Miami Marlins: Wei-Yin Chen is the man fans must hate to love
The most prominent obstacle in the way of short-term success for the Miami Marlins is not Derek Jeter. That honor goes to Wei-Yin Che, franchise anchor …in every negative sense of the word.
For those Miami Marlins fans wondering who is left on the team to cheer for in 2018, it might please some of them to know that the Fish are bringing back their highest paid starting pitcher from the last two seasons. With a career record of 53-38 and a 3.90 ERA, it stands to reason that this is the type of player you want to build a young rotation around.
The problem is that pitcher is Wei-Yin Chen: a financial albatross that projects to be the biggest reason the Miami Marlins won’t be competitive the rest of this decade.
Miami Marlins
Two years ago, Chen was the Marlins big free agent splash. A solid No. 2 behind staff ace Jose Fernandez that could put Miami into the playoff conversation. One year ago, expectations were lowered. But the belief still existed he could be a vital cog of an average rotation whose job it was to just keep the game close for the bullpen.
Today though, the story couldn’t be more different. Chen tossed only 33 innings in 2017, shattering the career low of 123.1 IP he set first year in a Miami Marlins uniform. Both times, the issue has been elbow soreness. Both times, Chen chose to forgo any surgery, opting for rehab instead.
That’s not always the best strategy. South Florida sports fans would be forgiven Ryan Tannehill flashbacks here. Chen has already undergone Tommy John surgery once. There’s a bit of a “not if but when” mentality that is setting in, when it comes to the veteran lefty’s ligaments. The Miami Herald’s Andre C. Fernandez has already reported that Chen will not be available for Opening Day.
To be sure, there are no playoff hopes taking a hit, this time around. But that doesn’t mean that a significant Chen setback in 2018 won’t be the most damaging one yet for Miami.
Why Chen Is A Big Problem For Miami Marlins
Short of taking a 10-0 record and sub 2.00 ERA into the All-Star Break, no one was trading for Wei-Yin Chen in 2018. The Miami Marlins will be paying him every cent of the $10 million (not counting his signing bonus) he’s due this season. However, it is essential that he give major league scouts reason to believe he’s recovered this season.
The reason is that his salary explodes to $20 million in 2019, and $22 million the following year. And while it’s hard to blame a guy for passing up on the chance to earn well north of $50 million for working out and stretching, no one ever said fans need to be level-headed. The moment he decided not to opt out of his contract was the moment any chance of keeping the Marlins core together died. He may as well have packed his teammate’s bags himself.
So yea, this particular Miami Marlins blogger is in no danger of owning a Wei-Yin Chen jersey.
That doesn’t mean he isn’t the player I’m most interested in seeing succeed this season though. Freeing themselves of even one year of that contract opens up that much more money to fill other holes on the roster. Or maybe just one hole. Look at it this way. From 2019-2020, Chen will earn the same amount of money as…Yu Darvish. That kind of money could buy an All-Star bat. It could buy an elite closer. It could keep Justin Bour and J.T. Realmuto around, assuming they’re still here then.
Next: Marlins Man makes Derek Jeter look good
None of that happens if he doesn’t have a solid 2018 season though. If these injury questions linger into 2019, any chance of unloading him slips away. So despite having more fan love for thirty-nine other names on the Marlins 40-man roster, it’s Chen I’ll be cheering loudest for.