Duchscherer talks about his decision to go to Baltimore over Washington
Justin Duchscherer, who this week decided to sign an incentive filled contract (up to $4.5 million) with the Baltimore Orioles over the Washington Nationals, spoke to the media today on his decision:
"My agent and I knew that because I had been injured the last two years, I would probably have to throw for some teams to get the contract we were looking for. We weren’t real aggressive in the offseason. Our whole plan was to get the rehab finished so I can get on the mound and show them where I was at. I threw for Baltimore and they immediately contacted my agent. They apparently liked what they saw and it came down to negotiating with the Orioles and a couple of other teams. The two teams it came down to were the Orioles and Nationals. Those were the two teams that had the best set of circumstances for me. The ultimate reason that I went to the Orioles is they are a little bit closer to my son and they are in the American League."
So there you have it, Duchscherer, who in many ways represented the Nationals last chance at a "number one" starter chose Baltimore over Washington based on closeness to his son. A very noble reason indeed, Duchscherer's son lives with the pitcher's ex-wife in New Jersey. Every little bit counts when your considering your family, especially your children, but it is kind of nuts to think he made his decision based on a 45 minute shorter commute.
Family aside, Baltimore was probably a much more logical choice for the oft-injured pitcher. Despite a 2008 when he went 10-8 in 22 starts with a 2.54 ERA and an all-star appearance, Duchscherer has a lot to prove as he has been injured for almost the entirety of the past two seasons. The Orioles rotation probably offers a better garuntee that he will make the rotation out of spring, which had to be attractive to him. While Baltimore boasts a much better staff at the top of the rotation, with Jeremy Guthrie and Brian Matusz, there is more flexibility at the back end with Brad Bergesen and Jake Arrieta.
The Nationals on the other hand have less overall tallent in their rotation but have commitments to the future of Zimmermann, Detwiler, and Maya, as well as the contract of Jason Marquis. The club also wasn't likely to boot John Lannan or Livan Hernandez who represent, as sad as it may be, the two most succesful pitchers in Nats history.
The Orioles, while unlikely to make the playoffs this year, probably have a better chance to be competitive in 2011 than the Nationals. The Orioles loaded up with veterans, and if everything goes their way, may have quite the lineup with Matt Wieters, Brian Roberts, J.J. Hardy, Vlad Guerrero, Luke Scott, Mark Reynolds, Adam Jones, and Nick Markakis. Backed by that lineup and his familiarity with the American League, a healthy Duchscherer could easily win 15 games.
The Nationals will be fine without him though. They will have a very healthy competition for the rotation this spring, and the young arms will have a chance to learn their way around the National League. The likelihood of Duchscherer staying healthy is extremly low, he's never done it before and there's no reason to expect that he can handle the burden of being a starter now at the age of 33.
The Orioles were a good fit for him, and I wish him the best of luck.
