Editorials

Just A Suggestion: Goodbye To Brandon League, Chris Withrow Stays

[new_royalslider id=”28″]

Brian Wilson is expected to come of the disabled list and many are wondering what the corresponding move will be.

Many expect the Los Angeles Dodgers to send down Christ Withrow, even though he has struck out half of the batters he has faced. With a rotation and bullpen full of players on major league deals, Withrow seems to be the easiest move to make.



Well, I’m here to offer a suggestion that many Dodger fans would agree with: get rid of Brandon League.

I can’t see much turmoil from making that move, even if the Dodgers will be forced to be pay League almost $15 million for not throwing another pitch for the team. The right-hander started the year better than expected, throwing four scoreless innings in two appearances. This came after a rough spring in which League was left off the travel roster to Australia in order to work on his stuff.

In his last appearance, League allowed three runs and forced the Dodgers to use closer Kenley Jansen in a game that was 8-2 in the ninth. The Arizona Diamondbacks had the tying run at the plate, but luckily Jansen came in and closed the door. Even with the win, the Dodgers went from being comfortable to being a bit uneasy and using their already overused closer.

So, it’s time to say goodbye to the Brandon League Era and thank him for his services. Pay him his $15 million and never allow him to blow another game. In a season of expected greatness, why would the Dodgers take any chances of losing a game that could cost them later in the season?

A loss now may not seem like a big deal, but it could ultimately be the difference between home-field advantage and being the lower seed.

Withrow is a young, hard-throwing reliever that has proven his worthy down the stretch in a playoff run already. He’s followed that up with a strong start to this season and combines with Jansen, Wilson and Chris Perez to give the Dodgers a series of power arms for the later innings. While he may struggle at some point, he has already proven himself more than League has in the last two seasons. Also, his implementation of a new pitch will give him the arsenal to sustain his success.

While a straight release of League would be completely fine, the Dodgers might as well designate him for assignment and see if any team wants to take a chance on the former All-Star closer.

With that being said, here’s to hoping the Dodgers will eat the money and their mistake, while going all in for the 2014 season.

——————————————————————————————————————————————

Dodgers News: Reliever Brian Wilson Placed on DL, Nerve Irritation

Vincent Samperio

Vince is currently the Associate Editor and Social Media Manager for Dodgers Nation. Hailing from San Pedro, CA and a student at Cal State Long Beach, Vince has previously written for the Daily 49er and LASF Magazine.

5 Comments

  1. I’ve felt that the dodgers should have released Brandon League last July, so releasing him now wouldn’t be a moment too soon. Cut your losses. I’d rather have the dodgers pay him $15 mil to stay home rather then pay him that much money to lose games.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button