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Baek to Padres for Jared Wells
Ah, I remember the good old days, when we saw Baek designated for assignment even though they didn’t need the roster spot, the bullpen wasn’t that tired, and even while getting shelled he was a better rotation option than 3/5ths of the guys taking the mound regularly.
Now he’s gone, traded to the Padres for Jared Wells.
Yup. I guess the Tigers didn’t want to let Ramon Santiago go for a second time, or something.
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Wasn’t Ramon Santiago at least valuable as a defensive replacement?
Jared Wells is the epitome of suckitude. In 165 AAA innings over the last three years, he’s averaged about 5 BB/9 and 7 K/9. He doesn’t even throw hard. When are we going to see another move that makes rational sense?
Make that 185 AAA innings. Not that it makes this any more or less ridiculous.
It won’t matter really in the long run, but it’s just another example of this terrible, terrible, franchise and their decisions.
The scariest part of this trade is that Baek is going to look fantastic in that huge park.
Baek will do fine in the NL and be a solid #5 guy for the Padres. Worst part is that we should have traded him while his stock was highest in Spring Training (along with Morse). They MIGHT have actually gotten something decent for him.
So we traded Baek for a worse pitcher? Is Jared Wells better or worse than a box of new bats?
Wouldn’t it be on par with the rest of the season if Baek wins against the M’s the next time they play San Diego this year.
Maybe Baek requested a trade?
Who do you think made the initial offers in this case? I’m sure it has to be the Padres “looking for Baek” as he was DFA’d as they worked out a deal. Is Wells just a throwaway? Is Baek making more than the minimum?
This reminds me of the Torrealba deal. Bavasi made up his mind that Baek wasn’t going to be used by the M’s and, for Baek’s sake, traded him to a team that was more likely to let him play.
I’ve been scoring Portland Beavers games for Baseball Info Solutions this season, and Wells hasn’t looked as terrible as you’re thinking.
He had 9 saves and didn’t bone to many games. He’s decent, but nothing overly exciting.
If the Pads were willing to let him go for Baek, I have little hope for Wells.
I should add, I suppose that Wells has options that Baek doesn’t makes Wells more valuable, but that just reinforces my fear about his quality.
Do you have any idea what is the reasoning behind this move with that in mind?
Wasn’t Baek the Wash/Silva/Batista mess-cleaner?
13. Maybe give R.A. Dickey some work?
yes, Baek was the long man out of the bullpen, but wasn’t all that well suited to the job. His peripherals nose-dived this year, but if he can start and pitch w/a bit more confidence (Petco park!), he’ll be fine.
I understand it - a bit- from the M’s point of view: the only way he could be on the team was as a reliever, and he sucked as a reliever. Given his sudden loss of command (his only real skill), they could trade him or waive him - he wasn’t going to be used in Seattle. I think many here would’ve loved to see him get Washburn’s rotation spot, but we all know that’d never happen. Given that, he had no role on this club.
Wells seems to have all the command problems of Sean Green circa 2005 but with none of the ground balls. Rain Delay, what does he throw?
They are committed to Silva, Wash, and Bautista, whether we like it or not. So there is nowhere for Baek to start in Seattle. They can’t send him down to start AAA because he is out of options. He did “okay” in the mop-up role, but he’s a starter. Hate Bavasi and call him all the names you want, but he’s always “taken care” of players. This is probably another move to let the player with no “role” with our organization go get playing time elsewhere. Classy move, but a poor one from the talent point of view.
16 - I guess I understand the move from that perspective … I certainly am glad he puts emphasis on class and not talent management.
Sounds a lot like Howard Schultz’s approach to winning … build his basketball team like he built Starbucks … by taking care of his players …
Yeah… well, lets hope the Ms aren’t in the Sonics shoes in three years.
#15 - If memory serves, FB/CB/SL. And a change at times, but doesn’t use it very often. He’s more of a fly ball pitcher - PGE is good for that - flyballs tend to die at night at PGE.
That’s okay. That-Guy-We-Got-For-Baek doesn’t have the same ring to it as That-Guy-We-Got-For-Guillen.
And bakomariner, they could have just left him on the big club. There wasn’t any real reason to DFA him.
20- I didn’t say it was a good move talent-wise…he is probably better than who we picked up…I just said it was a classy move because Baek will probably join a MLB rotation in San Diego…
20: He was DFA’d because last week he was used in two straight games and they needed a long man for the next game. Apparently, with 97 pitchers on the roster, we don’t have a way of having anyone but the “long man” pitcher more than about an inning without McLaren’s head exploding. Once they made the decision they had to bring up Dickey to do this, they had to DFA him.
I really don’t see a lot of parallels between a trade of a guy who was the starting shortstop on a 116-win team and a trade of a spot starter/long man whose team was 0-10 in his ten appearances this year. I’m more worried about how cushy our deals with the Padres always seem. There clearly are teams Bavasi calls and teams Bavasi doesn’t call.
Yeah, he calls the ones that offer a reacharound.
Sorry for feeling cynical this morning . . . but it makes absolutely no difference that Baek wasn’t an accomplished reliever and there was no room for him in the rotation. The Mariners mishandled a 27-year old starting pitcher and failed to get market value for him. Bottom line. It’s a freaking travesty. By itself, in comparison to the grand fuckup scheme, it appears to be a rather insignificant and inconsequential fuckup involving a No. 6 starter and a gas can in AAA . . . but the slow accumulation of small fuckups can be just as damaging as the major fuckups.
He’s been ripped off more times than we would like to remember, but really, this move isn’t important…neither player is anything worth getting upset over…
Signing Miguel Batisita, Career 5.74 k/9, 3.91 BB/9, 4.98 FIP for 3 Years, 24 Million Dollars…
Signing Jarrod Washburn, Career 5.15 k/9, 3.14 BB/9, 4.59 FIP for 4 Year, 40 Million Dollars…
Signing Carlos Silva, Career 3.74 k/9, 1.63 BB/9, 4.51 FIP for 4 Years, 48 Million Dollars…
Trading Cha Seung Baek, Career 5.71 k/9, 2.72 BB/9, 4.68 FIP making $392,500 this year…
Priceless.
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My sentiments are along the same lines as yours blankenship … it really is quite unbelievable the amount of damage … or I guess perceived damage (only time will tell) Bill Bavasi is doing to this franchise.
At this point, I don’t care how classy Bavasi is - you are telling me that you can’t run a classy organization and have proper talent management at the same time?
I know it is easy for Bloggers to sit around and claim that ‘we can run the team’ better than our FO … but I am starting to believe that we might be able to.
Bavasi MUST be on the outs … it just doesn’t make sense otherwise. I mean these are the same owners that invented the Wii … c’mon.
19 - I’d think being a fly-baller at PGE park would be… bad. It’s a park that yields a lot more home runs than normal - I’ve checked a number of park factors and they all agree on that.
Now, if he’s a flyballer in Tacoma, he’s going to be fine. Maybe a poor man’s Rich Dorman or something.
When we at last have a new, forward-thinking front office.
I guess now we know why the Mariners coveted Wells. I found this blurb while mining through his scouting reports: “Wells is a competitor and hates to lose, but has blamed others for some of his troubles in the past.”
As for his repertoire, Wells is a fastball/slider guy. He has a show-me change, but if it were any good he would throw it more than 5% of the time. The fastball is a 2-seamer and Baseball America ranked his slider tops in the Padres system back in 2005. Sounds like scouts still like his raw stuff and his competitive demeanor, but he has made little to no progress with his command over the past two or three seasons.
Trading Cha Seung Baek, Career 5.71 k/9, 2.72 BB/9, 4.68 FIP making $392,500 this year…
Comment. Of. The. Month.
What can Lincoln/Armstrong possibly say in response to these 4 simple statements of fact — except to fire Bavasi for incompetence, immediately, if not sooner….
Farcical.
Actually, I think Bavasi was trying to get another crate of sunflower seeds…but all the ones that the Padres had were stale and out-of-date.
Isn’t it a prerequisite for a Bavasi addition to be stale and out-of-date?
# 26 Raoul Duke….give that man his own blog….hilarious!
That sounds like exactly the kind of sunflower seeds Bavasi would covet.
Here’s some career stats for Jared Wells.
Apparently, he’s got control issues.
I have been wondering lately what the worst team record of all time is for a team with a payroll over, say, $110 million.
Tossing Baek (a useful spare part) on the trash heap for no reason, while starting an aging utility middle infielder with no bat at firstbase, starting a broken down middle infielder at DH, starting a left fielder that can’t run, putting 3 guys in the rotation that are no better than the pitcher that was dumped….
You mean to tell me the Fathers offered a crate of sunflower seats with demonstrated veteran grit in return for Baek and Bavasi wasn’t interested? Let’s bring this discussion back into reality, please.
If you were a GM looking to make a trade, which of these two pitchers would you rather receive?
Pitcher A:
Just over 600 innings pitched in the minors.
BB/9 = 2.4
K/9 = 6.8
168 innings pitched in the majors.
BB/9 = 2.7
K/9 = 5.7
Pitcher B:
Just over 600 innings pitched in the minors.
BB/9 = 3.6
K/9 = 6.6
3 innings pitched in the majors.
One of these pitchers is Jared Wells. The other is Cha Seung Baek.
Hey, some of us like those extra-gritty sunflower seeds!
Wow. Despite thier $117,176,429 payroll, the 2003 Mets went 66-95. That will be tough to beat.
Only three teams had ventured above $110 million prior to this season: Yankees (7), Red Sox (4), and Mets (2). But even if you include all of the teams with $100+ million payrolls, the 2003 Mets still win the expensive suck contest.
Prior to 2008, there have been 30 instances of a team with a $100+ million payroll. Only four of those teams failed to play better than .500 ball:
2007 White Sox (72-90)
2003 Mets (66-95)
2003 Rangers (71-91)
2002 Rangers (72-90)
And just for some more comparisons…
Cha Seung Baek, Career 5.71 k/9, 2.72 BB/9, 4.68 FIP
Horacio Ramirez, Career 4.19 k/9, 3.52 BB/9, 5.03 FIP
Jeff Weaver, Career 5.90 k/9, 2.43 BB/9, 4.41 FIP
I knew Tom Hicks’ glorious “Power Rangers” teams had to be on that list somewhere.
2007 White Sox (72-90)
2003 Mets (66-95)
2003 Rangers (71-91)
2002 Rangers (72-90)
Well, there it is: the great Mariner challenge. $100 Million is such a nice round number. Can the Mariners be the worst team ever in the history of baseball with a payroll over $100 Million ? It certainly appears they will have little problem being in elite company — 87% of all $100M teams were winning teams, so being in that bottom 13% should be well within range for them.
But, can they go all the way: can they get to 96 losses, for the most losses ever, or best of all: 65 wins, 97 losses for the worst winning percentage ever?
C’mon boys, git ‘er dun.
Especially when you start Miguel Cairo one night and your manager is on the radio next day lauding the “spark” he provided and committing to starting him again the next day. 65/97, here we come!!
RaoulDuke37, add their ages and it looks even worse. Sigh. Kind of appropriate that Baek, someone who will struggle to hang onto a roster spot his entire career, is one of the poster children for what’s wrong with the M’s talent evaluation when he’s the guy we traded away.
Kind of appropriate that Baek, someone who will struggle to hang onto a roster spot his entire career, is one of the poster children for what’s wrong with the M’s talent evaluation when he’s the guy we traded away.
Hilarious !
Paul DePodesta, who works in the front office of the Padres, explains his team’s interest in Baek on his blog.
Footnote after working through my Mariner-addled brain: the boys don’t even need to get all the way to 65-97. Thanks to the woeful ‘03 Mets only playing 161 games, the Mariners just need to get to 96 losses and they’ll have both records — most losses, and worst winning percentage of all time for $100 M clubs.
66-96
With the boys currently on pace for 58-104, this is eminently achievable.
And if the quest for 96 ever begins to look in jeopardy, Bill B. can always pull off another pitcher-trade or two, and it’ll be cat bird seat for the blue & teal once again….
DePodesta’s blog was very interesting. I had thought until now that the move was for roster flexibility, but with Wells out of options in 2009, not much there to justify it either.
NOOOO! F**K the Mariners! One bad move after another. I’ve had enough.
Mr. Bavasi, you are a moron.
I had thought until now that the move was for roster flexibility, but with Wells out of options in 2009, not much there to justify it either.
Baker says Wells has “plenty” of options left.
Either he doesn’t know what he is talking about, or DePodesta doesn’t.
54 - It means that this year, yes he has options and can be sent down and recalled if needed.
But those options end at the beginning of next year where he’ll need to stay on the ML roster or sent through waivers to be assigned to the minors.
this year … he has options…. But those options end at the beginning of next year….
I understand that, but I am not sure Baker does….