Prior Signs With Padres

UPDATE, 12-26-07 at 4:33pm: Prior gets $1MM guaranteed and can earn another $4.5MM in incentives.

FROM 12-26-07 at 1:05pm:

Ah, some real news.  ESPN's Buster Olney reports that the Padres have reached an agreement with Mark Prior.  It's a one-year deal with a low $1MM base.  Olney says incentives could bring the total past $3MM, which is still a very reasonable gamble.  Now Prior can rebuild his value in a great pitcher's park and re-enter free agency in a year.  Click here to read about the specific shoulder damage Prior had repaired.

Prior is throwing on flat ground currently, and there's talk of mid-May.  I think three solid months out of Prior would be more realistic, though.  The Padres' rotation will contain two ex-Cubs, Prior and Greg Maddux.  With Jake Peavy, Chris Young, and Randy Wolf on board, the rotation is certainly impressive on paper.

Comments

[themfightnwords]

He's going to throw one pitch in Spring Training and miss the entire season with a vagina tear. What a waste of money.

[Cubs World Champs please B4 I die]

zzz..

[bsox21]

"He's going to throw one pitch in Spring Training and miss the entire season with a vagina tear. What a waste of money.'

this is 1 of the funnier posts iv ever seen on this site.

[PistolPete]

San Diego - Stock up on towels and tampons, here comes Mark!!!

[NYRoyal]

I wonder what the terms of his contract are. Reportedly he wanted a one-year deal so he could "prove himself" and then get a big payday. But the problem for both him and the team that signs him is that he's likely to only play half of this season and I'm not sure he'll be pitching at 100% this year at all.

It seems like a team would only get real value from Prior if they signed him to a two-year deal so that they could hopefully get one good full year from him. But, of course, any contract for Prior is a risk. I think the following contracts would be fair and not too high-risk for Prior:

1yr/3M (basically paying him for a half season)
2yr/8M (3M for the first year, 5M for the second)

[SunKing1056]

ahhhh, sexism is hilaaaaarious.

Anyway, seems like a good low-risk signing. The potential of that rotation is just sick.

[Tim Dierkes]

I don't understand why you wouldn't want him for a half-season for $3-4 mil. Still don't see why the Cubs passed on it. Bad move.

[ozziethesaint]

It's 1Yr/$1M with incentives up to $3M

Love the signing for SD if he flames out again and can't stay healthy it's only a million bucks wasted :)

[Cubs World Champs please B4 I die]

I couldn't think of a nicer guy to hand $1M for towel drills, and simulated games (on flat ground, seated.)

[PriorandAramisfan23]

"I don't understand why you wouldn't want him for a half-season for $3-4 mil. Still don't see why the Cubs passed on it. Bad move."

They're the Cubs......they've turned making bad moves into an art form.

[George Purcell]

Cheap enough, but I just don't think that a contract without a team option for 2009 makes much sense.

[Cubs World Champs please B4 I die]

PriorandAramisfan,

Prior has nothing left. He is done. And, the Cubs had no interest in paying him to sit around another year (no, he will not pitch, effectively at least, in '08) only to have him walk afterwards. Besides, he didn't want to be back on the Cubs, he'd rather sit around in his home in SD. To reiterate, I saw him pitch, the last few times, with his straight 89-91 mph fastball, and no curve, he is not going to get anyone out.

[ozziethesaint]

Cubs World Series, while you might be right about him being done, a million bucks is a low risk move by SD and I love it all the same

[touchmymonkey]

If the cubs wanted to keep him it would have cost them 3.5 mil not 1 mil since you can only reduce a players salary via arbitration by so much. Thus they had to let him walk and hope he would come back as free agent. The fact he took 1 mil to play in a pitchers park near his home shows he didn't want to be a cub - cubs would have offered him 1 mil plus incentives they just didn't want to guarentee him 3-4 mil for 3 months work. I wish him the best I am certain he will have 3 good outings before getting hurt and thus justify someone giving him money again next yr.

[Tim Dierkes]

Why does it not make sense to sign him without a team option? This seems more personal than anything, like the Cubs don't want to watch him rebuild value and then leave. But if he rebuilds value for $4MM, you helped your team and that's what matters.

[PriorandAramisfan23]

Cubs WS, save your breath. I'm not concerned with the opinion of Cub fans regarding Prior. As far as I'm concerned the Cubs broke him. I'd like to see how many other teams pitch 22 year old once in a generation talents 225+ IP in their first full year, my guess is most teams aren't stupid enough to do it.....except for the Cubs.

Furthermore, who cares what he pitched like with that kind of damage in his shoulder?

[George Purcell]

I disagree with that, Tim.

1) Worth $4M in 2009 does not mean $4M in value in 2008.

2) The risk of the 2008 contract is that you'll pay for zero, or close to zero production. That risk needs to be balanced against a reasonable return...which is only likely to occur in 2009.

A one year contract with Prior is basically a "Heads I lose (he is utterly worthless) tails I lose (I get most of my money back and a competitotr reaps the rewards)" situation.

[NYRoyal]

Good point, George. The "best case scenario" for the Padres is that Prior pitches well in limited innings (they will certainly be careful with him and not work him very hard) for half a season, he'll cost them $3M and then he'll sign somewhere else for a big, long-term contract.

So basically it would be the Padres paying $3M for a half season of limited pitching so that Prior could audition for the rest of MLB.

[IowaCubs]

Jeez, the Cubs could have had him for $3mil?

What a no brainer! There must really have been some bad blood between the Cubs brass and Mark.

[bravesbeast]

I think some are missing teh point of this signing. This is not a heads we lose tails we lose type of situation. For the Padres, they just signed a pitcher who could make a difference for them in the last half of the season. Every staff will need someone to step up who was not in the staff at the beginning of the season for another starter who has gotten injured. If Prior can get healthy, it is one hell of a signing for the Padres. They can take on the loss of 1 million if he does nothing, but if he is what results in them making the playoffs, then he was more than worth the investment. And say he does do well and then goes on to sign a contract with someone else, that is just draft picks for the Pads. This is a very good signing because it all focuses on this year. The Pads signed Prior because of the impact he could make towards the end of this season, the point of the season where the games matter the most. If he can help and make a difference and then gets rewarded, more power to him. If he does not pan out, all they lose is a million dollars, a risk they can take. That is the point tim is trying to make. If the cubs could have gotten Prior back this cheap, they also could have absorbed the monetary loss if he did not pan out. Again, this is not that big of a risk, because they invested a minimal amount in prior and may in return get a difference maker come July and on and then draft picks next offseason. Let us not disregard this year for the future when it comes to Prior, as he has no future unless he produces this year, and at the price the padres got him for, it was well worth the investment.

BTW, if he does not pitch that much, it is just 1 million, cause he has to meet incenetives to get 3 million. This shows that he cost even less money than a lot of yall think.

[ben79]

Ahhh.....I can't wait until the Padres fans start bitching about the endless towel drills. Just you wait, when mid-May turns into late June turns into 2050, you'll all realize that this gamble will NOT pay off. Prior has a rag-arm and he is done

[bjsguess]

If he sucks it costs you $1m.

If he is good you get half a season of a good pitcher for $4m.

What is the downside? Odds are he won't be good but at least he has some potential.

For teams thinking about giving Colon $5-8m over a couple of years this just seems like such a better move.

[Tim Dierkes]

What Mark Prior does in 2009 should not influence the decision. If it does, it's out of spite. Doesn't matter if he leaves to sign the hugest deal ever.

What matters is that you are trying to get a good half season out of Prior in 2008. If he's worthless you lose $1MM, which is nothing to any MLB team. You only pay the other $3MM if he's decent, and if you pay $4MM for a half season of decent pitching, you win. Simple as that.

[themfightnwords]

Does anyone actually think the Pads are going to contend in 2008 anyway? The D'backs, Dodgers, and Rockies are better than the Pads.

[mind_vs_body]

I'm with P&A23...I don't understand bashing a guy for injuries due to overwork, abuse, and bad luck. Torn labrum is serious and painful. I wouldn't wish it on anyone.

[Bleacher_Buddha]

This is a great signing for the Padres. I cant believe I am saying this, considering it wasn't that long ago that Kirby Puckett got the first contract that paid 1 million per year, but it is only 1 million dollars if he flops.

[DodgersLBC]

Peavy is, obviously, solid and Young is above average... but I don't see the remainder of the rotation (Prior, Maddux, Wolf) staying healthy all season. How long has it been since Wolf or Prior has pitched a competitive inning?

[NancyEcho1469]

ZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[Cubs World Champs please B4 I die]

Thanks NancyEcho, that is a much better snore than mine!@

[Astro46]

I hope him and Michael Barrett get in a fist fight.

[Darin]

@Bravesbeat

Prior probably won't bring any draft picks. He'll only have a quarter of the time played that Elias will use to determine "Type A" and "Type B" Free Agents. I have a hard time thinking that Mark Prior will be so dominating in his 3 or 4 months of pitching that he'll even sniff a 40% or better ranking.

Not all free agents bring draft picks...just the good/decent ones that actually play.

[corbin]

Lets be honest...Its not the 1 mil that is holding anyone back, it is the inclusion on the 40 man roster. The rule V draft recently has proven to have some difference makers available (Santana, Hamilton, etc) and losing a prospect for someone who may not even pitch is not a gamble many big league teams were willing to take. If he would have signed a split contract I'm sure there would have been many other suitors.

He is, in all likelihood, pitching for half a season. This will not give him good enough numbers over the past two years to net the signing team a draft pick...

He also reportedly picked SD over more money elsewhere. He is entering an important year, one that will signify whether he will get a decent contract next year or not...and he decided that: staying at home, in a pitcher friendly ballpark, with a support group was more beneficial than a few more mil this year.

[Zonis]

I think this is a great deal for both sides.

The Padres are doing what the A's did with Frank Thomas - sign him for a cheap base salary with some incentives, with the hope that he will either a) contribute or b) do nothing and cost nothing. They either win, or nothing happens. They can't really lose. They arn't relying on Prior to be anything other than a luxury.

And for Prior, he signs a cheap ass contract to play in his home town, in a park that even if he sucks, he will still put up good numbers in. He plays for half a year, then can decided if he wants to venture out for a huge contract, or possibly take a smaller contract and stay in San Diego.

Believe it or not, the low price tells me something else as well.

When the whole Prior-gate started, I thought-if Prior goes for a one or two year contract for Mark Mulder money, then he probably does not have anything left in the tank. He thinks he has to cash in NOW or he never will. If he signs for a cheap contract, and goes to a place where he can rebuild is value (San Diego, for example, instead of say Texas or Houstan), he probably believes that he can make it work, that he can rebuild his value and get that long term contract and pitch through it. And to do so, he has to make teams believe that he is willing to play ball with them.

[WestCoastBias]

With a makeshift group of #5 starters in Clay Hensley, Glendon Rusch, Tim Stauffer, Shawn Estes, Justin Germano & Wilfredo Ledezema, they have plenty of options that will allow them to stay patient until July 1st. Which is my bet on when Prior comes back, and dominates.

[Darin]

looking at a different angle, I think the draft picks had something to do with all of this....

The Cubs wanted him for 2 years, which meant if he was great for the 1 and a half season, Prior could actually end up a Type B, and quite possibly a Type A Free Agent. The Cubs then would then get some sort of compensation if he left.

On the other side, if Prior did end up a Type A Free Agent, his value would go down a bit, being that signing him (possibly) would cost draft picks. If he dominates for a half season in San Diego, which is HIGHLY unlikely, a team could basicaly sign an ace, without losing a draft pick. (only Type A's cost draft picks right?...Type B's are sandwhich....)

Also, I think maybe Chicago had seen enough of not only Mark Prior, but Wade Miller as well....

[Cubs World Champs please B4 I die]

For non-Chicago people, a picture of the Mark Prior Towel Drill can be viewed right now at Chicagosports.com. Cubs fans have already seen this (for the past 4 years!) Enjoy.

[Cubs World Champs please B4 I die]

Oh geez, click on the picture of the Towel Drill (at Chicagosports.com), and you get 12 pictures, and a summary of Mark Prior's story up to now. Can't believe I missed that, check it out!

[cubbyrick]

I don't think anybody gets it. Mark Prior wanted out. He wanted to pitch near his hometown. He never had any intention of coming back with the Cubs.

[Cubs World Champs please B4 I die]

cubbyrick,

You are 100% right.

[studio179]

I am going to miss those exciting Mark Prior radio commercials to remind us to slow down for construction workers.

[cubbyrick]

I will be curious to see how much smaller Mr. Prior looks come spring training. Looks like Tarzan, plays like Jane.

[touchmymonkey]

SD has a better shot of getting innings out of LaMarr Hoyt and would cost less.

[tmar]

"As far as I'm concerned the Cubs broke him. I'd like to see how many other teams pitch 22 year old once in a generation talents 225+ IP in their first full year, my guess is most teams aren't stupid enough to do it.....except for the Cubs."

I bet the Reds would.

[TheBigOne]

In reference to Prior's surgery:

Of the 36 major-league hurlers diagnosed with labrum tears in the last five years, only midlevel reliever Rocky Biddle has returned to his previous level. Think about that when your favorite pitcher comes down with labrum trouble: He has a 3 percent chance of becoming Rocky Biddle.

1 mil for rocky biddle?

[Laputian]

The real victims here are the Cubs fans who bought those Prior jerseys. Though, they arent as sad as the Astros fans who bought Beltran jerseys.

[Devlsh]

Nicely said, Big One.

The reason that this is neither a good deal nor a bad one is that it's a non-factor. The odds against Prior giving any worthwhile return on a one year deal are ridiculously small. That's why people are saying that without an option , this is a pointless move. The Pads are basically giving $1M for the chance that Prior will APPEAR in a major league game, not that he'll do anything worthwhile. So the Pads ARE pissing away $1M, and while that may not be much in baseball terms, it's still $1M. Personally, I suspect the Pads are trying to generate some goodwill from Prior so that he'll re-sign in '09 if he shows he has a pulse.

In any case, this deal is generating way more comment than it deserves.

[Teetz]

There are various different types of labrum surgeries out there and we don't know how severity of the surgery; however, it's odd none of his tears showed up on any of his MRI's. Could this mean it was in an odd spot...minor?...who knows?

"In any case, this deal is generating way more comment than it deserves."

Agreed, let's move on.

[Gleebo]

If nothing else this thread gave me a good laugh at the expense of Rocky Biddle. Kudos to The Big One for pulling out that name from the ether.

[DipGrizz]

what a waste of a jersey. Had to get rid of Sosa jersey. and now Prior. Please keep Lee for a couple of more years! Id like to be able to at least wear it in

[themonkeyguy]

The cub organzation does not have as good as training staff as the Padres do. They are considered the best in baseball. Here one thing to think about. For the people that said he was done and will never pitch again.... What would happen if Prior comes out stays healthy and win 10 to 12 games. Theres a difference between buying a team and building a team. For the Past 100 years the cubs buying skeam has gone out the window. Let your young guys get a shot because your pitching sucks majorly. Because once you get past Zambrano you guys have nothing

[ghettodog]

Hey monkeyguy, I think you are forgetting the fact that the Cubs have two other capable starters in Rich Hill and Ted Lilly. Let's look at value over replacement player, K rates and walk rates:

Ted Lilly: 46.7 VORP, 2.39 BB/9, 7.57 K/9

Carlos Zambrano: 43.5 VORP, 4.20 BB/9, 7.36 K/9

Rich Hill: 40.3 VORP, 2.91 BB/9, 8.45 K/9

The Cubs have a solid 1-3 in the rotation. It could be argued that Zambrano is not even the best Cubs' SP anymore.

[Bleacher_Buddha]

"As far as I'm concerned the Cubs broke him. I'd like to see how many other teams pitch 22 year old once in a generation talents 225+ IP in their first full year, my guess is most teams aren't stupid enough to do it.....except for the Cubs."

Actually Prior has never pitched 225+. Please check your sources before you spout off jibberish.

Second he did pitch in college. In 1999 at Vanderbuilt he pitched 82 innings. Then at USC in 2000 he pitched 129 innings. In 2001 he pitched 138. Then when drafted by the Cubs in 2002 he pitched 166. Then in 2003 he pitched 211. I think that progression isn't out of the ordinary.

[Aduncaroo]

themonkeyguy,

Thats an comment made from someone who doesn't have a clue what they are talking about. The Cubs were the 2nd best staff in the NL last year, and near the top or at the top in pretty much every statistical category. Hill and Lilly are very capable. You are the type of guy that looks at win loss records, aren't you? Come on, be honest.

[bmswick]

Prior did pitch over 225 innings in 2003.

He pitched 211.1 in the regular season and 23.1 in the postseason. That's 234.2 innings for a guy who had never pitched over 170 in a season before.

[Aduncaroo]

bmswick,

I agree, that was too much. However, they were in the middle of a pennant race down the stretch, and he obviously needs to be pitching in the playoffs when having that kind of season. Its tough to fault them for riding his arm into the post season, I think it was the best single season pitched by a Cub since the Maddux days. Anyway, remember, its Dusty we are talking about here, not the Cubs as much. I do agree though, there were some blowouts that both he and Wood were left in for no reason, and there really isn't much of an excuse I can give them for that.

[Cubs World Champs please B4 I die]

monkeyguy:

ee ee ee!

[Bleacher_Buddha]

If we count the post season then I assume we also need to count preseason too? But I dont see those numbers posted anywhere.

[cachhubguy]

Monkey, the Cubs haven't been trying to buy a Championship over the last century. The cheap-ass Tribune company didn't start spending money until they knew they were going to sell the team.

[agro23]

It's a good move for the Padres.

Injured star pitcher with a ton of potential for a low salary + great pitcher's park + fantastic training staff (one of the best in the NL) + great pitching coach = summer wins.

If the Pads can squeeze a few victories out of Prior it will be better than what they had in the 5 slot last year: David Wells? Mike Thompson? LedZeppelin? Please.

The Pads will win at least 88 games next season.

[Aduncaroo]

also monkeyguy,

The Cubs have just recently been spending in accordance with the market they are in. They have always been pretty cheap in the past, so that statement about trying to buy a championship for 100 years is completely and utterly wrong.

Also, I believe the Indians have a better medical staff, at least thats all I've ever heard.

[DodgersLBC]

This article makes a case that Prior's mechanics are at fault for chronic shoulder issues:

http://www.pitching.com/blog/160/mark-priors-shoulder-surgerydid-the-famous-towel-drill-and-scap-loading-ruin-him/

[Devlsh]

And it's not just the number of innings Prior pitched either, it's his pitch load in 2003. He averaged 113.4 pitches per start, the highest average I've seen in several years. By no coincidence, Kerry Wood was second in the NL that year with 110.8, which is also one of the highest totals in recent years. I believe Baker allowed his hurlers to throw more than 120 pitches 26 times that year.

All in all, Prior hit the trifecta: he increased his innings pitched by about 60, he threw a LOT of pitches in the process, and his vaunted motion turned out to be less than desirable.

[cachhubguy]

Mark Prior = Wade Miller. The end.

[Aduncaroo]

I'm not sure if I could blame his mechanics. Sure, with Kerry Wood, you can see he throws across his body. Prior had nearly perfect mechanics though, and its a smooth motion. This is the first shoulder problem he has ever had, so while they might have been less than perfect, I would still say his mechanics were better than 90% of SPs these days.