With the starting pitching market nearly bare, teams in need of pitching can look back to Justin Duchscherer's 2008 and his limited action in 2010 and dream big. Since Oakland converted their longtime setup man to a starter, he's posted a 2.60 ERA through 169 2/3 innings. His rate stats are excellent (7.1 H/9, 0.7 HR/9, 2.4 BB/9, 6.0 K/9) as well.
Unfortunately for interested teams and for Justin himself, it's taken Duchscherer three years to accumulate those numbers because of injuries. Now a free agent, the 33-year-old has narrowed his options and is choosing between Washington, Baltimore, and Seattle. Several reports have said he prefers the East Coast so he can be closer to his son in New Jersey, but there's no indication that Seattle is out of the running by any means despite that.
None of the three jump out as immediate contenders in 2011, but all three need pitching depth and can offer a chance to rebuild his stock and prove his health in order to land a much larger deal next offseason. Last week, 34.5% of the 18,000+ MLBTR readers polled agreed that Duchscherer was the best remaining free agent pitcher. Let's get your take once again:
I was hoping my jays were going to get in on this one I’d be much more comfortable going into the season with him as our fifth guy more than litsch and if he doing good flip him at the deadline for prospects.
Makes sense to me
He’s going to want to stay in the familiar AL West and roomy Safeco Field is a pitcher’s dream. He will go to Seattle.
Nats have a fairly pitcher friendly park, and they face off against other pitcher friendly parks (aside from Citizens Bank, but lets be fair Mariners gotta go to Texas) primarily. Theres also the NL factor.
Part of the NL factor is having to bat, and I’m sure with all his recent injuries, he wants nothing to do with that. One thing the O’s and Nat’s have going for them is that I guess his son lives in Jersey, and he wants to be close to him. And Seattle is about as far as you can get.
Hmm.. Which city is the least depressing?
Seatle is pretty darn depressing…not only the team but the city as well!
Why isn’t NY going after this guy? Instead they’d rather have Colon and Prior. It’s nice to be a Red Sox fan right now =].
Yes, it really is.
maybe its a money thing for NY
that’s a good one.
Bill Ladson tweets the Nationals have offered a rotation job and don’t see him as a reliever. That has to increase their odds.
Who cares where he signs. He’ll be hurt by the end of April.
You read my mind. I don’t see why they’re making it a big deal. He will be hurt in no time.
But at least he’ll probably pitch well for 5 innings a game for a while at least…
Bartolo Colon will just pitch poorly 5 innings a game, and you’ll hope that he gets hurt…
but I suppose Duschscherer will get a better contract…