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By Mark Polishuk | at
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Sufferfortribe
It’s nice that the Tribe has the makings of a really good starting rotation, but if we can’t find guys that can hit on a regular basis, and hit for power, we will continue to lose. Especially with Chewy Francona at the helm.
NickinIthaca
The Marlins really backloaded that Buerhle contract didn’t they? It’s almost as if they knew they would be selling off pieces…
Mike Mark Sopp
They’re the Marlins.
Ziggy13
Pretty much all the big free agents they signed that offseason got heavily backloaded deals. Nothing fishy about that at all
VAR
I would like to think sanity would have prevailed at some point preventing the Red Sox from giving Koji Uehara the largest single season contract for a closer in the history of baseball. A QO for a closer is pretty much unheard of and at least 6 million dollars more than he’s worth. You can outbid the competition without having to pay that much. Even if he wasn’t struggling that’s still too much to pay for such a volatile position.
Portland Micro-Brewers
Why not trade him if they don’t think he’s worth a QO? I can understand why Boston wouldn’t extend an offer after his struggles but beforehand the QO had to be considered likely to refuse trade proposals. 1 year @ 15 million wouldn’t be the worse contract for a closer if Koji is striking out 10+ batters for every one he walks. Dodgers and Tigers gave Nathan and Wilson essentially 2 year 20 million deals, the cost of free agents keeps rising with more teams signing regional network deals. Then again both of those deals look pretty bad.
VAR
I think you just answered your own question. They didn’t trade him because they were planning on resigning him, and he had basically stated that there was no place he particularly wanted to play. He was just going to take the highest deal. Whereas Lester pretty much guaranteed he would listen to the club’s offer after the season, Uehara stated in not so many words that he would follow the money. If you trade him you give up your opportunity for exclusive negotiating rights. Maybe no one made the Sox an offer that was worth giving up the exclusive negotiation they would have until the free agency period began. And the value of your closer is hardly in strikeouts. I think if they resign him at this point there’s no guarantee he will be the closer. Unless he manages to fix himself by the end of the year.
Portland Micro-Brewers
“And the value of your closer is hardly in strikeouts.” I couldn’t disagree more. Kimbrel, Chapman, Holland and Jansen are clearly the top closers and they are all strike-out machines. What would you look for in a closer? Saves? ERA? Not really great ways of evaluating any reliever. I agree with every thing else you said.
Jasonzx3
I’m pretty sure the white sox would welcome buehrle back if the price was right.
Portland Micro-Brewers
The sox made a mistake by not dealing Koji this deadline. You have to think both LA teams and Det would have been all over him. That Cinci was able to deal Broxton to the waiver claiming team tells you how starved teams were for relief pitching this year. I wonder what kind of package they were asking for. Anaheim gave up 4 minor leaguers with value including a young SS, SP and a major league ready RP.
Steve Corbett
Why do I keep thinking that Uehara is hiding an injury and trying to play through it? I know he’s had minor shoulder issues before, but even at his age it’s hard to picture someone with his talent imploding the way he has without injury being a factor.
DippityDoo
Blue Jays will have to basically give Buehrle away if they expect to remove themselves from the financial burden of his contract. I think Buehrle’s great too, but wouldn’t give up any talent if I’m paying him 19 million in 2015, that’s just absurd.