Today I was privileged to have a chance to interview Baseball Prospectus’s injury analyst, Will Carroll. In addition to the injuries, Will does a Rumor Mill column a couple of times a year and always has some good info. In case you’re interested, I interviewed Will back in August about all sorts of pitching topics. Anyway, his answers to my questions are in bold below. This is Part 1 of the interview; I’ll post the rest tomorrow.
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MLBTradeRumors: Does Kevin Brown have anything left? Any teams that might take a chance on him, given that he was solid in 2004?
Will Carroll: He’s still good – not great and not worth the money he’s owed – when he’s healthy, but at this stage, keeping him healthy seems less and less likely. There are teams that could afford to wait, to see what they can get, but the Yankees aren’t one of them.
MLB: Can Erubiel Durazo help a team in ’06? With Piazza and Thomas as the big name DH options, can he find a job anywhere? Also, will he be ready for spring training after Tommy John surgery?
WC: Again, good if healthy, but I’m not sure he was ever as good as we wanted him to be. I’m sure he can find a job somewhere if he can prove he’s healthy. I’m not sure where he is in his rehab since there’s no good source to check with.
MLB: In your opinion, the best and worst free agent signings this winter?
WC: Man, I was bad on this last year. I don’t like the Jays signings, but I understand them. The Damon signing is understandable, but just resets the clock on the Bernie Williams problem – aging OF who can’t throw — by three years. Best? Probably Paul Byrd.
MLB: Do you think Bengie Molina can replicate his 2005 numbers? Will he be stuck with a one year deal?
WC: Pretty surprising, but I guess there’s always one guy who loses out when he thinks he’ll cash in. I’d think he’d regroup a bit from this and he’s aging and a catcher.
MLB: Which team is the best fit for Jeff Weaver?
WC: Angels. He’d be a great fit a lot of places, but I think the Angels have the most to gain, especially with his brother in the organization.
