Comments on: The Orioles are interested in Joe Saunders

By: dowhatifeellike

dowhatifeellike — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 15:46:35 +0000

He’s a guy with a recognizable name, which should appease the fans. Duquette and Angelos are more concerned with appearing to try to win on a budget than actually trying to win.

By: hammyofdoom

hammyofdoom — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 17:15:23 +0000

I honestly don’t think theres a chance in hell Saunders ERA would be under 4.5 if he went to the Al east next year. Striking out 100, walking 60, and for 3 years before last year he had a whip in the 1.4′s, almost 1.5 at one point. Last year was his second best year EVER in terms of ERA and Whip, yet he walked more guys than ever while striking out an average amount for him. He’d get shelled in the East

By: Reflex

Reflex — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 14:04:28 +0000

Except Danks is a much better overall pitcher.

By: JBerardi

JBerardi — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 04:37:07 +0000

Go back to PFT until you learn what division the Orioles play in. Craig is right, Saunders would get crushed there. And then also maybe check on how many games the Orioles won last year. They’ve got no business spending any real money on a pitcher who’s basically back-end rotation filler.

By: JBerardi

JBerardi — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 04:28:53 +0000

They need more time in other organizations.

By: brewcrewfan54

brewcrewfan54 — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 00:07:55 +0000

MLBtraderumors is a great site if all you want is straight news. This site adds a little bit of lighter side to it. I don’t always like the smug commentary but I know that’s what this site is about so it doesn’t bother me. Just like I know when I go to ESPN there’s a good chance they’re leaving facts out to support their agenda.

By: aschwartz2011

aschwartz2011 — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 23:55:15 +0000

sorry Denks

By: aschwartz2011

aschwartz2011 — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 23:54:34 +0000

those numbers seem pretty similar to Jenks who just got a multi year big money deal.

By: quintjs

quintjs — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 23:37:40 +0000

You have to remember though that the story should be reported but isn’t really that interesting. A team might be interested in an average pitcher. Craig is just trying to make the article more interesting for us, but most likely himself.

Also, the point about regretting the signing is valid as teams have a track record of signing guys like Saunders to insane contracts that they regret after year one and kill the team by year three.

By: moveablenu

moveablenu — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 23:34:05 +0000

Saunders isn’t the Missing Piece the Orioles need, by any stretch, but he could wind up being a nice pitcher for them or anyone else who signs him. Also of note: Saunders is from Northern Virginia, and pitched at Virginia Tech. Duquette has said that he’d like to acquire some local talent, which partly explains this (he’s also a capable lefty and all) and the Orioles’ wanting to trade with the White Sox for Gavin Floyd, who’s from the Baltimore area, as opposed to John Danks.

By: Kyle

Kyle — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 23:25:19 +0000

That’s all well and good except for the part where Joe Saunders has barely been above replacement level for 3 years now. Sure, teams need #4 and #5 starters but they’d be better served paying a lesser name 500k to fill that need instead of Joe Saunders many many millions of dollars.

By: tgifinley88

tgifinley88 — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 23:12:21 +0000

I couldn’t agree more. I hit most of the nbc sports sites at the top of the page, and until recently I frequented this page as much as the others. But lately, thanks to stories written like this, I’ve found mlbtraderumors to be much better. Maybe tone down the poor stand up comic routine and stick to the facts and this site would be a better read.

By: bloodysock

bloodysock — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 22:31:35 +0000

No, but John Lackey was very homely in mid-December of the 2009 off-season.

By: jetsguy1117

jetsguy1117 — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 22:27:25 +0000

every once in a while i click over to here from PFT. and two minutes thereafter, i immediately ask myself “why?”. is it possible for you to write a single article without being a total jerk? its funny – you clearly sat down saying “ok, my first instinct is joe saunders sucks, so lets rip him a new one”. you get the intro on paper, then you check his stats just so you can tie up your article, and realize “hey, he actually isnt THAT bad”. but you’re so stubborn, rather than just report on the rumored interest, you go with the “well, if he hasn’t sucked yet, he surely will suck in the AL east” route.

fact of the matter is he has pitchers 200 innings year in and year out since 2008 with an ERA in the 4.1-4.2 range. sorry we can’t all be cy young. you know, teams do need a #4 and #5 starter.

By: proudlycanadian

proudlycanadian — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 22:27:02 +0000

He will not win more games than he loses in the AL East; however, he would be an improvement over many of the young pitchers used last season. Several pitchers used by Baltimore last season needed more time in the minors.

By: Francisco (FC)

Francisco (FC) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 22:22:54 +0000

So Cliff Lee was “homely” last December? LOL!