David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
Ubaldo Jimenez may have gotten a “clean slate” from the Cleveland Indians, but it sure didn’t take very long before he made a mess of it.
The embattled former ace has made three starts on the season, each shorter than the last, and it’s become painfully clear that whatever hopes that the Indians had of a bounceback season from the 29-year old is likely misguided. Jimenez was a barely replacement-level (0.1 fWAR) pitcher in 2012; in 2013, there’s a good chance he’ll end up in the ‘well-below replacement’ category.
Well, as long as the Indians intend on trotting him out to the mound anyway.
That’s the thing: they don’t have to, and should not do so anymore, not unless they’re fans of falling behind by wide margins once every five games.
Perhaps the team’s optimism peaked after his first start of 2013, a six-inning outing in which he allowed just a run on three hits and struck out six … but it was simply a mirage, and one that has been exposed in each of his subsequent starts, including the lastest, a 1.2 IP, seven-run implosion in which the righty handed out five free passes.
The thing is, you don’t even need to be much of an expert to see that something is wrong. Forget for a moment that he’s carrying a 11.25/1.83 ERA/WHIP through his 12 inning of work — all you need to do is look at him pitch on the mound to see that his lost mechanics hasn’t been found.
This is a pitcher whose arm is out of sync with his body, whose once unhittable triple-digit tailing fastball is but a relic of the past, and a pitcher who has simply lost all command of the strike zone.
Most importantly, Ubaldo is a pitcher that the Indians can’t afford to put out there anymore.
Sure, the options aren’t exactly abundant for Cleveland right now. Brett Myers hasn’t panned out thus far (though he did have a good outing in his last start), and perpetually-injured reclamation project Scott Kazmir is hardly a sure thing, even if he’s set to return.
The Indians need innings to be eaten, and Justin Masterson can’t shoulder the load on his own — that much makes sense. But the thing is, Jimenez isn’t that guy right now; instead, he’s the one taxing the bullpen with early exits.
Cleveland took a chance with the best intentions when they traded for him (in what you could now call a lose-lose deal), and they took another $5.75 million chance when they exercised his option for 2013.
If the 5-9 Indians want to have more than a fighting chance in the AL Central this season, though, the only sensible next move is to cut their losses.
