Free Agent SP Rankings

Dustin and I have compiled this list of starting pitchers who will be free agents in the offseason and have ranked who we think are the top 13.

1. Freddy Garcia

P: Though 05 and 06 for Garcia in Chicago were only mediocre, he has still shown to be a very consistent pitcher throughout his career. In the eight seasons prior to 2007, Garcia's era hasn't been over 4.53 in 2006 and has been as low as 3.05 in the M's magical year of 2001. His career K:BB ratio is 2.23 : 1, a very solid mark. Though he has been hurt for most of this season, I expect this 31 year-old to have a 2008 that falls in line with his consistent track record.

D: I loved Freddy when he was with Seattle. He logged 76 wins to 50 losses. A career 4.07 ERA, which would most likely be lower had he stayed with the Mariners, instead of moving to hitter friendly US Cellular Field in Chicago where his ERA was above 4.50 for most of his time there. Now, its at an unhealthy 5.90. I am all for Freddy, and I believe he'll be fairly cheap.

2. Livan Hernandez

P: There is something about Livan Hernandez that has always told me to either draft him in fantasy leagues as a sleeper or to pick him up in free agency. At 32 years-old, he is a tremendous workhorse and will always rack up a ton of innings. With a winning ballclub, that means a lot of wins. His K's to walks have never really been impressive, and it is a slight concern. At the end of the day, he gets the job done.

D: An innings eater. He led the NL in innings pitched from 2003-2005. He also has an amazing glove for a pitcher, only committing 11 errors in his long, long career. He would eat innings and shave the innings pitched by the bullpen, which is something like 3rd most in the AL. I've wanted him for quite some time, and I believe he will come cheap due to age.

3. Randy Wolf

P: Wolf is well-past his two short glory years with the Phillies in 01 and 02; the only two seasons where his era ended at under 4.00. He is an injury risk, but when healthy he can be a decent number 4 guy.

D: Incredible risk. He could command money, and he might also be worth it, if he can stay healthy. That is a HUGE if though. He hasn't started more than 23 games in the last 4 years, and this year won't break that trend. With a career 4.26 ERA he looks like a "get 'em if he's still there" guy, but he's only had 3 full MLB years since coming up in 1999. I'd pass on him except for the the little stat of G/F. He's an extreme fly ball pitcher. His career mark is .89, compared to Washburn's .78. They aren't vastly different.

4. Carlos Silva

5. Kenny Rogers

6. Paul Byrd

7. Odalis Perez

8. Bartolo Colon

9. Joel Pineiro

10 Wade Miller

11. Jon Lieber

12. Matt Clement

13. Kris Benson


Did dot make top 13: Shawn Chacon, Scott Elarton, Josh Fogg, Casey Fossum, Jason Jennings, Brian Lawrence, Kyle Lohse, Rodrigo Lopez, Eric Milton, Julian Tavarez, Brett Tomko, Kip Wells, Jaret Wright, Victor Zambrano