I’m not blind to the fact that you want to limit Kershaw’s innings as the season wears on, and that guys like Kuroda and Wolf are prone to injury. I just think the Dodgers have enough rotation depth to compensate for issues like that (remember, you’ve still got Eric Milton, Eric Stults, James McDonald, Jeff Weaver, and eventually you have to do something with Jason Schmidt), so giving up the top price that Washburn would likely command to get someone who’d be LA’s 4th starter – at best – just doesn’t seem worth it.
Let’s leave him for the Mets and Phillies to fight over.
And I stand by that. But then, via MLBTR, we have this from Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times:
Lots of discussion on this blog today about reports out of Los Angeles that the Dodgers are interesting in acquiring Mariners pitcher Jarrod Washburn. One of the pieces the Dodgers could be looking to move is speedy outfielder Juan Pierre, a perennial threat on the basepaths who could naturally fit in to Seattle’s left field slot after the season-ending injury to Endy Chavez.
It should be stated right off the bat that although Pierre has put up a career-best on-base-plus-slugging percentage of .825 so far, his batting average on balls put in play is a whopping .368 — about 80 points above average. So, his numbers might be due for a tumble. That’s for starters. Then again, some folks feel the same way about Washburn’s totals.
The fact that anyone’s even considering this is a little mind-blowing to me, as what would you rather have? A glorified 4th starter with about $5m left on his deal, or a glorified 4th outfielder with about $23m left on his deal? Granted, Baker does say he doesn’t really think it’d work, and I can’t see how it would. But yeah, that’s one way I’d love to get Jarrod Washburn. (No, don’t tell me about how great Pierre’s been. He’s been lousy lately, and three weeks of good play doesn’t override 2+ years of poor play – nor does it mean he’ll be any better over the next 2.5 years.)
What’s really great, though, is what the Mariner fans on Baker’s blog have to say. Like…
Anyone posting that this is a good idea should throw away all of their Mariners gear and move out of the state. Washburn is one of our biggest assets right now for trading for GOOD players. Washburn for Pierre is insane, no matter how you spin it.
NO! Are you kidding? Very bad idea. Washburn needs some run support and we have enough singles hitters. Give me a break.
If you ignore AVG, OBP, SLG, defense, stolen base percentage and pretty much every other meaningful catagory, offensively and defensively then yes, Ichiro and Juan Pierre are exactly the same.
What a truly terrible idea. Pierre is a bad player in the midst of a hot streak. He’s been a well below average hitter (look at more than batting average, people) since his big year with the Marlins until this year. His defense is at times flashy, but at times erratic, and overall he works out to being about an average defender. Even his vaunted stolen bases aren’t really much of an asset, as he’s caught more than 25 per cent of the time.If there was a good reason to think his 200 ABs in 2009 was his true talent and likely future performance, and not, say, what he’s done over the last five years or so, he’d be an OK pickup. But there’s no good reason to think that. His contract is a Bavasi-esque albatross.
