Explaining The Durazo Disinterest

I've been at least mildly curious as to why Erubiel Durazo is being treated like he has a disease one year removed from a .919 OPS season.  I mean, if there's interest in Ruben Sierra, there sure as hell should be interest in Durazo.

Fortunately, I had a source fill me in recently on the story here.  Seems that Durazo was raking in a simulated game last summer and was cleared by Oakland team doctors.  He was penciled in to the following week's lineup, but ultimately chose surgery against the team's advice.  Apparently Durazo is perceived as less than a team player around baseball, leaving him with few interested suitors.

Of course, the fact that he's exclusively a DH and is coming off Tommy John surgery doesn't exactly spark bidding wars, regardless of his attitude.  I still need Durazo and Roger Clemens to come to terms so that I can analyze the results of my Top 50 Free Agents list.   

Comments

[Bob]

Of course, Dotel had a similar kind of disagreement with the A's team doctors about whether or not he should have surgery and it didn't prevent several teams from pursuing him.

But then, with the market for pitching being so much thinner than for 1B/DH types, maybe they were more willing to overlook such a thing to plug a harder-to-fill role.

[Darin]

wow, it looks like no one really does care about Durazo.

[Indeed]

I think he's worth the risk for someone...

[jon dowd]

i would take him hey give him an incentive laden contract and if he gives u anything it is a bonus hey the astros could use more pop

[xxx]

It's a cool story and something baseball fans wouldn't get anywhere else, but it just seems like a very unrealistic jump to say that the incident cited has anything to do with all 30 major league teams ignoring Durazo this late in the game. Maybe it has been a small factor for a team or two who considered signing Durazo, but when you look around the league at some guys getting second and third chances after committing far worse indiscretions...well I just think big league teams, as a whole, tend to value talent and productivity over team spirit when it comes to player evaluation.

[RumorMonger]

Fair enough, but then why the widespread lack of interest? Is he simply not worth a million bucks (or less)?

[cabbagez]

I don't see why more guys like this don't get offered incentive-laden contracts. Or maybe they do and they are perceived as being beneath the players and their agents talk them out of singing them. But it seems like players would rather get into camp and get going with drills and workouts, even if their contracts are minimal and incentive-based, than sit around and wait for the big bucks. Big bucks get less and less likely as spring traning wears on...

[Deznuts]

What is the big surprise about the lack of interest in Durazo? He's a really good hitter but he can't even play first base. That lessens a ton of interest right off the bat. I'm pretty sure every A.L. team has their DH already. Durazo's inability to play a position makes him a horrible bench player. The Twins should sign him but they got RonDL White and old fart Ruben Sierra instead.

[pudgefan7]

Are the Texas Rangers any closer to signing him? I think he'd be a fine backup for Phil Nevin, since he's likely to have some health problems. Sign him to a minor league deal, make Durazo prove himself worthy of play time.

[rayoftruth]

If anybody, even the Cubs, gives this man another chance after everything he's done the last few years (or should that be 'not done'?), they are crazier than a loon! Go home, ya' stiff!

[RumorMonger]

The Rangers just did give him a chance, he's signed...