Hot Stove Preview: Top MLB Free Agents: Starting Pitchers (Part Two)

Starters ten through fifteen are ranked here, which include six more solid options, one of which won the World Series in 2009 with the Yankees.

Starting Pitchers (Part two)

10. A.J. Burnett (Phillies): 8-18, 4.59 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, 190 K’s in 213.2 IP. 2015 age: 38.

Burnett’s excellent career may be winding down, but that doesn’t mean the 37 year old right hander doesn’t have a few more years left in him. Two very good years in Pittsburgh in 2012 and 2013 were followed by a mediocre year in Philadelphia in 2014, but he still struck out more than 110 batters for the eleventh straight season and more than 170 for the fourth straight year. However, his eight victories cost him his nine year run in double digits from 2005-2013. Burnett will bring his trademark fiery competitiveness to whichever team signs him, which will he has made clear will be a contending team. Because of his age, it will likely be a one or two year deal. For his career, Burnett is 155-150 with a 4.04 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP over 409 games (404 starts). He has the most strikeouts out of any active right hander at 2370, and he is second only to lefty C.C. Sabathia’s 2437 strikeouts among all active pitchers. Sabathia and Burnett won the 2009 World Series together with the Yankees.

11. Justin Masterson (Cardinals): 7-9, 5.88 ERA, 1.63 WHIP, 116 K’s in 128.2 IP. 2015 age: 30.

Masterson is incredibly inconsistent, but the guy can pitch. The 6’6”, 250 pound right hander may have been just 3-3 with a 7.04 ERA after his trade to St. Louis, but on August 13th, he showed who he was, tossing seven shutout innings on just three hits and no walks in Miami. Unfortunately, Masterson had an awful season in 2014, posting the highest ERA of his career by almost a run. However, just a year ago, he went 14-10 with a 3.45 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP as he led the Cleveland staff. In 2011, he was 12-10 with a 3.21 ERA in 34 games (33 starts). His signing team will have to be cautious not to pay him like the Masterson of 2013, but he could still end up pitching like that. For his career, he is 60-72 with a 4.24 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP over 240 games (175 starts).

12. Hiroki Kuroda (Yankees): 11-9, 3.71 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 146 K’s in 199 IP. 2015 age: 40.

Kuroda is undecided on a 2015 return, but the 39 year old right hander has aged gracefully. Even now, seven years into a career that he began at age 33, he’s pitching just as well as ever. His incredible consistency has seen him keep his ERA between 3.07 and 3.76 in each of his seven seasons, while his opponents’ batting average has stayed between .243 and .254 and his WHIP between 1.14 and 1.22. It’s hard to pick one best season because of how incredibly consistent he’s been, but it would likely be 2010, when he went 11-13 with a 3.39 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP for the Dodgers. Later, he put up the exact same season and went 11-13 with a 3.31 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP in 2013 for the Yankees. For his career, Kuroda, who will likely not get more than a one year deal, is 79-79 with a 3.45 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP over 212 games (211 starts).

13. Brett Anderson (Rockies): 1-3, 2.91 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 29 K’s in 43.1 IP. 2015 age: 27.

While he hasn’t made more than 19 starts in a season since 2009, Anderson could be the steal of the free agent class. A perfect low-risk, high reward candidate, the 6’4” lefty was a top prospect coming up through the A’s system and has proven his abilities on the major league mound when healthy. Problem is, that’s almost never the case. After going 11-11 with a 4.06 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP in 30 starts as an A’s rookie in 2009, he’s failed to stay healthy for a full season despite pitching extremely well when on the mound. In 2010, while making 19 starts, he went 7-6 with a 2.80 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP. Last year, in just eight starts, he was 1-3 with a 2.91 ERA, tossing 6.1 shutout innings against the Pirates on July 25th. For his career, Anderson, who is still only 26, is 27-32 with a 3.73 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP over 92 games (81 starts).

14. Josh Johnson (Padres): Did not play. 2015 age: 31.

It’s no exaggeration to say that when healthy, Josh Johnson is one of the best pitchers in baseball. However, much like Anderson, Johnson is never healthy. From 2010-2011, he was 14-7 with a 2.14 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP over 37 starts, but a May injury in 2011 caused him to miss the rest of the season. He pitched a full season in 2012, going 8-14 with a 3.81 ERA for the Marlins, then he was traded to Toronto in that massive mega-deal that included Jose Reyes and Mark Buehrle. He struggled immensely north of the border, battling nagging injuries and finishing his season in August just 2-8 with a 6.20 ERA through 16 starts, though he did close it out with five shutout innings in Seattle. Johhson signed on with San Diego for the 2014 season, but ended up sitting out all year due to the second Tommy John surgery of his career. For his career, he is 58-45 with a 3.40 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP over 170 games (160 starts).

15. Aaron Harang (Braves): 12-12, 3.57 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 161 K’s in 204.1 IP. 2015 age: 37.

Harang is getting older, but he’s still pitching like a rotation regular. In three of the past four seasons, he’s posted double digit wins while keeping his ERA below 3.70. Last year, even at 36, he went 12-12 with a 3.57 ERA and 161 strikeouts. The 3.57 ERA established a career best, while the 161 strikeouts were his most since he struck out 218 in 2007. His big rebound season from a rough 2013 (5-12, 5.40 ERA) could net him a two year deal, which would likely be a welcome proposition based on the fact that he’s played for six teams in the last five seasons. His best year came in 2007, when he was 16-6 with a 3.73 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP for the Reds. For his career, Harang is 122-128 with a 4.21 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP over 358 games (352 starts).

16. Brandon Morrow (Blue Jays), 17. Gavin Floyd (Braves), 18. Kyle Kendrick (Phillies), 19. Chris Young (Mariners), 20. Roberto Hernandez (Dodgers).

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ERA: earned run average. WHIP: walks/hits per innings pitched. K’s: strikeouts. WPCT: winning percentage

Zack Silverman