don't have tons of certainty in their rotation.
Dana Eveland is a Blue Jay, not a FA.
He mentioned that they have been linked to Eveland and Wellemeyer to show what kind of money the D’Backs are looking to spend. Nowhere in the article did he mention that Dana Eveland was a FA.
My bad.
I just re-read my comment, and realized that I was kinda harsh about it!
Sorry!
Actually Eveland was a Free Agent at the time the D-backs were looking at him. 2 days later the Blue Jays picked him up.
How are the Mets not all over Washburn right now?? On May 1st, when the Mets are already 6 behind the Phillies and Fernando Nieve is sporting a 6 ERA, this franchise will be sorry. The Mets need to do something here
Because Washburn’s at the end of the line and the Mets bummer of a defense would not do him any favors. Then again sounds like Minaya’s kind of guy. It’s only a matter of time before they offer him 7 million.
If the Nats sign Wang, then I think they should allow the kids they have compete for the 1 or 2 remaining spots. I say 1 or 2 because it is not clear that Scott Olsen has regained his velocity yet. If he has not, he will follow John Patterson and Shawn Hill as sad releases with potential left on the table. The only difference is that Olsen has not shown the Nats anything at all yet, while the others did. The trade that brought Olsen and Willingham is still one of Jim Bowden’s best, because he gave up Emilio Bonifacio (echh) and a meh minor leaguer for both. If Olsen gets back to being average, at best, then the Nats win that trade even more.
Looper Wash and Wang will find work. All these players should expect pay cuts where ever they end up. I hope the DBacks add some lefty SP help but I’m not sure if Wash would be the answer.
I agree the Nats should allow their youngsters at least a fair shot at making the rotation out of spring training. Surprised there’s not more of a market for a vet lefty who has had success in the AL.
Are the Os just thrown in this list for the helluva it?
The Os have a lot of pitching. A lot of log jams in the minors. I don’t think they’d hand a starting job to just any other MLer because it comes at the expense of one of their young arms losing playing time.The whole point of 2010 is to give their young arms experience. It’s kind of like the main mantra for the franchise.
I mean the likelihood of actually competing is unrealistic. Great if it somehow happens, but the bottomline goal is to “grow the arms.” And, you can’t “grow” them if they sit on the bench, which they’d do if they acquired a high paid vet, so why are they on this list?
You know how these sportswriters are. They never check their facts.
LOL.
Farnsworth as a starter? god, I pray for The royals.
As if the Royals weren’t losing enough games because of him as a set-up man… let’s let the guy stay on the mound 2x-3x longer than he normally does… just to SEE what happens.
The Cardinals need veteran help as well…I don’t trust Penny and Hill (if he makes the team) over the course of a season, and LaGenius and Dunc haven’t given the kids enough work to have them ready to start.
Hahah. The Mets sign Takahashi to a minor league deal and now their rotation is set? Wow, the expectations of Mets fans sure have sunk quite low… unfortunate. I was hoping we’d at least see *some* pressure on the Phillies.