CSI (Crazy Signing Indictment) Miami

Okay, so now everyone’s a $100 million player, even someone like Jose Reyes. That’s, well, just great. It used to be that a player needed to be able to do things, important things like stay healthy, before he was awarded $100 million (Chipper Jones notwithstanding). Then along came the remodeled Miami Marlins with nothing but imaginary money to spend and, voila, a “dream” left side off the infield is born. Along with Hanley Ramirez (likely shifting to 3B), the Marlins boast seven All-Star seasons and two National League batting titles on the same side of their projected infield. That sounds pretty damn special, but there could be more to the story. There is more to the story.

Alas, that dream may end up turning into a nightmare for the most obvious reason---health.  Combined, Ramirez and Reyes played in just 67% of their total possible games, largely due to injuries. In Ramirez’s case, some of those bumps and bruises were to the ego, but that’s neither here nor there, right? Yah, in this day and age, health and attitude hardly ever play a role in on-field production. Ugh.

For Reyes, gifted though he may be at the plate and on the bases, there has to be concern over his ability to stay healthy. Since 2008, he’s only played in 295 of a possible 486 games (less than 61%), and that stat, more than the batting title or all the stolen bases really should have guided teams in their free agent pursuit. To be fair, it probably did. It’s not like there’s a glut of shortstop talent in the big leagues these days.  In fact, an (easy) argument could be made that it’s the thinnest position in all of MLB entering 2012. Yet, with virtually every team in need of an offensive-minded shortstop, there were only a handful of teams delusional enough to even begin negotiations with Reyes.

But does any of that matter with the revamped Marlins? Apparently not. The fish, it would seem, are intent on making a splash in 2012 (despicable pun intended). Already having overpaid Heath Bell ($27 million over three years), what was another $106 million to Reyes? Based on his last three seasons with the Mets, the Marlins are (over)paying Reyes for 972 possible games and if they get 592 from him, well, everyone told you so. He’s missed 39% of all games over the past three seasons and that matter is not being disputed. Isn’t that right counselor?

Look, if there’s a way to suggest that Reyes is likely to outperform his contract, feel free to make the case. The truth it, it’s really hard to imagine anyone stepping up to make such an inflammatory assertion in a public forum, much less the court of law that is the internet. Alas, if there is such a brave soul, come out, come out wherever you are…

Jered Weaver: The Deep End of the Gene Pool

Remember how Jeff Weaver was, or, was going to be?  As an up and coming Tigers pitcher, it seemed like the sky was the limit for Weaver.  Well, maybe not the sky, because those Tiger teams of the early 2000s weren’t exactly taking the world by storm, and Weaver’s W/L record always reflected that fact. Weaver never had a winning season for the Tigers, despite putting together some downright dominant stretches.  He was eventually traded to the Yankees (where he didn’t fare much better) and then bounced around between a few organizations, including mostly the Mariners and Dodgers.  Assuming Weaver is finished (and it looks like he is), his career record will stand at 104-119, the end result of pitching to a 4.71 ERA and 1.37 WHIP.  Also, a large part of what stunted Weaver’s success was his inability to generate strikeouts despite having pretty good “stuff”.  His career 5.94 K/9 doesn’t exactly bring back memories of Nolan Ryan.

It would seem that all the real pitching talent in the family fell to Jeff’s younger brother Jered—you know, the one that just signed that $85 million contract with the Angels.  He’s actually pretty damn good.  Five years in the league, and Jered was already a five-time double-digit winner, including a 16-8 season in 2009.  Like his brother, Jered never gave up too many free passes, as evidenced by his career 2.44 BB/9.  Unlike his brother, however, Jered didn’t pitch to contact so much, and wasn’t afraid to send a hitter back to the bench shaking his head (career 7.78 K/9).  Those extra two strikeouts per game are the main difference between the brothers, but certainly not the only one.

While analysts were always waiting (often impatiently) for older brother Jeff to take that proverbial next step, younger brother Jered was able to do it—in a big way too.  In fact, for those that have been paying attention to the 2011 season, he’s been doing it this year.   Jered is 14-6 with a 2.10 ERA and 0.97 WHIP and the true ace of a very solid Angels starting staff.  And, knowing full-well what they had, the team rewarded him with that big, fat contract.

Funny thing though, there are a lot of people questioning Weavers decision to settle for so little, given the recent contract developments for frontline starters recently.  Cliff Lee and C.C. Sabathia are all basically set for life.  And while the average Joe might not be able to even fathom having $85 million in the bank, it’s a far cry from what those aforementioned mound aces are bringing home.  Lee is averaging $24 million a season and Sabathia is scraping by at $23 mil. per.    Let’s not forget that Johan Santana is making just under $23 million not to pitch for the Mets in 2011, and possibly never again.  But, therein lies the motivation for Weaver to cash in now—volatility.  How long before Weaver feels his first real ache, pain, or strain?  How long before he finds himself on the DL for an extended period of time?  How long before he spends a summer in the waiting room of Dr. James Andrews?  Or, how long before his electric stuff simply dries up, preventing him from being an effective Major League starter (like his brother before him)?