A few thoughts immediately entered my mind with the news of the Brandon Morrow trade. I thought about the Mariners rotation now, who is the prospect the team gets in return, Tim Lincecum, Bill Bavasi's legacy, more free agents and a curious tattoo.
Here's my initial reflections:
1. I don't like it. I had reached a comfort level over a rotation that looked like this: Felix Hernandez, Cliff Lee, Morrow, Ryan Rowland-Smith, Ian Snell. Morrow, inconsistent and a bit of a head case, would have fit nicely down the rotation, watching and learning from those two great ones ahead of him. This takes that quintet down a notch, in my view.
2. It doesn't fully close the book on Bavasi's disastrous reign as the M's GM but it ends - not well - one of his critical bone-header decisions. He and his scouts decided that Morrow, who showed the same pitching inconsistencies at Cal and was a known diabetic, was a better long-term projection as a pitcher than Lincecum, taken in the 2006 first round by the Giants five picks later. Bavasi defended his choice his entire time here. He said that Lincecum's delivery would eventually cause arm problems. Maybe that would be from lifting up his two Cy Young Award trophies?
3. Brandon League, the announced player the Blue Jays are sending in return, is sort of the Jays' Morrow. He also throws hard - 100 mph at times - but has control issues and needed to find his place in the bullpen. I like his age (26) and potential and think that pitching coach Rick Adair can get him to fill an important role in the pen this season, especially with Sean White still recovering from shoulder surgery. The Mariners did get a quality arm in return.
4. Who's the prospect thrown in? That's key for me because I think the Mariners are giving up too much. This guy could be the long-term bargain. The Times Geoff Baker clearly was caught reporting short. He's a guy who used to work the Jays beat and he couldn't come up with the name? At least we know where he's going on vacation. I tend to accept it might be OF Johermyn Chavez. He is mentioned by Toronto MLB.com writer Jordan Bastian and his story is listed on the Mariners web site. Chavez, a single-A player, shows power, with 21 home runs and 89 RBI for Single-A Lansing last season while hitting .282. He's a ways away but moves up near the top of M's production prospects.
5. I'm continued to be dismayed by the lack of solid newspaper reporting on this and so many other issues. TV and radio stations are breaking news now. That hardly ever happened before. It's the result of the decline in competition that one-newspaper towns bring.
6. This can't be the Mariners set rotation now: Hernandez, Lee, Rowland-Smith, Snell and a collection of marginal candidates, Doug Fister, Luke French, Garrett Olson, Jason Vargas. This club, which already needs another quality bat, also must sign or trade for another quality veteran starter. Those final two spots in the rotation are way too uncertain and if the club doesn't address it they will be wasting the Hernandez-Lee combination.
7. Even though I'm on record here to initially dislike this deal, I trust GM Jack Zduiencik. Obviously, he and his scouts know so much more than the rest of us (something we couldn't quite say about Bavasi), so they believe this is an upgrade. I just hope there's more up his sleeve.
8. Finally, I thought of a tattoo. I've done a lot of free lance assignments for other teams for AP and MLB.com and covered the Blue Jays quite a few times over the years. What I remember most about the Jays' clubhouse was League walking around, shirtless, with a number of tattoos. One in particular caught my eye. At the top of his shoulders in back he has the letters: L-E-A-G-U-E. It's like he has uniform name on his birthday suit.
Comments
In point #2 you refer to Brandon Morrow as a "known diabetic," as if that makes him any less of a baseball player. You are obviously using that in a negative way (I.e., "known felon") to suggest that he may have been damaged goods coming out of college as a draft choice. Let me educate you Mr. Sherwin. For Mr. Morrow to perservere while managing his disease every day speaks volumes about his character and determination. As a "known diabetic" he serves as a role model to kids and teens just like him, those who face adversity with higher goals of being successful at whatever they choose to do in life.
Bob, I like your analysis. I agree, I think Seattle came up on the short end in this deal, but like most trades, time will tell.
I can tell you this about League: When he's on, he's incredible. It's rare though and he's known to have his hanging fastball taken for a ride. For the Mariners' sake, I hope he finds his control.
Morrow seems like he has a lot of potential. The Jays are most likely going to want him in their rotation and not out of the bullpen as their rotation suffered quite a blow from the loss of Doc Halladay.
To John From NY - Diabetes does make him less of a baseball player. It's one of the reasons Morrow cited for being switched from the rotation to the bullpen.
Quote from a SI article - Diabetes is also a factor. Morrow often found himself with low blood sugar in the early innings of games he started and then trying to adjust his levels as the game progressed. (source listed in Brandon Morrow's Wikipedia entry - I can't put URLs on the comment page)
Dave - "Diabetes does make him less of a baseball player" is a narrow, uneducated generalization. It's about how it is managed by the individual. If Morrow's trainers figure out the proper regiment for him, it's a non-issue. My guess is that that will happen in Toronto, as he appears slated for a starting slot. It's up to Brandon to figure out what works best for him. And by the way, HOF Philly Flyer Bobby Clark was type-1 throughout his career, the swimmer and multiple Olympic medalist Gary Hall is Type-1, and Adam Morrison had a stellar basketball career at Gonzaga while managing his condition. Along with Bears quarterback Jay Cutler (and dozens of other examples), these are top athletes involved in very strenuous sports. I wish Brandon Morrow well and trust that he will receive great support and advice and, in the process, educate those who absorb and write from limited information.
You lost me the second you penciled Morrow in ahead of Rowland-Smith. That boggles the mind. Not sure why you would even have Morrow slated in the rotation at the 3 spot. He had no command over his pitches, and was so erratic. Part of Morrow's problem was that people just penciled him in for positions he actually never earned or deserved. From starter to closer, back to starter. Wherever Morrow wanted to pitch, the M's let him do. It did not work out for him. I know he was picked over Lincecum and there were high hopes. However, he should be learning in Triple A, not at the #3 spot behind Felix & Cliff. And frankly, RRS has proven to be more of a consistent pitcher. I hope Toronto gives Morrow the chance to find a place where he can flourish.
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