It was only 4 years ago that Mark Prior was the future of the Chicago Cubs franchise. He was dominating the National League on his way to posting an 18-6 record with a 2.43 earned run average while striking out 245 batters over 211 innings of work. His performance announced to everyone that he was about to join the upper echelon of major league starters and that the Cubs, thanks to himself and fellow phenom Kerry Wood, were going to be a team to be reckoned with for the years to come. Nobody could’ve expected what would happen over the next 4 seasons with Prior going from cornerstone of a club on the rise to spare part without a team to call his own.
Earlier today when the Cubs decided to non-tender Mark Prior, essentially making him a free agent, it brought an end to one of the most disappointing tenures in the long history of the Cubs franchise. Prior who was at the pinnacle of his sport as the Cubs were only a few outs away from advancing to the World Series, would spend the next 3 seasons unsuccessfully trying to regain his form from that season while battling a myriad of injuries and questions about his toughness. Prior had been a workhorse over his first two seasons in the majors tossing 379 innings during those campaigns (as well as 357 innings at USC before he even joined the Cubs) and in his last 9 starts of the 2003 season in which the Cubs were making their postseason run, he threw 1,126 pitches (an average of 125 per game and four outings with more than 130 pitches) and for the record one seven of those starts. When Prior began experiencing shoulder problems the following season, most observers pointed to his overuse during that period as the probable cause. Even with these problems plaguing him, Prior continued to pitch but it was evident that something was wrong. It had become painfully obvious this was not the same pitcher who tore up the league a year earlier as Prior posted a 6-4 record while only making 21 starts. The next season brought renewed hope as Prior showed flashes of his 2003 form in going 11-7 with 188 K’s in 166.2 innings but also allowed a career high in homeruns (25) and was still surrounded by fans, media and even teammates questioning his toughness.
The question everyone had was what is wrong with Prior. If he was truly injured, shouldn’t he have surgery to fix the problem or was it just that he wasn’t as good as that 2003 season made him out to be and he was having trouble dealing with it. Theories and speculation abounded but what no one could provide, not even Prior himself, was a straight answer or a solution. For most people, the questions were answered in April of this year after Prior, who spent most of 2006 on the disabled list (he did post a 1-6 record with a 7.21 era when he made 9 starts in 2006) had arthroscopic surgery for a torn labrum and would miss the entire 2007 season. It seemed the young man whose heart was questioned by so many could no longer try to prove himself with the ligaments and muscles inside his shoulder decaying with every pitch he threw. It was during this past lost season that Prior’s relationship with the Cubs soured and seemed destined for a parting of ways when Prior was asked about his upcoming contract status and replied with “Don’t ask me, I’m just an employee”. Today that parting of ways became reality and now Prior must decide which road he will take in his quest to resurrect his now uncertain career.
If the Cubs would have made Mark Prior available via trade following his 2003 breakout season, a bidding war comparable to the one now being waged for Minnesota Twins ace Johan Santana would have ensued. After all, no one could argue that when Prior is healthy and at the top of his game he is one of if not the most dominant right handers in the game. While so many teams are willing to give up top prospects and probably 100 million or more dollars to bring Santana into the fold and have an ace to anchor their rotation, it seems odd to me that these same clubs (for whom money is not a consideration) would not take a chance on a player who could be the living embodiment of the term “low risk, high reward”. If a team like the Mets, who due to a dearth of major league ready prospects have been unable to put together a deal strong enough to acquire either Santana or Baltimore’s Erik Bedard were to take a chance on Prior, I think it would be a no lose situation.
The Mets could probably get Prior to join them for 4-5 million for one year plus incentives should he stay healthy and actually make 25+ starts for them. For the Mets, all it would cost them is money (something they have an excess of) and if it didn’t work out they would only be on the hook for one season. For Prior there are a few reasons why coming to Flushing would be a wise decision. First, he would have the opportunity to work with pitching coach Rick Peterson who knows a thing or two about young pitchers (Zito, Hudson, Mulder, Maine) and could probably help him immensely in not only the physical aspect but the mental aspect of reacquiring his game. Second, Prior would not be the main focus of the staff because as long as Pedro Martinez is a Met that title falls on his shoulders. The biggest reason in my mind why Prior should come to New York is because anyone who has seen him pitch knows he is a bulldog on the mound and should he regain his form while playing for a contender like the Mets, he will have the opportunity to go after opposing hitters on the game’s biggest stage during a pennant race and postseason in the world’s biggest city. What more could any pitcher with something to prove ask for?
