Baseball Toaster: Dodger Thoughts : Weaver Lands on His Feet, In Shoes of Greenbacks

Weaver Lands on His Feet, In Shoes of Greenbacks

2007-01-26 17:12

by Jon Weisman

Man, Jeff Weaver gets cast aside by the Angels in the summer of 2006, and still ends up with over $8 million for 2007. Last season, Weaver had one month in which his ERA was less than 5.47. Then he had four decent starts in the postseason. Is there that much of a difference between him and $1 million-unguaranteed Aaron Sele?

Comments (74)

Show/Hide Comments 1-50

2007-01-26 17:37:10

1. arnold

The Jeff Weaver signing is all about his potential as seen by Seattle. All potential means in Weaver's case to us Dodger fans is he should be good but for some reason he is not.

This just drives me nuts because we are force feed the Mariner's TV games where I live. It is just another reason for me to want them to lose every game.

Go Dodgers.

2007-01-26 17:55:46

2. Andrew Shimmin

Another triumph Mr. Bavasi! Kudos.

2007-01-26 18:01:08

3. bhsportsguy

2 Scott Boras earns every cent.

2007-01-26 18:02:50

4. trainwreck

Honestly, how did Bill Bavasi get a GM job? I think every poster here could make better decisions.

2007-01-26 18:13:02

5. regfairfield

4 The same way I got my job. Thank you, nepotism.

2007-01-26 18:28:54

6. Gagne55

Weaver had a winning record with the 2005 Dodgers. If a guy could pick up wins on that team, he's got to have some talent.

2007-01-26 18:40:35

7. bhsportsguy

A couple of things from the subcription side of BaseballAmerica.com.

Loney will play RF during spring training (no surprise) but I don't think (that's ME) he is going not also play a lot of first base either (especially on the those bus trips through muggy Florida.

Greg Miller's arm troubles appear to be over so you can add him to the grab bag of potential bullpen guys. I think it will be nice to see him start some B games this spring to see if he can be another starter.

Also, Zach Hammes was reportedly throwing 98 in Hawaii which is one reason why he was added to the 40 man in November.

2007-01-26 18:44:47

8. StolenMonkey86

Seattle had to fill the void left by Gil Meche.

2007-01-26 18:47:08

9. trainwreck

7
Canuck said that they were lengthening him out and that he was looking extremely good.

2007-01-26 18:48:42

10. ToyCannon

Jeff Weaver was incredibly bad for the Angels but maybe the whole thing about taking his brothers job was just not working for him.
Course he wasn't much better for the Cardinals until the postseason. Still he's only 30 and had VORPS of 35 and 27 before that so were talking about a comp like Jason Marquis who also had decent 2004/2005 seasons and also tanked in 2006 and he got 20/3?
Not sure how the one year deal is a problem.

The difference between him and Sele is that Sele was complete crap for the years before 2006 and no one thinks he can repeat his success while some feel Weaver can get back to his 2004/2005 seasons based on his postseaon pitching.

2007-01-26 18:53:27

11. ToyCannon

Hammess the forgotten number one that appeared at one time to be dead in the water.

It seems so long ago that I dreamed of a Greg Miller/Edwin Jackson deadly duo. That is why it is a little hard for me to get excited about Kershaw until he pitches a few years. When Miller dominated AA at 19 I really thought we had something special.

2007-01-26 18:57:45

12. Sam DC

Why do women play best of three in major tennis matches instead of best of five.

Man Serena just hit a sizzling winner to win game 4 (she's up 4-0 in the first set, and is serving).

Assuming this is happening today.

2007-01-26 19:17:34

13. Bob Timmermann

12
Because that's the way it's always been done. There was one tournament that tried a best of five in the 1990s (not a major, but a WTA championship of some type) that tried a best of five, but the players didn't like it.

2007-01-26 19:25:44

14. ToyCannon

Wasn't someone here on DT making fun of Serena when this tournament started or was it her sister?

2007-01-26 19:30:20

15. D4P

Wow, just turned on the tennis to see Serena up a set and 3-0. Sweet.

2007-01-26 19:33:15

16. Bob Timmermann

According to Wikipedia, the WTA championships from 1984 through 1998 was best of five.

Three times, the final went to five sets.

2007-01-26 19:38:57

17. Robert Fiore

Seattle might be where we can unload Hendrickson. However, they'd probably want us to take Beltre back.

2007-01-26 20:10:45

18. LAT

Andrew, I just skimmed three threads in search of why Paypal is evil. Did I miss the answer or is it just that they are the Mafia taking a piece of every transaction in their neighborhood?
_________________________

I read somewhere that absent making the playoffs this is probably Bavasi's last season. Getting Weaver is committing GM hara kiri.

2007-01-26 20:25:12

19. Jon Weisman

10 - I wasn't saying Sele was the same as Weaver. I was asking whether the difference between Sele and Weaver was over $8 million guaranteed dollars.

2007-01-26 20:29:56

20. D4P

Andrew, I just skimmed three threads in search of why Paypal is evil

I think Andrew was just grasping at straws. I'm so squeaky clean that he has to invent my infractions.

2007-01-26 20:39:15

21. Andrew Shimmin

PayPal has customer service issues; I wouldn't call it evil, except hyperbolically. But, were one interested in wading through them, one could find (unconfirmed) stories of passive and active scumbaggery, here:

http://tinyurl.com/uggq

Here's Deadspin's opinion (which is not altogether different from Tommy Lasorda's opinion of Kingman's performance:

http://tinyurl.com/ydpszv

2007-01-26 21:02:18

22. Daniel Zappala

Jeff Weaver is only 30.

2007-01-26 21:06:53

23. Jon Weisman

Odalis Perez is 29 :)

2007-01-26 21:12:02

24. Greg Brock

Hee Seop Choi is only 27

{Ducks and runs}

2007-01-26 21:16:04

25. Voxter

I'm only 26!

Anyway, from the perspective of a Mariners fan:

My frigging eyes are melting.

They have been for a while now.

2007-01-26 22:39:34

26. jelmendorf

If I recall correctly, the Dodgers signed Randy Wolf for similar money to generally good reviews. The feeling was the Dodgers got a pitcher as good as Jason Marquis or Gil Meche et al without having to spend an arm and a leg.

Wouldn't the same logic apply to Weaver, who has similar stats to Wolf over the past 3 years, except he's pitched far more innings and hasn't been hur?

Weaver is a league-average pitcher who had a bad year last year, and will probably put up an ERA in the mid 4s next year over 180+ innings. Whether that's worth $8 million or not is certainly debatable, but far more has been paid for far less, and most people seemed to think Weaver would get at least a 3 year deal. Bavasi's awful, for sure, but I'm not sure this is the evidence I'd include in the indictment.

2007-01-26 22:53:48

27. Greg Brock

26 I don't think the Weaver deal is especially bad. One year, eight million dollars is pretty low risk, the Mariners have money, their staff is terrible, and Weaver can be an above average pitcher.

2007-01-26 23:19:30

28. Andrew Shimmin

Weaver hasn't been significantly above average in five years. PECOTA has him rebounding from this year, but not all the way to league average. He may still, but I wouldn't bet on it. Seattle may have money, but I don't see the point of giving it to Weaver. Have they got anything like a chance at making the playoffs this year? What kind of odds would you need to take them finishing higher than fourth in the AL West?

2007-01-26 23:27:23

29. Greg Brock

Yeah, I'm not saying it's a great deal, nor am I saying that Weaver will be a beast. I just don't think it ranks among the major head-scratchers of the offseason. I don't think Weaver will be a "significantly above average pitcher" this year, but we've established that the going rate for mediocrity in the starting pitcher market is around 8 per.

2007-01-26 23:38:54

30. Andrew Shimmin

I'm against giving Jeff Weaver money, on principle.

2007-01-26 23:41:13

31. Greg Brock

What if they pay him via PayPal?

2007-01-26 23:51:38

32. bojangles

Language is a hoot! Something close to, "lack of power is one of our acknowledged weaknesses."
I think lack of power is one of our strengths.
Power is the weakness:)!
Andrew: your offer of a wager on Pierre's presence opening day was so sweet and demure and shy and.....
Drew redux: If y'ain't a consistent, veritable rbi machine, striking out (Betemit) roughly one in four is plenty cause for tears.
Stubborn: the continued notion that Betemit can play second.
Cheers in the background, he steals back to self-imposed exile...

2007-01-27 00:12:57

33. Andrew Shimmin

Griddle-worthy?

http://www1.whdh.com/news/articles/sports/BO41238/

2007-01-27 00:16:21

34. Bob Timmermann

I already judged that story and found it wanting.

There is no way to properly reference "Tumbleweeds" for that story.

2007-01-27 00:41:22

35. bojangles

33: just came back to clarify my good intentions; it reminded me of the setups in old Looney Tunes, particularly when Bugs would lure Elmer to another episode of self-destruction:)

2007-01-27 00:46:44

36. Andrew Shimmin

35- I didn't take it amiss. I probably should have gone a couple more rounds of, "Duck season!" before switching over to, "Wabbit season!"

2007-01-27 00:53:24

37. overkill94

30 Why, because he'd spend it on his wacky tabacky?

2007-01-27 07:33:21

38. twerp

Bob, if you haven't seen Family Circus cartoon today, it has Dolly telling her brother "To be a librarian, all you have to learn is how to say "SHH!"

(tosses grenade, retreats)

2007-01-27 07:40:12

39. twerp

At the bottom of the playoff stats for Weaver there's this line--

"There is no All Star data available"

There's a chance this is significant...

2007-01-27 09:08:37

40. Bob Timmermann

So Jeff Weaver is as valuable as Kirk Gibson or Tim Salmon?

2007-01-27 10:01:43

41. overkill94

Bear dooooown, Arizonaaaaaa

2007-01-27 10:24:19

42. Bob Timmermann

Convenient of Marcus Williams to have his disciplinary problems arise before the Arizona State game instead of the North Carolina game!

2007-01-27 10:50:05

43. Greg Brock

So, do the Wildcats have any offensive sets, or do they just run down and make it up as they go?

Come on, Zona. You're representing the conference here!

2007-01-27 10:56:01

44. overkill94

Good lord Arizona looks like crap today. Radenovic is probably having the worst offensive game I've ever seen him play in all four years - he's not fighting for position down low, not moving around, not looking for the ball, missing free throws. Losing Williams with the ankle injury was huge and Budinger's 2 early fouls were killer. I just hope they can get it under 20 by the end of the game.

For those who weren't watching, Arizona scored 5 points in the last 10 minutes of the half. Oy.

2007-01-27 10:58:22

45. Greg Brock

I've said before that I've always like Lute Olson, but the past three years it seems like he's more intent on screaming like a maniac than actually coaching 'em up on the floor.

I don't know. Doesn't seem like the Lute Olson of a few years ago.

2007-01-27 10:59:52

46. overkill94

45 His teams used to be a lot smarter, so his rantings are pretty justified. They might need to look into recruiting a different type of player than the athletic freaks they seem to covet.

2007-01-27 11:22:38

47. gpellamjr

mlbtraderumors.com asks whether a Penny for Dunn trade makes sense. I like it for the Dodgers, and Krivsky is crazy about pitching. What do you guys think?

2007-01-27 11:25:35

48. Greg Brock

47 I would do backflips to the theme from Magnificent Seven. I've been praying for that deal for quite a long time. Problem is that our outfield is kind of a mess if that happens. Pierre, Ethier, Gonzo, Repko, Loney(?), Kemp, and Dunn.

Unless Gonzo goes to the bench (hooray!).

2007-01-27 11:43:13

49. D4P

On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being "Ned's kind of player" and 1 being "The last player on earth Ned would ever acquire," Dunn rates a 0.

2007-01-27 12:25:27

50. ToyCannon

45
Just a wild ass guess but I expect losing his wife to cancer a few years ago might have something to do with the change in his demeanor.

48If you can do backflips at your size without using a trampoline I stand impressed. I'm not even a huge fan of Dunn but for Penny I'd be plenty happy. It was the trade we should have done before signing Gonzo. I'd trade Penny and Ethier if your worried about the outfield blockage and they can throw us back Denorfia and we'd have an excellent 4th outfielder who can play CF thus making Repko pointless.

Show/Hide Comments 51-100

2007-01-27 12:31:44

51. D4P

Instead of golf, my local CBS station is showing "Little House on the Prairie."

2007-01-27 12:31:59

52. D4P

I feel like I'm in Ontario.

2007-01-27 12:35:35

53. Greg Brock

50 Trust me, I wanted to bring up his wife, but decided not to. He also got remarried fairly quickly. I didn't really notice any change in the first couple years after his wife passed.

2007-01-27 12:49:14

54. Penarol1916

51. And anyone would notice because? They're just replacing one obscenely boring thing on TV with another.

2007-01-27 12:51:50

55. Andrew Shimmin

I would have gone to see Vera Drake if, instead of being about what it was, it had been about this:

http://tinyurl.com/3bmwdv

2007-01-27 12:52:36

56. Xeifrank

Congrats to the local boys, Mike and Bob Bryan on successfully defending their Australian Open men's doubles title. I lost to them when they were 13 years old in the first round of an Open tournament at the North Ranch CC. You could tell way back then that they were special. vr, Xei

2007-01-27 12:53:38

57. D4P

54
Not only is Tiger in contention, but there's a player (Jeff Quinney) from my hometown in contention. I played high school golf in the same conference as one of his older brothers.

For whatever reason, the rest of the CBS viewing world gets golf, while I get Charles Ingalls.

2007-01-27 12:55:29

58. twerp

Don't know if this has been posted. But Denverpost.com says Helton to RedSox talks ongoing.

http://test.denverpost.com/rockies/ci_5099281

2007-01-27 13:10:31

59. ToyCannon

56
Did you play in any of the Little Mo tournaments?

2007-01-27 13:13:29

60. Xeifrank

58. If the Rockies could swipe Helton and have the Rockies eat a good portion of his contract and only have to give up young relief pitchers, that would be a steal. Not that Helton is half the man he use to be and there's a shadow hanging over him... but all in all a good deal. Let's wait N see.
vr, Xei

2007-01-27 13:16:41

61. Xeifrank

59. Nope, I was a late bloomer as far as tennis goes. I played in USTA tournaments and club matches in my 20s and 30s. That's when I faced the Bryans and some of the other top local youth. vr, Xei

2007-01-27 13:30:02

62. Andrew Shimmin

Olney is reporting that it's Helton for Lowell and Julian Tavarez, with the Rockies paying half of Helton's outstanding salary.

http://proxy.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2745139

If money were no object, I'd still probably
take Youkilis over Helton. And why would the Rockies want another 3B?

2007-01-27 13:56:34

63. D4P

And why would the Rockies want another 3B?

To prepare for Lowell4Penny

2007-01-27 14:03:12

64. Xeifrank

62. I would think some other club could match or beat that offer. Then again, Helton has a no trade clause so he would probably only want to go to a proven winner and JD Drew will need somebody to keep him company on the DL. vr, Xei

2007-01-27 15:34:35

65. Marty

Baseball the way it used to be played:

http://tinyurl.com/2m7hze

2007-01-27 15:34:57

66. Greg Brock

For those of you that don't mind a jaunt over to the drunken frivolity that is Deadspin, they've got an outstanding Conan O'Brien clip up. It's the skit when Conan visits one of those old timey baseball games, played like it's 1864.

I cannot recommend it enough.

2007-01-27 15:35:42

67. Greg Brock

Maaaaarrrttttyyyyy!

(Shakes fist)

2007-01-27 15:39:04

68. Marty

I can't believe what I just saw

2007-01-27 15:47:19

69. Andrew Shimmin

Was it bigger than a bread box?

2007-01-27 15:53:22

70. Marty

I was just joking about Brock's and my near simultaneous post about the same video

2007-01-27 16:00:09

71. Andrew Shimmin

Ah. I dig.

2007-01-27 17:56:25

72. Icaros

That Conan sketch is great. Thanks for the link.

2007-01-27 18:17:56

73. Daniel Zappala

57 I looked up the golf scores before coming to DT, and was happy to see Quinney near the top (tied for 8th with a lot of other golfers). I know the Quinney family from my days in Eugene, and would be very happy for them if he succeeds.

2007-01-27 18:37:23

74. overkill94

65 and 66 You guys are lagging, he did that clip like five years ago ;)

Doesn't change how hilarious it is though. Actually, anytime Conan goes out on location to do a sketch it's always hilarious. Has anyone else seen the one where he's trying to sell his 1992 Ford Taurus?

For those who haven't seen it:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=df4njggXQCE

"I call this the ranch cuz it's where my 220 horses live"