Jays Top 5 Off-Season Needs: 5th Starter

by bunner on Nov 17, 2010 11:17 AM EST

I’m not sure this is so much a ‘need’ as it is to determine what is the best fit to fill the role. The Jays have plenty of internal depth to fill this role but could also look outside the organization for an upgrade.

Internal Candidates: There’s a lot of internal depth here: Kyle Drabek, Shawn Hill, ~~Mark~~ (can't believe i got the last name right and screwed up the first name) Marc Rzepczynski, Scott Richmond, Brad Mills, Robert Ray and Zach Stewart would be the top internal candidates.

External Candidates: On the free agent market the list is led by Cliff Lee and also includes Jorge De La Rosa, Carl Pavano, Aaron Harang and Javier Vazquez. There are also some FA starters who are coming off injury and could be looking to prove healthy: Rich Harden, Erik Bedard, Jeff Francis and Chris Capuano among them. On the trade market you will mainly find over-paid starters (Zito, Kazmir, Wolf, Lowe or Zambrano) and starters that will cost a kings ransom (Greinke, Garza, Shields, Nolasco, Danks and Wandy Rodriguez).

Likely Scenario: With the depth of starting pitchers in the system I think this spot will be filled internally. Kyle Drabek will open the season as the 5th starter barring a spring meltdown with Scott Richmond, Shawn Hill or Marc Rzepczynski making the bullpen as a swingman in case Drabek struggles or one of the others gets injured.

Pie in the Sky: I was going to say sign Cliff Lee, but that is too obvious and to me there’s something about Cliff Lee that screams "I’m not a team player, I’m just in it for the money" and that is not the type of player you want around a rebuilding team (though not sure he’s much different then Manny in that respect). So I’ll go with having the healing gods strike Dustin McGowan with a new shoulder, arm, elbow, knee, left ear, right eye or whatever else is bothering him and he returns to the rotation as the ace he was starting to develop into.

Up Next: Bench

Tweet Comment 18 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

note

The assumption here is the top 4 SP roles are filled by Marcum, Morrow, Cecil and Romero (not any particular order).

by bunner on Nov 17, 2010 11:20 AM EST reply actions

I kept reading the title as needing a 4th and 5th starter and it was confusing me…

Eternal Hope
Twitter is the thing with all the tweets...

by JohnnyG on Nov 17, 2010 11:42 AM EST reply actions

ya, sorry kinda confusing

by bunner on Nov 17, 2010 12:05 PM EST up reply actions

fixed it

by bunner on Nov 17, 2010 12:06 PM EST up reply actions

I think McGowan’s starting days are over. If he comes back, I think the Jays will try to turn him into a closer, and he definitely has the stuff for that role.

by siggian on Nov 17, 2010 12:38 PM EST reply actions

i actually agree 100%

I was saying this last year around this time and was told i was crazy :)

by bunner on Nov 17, 2010 1:55 PM EST up reply actions

You’re crazy man….

Daves not here man….

Eternal Hope
Twitter is the thing with all the tweets...

by JohnnyG on Nov 17, 2010 3:03 PM EST up reply actions

Regarding Cliff Lee...

…Why can’t a guy be both out for the best contract they can get and a team player? I don’t see how one precludes the other.

Of course there’s exactly zero chance he becomes a blue jay, just wondering what your rationale is on the whole ‘not a team player’ thing.

by Spitballer on Nov 17, 2010 4:38 PM EST reply actions

don't think it can't be both

but I think Cliff Lee doesn’t seem like a team player…not sure why or what it is about him but that’s the vibe I get.

by bunner on Nov 17, 2010 9:22 PM EST up reply actions

If he pitches like he has, I don't care if he's a team player or not...

he’d help the team win.

by Tom Dakers on Nov 18, 2010 12:10 PM EST up reply actions

Nothing to add but

Good work on these fanposts. Good reads and good discussion.

Agree with you on this. I would like those 5; but also would like Grienke in TO. Not sure that is realistic though. I like having Marcum lead the young staff.

by Rhinos on Nov 17, 2010 8:48 PM EST reply actions

I've actually always thought that Marcum and Grienke are sort of similar pitchers

though Grienke is better, they’re cut from the same cloth on the mound in a way

"Let us go forth awhile, and get better air in our lungs. Let us leave our closed rooms... The game of ball is glorious." - Walt Whitman

by hugo on Nov 17, 2010 9:41 PM EST up reply actions

I like the way we’re set up going in to the season.

If we go in with the pitchers we’ve got, we’re giving alot of innings to solid pitchers who all have the potential to improve. It’s quite the sweet spot, having guys all at good spots on their career curve.

Heck, even if we traded one, I don’t think Scrabble would be a huge downgrade from Marcum. I’m also not convinced Cecil will hold on to a spot all year, and that sort of competition is awesome.

by Sivvi on Nov 17, 2010 9:59 PM EST reply actions

Shawn Hill

Well, we can strike Shawn Hill off the ‘potential’ list. I can’t understand why the Jays let him go for nothing. He pitched well at the end of the season, and starters are always in demand for someone.

by Defense Counts! on Nov 17, 2010 10:29 PM EST reply actions

Must of us speculated that he saw the writing on the wall and odds were he wasn’t making the starting MLB Roster and asked to be released.

Eternal Hope
Twitter is the thing with all the tweets...

by JohnnyG on Nov 17, 2010 11:06 PM EST up reply actions

Most likely he was told he’s going into the pen and he didn’t like that idea. He asked for his release and got it. I’ll be the Jays have told him that if he can’t find a team to give them a call.

by siggian on Nov 18, 2010 9:49 AM EST up reply actions