Ahh the free agent pool. There's nothing like it. On a cold winter morning, there's just nothing better than dipping your toes into that warm, frothy free agent pool. Oooh theres CC Sabathia massaging my toes... Manny Ramirez doing my hair... AJ Burnett and Mark Teixeira oiling up my chest... am I dreaming? Does it get any better?Whoa whoa whoa wait a second.
What the hell is A.J. Burnett doing in my pool?
When exactly did he become an elite pitcher? During his ONE healthy season? In Toronto? With his TEN losses and 4.07 ERA? Is that really worth $16 million to a team, like Atlanta, who's faced way too many injury problems recently? To a team with no outfield production? With questions in the bullpen and in the back end of the rotation (with or without Burnett)??
Look. A.J. Burnett is a hell of a talent. A power pitcher, a bulldog, a strikeout master. He'd be a great addition... to a team WITH a number one. Okay so in 2010 we'll have Hudson, Burnett, Vazquez, Jurrjens. I'll take it. But do we reeeeeeeally need to spend $16M on a #2? With a career filled with arm and shoulder issues? Let's face it, 2009 is a bridge year. As long as we hold up long enough to get to 2010 (when guys like Tommy Hanson, Jordan Schafer, and Jason Heyward may be major league bound), the future can be bright in Atlanta. But we can't just start throwing out money to the best available pitcher (in our price range). We are a desperate team, but we have many needs.. not just starting pitching. And I know Wren wouldn't just throw money at a guy because its the hip thing to do.. I know he's done his homework, research into his health, how he'll hold up for four to five years.. yeah yeah. But what I'm looking at, beyond health, is whether Burnett CAN become an ace. We're paying him to be an ace. We're acquiring him to be an ace. But IS he an ace? Will he ever be? He was Roy Halladay's #2 in Toronto. He was behind Josh Beckett and Brad Penny in Florida. And in 2010 when Hudson returns, he'll be the guy behind him. So I'll say it again, $16 million for a #2? Maybe that's just the market these days. But we have multiple needs - and $16 million buys a lot of RBI's, sac bunts, and holds.
So I leave you with this.. imagine if Mike Hampton hadn't left for Houston. Give him $2 million. One year. Back end of the rotation. Vazquez, Jurrjens, Campillo, Hampton, Morton/Reyes/Hanson. Doesn't look as sexy, sure. But it would've saved us a LOT of money, filled a gaping hole, and acted as a perfect bridge to next season... and we can throw around $16M next December.
4 comments. Leave Your Own!:
Well said. Wren feels he has to do something, and the pitching staff really needs a hand. I think he will consider this off-season a failure unless we get Burnnet or Peavy. And it will only be a success if we get both. There is high expectations for Wren, I hope he understands that Atlanta may seem like a mid market team, but the fans in Atlanta expect winning. We have been mediocre for to long. It's about time we finished higher then third in the east. With the phillies and the mets looking strong or stronger next year, throwing some money around is the only solution. I just wish there was more choices.
well i wouldnt say we've been mediocre for very long.. three years removed from the playoffs aint bad. almost as long for the mets! i guess the argument is, we have the money, we need the pitching, so we might as well. but im sure last year when the cubs were trading for harden and signing big names, they never would have guessed that jake peavy would be attainable the following offseason. i think signing burnett is a desperation move, and i just hope a year from now we arent strapped for cash when a roy oswalt, matt cain or roy halladay suddenly enters the market..
True, spend now or later. I think Wren owes it to the fans to make the best effort to compete in the free agent market. I think Wren is smart enough to spend now and spend later. I think halladay is out of our league, but a matt cain would be great. Roy Oswalt I also don't think we can get, but I remember shivering watching him pitch in the playoffs against the braves. You right, planning is everything. We just get to yell at him. We don't have to make the decisions.
yep we dont have to make the decisions. and thank god for that.
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