Dodgers Looking At Pineiro

With Juan Pierre being traded the Los Angeles Dodgers now have some money to address a hole in their starting rotation. The Dodgers already lost Randy Wolf this offseason to the Milwaukee Brewers and need someone to replace his 11 wins and 3.23 ERA. So whose out there that could fall into their price range? Buster Olney of ESPN suggests Joel Pineiro could be their main target.

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@Buster_ESPN: With some money freed up, Dodgers expected to target some pitching. Joel Pineiro, said to be looking for 3- to-4 years, might be a fit.

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The argument that Pineiro could be a good fit in Los Angeles is very sound. Last season he was pretty comparable to Wolf, going 15-12 with a 3.49 ERA in 214 innings, arguably his best season in his 10-year career. He could essentially step right into Wolf’s spot and give you the same production. The issue thou comes down to money and years.

Jayson Stark of ESPN says that Pineiro is looking for a better contract then the one Wolf got, meaning he wants three or four years with a higher annual salary. Wolf is making just south of $10 million.

The Dodgers did free up $8 million by trading Pierre but with part of his salary still on the books, would they be willing to pay Pineiro the kind of money he wants and for that length of time?

That I’m not sure about. Personally, I wouldn’t as who knows what you’re going to get from Pineiro. Throughout his career he’s been pretty inconsistent. Early on he was lights out, the middle portion he was getting hit all over the place and now all of a sudden he’s pitching well again.

Could he have finally solved whatever problems he had? Yea it’s possible but for me their is too much uncertainty to guarantee him $10+ million a season.

I’m sure the Dodgers will think along the same lines and look for cheaper alternatives.