5:03pm: The Mariners are now out of the running, reports Connolly (Twitter links). The Orioles definitely offered Duchscherer a Major League contract.
2:36pm: Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun tweets that Duchscherer's search is down to three teams: the Mariners, Orioles, and Nationals. All three have offered one-year deals, and more than one are Major League offers.
2:14pm: ESPN's Jerry Crasnick tweets that Duchscherer has narrowed his options to four teams, and that the Nationals and Orioles are both making pushes to sign the former Athletic.
2:10pm: Duchscherer told MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli (Twitter link), via text message, that he's "very close" with several teams and that his decision will be made this week.
1:19pm: The Orioles are the frontrunner to land Justin Duchscherer's services, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. According to Rosenthal, the O's have made an offer that's believed to be a Major League deal. Whether it's from Baltimore or another team, Rosenthal says the right-hander has at least one Major League offer.
Duchscherer, who turned 33 last November, has been limited to just 28 innings since a stellar 2008 season that was also marred by injury. Duchscherer's most recent trip to the DL occured in April this past season, and resulted in season-ending hip surgery on June 7. It was his his third trip to the 60-day disabled list of his career.
When healthy, Ducscherer provides plenty of value, owning a career 3.13 ERA, 6.87 K/9, and 2.4 BB/9 through 454 2/3 innings, mostly out of the bullpen.
I hope the Orioles do indeed sign him. It certainly won’t hurt anything.
you are right the only thing it can do is help the team… go o’s
I dont think he is gonna want to hit after coming of the injury, so you guys will probably sign him.
I think it would be a good pick up on the Orioles behalf.
I dont see any reason why the Orioles wouldn’t give him an incentive-laden major league deal. If anything else, if he’s healthy and pitches well, he can be flipped at the deadline.
It would also allow Britton and Tillman to stay in AAA to continue to dominate. That would leave the Rotation at:
Duchscherer
Guthrie
Matsuz
Bergeson
Arrieta
britton looks like he could be ready in the coming season.
This could be a great signing. He dominates when he’s healthy.
If he stay healthy we could get some good prospects at the deadline.
or keep him as ace and trade guthrie who has been inconstant
Guthrie had one off year out of 4. How is that Inconsistent? He’s consistently been below a 4 ERA pitching in the AL east that last 4+ years.
also a loosing record every year
How meaningful. /s
Walter Johnson had a losing record couple of seasons. Doesnt mean anything.
True but knowing the Orioles they would trade him. McPhail won’t want to resign to a big contract and doesnt have the balls to offer him arbitration. So it just makes more sense for them to trade him.
The O’s are not trading Guthrie, they need to add pitching.
your right slider so if the sign justin d y would they trade him if hes doing good?
hes 33, not really a part of the future is he?? and the O’s are hardly in win-now mode
I guess if he works out they can trade him for a prospect in July.
I think their off-season moves would prove they certainly want to win now. They were maybe the most active team aside from the Red Sox. I think most very smart GM’s are starting to debunk the theory that you have to suck bad for many years while you “rebuild”. Guys like Hoyer, AA, Friedman, and Beane keep their teams competitive while rebuilding.
What are you talking about. Guthrie was our most consistent pitcher last year
seriously?!!!
guthrie gets no run support which should change this year.
if he had pitched for the yanks/sox he would be beast.
but y would the orioles need more prospects???
More prospects??
You can never have enough prospects. And the Orioles honestly dont have too much talent in the system, especially the upper levels. They are really on low on good position players. We do still have a lot of good pitching
We have no prospects left! We have one of the worst farm systems in baseball. That’s fine in the short term, but you still want as constant an influx of young talent as possible. We’ve graduated Wieters, Jones, Reimold, Bell, Matusz, Arrieta, Bergy, Tillman, and Hernandez over the past three seasons, leaving the farm somewhat dry. Bringing up all that talent along with a horrible 2009 draft has left us with a very bad farm. We still have Britton and Machado who are both top 25 prospects, but after that we’ve got nothing.
You’re exaggerating a bit. The O’s minor league system is not as bare as people imply. Tillman and Bell will start in the minors, even though neither are considered prospects anymore due to some ML experience. Reimold may also start in the minors. Tillman is still only 22, younger than a lot of other top “prospects” on other teams. Plus the O’s have top prospects in Britton and Machado and several other pretty good up and comers. No, they don’t have the minor league depth of the Yanks, Jays, Rays or Royals (the Royals depth is insane), but one trade and one draft can change their minor league circumstances very fast. A problem for the O’s is that they have been bad for so long that their best prospects have been getting promoted too early, prematurely thinning out their minor league system. Hopefully that stops with this season.
“But y would the orioles need more prospects???” Hm… that’s interesting. You want a farm system full of good prospects. In reality, most teams don’t have it but when they do it pays off. Every team “needs” more prospects.
im not arguing that we need prospects im arguing that why would we sign justin d then trade him if he is doing good?
Because he’s injury prone and if the time comes that Tillman or Britton are ready for the majors there is no need for Duchscherer anymore. Pitching is always a huge need at the deadline so teams are willing to give up quite a bit for it.
Seriously, the Jays would be a great match for Duchscherer. It would really strengthen the rotation and we just freed up a tonne of cash from the trade heard ’round the world
as a o’s fan i like guthrie but if the o’s trade for prospects wouldn’t the trade guthrie who does good in the al east? so if the sign justin d y not keep a good rotation
justin d
guthrie
matusz
bergesen
arrieta
thats a good rotation
Yankees should really try their best to sign this guy. Unlike a lot of other pitchers left on the market, and guys like Colon and Prior, Duch actually earns the title of “low-risk, high-reward” because when he’s healthy, he’s nothing short of very good. Guys like Colon, Millwood, Bush, etc all have the potential to be mediocre at best, Duch can be an ace if he stays healthy and could also do some bullpen work as well.
LETS GO O’S
This is exactly the sort of player the Nats need to sign. If he (and Wang?) returns to form, that gives Washington a pretty deep and pretty solid starting five. he won’t cost much, so it would be a relatively low-risk move. The Nats are currently fringe Wild Card contenders, and striking gold with a guy like this could be enough to get rid of that “fringe.”
LETS GO M´S, WHEN HEALTHY HE IS GREAT
I’m not sure why none of the big market teams — especially the Yankees who have question marks in their rotation — are going after this guy.
Perhaps his medical records are showing red flags?
If not, I cannot see why other teams wouldn’t be interested.
The Mariners could definitely use him. Right now, the M’s rotation is Felix (Cy Young Award winner), Jason Vargas (coming off a career season), Doug Fister (still young), Erik Bedard (MIA for last 3 seasons) and a 3-way battle among Luke French, David Pauley and Michael Pineda. I think the M’s would like to see Pineda develop more at AAA (specifically do better against right handed hitters), and were not exactly impressed with what French and Pauley did in their stints in the M’s rotation last year; they were serviceable, but that’s about it. Duchscherer would fill that #5 spot well; they could skip him with off days to keep him fresh, and limit him to 5-6 innings per start as well. One of French or Pauley could “caddy” for him on his start days. And, most importantly, he’s VERY familiar with the AL West, having pitched for both the A’s and Rangers in the past. There are a few guys on the M’s 40-man roster who are expendable (Milton Bradley, party of one…), so the M’s could offer Duch a major league contract. If I’m Jack Z, I make this happen fast.
This guy hasn’t been able to stay healthy since the A’s made him a starter. Before that, he was very good out of the bullpen for three straight years.
Why not use him as a reliever?
Because Duscherser has stated publicly that he only wants to start. He feels that after his injuries he’s better sutied for the steadier pace and routine of starting. He won’t sign with a team that wants to use him out of the pen, and there are teams that will give him the opportunity to start.
That’s a lot of demands from a guys who has pitched over 100 innings only once in his entire career. What if they give him a ML contract and a starting job but he fails?
At age 33 and coming back from injuries you have to believe that his peak years are not ahead
I think the National League could be great for him!!!
I want the Orioles to get Duchscherer (IF Healthy) If he isn’t healthy. Let the Nats or the Mariners have him. I say get Mark Hendrickson as a left handed specialist… Let Zach Britton start his season down in the AAA Norfolk. Bring Britton up as a June Call-Up… Let Chris fight with Justin for a 5th starting spot
Orioles Projected Rotation
1. Jeremy Guthrie- RHP
2. Brian Matusz- LHP
3. Jake Arrieta -RHP
4. Brad Bergesen -RHP
5. Justin Duchscherer / Chris Tillman -RHP/RHP
I agree, although I think Duchscherer would easily win a rotation spot (if healthy obviously)
The Yankees stink. I can’t believe they are not in on this guy.
What’s Cashman’s excuse this time? Was he busy repelling down another skyscraper?
He is better risk than Colon or Prior to together.
Nationals, please please please sign him!
Nobody is saying the Yankees aren’t in on him, I’m sure they are. Duscherser has stated that he wants
1) A major league deal
2) A spot in a rotation.
He doesn’t want to pitch out of the bullpen, and won’t sign with a team that won’t guarantee him that, unless no team is willing to do it.
The Yankees would have to in essence, tie themselves into giving him the 5th spot in the rotation, and a major league deal. If Pettite decided to come back, or if they could make a deal for another starter, that would bump Nova out of the rotation. If he was willing to take a minor league deal, its a different story.
Even though the Yanks need pitching, Duschersers not gonna sign with them, because they can’t guarantee him a spot in the rotation today. Washington, Baltimore, and Seattle can.
Remember, the guy is looking for a team that will allow him the opportunity to showcase himself and play for a contract next year if he stays healthy.
As of now, the only set starters are Sabathia, Burnett and Hughes.
If (And who knows what’s the answer on that) Pettitte comes back that makes 4.
Why would the Yankees mind bumping out Nova? (A guy who can be a backup, if anything) Who else can they require? The only alternative would be to trade for good starter but that will cost prospects — not just cash in Duchscherer’s case. Why wouldn’t the Yankees guarantee a spot when the alternatives look very questionable and have less upside?
If Pettitte doesn’t come back or if he comes back later in the season — which are both very possible — then the Yankees have even fewer options.
Wow not gunna lie if the O`s were in the AL central they would actually would have a shot at it.
If at “It” you mean a .500 record, then yes. But the Twins and White Sox are vastly superior to them, and the Tigers are a decent team (I’m not sold on their rotation, and their lineup has holes). The AL Central is no AL East, but its also no NL Central.
I think you’re describing last season.
Do the wise thing – sign with Washington.
Maybe Strasberg can teach you a thing or two.
Like how to blow out your arm in under a year.
Rizzo has decided to corner the market on backend guys. I don’t know what they’re trying to do at this point. Livan Hernandez, Jordan Zimmermann, John Lannan, Jason Marquis, Tom Gorzelanny. I thought that was the rotation that the Nats were going to go with in a transitional year. Yunesky Maya, Ross Detwiler, Garrett Mock, Craig Stammen and Chien-Ming Wang are your back up options after that. I guess it’s only money, but I don’t know where you’re going to stash all of these meh starters between Syracuse and DC if you keep offering everybody major league contracts. Maybe they’re going to give up on Mock and Stammen, but I’d rather see them give these home grown options a try before just chucking a mil or two on somebody like Duchscherer.
Rizzo’s smarter than me, though. I guess this tells me as much about what Rizzo thinks of these young back end starters as it does about Duschscherer.
I’m just wondering, but why is there so much talk about a guy who has barely pitched the last couple of years and struggling to even get a major league contract?
What about my red sox
I think it’s a great move. Let’s just hope he’s not the Kevin Millwood of 2011. Poor Millwood couldn’t get any offense.
If the O’s Get him and get Vlad they’ll actually have an outside shot at contending, the Yanks and Rays have gotten worst, still very unlikely that they’ll contend. Not a huge risk move for the O’s, if he does well and the team is losing, good trade chip, if he does well and they’re in contention, good for the O’s, if he sucks well it didn’t cost much
I think even an outside shot of contention is a stretch for the Orioles but they won’t be a walkover in the AL East next year. They look like a team trying to build the right way, though. Core of solid prospects and controllable player and filling it out with low risk veterans who aren’t but so expensive. Hope it works out for them. Just not as well as my Nationals. ;-)
The Yankees rotation is very shakey at this point… Can’t believe they have not signed him to a major league deal with low base with incentives. He would slot in as our #3 ahead of both AJ and Nova. And if he stayed healthy, with our offense, he would win a ton of games. If he couldn’t remain healthy, cut him loose.
What is Cashman thinkin??? Sergio Feckin Mitre????????????????????
Clearly signing him would be a decent move given that he at least pitched at the MLB level last year. Sure it was only like 48 innings but why have Justin when you can sign both Colon and Prior. Too bad Pavano rejected their 1 yr offer.
I don’t mind having Colon and Prior (although I doubt they amount to much). In addition I want Justin. Besides Pettite, he’s the one left with the most upside and shouldn’t cost too much. We shall see…
On a strictly salary dump basis where the Yankees don’t give up any of their better prospects, I’d even be willing to eat pride and consider Blanton…
I agree. In all honesty, the Rays aren’t gonna be that bad and my Sox had a great off-season. If the Yankees have no pitching short of Sabathia and Hughes they could be in trouble. If Sabathia ever went down it would be a disaster in the Bronx. It’s never a bad idea to have too much pitching. I’m really surprised the Yankees are not taking cheaper flyers on more guys, hell even John Maine. I mean if you have to peice a rotation together until an in season trade is a possibility then so be it. I am skeptical as to if the Phillies would want to trade Blanton to the Yankees given that they could see them in the world series if all falls into place and the fact the Yanks beat them in 09. How do you feel about even Millwood? If nothing else he can eat innings.
Yeah, agreed. There has to be some other reasonable pitcher signed, yes even Millwood would be an upgrade on Mitre… They need to do whatever’s necessary to bring Pettite back if at all possible. If CC goes down, that’s our season right there IMO.
Sox and Rays starting pitching is much better at this point. Sox offense in comparable to Yankees so I see them (if they remain healthy) winning the division. The Rays really have a lack of offense and their bullpen is suspect…
By Finalists, do they mean the only teams interested? As if good offers from better teams were rejected.
I don’t think it’s going to be either Baltimore or Washington.
I think he will sign someplace where they will not deal him away if he’s having a good season.
He will go somewhere that he can stay put and help a team to the playoffs, if he’s going well.