Passing Judgment – Webb Gem

News broke today that former Cy Young Award winner Brandon Webb has reached an agreement with the American League champion Texas Rangers.  This is a great move by Texas as they look to reconstruct their starting rotation after the departure of Cliff Lee to the Phillies.  Webb, the 2006 Cy Young Award winner and runner-up in both 2007 and 2008, is coming back from a major shoulder surgery that cost him just about the entire last two seasons.  Shoulder injuries are not easy for pitchers to come back from.  Many expected Webb to at least be back in the major leagues sometime around the All-Star break in 2010, but he never could get it going and eventually shut it down for the whole season.  So it has been over two years since baseball has seen what Brandon Webb can do, and those memories should be vividly clear.

Obviously there is an inherent risk in relying on Webb to be his old self, especially right away.  I don’t think Nolan Ryan or anyone in the Rangers’ organization has those expectations.  But assuming Webb feels good and regains his strength, mechanics and confidence, the Rangers may have found a true diamond in the rough.  When Webb was healthy and at the top of his game, he was almost unhittable at times with a devastating curveball to go along with his deceivingly quick fastball.  He also became a top pitcher by learning how to pitch.  In his second full season in the big leagues in 2004, Webb led all of baseball with 119 walks to go along with his 7-16 record.  However, his ERA that season was 3.59 which truly demonstrated how talented he was.  Over the next several years, he really put it all together and became one of the elite pitchers in the game with consistency, control and durability.  From 2006-2008, he compiled a record of 56-25 with a 3.20 ERA.  These years included his Cy Young Award and back-to-back 2nd place finishes.  More impressively, he averaged 185 strikeouts and only 65 walks per season while pitching 230+ innings.  Unfortunately, his shoulder gave out on him on Opening Day in 2009 and he hasn’t pitched to a big league hitter since.

Clearly Webb has an impressive resume and mental make-up.  The Rangers were in desperate need of adding to their rotation after Cliff Lee left and they missed out on acquiring Zack Greinke.  Now Webb, who will turn 32 during the 2011 season, can attempt his comeback in a winning environment where he can become a savior and a hero.  He will also help lead a relatively young rotation of C.J. Wilson, Colby Lewis and Derek Holland.  And worst case scenario is that Webb either doesn’t return to his old form or he continues to suffer from the injury.  In that case, the Rangers would have only invested a few million dollars into a one-year contract.  This is clearly a low risk – high reward scenario for Texas.  Any time you can add a former Cy Young Award winner who is still relatively young to your staff is an opportunity and chance worth taking.  I would not be surprised to see Webb bounce back and have a solid year thanks to Nolan Ryan’s influence. 

In summation, kudos to the Rangers for making this transaction.  This could be a win-win for everyone involved, and at the very least, it did not come at a steep price.