Roughly two days after CC Sabathia agreed to terms on a monstrous contract, A.J. Burnett swooped in and received a huge payday from the recession-proof Yankees.
The Angels and Red Sox will score a lot of runs, while the absence of a dominant starter for the White Sox could be the difference.
RealGM Search
The Orioles finally traded Erik Bedard for a large package of Mariners’ prospects, headlined by Adam Jones.
After posting a 4.00 ERA in 24 starts in 2005 and a 3.76 ERA in 2006, Bedard fully broke out with a 3.16 ERA and a 1.088 WHIP in 2007.
He had a season Field Impact Counter score of 242 (8.65 per start) and a Reina Value of +282% as he deserved a $13 million salary despite taking in just $3.4 million.
Only Jake Peavy had a better per start FIC, posting a 8.67 in pitcher-friendly Petco Park and the light-hitting NL West.
For Bedard to be so dominant in the grueling AL East makes the Canadian’s 2007 season all the more impressive.
Bedard will turn 29 during Spring Training but has relatively low-mileage on his arm, throwing just 658 big-league innings. He missed out on being a true Cy Young threat because he missed all of September with an oblique injury.
Bedard has four career starts at Safeco Field and has a 5.96 ERA over 22.2 innings. Also disturbing, Bedard has a 9.22 ERA over three starts at Angel Stadium, but he has a 2.77 ERA in Oakland in two starts and a 3.72 ERA in Texas over three starts. However, the AL West ultimately goes through Anaheim these days, and he will need to give the Mariners big performances in those all-important games versus the Angels.
Unlike the lefty Dontrelle Willis, Bedard is equally effective against right-handed batters as they only fare 18 points better against him than left-handed batters.
Bedard joins Felix Hernandez to give the Mariners a 1-2 combination that can rival those of the caliber of C.C. Sabathia and Fausto Carmona. Carlos Silva, Jarrod Washburn, and Miguel Batista fill out the middle and back-end of a rotation that won’t allow very many extend losing streaks.
Bedard is the right pitcher for Seattle to make an immediate move towards the playoffs, but even though Jeff Clement, Wladimir Balentien, and Carlos Triunfel were retained, was the price too steep?
Grade for Mariners: B+
The Orioles aren’t anywhere close to contending, and Bedard would have likely departed after the 2009 season so they preemptively cashed in on his high stock value in a winter in which there wasn’t a single front-end free agent starter.
Adam Jones headlines a very attractive package Baltimore received which provides pivotal building blocks for their offense and pitching staff.
Jones improved upon an excellent 2006 in Triple-A Tacoma by raising his OPS from .829 to .968. He hit 25 homers while batting .314 over 420 at-bats. Jones clearly will be a good everyday player but will have to strikeout less in order to reach his full All-Star potential. However, Jones has the work ethic and desire to be great that matches his amazing talent.
Jones was drafted as a shortstop with the possibility of becoming a pitcher (mid-90's fastball) but has nicely converted into a centerfielder and is likely to start the 2008 season in that very position for the Orioles.
George Sherrill is a 30-year-old left-handed reliever who was a crucial component of Seattle’s very good bullpen in 2007, posting a 2.36 ERA over 45.7 innings in 73 appearances. Sherrill struck out 56 while walking 17.
Chris Tillman is a tall 19-year-old right-hander selected in the second round of the 2006 draft by Seattle. Tillman has a low to mid-90’ fastball that he’s still developing but possesses an excellent curve that can make him great.
While Tillman is a tall 6-5, Kam Mickolio is a super tall 6-9 pitcher out of Utah Valley State. He has been impressive during his two minor league seasons, posting a 2.73 ERA over 85.2 innings while striking out 81.
Tony Butler was selected in the 3rd round of 2006 and is a highly promising left-handed starter who uses his athleticism and a low-90’s fastball to offset his powerful curve ball.
This package from Seattle might turn out better for the Orioles than the price the Mets paid Minnesota for Johan Santana. It is unlikely that both Tillman and Butler pan out, but the odds are excellent that one of the two will become a number three starter or better. Pairing that pitcher with what Jones brings offensively immediately gives the Orioles a brighter future.
