Another Bullpen Addition??
We just signed Ryan Franklin to a one year deal. I am not sure what to think about this. Maybe it is similar to last year’s Jeff Nelson situation, where we see if he fits in during spring training. But I can’t imagine a single spot on the bullpen roster where he would beat out who we currently have. He has a lifetime losing record of 41-57. I have never really been impressed with watching him pitch, but you never know. Our bullpen already has Randy Flores, Josh Hancock, Tyler Johnson, Randy Keisler, Josh Kinney, Braden Looper, Chris Narveson (possibly), Ricardo Rincon, Brad Thompson, Brian Falkenborg, Russ Springer, and Jason Isringhausen all competing for probably 7 jobs. Izzy is the closer, so now you are at 6 spots. So where is an outsider going to come in? You can pretty much guarantee Tyler Johnson & Randy Flores because we need at least two left handers in the pen. That means Keisler, who is left handed might end up in Memphis. So now you are down to 4 spots and Hancock, Kinney, Looper, Rincon, Thompson, Falkenborg, and Springer to choose from. Springer and Looper are sure things to make the squad, so now you essentially have two spots with Hancock, Kinney, and Thompson fighting for them. I think Rincon is too old and hasn’t pitched in over a year, and Narveson may be the ace in Memphis so he will continue to build up endurance as a starter in the future. So you tell me, where would that leave a guy like Franklin? He may compete for a spot in the rotation, but I don’t see room for him there either now that we have Carpenter, Mulder, Wells, Wainwright, & Reyes. He started 30 games with the Mariners in 2005 going 8-15 with a 5.10 ERA. Where will he end up? Your guess is as good as mine. In my opinion it doesn’t hurt to sign him, just not sure if we need him.
So there you have it. Agree? Disagree? Let me hear from you out there….
Thanks,
Josh
"That's A Winner" 