A once-dominant ace reaches his mid-30s. A season or two get lost to injury. Then ineffectiveness sets in. A few miles per hour fall on the fastball. The one-time signature pitch just isn’t getting the results it used to. That big contract that once looked like a bargain causes people to wonder when it will end so the money can go to a better use.
Then, that bad season happens. The stuff was slipping before, but he was getting by. Still average. But that bad season puts him in a different light. The ERA around five. The peripherals not much better.