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Mariners Weave Jeff into Rotation
The Mariners completed their remake of their rotation by signing Jeff Weaver. Bill Bavasi signed one of the off-season hero of the Cardinals to a one year deal with an option for an additional year.
Some experts are saying that this is a good signing for the Mariners, but if you really look into the statistics there are some question marks about this signing. Sure, Jeff pitched well in the post-season for the Cardinals, but that was under the tutelage of renowned pitching coach Dave Duncan. Duncan has revived the career of many pitchers that seem all washed up. He needs Duncan to continue pitching remotely close to the level that he did for the Cardinals.
Also, if you look at Weaver’s statistics in the American League the last three seasons he’s pitched there it would make you wince.
| Year | Team | W | L | ERA | IP | H | BB | SO |
| 2002 | NYY | 5 | 3 | 4.04 | 78.0 | 81 | 15 | 57 |
| 2003 | NYY | 7 | 9 | 5.99 | 159.1 | 211 | 47 | 93 |
| 2006 | LAA | 3 | 10 | 6.29 | 88.2 | 114 | 21 | 62 |
Sure, SAFECO Field is a much better pitcher’s park than Angel Stadium or Yankee Stadium, but it’s clear that Jeff Weaver’s days in the AL should be over.
Don’t worry Bavasi, there’s some job openings here in the Midwest. I’ll send you some applications to fill out.
Trade Bait: Pirates get LaRoche
The long-rumored Adam LaRoche to the Pittsburgh Pirates trade finally took place. Ever since the Winter Meetings the Atlanta Braves and the Pirates were in serious discussions about an Adam LaRoche for Mike Gonzalez swap. The main characters had always been agreed on, it was the other players that took time to shake out. Dave Littlefield was unwilling to part with Chris Duffy, or Jose Castillo, or any of his good young pitching to help get LaRoche.
Finally, John Schuerholz convinced him to throw in promising shortstop Brent Lillibridge in exchange for an additional player on the Braves side, outfielder Jamie Romak.
Pittsburgh had been in need for a major power addition to their lineup ever since Aramis Ramirez was traded to the Chicago Cubs. Now they have a lefty power hitter that can protect the right-handed Jason Bay in the lineup. LaRoche has always been a very good fielder, but really came on with the bat last season after a mental lapse part-way through the season that had the Braves fans reeling.
The Pirates also get Jamie Romak an outfield prospect in A-ball that has very good power potential. He also gets on base at a very good clip, considering his high strikeout numbers and low batting average. Hopefully for the Pirates, they can find the hole in Romak’s swing and turn him into a decent prospect.
For the Braves, Mike Gonzalez steps in a immediately becomes the top lefty in the pen. He’ll team with Rafael Soriano to make a formidable setup corps for current closer Bob Wickman. After Wickman presumably retires at the end of the season the Braves will then have at least two candidates to fill his shoes. These three pitchers alone make the difference between last spring’s bullpen and this season’s immense.
The Braves also get shortstop Brent Lillibridge, ranked by some experts (see JDM’s Scoresheet Baseball) as the team’s third best prospect. He hits for a decent average, gets on-base very well, and is decent at stealing a bag. There are some mixed reviews on his ability to play short. With Elvis Andrus in the system and Yunel Escobar tearing up the Arizona Fall League, a change to second base may be in order.
Overall, with Brent’s addition to the package for LaRoche, it looks as if the Braves came away as the winners of this trade.
Trade Bait: Randy Johnson back to AZ
If you were the Arizona Diamonbacks’ GM how much would you give up for a 43 year-old pitcher that compiled a 5.00 ERA in 2006? A pitcher that require your team to pay $14 million in 2007 and you would have to sign him to a two year extension to get the trade done. A pitcher who recently had back surgery, again, as well. How much Josh Byrnes?
The D-Backs GM traded a usable reliever and three solid minor leaguers for the aging, often ailing starter. The reliever, Luis Vizcaino, is a moderately reliable arm that will deepen an already deep Yankees staff.
Also in the package was pitchers Ross Ohlendorf and Steven Jackson. Ohlendorf is a decent arm with a low-90s sinking fastball, a changeup, and a slider. He supposedly projects as a setup man out of the pen. But he could crack the bottom of a rotation, especially if he starts keeping lefties in check. Jackson has a mixed bag of pitches, with the traditional sinker-slider combination, followed by the more fringy changeup and splitter offerings. Although he carried a very good 2.65 ERA last season, his strikeouts to innings pitched ratio is one of the indicators that follow the belief that he may only make it to the majors as a reliever.
The last prospect, Alberto Gonzalez, is a great defensive shortstop, but brings little to the plate offensively. Some believe that he can hit enough to start for a low-payroll team down the road. However, his best fit will probably be as a utility player off the bench.
The Yankees ‘made out like bandits’ with this trade as they dealt an over-aged starter coming off back surgery, while only paying $2 million of his contract. The prospects they got in return were just icing on the cake. Other than Ohlendorf, none of the three prospects may crack the Yankees roster down the road, starting speculation that the team is stocking up talent to overwhelm a team for a star pitcher down the road.
As for Diamondbacks, they now have a pitcher with a 5.00 ERA in 2006 until a few weeks after he turns 46 years of age….for an ugly salary. Sure, they didn’t give up any of their blue-chip talents, but does that really matter?
