If there’s one thing I’m convinced will happen this offseason it’s that Jorge De La Rosa will be significantly overpaid.
There have already been reports of the Yankees and Nationals viewing him as their “Plan B” for Cliff Lee and now Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune Review writes that De La Rosa--who pitched for new Pirates manager Clint Hurdle when they were together on the Rockies in 2008 and 2009-- is Pittsburgh’s “top free agent target.”
I just don’t get it.
De La Rosa is certainly a solid enough pitcher, but it seems like teams are suddenly viewing him as a viable top-of-the-rotation starter and there’s been speculation that he could end up with a four- or even five-year deal. Which would be crazy for a 30-year-old pitcher with a 5.02 career ERA who has never posted an ERA below 4.20 or thrown 190 innings in a season.
De La Rosa turned his career around after being traded to the Rockies in 2008 and his three-year run in Colorado with a 4.49 ERA was impressive while calling Coors Field home, but then again he had a 4.19 ERA on the road during that time. He has good stuff and racks up lots of strikeouts, but also walked 4.1 batters per nine innings for the Rockies, hasn’t been able to stay healthy, and looks a whole lot more like a mid-rotation starter who’s likely to disappoint.
