Even before Brett Myers went down with what looks to be a season-ending injury it was apparent the Phillies would need to find help for the starting rotation. And while front-end help is certainly the biggest priority (READ: Roy Halladay), depth is a need as well. The Philadelphia Phillies must find a capable starter to hold down the fifth spot of the rotation.
Every starter they have tried in that spot has either failed or fallen victim to the injury bug. In order to make a run to the playoffs, the Phillies will need to shore up the rotation from top to bottom. Clearly, this is the driving force behind the Phillies kicking the tires of what remains of Pedro Martinez. But Pedro is not a part of the solution for the Phillies starting rotation. Repeat after me Philadelphia: “say no to Pedro.”
The common argument to justify signing the once-great veteran is that it’s a classic low-risk high-reward proposition. I think that is faulty logic. On the contrary; there is plenty of risk and the reward is not that high. How high can the reward possibly be? At his best, Pedro is a guy that can give you five solid innings—maybe six on an efficient night. That’s it. That is his upside.
Here is the risk: even if he reaches that upside, he is still placing undue strain on your bullpen every fifth night. This is a bullpen that has pitched too many innings through the first half of the year and is in desperate need of some help from the starting rotation. So even at his best, Pedro still taxes the bullpen. In his poorest outings, Pedro will put the team in a precarious position by both coughing over the lead and taxing the bullpen. So I don’t buy the low risk argument. The risk is immediate damage in the standings and collateral damage as the season progresses and Pedro continues to stretch the resources of the bullpen thin.
There is no disputing that the Phillies need depth across the rotation. But to think Martinez adds to that depth is suspect. In his last season, Pedro 5-6 record and a 5.61 ERA—not the type of numbers the Phillies need. This is not the 2000 version of Pedro Martinez. It is past his prime version that won’t help the Phillies repeat as World Champs. So one more time with me Philadelphia: “say not to Pedro.”
Twitter Comment
RT @PhillySportsGuy: Advice to the Philadelphia Phillies: Say no to Pedro, [link to post]
– Posted using Chat Catcher
Twitter Comment
Advice to the Philadelphia Phillies: Say no to Pedro, [link to post] (via @PhillySportsGuy) Agreed!
– Posted using Chat Catcher
Twitter Comment
Heard in the Cheap Seats >> Advice to the Philadelphia Phillies: Say no to Pedro [link to post]
– Posted using Chat Catcher
Twitter Comment
Advice to the Philadelphia Phillies: Say no to Pedro, [link to post]
– Posted using Chat Catcher
Twitter Comment
@PhillySportsGuy Where do you see J.A. Happ figuring into any potential deals?
– Posted using Chat Catcher
I am not against the signing like you are. Pedro pitched 6 innings in half of his starts last season and everyone knows he wasn”t quite focused due to his father dying. If you look at the innings pitched of the Phils starters currently they don”t go more than 6 very often either. I would love a horse, but there aren”t too many out there in today’’s game. That’’s why Halladay is so valuable. Yes, the bullpen gets taxed, but no more so than when any other pitcher throws. The reality is, if Pedro is successful, his innings pitched will be better. He threw well over 100 pitches in quite a few starts last season. If he pitches even marginally better, he should be able to have more quality starts. I understand your point completely, but look at it from the other side. How often can you say you have the opportunity to bring in a future hall of fame, cy young, world champion pitcher for a million bucks. I think it’’s worth a shot. I mean, if he gets lit up in his first few starts, it is not much worse than they have had with Bastardo, but if he still has some stuff left in his arm, we already know he knows how to pitch and win. The bullpen will be used no matter who they were to bring in. I am not sure who else they could have brought in. They were able to make the move without giving up anything which leaves them still in the market for Halladay or another pitcher. I wouldn”t mind having a guy like Pedro coming out of the bullpen in Game 7 of the NLCS to get a few big outs either. To Summarize: I like the move. Haha.