Chad Gaudin is young and talented enough to find a major league job, even though the Yankees didn't have room for him and released him. Gaudin, 27, pitched to a 4.64 ERA in 147.1 innings last year with 8.5 K/9 and 4.5 BB/9. That's solid production (1.5 WAR) and there's no reason to expect him to decline.
Yesterday, we heard that the Mets and Dodgers are interested in the righty, though the D'Backs are not. The Phillies are looking for rotation depth, but they wouldn't be able to guarantee Gaudin a rotation spot, so he might prefer to sign elsewhere.
The Tigers could contend, but they have limited rotation depth. Jeremy Bonderman is competing with Nate Robertson and Dontrelle Willis for Detroit's last two rotation spots. Tigers manager Jim Leyland told MLB.com's Jason Beck that they've all been "OK," but it wouldn't be surprising to see the Tigers pursue Gaudin.
The Mariners could use some depth, since Cliff Lee will miss the beginning of the season. Unlike Jarrod Washburn, Gaudin has been training and could start contributing immediately.
Jaime Garcia has a good chance of beating Kyle McClellan and Rich Hill for the Cardinals' final rotation spot, so the Cards' rotation appears set for now. Even if no one offers Gaudin a rotation spot, there's a long list of clubs that could use a long reliever or swingman.
So where do you think Chad Gaudin will end up?
Chad Gaudin is not a lefty
i dont think anyone said he was….
Maybe the Indians? I think the Redbirds or Astros would be a nice fit.
I think the Cards are set. They have enough mediocre/average Starting pitching depth to justify not spending the money on another Free Agent. They’ve gotta save some cash for any mid-season trades or acquisitions they might need for the playoff hunt.
0.5MM on Chad Gaudin shouldn’t affect the Cardinals.
But why would you spend it? Blake Hawksworth, Mitchell Boggs, Kyle McClellan, Rich Hill and Jaime Garcia are all capable of being the swingman LR/SP. Why waste the money and a 40-man roster spot?
Indians or Astros i can see, but not the Cards.
Has to be the Mariners, even when Lee is back, Gaudin would outperform Snell for sure. Are the M’s smart enough to figure this out????
Tiger have better options already then gaudin. Plus they have lot of depth with Bonine , Galaraga and the loser of bonderman/willis. Hard to see the Tigers paying anymore money for a fifth starter.
It’s always fun pointing out that the Tigers have $34.5 million in salaries competing for the final starting rotation spot.
It seems obvious to me that the Nats ought to try to get him, but they haven’t been mentioned so far.
There are quite a few teams that could use this guy. My first guess is the Mets. After their horrific offseason with acquiring quality pitching, it seems like a no brainer to me. Gaudin in not Santana, but in that rotation, he could easily be their #3/4 by June.
However in no particular order, you could see the Orioles, Jays, Astros, Brewers, Nats and shoot, maybe even wind up back in San Diego.
Going to be one the seven teams I mentioned above. As Ben points out, even thought there are other teams with chances to compete this season, most those teams have rotation depth.
….and as you point out, this guy is ready for opening week, next week. There is a lot of value in that alone.
where all Yankee castoff pitchers wind up, the Pirates.
The Brewers seem like the team most in need of his services, as their rotation is horrible. Their #5 starter wouldn’t make the bullpen in Houston, that’s how bad they are. Though as an Astros fan, I’d like to see us release Brian Moehler and install Gaudin in his position as #6 starter/long reliever.
Newark Bears
Mets need this guy big time
dodgers. they need all the depth they can get. if any one of the top 4 guys goes down, this team is in trouble pitching-wise.
honestly, cant you say that for any team?
And that was said last year when Kuroda went down.. we are screwed. Id say we survived. Also, there are prospects, Jmac, Elbert and possibly Lindblom, who are ready to be starters that werent last year… we have more pitching depth than you would think, and it’s quite annoying for publications to say otherwise..
honestly, cant you say that for any team?
And that was said last year when Kuroda went down.. we are screwed. Id say we survived. Also, there are prospects, Jmac, Elbert and possibly Lindblom, who are ready to be starters that werent last year… we have more pitching depth than you would think, and it’s quite annoying for publications to say otherwise..
If Mets (or any team for that matter) “need” Chad Gaudin “big time”, they are in very, very, desperate straits!
Maybe Nats or M’s.
The Astros rotation is really no better than Milwaukee’s. We have no room for Gaudin.
So, although he’s a headcase, an out-of-options Manny Parra would not even make the Astros pen? Granted Poopan is horrible, I’ll give you that.
The Mets and M’s make the most sense to me.
Affirmative.
He makes sense for the Phillies, but I wouldn’t guarantee him a roster spot either. I think Jamie Moyer is destined for the bullpen, and replacing Kyle Kendrick with him the way they did Happ for Park last year just won’t work. Moyer is too old to bounce back and forth between the bullpen and the rotation, and still pitch effectively. They have just about 0 rotation depth, so having a guy like Gaudin to turn to would be a plus.
I dont think its the Dodgers, at least not yet. Torre was quoted today as saying the 5th starter will come from within the organization and they havent been looking outside for one..
I dont think its the Dodgers, at least not yet. Torre was quoted today as saying the 5th starter will come from within the organization and they havent been looking outside for one..
Mets or Mariners make the most sense.
Possibly an NL Central team.
The Cubs will probably need him again when Silva shows once again why they never shoulda traded Bradley for him.
The Pirates could use him and signing him would prove they want to trade Duke/Maholm this season.
The Brewers could lock him up long term because of their aging & mediocre rotation (Suppan, Wolf, Davis are all going to be over 34 after this season, Parra has a career 5.17 ERA and 6.36 last year, Bush had a 6.38 ERA last year). The only person on that team who has a better value over the next 3 years than Gaudin is Gallardo. Hell 3 of those 6 players probably won’t even be pitching 3 years from now.
A 3 year/1.5M offer with incentives (IP or GS) makes sense for any of those teams.
Tigers lost both to the DL
1. Zach Miner, long relief/spot start
2. Bobby Seay, setup man
I could definitely see the Tigers making a play for Gaudin