Royals close to deal with Meche

by eazyb81 on Dec 7, 2006 11:35 AM EST Comment 88 comments

According to Rosenthal and ESPN, the Royals are close to terms with Gil Meche on a 4 year, $45 million dollar deal.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2689724&campaign=rss&source=MLBHeadlines

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/6247654

If true, the Royals certainly overpaid for him in regards to his probable market value, but it makes a statement that the Moore-led Royals are going to make a legit effort to be competitive MLB team.

Thoughts on this deal?

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don't understand

why Dayton Moore would sign this guy to such a big contract. With the Royals situation, I think it would be best to save that money for a year or two when you have a better idea what your major league team is going to look like.

Gil Meche is not a difference maker for this team at this time. By the time the Royals are ready to compete he will probably be in the last year of this deal and they will have wasted 30+ million dollars on this guy. I've loved everything that Moore has done until this.

by bleacher bum on Dec 7, 2006 11:37 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Bad deal

Why is Moore wasting his limited resources on a guy like Meche?

by RandyKutcherHair on Dec 7, 2006 11:42 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Meche

as a Royals fan, not crazy about the deal--but the money is not as crippling as it seems. The Royals have over $20 million coming off the books after 2007 (Sweeney, Sanders, Elarton, perhaps Grudz).

by nwroyal on Dec 7, 2006 11:45 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

spend it elsewhere

wouldn't that money have been better spent elsewhere? like overpaying for another free agent who may actually positively contribute to the royals.

by RandyKutcherHair on Dec 7, 2006 11:47 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Like who?

It's easy to say "spend it elsewhere", but there are no better options on the open market. KC could trade for a pitcher, but then they would have to give up value in prospects.

At some point you have to start making the team better now instead of always looking ahead two years. Moore obviously wants to improve the team, and Meche will certainly do that (did you see their rotation last year?).

by eazyb81 on Dec 7, 2006 11:54 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

what's the rush?

The could easily hold the money and spend it at the trade deadline or next offseason on a free agent. What's the rush to spend the cash? Meche is a bad investment in my opinion.

by RandyKutcherHair on Dec 7, 2006 12:02 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

The Rush

obviously they would like to be competitive sooner rather than later. Meche certainly doesn't turn them into 90 game winner overnight, but he does improve the rotation and probably becomes their best starter.

by eazyb81 on Dec 7, 2006 12:04 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I

think that by spending big money on a free agent such as Meche, Moore is sending a message to Gordon, Hochevar, and Butler that when its their time to get the big dollars that they can expect to be handsomely rewarded. Move like this are a sign of good faith to not only the players but the season ticket holders that management will do its best to put a quality team on the field every day. So Moore is actualy investing his money wisely in the sense that hes letting everyone know that they are not going to put their two years in and get to walk away.

by tbach81 on Dec 7, 2006 2:01 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

excellent points

by gbrown on Dec 7, 2006 2:55 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

What a Meche

I like Meche, and I understand pitcher salaries are way high, but I don't get this. It doesn't matter if the money is crippling or not. KC has a small budget, so why overspend on an average starter? They're not going anywhere this year, so wait until they're competitive to overspend, and use money wisely. KC needs to spend frugally, and this is not frugal.

There's an obvious supply/demand issue with starters driving up the price to ridiculous levels right now. If you don't HAVE to have a starter, why spend the money?

"Baseball is dull only to dull minds." -Red Barber

by e 6 on Dec 7, 2006 11:50 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Again....

How are they going to get competitive if they don't spend money? Everyone wants to act like prospects will always come in to save the day in a year or two, but it rarely works out like that.

If they wait a few years and they're still not competitive, then what?

by eazyb81 on Dec 7, 2006 11:55 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Money

Of course they need to spend money, but they need to be smart about it. Assuming the team is waiting for the all-exalted savior of the free world Alex Gordon to build a winner around, and assuming AG comes up around the all-star break, they should be targeting 2008.

Not sure how accurate this is, but here's a list of next year's potential free agents:
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2006/10/2008_mlb_free_a.html

Why not take your chances and sign someone next offseason, instead of tying up the money in Meche now? I mean, $11M a year? For Meche?

"Baseball is dull only to dull minds." -Red Barber

by e 6 on Dec 7, 2006 12:12 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Re:

Like I said, they want to start being competitive now.....it may seem silly to people on message boards, but that's what Moore wants to do. Meche immediately becomes their best pitcher, and simultaneously drops everyone else down in the order. Therefore, guys like Zack Greinke, Luke Hochevar, and Tyler Lumsden can come up and pitch at the bottom of the rotation instead of immediately being expected to go against an opposing team's top pitchers.

Also, it's being reported that the deal was for 5 years, not 4 years. 5 yrs/45 mill is not bad at all.

by eazyb81 on Dec 7, 2006 12:16 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

source?

5/45 wouldn't be nearly as bad, but where did you see this? All I've seen is that 4/45 was being discussed, and he actually signed for 5, but the $ figure wasn't disclosed. I don't think he'll work the last year for free, so guessing the $ amount will be more than 45.

"Baseball is dull only to dull minds." -Red Barber

by e 6 on Dec 7, 2006 12:27 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

ESPN

they updated the original report:

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2689724

by eazyb81 on Dec 7, 2006 12:30 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

ESPN

but that doesn't say 5/45. Just says 4/45 was discussed and the deal was for 5. It'll be more than 45.

"Baseball is dull only to dull minds." -Red Barber

by e 6 on Dec 7, 2006 12:35 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Could be

who knows at this point. KC has a press conference scheduled for this afternoon, so we will find out the terms then.

by eazyb81 on Dec 7, 2006 12:37 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Slim Pickins...

Forget the 41 year olds - Smoltz and Schill
Zambrano will be out of KC's league (Yanks as RJ's replacement?)
Carp is off the market
That leaves Jennings and Westbrook, so maybe why not Meche?

by cooper7d7 on Dec 7, 2006 12:33 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

interesting point

and don't forget dontelle, i expect he'll become available by june

by robcast23 on Dec 7, 2006 5:51 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

as a jays fan

i'm thrilled we didn't get him and he took the extra 5M to play for a loser.....

the burnett and ryan deals are looking better and better after this off-season....

by Wheelhouse on Dec 7, 2006 11:54 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Hey now, watch it

The Royals have not played the 2007 season. Will they still be losers? Probably. But the Jays aren't in a great position either. Let's not personally attack teams, ok? The Jays are just as likely to finish below .500 next season as the Royals are.

As a Royals fan, I like this move. Why? It is the final sign that things really are going to be different. The owner is opening up his pockets; it isn't just lip service anymore. Dayton Moore outbid two high spenders in the Jays and Cubs...which is absolutely unthinkable a year ago. Like easy pointed out, they have a ton of money coming off the books next year, AND they just signed a new TV deal, which ought to bring in even more revenue, in addition to what they get from revenure sharing every year.

And who knows? Maybe Meche will finally live up to his potential. At worst, he'll be the best pitcher we're had in years. At best, he could be our ace and make a difference. KC will be a nice park for him to pitch in.

Anyway, that's my two cents.

by ajohnst1 on Dec 7, 2006 12:06 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Sorry, but the royals are losers

100 losses each of the past 3 years is the very defintion of losers.....this is the classic "free agent going for every dollar they can get and not giving a care about winning" type deal.......good luck to meche, and good luck to the royals - they're both going to need it......

by Wheelhouse on Dec 7, 2006 12:22 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Yes...

and Burnett signed with the Blue Jays because they are such a winning franchise with a great tradition, not because they offered him the most money.

Seriously, there's no need to attack teams, it just makes you look petty and foolish.

by eazyb81 on Dec 7, 2006 12:24 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

who's attacking? i just call them like i see them

kc have been losers - that is the label you get stuck with when you lose a lot of games!!

some people around here just have too thin skin.....a spade is a spade, deal with it

by Wheelhouse on Dec 7, 2006 12:45 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

re:

KC might have had some rough seasons recently, but looking at their organization as a whole, I'd say their future is bright. Maybe brighter than the Jays.
If I were to pick which franchise will win more games over the next 5 years, my money would be on KC.

by SmokeyJoeWood on Dec 7, 2006 1:08 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Alright...

So the Jays are losers as well? And will be as long as they are stuck behind the Yanks and Red Sox?

They have one of the worst farm systems in the game...

They have no hope for the future...?

At least the Royals have the best one-two prospect punch in the minors, a GM who knows what he's doing, and an owner who finally looks like he's willing to spend some money.

Did we overpay for Meche? Sure. Have the Royals been bad for the last couple of seasons? Absolutely. Am I asking for your sympathy? No. Right now I am damn happy to be a Royals fan, and damn proud of Dayton Moore for getting his man.

by ajohnst1 on Dec 7, 2006 1:11 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

A GM who knows what he's doing?

$55M for Meche pretty much negates that argument. (Especially when $47M buys you Jason Schmidt.)

I'm not sure Baird did anything quite this nutty.

I like the Ryan Shealy deal, but otherwise Moore has a long way to go before we can say he knows what he's doing. How he handles the Teahen/Gordon conflict at 3B, and the Sweeney/Huber/Butler/Shealy logjam at 1B/DH will tell us a lot about him.

by Jurgen on Dec 7, 2006 4:46 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

What?

"$55M for Meche pretty much negates that argument. (Especially when $47M buys you Jason Schmidt.)"

$55 mill buys 5 years of Meche, while $47 mill bought 3 years of Schmidt....big difference.
Schmidt took $47 mill to pay for the Dodgers, he would have required much more than that to sign with the Royals, so comparing them as equally legit options for KC is silly (in reality, there was probably no way he would have signed with KC).

by eazyb81 on Dec 7, 2006 4:49 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Depends on how you look at it...

If Moore was serious about bringing in an "ace", why not toss that $55M at Schmidt over three years?

For all intents and purposes, Meche could be dead in a ditch by 2011. I'd rather dramatically overpay for Schmidt over a shorter contract than overpay for Meche over a longer period of time.

by Jurgen on Dec 7, 2006 5:01 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

We got the Meche!!!

Several Reasons why this was a great move

Instantly helps the rotation, and instead of a historically bad rotation, we have a couple guys that can do some good.
Opens the market for next year. The royals can't just burst onto the scene when Gordon/Butler/Hoch arrive and expect teams to listen up. They need to preface this a few years earlier by making some splashes in the FA market

3.Gets some interest back in KC for royals baseball in a team that has had none over the last decade!

Money has no value just sitting around, you have to spend it!
About Jason Schmidty for 47 mil. SHUT UP! Do your feeble math skills not allow you to compute? 11 over 5 for Meche! Roughly 16 Mil over three for Schmidt!
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

by wildthang on Dec 7, 2006 5:02 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

If by "gets some interest back in KC"

you mean fans going, "Wow, the Royals spent $11M a year on a guy who has never tossed 200 innings a season or had an ERA under 4.00 (despite playing in the league's best pitchers' park)?"

Sure.

Or, how 'bout this one, sure to be heard many times at Kaufman this year, "Hey, isn't that guy who can't get out of the 6th inning (again) getting paid $11M a year?"

That does the trick, too.

Or even, "Wait, are you sure we should have paid $11M a year to a guy with a career 5.34 road ERA? Couldn't Runelvys have done the same for peanuts?"

Also true.

You're right.

by Jurgen on Dec 7, 2006 5:21 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Meche and Schmidt

If you think Meche is worth $11M a year but Schmidt isn't worth, say, $18M per annum (the same total package over a dramatically shorter time frame), I'm not sure what to tell you.

by Jurgen on Dec 7, 2006 5:28 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

At least Burnett

has real see-it-in-the-numbers upside. If/when healthy, Burnett's a 120 ERA+ pitcher. It was a wacky deal, but it still has a real, non-zero chance of working out for Toronto.

Meche's upside is all talk about his "stuff". Moore, like Ricciardi, is not only paying for a guy who can't stay healthy, but, unlike Ricciardi, for one who still hasn't proven he can perform at a high level.

At least he'll be around to mentor Greinke on how to transform your potential into a sub-100 ERA+.

by Jurgen on Dec 7, 2006 4:57 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Sour Puss Blue Jays Fan

whahahah

IN YOUR FACE. BURNED BY THE ROYALS!

by wildthang on Dec 7, 2006 5:04 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

You're right, I am a Jays fan...

AND WAS PRAYING TO GOD EVERY SINGLE NIGHT THEY WOULDN'T SIGN MECHE OR LILLY.

J.P. was saved from his own stupidity.

by Jurgen on Dec 7, 2006 5:23 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Hope you have a blanket

your seat back in third place might have gotten a little cold.

by wildthang on Dec 7, 2006 5:30 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

And KC is leap-froggin' the Sox, Tigers, Indians..

how exactly?

Oh right.

With Gil Meche!

by Jurgen on Dec 7, 2006 5:34 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Actually

Dayton Moore has said we will win with 10% luck 20% skill 15% concentrated power of will 5% pleasure and 50% pain.

That would be 100% reason to remember the name.

by wildthang on Dec 7, 2006 5:40 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

great song

by robcast23 on Dec 7, 2006 5:53 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Well

He has performed at a high level in stretches, just not for an entire season. Not a great counterpoint, but it's not as if he's been a total scrub for his entire MLB career as you're attempting to imply.

Meche has averaged over 28 starts per year over the last 4 seasons; i'm not sure how that defines him as a "guy who can't stay healthy" (Burnett averages 19 starts a season over that same timespan).

Even a "numbers guy" like Keith Law loves Meche's potential upside and calls him a "pitching coach's dream". If you don't want to acknowledge this, fine, but you're ignoring a large part of the allure of Meche.

by eazyb81 on Dec 7, 2006 5:08 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Didn't

Jeff Loria buy the Fish for $160M a few years back?

That's two Meches and a Lilly.

by Yakker on Dec 7, 2006 5:13 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Re:

the times they are a-changin'

by eazyb81 on Dec 7, 2006 5:19 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

"the allure of Gil Meche"

is kinda like saying the "allure" of Rosie O'Donnell.

by Jurgen on Dec 7, 2006 5:41 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

or the talent of aj burnett

by wildthang on Dec 7, 2006 5:44 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

WTF?

I thought you made some decent points earlier, but now you're acting like a little kid trying to get attention.

by eazyb81 on Dec 7, 2006 5:50 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Keith Law

Keith Law makes me irrational. It's not enough he had to help stunt the Jays' development, but now he's getting paid to say crap like that.

Talk about giving "numbers guys" a bad name.

by Jurgen on Dec 7, 2006 5:57 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

What the stats don't tell

is that Gil Meche is a potential breakout pitcher. This deal might not look good now looking at his past mediocrity, but he has always been praisesd as having top-of-the rotation potential. He showed signs of improvement last year, and could be due for a decent breakout season and a much better latter half of his career

Hey fish, leave those kids alone!

by The Congo Hammer on Dec 7, 2006 12:06 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Meche

I tend to agree. His major shoulder injury a few years back slowed his development, and he may just now be getting over it. Obviously Moore likes his youth and the upside he offers.

Meche has some comps in Chris Carpenter and Jason Schmidt, and he has a chance to follow their career path.

by eazyb81 on Dec 7, 2006 12:09 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Do you really believe

That the KC Royals and their tremendous coaching staff will be the ones to unlock Meche's hidden potential?

by samjjones on Dec 7, 2006 12:19 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Yea...

and he's been a "potential breakout candidate" since 2003.

He's got nasty stuff, and I've been a closet fan since he dominated the Yankees a few years ago, but he's just not that good.

Horrible signing by Moore.

by SenorGato88 on Dec 7, 2006 1:36 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Meche

He had top of the rotation stuff...BEFORE his torn labrum. Now, he did recover better than most pitchers with labrum injuries, and still has the stuff to be maybe a #3 or a #2 if you stretch it.

Will he put it together consistently? I wouldn't bet $45 million on it myself. Maybe $30 million would be semi-reasonable.

You also have to remember that he's coming out of one of the majors best pitching parks and has put up worse than average #'s even there for several years running.

So overall, for your $45 million, there's maybe a 5% chance you'll get a #2 starter (worth it), 25% chance you'll get a #3 starter (maybe worth it), a 30% chance you'll get a #4 starter (not worth it), a 25% chance you'll get a #5 starter (definitely not worth it), and a 15% chance he'll either get injured or be so ineffective that he's completely useless.

Overall, the chances are at least 70%-80% that he will not be worth the money, and almost a 50% chance that he'll be a catastrophic waste of money.

by BaseballBrain on Dec 7, 2006 12:28 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

5th year?

Now reports are surfacing from ESPN that have the deal at 5 years and not 4 years guaranteed. This just keeps getting worse for the Royals.

by RandyKutcherHair on Dec 7, 2006 12:29 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

5 years possibly $55-60 million

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/16186513.htm

by RandyKutcherHair on Dec 7, 2006 1:19 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I don't think...

That the contract is bad, given that Ted Lilly got 4/40, and I still can't get over the fact that Pierre got 5/44. Like others, however, I'm just not sure that it makes sense for the Royals. I think this money could be put to better use with multiple bargain bin players, hoping one of them succeeds and could be dealt for prospects. Meche is better suited for a win now situation which I don't think the Royals qualify for.

Fire Uncle Charlie!

by zdavis2512 on Dec 7, 2006 12:36 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Except

Lilly is probably a better pitcher right now than Meche.

by yoda1 on Dec 8, 2006 10:21 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Another perspective

The Marlins payroll next year will be around $22M

http://www.fishstripes.com/story/2006/11/6/6515/54099

Meche could be making half of that pitching for KC.

"Baseball is dull only to dull minds." -Red Barber

by e 6 on Dec 7, 2006 12:37 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

What I think you are all missing

The Royals overpaid. A lot. Yes, they did.

Yesterday, they traded a young arm with a ton of upside for a possible 3-4-5 starter.

But while those moves may not make sense for some teams, they absolutely DO make sense for the Royals.

We need pitching. And we got pitching.

We needed a big name free agent. And we got one. The Tigers didn't get to the World Series overnight. They started on the path to respectability when they overpaid for Pudge Rodriguez. Pudge isn't worth the money they're paying him, but his signing absolutely sent a message to free agents that Detroit was serious about spending money and getting better. The Meche signing is the same signal from KC.

This is the difference between Allard Baird and Dayton Moore. Baird said all those same things, that he wouldn't accept losing, and so on, but he didn't follow through. Part of that was David Glass' fault.

But Dayton Moore, before he took the job in KC, demanded that he be given more money to go after free agents, and demanded complete control over baseball operations. He got it.

Since then, he's ejected a number of useless veteran players for young arms, he's traded pitchers who had no future in KC, he's signed a free agent, and he's outright released the poster boy for KC futility, Runelvys Hernandez.

Runelvys came to camp the last two seasons waaay out of shape. Baird sent him to the minors, only to call him back up a month later. He rewarded Runelvys for being a failure. Baird's players took advantage of his kindness.

Moore released his fat ass. No more excuses. DM is not even done. KC is going to be a much better team next year and for years to come. That's the point of this deal.

by ajohnst1 on Dec 7, 2006 1:18 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Pudge/Meche

are not even comparable. Pudge is still (going into the 4th year of the deal) an average catcher offensively with elite defense - overall clearly above average at his position.

Meche nowhere near fits the "above average" profile, though the money paid would lead you to believe he did.

Enjoy him. I predict in his 5 years, he'll go 35-50 with a 5.20 ERA.

by BaseballBrain on Dec 7, 2006 1:24 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Meche prediction

The ERA seems about right, but to get to 85 decisions, that's what, 120 starts? You really think he'll be healthy that long?

Wow. $45M for Gil Meche. Will wonders never cease.

by Yakker on Dec 7, 2006 1:41 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

No...

$55-60M for Gil Meche.

"Baseball is dull only to dull minds." -Red Barber

by e 6 on Dec 7, 2006 1:45 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

They ARE comparable

Not in terms of value, but in terms of what they did for the team.

The Tigers also signed Troy Percival to a multi-year, multi-million dollar deal. They also signed Magglio Ordonez, a huge injury risk, and they signed Kenny Rogers, an over 40 pitcher.

Not all of that money was well spent. Some of those contracts were lucky. But guess what? It got the Tigers to the World Series.

Meche is 28, has solid stuff, he's going to be reaching his peak, and he has a lot of room for improvement. Could he be a bust? Sure. Could he be the best pitcher the Royals have had in four or five years? Absolutely.

Look, no pitcher deserves that kind of money. But the Royals had money to spend, just like the Cubbies, and they spent it. Time will tell if they invested wisely.

But, for now, having almost 40 comments on something the Royals did...well, that's fantastic.

by ajohnst1 on Dec 7, 2006 2:02 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

At the time

IRod was believed to be breaking down and no one was offering him the type of money that Detroit was throwing at him.

I doubt the Royals are looking at Meche's career numbers and saying "that's a guy we have to give $50+ mill to". Rather, they are evaluating him on his youth, upside, and raw stuff. Moore was quoted as saying Meche has the best raw stuff of any pitcher in this year's free agent market. If you want to disagree, that's fine, but the Royals believe he can be a legit top of the rotation starter for them.

by eazyb81 on Dec 7, 2006 2:07 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Pudge/Meche

For all the talk back then about Pudge "breaking down", there was no evidence personally to back that up. Yes, there was evidence from past players, but not much from Pudge, who has been pretty durable throughout his career.

I think that contract, though a bit much, had a good chance of being worth at least 75% of its value, and little chance of being catastrophic.

For Meche, the chances are reversed. You can talk about his stuff all you want, but 645 mediocre innings in a VERY pitcher friendly park over the last four years would seem to be a strong counterargument. He has never shown the smarts, control, or consistency to harness that stuff (and on some occasions, the stuff just wasn't there).

There are pitchers who do turn into gems later in their career after struggling early, but not too many of them fit Meche's profile.

I say all this as a Mariners fan who really likes Meche and wants him to succeed.

by BaseballBrain on Dec 7, 2006 2:24 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Re:

"There are pitchers who do turn into gems later in their career after struggling early, but not too many of them fit Meche's profile."

According to BR, two of Meche's top comps are Chris Carpenter and Jason Schmidt.

by eazyb81 on Dec 7, 2006 2:28 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

OK

I'll accept Schmidt as a fairly reasonable comp., and the best case scenario outcome.

Carpenter is superficially similar, but he pitched in a strong hitters park when he put up his Meche-like #'s and then moved to a more pitcher friendly league and park.

Meche is going in the opposite direction.

by BaseballBrain on Dec 7, 2006 2:51 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

This may be sad, but

Even if he doesn't pitch much better than he has, Meche will still be the best starter we Royals fans have seen in awhile. And to us, unless he gets hurt or prevents us from signing another guy down the road (which I don't think he will...it's a new age for us in terms of spending), that's worth a lot. Is it worth what we paid him? Of course not. But once you take out the extra money we had to spend to outbid Chicago and Toronto, I'd say Meche will be worth every penny, TO US.

Now, obviously, we had to pay more, but it's not like Chicago and Toronto weren't overpaying...we overpaid them, so we overpaid for an overpaid starter. But it would have been worth overpaying him once, no matter what he does. And it may well be worth overpaying him twice.

As for Pudge...what about Troy Percival? Or Todd Jones? Or Magglio? The Tigers looked pretty dumb on some of those deals. On Maggs, with the market the way it is now, they look smart. They got lucky. Maybe the Royals will too.

Unless you're the Yankees, you have to take risks to win. And you have to take risks to be respectable.

by ajohnst1 on Dec 7, 2006 3:06 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

OK

Nice post. It makes me come around a little on this signing. Don't get me wrong, if I were running a club I wouldn't give $65M in Monopoly money to Gil Meche, but I see the point.

Dayton and Co. obviously have access to more info and are better at evaluating talent than I am sitting in my little cube, so who knows? Maybe Meche will blossom into another Carpenter. I'm rooting for him now, because it's clear that you loyal KC fans deserve it.

by Yakker on Dec 7, 2006 3:18 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Thanks

If he turns into the next Carpenter, watch out. I doubt he will, but I'm optimistic.

It's just really nice for we Royals fans to have something to be excited about, and, for now, it gives us a lot to look forward to next season.

If Meche bombs, those feelings of optimism might change, but for now, I'm pretty pleased.

by ajohnst1 on Dec 7, 2006 6:11 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

asdf

We needed a big name free agent. And we got one.

No, you didn't.

and boom goes the dynamite.

by Mean Dean on Dec 7, 2006 3:22 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

excellent analysis!

you get a cookie.

by eazyb81 on Dec 7, 2006 3:31 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

thanks!

Your feedback has encouraged me to expand on my analysis. It's now 33% more words. Ready?

"You signed Gil Meche."

I had more in an earlier draft... it dealt with why Gil Meche is not a "big name free agent"... but then I realized that surely no one would actually need that explained to them.

and boom goes the dynamite.

by Mean Dean on Dec 7, 2006 10:28 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Wow

more excellent feedback!

You get two cookies this time. This site would surely fall apart without your insight....kudos!

by eazyb81 on Dec 7, 2006 10:31 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

again...

Thanks! For more information about Meche, please contact your local baseball-reference.

Keep going with that cookie joke btw, that material is CLASSIC.

and boom goes the dynamite.

by Mean Dean on Dec 7, 2006 10:38 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

BR?

two of the top comps for Meche are Jason Schmidt and Chris Carpenter.

Hmm, I guess that info isn't pertinent though, eh?

by eazyb81 on Dec 7, 2006 10:40 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

sorry

I had forgotten that a player's name recognition is derived from their BR comparables list.

and boom goes the dynamite.

by Mean Dean on Dec 7, 2006 10:47 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Huh?

"Thanks! For more information about Meche, please contact your local baseball-reference."

I was replying to this....geez, you're slow.

by eazyb81 on Dec 7, 2006 10:49 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

PERSONAL

let's not get personal guys. At least not over Gil Meche. If we're going to get personal, let's get personal over a cheesecake argument or something.

by John Sickels on Dec 7, 2006 11:06 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

55M????

I thought that number was a typo. 29 yo with more serious injuries in his career than most pitchers in the game today with a 4.50 ERA is worth that much? For 5 years? LOL... How many more wins is he going to get the Royals as their staff ace? 3? That is so funny I can't stop laughing.

by yoda1 on Dec 7, 2006 6:16 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Hmmm

his shoulder injury back in 02-03 was certainly a major issue, but he hasn't had a "big" injury in years.

As I pointed out in an earlier post, he's averaged over 28 starts per season over the past 4 years...not exactly what you would call injury-prone.

by eazyb81 on Dec 7, 2006 10:16 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah

and he has a career 4.50 ERA... Not only will KC be fighting for last place in the next 5 years, they will also be 55M light.

by yoda1 on Dec 8, 2006 10:12 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

On the bright side...

KC might get lucky and Meche ends up on the DL, forcing the insurance company to pick up his salary.

by yoda1 on Dec 8, 2006 10:14 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Nice move

Is this the same eazyb from nfldc?

Anyhow, I like the move. No doubt it's overpaying, but it's akin to what the Cubs did in overpay for Soriano, and it's akin to what Dombrowski did in getting Pudge/Magglio. It's to send a message to everyone in an effort to gain legitimacy.

WIth the young core of positional talent coming up, they couldn't afford to have the youngsters beaten down by poor pitching to complement. So, yes, they overpaid for a decent veteran, at best, in Meche, but a guy who was better than what they had.

With Meche, Bannister, the team has a chance to be much more competitive next year. If Greinke, Hochevar, and/or Lumsden can pan out, that could be a solid rotation as the youngsters bloom.

No, the money isn't ideal, but it's a good move nonetheless.

by toonsterwu on Dec 7, 2006 8:36 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Yes

what's up toon, long time no see. How's Ithaca treating you?

by eazyb81 on Dec 7, 2006 10:13 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

actually, i'm in

NYC these days. Sporadic posting on NFLDC these days.

Tamba's been real good for the Chiefs so far.

Oh, so your cousin getting any insight on where he might get moved to?

by toonsterwu on Dec 7, 2006 11:06 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Re:

Same here, but I try to make an appearance on there every now and then.

Tamba's been nice, but still more of the same from the D.

He hears a lot of different things, but he's really hoping to stay put where he's at right now. Can't blame him, they seem to have a good thing going right now.

by eazyb81 on Dec 7, 2006 11:19 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I think I'm going to start throwing

the tennis ball against a wall again....maybe hire a personal trainer and pitching coach...and Im only 21...4 years of this, with my HS pitching slowly coming back to me, and I'll be good for at least a $50 million-dollar contract...and I'll only be 25!!

by daveh33 on Dec 7, 2006 10:29 PM EST reply actions 0 recs