L.A. inks starting pitcher Kyle Bidwell to 3-year deal
Perhaps the biggest factor at the end of the 1977 season that led to the downfall of the Los Angeles Spinners was a lack of depth in starting pitching. And that becomes even more acute with their veteran 21-game winning Jason Wilson on the free agency market. So it probably shouldn't be a surprise that L.A.'s first big free agent signing of the off-season is former Portland starting pitcher, Kyle Bidwell, who finished second in the league last season in ERA and third in Pitcher of the Year voting.
Some suggest that Bidwell's 1977 season was a bit of an anomaly, but in spite of the fact that he is essentially a 2-pitch pitcher, Bidwell has been consistently at least moderately valuable and isn't likely to hurt you in a middle-to-back-end of the rotation slot. And certainly L.A. needs all the help it can get in this area. (Their top prospect is a starting pitcher, but he is still pretty far from being big league ready.)
