- There was only a bit of circumstantial evidence, but that was enough for Brendan Donnelly to be forever linked with the Mitchell Report. Now he’s sick to his stomach.
- Who is Kirk Radomski? Mike Stanton says he has no idea what the man who purportedly sold him human growth hormone even looks like.
- Unsigned reliever Ron Villone is glum.
- Matt Herges is mum, but his team believes that he’ll have to provide an explanation.
Categories: post by johnstevens
Tagged: Brendan Donnelly, Matt Herges, Mike Stanton, Mitchell Report, Ron Villone, steroids
The Yankees weren’t willing to give an older reliever a multi-year deal, and thus, in effect, ended up trading Luis Vizcaino, 33, to the Rockies for LaTroy Hawkins plus a supplemental draft pick. After rejecting a one-year deal with the Yanks through arbitration, the Rockies signed Vizcaino to a two-year deal for $7.5 million, with a vesting option for a third year that would bring the total amount of the contract to $11 million if Vizcaino makes 68 appearances in 2009. Hawkins will earn the same amount in 2008, but his contract is for just one year.
If you’ve taken anything away from this blog during its one glorious month of existence, it should be this: do not sign thirty-something relief pitchers to multi-year deals. Because of their erratic nature, it’s a huge gamble that cuts into the payrolls of small-market teams and limits the roster flexibility of big-market teams.
Luis Vizcaino and LaTroy Hawkins have had similar levels of success in the majors. If I had to guess, I’d say that Vizcaino will be somewhat more productive next year — as Hawkins was this past year — because he’ll be pitching in the National League. But with relievers, you never know. And that’s why the Yankees came out better in this swap.
Below: Vizcaino in a really awkward, full-body photograph.
Categories: post by johnstevens
Tagged: Colorado Rockies, free agents, LaTroy Hawkins, Luis Vizcaino, New York Yankees
