Tampa Bay Rays Continue Frugal Ways with Jonny Venters Signing
There are long-shots and then there is investing in penny stocks. The Tampa Bay Rays might not be investing much in a low risk minor league contract with LHP Jonny Venters, but it would be very surprising to see the former Atlanta Braves pitcher amount to anything close to what he was a few years back.
Venters was once a very capable late inning southpaw reliever. From 2010-11 with the Braves he served mainly as a setup man, first for Billy Wagner and then Craig Kimbrel. He posted back-to-back sub-2.00 ERA seasons while working 80-plus innings in both.
In 2012 Venters fell off a bit in terms of efficiency. He spent some time on the disabled list and had only 58.2 IP. His ERA was a respectable 3.22 and he still maintained a very impressive K/9 of 10.6.
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Soon to be 30, the last time Venters threw a live pitch in MLB action was when he was aged 27. The 2013 season saw him experience left elbow discomfort in spring training. He was placed on the DL before Opening Day and tried to avoid surgery with platelet-rich plasma injections. Come May, he had visited the notorious Dr. James Andrews before succumbing Tommy John surgery later that month.
Long before his success in the big leagues, Venters underwent a first Tommy John surgery in 2005 after a season playing Single-A ball in the Braves’ farm system as a 20-year old. Add to both previous operations a third procedure that occurred in September of 2014, it’s obvious Venters faces a long road back to relevancy.
There’s no chance he pitches in 2015. There’s a strong chance that Venters never pitches again in MLB. Obviously the contract handed out by the Rays has high reward potential if he can ever regain his 2010-11 form with a low sum of money involved.
Three UCL surgeries is a heck of a thing to come back from. Jason Isringhausen is one of the more notable pitchers who overcame three such procedures in his career. The Rays are taking a flier on Venters and they really have nothing to lose. But because he is at least a full season away from being able to throw off a mound, it’s a wonder why the Rays did not look at other low risk, inexpensive options on the table with a higher probability of contributing in 2015.
Tampa Bay needs to find value in spots most other clubs don’t bother to look. Their estimated 2015 payroll currently sits at $67.9 million, easily the lowest in the league. If Jonny Venters ends up pitching for the Rays in 2016, it will make for a nice story about overcoming adversity. Given his age, it could also open the door to a long-term, more lucrative deal between both parties in the future.