By Jordan Long
This past weekend, the San Diego Padres added depth to their rotation. They signed veteran pitcher Jared Weaver to a one year, $3 million contract. The deal is pending Weaver passing a physical. How could this help the Padres?
Weaver is an 11-year veteran, spending his whole career with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. His best year was in 2012 when Weaver went 20-5 with an ERA of 2.81 with 142 strikeouts. Last year was one to forget with a career high 5.06 era and a record of 12-12.
Once the season was, over the Angels decided not to renew his contract and let him become a free agent. Not many teams were interested in Weaver because of the decline of his arm. He can win ball games but he gave up too many home runs last season with 37.
Weaver brings plenty of experience to the Padres. He owns a career record of 150-93 with an ERA of 3.55. Weaver has been able to strike batters out with 1,598. He even had postseason success pitching in 7 playoff games with a record of 2-1 and an ERA of 2.60. That could help the Padres get back in the postseason.
The only downside of this deal could be his pitching location. He can leave the ball up on days where his arm isn’t the best. When that happens, batters will key on that and hit home runs. He must keep the ball low in the zone, forcing batters to swing at pitches. When that occurs, Weaver will be able to strike batters out.
The Padres needed to make this move because they don’t have pitchers with as much knowledge at the Major League level as Weaver. Weaver was the top pitcher left in free agency. He will have the opportunity in Spring Training to become the ace of the staff. Weaver must prove to the Padres he is up to the task.
What do you think of the Padres bringing in Jared Weaver?
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