Spiegel: White Sox Overpaying For Mediocrity With Floyd
By Matt Spiegel-
(CBS) It comes up just about every time Gavin Floyd pitches.
He's got the stuff to be a top-of-the-rotation pitcher, but the track record and execution of a No. 4 starter. This is beyond a talking point - it's what talent evaluators say, what scouts say and what his own coaches will admit.
When one of those consistently underwhelming starts is taking place, there's a temptation to try and accept Floyd for what he is. If you try to divorce yourself from the concept of his potential, well, should White Sox fans be happy with what they've got as a No. 4 starter?
No. No, they should not.
How many other No. 4 starters around baseball even approach making the kind of money Floyd does?
Our listener, friend and baseball blogger Johnny No Pants (I know, a proud nom de plume) did the work.
We'll call him John Malioris when the research is this good.
According to current depth charts, Gavin is the fourth highest paid No. 4 starter in baseball with a salary of $9.5 million in 2013. And the top three (Tim Lincecum, Josh Beckett, and Dan Haren) are all one-time aces, fading terribly, though still being paid on their top-tier contracts.
For a team with payroll constraints, Floyd qualifies as a financial burden.
This is the final year of his deal, and the final trade deadline at which to hope some other GM thinks he has the key to unlock unrealized possibilities.
Let someone else try.
Listen to Matt Spiegel on 670 The Score weekdays from 9am–1pm CT on The McNeil & Spiegel Show. Follow him on Twitter @MattSpiegel670.
