Jordan Zimmermann: Cubs, Giants Again
By Matt Veasey
The TBOH staff were split on the Cubs and Giants as the destination of free agent pitcher Jordan Zimmermann.
Obviously believing that both the Chicago Cubs and San Francisco Giants will be active this winter, the staffers named those Cubbies as the front-runners for David Price, and the GMen as narrow leaders for Yoenis Cespedes.
In picking a landing spot for this former member of the vaunted Washington Nationals rotation, both Ethan Witte and Ryan Gerstel picked those Giants, while both myself and Tyler DiSalle went with the Cubs. Our David Mosemann sent Zimmermann to the Saint Louis Cardinals, while Alexis Girardo picked the New York Yankees to open their wallets for him.
Considered generally to be more of a strong #2 starter for a contending rotation, Zimmermann is much like Price in that he would appear to be in a good situation for a big free agent investment, age-wise. The righthander will turn 30 years old in May of 2016.
Since overcoming early career Tommy John surgery, Zimmermann has also proven to be extremely reliable. He has made at least 32 starts in four straight seasons, and easily surpassed the 190 innings pitched mark in each of those seasons.
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The Nationals made Zimmermann a qualifying offer after he rejected their five-year, $105 million extension last off-season. This means that whomever actually signs the righty will have to forfeit their highest 2016 MLB Amateur Draft pick to the Nats as compensation.
Ethan believes that it will only take something like a “5-year, $112 million” deal to land the righty. Based on his rejection of that offer a year ago, this dollar amount may be a tad on the low side if a team really wants his services.
Ryan believes that the Giants “will shoot for an ace like Greinke or Price, but will end up settling for” Zimmermann instead.
My own choice of the Cubs was based on their emerging young offensive talent, and the rotation perhaps needing one more strong, veteran arm to join Jon Lester and Jake Arrieta in order to make a big World Series push next season.
Zimmermann has gone 70-50 over parts of seven seasons, all with the Nationals, who selected him in the 2nd round of the 2007 MLB Amateur Draft out of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. He has career 3.32 ERA, 1.159 WHIP, 3.40 FIP, and 118 ERA+ marks. Zimmermann has allowed 1,047 hits in 1,094 innings pitched, with a 903/221 K:BB ratio.
The Phillies are not expected to be big players at the top of the free agent market this off-season, so again, they are out. Both the Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston Red Sox are rumored to be hot into the Zimmermann market, along with the teams that we picked. In fact, Zimmermann is said to be the single biggest target of the Dodgers as the club prepares to lose Greinke to free agency.