Saunders to Seattle

[NCBirdfan]

Well, it looks like the Orioles offer of $1.5 million and a box of peanuts wasn't enough to keep Saunders. It would have been nice for him to return but he signed a one-year deal with Seattle instead.

Overall, I don't think it is a huge loss, but it would have been good to have him in orange and black IMO.

[weird-O]

he was clutch in the playoffs. and he was a good back of the rotation pitcher that was worth keeping. it will be interesting to see the details of his contract. I can't see the logic in signing a 1 yr deal with Seattle when he could have signed w/ the O's, unless there was a significant different in money.

Seattle isn't going anywhere this year, and the O's expect to contend.

[bmore_ken]

he was clutch in the playoffs. and he was a good back of the rotation pitcher that was worth keeping. it will be interesting to see the details of his contract. I can't see the logic in signing a 1 yr deal with Seattle when he could have signed w/ the O's, unless there was a significant different in money.

Seattle isn't going anywhere this year, and the O's expect to contend.

Looking to replace left-handed pitcher Jason Vargas, who was traded to the Los Angeles Angels in December, the Mariners and Joe Saunders agreed to a one-year contract between $5-7 million, with an option in 2014, according to an official who spoke to USA TODAY Sports on condition of anonymity because the signing is not yet official.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports...iners/1900951/

If true I see why, No way the O's were paying that kind of money

[Aclobat]

I liked him. Ate up alot of innings but if he is getting 7mill that is nuts.

[ivanbalt]

Looking to replace left-handed pitcher Jason Vargas, who was traded to the Los Angeles Angels in December, the Mariners and Joe Saunders agreed to a one-year contract between $5-7 million, with an option in 2014, according to an official who spoke to USA TODAY Sports on condition of anonymity because the signing is not yet official.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports...iners/1900951/

If true I see why, No way the O's were paying that kind of money

$5-7 million is what they'd offer Felix Hernandez if he was a free agent.

[weird-O]

Thanks Ken.

you know what, that's not really crazy money. it's crazy money for the O's, because they choose to live in the ghetto of MLB. But he's pretty much on par with Lohse who is looking for $15M/yr. Edwin Jackson got $13M/yr and he's a #4 starter.

pitching cost money. if DD is confident his rotation can do just as well w/o Joe, I reluctantly trust that opinion. Jair Jurjenjunjle may do just as well.

[bmore_ken]

Thanks Ken.

you know what, that's not really crazy money. it's crazy money for the O's, because they choose to live in the ghetto of MLB. But he's pretty much on par with Lohse who is looking for $15M/yr. Edwin Jackson got $13M/yr and he's a #4 starter.

pitching cost money. if DD is confident his rotation can do just as well w/o Joe, I reluctantly trust that opinion. Jair Jurjenjunjle may do just as well.

Oh I agree. I don't think that's crazy money at all for a good, but not great starting pitcher.

However if you're confident in what you already have (which DD obviously is) then I can see not spending that $5M. Personally I think there are a lot of question marks with our rotation and having a reliable established vet would have helped the team.

[weird-O]

Oh I agree. I don't think that's crazy money at all for a good, but not great starting pitcher.

However if you're confident in what you already have (which DD obviously is) then I can see not spending that $5M. Personally I think there are a lot of question marks with our rotation and having a reliable established vet would have helped the team.

I totally agree. the rotation may be very good this year. but they are far form a sure thing

[bmore_ken]

I have a sinking feeling we're going to regret not signing Saunders and Reynolds

[weird-O]

I have a sinking feeling we're going to regret not signing Saunders and Reynolds

I can't understand wither move. neither guy was a bank buster. $12M gets you both of them. If Saunders got $5M from Seattle, he probably would have sign for $4M to stay with the O's. he wanted to stay near his hom in VA and wanted to go to the playoffs this fall. Seattle is just about as far from home and the playoffs as you can get.

Davis is said to be a plus defender, but he really struggled at 1B last year.

[Manny]

Who needs Saunders? Petey and Dan know full right well that they will hit pay dirt with someone who last played in the majors back in 2007 or so. Perhaps they'll give Jamie Moyer a second look.

[weird-O]

Who needs Saunders? Petey and Dan know full right well that they will hit pay dirt with someone who last played in the majors back in 2007 or so. Perhaps they'll give Jamie Moyer a second look.

sad but true. I can understand them not signing Grienke or some other trillion $$$ pitcher that's obviously being overpaid. but this is $5M for 1 year.

and to compound the matter, it's following up years of excuses like, "this team isn't ready to compete, so why invest in a big $$$ player who won't make a difference on our season."

if DD can fill out a competitive team every year, with cast offs and underperformers that Buck can sprinkle Oriole magic on, then great. why spend $5M, when a $1.5M player can give you the same performance. I can totally understand that. I live by the same rules. I don't buy the brand name when the generic does the same job for less.

but they have to win this year, or their philosophy will be debunked. and 2012 will be called a fluke.

[NCBirdfan]

I have a sinking feeling we're going to regret not signing Saunders and Reynolds

I have a similar feeling...hoping I'm wrong.

[Aclobat]

Gets even better if Jair Jurrjens can't pass his physical.

[Oriole-Bob]

really having a bad feeling about this season, should have signed Reynolds and Saunders. I don't see how we have improved this team at all this offseason, in fact we seem to have made it worse so far.

[Tootsie]

really having a bad feeling about this season, should have signed Reynolds and Saunders. I don't see how we have improved this team at all this offseason, in fact we seem to have made it worse so far.

100% agree. Toronto made huge improvements. Boston didn't do much, NY is old I think we are competing with Boston in the basement

[bmore_ken]

It's all going to come down to the starting pitchers. if they repeat what they did last year, we have enough offensive firepower to compete. If Chen gets figured out in his second season, Tillman reverts to the guy we saw up until last year, and Hammel goes back to his career normals, it's going to be a long season

[Jimmy Jazz]

They have a surplus of pitching (of course those surpluses can often become deficits right quick) so I can see why they did not want to pay $5-7 million.

Good luck to Saunders, I think he'll do well in Seattle. That game he pitched in Texas in the playoffs was insane.

[Agrippa]

I have a sinking feeling we're going to regret not signing Saunders and Reynolds

Questioning the Orioles judgement makes you a Yankee fan

[bmore_ken]

Questioning the Orioles judgement makes you a Yankee fan

So I've heard