and trying to find a guy who can burn some innings, and not make the bullpen pitch so many innings is about the best way to help the bullpen.

I think one of the reason our Bullpen sucked so hardcore was related to them pitching more innings than anyone else in baseball, and also they had probably the worst defense in baseball behind them.

that it’s easier said than done is that clubs attempt to make anyone with any hope of being a starter a starter. JP Howell is a good exmample of this. They (and KC) beat their heads against the wall for a couple of years with him, then gave in and moved him to the pen, and he became a real asset. Some of what I’m saying is that maybe you go ahead and make one of these guys with impact potential a late reliever if he’s not developing the game necessary to start (once you have a competitive team at least).

they also cost way too much either by trade or free agency, and that money is better spent on the rotation

are called closers. There are so few consistent relievers that they generally get put in a closers role.

is a massive, massive fail in my book, even if both are roughly equivalent. Trading 150-200 IP for 60 IP is just absurd and insanely and fundamentally stupid.

There was never ever any way to justify any part of that trade.

there was talk of him trying out for the Rangers this coming year, I don’t know if he ever recovered enough to do that.

If not he can always open an Asian restaurant in L A like “the Toad” did.

we wanted Aki, they wanted Young for him…we asked for Eaton back to get a veteran starter, and they asked for Adrian. While that may seem like “Eaton for Adrian,” I would say starter for starter, reliever for 1B was the way they looked at it. Either way, it doesn’t matter, you can’t break up that trade – it was 2 for 2, not 1A for 1B and 2A for 2B. So either way, with the production we were HOPING to get back, I think we could have won that trade, obviously, if Eaton had stayed healthy and say Chris Young gets hurt.

and I thought it was a win because we got two pitchers and only gave up one. when we needed bullpen and starting pitching. hindsight, I was WAY wrong. but at the same time, I can’t help but think how Young would’ve pitched in Texas the last 3 years instead of San Diego

but he isn’t that great to begin with. The injury and stamina concerns are still there.

tRAs of 82 and 90 the last two years. He is basically a #4/5 type starter at this point and will command over $10 million a year. Hell, Millwood and Padilla were both better than Garland last year. I’d put money on one (maybe two) of Hurley/Feldman/Harrison/McCarthy out-performing Garland next season.

and KLaw agrees:

Garland should have “AVOID” tattooed on his forehead, as everything about his stuff and performance is pointing downward. He has never had an out pitch, and his stuff was more ordinary than usual this year.

He was sitting 88-92 with a mostly straight fastball, a fringy slider in the low-80s and a hard changeup that keeps lefties from destroying him, although they still hit him hard. In 2008, his strikeout rate dropped, his walk rate increased, his home run rate increased and, of course, his ERA spiked, even though the defense behind him was better than the one he left with the White Sox. He brings one thing to the table in his durability, as he has gone seven straight seasons with at least 190 innings pitched. But Barry Zito’s best attribute when he went to San Francisco was his durability too.

That’s what I’d like to see done. I’m willing to overpay for Sheets. Sure he has injury problems, but I don’t think anyone doubts the kind of production we’d get out of him healthy. I’d rather overpay for someone like that than someone who will suck it up every other start.

He’s the kind of guy you want at the front end of your playoff rotation. Just look at what Beckett did for the Marlins and Sox when he was able to stay healthy.

would be absolutely mind blowing if they went down. i would begin to insist that JD deals exclusively with Boston.

i will choose to believe him, even if he is completely out of touch with reality.

He talks about him in this blog post too.

He’s consistent, if nothing else.

is that the fans responses at the bottom of the page show not only a willingness, but an inclination to trade Buchholz. In one case, someone actually says he would rather trade Buchholz than Bowden.

I know the opinions of this collection of people (the writer included) doesn’t really matter at the end of the day, but I am still shocked at how the collective RSN has soured on Buchholz so quickly, essentially looking at him as we viewed Volquez last year at this time.

He looks at him as a bench player I think he says earlier…

but i can say that MLBTR reported:

• Law’s reliever rankings are sure to get people talking, but they are justified with scouting reports. Wood is ranked #13, then Affeldt at #15, then Francisco Rodriguez at #16, and then Brian Fuentes at #18.
• Law ranks Koji Uehara well ahead of Kenshin Kawakami.
• Law had this to say about Sheets: “Sheets’ natural habitat is the disabled list.”

Caveat emptor. Sheets’ natural habitat is the disabled list, and he was pitching hurt when he was pitching at all by year’s end. A healthy Sheets has a solid-average fastball with decent lift, a hard downer curveball in the mid-70s and a solid-average changeup that he’ll use against lefties or righties.

He has outstanding control — 288 unintentional walks in over 1,400 career innings — and command of all of his pitches. When he’s right physically, he’s an ace, which will probably tempt some team to pay him more than his current health situation would merit. Even if his most recent injury is just a forearm strain, you can add it to all of the other body parts he’s injured over his career, including the back problem that will probably never truly go away. With apologies to Luke Appling, Sheets should inherit the nickname “Old Aches and Pains.”

That would be an incredibly exciting offseason, even for a skeptic like me.

let’s say that hypothetical happens. Then we have a rotation headed by Sheets, Millwood, and Padilla. Then we have BMac, Harrison, Feldman, Hurley, and the young Boston pitcher all legitimately vying for two spots, along with Hunter, Holland, and a couple others with outside chances as well. I know the addage “there is no such thing as too much pitching” but in this case, there might be.

also, as much as i love both sheets and wood, that is A LOT of money in two guys who have spent many days on the DL.

There aren’t that many teams in the closer market and there are a few of ’em out there (KRod, Hoffman, Fuentes, Wood) so you might not have to spend an outlandish amount to land one this off season.

Not that 11mm is cheap, but it’s not unpossibly huge or anything, and maybe you could even do it for less depending on how the market plays out.

Laird would be a solid backup for them, or takeover full time if they need to move Posada. But are the Mets really a fit? He’d be an upgrade over Schneider but their bullpen is in shambles as is.

is a lefty who, excuse this one, tanked last year. He would be a great “buy low” sort of guy in my mind. A package of him and another intriguing arm a few years away from the 40 might be a decent return, if the club thinks Tank can return to his former efficacy.

Shirley you’d rather have a good pitcher than one who throws with the sinister hand?

it’s a not flipping Bradley at the trade deadline reference. Not 100% sure though.

He’s talking about the not flipping, not the actual signing.

I’m pretty sure.

I have a feeling no matter what we do this guy is gonna hurt us. If we keep him and lose Strop, Poveda will bomb. If not, he will thrive. Damn

I think we have to add Vallejo, JMJ (christ i hated that pick from day 1), and Poveda. Strop seems less likely to get drafted, somebody would have to take a flier on a kid like Omar.

ew, gross. Hopefully guys like this will be showing up on the 40 less and less in the coming years

Very similar build to CJ Wilson.

comes off his bat with a pretty strong “pop”.

And he was probably a little money-whipped by the Royals who are a dead zone for free agents. Meche has really been a pretty good pitcher for the Royals and I think they made a good deal.

He’s a good comparison because the two are around the same age. I am not sure I love the idea of Perez coming here though. While he does miss a lot of bats, his numbers aren’t spectacular considering his league. He walks a lot of guys and could give up a ton of homers here. At least he strikes a lot of guys, he’s a lefty, and he’s young.

I think we should hold off on signing a Perez type player and let the minors play themselves out. Buy low on Sheets or wait til next year.

i think some (most?) have perez higher than sheets.

Sheets or Burnett? Which is cheaper?

http://startelegramsports.typepad.com/foul_territory/2008/11/its-a-whos-who-at-the-ballpark.html

And a Q&A with Wash:

http://startelegramsports.typepad.com/foul_territory/2008/11/a-qa-with-ron-washington.html

Brewers connection.

Brewers Clubhouse.

Not at all, man.

He could beat 8/140 in his sleep.

signs with the Nats.

that’s the bad news. Of course ESPN is doing their best to ignore the NHL, so we probably won’t notice.

to believe that a pitcher with a career ERA well under 5 is “horrible”. I could care less how many guys he strikes out. It’s all about ERA w/ consistent peripherals. He’s got that.