Cards get Jeff Weaver

[Popeye_Card]

Thanks popeye. I can't keep the thought out of my mind that we are looking more and more like the 2003 Cardinals (pitching wise). I hope you are right about Walker.

The 2003 Cardinals had generally crummy pitchers all around. There are no Stephenson's, Simontacci's, Yan's, Fassero's, or Borbon's on this squad. OK, maybe Ponson counts. There are simply 3 starting pitchers (Marquis, Suppan, and Mulder) who are far outside of their established career norms. I don't think the bullpen is as terrible as it seems, as soon as the starters can consistently start pitching quality starts.

[JL21]

I hope people realize and appreciate just how good he was with the Cardinals. An amazing player, pure talent. Definitley one of the top 5 of his generation. Just didn't stay healthy.

Excellent point. And you're right- I'm not sure people could look past the games he had to sit to notice what he was doing when he didn't sit.

Of course, he didn't help his cause with that October he had last year

He was actually starting to heat up near the end, but it was too late. Given the postseason he had the year before (especially in the World Series--.357/.438/.929), I was willing to cut him some slack.

Absolutely. If the option before the LDS and LCS was "Have Walker" or "Have J-Rod/Taguchi", I'm going to take Walker every time.

[Fat Strat]

The 2003 Cardinals had generally crummy pitchers all around. There are no Stephenson's, Simontacci's, Yan's, Fassero's, or Borbon's on this squad. OK, maybe Ponson counts. There are simply 3 starting pitchers (Marquis, Suppan, and Mulder) who are far outside of their established career norms. I don't think the bullpen is as terrible as it seems, as soon as the starters can consistently start pitching quality starts.

If the rotation was going 7 innings consistently like they were in April and May the bullpen would look a lot better. The pen had an era of about 3.5 going into this current funk. It can get back there without much problem I think.

They might be start looking better than they actually are, but I don't think it's a complete disaster like 03.

[Popeye_Card]

Absolutely. If the option before the LDS and LCS was "Have Walker" or "Have J-Rod/Taguchi", I'm going to take Walker every time.

Then you apparently were not among the 2000 angry callers who demanded TLR be fired for starting Walker in the playoffs. (And Morris starting over Marquis.)

[Fat Strat]

Then you apparently were not among the 2000 angry callers who demanded TLR be fired for starting Walker in the playoffs. (And Morris starting over Marquis.)

That's why you don't listen to talk radio. (I'm assuming that's where your getting your "angry callers" from.)

[Popeye_Card]

Then you apparently were not among the 2000 angry callers who demanded TLR be fired for starting Walker in the playoffs. (And Morris starting over Marquis.)

That's why you don't listen to talk radio. (I'm assuming that's where your getting your "angry callers" from.)

I listen to it for entertainment value.

"I'll hang up and listen" is my favorite line in the world.

I especially like the KTRS postgame show because Hadley's always drunk, Monte thinks that every Cardinal is either a MVP or Cy Young candidate, and every caller thinks either Bo Hart is our hero, or Isringhausen is satan.

[jim]

Here is what BP had to say about the signing of Weaver back in February (that would be about the same time that some of us were hailing Walt for signing Spivey I guess):

Signed RHP Jeff Weaver to a one-year, $8.4 million contract. [2/15]

There's just about no way that I don't like this deal. Right off the bat, it saves the Angels the indignity of having to count on Hector Carrasco as a starter, and while he's an expensive swingman, better that they take their chances with 2005's born-again career there than every fifth day. Frankly, the pen could use the help, especially if Brendan Donnelly keeps losing ground, because at this point it looks more like K-Rod, Scot Shields, and a Bunch of Guys than the all-around great pens of the Angels' recent past. So there's an indirect but immediate benefit.

Then there's the benefit of adding Weaver himself. He's not merely a replacement for Paul Byrd, he's more likely to give this team a starter as good as Byrd was last year than Byrd ever will be again. PECOTA's sunny on his possible contribution, and it isn't implausible to see him as potentially more valuable than Bartolo Colon. Other than Weaver's journey down to the Ed Whitson circle of hell, he's had a solidly useful career. Plus, maybe having Weaver takes that much more pressure off of a comebacking Kelvim Escobar, and more comfortably deposits Ervin Santana into the fifth slot. It certainly gives the Angels the added advantage of not automatically having to entrust Joe Saunders with a job in the rotation in case something happened to any of the front five (if you counted Carrasco among them).

Then there are the ways in which the financial and roster-minded outcomes matter. The Angels got a quality starting pitcher for a one-year deal, sparing themselves a considerable amount of risk. If Weaver thrives, they can offer arbitration, keep him for just another year's expense (not a bad risk, given the danger with pitchers), or take the draft picks if he walks instead of accepts. If, on the other hand, he sucks, it's only one year's budget and one season that the franchise has to write off, the sort of loss that a good GM can walk away from, and a potential predicament that Bill Stoneman would be capable of resolving. That's a much happier range of roster and payroll-minded outcomes than deciding what to do once you've spent an awful lot of money on Kris Benson or Russ Ortiz.

In short, it's a division-winning sort of a move, one that makes Oakland's life more difficult right now, while doing nothing to endanger the ability of los Angeles de Los Angeles from doing so for years to come.

[JL21]

Here is what BP had to say about the signing of Weaver back in February (that would be about the same time that some of us were hailing Walt for signing Spivey I guess):

Signed RHP Jeff Weaver to a one-year, $8.4 million contract. [2/15]

There's just about no way that I don't like this deal. Right off the bat, it saves the Angels the indignity of having to count on Hector Carrasco as a starter, and while he's an expensive swingman, better that they take their chances with 2005's born-again career there than every fifth day. Frankly, the pen could use the help, especially if Brendan Donnelly keeps losing ground, because at this point it looks more like K-Rod, Scot Shields, and a Bunch of Guys than the all-around great pens of the Angels' recent past. So there's an indirect but immediate benefit.

Then there's the benefit of adding Weaver himself. He's not merely a replacement for Paul Byrd, he's more likely to give this team a starter as good as Byrd was last year than Byrd ever will be again. PECOTA's sunny on his possible contribution, and it isn't implausible to see him as potentially more valuable than Bartolo Colon. Other than Weaver's journey down to the Ed Whitson circle of hell, he's had a solidly useful career. Plus, maybe having Weaver takes that much more pressure off of a comebacking Kelvim Escobar, and more comfortably deposits Ervin Santana into the fifth slot. It certainly gives the Angels the added advantage of not automatically having to entrust Joe Saunders with a job in the rotation in case something happened to any of the front five (if you counted Carrasco among them).

Then there are the ways in which the financial and roster-minded outcomes matter. The Angels got a quality starting pitcher for a one-year deal, sparing themselves a considerable amount of risk. If Weaver thrives, they can offer arbitration, keep him for just another year's expense (not a bad risk, given the danger with pitchers), or take the draft picks if he walks instead of accepts. If, on the other hand, he sucks, it's only one year's budget and one season that the franchise has to write off, the sort of loss that a good GM can walk away from, and a potential predicament that Bill Stoneman would be capable of resolving. That's a much happier range of roster and payroll-minded outcomes than deciding what to do once you've spent an awful lot of money on Kris Benson or Russ Ortiz.

In short, it's a division-winning sort of a move, one that makes Oakland's life more difficult right now, while doing nothing to endanger the ability of los Angeles de Los Angeles from doing so for years to come.

Good find.

If BP thought it was low risk for the Angels for a full year, they must think WJ is a genius for taking him on for 2 1/2 months and about $3M.

[jim]

Here is what BP had to say about the signing of Weaver back in February (that would be about the same time that some of us were hailing Walt for signing Spivey I guess):

Signed RHP Jeff Weaver to a one-year, $8.4 million contract. [2/15]

There's just about no way that I don't like this deal. Right off the bat, it saves the Angels the indignity of having to count on Hector Carrasco as a starter, and while he's an expensive swingman, better that they take their chances with 2005's born-again career there than every fifth day. Frankly, the pen could use the help, especially if Brendan Donnelly keeps losing ground, because at this point it looks more like K-Rod, Scot Shields, and a Bunch of Guys than the all-around great pens of the Angels' recent past. So there's an indirect but immediate benefit.

Then there's the benefit of adding Weaver himself. He's not merely a replacement for Paul Byrd, he's more likely to give this team a starter as good as Byrd was last year than Byrd ever will be again. PECOTA's sunny on his possible contribution, and it isn't implausible to see him as potentially more valuable than Bartolo Colon. Other than Weaver's journey down to the Ed Whitson circle of hell, he's had a solidly useful career. Plus, maybe having Weaver takes that much more pressure off of a comebacking Kelvim Escobar, and more comfortably deposits Ervin Santana into the fifth slot. It certainly gives the Angels the added advantage of not automatically having to entrust Joe Saunders with a job in the rotation in case something happened to any of the front five (if you counted Carrasco among them).

Then there are the ways in which the financial and roster-minded outcomes matter. The Angels got a quality starting pitcher for a one-year deal, sparing themselves a considerable amount of risk. If Weaver thrives, they can offer arbitration, keep him for just another year's expense (not a bad risk, given the danger with pitchers), or take the draft picks if he walks instead of accepts. If, on the other hand, he sucks, it's only one year's budget and one season that the franchise has to write off, the sort of loss that a good GM can walk away from, and a potential predicament that Bill Stoneman would be capable of resolving. That's a much happier range of roster and payroll-minded outcomes than deciding what to do once you've spent an awful lot of money on Kris Benson or Russ Ortiz.

In short, it's a division-winning sort of a move, one that makes Oakland's life more difficult right now, while doing nothing to endanger the ability of los Angeles de Los Angeles from doing so for years to come.

Good find.

If BP thought it was low risk for the Angels for a full year, they must think WJ is a genius for taking him on for 2 1/2 months and about $3M.

Well, consider the source (I know how much you love Kristina).

[JL21]

Good find.

If BP thought it was low risk for the Angels for a full year, they must think WJ is a genius for taking him on for 2 1/2 months and about $3M.

Well, consider the source (I know how much you love Kristina).

Hey, the sun shines on every dog's.... well, you know.