You can't sign Westbrook. He's a nice luxury to have because you know the production you'll get from him, but this team can't afford to put those kinds of resources into a rotation that already has Carp, Wainwright and Garcia. Spending too much on starting pitching is how they got in this mess in the first place.
jagtrader wrote:You can't sign Westbrook. He's a nice luxury to have because you know the production you'll get from him, but this team can't afford to put those kinds of resources into a rotation that already has Carp, Wainwright and Garcia. Spending too much on starting pitching is how they got in this mess in the first place.
Not that I disagree with you re: Westbrook, but I think assuming comparable production in 2011 out of Wainwright, Carpenter, and Garcia would be a mistake.
jagtrader wrote:You can't sign Westbrook. He's a nice luxury to have because you know the production you'll get from him, but this team can't afford to put those kinds of resources into a rotation that already has Carp, Wainwright and Garcia. Spending too much on starting pitching is how they got in this mess in the first place.
I can't agree with that at all. Starting 3-4 players with sub .700 OPS everyday is how they got into this mess. Having a bench full of players with one marginal talent each for most of the season is how they got into this mess. Not using common sense to mix and match all of the marginal players and put them in good situations is how they got into this mess. Not addressing the need for a 4th starter once it was apparent that Penny was going to be out for an extended time is how they got into this mess. Basically, there are a lot of messes, and none of them were addressed in a timely fashion or addressed at all.
Last edited by InvincibleCakeEater on September 1 10, 10:24 am, edited 1 time in total.
I don't disagree with your premise -- spending too much on pitching is part of our problem (because of Lohse specifically) -- but I would be signing Westbrook not just because of '11 but because of '12 and to a much lesser extent the possibility of him sticking around into '13 and '14 (though I would only give him a 2 year deal).
-- removed because I'm stupid and can't read a spreadsheet --
An alternative is to move McClellan to the rotation and put the money that we could give to Westbrook to someone like Orlando Hudson. The problem with O-dog specifically is that his OPS has been in a steady decline and he's going to be 33. His OPS+ has held pretty steady.
You could do Hudson at $5 million and take a flier on a back of the roation starter on a one year deal for another $5 million instead of Westbrook. That's intriguing.
Last edited by Fat Strat on September 1 10, 10:31 am, edited 3 times in total.
InvincibleCakeEater wrote:Lohe is under contract for 2 more seasons with a full no trade clause.
You're right. Through 2012. I can't read a spreadsheet today.
That might make me seriously consider jumping over to Hudson or maybe Inge -- too bad he doesn't play 2nd. Like it or not, we're committed to Lohse. We just have to pray that he works out.
