JD said we were making this trade for a more major-league ready pitcher, and the results were that McCarthy came in and didn’t separate himself by any significant means. if you want to look at how each performed:

Danks: 5.50 ERA in 26 starts with 109 k to 54 walks and 5.4 innings per start in 139 innings. He didn’t blow anybody away.

McCarthy: 4.87 ERA in 22 starts with 59 k to 48 walks and 4.6 innings per start in 101 innings. He had a much worse strikeout to walk ratio than Danks and struck out far less batters, but put up a better ERA somehow.

I would argue that the # 1 sign of a “more ready” major league pitcher is one that is consistent. McCarthy was not consistent, and neither was Danks. I would also argue that in the grand scheme of things, the pitcher with the lower ERA combined with the most innings per start should be giving his team more of a chance to succeed, so while McCarthy had a better ERA by 3/4 an earned run, Danks gave his team 2/3 of an inning more per start, which we’ve seen can have a massive impact on our bullpen. McCarthy walked far too many batters in far fewer innings in just a few fewer starts than Danks did, and wore our bullpen out in the process.

However, the biggest blow has been the injuries and the lack of a chance to try to at least come close to Danks’ 2008 numbers, which are by all means spectacular for a 2nd year pitcher, especially one that is 2 years younger than the “veteran” that he was traded for just a year ago.

If all we were concerned about was 2007 then we would have gone after a proven veteran with probably one year left before free agency. While 2007 was the immediate goal, which was not just contingent upon McCarthy, 2008 and beyond was also part of the equation. Ideally we would have been able to hit the fast forward button on Danks and have him have a year under his belt going into 2007 and none of this would have happened. But we didn’t. He was at least half a year from making his debut and our owner thought at the time we were still that one piece away from the playoffs. So our GM went out and found not only a ML pitcher who was only about 18 months older than Danks but also more highly thought of. Of course they are gonna say 2007 was the reason they made the trade. If they had come out and said they traded Danks away so that in 3 years we would be better people would have been up in arms. Because in 3 years Danks could have helped us out. 2007 was the immediate goal for that trade and that goal failed. But the ultimate goal was McCarthy helping this club out for several years and that goal is still achievable. Your hatred of Mccarthy just won’t let you comprehend that.

It be that he appears that way because McCarthy has been injured?

I think it’s premature to say Danks is just the better pitcher, regardless of injury status.

Has McCarthy been given a chance to show what kind of pitcher he is? McCarthy pitched damn good last year when he was healthy.

That their baseball men saw the crowded CWS rotation…

saw a pitcher that was at least comparable in Danks….

and made the deal to give the team a year to sort out their rotation?

Or is that just completely, totally, impossible?

Long term, probably. However, with a 1.64 WHIP, not a great strikeout rate and his age, I don’t know that he starts the year in Clinton. For that matter, Ramirez may not either. No innings last year. Probably only like 40+ this year. He may get the Kiker treatment.