Grade Our Off-season

[PitchingWinsGames]

Lou, what do you think about Sheets, coming off the injury, what kind of contract is he looking at, because, with his fragility, I don't see teams investing a whole lot, especially after missing so much time... I mean, I'll play the role of the typical fan saying "Hey he might be cool" but I don't see him on the Bedard/Washburn/Pineiro tier based solely on the injuries..

I guess something around the, what... 5M Boston signed Penny to for 09, maybe less?

[lou]

Your guess is as good as mine. But I mean, I would expect around the payscale Pavano got with the Indians when he was coming off his major surgery. If Pavano reached all incentives for innings, he would have gotten $6.8 million.

So I mean for Sheets. I think any sort of guaranteed $2-5 million, and then an incentives package that makes up the rest reaches up to $7 based exclusively on innings pitched, is about the pay level. That seems reasonable right?

And when I said that comment, I was speaking more about a yearly total. I think Pinero and Washburn get 2-3 years, but Sheets will only get 1. But for just 2010, it's about the same amount of cash even if Sheets is less guaranteed with an incentives package.

I just don't see a SP out there that is an upgrade, except maybe Pedro, that fits into a smaller payscale. Unless anyone wants to be bold and predict a very undervalued contract signing, or, the Marlins thinking about going to $55 million.

[AdamRavs]

Sheets was talking to Chicago however he is looking for a 2yr 12mil deal and a lot of teams arent looking to spend that kind of money on a pitcher who simply cannot stay healthy. Now maybe this surgery will get him over the hump but I doubt it.. Every year is some nagging injury or just plain weird injury.

[PitchingWinsGames]

Sheets was talking to Chicago however he is looking for a 2yr 12mil deal and a lot of teams arent looking to spend that kind of money on a pitcher who simply cannot stay healthy. Now maybe this surgery will get him over the hump but I doubt it.. Every year is some nagging injury or just plain weird injury.

Well, iirc, his mechanics just kinda suck, so he's always going to be injury prone...

But I can't see him getting a 2 year deal unless the 2nd year is an option and there are a lot of incentives

[nny]

As for some SP left, Smoltz is going to cost a ton. Myers got $5 and a lot of incentives, Penny $7. Smoltz will probably get more than that if he decides to come back. Then the next tier, Pinero, Sheets, or Bedard, or Washburn after their years/pedigree. They each get a good amount. Next tier, Garland is kind of the only in between name, and he'll probably make a bit to much still. And probably on 2 years. Then you look at everything else which can easily be signed. Doug Davis, Eric Milton, Braden Looper, Todd Wellemeyer, Tim Redding, and they have huge 1.50+ whips, which is what we can literally expect out of Anibal. So who cares about them, no improvement. Where's the SP you guys want?

There is 1 name out there I see that could work: Pedro Martinez. Not the first time that has been mentioned, but he just wants the opportunity to still play and he'd probably take $3 million and some incentives if he's pitching 180+ innings.

Penny got 9 mil because he made 30 starts and Myers got 5 mil because he signed with Houston. I do agree though that Smoltz will be making more than the 5 mil number thrown around and likely a lot closer to 10 mil than 5 mil. Still would be worth it.

Bedard and Sheets probably get 1 year 5 mil base, 5 mil incentive or whatever contracts that has seem to become the base line of injury prone pitchers. I could go with that.

Pedro I'm meh about, he's peripherals have been rather bad past couple of years. Strikeouts way down and HRs way up. Would still be cool to see him pitch every 5 days though.

And just throwing out a random name that has nothing to do with topic at hand really: Eric Byrnes if he gets released. He'll only cost the minimum, so if he sucks we cut ties. But he's been injured past couple of years, he could definitely bounce back. I mean he's basically what happens if Brett Carroll becomes good. An OF defense of Maybin, Byrnes, and Cody...mmm, mmm, good.

Of coarse that'd mean CC goes to 3b, and that aint happening, so this aint happening, but oh well

[lou]

Of coarse that'd mean CC goes to 3b, and that aint happening, so this aint happening, but oh well

I know it won't happen, but how about Uggla going to 3B. Which he'll cry about, but if he shows he can handle that over there, which I mean he would, doesn't that make trading him easier whether it's the deadline or after the season?

Just saying. A left field platoon of Carroll/Veteran, keeping Gaby in AAA (and playing 3B for the hell of it while we let Logan develop at 1B so maybe Gaby stopgaps to Dominguez), and getting Coghlan to 2B, would make me really happy. Really, Really Happy.

[nny]

I wonder if we could give Pineiro a pudge contract - a one year deal with a high base and deferred, and say "look, teams aren't going to give you too much right now because you've only had one good year. Come here and prove what you did last year wasn't a fluke, and get a huge contract next offseason"

I personally think he's legit - his GB rate went through the roof, thanks to Dave Duncan. I don't think he'll be as good this coming year, but if he puts up a 4 ERA while making 32 starts, averaging nearly 7 IP per start...sign me up.

[Jewbility]

I would only give an A if we actually made any free agent acquisitions or (internal) upgrades--because that's what normal teams do. We've kept status quo for the most part, so B