We’ve heard it for years, decades even: “Spring training games are meaningless games.” Yet on Friday we were told that 26-year-old rookie right-hander Ross Stripling had won the Dodgers fifth starter job based on his four spring training performances in which he allowed five earned runs (all in one outing) on seven hits (including three home runs in that same outing) while walking none and striking out 11 in his 11 spring training innings of work. In fact, if you were to take out his final spring training outing on March 29 against the Padres, Stripling would have had the best spring of any Dodgers starting pitcher – even better than three-time Cy Young award winner Clayton Kershaw. Yet even before that one dreadful meaningless spring training game, Stripling had been optioned to minor league camp, this in spite of his 0.00 ERA at the time.

If anyone deserved to make the Dodgers Opening Day starting rotation, it was 26-year-old right-hander Ross Stripling. (Photo credit – Jon SooHoo)

And then there’s Alex Wood, who Dodgers manager Dave Roberts had anointed as his fourth starter only three weeks into major league camp. In his five spring training appearances, Wood allowed 14 earned runs on 27 hits (including five home runs) to finish the spring with an 0-3 record and atrocious 7.13 ERA. In fact, in his final “tune-up” outing against the Angels on Saturday night, Wood allowed four runs on eight hits while walking two and striking out none. The blatantly obvious difference is that whereas Stripling had a 0.00 ERA heading into his final spring training outing, Wood entered his final outing with an ERA already at 6.43.

Meaningless games?

Roberts’ early naming of Alex Wood as his fourth starter quickly (and perhaps conveniently) became obscured by the so-called battle for the fifth-starter spot – a competition that as recently as three days ago was supposedly between Carlos Frias and Zach Lee, with Stripling having an outside shot. Yet when the dust had settled, Stripling got the nod while Frias and Lee were optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City. Frias had posted an impressive 3.44 ERA through his seven spring training games in 18.1 innings pitched and Lee a 5.06 ERA through his five games and 16.0 spring training innings of work. Realistically, there should have been a battle for the fourth and fifth-starter spots in the Dodgers starting rotation, not just the fifth spot. Had there been, it probably would have been Alex Wood who the Dodgers optioned to OKC on Friday instead of Carlos Frias.

…or would it?

Although we will never know exactly why Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and general manager Farhan Zaidi are so enamored with Alex Wood, it could be that they are somehow trying to justify trading away Cuban phenom third baseman Hector Olivera (who they had signed to a six-year / $62 million contract only months earlier) and fan-favorite Paco Rodriguez in exchange for Wood, relievers Luis Avilan and Jim Johnson, second baseman Jose Peraza and injured right-hander Bronson Arroyo. The Dodgers subsequently traded Peraza, released Arroyo, did not resign Johnson and just optioned Avilan to Oklahoma City. In other words, it appears that Friedman and Zaidi are trying desperately to salvage something out of that trade – even if it kills them.

There is no gentle way to put it, Alex Wood has had an awful spring.
(Photo credit – Jon SooHoo)

To be fair, Alex Wood is a great guy and has worked very hard this spring to prove that he belongs in the Dodgers rotation. But based on the results of his five “meaningless” spring training games – especially Saturday night’s disaster against the Angels – Carlos Frias might not want to unpack his bags in Oklahoma City just yet and Alex Wood might want to begin packing his.