Last offseason, Stephen Best was the first of Charlotte’s big free agent signings as the team looked to improve on back to back seasons in which they lost at least 96 games. The move was widely regarded as an excellent signing, with fans, journalists, and other front office personnel praising the signing. Unfortunately, the deal has not worked out well.
Best started 18 games for the Flyers in 2057. His numbers were not what anyone was hoping they would be, as he was 5-5 with a 5.42 ERA in 89.2 innings. That is the worst ERA of any season in which he pitched at least 32 innings. His FIP of 4.18 and BABIP of .353 (compared to his career avg of .292) seem to indicate that he was quite unlucky on the mound.
His luck got worse on July 11, when he felt a pop in his shoulder and left the game. It was determined that Best had torn his rotator cuff and needed surgery. Team doctors indicated that he would likely miss 10-11 months, meaning that he wouldn’t pitch for the Flyers until at least June of 2058.
A dejected Best vowed to work hard and return better than ever. Fans, teammates, and coaches wanted to believe him and wished him well. Despite some rumors of him being selfish, Best has always been adored by fans. When rumors swirled this offseason that the team might cut him to free up some salary cap space, social media buzzed with concern. Those rumors didn’t turn out to be true, but it did provide the team’s leaders a glimpse into how the fan base feels about the injured pitcher.
This week, the team announced that there has been a setback in Best’s recovery that will require another surgery, and a new timeline. He is now expected to be out until early in the 2059 season. That puts the team in an interesting position. Since Best’s contract includes a player option for 2059, it seems almost certain that he will execute that option because he won’t have any way to show teams what he can do on the field post-injury before hitting the free agent market again if he doesn’t. Because that money is now virtually guaranteed to be paid out to Best unless he were to retire, it makes the math a little more simple for the organization.
It seems unlikely that Best would retire, especially with the stories everyone has heard about his high financial ambition and his lack of loyalty and leadership. There is no indication that he would throw away over $12 million when he can realistically collect that money without ever throwing another pitch. That is where the team has to make a decision. Do they pay him for another lost season in hopes that he returns next year and pitches at a high level, or do they cut their losses now? My money is on Best being released in the near future to free up salary cap space that can be used, either during Spring Training, or later in the season when they see who gets injured, or who isn’t producing.
Yes, releasing Best might cause some fans to get upset, but it might also create a situation that allows the team to make a corresponding move that gets the fans excited. Perhaps the team will wait until the season ticket sales have stopped to make such an unpopular move to try to minimize the financial impact. It will be interesting to see what happens with Stephen Best and the Flyers. We will let you know when we hear anything.