The injury Garrett Richards suffered last night could be devastating to the first-place Los Angeles Angels. There is no debate: Richards was the Angels' ace. He had registered a 4.4 fWAR in this breakout season. No other Angels starter is above a 2.0 fWAR.
Assuming Richards is out for the season, and that is still yet to be determined, what options do the Angels have? Tyler Skaggs was already lost to Tommy John surgery, and Hector Santiago has filled in respectably for Skaggs in three starts. He was their rotation depth.
And there was this from Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register:
"Just today talked to Jerry Dipoto and sounded like chances of getting another starter were still very remote, if not impossible."
That conversation took place before the Richards injury.
Options are thin for the Angels. At AAA Salt Lake City they have soon-to-be-38-year-old Randy Wolf, who's got a 4.58 ERA in three minor-league stints this year. They also have 30-year-old Wade LeBlanc, who is 10-3 with an even 4.00 ERA in 21 starts at Salt Lake City.
Neither is a clear-cut favorite nor particularly sexy. Then there is the always interesting Bartolo Colon. As our Ken Rosenthal tweeted, the ageless wonder has not been run through August waivers yet. Perhaps this was an intentional savvy move by Sandy Alderson, waiting for the right opportunity and catching a team with a dire need.
Colon is due $11 million next year, in his age 42 season. The Mets have lots of good starting pitching lined up for 2015.
Bartolo has to go through waivers for the Angels to acquire him, and that is a huge problem. The Angels have a better record than the A's. The A's are ahead of the Angels in the waiver claim process. Do you think Billy Beane is going to allow any decent starter pass through waivers right now so the Angels can get him? Me neither.
