Reds’ Scott Feldman won’t pitch for Israel in WBC
Jewish player gets ready to fill spot for Cincinnati team
GOODYEAR, Ariz. — Scott Feldman won’t compete in the World Baseball Classic for Israel, choosing instead to get ready to fill a spot in the Cincinnati Reds’ rotation.
Feldman, whose family is Jewish, said Tuesday that he has turned down the opportunity to pitch in the WBC. The Reds signed him on Jan. 26 to fill the spot that opened when they traded Dan Straily — their top starter last season — to the Marlins for prospects.
The WBC is a quadrennial event modeled after soccer’s World Cup. By WBC rules, a player may compete for a country if he is eligible for citizenship under its laws. Israel extends the right of automatic citizenship to Jews, their non-Jewish children, grandchildren and the non-Jewish spouses of their children and grandchildren.)
Israel will resume play March 6 in South Korea, having won a preliminary round in Brooklyn, New York, in September.
The 34-year-old Feldman will get $2.3 million on his one-year deal and can make an additional $2.2 million in bonuses based upon starts and $1.5 million for relief appearances, depending upon which role he fills. The Reds need for a starter became more acute when Homer Bailey had surgery to remove bone spurs from his pitching elbow, sidelining him into the season.
“I was asked, but I think it’s more important for me to be here with a new team,” Feldman said about pitching for Israel. “You have to go somewhere where they want you. The Reds called early and it seemed like a good place to play. It is unfortunate when guys like Homer get hurt. In the meantime, someone has to step up a little bit.”
The Reds opened last season with five starters on the disabled list, putting pressure on a bullpen that wound up being historically bad. They signed closer Drew Storen in the offseason to try to fix that issue.
Feldman has pitched for the Rangers, Cubs, Orioles, Astros and Blue Jays. He was used mostly in relief last season, making only five starts, but is getting ready to return to a starting role.
“Starting is something I’d like to do,” he said.