In a surprising move on Tuesday, the Dodgers passed on offering Randy Wolf arbitration. Even with ownership in flux (Google this: divorce and McCourts), it was assumed they'd at least want to resign their top pitcher from last year.
Instead, the Dodgers are stuck with the excuse of "we don't want to overpay for him." Wolf's a Type A free agent, meaning he's in the top 20 percent of starting pitchers. He received $8 million last year, so it's most likely he would've gotten a raise in arbitration.
Had the Dodgers offered arbitration and Wolf ended up signing with another team, they would have received a draft pick from the first or second round.
From what I've read, Dodger fans are not happy. It's understandable considering Wolf was clearly their best, most consistent pitcher for all of last year, and he was signed just to give support in the middle of the rotation. By the end of the season, he was starting Game 1 of the NLDS.
On the year, he went 11-7 with a 3.23 ERA. He also struck out 160 while throwing a career-high 214.1 innings. It was an especially impressive year for a guy who basically throws two pitches: a fastball and a looping curveball.
While Wolf will easily be one of the top dogs on the free agent market, he's given us Dodger fans some hope by saying that even in these days of uncertain ownership, he's open to re-signing with his old mates. Just the fact that's gone public with that comment is a positive sign.
Still, I would be pretty shocked if that actually happened. With Wolf proving that he's healthy and at the top of his game, he'll most likely take a bigger payday elsewhere. Right or wrong, the Dodgers remain reluctant spending big bucks on a pitcher.
With Wolf probably gone, the Dodgers now have a starting rotation of Clayton Kershaw, Hiroki Kuroda, Chad Billingsley, and a bunch of question marks. Needless to say, they have work to do.
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