Dodgers: What Jimmy Nelson means for the rest of the pitching staff

The Dodgers continued their ways of finding low-risk high reward pitchers with their addition of Jimmy Nelson.  What does it mean for the rest of the pitching staff?

Andrew Friedman is at it again.  The Dodgers’ President of Baseball Operations and acting GM signed starting pitcher Jimmy Nelson to a one year deal that comes with an option for 2021.  The money is minimal if the transaction doesn’t work out as Nelson is guaranteed just $1.25 million in 2020 with a $500K buyout for 2021.  So if the deal turns into fools gold, the Dodgers only risked $1.75 million for a potential high-reward move.

What makes Jimmy Nelson an intriguing flier for Los Angeles?  For one, Nelson is still relatively young as he will turn 31 years in June.  Jimmy was also the Brewers’ best starting pitcher before he hit injuries including his slide at first base that wiped out his entire 2018 season.  While Nelson’s 6.95 ERA in 2019 doesn’t instill any confidence, he did battle soreness and any pitcher coming off a long layoff will struggle at first.

There is a chance this turns into another injury-plagued project that doesn’t pan out but there is also a chance this low-risk move, ends up the next big move that puts the Dodger rotation or bullpen over the top.  Here is what Jimmy Nelson could mean to LA’s rotation and starting rotation in 2020.

Can Jimmy Nelson crack the Dodger rotation?

As the Dodgers currently stand, their rotation figures to include three locks which are Walker Buehler, Clayton Kershaw, and Kenta Maeda.  The two rotation spots after those three are likely to go to Julio Urias and Dustin May.  Ross Stripling and Tony Gonsolin will also get a fair run at the rotation spots and apparently so will Jimmy Nelson.

Although the Dodgers view Nelson as a bullpen project, he has enough upside that they are going to give him work as a starting pitcher in spring training.  If Nelson proves to be back to his previous form, there is a chance that he can bounce Dustin May or Julio Urias back to the bullpen.  Both Urias and May will likely have an innings limit of some kind in 2020 so the Dodgers could get ahead of that limit by starting one or both of them in the bullpen to begin the 2020 season.

Whether Nelson begins the season in the rotation or bullpen, like much of the pitching staff, there is a good chance he will pitch in multiple roles next season.  From spot starts to high leverage relief innings, Jimmy Nelson could be another Ross Stripling type utility pitcher.

Should Jimmy Nelson struggle in spring training he will be bounced to the bullpen and then the competition will really begin to heat up.