It’s been over two years since the worst trade ever, and even though it doesn’t look quite so lopsided anymore, there is still no question that the Rays won this deal. Delmon Young is turning into a useful right-handed bat but he’s still terrible on defense, while Brendan Harris has been demoted to AAA and Jason Pridie is now a farmhand for the Mets. Jason Bartlett has come back down to earth a bit from his 4.8 fWAR 2009 season, batting just .224/.313/.329, but Matt Garza just keeps on keepin’ on, with a 4.08 ERA, 2.31 K/BB ratio, 4.35 FIP, and 4.45 xFIP (which might not be great, but who wouldn’t rather have him in the rotation than Nick Blackburn right now?). The two are a combined 1.2 fWAR this season. Delmon? 0.8. So yeah, while he may no longer be the worst everyday player in the major leagues anymore, he still isn’t much more than replacement-level.
Thursday, July 1st:
Jeff Niemann: 2.72 ERA, 2.50 K/BB, 4.40 FIP, 4.29 xFIP
vs.
Carl Pavano: 3.33 ERA, 3.93 K/BB, 3.94 FIP, 4.04 xFIP
Carl Pavano made $48 million in four years in his career with the Yankees. He pitched all of 135.2 innings, and posted a 5.00 ERA. He’ll make about $10 million in his career with the Twins, while posting a 3.87 ERA in 179 innings thus far. MWAHAHAHAHA.
Friday, July 2nd:
David Price: 2.44 ERA, 2.21 K/BB, 3.73 FIP, 4.07 xFIP
vs.
Scott Baker: 4.97 ERA, 4.31 K/BB, 4.07 FIP, 3.81 xFIP
Scotty’s xFIP and FIP are nearly a full run lower than his ERA, which isn’t a surprise given the horrible defense behind him. He probably wouldn’t mind being dealt to the Mariners in exchange for Cliff Lee.
Saturday, July 3rd:
Wade Davis: 4.68 ERA, 1.50 K/BB, 5.25 FIP, 5.04 xFIP
vs.
Francisco Liriano: 3.47 ERA, 3.93 K/BB, 2.20 FIP, 3.01 xFIP
My Mom actually got us tickets to this game as a birthday present for my Dad. I haven’t even made it out to the new joint yet, and I get to see Frankie pitch! He’s looked a bit more human in his past few starts, but he’s still among the league’s elite pitchers. This should be good.
Sunday, July 4th:
James Shields: 4.76 ERA, 4.08 K/BB, 4.13 FIP, 3.55 xFIP
vs.
Nick Blackburn: 6.02 ERA, 1.25 K/BB, 5.48 FIP, 5.19 xFIP
Topics: Brendan Harris, Carl Pavano, Delmon Young, Francisco Liriano, Jason Bartlett, Jason Pridie, Matt Garza, Minnesota Twins, Nick Blackburn, Scott Baker, Tampa Bay Rays
Paul Pleiss
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