Jason Schmidt
Bleak Start to Off-Season Player Moves
12/10/09 13:59 Filed in: Baseball
As last season ended, the future looked good for the Dodgers and Angels, despite the disappointment of the post-season. The past month, however, has been a disaster, on all fronts.
As the season came to a close, the news of the McCorts' breakup and its effect on the team was an unknown poisonous cloud, darkening every aspect of the Dodgers' ability to improve for next season. At this point, they've lost Randy Wolf, and are totally silent on the free agent acquisition front, and the trade rumor mill is also pretty silent, save for the one mention of Cub interest in Juan Pierre. The Dodgers have a serious need to add two quality starters, and it does not look like they will be opening the McCort vault to pay for a Lackey, Pineiro, or Marquis, and after the first few free agent starters, the pickings are very thin, and full of injury prone Nick Lowrys and Erik Bedards, too similar to the Jason Schmidts and Eric Miltons they paid so dearly for over the past three years. Time will only tell if the Dodgers will pay out anything to improve the staff, or will Billingsly, Kuroda, and Kershaw be followed by the likes of Charlie Haeger and Eric Stults?
The Angels have now lost Chone Figgins, and do not seem to be making any headway in re-siging John Lackey. Instead, the talk seems to be of further depleting the now-thin infield with a deal for Roy Halladay that would see Erick Aybar, Joe Saunders and Mike Napoli all going to Toronto. Despite the benefits of an absolute stellar number one starter in Halladay, this trade would be a loser for the Angels. They would need to make several additional moves in order to maintain their great defense and vastly improved offense if they go into next season without Figgins, Aybar and Napoli, and in giving up the guy who is probably now their number one starter (assuming Lackey is gone) to get a number one, this still leaves the starting staff woefully short in the numbers game. From what we saw of Anthony Ortega and Sean O'Sullivan last season, neither one of them can fill a regular sport in a major league rotation. Maybe a Mark DeRosa, or even an Adrian Beltre, can fill the void at third, with Maicer Izturis taking over as the regular at shortstop, but this overall picture is a major step back from last year's team.
All of this is with the backdrop of the scumstripes ripping off not one, but two teams, in one of the biggest steals of the 21st century. I can see Detroit's rationale in giving away developing superstar Curtis Granderson for the pile of pitching they received, but what are they doing in Arizona? How can they possibly rationalize giving up one of MLB's best arms and top young pitching talents in Max Scherzer, and only receiving the overrated career dud and one-year-flash Edwin Jackson, and yankee-wanna-be/never-will-be Ian kennedy? As far as this affects the Dodgers, I'm very glad o have Scherzer out of NL West, and am ooking forward to feasting off of Jackson and Kennedy.
As the season came to a close, the news of the McCorts' breakup and its effect on the team was an unknown poisonous cloud, darkening every aspect of the Dodgers' ability to improve for next season. At this point, they've lost Randy Wolf, and are totally silent on the free agent acquisition front, and the trade rumor mill is also pretty silent, save for the one mention of Cub interest in Juan Pierre. The Dodgers have a serious need to add two quality starters, and it does not look like they will be opening the McCort vault to pay for a Lackey, Pineiro, or Marquis, and after the first few free agent starters, the pickings are very thin, and full of injury prone Nick Lowrys and Erik Bedards, too similar to the Jason Schmidts and Eric Miltons they paid so dearly for over the past three years. Time will only tell if the Dodgers will pay out anything to improve the staff, or will Billingsly, Kuroda, and Kershaw be followed by the likes of Charlie Haeger and Eric Stults?
The Angels have now lost Chone Figgins, and do not seem to be making any headway in re-siging John Lackey. Instead, the talk seems to be of further depleting the now-thin infield with a deal for Roy Halladay that would see Erick Aybar, Joe Saunders and Mike Napoli all going to Toronto. Despite the benefits of an absolute stellar number one starter in Halladay, this trade would be a loser for the Angels. They would need to make several additional moves in order to maintain their great defense and vastly improved offense if they go into next season without Figgins, Aybar and Napoli, and in giving up the guy who is probably now their number one starter (assuming Lackey is gone) to get a number one, this still leaves the starting staff woefully short in the numbers game. From what we saw of Anthony Ortega and Sean O'Sullivan last season, neither one of them can fill a regular sport in a major league rotation. Maybe a Mark DeRosa, or even an Adrian Beltre, can fill the void at third, with Maicer Izturis taking over as the regular at shortstop, but this overall picture is a major step back from last year's team.
All of this is with the backdrop of the scumstripes ripping off not one, but two teams, in one of the biggest steals of the 21st century. I can see Detroit's rationale in giving away developing superstar Curtis Granderson for the pile of pitching they received, but what are they doing in Arizona? How can they possibly rationalize giving up one of MLB's best arms and top young pitching talents in Max Scherzer, and only receiving the overrated career dud and one-year-flash Edwin Jackson, and yankee-wanna-be/never-will-be Ian kennedy? As far as this affects the Dodgers, I'm very glad o have Scherzer out of NL West, and am ooking forward to feasting off of Jackson and Kennedy.
theHoundDawg |
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Jason Who III - The Bitter End?
08/08/09 18:03 Filed in: Baseball
Roy Halladay is still in Toronto, but Cliff Lee, Jake Peavy, Jarrod Washburn, Carl Pavano, Justin Masterson, Ian Snell, Clayton Richard, and even Pedro Martinez, all have new major league homes. While I emphatically said that there is no way the Dodgers should or could trade Clayton Kershaw, a deal for one of these starters could have been worked out, but the Dodgers felt they did not have to make a move, because they had, ............ Jason Schmidt.
Well, after four 2009 starts, bringing his lifetime total as a Dodger to 10 ($4.7 Million per start), Schmidt is back on the DL, and his Dodger and MLB career are quite likely finis'.
The Dodgers may be in first, but they have lost the distinction of having baseball's best 2009 record, and their division lead is shrinking. Chad Billingsley has been hurting, Hiroki Kuroda has been inconsistent, the rotation now includes Scott Elbert, whose next start will be his first, and Jonathan Broxton has not been the consistent given he was before the All-Star game - is it his sore toe, overwork, or what? What this adds up to, is that the Dodgers, as dominating as they have been in so many aspects of the game, and for virtually the entire season to date, today do not look like a team that can win a playoff series against teams like Philadelphia and the oh-so improved Cardinals.
Well, after four 2009 starts, bringing his lifetime total as a Dodger to 10 ($4.7 Million per start), Schmidt is back on the DL, and his Dodger and MLB career are quite likely finis'.
The Dodgers may be in first, but they have lost the distinction of having baseball's best 2009 record, and their division lead is shrinking. Chad Billingsley has been hurting, Hiroki Kuroda has been inconsistent, the rotation now includes Scott Elbert, whose next start will be his first, and Jonathan Broxton has not been the consistent given he was before the All-Star game - is it his sore toe, overwork, or what? What this adds up to, is that the Dodgers, as dominating as they have been in so many aspects of the game, and for virtually the entire season to date, today do not look like a team that can win a playoff series against teams like Philadelphia and the oh-so improved Cardinals.
| theHoundDawg |
Jason Who II and a Four Game Streak
07/21/09 22:47 Filed in: Baseball
Well, after a very shaky first inning, Jason Schmidt gave a decent impression of a major league pitcher for another four innings last night, and tonight Randy Wolf got the run support missing from his starts most of the season, and suddenly the Dodgers have a four game winning streak and have their best overall record in 19 seasons.
The one downside of the Dodgers' great overall performance tonight was the hand injury Manny suffered when hit by a Homer Bailey pitch, but as they say, x-rays were negative and he's day-to-day.
In three games today and tonight, Los Angeles averaged 10 runs per game, with the Dodgers scoring 12 against the Reds, and the Angels taking two from KC, 8-5 and 10-2. The Angels are 5-1 since the break, and are weathering the losses of Vlad and Torri Hunter quite well, thanks in large part to the schedule maker, loading them up with KC, Oakland, and Cleveland while 2/3rds of the outfield is healing.
Injuries are affecting the current complexion of the AL East, with TIm Wakefield joining Dice-K Matsuzaka on the Boston DL, and the Red Sox falling into second, with a four game losing streak, despite the return of Jed Lowrie. The current success of the scumstripes not withstanding, I'm sticking with my pre-season picks that two playoff teams will come out of the AL East and neither will be from NY. With a healthier Scott Kazmir and a new ace in Jeff Niemann, Tampa will finish the season in second, behind Boston.
The one downside of the Dodgers' great overall performance tonight was the hand injury Manny suffered when hit by a Homer Bailey pitch, but as they say, x-rays were negative and he's day-to-day.
In three games today and tonight, Los Angeles averaged 10 runs per game, with the Dodgers scoring 12 against the Reds, and the Angels taking two from KC, 8-5 and 10-2. The Angels are 5-1 since the break, and are weathering the losses of Vlad and Torri Hunter quite well, thanks in large part to the schedule maker, loading them up with KC, Oakland, and Cleveland while 2/3rds of the outfield is healing.
Injuries are affecting the current complexion of the AL East, with TIm Wakefield joining Dice-K Matsuzaka on the Boston DL, and the Red Sox falling into second, with a four game losing streak, despite the return of Jed Lowrie. The current success of the scumstripes not withstanding, I'm sticking with my pre-season picks that two playoff teams will come out of the AL East and neither will be from NY. With a healthier Scott Kazmir and a new ace in Jeff Niemann, Tampa will finish the season in second, behind Boston.
| theHoundDawg |
Jason Who?
07/20/09 12:08 Filed in: Baseball
On December 6, 2006, Dodger starting pitching woes were forever resolved, with the signing of Jason Schmidt to a three-year contract, at the bargain basement price tag of $47 Million, a mere $15.5 to $16 mil per season.
What a deal! As of today, Schmidt has cost the Dodgers a mere $47 Million PER VICTORY.
That's right, fans, in case you forget. In two-and-one-half years, he has produced exactly ONE WIN for the Dodgers.
He makes his return to the Dodgers' rotation tonight, having not pitched in the majors in two years plus a month, and with a lifetime Dodger record of six appearances, a 1-4 won-lost record, and a 6.31 ERA.
Not to say that the Dodgers cannot use a new, live arm on the staff, especially in the rotation now that Eric Milton's comeback has been derailed by back surgery. But, realistically, what are the chances that Schmidt can even be competitive, let alone be good enough to improve upon Jeff Weaver or Eric Stults?
And, Weaver and Stults are not getting paid $7.83 Million per start.
What a deal! As of today, Schmidt has cost the Dodgers a mere $47 Million PER VICTORY.
That's right, fans, in case you forget. In two-and-one-half years, he has produced exactly ONE WIN for the Dodgers.
He makes his return to the Dodgers' rotation tonight, having not pitched in the majors in two years plus a month, and with a lifetime Dodger record of six appearances, a 1-4 won-lost record, and a 6.31 ERA.
Not to say that the Dodgers cannot use a new, live arm on the staff, especially in the rotation now that Eric Milton's comeback has been derailed by back surgery. But, realistically, what are the chances that Schmidt can even be competitive, let alone be good enough to improve upon Jeff Weaver or Eric Stults?
And, Weaver and Stults are not getting paid $7.83 Million per start.
| theHoundDawg |