Free Pedro

Let me refer you back to this post. The John Smoltz thing wasn’t working two weeks ago, it’s not going to work tonight, and it’s not going to start working. Well, at least we have Masterson to replace him with… What?… We did?… Well then… Read the rest of this entry →

I’d like to take this opportunity to begin a debate. A great debate. It’s time to begin the (naive?) postmortem on the Steroid Era. To me, the most interesting question is our first question:

Who was the best pitcher of the steroid era?

And to kick off the debate, I’ve invited Danny Stahl, our friend and long-suffering Royals fan – and  amateur baseball analyst – to share his thoughts. He has written a very thorough and thoughtful essay, in which he comes to a very unfortunate conclusion for those who love Pedro…

Read the rest of this entry →

It’s a great strategy for rounding out a rotation: sign low-priced veterans  and/or injury come-backs who might have something left. This is usually a low-risk move with high upside, and if you are the type of team that has the bankroll to take a flier on a guy or two like this every season, it can prove quite profitable (see Hernandez, 2009; Colon, 2008; Saberhagen, 1998 and 1999). One shouldn’t expect anything more than a backend of the rotation guy who can give you some innings and an ERA in the mid-fours. Something better is great, and anything worse  is fine because you didn’t spend a lot and your expectations should have been low. The only way this strategy burns a team is if they aren’t willing to pull the plug. It’s clear at this point that John Smoltz is done. Masterson is a better pitcher. There’s a pennant race going on.  Time to make the switch.