Marlins Acquire Nate Robertson from Tigers

[McLevin]

I like the $400k part. The move can't hurt! If he doesn't get hurt and puts up an ERA in the 4's or better, we win the trade

[Ramp]

I mean, the move can hurt

[FishFanInPA]

We should have seen if Chris Seddon was available.

[nny]

It's less than nothing because I can actually explain how I get to that point?

Sorry I'm not arrogant like other people here thinking that I know everything about everything. I'm surprised that that is a trait to look down upon.

[Swifty]

Pro-rated means that he's signing a 1 year, $2 million deal, he's taking those terms, but they're only applied to the last two months of the season. You're taking the average monthly salary, not diving the entire contract value over the actual time period he's working. At least that's how I understand it.

Yeah pro-rated means you are taking the terms for a full year of service and applying it only to what is actually used. When something
is said to be $2 million prorated it is not $2 million divided up over that time, but rather, that if that person had worked a full year he would have earned $2 million.

Think of it this way: if you buy season tickets to a sports team after the season starts you only pay for the remaining games. You are therefore buying a prorated package.

[fauowls44]

Outside of Chick I doubt anyone cared much at all about any of those names listed. And not even much then.

The only reason people were upset with Petit leaving was the fact that it left us stuck with Jorge Julio for a while.

Well, yeah, Julio ended up being a disaster, but it was still a worthwhile gamble to trade a fringe prospect for a guy that had success at the Major League level. Especially given how the Marlins have had success finding bullpen arms.

The point is, they have given up Voss-type prospects in the past and it has not come back to haunt us, yet everytime we make one of these trades, people complain.

[Swifty]

Well what we gave up was more than just a potentially decent lefty bullpen arm. We are now giving innings to a guy who's numbers have decreased in each of the last few years. I think most here would rather have seen what Hensley could do over a known quantity in Nate Robertson.

(albeit Hensley's last healthy season (in the bigs) isn't exactly stellar either)

Yeah Robertson's not great, but if we can avoid it, Hensley and Volstad shouldn't be in the rotation together. Plus you figure an injury or ineffectiveness looms for one of our guys so Hensley should still get a shot.

[Bobbob1313]

but if we can avoid it, Hensley and Volstad shouldn't be in the rotation together.

While I generally think this is a decent addition, I don't understand this.

Are you saying we shouldn't have two groundball pitchers?

They aren't really all that similar in terms of the way they go about generating those groundballs, as Volstad throws significantly harder.

[Swifty]

Two heavily slanted towards contact pitchers should not be back to back if you want to keep the bullpen rested, and thus, effective. Neither guy figures to be a workhorse nor do they feature take over the game potential. One's more than enough.

[Bobbob1313]

But Robertson over the course of his career strikes out about as many as Volstad and Hensley. He's very much a pitch to contact guy, if Volstad and Hensley are.

Any criticism you can make of Henlsey or Volstad is present in Robertson, except he doesn't even feature the potential for limiting home runs like Volstad or Hensley.

[Party]

We traded Nate Robertson for a veteran left-hander.

Today we traded for a veteran left-hander named Nate Robertson.

Baseball is a funny game.
--------------------
Does this mean he's going to win 14 games?

[Beef]

Like a circle

[THE_REAL_MIBS]

Beinfest apparently told the broadcasters that Robertson may start on Thursday instead of Hensley so we may get our first look at him before the season starts. They were pitching on the same day.

[Beef]

I think it means he gon put a lot of people on base

[Swifty]

See this is where looking at it in a vacuum belies the conversation. I don't disagree that Robertson is potentially as ineffective as Hensley, but he's a lefty, thus giving teams a different look after seeing Volstad. Hensley and Volstad give you the same look and same approach (2-seamer in and so-so breaking stuff).

Put it this way: the less comfortable you make an opposing team the better, and adding a lefty helps remove some of that comfort. Adding a lefty that has shown an ability to pitch close to 200 innings helps our bullpen. To me, it's silly to try to find wrong in this. It's a move made to help now and if it doesn't, we can pull the plug and still give Hensley a shot.