Although starting pitcher Jordan Zimmermann endured arguably his worst season as a full-time starter with the Washington Nationals in 2015, the right-hander still managed to produce solid numbers and is expected to receive a long-term deal. What MLB teams are interested in the free agent?
The 2016 free agent class is loaded with talent and Zimmermann arguably doesn't crack the top three starting pitchers (most rankings have David Price, Zack Greinke and Johnny Cueto ahead of him). However, Zimmermann's career record of 70-50 with a 3.32 ERA and 1.16 WHIP is still attractive to teams in need of bolstering the top of their rotation.
Zimmermann, 29, received a qualifying offer from the Nationals, which means any team that signs him will have to surrender their 2016 first-round draft pick to Washington. That should not deter teams because Zimmermann's talent and consistency is exemplified by few in the MLB.
Let's take a look at who might sign the right-hander.
3. New York Yankees
The rumors continue to fluctuate regarding the Yankees offseason. Will they spend? Will they stand pat? Will they make trades? Will they promote prospects?
General manager Brian Cashman has indicated he's "open to anything" but signs keep pointing to the Yankees waiting another year before dishing out a long-term lucrative contract. With that being said, there is a need in the starting rotation. It remains unclear if the team can fully rely on the health/inconsistencies of Masahiro Tanaka and Michael Pineda. Nathan Eovaldi's elbow health will also remain an issue. And how effective will CC Sabathia be in perhaps his final season as a Yankee?
This leaves Luis Severino as arguably the only starter the Yankees don't have much concern with. And he was a rookie this past season.
So why not sign Zimmermann? Jon Heyman of CBS Sports projects the right-hander will sign a five-year, $115 million deal, which isn't excessive for a pitcher of his caliber. New York doesn't have any other young pitchers in the pipeline expected to make an impact in 2016, so signing Zimmermann would provide a bridge for those developing prospects and give the Yankees one less thing to worry about when Sabathia hits free agency.
However, the Yanks will be searching for a second baseman as well as outfield depth, so they could hold off on the rotation for now.
2. Toronto Blue Jays
While the Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers are dominating the headlines regarding free agent starters, many are forgetting the Blue Jays are losing possibly three pitchers this offseason. David Price, Marco Estrada and Mark Buehrle are all hitting the open market and Price and Buehrle are as good as gone. The Jays gave Estrada the qualifying offer, but he's expected to get a multi-year deal and it's unclear if new team president Mark Shapiro wants to invest in Estrada, who has pitched in relief for nearly half of his career.
The team is expected to stretch out either Aaron Sanchez or Roberto Osuna to join the starting rotation next season, which will fill one void. But still, there's a need for an experienced veteran.
Toronto will have money to spend, but it won't be flashy enough to give David Price $200 million. Zimmermann would be a great fit here because he's durable, consistent and doesn't have too much mileage on his odometer (1,094 innings pitched in seven MLB seasons). Additionally, he's going to get much less attention than Price, Greinke and Cueto, so the Blue Jays can swoop in and pay him before other teams begin searching elsewhere after the top three options are signed.
1. Chicago Cubs
When all is said and done, the Cubs could have $111 million committed to the 2016 payroll after they take care of all of their arbitration settlements. That's not too bad for a big market team on the rise. Their No. 1 priority in free agency will be starting pitching and general manager Jed Hoyer recently told Jesse Rogers of ESPNChicago.com that they'll be looking for "multiple starting pitchers."
Would they dare invest $300 million in Price and Zimmermann? Maybe, but that can't be assumed. They figure to be the "favorites" for Price, but he's expected to garner interest from just about every big market MLB club. Chicago has been linked to Zimmermann in previous rumors (both regarding trades and free agency), so it's not unreasonable to think he'll be on their radar this offseason.
Zimmermann is also arguably a better fit in Chicago than Greinke and Cueto. Greinke is said to prefer places where the media isn't overly influential and Cueto has shown many times he has trouble handling pressure (although he may have put that to rest with a couple of his performances this postseason).
Still, Zimmermann's health is better than that of Greinke's (received lubricating elbow injection last spring training) and Cueto's (dealt with elbow inflammation in June/July). This should play an enormous factor for the Cubs when signing a starter due to the long-term investment any high-profile player will cost the team.
Also, if they sign Jake Arrieta to a long-term extension then Zimmermann's projected $100 million contract would be more economical than Price's $200 million deal.
If the Cubs don't sign Price, I think they'll be all-in on Zimmermann. If they do sign Price, they could still be peripheral figures in the race for Zimmermann as well.
