Being right at the salary cap stopped the Oshawa Generals from going after any free agents during the offseason. A few attempts at trades has also met with frustration.   Starting SS Juan Suarez opted for the free agency route and signed with Carson City.  His spot will be filled from within the organization.

This is how the pitching rotation for the Oshawa Generals looks for the 2011 season:

STARTING PITCHING

Soong-yong Che age 22 (Rating B)

You know that Oshawa are in trouble with their “ace” is a 22 year old with 12 ML games under his belt.  While he should do ok in the long term, it might not be fair to put so much on such a young arm.

Jeffrey Robinson age 36 (Rating C)

Despite what would be considered an off year for Robinson last season (3.49 ERA),  his control might not be what it was and he may find that he is no longer the number one starter on the team.

Eric Carter age 35 (Rating C)

After failing to win even 10 games last season, Carter may find that he might find that his $12.5 million salary will be the last one he gets from Oshawa unless he turns it around.  That is not really expected.

Keith Pugh age 27 (Rating C)

Pugh had his kick at the can last season with Oshawa as he started in 22 games and rewarded the vote of confidence with an ERA of just under 6.  This is another that might end up in AAA Barrie before too long.  Unfortunately, there is not much to replace him with.

Hal Penny age 23 (Rating D)

Penny pitched last season in AAA and did reasonable well with a 3.79 ERA.  But that most likely will not carry over at the major league level and he could end up back in the minors before the horses make the first turn.

MIDDLE RELIEF

Chris Raynor age 27 (Rating A)

Chris is a workhorse.  He got into 91 games last season and had an ERA of 3.05.  Raynor is arguably the best pitcher on the team.

John Curran age 33 (Rating B)

Curran pitched in 85 games and had a sparkling ERA of 2.58.  At 33, he might not be able to handle that much work this season but if he can, with the starting pitching the team has, he may well be called upon as much as last season.

Paco Romero age 24 (Rating C)

In 57 games last seaon Paco had a respectable ERA of 3.73.  If he can repeat this effort for the upcoming season, the team would be very happy.

Fernando Vargas, age 26 (Rating C)

Fernando is another pitcher who got in his fair share of games last season and did well with an ERA of 3.78.  Being at the peak of his career, it is hoped that he can repeat this effort.

Ryan Davidson, age 26 (Rating D)

Had a good inaugural season with an ERA of 2.56.  Now that he is known, he will be hard pressed to duplicate the effort.

CLOSER

Jackson Stone, age 36 (Rating A)

Stone is one of the better closers in the game.  In the past two seasons he has picked up 76 saves and has kept his ERA below 2.50.  With the pitching that is ahead of him, he might not get the chance to get into as many games as he has been used to.

OVERVIEW

The Oshawa Generals had one of the pitching lineups in the CBU.  But not anymore.  If the team is going to play .500 ball this season, they will need to score a lot of runs.