Lefty Holiday Wish List
December 12th, 2009 | by ahfischman |Lefty starters, Aroldis Chapman and Erik Bedard, are on my holiday wish list. Sure, I guess I could use them around the house, but I’d much rather the Dodgers sign one of these guys.
With their respective asking prices, there is almost no chance of the Dodgers signing either of these guys, but a guy can dream…right?
Recently, left-hander Randy Wolf was signed to a lucrative three-year deal by the Milwaukee Brewers. With his exit fresh in my mind, I could not help but fantasize about the Dodgers picking up one of these lefties to replace the Wolf man.
Again, in a perfect world where money is no object, the Dodgers would surely go after these dudes. Aroldis Chapman is a big question mark, but he’s the rare lefty who can throw over 100 mph. Since defecting from Cuba, Chapman has not played in a single Major League game, but for him, the sky could be the limit. He also could be a complete dud. More likely than not, however, he’s going to be one of the better pitchers in this league for many years to come.
Erik Bedard is more of a sure thing, but again, the Dodgers do not have the cash to sign him. Listed as Yahoo Correspondent Jeff Passan’s 8th best free agent, Bedard would have been ranked higher had he not been injured, as we speak. Bedard has been solid for some time, but he really came into his own during his final season with the Orioles in 2007. In fact, in Bedard’s last two seasons with the Orioles, the man combined for 28 wins and 392 K’s. The only knock on Bedard is his lack of durability in recent years. Suffering injuries in each of the past two seasons, Bedard is coming off labrum surgery. He may not be able to return to action until May. For that reason, many teams may be wary of signing him. Although most experts believe Bedard’s asking price will be quite high, if enough teams are down on Bedard due to his injury, the Dodgers may be able to sweep in and outbid a team on a low offer. Again, it won’t happen, but please don’t fault me for dreaming.
Tags: Aroldis Chapman, Cuba, Erik Bedard, K's, labrum surgery, lefty, money, out until May, perfect world, Wolf
