Baseball writers are an observant bunch. Within a minute of being allowed into the Dodgers clubhouse at Camelback Ranch on Saturday morning they immediately noticed a name tag above one of the lockers that said ‘Maholm #46.’ Until that moment nobody even had a clue that the Dodgers had any interest in the 31-year-old left-hander and the handful of writers began looking at each other quizzically asking “Is that Maholm as in Paul Maholm?”

Indeed it was that Maholm, the nine-year MLB veteran and free agent, who reported with the other Dodger pitchers and catchers on Saturday morning and left as quickly as he had arrived, declining to talk with those same baseball writers.

Within minutes Twitter lit up with the news and within hours it was confirmed that the Greenwood, Mississippi native had, in fact, signed a one-year/$1.5 million contract with the Dodgers that includes incentives that could make the deal worth as much as $6.5 million.

Within hours of being discovered in the Dodgers spring training clubhouse, Maholm posted this on Twitter.

While it was no secret that Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti was actively shopping around for a fifth starter, having lost out on the Masahiro Tanaka sweepstakes and having Bronson Arroyo snatched off his radar by the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday afternoon, the Maholm signing pretty much came out of the blue. It also puts a huge roadblock in front of top Dodger pitching prospects Zach Lee and Ross Stripling – both of whom figured to have at least an outside chance at making the Dodgers 25-man roster this spring.

The Maholm signing also puts the future of Josh Beckett in question. Beckett, as you may recall, is recovering from thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) surgery in which one of his ribs was removed to relieve pressure in his shoulder and collarbone area. Beckett is in the final year of an inherited four-year/$68 million contract and is owed $15.75 million for the 2014 season by the Dodgers. There has been some speculation that if the two-time World Champion is unable to return to full health from his surgery he might consider retiring – but this is pure speculation.

Additionally, the Maholm signing raises questions about about the future of right-hander Chad Billingsley who on Saturday morning told reporters that he is recovering exceptionally well from his Tommy John surgery performed last April. Billingsley says that his arm feels great and that he has had no setbacks whatsoever in his recovery and rehab. Like Beckett, Billingsley is in the final year of his (three-year/$35 million) contract. Unlike Beckett, Chad has a $14 million club option for 2015 with a $3 million buyout. Billingsley has previously said that he hopes to be back in the Dodgers rotation by May or June, although realistically this seems to be a bit of a stretch. Billingsley said that he has no regrets whatsoever for putting off his surgery until to last April instead of having it when he first discovered the damage to his right elbow back in August of 2012.

Dodgers right-hander Chad Billingsley is extremely optomistic about his return to the Dodgers rotation.
(Photo credit – Jon SooHoo)

During Saturday’s media conference Dodgers manager Don Mattingly was asked if the Maholm signing might block Lee and Stripling from making the team out of spring training.

“When you go into camp it’s always more that 25 (guys),” Mattingly said. “These young guys are going to have a chance to be a part of this club this year, a pretty good chance. If something goes on we’re going to need something coming out of the minor leagues and that’s what I think is exciting. We’re going to have a number of guys that are moving forward and are starting to knock on the door

“Anything can happen in spring and I don’t know what’s going to happen with health and things like that,” added Mattingly. “We’re definitely going to need more than the guys that we walk out of camp with.”

Mattingly says that several of the Dodgers young pitching prospects such as Zach Lee and Ross Stripling have “a  pretty good chance” of pitching for the Dodgers in 2014. (Photo credit – Michael Murphy & Ron Cervenka)

In addition to Maholm, Lee and Stripling will also be competing with right-handers Stephen Fife and Matt Magill, both of whom are already on the Dodgers 40-man roster and both of whom have MLB experience. As such, it would take phenomenal springs by Lee and Stripling to pass Fife and Magill on the Dodgers pitching depth chart.

Realistically and barring a miracle the 22-year old Lee and 24-year-old Stripling will begin the 2014 season at either Double-A Chattanooga or Triple-A Albuquerque. But as Mattingly noted, they are both are knocking on a door which very well may be answered for them this season.