Comments on: Hot Stove Season: It Begins

By: sci

sci — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 21:41:11 +0000

Anything over three years is a long term investment for a pitcher, in my opinion. But you are right, he’d look great in the rotation, and uninjured, he’s got a good four years in him for sure. What the hell, let’s just go get him…

By: Greg

Greg — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 21:34:06 +0000

I don’t think anyone is asking Burnett to be a long term investment. But if he stays healthy and performs in the rotation for the next four years, there’s nothing wrong with him being here.

At his best, Burnett had a K/9 ratio of over 9. He lead the AL in strikeouts. Thats an awesome statistic. He would certainly be a quality number 1 starter for the Orioles for the next four years and that would thrill me.

At his worst, Burnett gets injured somewhere along the way forcing management to shut him down and start someone like Bergesen in his place.

You have to take injury history into account, but I don’t think it’s a deal breaker.

By: Andrew in Rochester

Andrew in Rochester — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 21:23:54 +0000

I mean that I’ve heard lots of stories just like sci’s where it’s a friend of a guy I know who met Burnett while he was in the Wegman’s in Hunt Valley or something like that. Even Drew had one about Burnett talking to Brian Roberts about how he was looking forward to 2009 in Baltimore during the season.

I’m in favor of taking a chance on Burnett – depending absolutely on how much we get fucked in the ass on the contract – simply because we don’t have anyone who can do what he can do even if he only starts 20 games. But there’s no way in the world I want to give him 4 years 55 million…but on the other hand, I don’t know what the Orioles payroll budget looks like in this and the coming years. That’s sort of the big, important key to the puzzle that we don’t have.

By: sci

sci — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 21:06:47 +0000

Taking injury history into account for a long-term investment is just good business. Would you sign Mark Prior and then rely on him to be an anchor for the rotation? (Burnett’s history is not as bad as Prior’s, but you get the point.)

That said, I’m all for taking a chance on Burnett, especially as he seems to really want to play here, as long as the terms are relatively reasonable. I’m just not totally sold on him as a long term investment to anchor the rotation. That’s all I’m saying.

By: Greg

Greg — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 20:59:06 +0000

My point is, would you have second guessed the trades we made last year, if you knew Matt Albers, Troy Patton and Adam Jones would all spend significant time on the DL last year?

I mean, anyone can get injured at any time. If we sign Teixeira to an 8-year contract and his first hit as an Oriole winds up with his left leg falling off while jogging to the base… that’s just not something you can worry about. People get injured who have never been injured before, and injury prone players can go for a whole year without being injured (like Burnett did).

Take AJ Burnett for what he is as a pitcher, not as a potential DL’ed pine rider.