The Dodgers and Chad Billingsley avoided arbitration today by agreeing to a one-year, $6.275 million contract. The only two remaining players eligible for arbitration are now Hong-Chih Kuo and James Loney.
Billingsley had a lot to prove in 2010, as he was coming off a 2009 season that saw him slump so badly in the second half, he was left out of the rotation in the postseason. He responded very well, going 12-11 with a 3.57 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, and 171 strikeouts in 191 2/3 innings.
This season, Billingsley will be slotted towards the top of a strong rotation that includes Clayton Kershaw, Ted Lilly, Hiroki Kuroda, and Jon Garland. I expect Bills to be the #2 starter.
If Bills can put together another solid season and show some improvement in his numbers, then I would think the Dodgers would start to think more long-term with him (ditto for Kershaw). He put together a 3.31 ERA in 2007, 3.14 in 2008, and 4.07 in 2009. Even with the nosedive he went through in '09, he was still good enough in the first half to earn his only All-Star berth.
For now, the Dodgers will settle for a young pitcher who keeps the ball in the yard (eight homers in 31 starts last season), and has shown much better control (69 walks, down from 86 the previous season). If Kershaw continues his ace-like status, then he and Bills will be one of the best 1-2 combos in baseball.
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