hope so....and usually, guys who come from the AL tend to fare better in the NL...i guess we'll see...sigh
I mean he could obviously be horrible, but if it was a cheap deal he's an interesting gamble. If he pays off and is pitching really well the Astros could trade him midseason to get some more players in their rebuilding effort.
Last year was the only year he hit that mark, career average is under .850, plus he was playing in a very offensive ballpark, Look at his away splits from last year: Split G GS PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS Away 74 72 320 270 49 73 23 1 9 34 7 2 42 82.270.375.463 .838 7 year contract, or 6 for that matter, for a 32 yr old outfielder.. is a really crazy overpriced contract compared to a command lefty pitcher at the same age, which was my point. I actually would not go over 4 years for Lee, or 3 years for Werth. As far as Ryan Rowland Smith, I agree with your assesment. I think he will suprise people.
I am not arguing that Werth got a good contract, just that he is not average. The away numbers you listed are also not "average." Those are good numbers. A .375 obp? That's good. His OPS+ has been over 120 for 4 consecutive seasons.
Werth is an above average left fielder, the type of money he got though is super-star money. That type of contract he got is what a Manny Ramirez in his prime gets. And Werth is not even near that level of good.
Since I just mentioned Manny, what is everyone's opinions on him? I think he could be a great bargain for a team, he still gets on base enough and commands respect at the plate. Although I think he would have to find a team that would handle him well. We all know how he lacks effort at times.
If he is pitching "really well" (especially as a starter) then I think you hang onto a 28 year old left hander.
Ok, fair enough good arguments sir.. I stand corrected, then I will reword what I wrote: "It's crazy to give a non-superstar OF that is 32 years old a contract like the Nats did." Although I wil be curious to see how his numbers become away from Citizens Bank Park.
Well Hardy just went to the Orioles, doesn't look like they gave up much at all. http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=5902767
I wish the Astros jumped in on the 'trade the relievers for an everyday player' trend going on right now. JJ Hardy - acquired for two minor league relievers Mark Reynolds - acquired for two major league relievers Jason Bartlett - acquired for two major league relievers All of those players would start on the Astros. You'd figure Wade would be able to leverage his ability to pick up useful relievers on the cheap to acquire an everyday player or two. We certainly have relievers that fit the bill of those traded: Wilton Lopez - Age 27, 68 games pitched, 2.96 ERA, 1.06 WHIP Fernando Abad - Age 24, 22 games pitched, 2.84 ERA, 1.00 WHIP Mark Melancon - Age 25, 20 games pitched, 3.12 ERA, 10k/9
Hardy will make more than $5,000,000 next year. His OPS was .714, had two stints on the DL and has lingering problems with his back (I think). Why should they have traded for him?
Lighting in a bottle. We did the similar thing by signing Myers to a low risk contract last year and look how that turned out. Good shortstops are hard to come by and Hardy has been productive in the past. 5 million isn't much, that's the same amount we are paying Lyon, a middle relief pitcher. Hell we paid Pedro Feliz 5 million dollars last year. I think if we could of gotten him for a good price (which the Orioles did) it would of been worth it. Because our SS position as of right now isn't the greatest.
Thought I'd share this: http://calltothepen.com/2010/12/09/rule-5-reports-rays-rhp-aneury-rodriguez-selected-by-astros/ Rule 5 Reports: Rays RHP Aneury Rodriguez Selected by Astros And…it’s yet another pitcher with the eighth pick in the Rule 5 Draft. However, Aneury Rodriguez boasts something that none of the six pitchers taken before him can: He’s legitimately ready to be a major league starting pitcher. How did he last until the eighth pick, you ask? Beats me; I like this pick the most out of all of them thus far. Rodriguez is coming off a solid season with the Rays’ Triple-A affiliate, but the 22-year-old has little chance of breaking into the Tampa rotation anytime soon, so he was expendable for the Rays. He’s a big strike-thrower with low-to-mid-90’s heat and solid offspeed stuff–the sort of guy who should be somewhere between a third and fifth starter. With well over 100 Triple-A innings, he’s pretty much big-league ready, and the Astros could always use young talent–it’s a match made in heaven, no? I have to say, I criticize the majority of Houston’s moves, but this one is extremely good. Rodriguez can be a back-of-the-rotation starter or solid middle reliever this season, so unlike most Rule 5 picks, he won’t be a strain on the roster. Furthermore, he has the potential to wind up being a rotation rock for the next half-decade. Well done indeed.
