Brett Myers Wants to Start Again, Twins Interested

Brett Myers wants to be a starting pitcher once again and the Minnesota Twins are interested in seeing him in their rotation, writes Joe Chistensen of the StarTribune. Myers threw 67 innings in relief last season after serving as a starter for the vast majority of his eleven year career.

He began the season as the closer for the Houston Astros, but following a trade to the Chicago White Sox, he pitched in a setup role. He had a 3.31 ERA last season, but even as he made the move to the bullpen his strike out rate continued to erode. It dropped from 7.2 K/9 in 2010 to 6.7 in 2011 and continued down to 5.65 in 2012 despite the reduced role. His versatility may help bolster his value with other team in teams of bullpen help and a back up plan for their rotation, but the Twins interest in his starting abilities may be unique.

Price is certainly a consideration for the small-market Twins as they look at free agent pitching options. Myers is unlikely to command a high price and as Christensen implies, his pitching style could play well in Target Field. Throughout his career, Myers has struggled with home runs, with 14.2% of his fly balls leaving the park through his career.

However, he has also played in some very home run-prone parks while pitching for Philadelphia, Houston and the White Sox. Target Field is one of the more difficult places in the game to hit home runs and that could be a big help for Myers. With few clearly superior low cost pitchers on the market, Myers makes sense for the rebuilding Twins.