Somebody needs to tell Andrew Friedman to switch to decaf. The hyperactive day of Dodger transactions continues with Los Angeles reportedly now on the verge of signing starting pitcher Brandon McCarthy.
Sources: #Dodgers close to four-year deal with free-agent RHP Brandon McCarthy.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 11, 2014
After their still not yet complete trades with the Phillies and Marlins earlier in the day, speculation was that the Dodgers were either clearing payroll to make a run at James Shields or Max Scherzer or maybe loading up on assets to make a trade for Cole Hamels. Either of those could still happen since the Dodgers have a seemingly infinite amount of money, however, with McCarthy now taking up one rotation spot, other rotation moves would appear to be less likely.
Coming into the offseason, McCarthy was seen as a popular mid-tier rotation option, so it is a bit of a surprise to see, if it proves true, that he is getting a four-year contract. McCarthy is 31 years old and has a long history of being unable to stay healthy. However, he did throw 200 innings last year with the Diamondbacks and Yankees. He reached that plateau for the first time in 2014 and did so with a 4.05 ERA, 3.55 FIP and a career high 7.88 K/9. Homers have been a problem for him in the past, but moving to Dodgers Stadium should be a big help.
So does this mean the Dodgers are finally done? Probably not, but let’s at least hope they are done for today. People need to sleep.
