MLB Free Agent Prediction: Edinson Volquez Will Sign With New York Yankees
By Drew Jenkins
@DrewJenkins77
Charles LeClaire- USA TODAY Sports
The New York Yankees struggled in 2014, missing the playoffs for the second straight year and just the third time since 1995. A big part of that was due to the struggles of their rotation. The Yankees finished 17th in the league in starter’s ERA at 3.77, but that does not even represent how poorly their rotation contributed.
Only Hiroki Kuroda made more than 2o starts for the Yankees, and he is a free agent. The team was fortunate enough to have multiple solid contributions to their rotation from unexpected places in the likes of Shane Greene, Chris Capuano and David Phelps. Had these guys not stepped up, the Yankees’ rotation would have looked even worse. That said, the likelihood is small of them finding solid performances from players who were not even mentioned as potential rotation members before the season.
Clearly, the Yankees have a need for multiple starting pitchers if they want to be competitive in 2015. This could very well lead to them signing free agent Edinson Volquez.
Volquez is somewhat of an enigma on the open market. From 2011-13, he was not special by any means, posting a 5.09 ERA, 8.2 K/9 and 4.8 BB/9 over 461.2 innings (an average of 154 innings per season). The Pittsburgh Pirates signed the right-hander for $5 million prior to the 2014 season, and he proceeded to have a career-resurgent season. In 192.2 innings, Volquez posted a 3.04 ERA, 6.5 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9.
While that ERA might be a bit too good to be true, Volquez made strides with his control and command, and that benefited him greatly. Whereas after 2013 it looked like Volquez was running out of chances to prove himself in the big leagues, he now seems like a solid bet to be a mid-rotation starter.
He may not be the hottest signing for the Yankees, they would be better off signing multiple mid-tier starters than an ace anyways. Volquez can, at the very least, be someone who can be reasonably relied on to eat some innings out of the back of a rotation, as he has thrown more than 170 innings in each of the last three seasons. The upside of him being a bit more than that is certainly there, and while his chances of recreating his 2014 season are slim, he could turn into a surprisingly nice value.
Volquez will not change a pennant race, but for a Yankees team that has possibly the most question marks of any rotation in baseball, he would certainly be a welcome addition. He is a great fit for the Yankees, so do not be surprised to see him wearing pinstripes in 2015.
Drew Jenkins is an MLB writer and Sabermetrics Columnist for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @DrewJenkins77, “Like” him on Facebook, add him to your network on Google, or contact him at [email protected].
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