In 2010, Brian Wilson took the baseball world by storm. He had a beard fit for a Greek god, and a fastball that reached triple digits. Wilson closed out the NLDS, NLCS, and World Series that year, and was an immediate sensation. He remained with the Giants through the end of the 2012 season, but then signed with the Dodgers during 2013 after completing his rehab for Tommy John surgery.
Wilson was brought up at the tail end of 2013, and appeared to be his normal self. In 13.2 innings, he posted an ERA of 0.66, an FIP of 2.02, and a SIERA of 2.58. However the following season, he fell apart. His ERA ballooned to 4.66, and his walk rate skyrocketed from 2.63 in 2013, to 5.40 in 2014.
Despite a 2015 salary of $9.5 million, the new Dodgers front office didn't feel like Wilson deserved a roster spot, and on December 19th, he was released. He's sat out the entire season, but he appears ready to try and make a comeback.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Brian Wilson is working out and soon will begin throwing with the intention of returning to the big leagues in 2016, according to source.</p>— Tim Brown (@TBrownYahoo) <a href="https://twitter.com/TBrownYahoo/status/643594514490347523">September 15, 2015</a></blockquote>
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If Wilson can prove to be healthy, there will undoubtedly be more than a few teams interested in his services. The Giants have been known to be incredibly loyal to current and former players, however a reunion might not be in the cards this time.
After a game against the Giants during the 2013 season, Wilson confronted Larry Baer, San Francisco's CEO, about not having received his World Series ring, and could have potentially burned his bridges with the organization. It's unclear what Wilson's timetable is, but if everything goes smoothly for him, "The Beard" could be back in the big leagues by next season.