Rest of baseball thread 2006

[Eaglez]

Pitching is so scarce in the MLB that if you have one good year/mediocre year and become a FA the next you're golden...

Meche getting 11 million a year is a bit surprising, but Ted Lilly getting 10 million I think is even a bigger surprise. At least Meche is young and has some upside, Ted Lilly is garbage 15-13 with a 4.3 ERA is worth 10 million a year for 4 years?

I don't care if teams pay FAs outrageous contracts, they are completely within their right to do so.  Usually, however, you see a natural progression of contracts escalating, but for some reason this year it seems like it all came at once. Every FA is getting an amazing deal.

It's just very interesting to see the dichotomy in the league. Some baseball players are woefully undercompensated, like Howard and Utley (I know, I know, they are on their rookie deals but for their production they are undercompensated in terms of mere production), and then Ted Lilly and Gil Meche had been mediocre and get great deals.

[BigEd76]

The Royals also spent 4 / $45M on Miguel Batista.  $100M for Meche and Batista.... 

[Eaglez]

Since when did the Royals become big spenders? Did they save up all that revenue so they could blow it all on Meche and Batista? That's probably why they are the Royals...

[PhillyPhreak54]

That surprises me that KC paid that amount of money to those guys. It doesn't shock me that Gil Meche got $11M per season because Ted Lilly just got $10M a season. It just shocks me KC was the one to pay that amount. Pitching is in such demand that in order to keep up with the Jones' teams gotta overpay. Which is why contraction should happen.

I wanted Meche or Eaton. We obviously got Eaton and got him for less. Thats fine.

[PhillyPhreak54]

Octavio Dotel and the Royals have reportedly agreed to a one-year, $5 million contract.

Dotel, who will go into the closer's role, can make an extra $2 million in incentives. A healthy Dotel is a terrific reliever, but he showed little last season after returning from Tommy John surgery. It's another risky pickup for a Royals team still likely to finish in fifth place, but this one won't hurt in 2008 and beyond if it doesn't work out. Dec. 7 - 9:12 pm et

[MDS]

Since when did the Royals become big spenders? Did they save up all that revenue so they could blow it all on Meche and Batista? That's probably why they are the Royals...

They are making the same moves the Tigers made a few years back, signing guys like Fernando Vina and Troy Percival, to prove that they committed to winning and what not. Even though these moves will hurt them, it could increase their wins and some bigger free agents or managers (read Jim Leyland) could come there thinking they have a chance to win.

[BigEd76]

Bonds just re-signed with the Giants....1 yr, $16M

[Rome]

1/5th of the Giants payroll is going towards a part-time player at the very end of his career.

Brilliant.




IGY... I'm fully, acutely aware of what baseball players are getting in terms of salaries.  Just because a guy like Gil Meche gets $55M, that doesn't mean he's worth anywhere near that.  Not in a perfect world, and not anywhere else because he's nothing more than a mediocre pitcher and mediocre pitchers are not worth spending that kind of dough on.  NO WAY, NO HOW.

Here's a statistic to chew on... in his last 76 1/3 innings pitched year, Meche's ERA was 5.42.  FIVE-POINT-FOUR-TWO!!  And that doesn't include the additional nine unearned runs he surrendered during that stretch.

Kansas City just signed him to be their ace for the next five years.  Does the information I supplied above lead you to concur with them that he's an ace?

I hope not.

[SD_Eagle5]

1/5th of the Giants payroll is going towards a part-time player at the very end of his career.

Brilliant.

The fans will come out to see him since he's an icon in the area and is chasing the HR record, that validates the salary.

[DH]

Octavio Dotel and the Royals have reportedly agreed to a one-year, $5 million contract.

Dotel, who will go into the closer's role, can make an extra $2 million in incentives. A healthy Dotel is a terrific reliever, but he showed little last season after returning from Tommy John surgery. It's another risky pickup for a Royals team still likely to finish in fifth place, but this one won't hurt in 2008 and beyond if it doesn't work out. Dec. 7 - 9:12 pm et

I read he signed with Cleveland

[Rome]

1/5th of the Giants payroll is going towards a part-time player at the very end of his career.

Brilliant.

The fans will come out to see him since he's an icon in the area and is chasing the HR record, that validates the salary.

I realize that, bro.  Putting fannies in the seats is way more important to that team than actually competing.  That's why Jason Schmidt is a Dodger right now.

PS: If Zito signs with the Giants, fully 2/5th's of their payroll will be tied up in two players.  Awsum.

[SD_Eagle5]

The latest Zito rumor has him signing with the Giants? Didn't see that one but guess it makes sense after Schmidt signed with LA. As long as he doesn't sign with the Mets I'm happy.

[DH]

Zito was talked about with the Giants, but once they signed Barry, that pretty much took them out of the race.

He's coming to the Mets. Possibly Haren too.

[Rome]

Zito is a great fit for the Mets.     That is incredibly full of shtein.   

[mpmcgraw]

I love how the Mets are trading lots of young starting pitchers for lots of young relievers. That's always a good idea.