« Doug Padilla: Erstad returns | Main | Doug Padilla: Weavermania »
June 14, 2006
don't hold your breath on Gagne
Eric Gagne probably will return to the Dodgers at some point this season. But the question is, how good will he be?
The best guess here is that he NEVER will approach the level of invincibility he had for all of 2003 and all but two games in 2004, that he will never dominate with such regularity. And realistically, who can really expect him to? That's a once-in-a-lifetime, one-shot deal that probably can't withstand two elbow operations.
The Dodgers are trying to do right by Gagne, insisting that when he returns, the closer role will be there for him. But if Takashi Saito continues to do that job he has done so far, how can they justify taking the role away from him? Granted, he is 36, and as Grady Little pointed out earlier this week, that presents a whole host of negative possibilities. But I think a lot of assumptions are being made about Gagne, not just among the fans but indeed among certain club officials, that he eventually will be the Gagne of old.
For my part, I'm not so sure.
Posted by Tony Jackson at June 14, 2006 08:03 PM