Which Team Will Curt Schilling Pitch for in 2008?

On October 30^th Curt Schilling announced on his blog, 38pitches.com, that he has filed for free agency. He went on to describe how that happened, with just a simple phone call, and then gave a list of teams that he would consider. These teams had to fit into two categories for Schilling. The first is whether or not that would be a good city for him and his family in his final year in baseball. The second prerequisite is if that team is going to have the potential to be in the playoffs and possibly the World Series. The list is as follows; Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, Arizona Diamondbacks, Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals, and the Milwaukee Brewers.

Schilling is looking to close out his Hall of Fame career on a winning team, and I can't blame him. The issue is whether or not a team will take a chance on him. Gone are the days of the 20 wins and an ERA between 2.96 and 3.26. For the last three years he has averaged 11 wins and a 4.51 ERA. Also what will a team pay for that type of pitcher? The last two seasons Schilling has received $13 million. Don't get me wrong I would love to have Schilling as a pitcher, but he is probably a number three of a staff.

The first team that he will consider will be the Boston Red Sox. Schilling came to the Red Sox in 2004 and helped the team win two World Series championships. What he did for that '04 team was legendary. He posted a record of 21-6 and them came through in the playoffs, remember the "bloody sock". He would be a perfect fit for that rotation again. He could fit in nicely at number three behind Beckett and Matsuzaka. Those two would definitely benefit from having one more year with Schilling. The Sox for the most part are returning the same team, with the exception for possibly Mike Lowell, Mike Timlin and Royce Clayton.

Number two on Schilling's list was Cleveland. This would also be a great fit for him. Do they have the potential to reach the World Series? They were only one game away from getting there this year. Cleveland's big possible free agent loss is Paul Byrd. If they lose him Schilling could slide into that number three slot behind Sabathia and Carmona. If he doesn't leave that would only make the staff stronger. The Indians are also returning the heart of their lineup.

Another young pitching staff that would benefit from having Schilling would be the Detroit Tigers. Their top three, Bonderman, Robertson and Verlander have enormous upside and could only get better having Curt Schilling around. The Tigers also have the offense to get them into the playoffs and possibly back to the World Series.

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are an interesting team. They have the pitching and the hitting but they couldn't get out of the first round of the playoffs. I think the Angeles are one big bat away from doing damage in the playoffs. Vlad Guerrero was their lone slugger hitting 27 homeruns and knocking in 125 runs. No one else hit over 18 homeruns nor had more than 86 RBI. Schilling would be a good fit in that rotation but I think that they will try to improve the offense first.

The New York Mets, we all know, will be willing to spend any amount of money to make their fans forget about the debacle that was the 2007 season. For some reason I could never picture Schilling in any New York uniform. The Mets had the pitching and the hitting and then things fell apart at the end of the season. I think they need to look at the rotation as a whole first. Is Glavine going to be there next year? If not then who gets that number one spot? Is Maine ready? Would Schilling be the answer as the number one starter? I don't think so.

If Schilling doesn't sign with the Red Sox then I think he should return to the city that helped to make him a star. I would love to see him back with the Phillies. They obviously have the offense to get them into the playoffs. What they need is some pitching. Not a total overhaul just some tweaking. We can assume that Freddie Garcia will be back next year. Mix he and Schilling in with Hamels and Kendrick and that would make a great 1-4 punch.

The only other team I could see as somewhat of a fit would be Arizona. The Diamondback fans would welcome Curt Schilling back with open arms. He has led them to the promise land once already. Those young pitchers, Webb, Davis and Owings would learn a lot from the crafty Schilling. They all have the possibility of becoming great pitchers but Schilling could teach them how to be winners. The Diamondbacks are a young team and I think still may be a year or two away from greatness.

Some teams I don't see as serious contenders for the playoffs (Braves), others will be competitive but will fall short in divisional battles (Cubs, Padres). Some are a year or two away from the playoffs (Brewers) and others have too much internal strife (Dodgers) with players vs. players and a new coaching staff coming in. The last team (Cardinals) won't have the pitching to be very competitive when push comes to shove and we get close to playoff time. They may make it in but they won't last too long.

All of this is of course speculation and I am going on what these teams have on their rosters right now. Who knows maybe the Cardinals will go out and get more pitching or maybe Joe Torre will sign with the Dodgers and unite them to make a playoff run. The best fit for Curt Schilling would be to resign with the Boston Red Sox, help guide them to the World Series again, and then sit around and wait his five years until he gets that call to let him know that the Hall of Fame is expecting him.