It's still a dumb contract. Hey, even a blind squirrel that is, me finds an acorn now and again. I just wanted to point out that I wasn't the only pundit who was less than enthusiastic about this deal. Granted, I don't think anybody figured that Zito would move to a pitcher's park in the National League and post a 4.
But it was not at all difficult to figure the Giants would be disappointed by his performance. Which isn't my point. My point is that while a player's performance is not terribly difficult to predict, the long-term impact of a player's performance is exceptionally difficult to predict. To that end, let us pose a fundamental question:. As you know, they won two in Zito's seven years, which was two more than they'd ever won before. I will not argue -- not with any gusto, anyway -- that the Giants won twice because of Barry Zito's contract.
But let's go back to that question In and , Zito didn't pitch well. But the Giants weren't within miles of the playoffs. They wouldn't have been within miles of the playoffs with Roy Halladay , or anyone else they might signed with the money they instead spent on Zito. In , the Giants finished four games off the wild-card pace If they'd spent their Barry Zito money well , they might have made up those four games in the standings In , the Giants won the World Series.
Zito didn't pitch well during the regular season; in fact, he pitched so poorly during the regular season that he wasn't allowed to pitch at all during the postseason. If they'd spent their Barry Zito elsewhere, the Giants probably would have fared even better during the regular season They won 11 postseason games while losing only four; it's unlikely that whoever was getting Zito's money would have played poorly enough that October to keep the Giants from winning.
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IP WHIP 1. Pitching Career Batting Career The deal just seemed to reek of desperation on the part of the White Sox, considering they have a multitude of players who are curiously on the hook for a wad of cash.
Thank god for Konerko he did so well last year, or he would've been yesterday's news, or some team's DH guy, eh? Lackey had been on the decline since —arguably his best career year and the point at which he peaked as a pitcher. The Cubs basically were like a drunk guy at a bar back then, seemingly giving money to anyone who wanted it.
With Zambrano, he was always a loose cannon to begin with. This deal was incredibly overly-publicized, and Jeter is not the same Jeter as previous years. Was there a better deal that could have been done? Ironically enough, there is only one other player who is paid higher than Jeter. Wanna guess who it is? Two problems here: His defense and the unbelievable reward system the Cubs just whipped up.
And defensively, Soriano has significantly lost a step and is currently average at best. Not to mention the contract has prevented the Cubs—along with the other ballooned dollar days deals they inked—from them being able to throw their hat into some bidding wars over the years for better players. Full no-trade clause.
And while he did have a decent career in Philly, many also felt he was on a steep decline from his true stand out season, which was , not But hitting home runs in L. The last time Wells hit more than 20 home runs was back in , so the Angels thought perhaps there was a rebirth of sorts—problem number two. Do I start with the not-too-distant weight problems or the recent alcohol issues? He is without question one of the greatest hitters in the game today, but even someone as talented and young as Cabrera is a big risk when including off-the-field issues and immaturity concerns.
Either way you cut it, Cabrera has to prove he can control himself and dedicate himself to the sport before being worth a guaranteed contract in the "sure thing immortal superstar" category. Cabrera could continue on this pace in spite of himself, a la Mickey Mantle, or he could slip off into a world of lethargy and disinterest as he reaches his 30s. We shall see which path he chooses. Catchers rarely last eight years, and to think he will be as effective at 35 as he has been—especially with seven years on the tread already—is absolutely ludicrous.
If he makes a move soon to a far less taxing position, then he should be able to maintain his batting average--though his lack of consistent power becomes a detriment once he leaves the catcher position for greener pastures.
Much like a Derek Jeter leaving shortstop later in his career, a stat line of "world-class production for the position" immediately shifts to "below-average production for Position X". He is a perennial All-Star, but his body seems to be screaming for help.
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