Six Starting Pitchers: Good or Bad Idea???

The LA Dodgers have five starting pitchers signed for the 2011 staff.  Now GM Ned Colletti is considering bringing back another starting pitcher to the staff.  Reports from MLB.com are circulating that the Dodgers are still in talks with Vicente Padilla.

Padilla pitched for the Dodgers in a limited role last season, making only 16 starts.  However his live 95 mile per hour fastball keeps bringing the attention of clubs despite the possible risks.  This also brings up a question that the Dodgers would have to face regardless of who they would sign.  Is having a pitching staff with six starting pitchers a good idea?

There is one major point that I want to bring up with having a pitcher like Vicente Padilla in a role of being a reliever and spot starter.  There have been instances in baseball where if you switch a reliever to a starter and then back to a reliever, then the pitcher’s arm could get screwed up.  Personally I don’t like this possible move by the Dodgers for the simple reason that they have five talented starting pitchers for the 2011 season.  If one were to get injured, the team could bring one of their better minor league starting pitchers up for the time being.  This would eliminate the need for getting your sixth starting pitcher’s arm out of commission.  Plus for a reliever to become a starter, you’d probably need some minor league rehab starts.  You may as well just have a minor league starting pitcher come up to the big leagues and start that replacement game.