With the Christmas Season fast approaching the Pittsburgh Pirates still have some things they need to check off their list before the 2017 season begins. One of those things is their need to sign a veteran starting pitcher and, in a thin market, Jered Weaver could be the answer for the Pirates.
With the winter meetings done and over with and all of the Andrew McCutchen trade rumors dying down, the Pittsburgh Pirates still have a lot of work to do before the 2017 Major League Baseball season begins. They need to replenish their bench with the losses of Matt Joyce and Sean Rodriguez and bullpen help would be a big boost for this team as well.
However, the biggest need facing the Pirates this off-season is their lack of veteran presence in the starting rotation. If the season were to begin today, the Pirates rotation would consist of Gerrit Cole, Jameson Taillon, Chad Kuhl, and a battle between Tyler Glasnow, Wade LeBlanc, Steven Brault, Drew Hutchison, and Trevor Williams for the final two spots in the rotation. Looking at those names the only player above the age of 26 is LeBlanc and he along with Cole are the only two to have more than one year of MLB experience.
While having the young talent and the fresh arms is nice, there is no one in this rotation who has experience pitching deep into the post-season like the Pirates are aiming to do. Taking a look at the free agent market, there are not many top notch free agent options and the Pirates are not a team that is going to swing a block buster trade. That leaves them to look at the second tier starters and there are some intriguing names on the list.
Earlier in the off-season I made the case that the Pirates need to re-sign free agent starting pitcher Ivan Nova. Nova is still on the market as of now and the Pirates have expressed interest in him but, if they are not able to strike a deal with Nova that is team friendly, another name that jumps out for me is right handed pitcher and free agent Jered Weaver.
Weaver is coming off an average year for the Los Angeles Angels where he went 12-12 with a 5.06 ERA while striking out 103 and walking 51 in his 178 innings of work. Weaver is a ten year major league veteran and pitched the Angels all the way to the playoffs four times including three straight seasons from 2007-2009. Weaver is entering his age 35 season and has not pitched for any other team besides the Angels throughout his career.
Weaver has a track record of success, but has hit a bump in the road these last two seasons. He has seen his ERA jump all the way to 5.06 last season, which was the highest mark of his career, and his strikeout numbers have been down over the last two seasons. However, he has kept his good control that has been a staple of his career as he only walked 51 batters in 178 innings of work last season.
This control is something that pitching coach Ray Searage can work with and hopefully get Weaver back to his dominant nature that he possessed for so many years with the Angels. He is a three time all-star and finished in the top ten in ERA in all of MLB from 2009-2012 and in 2014 as well. Weaver's struggles in 2016 were partially due to injuries he suffered throughout the season as he ended the 2016 season with lower back tightness pulling him from his final start of the year.
One of the positives when looking at Weaver is that his strikeouts were still up last year despite some struggles. Weaver was able to strike out 103 batters in 178 innings of work for a K/9 of 5.21. His 103 strikeouts would have been third on the team behind Juan Nicasio, 138, and former Pirate Francisco Liriano, 116. The strikeouts would be a welcome addition to the rotation and Weaver would fit quite nicely in between Cole and Taillon at the top of the Pirates rotation.
Weaver has also been very consistent in terms of ERA throughout his career. Last season was the only year in Weaver's 11 year career that his ERA was over 5.00 and he has only had two other seasons when his ERA was above 4.00. Weaver is a pitcher who has had a lot of success throughout his major league career and could help the Pirates out tremendously in 2017.
When the Pirates brought in AJ Burnett back in the 2011 season, he was able to help a young rotation finish the season strong and then come back and compete in 2012. James McDonald, the Pirates young phenom at the time, saw his numbers increase so much that he became an all-star in the 2012 season. Jered Weaver could have the same effect on this year's team guiding and mentoring the young Pirates pitchers to success this year and beyond.
If the Pirates could swing a two year deal of about 14-16 million dollars for Weaver it would be a deal that needs to be done. Weaver would add a veteran presence and proven success to the Pirates rotation. And, as we have seen in the past, Ray Searage knows how to work his magic and turn pitchers who have had down years into perennial all-stars the next season. In the season of giving, I feel the Pirates should give Weaver a chance to shine in a Pirates uniform.
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