Tide turning to young arms
Posted: Friday, June 12, 2009 4:39 PM
This week Freddy Garcia signed with White Sox, and Orlando “El Duque” Hernandez signed with Texas. Both are low-risk minor-league deals. But both struck me in contrast to a visit to the Oakland Coliseum yesterday.
Minnesota was in town and we all know the Twins have thrived with a “home-grown” starting rotation (Francisco Liriano was acquired via trade, but was in Double-A at the time and was developed as a Twin). Oakland has emulated that mode by remaking its rotation around Brett Anderson, Trevor Cahill, Vin Mazzaro, and Josh Outman, all of whom spent 2008 in the minors. Add Dallas Braden, a 25-year-old A’s draftee, and Oakland has a young rotation all of its own making.
With player costs escalating and the economy crashing, are we seeing veteran pitchers as fallout? Doesn’t it seem that teams no longer automatically give eighth and ninth chances to aging arms hopeful of squeezing from their career every day and dollar? Doesn’t it appear that teams will go young, at the risk of rushing talent, rather than old?
Does that explain why Pedro Martinez is still unsigned? Word is that Martinez doesn’t do cheap. He is not interested in a low-base, high-incentive deal. So teams, who know that Martinez has a limited number of pitches left in his tattered shoulder (perhaps fewer than he is willing to admit), are either unwilling to pay or will wait until an August moment of utter desperation. Reports have it that the Rays and Cubs recently watched Martinez throw in the Dominican Republic so maybe teams are playing a waiting game just like Martinez.
Tom Glavine claims his stunning release was purely motivated by Atlanta’s desire to save money (BTW, this is the second ugly divorce for Glavine from the Braves and it’s hard to ever imagine a reconciliation).
Jon Lieber (said to be retired), Esteban Loaiza, Steve Trachsel (went to spring with San Diego), and Paul Byrd are unsigned. No one tried very hard to coax one more year out of Kenny Rogers. And there seems to be scant interest in the 32-year-old oft-injured Mark Mulder.
Perhaps Garcia and El Duque will start a trend of one more chance to the down and out veteran pitchers. I surmise someone gives Martinez a chance in the summer heat of a pennant race, but I think the tide is turning dramatically towards the young arms.
FIVE SWINGS:
1. Heath Bell is 18-19 in save chances. Ryan Franklin is 13-14. Brad Lidge has six blown saves, and has landed on the DL. And you wonder why the stat analysts populating front offices diminish the value of closers?
2. Talked to Twins staff and they believe Toronto’s early-season play was the best they have seen in the AL. But Ron Gardenhire issued a caveat that Texas knows well, “we haven’t seen a healthy Angels team.”
3. What money will do…checked the AL stats after over two weeks in Paris. Standing 1-2 in OPS are the Yankees and Boston. Impressive is Tampa’s league-leading run total while equally unimpressive is Seattle’s woeful last-place total of less than four runs per game.
4. In the Manny-free zone, the Dodgers are second to Philadelphia in NL runs per game. Given their ballpark, and the extended absence of their top hitter, it is one of the astounding achievements that have fueled a dazzling first half.
5. Sixty games in to the schedule and does anyone hear praise for Cito Gaston in Toronto, Bruce Bochy in San Francisco or Dusty Baker in Cincinnati? All three managers have their teams in contention. None were expected. Ron Washington would have been in this group, but his contract extension was picked up by the Rangers in recognition of their division-leading status.
