January 16, 2007
Lohse Signs; Harang Swaps Numbers
By
Amanda
Posted at 11:48 pm
The Reds signed Kyle Lohse to a one-year, $4.2 million deal today to avoid arbitration.
Meanwhile, the one remaining unsigned arbitration-eligible player, Aaron Harang, traded numbers with the team today. According to Trent, he asked for $5.5 million, and the Reds offered $4.25 million, a scant $50,000 more than they just signed Lohse for.
Aaron, my dear, you are way too nice.
That is a very reasonable number. Maybe he realizes that every dollar he gets is a dollar that can’t be spent on the rest of the team. A-Rod obviously came to regret being the highest-paid player on a losing team.
We totally overpaid for Lohse… especially when you consider they are offering harang the same amount and he is twice the pitcher Lohse is. COME ON!!!
Lohse is in his 3rd year of arbitration while Harang is only his second. That’s the main reason why Harang is relatively cheaper.
Yea but look at Lohse’s historical numbers… they aren’t good at all, while harang has been solid for 3 seasons now. I just don’t see why 1 extra year of crappiness should make him more valuable… and yea, he was pretty decent for half a season last year but that doesn’t justify such a large salary. I just think they put themselves in a poor position to negotiate with Harang now… how can they expect him to accept the same amount they paid to an inferior pitcher? This reminds me of signing Weathers after signing Stanton, so that they were forced to give Weathers just as much… well, whatver… I just hope Lohse continues to be good at GABP in which case he will be worth the salary, and I also hope they don’t totally offend Harang by putting him in the same class as Lohse as far as salary offer.
Actually, it has a lot to do with previous salary and what year of arbitration a player is in. Lohse only got a 6% raise from last year when he made $3.95 million. That’s pretty crappy for Major League Baseball. While none of would likely have gotten a raise for being bad at our jobs, it’s pretty common in baseball, especially for players in their arbitration years.
Harang on the other hand is going to get at least an 80% raise, and probably a little more if he and the Reds settle before arbitration. I know it doesn’t make sense that he is only going to make slightly more than Lohse, but service time is the major deciding factor in salary for a player with fewer than 6 years of service. It’s a balance in MLB economics that allows lower payroll teams to have a chance at paying their good, young players. It’s the system that is holding Harang’s salary down, not the Reds – though obviously they are going to try to take the most advantage of that system that they can.
A serious question: with the insane amount of $$$ being spent on pitchers, isn’t it just a matter of time before young players start undergoing pre-emptive surgery to bolster strength in their shoulder, elbows, etc. is there any kind of rules against that sort of thing? Imagine some young gun with medical connectins that uindergoes Steve Austin 6M Dollar man surgery… I know it sounds kind of nuts, but the amount they pay even mediocre players like Lohse who has been forced to arbitration and still gets paid this kind of money despite mediocre numbers. I just don’t get it and it kinda pisses me off.
“I know it sounds kind of nuts”
I’ll agree with you on that point, smartelf.
Aren’t there pitchers who report having more velocity/strength after a Tommy John than before their injury? I thought I read that somewhere… my point is, I am guessing if you had surgery before actual damage you could probably reduce risk of injury and increase performance… you look how guys do steroids to gain competitive edge, is it really so far-fetchde to guess people would be willing to go under the knife to gain a competitive edge? Shoot, woman do it all the time!
* WOMEN *
It’s not the surgery that improves some pitchers’ velocity and strength. It’s the intensive conditioning they have to do after surgery to regain their strength and range of motion. They could do that without the surgery.
I’m glad it was only [i]numbers[/i] that the team swapped with Harang.
:hehe:
The Reds are reportedly close to a deal with closer Eddie Guardado. It’s a minor league deal with a spring training invite.
Speaking of closers…MLB.com is reporting the long-rumored Gonzo for LaRoche deal is done. It’s supposedly a four-player deal, and one of the other players is shortstop Brent Lillibridge, one of Pittsburgh’s top prospects. Guess this means the Yanks won’t be getting Gonzo. Unless the Braves are willing to deal him.
Money may be the reason the deal got done. The Bucs avoided arbitration with Gonzo, but the Braves couldn’t get a deal done with LaRoche.