Phil Hughes gets 3 - year deal from Twins (24 million)

[Chuckster70]

I'm betting Garrett Richards outperforms him in 2014.

This rotation needs two better arms to fill out the rotation before handing the ball to Richards from the 5th spot.

[mancini79]

That seems about right. Good pick for the Twins.

[YouthofToday]

I like the signing considering what the market is shaping up for starters this offseason.

[Agalloch]

I was hoping that would be us. I guess Arroyo it is.

[Chuckster70]

I was hoping that would be us. I guess Arroyo it is.

 

The Mets are favored to land Arroyo.

[mtangelsfan]

Another one bites the dust.

[Inside Pitch]

Don't worry -- there are MUCH better options available left...

 

http://espn.go.com/mlb/freeagents/_/type/available/position/sp

 

Or not...

[Chuckster70]

Colon and Tanaka, or Colon and a trade for someone like Estrada or Cashner or Ross.

 

I still like Ubaldo Jimenez the most out of all the FA's, but we'd lose a supplemental 1st round pick. Still, I like his stuff more than Weaver or Wilson so it could be worth it.

 

Everyone talks about Hughes getting better outside of Yankee stadium, but it didn't seem to effect the right-handed Kuroda the past two years in NY. Hughes is way too inconsistent for this team to gamble on after gambling on Hanson and Blanton last offseason.

 

Pass!

[jshep]

Ya, that's pretty darn reasonable these days.

Excited for the Angels to continue to balk at going market rates and then overpay for whatever's left in a month in a fit of panic though.

[mtangelsfan]

Yeah, we have a third baseman though.

[Chuckster70]

Yeah, we have a third baseman though.

 

So you're going to piss and moan or post this every time another team signs or trades for a SP? Last I checked there's still 3-4 months to round up the roster before playing ball.

 

Shoring up two other needs has no bearing on the needs that still need to be filled.

[Chuckster70]

Ya, that's pretty darn reasonable these days.

Excited for the Angels to continue to balk at going market rates and then overpay for whatever's left in a month in a fit of panic though.

 

How do you know they're balking at the going market rates? Link?

 

Perhaps they've never had interest in Hughes from the beginning. He's as about a sure thing as Blanton and Hanson was last season. You want that?

[mtangelsfan]

So you're going to piss and moan or post this every time another team signs or trades for a SP? Last I checked there's still 3-4 months to round up the roster before playing ball.

 

Shoring up two other needs has no bearing on the needs that still need to be filled.

 

I haven't decided if I will or wont.  No need to be so testy.

[GoodTimesGoneBad]

I would've been happy with Vargas and Hughes for 16 mil total. Ubaldo is going to command a lot and he's only recently started to turn it around, Tanaka might be another dice-k, and Arroyo seems like another Blanton move. Not looking good.

[Brent Maguire]

Bummer. I said earlier I would want him on a 3/25 deal and that's basically what he got.

Twins are slowly getting a not terrible rotation.

[jshep]

How do you know they're balking at the going market rates? Link?

 

Perhaps they've never had interest in Hughes from the beginning. He's as about a sure thing as Blanton and Hanson was last season. You want that?

 

Well, they're letting guys who would shore up the team's BIGGEST NEED, including a few guys they at least had reported interest in, go elsewhere on entirely reasonable contracts.

 

I don't have a quote or anything where Dipoto says "Wow, these contracts are ridiculous! We're not paying that!" or anything, but I don't think it's an absurd guess that the Angels are having trouble adjusting to the going rate for starting pitching. Whether that's just being slow to adjust, or being stubborn, or having absolutely no money to spend on pitching, or some combination of those things.

 

It wouldn't be the first time either.

Edited December 1, 2013 by jshep

[xboom28x]

Twins are not likely to be active at winter meetings. They get the two starters they needed and didn't have to give up any prospects in doing so.

 

That said, they are still 3 years away from competing.

[xboom28x]

Another thing to remember, if the Angels paid these going rates for patchwork pitchers like Hughes or Nolasco, there would be no money for Tanaka.

[Inside Pitch]

Well, they're letting guys who would shore up the team's BIGGEST NEED, including a few guys they at least had reported interest in, go elsewhere on entirely reasonable contracts.

 

I don't have a quote or anything where Dipoto says "Wow, these contracts are ridiculous! We're not paying that!" or anything, but I don't think it's an absurd guess that the Angels are having trouble adjusting to the going rate for starting pitching. Whether that's just being slow to adjust, or being stubborn, or having absolutely no money to spend on pitching, or some combination of those things.

 

It wouldn't be the first time either.

 

 

And yet they saw no problem giving 5+ mil to a guy who's value is tied in to inheriting a lead and who only pitches 70 innings max per season.

 

This team's asset management is either hilarious or sad.  I can't decide which.

[xboom28x]

Despite how poor the back end of the rotation was last year, the Angels were in a lot of games in the 6th and 7th innings only to have the bullpen blow leads or turn tight games into losses. I have no problem shoring up the bullpen first over the rotation. What is the point of having a 6 inning pitcher that gives up 3 runs only to have the bullpen come in and pour gas on the fire?

[mtangelsfan]

The pen wouldn't have been quite so bad if the starters wouldn't have been so bad.  They were totally overused.

[jshep]

Despite how poor the back end of the rotation was last year, the Angels were in a lot of games in the 6th and 7th innings only to have the bullpen blow leads or turn tight games into losses. I have no problem shoring up the bullpen first over the rotation. What is the point of having a 6 inning pitcher that gives up 3 runs only to have the bullpen come in and pour gas on the fire?

 

Of course this goes both ways:

 

What's the point of having a good setup guy if 2/5 of your rotation is throwing batting practice on any given night?

[Chuckster70]

The pen wouldn't have been quite so bad if the starters wouldn't have been so bad.  They were totally overused.

This is a true statement.

 

Blanton, Hanson and starters that filled in for our injured pitchers (Hanson, Weaver and Vargas) pretty much stunk more times than not, and were blown out in a lot of their starts.

[xboom28x]

The point is, there are many pitchers available by trade that can produce just as well as Hughes and cost half that salary.

[Inside Pitch]

The pen wouldn't have been quite so bad if the starters wouldn't have been so bad.  They were totally overused.

 

Usage was a problem but amazingly enough there is this little tidbit of information that might shock people...

 

 http://espn.go.com/mlb/stats/team/_/stat/pitching/split/128/sort/blownSaves/type/expanded/order/false

 

FTR, I don't have any issues with them paying to get Smith.  Just pointing out how reasonable Hughes' deal is.

Edited December 1, 2013 by Inside Pitch