Sunday April 29th, 2012

Sam Evans:  In a recent interview with The Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo, former MLB legend Pedro Martinez said that he could be ready to pitch in only twenty days. Even though Pedro was probably joking, pretty much every team in baseball could use a quality back-end starter. So in honor of Pedro’s comments, let’s look at some free agents and veteran pitchers in Triple-A that could help MLB teams this year.

John Lannan, LHP, Syracuse Chiefs (WSH AAA): Perhaps the biggest surprise with the Nationals Opening Day roster had nothing to do with a certain Bryce Harper. National’s manager Davey Johnson decided to use Ross Detwiler instead of the veteran lefty John Lannan as the Nats’ fifth starter. Lannan who had a 3.70 ERA and 4.24 xFIP in thirty-three starts last year, was demoted to Triple-A. The Nationals could definitely trade Lannan, now that Detwiler has become a quality starter in the majors. A team like the Red Sox could acquire Lannan and he could provide some value to a Boston team lacking starting pitching.

Kyle Davies, RHP, Free Agent: Kyle Davies used to be the top pitching prospect in baseball. While he does deserve credit for surviving as a major league starter for a few years, Davies never reached his potential as top of the rotation starter. Last year with the Kansas City Royals, Davies only lasted thirteen starts. Even though his ERA was 6.75, his FIP was only 4.39. If Davies pitched like that for the rest of the season, he would have been worth around 2.3 WAR. That’s better than both Colby Lewis and Chad Billingsley’s 2011 WAR totals. I’m not saying Davies can become that kind of starter, but if someone gives him a fresh start he could hang on in a MLB rotation. He’s still only twenty-nine and a team could sign him to a minor league contract and see if he’s got anything left in the tank.

Scott Kazmir, LHP, Free Agent: Another former top prospect, Kazmir, 30, actually had some great years with the old Tampa Bay Devil Rays. In over seven years in the majors, Kazmir was worth 16.6 WAR. Unfortunately, in 2010 and 2011, Kazmir was just horrendous. The main reason he was so bad was because he wasn’t striking people out. In 150 innings in 2010, Kazmir experienced a career low 5.58 K/9. In 2011, Kazmir seemed like a decent candidate to have a bounce back year. The only problem was he forgot to bring his fastball to spring training. As a pitcher who used to average a fastball velocity around 94 MPH, Kazmir was now down to 86. If Kazmir hadn’t made headlines this spring, he probably would have been forced to retire.

Despite good reports from his spring workouts, Kazmir has held out for a better contract. In February, Buster Olney reported that Kazmir was considering signing with six teams. Somehow, Kazmir came out of spring training without a team. If Kazmir can get some innings at Triple-A with a ballclub, he could possibly be pitching in the majors by the trade deadline.

Roy Oswalt, RHP, Free Agent: Okay, maybe Roy Oswalt isn’t overlooked. Still, he is the best pitcher on this list, and he is still a free agent. I don’t know what Oswalt wants. Maybe he’s looking for a multi-year contract, maybe he wants an incentive-laden contract, or maybe he just wants to be close to home. Some people assume that Oswalt will be forced to sign with a team sooner or later, but I don’t think that’s true. Remember Jermaine Dye a couple of years ago? When Dye didn’t get the contract he wanted, he sat out the whole season and eventually, retired. I think Oswalt will be a similar situation. If you don’t give him what he wants, he will be fine staying at home. He certainly has earned enough income to support an early retirement.

I remember reading a Sports Illustrated feature on Roy Oswalt about five years ago. The article portrayed him as a country gentleman who spent the majority of his offseason hunting and fishing. He did not seem reliant on baseball at all. Oswalt has been a magnificent pitcher over the last ten years, but I don’t think he needs the game anymore. From 2001 to 2011, Oswalt was nominated to three All-Star games and was worth 50.2 WAR. Not to mention, he was named the 2005 NLCS MVP, and posted a 3.73 ERA in thirteen postseason appearances.

Oswalt is an amazing pitcher, and I see no reason why he can’t be a #3 starter in a major league rotation right now. However, a lot of things have to happen in order for him to play, and I’m not sure how probable it is that those things do happen. If a team gives Oswalt what he’s looking for, they could possibly resurrect a lost season, and make a late-season playoff push. Yes, I’m talking to you Red Sox.

Overall, none of these pitchers are going to win the Comeback Player of the Year award. Still, with even the smallest sign of improvement, every one of these pitchers could find themselves back in a MLB starting rotation. Even if you have to dig deeper, there is value to be found in the veteran pitchers of Major League Baseball. Just take a look at Bartolo Colon and even Jamie Moyer as examples of what veteran pitchers can still do in the big leagues.

**Today’s feature was prepared by our Baseball Writer, Sam Evans.  We highly encourage you to leave your comments and feedback at the bottom of the page and share in the discussion with our readers.  You can also follow Sam on Twitter. (@RJA206)***

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