Hello all,
I know it's finals week for some which is a stressful time of year. Students spend too much time studying, not enough time sleeping, and generally fit the description of "stressed." Hopefully, you can use this as a reprieve, even if its only 10 minutes.
Somewhat constricted today in the MLB world due to the Josh Hamilton signing was news of Ryan Dempster landing a 2-year deal with the Boston Red Sox. He's scheduled to make $26.5 million over this time, and figures to fit in to the middle of the Red Sox rotation.
Now, I'm an armchair quarterback thick and thin. But even I can sense a bad thing coming a mile away. You ever get that pit in your stomach when the Red Sox make a free agent signing? Usually fans are at least incredibly optimistic until about the second week of April, when they realize that maybe player X isn't all that they cracked him up to be.
Well with Dempster, I don't even have that three-month period of elation. It was just immediate gloom and doom, something I like to call the "John Lackey" experience. Remember when Lackey was signed? Everyone looked around at each other with that "did this really just happen" look on their faces. No one was overly excited, and only the biggest homers could even attempt to convey any kind of excitement over giving Mr. Lackey a 5 year deal.
Unfortunately, things weren't always like this in Boston. There was a time where Theo Epstein was allowed pretty much free reign to sign who he felt was best. Obviously, when you're winning championships, the fan base will give you somewhat of leeway. Now? The Red Sox have taken a liking to dishing out large contracts to underachieving free agents. A trend which I feel will not end with Ryan Dempster.
Luckily, Dempster only received a two year deal. But at 13 million dollars a year, the price tag is high for a starter who at-best will provide #3 type stuff while eating innings. But you know what? In theory, I'm not even upset about the contract. What people don't understand is that the Red Sox have acres of space for cap room, and a two year deal at $13 million will not break the bank.
What bothers me is that the Red Sox chose to allocate this money to Ryan Dempster. Dempster is 36 years old and will enter his 17th season as a big league pitcher. Before the second half of last season, Dempster had never pitched in the American League.
After a brief period in his career between 2005-2007, where Dempster struggled to stay health, he generally has returned to form as a reliable 200+ inning pitcher. He throws a lot of strikes, gets his fair share of strikeouts, and has maintained the description of a "reliable pitcher."
Here's what concerns me. Dempster saw his velocity dip below 90 MPH for the first time last season, averaging 89.7 on his fastball. As a pitcher who pounds the strike zone, he relies almost exclusively on his slider to generate outs as his secondary pitch, throwing it 30% of the time. Now I'm no doctor, but a 36 year old pitcher who has survived on throwing strikes is now moving to the American League East, home of smaller ballparks and tough lineups, and relies on a slider to get outs. The slider, generally known as the most dangerous off speed pitch for elbows, is what allows Dempster to perform at a high level.
I find it difficult to expect Dempster to show up in Boston and maintain an ERA below 4.00 like he has since 2007, especially seeing as upon arrival in the AL West last season, Dempster pitched to the tune of a 5.09 ERA.
Statistically speaking, Dempster looks like a sure-bet to provide stability to the rotation. He throws strikes, he stays healthy, and has statistically shown to be a front of the rotation starter during his time with the Cubs. However, the move to the American League will hurt Dempster, leaving the Red Sox with another aging pitcher who will log somewhat ineffective innings. With both Lackey and Dempster now entrenched in the rotation in Boston, the Red Sox are finally finding their continuity.
Unfortunately, this continuity will not bring success to the 2013 Boston Red Sox.
Oh, yeah, and he's a career 0-4 in 5 games against the Yankees, with a 7.62 ERA.
No comments:
Post a Comment