Kerry Wood, infamous for his fragility, inked a two-year, $21 million contract with the Cleveland Indians after an eleven-year stint with the Cubs, ten if you discount his absent 1999 season. While most have been calling this a solid pickup for Cleveland’s sporadic bullpen, it is difficult to agree when Brian Fuentes, arguably a better reliever, signed a two-year, $17.5 million contract with the Angels soon after Wood changed teams. Furthermore, Wood is guaranteed a third year at $11 million if he pitches 55 games or more in one or both of the next two seasons. Fuentes has a club option for the 2011 season at $9 million.
Fuentes (LAA)
Wood (CLE)
Wood’s bane is his inability to stay healthy. Fuentes, on the other hand, has been placed on the disabled list just once in his Major League career, which began in 2001. Wood has been placed on the DL in eight ( 8 ) separate instances. Perhaps Kerry Wood’s saving grace is his propensity for the strikeout. In 2008, through 66 1/3 innings, he managed an 11.40 K/9 and an equally impressive 4.67 K/BB. Missing bats while maintaining control is a rare ability, even at the big league level. Despite Wood’s stellar peripherals, Brian Fuentes should not be forgotten. Fuentes posted a nearly identical 11.78 K/9 ratio, and showed a bit less control than Wood, compiling a 3.73 K/BB over 62 2/3 innings pitched for the Colorado Rockies.
If Kerry Wood is the better of the two closers, then maybe the Indians made the right choice, but it doesn’t make a ton of sense considering the bargain contract Fuentes received from another American League club. Any differences between the two pitchers’ production levels are minimal at most, and Wood’s durability will be in question as long as he’s still pitching. Brian is about as much of a rubber arm as you will find in the Major Leagues, right along with his new teammate Scot Shields. Hopefully, when these contracts expire in two years, it will be obvious which club got more bang for their buck.
- Joe
Any questions, comments, criticism, or corrections? Leave a comment and I’ll get right on it. Statistical figures were, once again, taken from Fangraphs.com. I highly recommend it for any sort of statistical references.
