Cory Lidle

2013

There was no outlook written for Cory Lidle.

2006

Lidle's acquisition in the offseason looked like a bargain at the All-Star break, when he was 8-6 with a 3.65 ERA. But then he allowed 52 R in his last 69 IP while battling a strained oblique muscle. He also pitched much better on the road (3.62) than at home (5.79). He finished 4-1 with a 3.38 ERA in September and still had a nice 121/40 K/BB ratio on the season, so there's hope the oblique muscle was the main reason for his subpar year.

2005

Lidle was hit hard in 2003 with Toronto and for most of 2004 with Cincinnati. He stabilized after being traded to Philadelphia, and they saw enough to re-sign him. Lidle has a decent sinker and generates a good amount of ground balls, but he's also vulnerable to the gopher ball. He's more of a long reliever who is stretched when he is starting: batters hit .245 against him in his first three innings, .297 thereafter.

2004

Lidle joins the Reds, where he could possibly be the Opening Day starter. He struggled with shoulder and groin problems as the season wore on, but posted numbers in April, May and September that would be useful as a back-end starter. Pitching in the Great American Ballpark, he's likely to disappoint.

2003

An up and down season, but not that much worse than 2001 if you throw out the win total. Five of his eight wins came during a six-start stretch in August. Traded to the Blue Jays, where he's expected to take over as the No. 2 starter. Will miss pitching in Oakland, and has career numbers of a 1.55 WHIP and 5.20 ERA in 109 innings on turf, so expecting a sub-4.00 ERA might be foolish. He'll be solid again, though, and will be a reliable staff-filler at worst, something the Jays really needed.