I wouldn't consider Kerry Wood a big name. I guess for the Indians, he could be though. However, the only reason Wood is a "big name" is because everyone knows him for failing to reach his potential because of all his injuries. That will always be what people think of when they hear Kerry Wood.
Kerry reached his potential- he was one of baseball's best arms from 2001-2003. He just didn't stay there once the elbow blew. Not to mention that he still throws hard and many other former top starters have made the transition to closing and excelled. Wood appeared to have done the same with the Cubs in 08.Well I'm glad you know what everyone thinks about a certain person.
Kerry reached his potential- he was one of baseball's best arms from 2001-2003. He just didn't stay there once the elbow blew. Not to mention that he still throws hard and many other former top starters have made the transition to closing and excelled. Wood appeared to have done the same with the Cubs in 08.
The Tribe took a gamble when they signed him that they would contend and he would be the anchor for the pen. Problem is that the team had bigger issues in starting pitching than they wanted to admit and everything unraveled- even if Wood had been dominant it wouldn't have mattered, the rest of the bullpen and most of the rotation was a pumpkin.
Either way, I don't necessarily understand fans who want to see 10M pitchers on the shelf. That makes me scratch my head, especially in the case of Wood, who still has good stuff and is productive when healthy. Even coming back for 2 years shows huge progress for a guy who couldn't get more than 50 innings for 3 straight years without being shut down. I wouldn't be shocked if he pitches another 3-4 years after this.
This should pretty much guarantee that Wood won't reach 55 games finished, which means his $11M option won't vest. This is great news for the Tribe for 2 reasons: 1) Wood will be a free agent and they won't have to pay him, and 2) teams should be more willing to deal for him knowing that it would be a short term rental to strengthen their pen for the remainder of the season only, while giving them flexibility in 2011.
The nice thing about this injury is it should give the Tribe a chance to see what they have in another reliever. I'd love to see Judy take his roster spot, but there is still some value in giving some innings to someone like Hector Ambriz, Jamey Wright, or Saul Rivera. Worst case scenario: they tank and the team dumps them and replaces them with someone else. Best case scenario: they catch fire and the team can spin them at the deadline. It's basically a no-lose situation
This should pretty much guarantee that Wood won't reach 55 games finished, which means his $11M option won't vest. This is great news for the Tribe for 2 reasons: 1) Wood will be a free agent and they won't have to pay him, and 2) teams should be more willing to deal for him knowing that it would be a short term rental to strengthen their pen for the remainder of the season only, while giving them flexibility in 2011.
btw I quoted you b/c I was agreeing; I didn't realize that the quote didn't snag the person you quoted.I'm gonna C&P an exact quote from someone on my board regarding the matter. It sums up my feelings to a T: