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Orlando - When the Chicago Cubs decided (foolishly) to pay $40 million for southpaw Ted Lilly, they no longer could afford the much better Jason Schmidt who was scooped up today by the Dodgers.
Schmidt who has racked up an impressive 78-37 record in his five-and-a-half years with the SF Giants, has been disappointing of late only able to earn 11 wins last year and lost 9 times.
Still he will probably become the ace in a iffy Dodger rotation -- Derek Lowe (16-8, 3.63), Brad Penny (16-9, 4.33), Chad Billingsley (7-4, 3.80), and newly signed Randy Wolf (15-12 over the last three years) -- whose numbers are all quite deceiving.
If everyone's arms stay even relatively healthy for most of the season, that's more than a respectable rotation helmed by Schmidt, one of the best pitchers in baseball over the last 6 years.
The goateed righty is signed for 3 years and will make $47 million over that period, and was one of the most coveted pitchers in this years Winter Meetings held here in Orlando where LAist is now planning on going to Disney World.
AP photo by Phelan M. Ebenhack