[membengal]

To be clear, brutus, I really very much wanted them to find a hammer for the top of the rotation this off-season (see the Grienke thread) and was advocating dealing from the pitching depth to do so (I think I pimped two of three of Volquez/Bailey/Leake to get it theoretically done as a starting point). But I want the person brought in to be a no questions asked TOR, not an embalmed in questions recovery project. This team really doesn't have the room to carry such a project at this point in the rotation. And Webb in the bullpen to see what he has doesn't fill the playoff need you mention.

So, no, Webb looked like an awkward target to me. At this point, having missed on Grienke, it looks like the die is cast to hoping that Volquez recaptures his pre-TJ form fully and that Cueto continues to improve while Wood is what he looked like last year and Bailey and/or Leake finds their form. That all could happen in some form or another, but it is a risk, that's for sure. Because any of a number of those hopes could come up short.