When you read 26-year-old left-hander Brett Anderson’s injury history, he sounds more like a specimen candidate for Harvard Medical School rather than a number five starter in the Dodgers 2015 starting rotation.

Since making his MLB debut with the Oakland A’s on April 10, 2009, Anderson has spent time on the disabled list for:

• Strained left elbow flexor muscle (5-29-10)
• Inflammation of the left elbow (7-30-10)
• Tommy John surgery (9-29-11)
• Recover & rehab from Tommy John surgery (8-20-12)
• Stress fracture of right foot (8-28-13)
• Fractured right index finger (7-13-14)
• Back surgery for two bulging disks (9-29-14)

…and this doesn’t include the nine times he missed action when he was listed as ‘day-to-day.’

The Dodgers are betting $10 million that Brett Anderson will stay healthy in 2015 – something that he has been unable to do in each of the last five seasons. (Photo credit – Cary Edmondson)

Make no mistake about it, when Anderson is healthy he has been quite effective. In his career 81 starts over six MLB seasons he is 27-32 with a 3.73 ERA – not top-of-the-rotation stuff but excellent numbers for a fourth or fifth starter. In his 494.0 major league innings pitched he has a K/9 ratio of 7.0, a BB/9 ratio of 2.4 and a K/BB ratio of 2.90. But where Anderson is perhaps most effective is his ground ball rate of 55.4% (61% in his limited work in 2014).

But also make no mistake about it that Anderson is a huge potential injury risk for the Dodgers as well. In his six MLB seasons Anderson has pitched more than 100 innings only twice – 175.1 in 2009 (his rookie season) and 112.1 in 2010. Aside from that he hasn’t pitched more then 84 innings in any season and threw only 43.1 innings in 2014. If ever there were an at-risk signing this would be it.

There is absolutely zero doubt where the idea to sign the Midland, Texas native came from. Dodgers new general manager Farhan Zaidi was in the A’s front office for all but one season that Anderson was with the team – he got to see the hard-throwing left-hander at his very best. Unfortunately, he also got to see Anderson spend most of his five seasons in Oakland on the disabled list until he was traded to the Colorado Rockies on December 10, 2013. At the time of the trade Anderson was still owed $12 million for the 2014 season with a $12 million option for 2015. The Rockies declined the option after yet another injury plagued season and instead bought it out for $1.5 million, thus making Anderson a free agent for the first time in his career.

Ironically, the Dodgers were faced with a similar situation this winter with right-hander Chad Billingsley. The 30-year-old Billingsley had a team option of $14 million for 2015 with a $3 million buyout. But because the popular Defiance, Ohio native spent more than half of his three-year / $35 million contract on the DL and his return as a starting pitcher questionable, the Dodgers declined the option and bought out of the contract. That being said, there is still a slight possibility that Billingsley might accept a low base/high incentive-laden one-year contract from the Dodgers – something in the $3-5 million range – although in all likelihood Billingsley’s ship has already sailed.

Although some (or perhaps many) may argue that the one-year / $10 million (with a potential $4 million bonus should Anderson reach 150 innings) signing extremely risky, it was rumored that the Yankees, Braves and Royals were also in on Anderson, with the Dodgers coming in with the highest bid. But while the deal may seem extremely risky, keep in mind that the Dodgers have a couple other risky contracts on the books as well. They are on the hook for $8.5 million for reliever Brian Wilson in 2015 and for a potentially very expensive player vesting option for reliever Brandon League in 2016.

Given Anderson’s tenuous medical history there is zero… absolutely zero doubt that Dodgers President of Baseball Operation Andrew Friedman and Zaidi are not finished looking for additional starting pitching this off-season. And with the Dodgers most likely out of the Cole Hamels sweepstakes and the absolute certainty that they are seeking another starter or two, Anderson could very well become yet another multi-million dollar arm in an already overpaid Dodgers bullpen – which might not be a bad thing at all.

After all, it isn’t our money, right?