December 4, 2006
Reds Sign Weathers
By
KC2HMZ
Posted at 6:48 pm
Reliever David Weathers and the Reds have agreed to a (reportedly) two-year, $5 million contract, pending a physical he was supposed to have taken today.
You have to wonder if signing Stanton to 2 years at 5.5 mil, hurt the Reds in negotiating with Weathers… obviously he would want a similiar deal, which is what he got.
Well, 2 years, $5 million for Weathers or $5.5 million for Stanton, I don’t think that’s bad money at all given the state of the market right now. They’re both veteran relievers who are probably at their best in a setup role but have shown they can have some success closing as well. Both have postseason experience and both won a World Series while with the Yankees. I don’t have a problem with either of these contracts. Heck, the Orioles just flipped $3.5 million for one year to LaTroy Hawkins, a guy with a fastball that’s as straight as a foul line.
Yea I have to admit I didn’t realize Weathers had such a strong second half last year. All in all he’s been one of the more dependable guys for Jerry to hand the ball to the past couple of years… but he is better used as a set-up than a closer… i really want Coffey or Bray to be closer this year assuming we don’t get an experienced one… but they may very well start with Weathers and Stanton sharing that role. Considering the market, like you say its a decent signing.
Closer isn’t a place where most teams platoon guys, but since Guardado isn’t going to be ready to start the season, maybe a Weathers/Stanton combo will work out until Eddie is ready to return. If Guarrdado does come back in midseason and is strong as a closer, we’ve got a pretty decent back end of the pen with Weathers, Stanton, and Coffey bridging the gap between the starters and Guardado. If Guardado doesn’t come back, I think closer is something Krivsky is eventually going to have to address. He may be able to pick someone up in July when the teams that aren’t in contention any more start having their trade-deadline fire sales.
I guess I’d rather see him do this than to gamble millions of dollars to find out whether a guy like Gagne will ever pitch effectively again.
Incidentally, I goofed in my previous comment – LaTroy Hawkins signed with the Rockies, not the Orioles. Wrong team, wrong league, but the terms are what was being reported on the wire services.
HMZ
This transaction has now been completed officially. The Reds designated Brandon Claussen for assignment to make room for Weathers on their 40-man roster, and signed Weathers to a 2-year deal.