Brandon McCarthy to Dodgers: Latest Contract Details, Comments, Reaction

The Los Angeles Dodgers' quest to shore up the back half of their rotation has found an answer. The Dodgers and free-agent Brandon McCarthy agreed on a four-year, $48 million contract early Thursday, capping off a flurry of deals for new president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman. On Monday, Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com reported the deal was finalized.

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports first reported the two sides were nearing terms and later confirmed the details of the agreement on Thursday:

The Dodgers would finally confirm the deal on December 16:

Jon Heyman of CBS Sports provided a financial breakdown of the deal:

McCarthy's signing comes after Friedman spent Wednesday making marked changes across the roster. All-Star second baseman Dee Gordon and pitcher Dan Haren were sent packing to Miami for young talent. One of those young players, pitcher Andrew Heaney, was sent to the Angels for Howie Kendrick, per Rosenthal, and the Dodgers also acquired longtime Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins.

Nick Ut/Associated Press

McCarthy, 31, should fill the role left by Haren. The righty split his 2014 campaign between the Diamondbacks and Yankees, compiling a 10-15 overall record with a 4.05 ERA and 1.28 WHIP. He was far more effective after being traded to New York, dropping his ERA to 2.89 and posting a 1.15 WHIP in 14 starts.

Judgement on this contract will come once the Dodgers realize which version of McCarthy they're receiving. A consistently solid starter when healthy in Oakland, McCarthy's career fell apart during his brief stint in Arizona. He went 8-21 record over 40 starts, and he was on pace to set career worsts across the board in 2014 before the trade.

It's worth noting McCarthy's run in Arizona was his first in the National League. In his first seven MLB seasons, McCarthy played for the White Sox, Rangers and Athletics. The Dodgers will be his second opportunity at a crack at the NL West and his third team in less than six months.

Seth Wenig/Associated Press

While he increased his strikeout rate to a career-best 7.88 batters per nine innings, McCarthy remains a defense-dependent pitcher. His 52.6 percent ground-ball rate was the best of his career and ranked as the 14th-best in baseball, per FanGraphs. Looking on the positive side, McCarthy's increase in ground-ball rate is promising. He's not overly dependent on his power stuff, and players with his skill set generally tend to age better.

As Brad Johnson over at FanGraphs pointed out, McCarthy's velocity actually increased in 2014—an anomalous occurrence for a pitcher in his 30s. That McCarthy was finally healthy after years of injuries, including a freak line drive to the face in 2012, probably helps. Friedman also undoubtedly looked at his peripheral stats and saw a pitcher most were undervaluing because of the sour Arizona experience.

Seeing as the Dodgers are signing McCarthy to be their fourth starter behind Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke and Hyun-Jin Ryu, there's not much to pick apart here. It might be a slight overpay, but it's not exactly like this organization is shy about spending money. Odds are this contract will look better in two years than it does today.

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