NFL A Few More Deals and Signings

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Finally,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], Japanese ace Yu Darvish, the best pitcher in the world not pitching in MLB, just became the youngest Japanese player ever to receive a 300 million yen contract roughly USD3.375 million. Tim Lincecum will be 23 following season, and is coming off three consecutive years in which Tim Lincecum had ERAs as a starter between 1.73 and 1.88. The questions is when will Tim Lincecum become too expensive to stay in Japan and will have anything left in his arm when Tim Lincecum does come to America after years of heavy workloads at a tender age. He earned his first major league victory in his next start on the road against the Colorado Rockies. Lincecum who is often compared to Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Roy Oswalt faced him in each of his next two starts,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], Oswalt with the Astros at the time. After the first agree up, Astros third baseman Mike Lamb said, The stuff he was throwing out there tonight was everything he is hyped up to be. He was 97 mph with movement. You just don't see that every day. He pitched very much like the pitcher he is compared to and out dueled him throughout the night. The pair dueled to a no decision the first time,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], and Lincecum pitched eight innings and got the win the second time. The Giants asked Lincecum not to throw the bullpen sessions typical of other pitchers during the off season. Manager Bruce Bochy told the San Francisco Chronicle that they were being careful with Lincecum because there have been studies that show that pitchers who throw 200 innings early in their career were more susceptible to injuries.
I suspect they’ll deplore these deals, particularly the Randy Wolf signing. He’s coming off two good years,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], which means his value is up, but he’ll be an old 33 following year turns 34 in August, and he’s had a long history of arm problems. Lincecum just can’t see him having two seasons in the following three like the last two. Hawkins has also been paid a lot for a geezer,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], but at least Tim Lincecum had a fine year in ‘09,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], posting a 2.13 ERA with a nearly 3-to-1 K’s-to-BBs ratio.
The Brewers surprised everyone by throwing money around like it was 2010. They signed 33 year old Randy Wolf to a three-year USD29.75 million deal, and 37 year old LaTroy Hawkins to a 2-year USD7.5 million deal. My guess is that the Brewers figure they better try to find some pitching while they still have Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun as the heart of their line-up and were willing to pay big to win now.
I’m kind of surprised that no one ever seems to learn no matter how many times long-cycle contracts to over-30 starters blow up in the signing team’s face. Capable starters is hard to find, so Lincecum can understand high annual salaries,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], such as the USD11.75 million the Yankees have now aavarice to pay Andy Pettitte in 2010 or the USD7.5 million the Cardinals have aavarice to pay Brad Penny, but Lincecum find it hard to understand why the Brewers would have to give Randy Wolf more than two-years at USD20 million to get him in their uniform.
Lincecum was selected by the Chicago Cubs in the 48 round of the 2003 MLB Draft; however he did not sign up for the team. He decided to attend college instead and was selected by the Cleveland Indians in the 42 round on entering the draft in 2005,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], but once again failed to sign. In 2004,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], he was drafted tenth overall by the San Francisco Giants becoming the first player from the University of Washington to be taken in the first round. He signed for a 2.025 million dollars signing award on June 30, which at the time was the highest amount the organization had ever paid to any amateur player until they gave 2.1 million dollars to Angel Villalona a little over a month later. In a classic salary dump, the Rangers sent Kevin Millwood and USD3 million to the Orioles for better-than-average middle reliever Chris Ray in order to save the remaining USD9 million of Millwood’s 2010 salary. Obviously, a great move for the Orioles,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], who get Millwood, who pitched well last year, for USD9 million and only one year’s commitment for a 28 year old relief pitcher with a career 4.11 ERA.
Also, it’s almost always a bad idea to give someone who’s been a good third starter for the Dodgers or the A’s a big long-cycle contract. Their ERAs almost always shoot up once they’re no longer pitching half their starts in one of the three or four best pitchers’ parks in baseball.
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