Sounds like Dayton Moore is close to signing veteran left-handed relief pitcher Ron Mahay to a two-year, $8 million contract. Mahay pitched for the Rangers and Braves last season and in 58 games, he was 3-0 with a 2.55 ERA. If the deal goes through, Mahay would become another lefty that Hillman could call upon out of the bullpen if needed. Jimmy Gobble, Neal Musser, and John Bale are the other three. From the right side, we should have some combination of Ryan Braun, Brandon Duckworth (if he doesn't make the rotation), Joel Peralta, Joakim Soria, and maybe Luke Hudson.
Mahay dominated left-handed hitters last season (they hit just .189 against him) and he's more than just a situational lefty. Thirty-eight times last season he pitched at least one inning or more in relief and ten times he pitched two innings or more. In a sense, if the deal goes through, it would be like signing an older version of Jimmy Gobble. Lefties hit .241 against Gobble last season, and much like Mahay, Gobble was more than just a situational lefty. Thirty-three times last season he pitched at least one inning or more. The addition of Mahay would give Hillman two solid guys who could play a situational role, but in both cases, I think they could be called upon to eat innings in the middle to late portion of the game.
2 comments:
Yabuta is a for sure righty as well. Other possiblities are Matt Wright and Leo Nunez. What if Jorge DLR doesn't crack the starting lineup but does well enough for the bullpen. Is Gobble gone?? My point being that, man, there is going to be a lot of competition for the bullpen this year. I can't wait. It would be nice to have a balance of 3 lefties, 3 righties, then Soria to compete the bullpen. Yabuta(R), Mahay(L) and Soria(R) are locks. Everyone else...well..let the cream rise to the top!!
Good catch regarding Yabuta. And your point about De La Rosa is a good one too. I think you can add Gobble to the mix as a lock for the bullpen as well. So, competition for the pen will indeed be fierce this year, and that's a good thing.
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