Comments on: Nationals sign Jason Marquis to two-year deal

By: Earle Tantum

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By: Lissa Rocher

Lissa Rocher — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 04:06:45 +0000

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By: North145

North145 — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 10:56:33 +0000

Marquis is one of the best first half pitchers out there. 09 wasn’t the first time he stormed his way into the allstar break. This will be a good signing if the Nationals trade him at the break before he can have his patented second half collapse.

By: clayton

clayton — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 01:14:25 +0000

As a Cardinal fan I’m not big on Marquis, but if you look at his record in the National’s park, you will be impressed. He pitches very well in their big park and the Nationals know it. That combined with his improving numbers since he left St Louis suggests this could be a very good deal for the Nats.

By: Jeff Scott

Jeff Scott — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 19:47:47 +0000

Thank you Nationals. We at Cardinal Nation needed a good laugh for the holidays. Perhaps since Jason is a bit older now and hopefully a little wiser, he’s learned to listen to his pitching coach. Best of luck!

By: D-Luxxx

D-Luxxx — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 17:58:12 +0000

The fact that you compared him to Livan should be proof enough that this was not a great signing. I wonder if Washington is getting any advice from Terry Ryan. Signing washed-up, has-been players for more than they are worth. Hmmm.

By: Todd Boss

Todd Boss — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 17:57:35 +0000

Shely, On what basis do you claim “lucky to have a 6.0 era over a year?” Here’s his season ERAs over the last four years: 6.02->4.60->4.53->4.04.
I may not have a PhD in mathematics, but that seems to indicate a trend of improvement. 4.04 era and a downward trend as he reaches pretty much his peak as a baseball professional athleticism in terms of age and experience. I’ll take that.

By: John_Michael

John_Michael — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 17:44:07 +0000

From Fangraphs, Bill James projects Marquis to pitch 202 innings with a 4.37 ERA. According to Yahoo!, the Nationals Team ERA was 5.00 last year. So is Marquis an upgrade? YES! Is he grossly overpaid? Nah, probably not. As you mention, are the Nats in big trouble this year? I think that was the point of Aaron’s 95 loss jab…

By: Shely

Shely — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 17:28:15 +0000

Boy, if this guy is an upgrade from anyone, they are in big trouble. Marquis is at very best marginal, and at worst, a bust. Very poor ERA, no clutch need to win attitude. He may have part of a decent year, but is guaranteed to fold over the long 162 game schedule. Lucky to have a 6.0 era over a year. The only hope is that with their firepower, Nats can give him a 12-10 victory on his day on the mound.

By: John_Michael

John_Michael — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 17:15:27 +0000

I’ll generally agree with Todd here. In a Better/Worse analysis, Marquis is an upgrade from what they have.
Fangraphs says Marquis had a 3.8 WAR last year, which translates to $17.1MM in FA dollars. So it appears we’re using $4.5MM for each marginal win above replacement. So, assuming $7.5MM per year, if the Nats get 1.667 marginal wins out of him (a 56% regression), they’ll get their money’s worth, so to speak.

By: Todd Boss

Todd Boss — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 16:50:02 +0000

Are “Circling the Bases” writers physically capable of seeing any positive effect in any Nationals move? Why don’t you guys actually do some analysis, think about the position the Nats are in thanks to MLB and Bowden and consider where we have to go.
Why don’t you check out Marquis’ baseball-reference page. He had a ballpark adjusted ERA+ of 113 in 2009, hardly “league average.” And that immediately makes him better than anything the Nats put out on the field last year. Isn’t that worth a 2yr contract for a team that has no where to go but up?? Yeah he’s a 4th starter for NY and Boston, but he’ll be valuable for us. Not everyone has a $150M payroll.
No type-A, high end free agent is going to come to Washington right now, so we’re making the moves we have to make. I think its time your writers admitted that to themselves and saw these moves for what they are; baby steps towards a .500 team and respectability.
considering t

By: dcfan

dcfan — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 16:40:08 +0000

As I mentioned in an earlier post, this is a better signing than you guys give credit too. This is a winning pitcher. Tons of postseason experience, veteran, and coming off a good season in a hitters park. Remember Mike Hampton before and after Coors. Now Marquis had a bad season with the Cardinals a few years back, but last season is whats important. Plus, like a Livan Hernandez, this guy eats inning, and to salvage the mental aspects of being beaten around which DC’s young pitching staff suffered last year, this will surely help.

By: Wells

Wells — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 16:32:20 +0000

Jason “I’m a New York guy” Marquis?

By: GBSimons

GBSimons — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 16:06:33 +0000

Ninety-five losses?!?! Aaron, you fail to grasp the power of Jason Marquis. His teams have gone to the playoffs every season in his decade-long career. Rizzo is tapping into this phenomenon, all but guaranteeing post-season baseball in D.C. He’s JASON MARQUIS after all, an unstoppable force of nature. How could you fail to comprehend that?

By: Joe

Joe — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 16:03:08 +0000

Don’t knock it, this is the same strategy that made the Pirates the team they are today!