Chauncy Garcia
To say the Dodgers Left handed relievers in 2014 was a disappointment, is an understatement. With the work horse being JP Howell, whose 68 games worked and posting a 2.39 era in 2014, was basically irrelevant in the playoffs. The other left handed relievers the Dodgers had on their roster in 2014 ranged from Scott Elbert, Paul Maholm, to the rookie Daniel Coloumbe, all with, not so impressive 2014 campaigns.
There are not many left handed relievers out in the free agent market, with many being eligible for arbitration It’s not looking too good for the Dodgers. The one name that does catch my eye, is Joe Beimel. We all may remember Joe as the winner of the 2008 Dodgers’ fan favorite bobblehead. (One I do have in my collection, which is personally signed by Joe, himself) Joe was a Dodger from the 2006 season, up until the end of the 2008 season.
I have had my eye on him the last couple years, as he has been recovering from Tommy John Surgery. In 2013, he was with the Atlanta Braves organization, and in 2014, he was with the Seattle Mariners. While with the Mariners, Joe posted an impressive 2.20 ERA in 56 games, while being in the hardest division in all ofbaseball. This is the 2nd lowest ERA he has posted in his career, since 2008, where his ERA was 2.02 in 71 games with the Dodgers.
Joe is currently 37, and for not pitching due to injury for 2 years, he essentially has the arm of a 35 year old. Which is probably why he had such a stellar 2014 season. Joe is an unrestricted free agent this year and with a not so impressive LHP free agent Market. I would say, Joe a prime candidate to come back to LA and fill the void we have for a veteran LHP out of the bullpen.
Paul Maholm and Scott Elbert are both free agents in 2015, which I feel, the Dodgers will make an attempt to bring back Elbert because of his youth and past success before 2014. Malholm is clearly not going to be a Dodger next year, so why not bring back Beimel? He’s stated many times that he would love to come back to LA and pitch for the Dodgers. Not to mention, he is good friends with catcher Russell Martin, who is also a free agent and could fill that void we have for a productive catcher. Maybe we could get a group discount.
Beimel-Martin 2015?
