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It's easy to see why Pelfrey isn't popular among the Twins faithful. He was a mediocre pitcher in the National League before being signed. He hasn't pitched well here. He works slowly on the mound and his starts tend to drag on.
More than that, the Twins' dealings with him have been emblematic of what frustrates a lot of folks about the way this team operates -- too much of a cater-to-the-player, bargain-seeking approach.
When they initially signed him, they got him at a bargain price because he was coming off elbow surgery and few other teams wanted to risk relying on a player who was in recovery mode. His $4 million deal was one of the cheapest guaranteed contracts for a starting pitcher during that offseason, at a time where the Twins desperately needed quality arms.
And this past winter, when they re-signed him, it was difficult to view his contract as anything other than a favor to a guy they liked. Who else was going to give Pelfrey multiple years coming off 13 losses and a 5.19 ERA, when he was never that great to begin with?
I can certainly agree with those critiques, but at the same time, I think the negativity I see directed toward Pelf is over-the-top. His struggles early on in the 2013 season were completely predictable following his insanely rapid return from Tommy John, but in the final three months of the season he was solid: 4.39 ERA, 2-to-1 K/BB, just six homers allowed in 15 starts.
I saw a lot of people using Pelfrey's poor start this year as justification for their complaints about his contract, and it always struck me as disingenuous. He was never healthy. If he was healthy and pitched badly, you could say the Twins screwed up, but I still believe that the guy we saw in the second half last season could be a decent value at $5.5 million as a fifth starter.
Whether the Twins should have really been aiming for a fifth starter is another matter, of course, but that's all in the past so there's no use sulking about it now.
The question, at this point, is what kind of value he can provide next year.
If things proceed as planned, it's tough to see how he fits into the starting rotation. You have to assume that Phil Hughes, Ricky Nolasco and Kyle Gibson will all enter camp as locks. Trevor May should get a spot as long as he's not a mess during spring training. Alex Meyer should be in position to win a spot as well. He'll be 25 with a full year of Triple-A under his belt; it's time to let him roll.
Factor in Tommy Milone, who should at least be in the mix, and there doesn't appear to be much room for Mr. Pelfrey. I don't think it's fair to penalize him for getting hurt, but he just hasn't done anything to earn a look over the younger guys.
The best route -- and one the Twins have to be considering -- might be moving the 6'7" righty into a relief role. It actually makes a ton of sense. Too much sense.
He's basically a one-trick pony, but that fastball he throws 80 percent of the time could be more of weapon with a few extra ticks of velocity. And with the way things have played out late in this season, it looks like the Twins may need some new blood in the bullpen next year.
When not injured, Pelfrey has proven to have a durable and resilient arm (he basically never missed a start from 2008 through 2011), so he could turn into a guy they can use for multiple innings, or several days in a row. That has value.
If he blossoms in that role, Pelfrey could easily be worth the $5.5 million they pay him next year. And he might uncover a new path for success in the second half of his career.
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