Brandon Webb Down To Three Suitors
December 6, 2010 - 3:59 pm by Ryan Phillips
Brandon Webb’s search for a new home has been one of the more interesting sagas of the 2010 offseason. Just how well Webb, the 2006 NL Cy Young Award winner, will pitch in his return to the mound is not known. The right-hander hasn’t pitched since opening day in 2009, as he’s suffered through injuries to his throwing shoulder ever since.
Well, despite the lack of knowledge of anything about Webb’s status, three teams appear willing to engage in a bidding war for the former Arizona Diamondbacks hurler.
As of now the Chicago Cubs, Washington Nationals and Texas Rangers are all showing lots of interest in Webb. None of those three teams has ever been shy about throwing money at anyone, even if they might be risks. I mean, have you heard of Milton Bradley? Jason Werth? Milton Bradley?
The Pittsburgh Pirates were also showing interest in Webb, but with the signing of Scott Olsen on Monday, they appear to be out of the mix.
Webb is a three-time All-Star, led the NL in wins in 2006 and 2008 and innings pitched in 2007. His career record is 87-62 with a 3.27 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP. Clearly the guy’s track record is phenomenal. But will he ever be that guy again? That’s what teams have to weigh when offering him a contract.
The thing is, with three teams so clearly interested, you know Webb’s agent is going to pitch for some kind of multi-year pact with good money involved. The Rangers, Cubs and Nats could all use another starter, and again Webb was a dominant pitcher when healthy.
For what it’s worth, the man who performed Webb’s shoulder surgery is Dr. Keith Meister, who happens to be the Rangers’ team doctor. Meister has reported that Webb should have no issues moving forward. Again, take that for what it’s worth, but if the Rangers trust the guy they might feel better about throwing some extra cash at Webb to secure the deal.
One Response to “Brandon Webb Down To Three Suitors”
God I hope the Cubs don’t sign Webb. They’ve had just rotten luck with pitching projects and don’t have the faculty to really rehabilitate anyone. As we saw with Zambrano last year, the team struggles to get any player to play consistently well.
You know also that the Ricketts are going to overpay Webb like crazy if he does sign in Chitown. They haven’t, and can’t, get a marquee signing this year. Zambrano is out of baseball in 2 years, Soriano is the worst contract in all of baseball besides Tulo’s, and there isn’t a single serviceable starter on the team or in the organization. They’re probably going to end up signing Webb just to placate the fans and local sports radio.
Although, when you look at it as a whole, this team is going to be god awful next year. Not a single starting pitcher that is likely to put up an ERA under 4.00, and only 3 hitters in the lineup that could start for a contender (Byrd, Castro, A-Ram). 2011 is going to be one mighty long year in Wrigley.
By Justin on Dec 7, 2010