11:40pm: Dessens will earn $600K if he spends the entire season in the Major Leagues, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com.
9:46pm: The Giants signed reliever Elmer Dessens to a minor-league contract, Dessens' agent told Fernando Ballesteros at Puro Beísbol (link in Spanish).
Last season, Dessens was a middle-to-late-inning fixture for the Mets, pitching to a 2.30 ERA in 53 appearances despite posting the lowest strikeout rate of his 14-season career. His resurgence reportedly brought offers from teams in both leagues after the Mets cut ties with him, and Ballesteros named the Mariners and Orioles among Dessens' most recent suitors.
In Dessens and recent minor league signing Jeff Suppan, the Giants now have a pair of seasoned sinkerballers in the mix for relief innings alongside high-strikeout righties like Sergio Romo and Santiago Casilla. The two elder statesman could also provide a few restaurant tips along the way, as they have played for a combined 15 teams across 30 seasons. Also of note, Dessens is trying to become the first Mexican pitcher to pitch into his 40s, a line which he crossed in January.
The fact that his strikeout and walk rates were equal last year might have something to do with him not signing until now. We would also be remiss not to mention the .239 BABIP and the 4.72 FIP. That being said, go hunt some wabbits Elmer!
REPEAT! :)
lol Giants fans better hope he remains in the minors. He has a lot of regression coming to him at the ML level…..
hahaha WTF??
Minor league depth for one of the best bullpens in baseball. Why do you insist on perpetuating this supposed rivalry between the A’s and Giants that really doesn’t exist?
a grudge we will never know why, as long as this site is up and running and he is alive. Every Giants post will be a “WTF??” post
Only 39 years old, would have thought Sabean would have given him three year deal with a option for a fourth.
you don’t wanna tie up that money… it could go to signing some veteran free agents instead of locking up this young, inexperienced reliever
Yeah, so funny. He did such a terrible job taking the Giants to being world champs
hmm
haha
Dessens is hoping to become the first Mexican pitcher to publicly acknowledge pitching into his 40s. I’d be willing to bet Aurelio Lopez or Fernandomania were at the very least much closer to it than the public record states.
The Dodgers had Vicente Romo while he was well into his 70’s (Lorne Greene will tell you his 40’s to you and me).
Elmer will never stop pitching voluntarily; he may be the first Mexican pitcher to sign a post-mortem minor league deal.
he picked the correct ballpark to keep up the good numbers
Isn’t he around 400 years old?
Are are you guys hating on him? DIdn’t u read the 2.30 ERA in 53 appearances. Its just as good as Romo
this guy Elmer just keeps sticking around like…something that sticks around.
It’s worth mentioning that Casilla, while not especially seasoned, is also a sinkerballer. It just happens to sink at 98 MPH.
Good work if you can get it.
Casilla’s two-seam fastball/sinker ball is more like 93-95 mph. Still, a very very impressive combination of speed and movement.
Anything is better than Romo! Seriously, as a true giants fan, I HATE ROMO! the Cowboys Romo, or Sergio Romo? It doesn’t matter, when it comes down to it they both are choke artists. I have heard a lot of hype about Romo, but all I see is a dumb ass who cant keep a lead. Hey Sabes do us a favor and RELEASE ROMO, send him to the Dodgers so he can ruin some games for them.
Did you watch the Giants play last season, or just the playoffs? Romo has been a crucial part of the bullpen for two years.