Free Agent Watch: Seth Etherton

As the Taiwan Series wrapped up, former major league pitcher Seth Etherton found himself in a key role, pitching in the final game. Etherton threw major league innings for the A's, Angels, Reds, and Royals. However, he hasn't pitched in the big leagues since 06, and has been in the minors since. In his career, he posted a -.7 WAR, an incredibly bad 5.815 PE, and a pitiful Throwing Rating of 3.60. He actually spent 2011 in Mexico, and in 10 starts posted a very solid -1.063. However, there is no way without creating a metric for the Mexican league and the United States to measure the difference in competition. In 2010, he pitched in AAA for the Dodgers, and posted a pretty mediocre 1.25 PE. In those 2 levels of baseball, he had a great K/BB ratio (5.1 in Mexico, and 4.13 in AAA). The ability to miss bats and throw strikes is basically the essence of pitching that any franchise wants. However, he still struggles with the longball, giving up over 1 every 9 innings in both leagues. I think it would be wise to bring Etherton in as a minor league free agent or a non roster invitation to spring training. Some of the numbers look promising, and if there is no risk then why not?