Tsuyoshi Wada is a Bad Add for 2014 — Here’s Why
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
With Anthony Rizzo, Javier Baez, Jorge Soler, and Arismendy Alcantara already on the Major League roster, with Kris Bryant and Addison Russell coming up pretty soon, the Cubs fans have plenty to look forward to. Still, you can’t help but wonder, what about the pitching?
Well, he’ll be 34 next season so there may not be great long term value, but Tsuyoshi Wada has given the Cubs pitching rotation a nice shot in the arm this season.
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He’s obviously been pitching well all year and especially strong over the last month.
A week ago, Nash included Wada in his look at final month waiver wire additions, a list which included Wada. Unfortunately, a deeper look shows us a few problems.
Problem 1: The Team
Playing on the Cubs, wins may be difficult to come by. Now, that obviously hasn’t been a huge problem this year and the Cubs are playing a little better now than the 61-76 record indicates.
Still, one of the potential advantages of September is going against a team that’s out of it that may be resting their regulars. Wada’s not going to be getting that break, which actually brings us here.
Problem 2: The Opponents
As things are slated right now, these are the opponents that Tsuyoshi Wada will be locking up against in his remaining outings.
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Four starts against four contenders, and there’s only a slight chance that any of those games will even come close to being meaningless for Wada’s opponents. So, he’ll get no breaks there.
Honestly, they’re worth noting, but I’d be lying if I said the opponents were my biggest concern.
Problem 3: The Lack of Starts
Wada’s been good all year, so I think he’ll be okay when he’s on the hill. The bigger problem — to me, anyway — is that according to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times, the Cubs appear set to go out of a six-man rotation for the rest of the way, which will take a start away.
At this point of the year, that may not seem like a lot and in stats like ERA and WHIP, you may be right, especially in a roto league. But if you end up losing your league and a few strikeouts and/or a win or quality start would have made the difference, it could really hurt.
I like what Tsuyoshi Wada has done this year, but a few too many things are working against him here. If you need a spot start, then Wada’s as good a solution as anyone. But if you’re looking for a guy to add to the rotation for the rest of the way, you probably want to look elsewhere.