Why You Have To Move Washburn
I’m sure I’m preaching to the choir here, but just in case anyone was buying the line about it potentially being wise to keep Washburn, here’s why you absolutely have to move him if you can.
M’s 2009 Committed Payroll:
Ichiro: $17 million
Beltre: $12 million
Silva: $11 million
Washburn: $10.35 million
Bedard: ~$10 million (arbitration eligible)
Batista: $9 million
Johjima: $8 million
Putz: $5 million
Felix: ~$4 million (arbitration eligible)
Betancourt: $2 million
Lopez: $1.6 million
Those M’s are on the hook for almost $90 million for those 11 players. I know, it’s brutal, but it’s true. They do have a decent group of pre-arbitration guys who will all be cheap (Morrow, Green, Lowe, Dickey, Rowland-Smith, Clement, Balentien, Reed) and will fill roles on the club, but this team needs to add five or six new players this winter, with at least three of them being starting quality.
You don’t have to fill all the holes through free agency, but having $36 million in budget room is a lot more appealing than having $25 million in budget room, especially when Washburn is so easily replaced by the Dickey/Rowland-Smith/Morrow group of cheap arms.
It doesn’t matter if the M’s get any talent back in return. For the health of the 2009 team, they need to get Jarrod Washburn’s salary off the books. If you get a player back who can help you, bonus, but the correct answer to any trade offer that involves the M’s unloading his entire 2009 salary is “yes”.
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Gee, I forgot that ’99 was also the year of “BlackJack” McDowell’s last stand with The Orange County Angles of North Santa Ana — before he finally realized he was washed-up and traded in his glove for a guitar full-time, that is.