Los Angeles Angels: Jered Weaver Looking To Pitch In 2017

Although he will finish his 2016 season with a career-worst 5.06 ERA, Los Angeles Angels pitcher Jered Weaver isn’t ready to call it quits just yet.

Back in 2011, Los Angeles Angels starter Jered Weaver was an elite pitcher, finishing as the runner-up to Justin Verlander in the American League Cy Young voting. In August of that year, Weaver signed a five-year, $85 million extension with the Angels.

Weaver, a California native, appeared to give the Angels a hometown discount. At first, the deal looked like it might indeed turn out to be a bargain.

In 2012, Weaver had another excellent season, this time finishing third in the AL Cy Young voting. Although he missed time with a fractured elbow in his non-throwing arm the following year, he was solid yet again, going 11-8 with a 3.27 ERA over 24 starts.

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Over the past few years, however, the decline has really set in. In 2014, Weaver had a good year from a traditional viewpoint, winning a tied-for-AL-best 18 games while posting a 3.59 ERA. That said, he graded out as a league-average pitcher with a 100 ERA+. His 4.19 FIP was also the highest of his career. The past two seasons have been very rough for the right-hander.

Last year, Weaver went 7-12 with a 4.64 ERA (81 ERA+), making it the worst season of his career up to that point. In Spring Training of 2016, it was reported that he had been diagnosed with “degenerative changes in his cervical spine.” Weaver was able to stay on the field and make 31 starts this year, but the results weren’t pretty.

Weaver will end his 2016 campaign with a 12-12 record and a career-worst 5.06 ERA (79 ERA+) and 1.46 WHIP. He gave up an alarming 37 long balls.

The issue of Weaver’s diminished velocity continues to be a popular subject as well. According to BrooksBaseball.net, the soon-to-be 34-year-old’s average four-seamer registered at only 84.02 MPH in 2016. Despite his recent struggles, Weaver, now a free-agent-to-be, has indicated that he would like to continue pitching.

Over the past three seasons, Weaver has been worth only 2.1 fWAR. His -0.1 fWAR this season was the second-worst mark among all qualified starters in the game. Only James Shields provided less value, posting a -0.9 fWAR.

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Although it is tough to imagine Weaver getting back to being an ace at this point, he should be able to draw interest as a back-of-the-rotation starter. It is possible he may still have a certain amount of bounce-back potential yet as well. Whether he returns to the Los Angeles Angels or pitches elsewhere, it will be interesting to see how the rest of his story goes.