Royals close to deal with Meche
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?
0 recs |
88 comments
Comments
don't understand
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
by RandyKutcherHair on Dec 7, 2006 11:42 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Meche
by nwroyal on Dec 7, 2006 11:45 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
spend it elsewhere
by RandyKutcherHair on Dec 7, 2006 11:47 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Like who?
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?
by RandyKutcherHair on Dec 7, 2006 12:02 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
The Rush
by eazyb81 on Dec 7, 2006 12:04 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I
by tbach81 on Dec 7, 2006 2:01 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
What a Meche
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?
by e 6 on Dec 7, 2006 11:50 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Again....
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
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?
by e 6 on Dec 7, 2006 12:12 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Re:
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?
by e 6 on Dec 7, 2006 12:27 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
ESPN
by eazyb81 on Dec 7, 2006 12:30 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Slim Pickins...
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
by robcast23 on Dec 7, 2006 5:51 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
as a jays fan
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
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
by Wheelhouse on Dec 7, 2006 12:22 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Yes...
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
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:
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...
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?
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?
- $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...
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!!!
- 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
- 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"
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
by Jurgen on Dec 7, 2006 5:28 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
At least Burnett
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
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...
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
by wildthang on Dec 7, 2006 5:30 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
And KC is leap-froggin' the Sox, Tigers, Indians..
Oh right.
With Gil Meche!
by Jurgen on Dec 7, 2006 5:34 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Well
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
That's two Meches and a Lilly.
by Yakker on Dec 7, 2006 5:13 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
"the allure of Gil Meche"
by Jurgen on Dec 7, 2006 5:41 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
WTF?
by eazyb81 on Dec 7, 2006 5:50 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Keith Law
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
by The Congo Hammer on Dec 7, 2006 12:06 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Meche
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
by samjjones on Dec 7, 2006 12:19 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Yea...
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
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?
by RandyKutcherHair on Dec 7, 2006 12:29 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
I don't think...
by zdavis2512 on Dec 7, 2006 12:36 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Another perspective
http://www.fishstripes.com/story/2006/11/6/6515/54099
Meche could be making half of that pitching for KC.
by e 6 on Dec 7, 2006 12:37 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
What I think you are all missing
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
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
Wow. $45M for Gil Meche. Will wonders never cease.
by Yakker on Dec 7, 2006 1:41 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
They ARE comparable
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
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
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:
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
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
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
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
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.
by Mean Dean on Dec 7, 2006 3:22 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
thanks!
"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.
by Mean Dean on Dec 7, 2006 10:28 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Wow
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...
Keep going with that cookie joke btw, that material is CLASSIC.
by Mean Dean on Dec 7, 2006 10:38 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
BR?
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
by Mean Dean on Dec 7, 2006 10:47 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Huh?
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
by John Sickels on Dec 7, 2006 11:06 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
55M????
by yoda1 on Dec 7, 2006 6:16 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Hmmm
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
On the bright side...
by yoda1 on Dec 8, 2006 10:14 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Nice move
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
by eazyb81 on Dec 7, 2006 10:13 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
actually, i'm in
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:
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
by daveh33 on Dec 7, 2006 10:29 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
$50 million
by e 6 on Dec 7, 2006 11:45 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

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