Autumn's Schill Here to Stay
The Boston Herald, ESPN.com, and a guy by the name of Gehrig38 over at SonsofSamHorn.net have all been reporting that Curt Schilling has agreed to a one-year contract for $8 million, with a maximum of $5 million in incentives. I think we can all agree that the appropriate response to this piece of news should be a high five with the Sox fan sitting next to you. Trust me, this is a good thing. I know, I know, he's old, turning 41 in exactly one week, but we've all seen that pitchers can and will pitch successfully beyond the previously established career limits that hover in everyone's heads.
Look at it this way: the free agent market for pitchers this year consists of (possibly) Andy Pettite and a standup cardboard picture of Roger Clemens. It's incredibly thin. If he hit the market (I mean really hit the market), Schilling would have easily attracted more money. Why? Because he can still pitch. Although he's no longer gassing 95 mph cheese down Broadway and glaring at batters in defiance, he still obeys the cardinal rules of being a successful pitcher: don't walk anybody and throw strikes.
Come to think of it, that might just be the same rule stated differently. Huh.
Whatever the case may be, Schilling still managed to notch 9 wins and a sub-4.00 ERA in a tough league and battling physical problems for a significant chunk of the season. Although he pitched he lowest number of innings since 1995 in Philadelphia (2005 doesn't count, given the nature of his injury and subsequent road to recovery), he only walked 23 men in those 151 frames. Add to that the fact that he was still able to average 6.02 K/9 while adding a changeup to his repertoire and you can argue that Schilling has a lot of ability left. His WHIP was only 1.25, and batters were hitting at under .300 against him (well, .279 to be fair, but still not a total dominance).
The point of all these fun numbers and facts is that he's worth every penny to this team. He's a more than capable pitcher on the mound if (big if) he can stay healthy and put up another 20-30 starts in 2008. Off the field his preparation shows young players how to get themselves ready for their own starts and demonstrates successful methods for coping with the varied situations they encounter both on and off the field. He's a teacher, a good one. I'm very happy with this deal.
On a sidenote, in case you didn't hear over the weekend, Tim Wakefield and Julian Tavarez will be returning to the Red Sox in 2008, as the team picked up the options they held for each player on Friday. Although Wakefield had a balky back and Tavarez was left off of every postseason roster, the fact that their combined salaries come in at under $8 million and that they each provide a large amount of flexibility made their pickups a no-brainer. Both are the sort of "rubber arm" hurlers who can help you out in a pinch, and both have the ability to go out on any given night and throw an absolute gem. With the way the free agent market has been trending over the last couple years, keeping these two under control makes a lot of sense. Combined with resigning of Curt Schilling, the Sox seem to find themselves in a position to have their rotation (and a good chunk of their bullpen) well defined on this, the second day of the GM meetings down south.
Look at it this way: the free agent market for pitchers this year consists of (possibly) Andy Pettite and a standup cardboard picture of Roger Clemens. It's incredibly thin. If he hit the market (I mean really hit the market), Schilling would have easily attracted more money. Why? Because he can still pitch. Although he's no longer gassing 95 mph cheese down Broadway and glaring at batters in defiance, he still obeys the cardinal rules of being a successful pitcher: don't walk anybody and throw strikes.
Come to think of it, that might just be the same rule stated differently. Huh.
Whatever the case may be, Schilling still managed to notch 9 wins and a sub-4.00 ERA in a tough league and battling physical problems for a significant chunk of the season. Although he pitched he lowest number of innings since 1995 in Philadelphia (2005 doesn't count, given the nature of his injury and subsequent road to recovery), he only walked 23 men in those 151 frames. Add to that the fact that he was still able to average 6.02 K/9 while adding a changeup to his repertoire and you can argue that Schilling has a lot of ability left. His WHIP was only 1.25, and batters were hitting at under .300 against him (well, .279 to be fair, but still not a total dominance).
The point of all these fun numbers and facts is that he's worth every penny to this team. He's a more than capable pitcher on the mound if (big if) he can stay healthy and put up another 20-30 starts in 2008. Off the field his preparation shows young players how to get themselves ready for their own starts and demonstrates successful methods for coping with the varied situations they encounter both on and off the field. He's a teacher, a good one. I'm very happy with this deal.
On a sidenote, in case you didn't hear over the weekend, Tim Wakefield and Julian Tavarez will be returning to the Red Sox in 2008, as the team picked up the options they held for each player on Friday. Although Wakefield had a balky back and Tavarez was left off of every postseason roster, the fact that their combined salaries come in at under $8 million and that they each provide a large amount of flexibility made their pickups a no-brainer. Both are the sort of "rubber arm" hurlers who can help you out in a pinch, and both have the ability to go out on any given night and throw an absolute gem. With the way the free agent market has been trending over the last couple years, keeping these two under control makes a lot of sense. Combined with resigning of Curt Schilling, the Sox seem to find themselves in a position to have their rotation (and a good chunk of their bullpen) well defined on this, the second day of the GM meetings down south.
Labels: 2007 Offseason
Ryan Brodeur at 10:46 PM
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