The Dodgers have come to terms with some guy named Eric Gagne. Do not be confused, this is not the same Eric Gagne that won the 2003 NL Cy Young Award while serving as the Dodgers closer. This is not the same Eric Gagne who saved 84 straight opportunities, a record that still stands. No, this Eric Gagne is much different.
This Eric Gagne was not even in the Majors last season. This Eric Gagne played in a Canadian league last year, and was torched for a 4.65 ERA. While dude did get an invite to camp, it would be a shock if he actually made the roster. If he does not make the roster, he will be free to sign with another team if he exercises his “out clause”, which is the most likely scenario.
It is quite baffling that Gagne would go back to the Dodgers, unless he plans on retiring. That would also be a surprise since dude is only 34 years old and had an offer from the Rockies as well. The decision to join the Dodgers will be a head scratcher for a bit, since he has no chance of making their already stacked bully. So look for Gagne to be enacting that “out clause” in the next month, and do not look for him on your fantasy draft board. There is no reason at all to pay this dude one bit of attention. Well, except while reading this post.
Well, maybe not all good, but for the most part. An MRI on dude’s throwing shoulder revealed no structural damage, and the 24 year old right hander just needs to rest his sore shoulder. The official diagnosis is anterior shoulder inflammation. Jurrjens should be on pace to make his first start of the season without any issues.
This is great news for the Bravos as well as their fans. It is also good news for you fantasy players, because a lot of people will see this as a red flag and drop him on their boards. Good. Drop him all you want. Jurrjens will prove to be a solid fantasy option again this year, if not a top 10 starter. Yes, I know that a lot of publications, including Baseball Prospectus, are a little bit down on him in relation to last year. My advice is to ignore them and listen to the Mike Bohn gut algorithm. Of course, I’m also a Bravos fan so I may be a little clouded here, but I expect Jurrjens to win 15+ games this year with an ERA around 3.00.
It looks like the Atlanta Braves may regret trading Javier Vasquez earlier than expected. Jair Jurrjens is experiencing discomfort in his right shoulder, which just happens to be connected to the arm he throws darts with. Hopefully this is just regular soreness, but Jurrjens is getting an MRI later this week to see make sure there is nothing to worry about structurally.
Jurrjens is a complete stud. After two seasons with the Braves, dude has a 3.10 ERA, including a 2.60 ERA in 2009. The lower mark in his second season is extremely telling about the future of Jurrjens, as most second year pitchers no longer have that fresh look advantage and hitters typically figure out their mechanics. So for Jurrjens to have actually lowered his ERA by just over a full run is promising about dude’s chances of being a top of the rotation guy. Some would argue that he already is.
Your fantasy impact right now is minimal. Since you haven’t drafted yet, you have time to find out if this is anything to be worried about and move him up or down your board accordingly. Before this news, I have Jurrjens as a top 15 starting pitcher. He struck out over 150 batters last season while keeping his WHIP at 1.276 and his ERA at that astounding 2.60. He also collected 14 wins, so he gets it done in all of the categories a starting pitcher needs to. He also comes much cheaper than similar pitchers with bigger names.
Okay, that might be a little bit strong, but the Atlanta Braves are building one of the best bullys ever right now. First they added Billy Wagner to the mix as the new closer. Then they added Takashi Saito to fill the set-up role. Then a strange thing happened, Rafael Soriano accepted the Braves arbitration offer.
Deep breathes, people. Soriano is not going to be the 7th inning guy. He is going to ask to be traded, just like Mark Bowman says in the article linked above. If he does not ask to be traded, the Braves will have to wait until June 15th to move him due to current MLB arbitration rules. The Braves could outright release him during Spring Training if they choose to, but that scenario is about as likely as me being offered the GM job in New York.
I just raked my own eyes out. Billy Wagner, according to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, is set to become a Brave. Apparently they have agreed on a one year deal, pending a physical. Wagner is set to make $7million for the 2010 season, with a $6.5million vesting option if dude finishes 50 games.
Wagner, whom I have always despised for various reasons, pitched well last season after returning from Tommy John surgery. In 17 trips to the mound, he compiled an ERA of 1.72 while striking out 26 batters in his 15.2 innings of work.
The move will make it hurt less if either Mike Gonzalez or Rafael Soriano leave via free agency. Like Wagner, who was offered arbitration on Tuesday by the Red Sox, both players have been offered arbitration and are Type-A free agents. K-Ros explains some of what that means in his column, and we will try to give a full breakdown when time permits.
The New York Yankees got a perfdormance for the ages from Hideki Matsui as they wrapped up the 2009 World Series. Since I am on the road I will have to keep this short.
Congratulations to the Yankees. Congrats also to the Phillies on a great year as well. It was a tough loss, but fret not Phillies fans as your boys are set up nicely for next season.
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