The Mariners’ Latest Pitching Success Story
For years, the Mariners' largely homegrown rotation has been one of the envies of teams around the league. Logan Gilbert, George Kirby and Bryan Woo have all made an All-Star team in the past couple years. All three have a career ERA of 3.61 or better with better-than-average strikeout and walk rates alike. Bryce Miller hasn't had as much success relative to his teammates, but he posted a 3.52 ERA with quality strikeout and walk rates in his first 56 MLB starts before an injury-ruined 2025 season (90 1/3 innings, 5.68 ERA, two IL stints for elbow inflammation).
Veteran righty Luis Castillo wasn't signed and developed by the Mariners, but Seattle pried him from Cincinnati in a 2022 trade for a package headlined by infield prospects Noelvi Marte and Edwin Arroyo. The M's quickly extended Castillo on a five-year, $108MM deal. In parts of five seasons with Seattle, his 3.61 ERA is right in line with the previously mentioned group (and a near-identical match to his 3.62 mark in six seasons with the Reds).
No organization in baseball has had more continuity in its major league rotation than the Mariners since this wave of pitchers arrived on the scene at T-Mobile Park. They've been consistent, productive and, with the exception of Miller's recent injury issues, largely durable. That's been key for the Mariners, because one less-talked-about aspect of their strong rotation is that the depth behind the group hasn't been great.
From 2022-25, the quintet of Gilbert, Kirby, Woo, Miller and Castillo started 75% of the Mariners' games. (Castillo wasn't even acquired until July 29 of the 2022 season.) The Mariners had rotation cameos from Robbie Ray (signed to a five-year deal, missed the second season due to Tommy John surgery, then traded to the Giants), Chris Flexen (26 starts on the back end of his low-cost contract) and Marco Gonzales (a holdover from the prior rotation group who was eventually traded while injured). But for the most part, it's been the same group of five, which has helped to mask the fact that the bulk of their top prospects in recent years have all been position players.
One hopeful addition to the group, for years, was right-hander Emerson Hancock. The No. 6 overall pick in 2020, Hancock was never touted as a future ace. He was an advanced college arm with above-average stuff and good command, one whom Baseball America tabbed as a potential No. 3 starter -- "and perhaps better if he refines his breaking pitches."
Instead, Hancock's development went the other direction. His command worsened. He lost some life on his fastball as he battled shoulder troubles and a lat strain. In general, he became more hittable. Hancock's strikeout rate plummeted when he reached Triple-A in 2024, though he still posted a mid-3.00s ERA. He was north of 5.00 in 2025.
Between some infrequent and inconsistent big league stints from 2023-25, Hancock totaled 162 2/3 innings with a 4.81 ERA, one of the lowest strikeout rates in baseball (15.6%) among pitchers with that many innings and a good-not-great walk rate (7.8%). He looked like a fifth or sixth starter -- the type of arm who oscillates in and out of a rotation before possibly settling into a bullpen role or beginning to bounce around the league as a swingman.
There weren't many tangible signs of a breakout last year. Hancock's average fastball climbed to a career-high 94.9 mph, although that was at least moderately skewed by a move to the 'pen later in the season. He sat 94.6 mph as a starter in 2025 -- still up from his previous career-best 93.4 mph -- and 97.2 mph as a reliever. But even with the velo increase, Hancock's swinging-strike rate fell. His opponents' contact rate climbed. His 8.1% walk rate was a career-worst mark. Hancock had the look of a depth starter and was entering his final option year in 2026. The long-term outlook wasn't great.
And then spring training rolled around.
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Front Office Subscriber Chat Transcript
Anthony Franco
- Good afternoon, hope all is well!
- Looking forward to another of these, let's get it rolling
Fanthony Aranco
- The MLBTR team was (justifiably) incredibly down on STL, how long would this have to continue for you or the rest of the team to believe?
Guest
- If the Cardinals keep playing like they are now, what will they do are the Trade Deadline?
Anthony Franco
- I'll probably dig into this in more detail for the Front Office post next week. I mostly remain skeptical they can keep this up with that rotation. They're again managing to keep them all healthy but this level of pitching to contact on the starting staff just doesn't seem like it's going to work all season
- Can buy this as a slightly above-average offensive team, especially if Nootbaar looks better post-surgeries. Still out on most of the bullpen in front of O'Brien
- They're seven games over and I think they'll probably land around .500 but the NL playoff field is deep enough that they'd still be my pick to finish last in the Central
- Can't see Bloom pushing in prospect value to make any huge deadline splashes but if they're still 5-7 games above .500 in late July, the front office owes it to the team to at least make a moderate buy in the bullpen, maybe add a fourth OF
4 Sale Cheep
- Who are some players we didn't expect to see on the trading block before the season but might end up moving thanks to their team not digging out of their unexpectedly bad start?
Anthony Franco
- Your mileage may vary on whether the Giants were ever going to be good but sure looks like Robbie Ray and Luis Arraez will be out there in July. Mets are running out of time to get things going, so Freddy Peralta could be the top rental available.Sonny Gray would be a pretty big one (albeit with a complicated contract given the big option buyout)
- Taylor Ward could fit here, though Baltimore felt like a longer shot contender to me from the beginning. Still have a tough time seeing Houston completely blow it up but they're down to a year and a half of arb control over Jeremy Peña and he could bring back a Kyle Tucker-like haul if he's healthy
The Legend
- what might a Drake Baldwin extension look like?
Anthony Franco
- https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2026/04/will-braves-add-drake-baldwin-t...
- Steve thought I was light there for what it's worth. I'm a little more cautious given the market's trepidation on paying catchers and (to a lesser extent) Atlanta's ability to get a lot of guys to sign below what I would have expected on early-career deals
Power Outage
- Brewers have 1 home run from SS, 3B, LF, and CF combined. I know rushing people isn't great but Pratt or Made or even Brock Wilken so someone needs to get a shot here pretty quick right?
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The Dodgers’ Lineup Depth Is Shining
The Dodgers have raced to a 23-14 start that has them narrowly above the Padres in the NL West. They're the two-time defending champions and entered the season as near locks to make the playoffs. Everyone knew they'd be good, but they're thriving right now despite generally underwhelming starts from their biggest bats.
Mookie Betts has been out since April 5 with a right oblique strain. Freddie Freeman, Kyle Tucker and Will Smith are all hitting below their career levels, largely because of drops in power. Even Shohei Ohtani hasn't made his usual level of offensive impact. He's still getting on base at a huge .389 clip but is on a 26-homer pace after topping 50 in each of his first two seasons with the team. Ohtani's first full season back on the mound has been exceptional -- he was just named the league's Pitcher of the Month for the first time in his career -- but he has yet to fire on all cylinders at the plate.
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MLB Mailbag: Gunnar Henderson, Skubal, Padres
This week's mailbag gets into potential Gunnar Henderson trade timing, the potential of Marlins lefty Braxton Garrett, possible All-Star Game starting pitchers, whether the Tigers might trade injured ace Tarik Skubal, who the Padres might add at the trade deadline, and more.
Drew asks:
Let's play a game, part 1: predict the odds on a Gunnar trade this year, offseason, 2027 pre trade deadline, or not at all. Part 2: What's his actual value in terms of prospect capital given his downturn in performance?
Henderson, 25 in June, is under team control through 2028. This is his first arbitration year, and he's earning $8.5MM. As a Boras client, Henderson isn't seen as a likely extension candidate for the Orioles.
As of Wednesday morning, the 16-20 Orioles have pretty much abandoned their hopes of winning the AL East, but are only one game back for a wild card spot. According to FanGraphs, they have a 31.4% chance of reaching the playoffs this year.
After a 1 for 5 effort against the Marlins on Tuesday, Henderson's wRC+ stands at just 95 through 163 plate appearances. He's shown good power with nine home runs, but is striking out nearly 31% of the time and thus has a .208/.270/.443 line. Henderson's expected batting average is .225, so he's mostly earned his ugly early-season line. In a full season, Henderson has yet to post a wRC+ below last year's 120, and he soared as high as 154 in 2024.
Has Henderson previously posted a .713 OPS over 35 games? Yes - he was notably worse from August 19th through September 27th last year, when he hit .248/.333/.308 (83 wRC+). He also had an early 2023 run of that length with a .684 OPS (.192/.328/.356 for a 94 wRC+). What's happened so far is well within the range of normal variation for Henderson. After that streak ended in '23, he posted a 130 wRC+ the rest of the way.
Henderson has spent ample time at both third base and shortstop in his career, though he's been at short exclusively since his monster '24 season. He's demonstrated roughly average defensive abilities at the position.
The Orioles could reasonably fall out of the playoff race prior to the August 3rd trade deadline. They could trade Henderson for three pennant races, moving on from his final 2 1/3 years of control.
Orioles president of baseball operations and GM Mike Elias is a pragmatic type, but I expect him to re-load (to a degree) for 2027 and try to win again with Henderson. Henderson projects to be worth 5 WAR this year and is making a fraction of his market value. There's just no good reason to cash him in this summer. I'll put the summer 2026 trade odds at 1%.
As we entertain this hypothetical, it's worth asking who would take over for the Orioles at shortstop. Jeremiah Jackson, getting most of the second base share at present, is one candidate. He was seen as having the athleticism for the position back in his prospect days, before he was traded to the Mets and then later released. Jackson Holliday has five more years of team control remaining and could be a long-term option, though he's been slow to return this year from a broken hamate bone. Jordan Westburg is on the 60-day IL with a partial UCL tear, so he's a major question mark right now. Neither Holliday nor Westburg has played shortstop regularly since 2023.
MLB.com suggests prospect Wehiwa Aloy could stick at shortstop, but he's currently at High-A. Former big leaguer Jose Barrero has been handling shortstop for the Triple-A Norfolk Tides and could be a 2026 stopgap.
Is Holliday the best long-term internal bet to take over at shortstop? He was seen as a plus defensive shortstop coming up, but as a second baseman last year he struggled mightily going to his right and did not demonstrate a strong arm. Holliday has five years of control remaining, but he also has one decent MLB season under his belt and has yet to get going in 2026.
I'm trying to talk myself into the Orioles trading Henderson during the 2026-27 offseason, and I find it to be a major stretch. They just don't have a ready replacement, so trading Henderson would be a huge concession for '27. The Orioles are committed to Pete Alonso and Shane Baz through 2030, the resurgent Adley Rutschman is under control through '27, Westburg through '29, and Holliday through '30. While I don't love that MLB core, pivoting to a reset this winter by trading their best player would be a gut-punch to fans. Throw in a lockout that will likely eat up three-plus months of the offseason, significantly shortening the window to make a franchise-altering trade, and it feels even less likely.
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Trade Rumors Front Office Subscriber Chat Transcript
Steve Adams
- Happy Monday! (Or, happy Bryce Eldridge and/or Joe Mack Day, to those who observe)
- I'll get going in about 90 mins, but feel free to send in some questions ahead of time.
- Greetings. Sorry to be a couple minutes late -- Skubal news dropped out of nowhere.
- Let's get going!
Mike
- With Grichik DFA do you think Jasson Domínguez will stay with the team as their 4th outfielder?
Steve Adams
- It does no good to have Dominguez sitting more often than not. He should be playing every day, whether that's in Triple-A or in the majors. Shrugging and putting him in a bench role would seemingly be acknowledging that they don't think he has an everyday spot down the line.
Tony
- Nolan gorman? Has he showed enough to get another year? Doesn't seem to be anyone pushing him
Steve Adams
- I guess he has the K% down under 30, so that's something. But in general, he's not walking, not hitting the ball all that hard ... This is a guy who's coming up on four years of big league service and he's a below-average hitter still. I just don't see much cause to keep trotting him out there.They may not have a high-end prospect pushing him, but either of Blaze Jordan or Cesar Prieto could get a look at some point. Jordan's probably more of a 1B, but they're still playing him at the hot corner in AAA.Barring a big surge -- for which there's still plenty of time -- I just don't see why you keep running him out there in a regular role beyond the current season.
Guest
- What are the Braves doing with James Karinchek? With all of their bullpen issues, I think he deserves a chance.
Steve Adams
- ERA looks nice, but he's walking 11-12% of his opponents in AAA with a below-average swinging-stirke and chase rate, and he's sitting 92-93 mph with his fastball. He was 97+ when he debuted.I wouldn't have an issue giving him a look, but my expectations would be pretty tepid even if they did. Or probably, more accurately, "when they do." I'd imagine he gets a look at some point in the not too distant future (no inside intel there -- just saying based on his performance, injuries in the 'pen, fact that he still has an option left once he's selected, etc)
Mariners Rotation
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- When Bryce Miller comes back later this month, who is the odd man out of the Mariners rotation or does Miller start in the pen. No way they would move Hancock to the pen, as he has been the Mariners most consistent starter all year, right?
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The Astros’ Ominous Long-Term Outlook
In case you're just tuning into the 2026 season, things aren't going great in Houston. The Astros escaped with a split in a doubleheader with the Orioles yesterday despite allowing a combined 15 runs in those games. They enter play Friday sitting on a 12-20 record. Houston's bullpen has been far and away the worst in baseball, due in no small part to star closer Josh Hader's lengthy stint on the IL to begin the season. Bryan Abreu went from arguably the game's best setup man to a low-leverage middle reliever in short order; his fastball is down more than two miles per hour, and his ERA sits just shy of 13.00. Veterans Enyel De Los Santos and Steven Okert were low-cost pickups last year who played big roles. Both have regressed (and then some) in 2026.
Meanwhile, a rotation that brought in several new arms this winter has only been marginally better. Again, injuries have played a role. Ace Hunter Brown is out with a shoulder strain. Offseason pickup Tatsuya Imai, a star righty in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball, struggled before hitting the IL with arm fatigue. Cristian Javier is sidelined into at least June with his own shoulder strain. Ronel Blanco and Hayden Wesneski are still on the mend from 2025 Tommy John surgery. Neither is expected back before the All-Star break.
The lineup has at least provided good production. Houston hitters are batting .265/.346/.438 as a team. A disproportionate amount of their production has come from slugger Yordan Alvarez, who's decimating opposing pitchers at an MVP-caliber clip, but he's not alone. Christian Walker has more than just righted the ship after an awful start in 2025 -- he's arguably hitting better than he ever has before. Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa have been comfortably better than average at the dish. Isaac Paredes has found his stride after a slow start himself.
Even on this side of the ball, however, the 'Stros have had challenges. Jeremy Peña has been limited to just 10 games thanks to a pair of injuries (broken finger, hamstring strain). Jake Meyers looked solid through a dozen games before an oblique strain sent him to the shelf. The reacquired Joey Loperfido was solid through 20 contests before straining his quad. In recent weeks, Houston has regularly trotted out lineups including players like Braden Shewmake, Daniel Johnson and Dustin Harris, each of whom was acquired simply because the club needed warm bodies and lacked depth.
That's a symptom of a much larger and more concerning trend in Houston -- one that calls into question the club's outlook well beyond the current season.
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Front Office Subscriber Chat Transcript
Anthony Franco
- Good afternoon, hope all is well!
- Looking forward to another of these, let's get it rolling
Goofy
- What should Dana Brown do at this point? Who should he try to extend? Would love to make Yordan an Astro for life.
Anthony Franco
- Yordan's already signed through 2028 (age 31) at $26MM annually. Incredible hitter but will probably be a full-time DH at that point given the health history. Wouldn't be eager to commit Alonso/Schwarber money on top of that right now
- I doubt they'd kick off a rebuild this summer or next offseason but it's an aging roster and if they're not very good again at the '27 deadline, might be time to think about it with a year and a half of club control over Alvarez and Brown
- Short term there's not much to be done. It's just not a very good team right now given all the injuries and the general lack of depth. Have to hope they play well enough to stay within 5-6 games of a playoff spot once they get healthier
M's Fan
- What is Randy Arozerena worth this offseason? I'd love for the M's to give him the QO, but historically I've felt they're really conservative with QO decisions.
Anthony Franco
- Yeah I think he'll get the QO, though to your point, I also assumed that for Teoscar. Kind of a weird start for Randy because the bat speed's way down and the contact quality is pretty bad but the production is way up thanks to a dip in strikeouts
- Not really sure what to do with that. He feels a little less explosive, which isn't a great sign at 31, but it's tough to ding him too much when he's hitting .289/.381/.439
- If he keeps something like that up all year, I think he'd turn down the QO and get three years and something in the $60-70M range. I'd be hesitant to go beyond two personally but would happily have him back if he accepts the QO
Franco's Fans
- I keep seeing people referring to Sal Stewart as being a RoY favorite in the NL, but to my eyes JJ Wetherholt is exceeding the already high expectations set on him. Kid seems like he is going to be really special for the Cardinals.
Anthony Franco
- Yeah they both look great. The idea of a clear-cut favorite 20% of the way through the season doesn't make much sense to me. The margins are super slim, especially for that particular award
- Would rather have Wetherholt long-term given the defensive value but more faith in Stewart to be an all-around masher in year one
Arizona
- What’s the worry meter read right now? They piled wins against the worst teams in MLB throughout April but there isn’t a starting caliber pitcher on the roster on May first!
Anthony Franco
- They've gotten shelled the last couple times through but I don't think Kelly, Gallen, Nelson, E-Rod, Soroka is a disaster of a rotation. Below-average but workable, have more faith in that than in the bullpen
- Broadly speaking, I thought it was a fine April. Their early season is mostly about not getting buried while they wait on Burnes, Martinez and Puk. Never thought this was a great team necessarily, but hanging around .500 seems about right
Duffy
- What should the Red Sox do about Bello? This year has been…yikes
Anthony Franco
- Yeah he has to go down once Gray and Crochet come back. Wouldn't need to see much from Bennett to convince me that he's better than Bello right now, and there's no real case for Bello above Early and Tolle
- Longer term, I don't know. He's throwing the sinker a lot this year, which isn't great because it's always been a hittable pitch (albeit generally on the ground). Now the secondaries are getting pummeled too but I have a little more faith in the cutter/changeup being viable moving forward
- He's actually missing bats at a career-high rate but he's getting fewer chases and throwing fewer first-pitch strikes. Falling behind early in counts and needing to challenge with a mediocre fastball, not ideal
Idiotic Failson
- Is there a better rotation than the Yankees when they get Rodon and Cole back? Warren is arguably their 5th starter in that case, and it seems he'd be a top 2 option for like half the league.
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MLB Mailbag: Cardinals, Mets, Red Sox, Phillies, Mize
This week's mailbag gets into the Cardinals' strong start, the Mets' terrible offense, what a Mets, Red Sox, or Phillies sell-off might look like, Casey Mize's contract year, and more.
Andrew asks:
I came into the year with low expectations for the Cardinals, but we still have a decent record. How long would the Cardinals need to maintain a winning record before I get any hopes up about making the playoffs?
FanGraphs is much more optimistic than PECOTA on this team, so we'll go with their 13.5% playoff odds. The Cardinals have played .552 ball through 17.9% of their season, but FG calls for .462 from here on out. If the Cards instead play .500 ball for their final 129, they'll win 82-83 games, which might put them firmly in the mix for a wild card spot until the end.
At 4.83 runs scored per game, the Cardinals' offense ranks sixth in the NL. If they actually get into the neighborhood of 800 runs, it'd be impressive for any team, not just one that entered the season with low expectations.
Nine Cardinals players have 60+ PA and account for 85% of the team's total:
- Ivan Herrera - 138 wRC+. The Statcast metrics are strong, and even if Herrera can't maintain a 17% walk rate, his .278 xBA and .471 xSLG suggest this is mostly real. If so, the Cardinals have a lineup cornerstone at DH/catcher through 2029.
- JJ Wetherholt - 132 wRC+. The highly-regarded rookie is getting on base and exceeding expectations. He'll slump at some point, but with a 70 hit grade and 55 power, one can make the case for strong production to continue even if it looks different (such as a higher batting average).
- Alec Burleson - 115 wRC+. He has a track record at this level, so this is reasonable.
- Jordan Walker - 153 wRC+. If this holds up, Walker is a top ten hitter in baseball. Maybe that's optimistic, but the breakout is backed by Statcast.
- Nolan Gorman - 81 wRC+. He hasn't really hit since 2023, though he's OK against righties and looks fine at third base this year. If the Astros fall further, could the Cardinals make a trade for Isaac Paredes?
- Masyn Winn - 103 wRC+. He's hitting to expectations.
- Victor Scott II - 39 wRC+. Scott isn't in there for his bat, but seems best-suited for a fourth outfielder role.
- Nathan Church - 106 wRC+. The speedy 25-year-old came into the year as just a 40-grade prospect and may also lack the bat to be a starter, but he hit well in the upper minors. I'm not sure I'd want Scott and Church in the same lineup, but they are a strong defensive pair. Thomas Saggese is in this mix, and prospect Joshua Baez could join it if he cuts down on strikeouts.
- Pedro Pages - 106 wRC+. Pages does have a little bit of pop, but he probably can't keep this up.
Lars Nootbaar underwent surgery in October to address deformities in his heels, and could be a great June addition capable of a 115-120 wRC+. If Nootbaar has a setback, a trade for the aforementioned Duran or Marsh could be interesting. You can't help but wonder how good this offense would look had the Cardinals retained Contreras and Brendan Donovan, though.
Bottom line, though: there's something here with this offense, especially if Nootbaar can provide a boost. And this also seems to be one of the better defenses in the NL. What about the pitching side?
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The Reds’ Confusing April
The Reds are out to an early lead in the NL Central. Their 19-10 record is tied with San Diego's for third-best in the Senior Circuit, narrowly behind the Braves and Dodgers. They're on track for their best record in a month since June 2023.
It doesn't necessarily come as a surprise that the Reds have been competitive. They were a playoff team a year ago, and the division is one of the more wide open in MLB. Yet the way they've gotten to this start is more perplexing. Their two best starters haven't thrown a pitch. The back of their rotation has been knocked around. Their bullpen is walking more hitters than any other in MLB. They've had arguably the NL's least productive catching tandem and outfield.
How have they overcome all of that? The lineup has been carried by two players: one established star and a rookie who already looks like an impact slugger. Let's dig in beyond the scorching starts from Elly De La Cruz and Sal Stewart to gauge what the front office might prioritize when they start sketching out deadline plans 6-8 weeks from now.
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Trade Rumors Front Office Subscriber Chat Transcript
Steve Adams
- Good afternoon! We'll get going at 2:30 CT, but feel free to begin sending in questions ahead of time!
- Greetings! Let's get going
MartiansArrival?
- Waiting to outmaneuver others in my league. When will the transaction to bring The Martian up happen?
Steve Adams
- A bit late now! The Yankees made it official 45 minutes ago, or thereabouts. As I noted this morning though, it could be a quick turnaround. He's a candidate to be optioned later this week when Volpe comes off the IL, especially since the Yankees haven't announced an IL placement for Stanton, which at least suggests they might ride it out in hopes of avoiding an IL stint for him entirely
Beano
- closer question - is A Santazela a potential closer in Denver? E Miller in SF? G Varland in DC? All of these guys are on our waiver wire and I wonder if they might be sneaky good grabs.
Steve Adams
- I did not have "Antonio Senzatela bullpen breakout" on my 2026 bingo card, and yet 18 innings into the season, I'm cautiously buying it. The Colorado bullpen is a mess, and he's probably the best guy they have right now, so yeah I can see him taking over the ninth. He already has two saves.I'm bigger on Keaton Winn in San Francisco than I am Miller, whose command is still pretty wobbly.Varland's durability has been nonexistent in recent years, so while I'm intrigued by the showing thus far, I don't have faith that he'll hold up.
Bradke Hrbek
- Time for Sim W-R to move to the bullpen? He's pretty decent the first time through the lineup, but it's awfully shaky after that...
Steve Adams
- He hasn't even been that great the first trip through the order this year, but yeah, I think that move has to be made eventually. He had a nice finish last season -- 3.00 ERA over his final 14 starts -- but needed a .203 BABIP to get there.His velocity has kind of oscillated throughout his career as a starter. I'd be a little curious to just see him letting loose for an inning or two at a time.Twins haven't had the rotation health to make that move, but if Abel comes back in short order, I could see them going Ryan-Bradley-Ober-Abel-Prielipp, with Rojas the next guy up (or maybe piggybacking with Prielipp).
They've given SWR plenty of chances in the rotation over the years, and it still seems hard to count on him as more than a pretty mercurial fifth starter.
Snoozy
- Tatis. Tell me it's April and this too shall pass.
Steve Adams
- It's April, and this too shall pass. :)I do genuinely think he's fine. Contact rate in the zone is actually up. Bat speed's good. He's hitting too many grounders, so maybe there's something off in his swing mechanics; maybe he's chasing below the zone too much (his case rate is up a bit, although not egregiously so)I'd be more concerned if there were some giant drop in bat speed or if he were chasing at a crazy high level or seeing major contact losses (especially in the strike zone). None of that's happening.
Red Sox
- True or False - Last year in Milwaukee will be the best year of Durbin's career. Follow up. true or false - we got WORKED in that deal.
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