Cardinals Sign Ian Snell

by Charlie Wilmoth on Jan 14, 2011 2:17 PM EST

A few notes for this afternoon:

-P- The Cardinals have signed Ian Snell to a minor-league deal. Good luck to both parties. The Cardinals are probably the best possible choice for a pitcher who's talented but struggling. The Cards have a long history of wringing good seasons out of those kinds of players.

-P- The Royals have signed Jeff Francis.

-P- I had a dream last night in which I forgot to put up a game thread on Opening Day. Disaster! I did, however, go to the game, and Neil Walker somehow airmailed a throw from second base into the upper deck at PNC.

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Cards and Snell

we all know how this is gonna end- Snell is gonna go 12-9 with a 4.7 ERA, with a 4-0 record against the Bucs and a 1.35 ERA

by BurgherKing on Jan 14, 2011 2:28 PM EST reply actions

Yeah.

I really hate ex-Pirates in the NL Central. They usually destroy the Pirates.

by IAPiratesFan on Jan 14, 2011 3:06 PM EST up reply actions

sadly

i can’t disagree too much. As Charlie pointed out, the talent is there. Question is: can Tony LaRussa and Dave Duncan (is he still there?) help Ian pull his head out of his you-know-what?

by theatrain on Jan 14, 2011 3:37 PM EST up reply actions

apparently scouts used to say it all the time because of his small size

but I think he really would profile better as a reliever. he used to hit 97 on the gun in spurts, i think he could be effective over an inning or two

oh well

by titanlord91 on Jan 14, 2011 4:20 PM EST up reply actions

That's where I think he'll be as well

I’d say it’s 50-50 on whether he can be a successful reliever, though.

I do credit him with signing on to a good situation.

by Bernie6 on Jan 14, 2011 6:21 PM EST up reply actions

i say he barely makes it out of memphis this season

by white angus on Jan 14, 2011 6:48 PM EST up reply actions

Good thing for him that AutoZone Park isn’t a homer haven. I’m guessing that he will enjoy pitching there. It’s a nice park to play in.

by Thunder on Jan 14, 2011 7:54 PM EST up reply actions

and gawdawful hot to watch a game there too

whew!!!

by white angus on Jan 15, 2011 10:13 AM EST up reply actions

Not as bad as it is down here around New Orleans. I lived in Memphis for 16 years…the humidity here is worse…but not by much.

by Thunder on Jan 16, 2011 2:29 PM EST up reply actions

It could happen, but it didn’t work out that way for Kip Wells.

by TNbucs on Jan 14, 2011 5:06 PM EST up reply actions

Kip had all kinds of medical stuff going on.

Thoracic Outlet Syndrome is no joke. Hard to blame him for anything, under the circumstances.

by Vlad on Jan 14, 2011 9:33 PM EST up reply actions

Not sure where the idea of a joke is coming from, but just pointing out that as good as Duncan is, he can’t turn around everyone. They obviously tried, though, as they gave Wells 26 starts in 2007.

by TNbucs on Jan 14, 2011 10:05 PM EST up reply actions

I think he's saying that Kip is the exception

because of all the medical issues he had. Not to speak for Vlad here, but it seems like he’s saying that only God could have turned Kip Wells around by curing his medical issues.

The glare of the spotlight is harsh, and the pressure that success breeds immense. We revere our heroes, but expect much. And criticism can come as easily as praise.

by glass0941 on Jan 15, 2011 2:10 AM EST up reply actions

Not to speak for Vlad here, but it seems like he’s saying that only God could have turned Kip Wells around by curing his medical issues.

You mean doctors?

by IAPiratesFan on Jan 15, 2011 7:18 AM EST up reply actions

Or Miracle Max

by WTM on Jan 15, 2011 9:39 AM EST up reply actions

Now you’re just blaving.

Free your ass and your mind will follow.

by cocktailsfor2 on Jan 15, 2011 11:54 AM EST up reply actions

almost as good as a MLT sammich

by white angus on Jan 15, 2011 11:27 PM EST up reply actions

Kip may be a poor choice, but the bigger point is that as good as Duncan is (and I believe his reputation has been earned), he isn’t able to turn around every project. And there are several examples of pitchers (Lohse for one) who had some success right after joining the Cardinals (helping build Duncan’s reputation) only to revert back to mediocrity or worse in following seasons under Duncan’s guidance. But again, Duncan deserves his reputation as a good coach, and I actually hope Snell turns it around (just not against the Pirates), but I doubt it happens.

by TNbucs on Jan 15, 2011 8:55 AM EST up reply actions

Not to speak for Vlad here, but it seems like he’s saying that only God could have turned Kip Wells around by curing his medical issues.

Pretty much where I was going with it, yeah. I doubt Duncan could fix Hansen, either, for the same reason.

by Vlad on Jan 16, 2011 5:27 PM EST up reply actions

Wow

Talk about tools! The arm on that boy! Too bad he didn’t work out as a catcher…

Seriously though, I think that’s gonna go well for both parties and the FO will NEVER hear the end of it

The glare of the spotlight is harsh, and the pressure that success breeds immense. We revere our heroes, but expect much. And criticism can come as easily as praise.

by glass0941 on Jan 14, 2011 2:33 PM EST reply actions

Inception

Is it the blogging or the dream of blogging that’s the true reality? BOOM.

by oldtimefamilybaseball on Jan 14, 2011 2:50 PM EST reply actions

Check your totem

The glare of the spotlight is harsh, and the pressure that success breeds immense. We revere our heroes, but expect much. And criticism can come as easily as praise.

by glass0941 on Jan 14, 2011 3:09 PM EST up reply actions

Rec'd the entire post

For making me believe that all of 2010 may have been an illusion.

Bobby Crosby never played in Pittsburgh!

http://bleedblackandgold.com/

by Say Hey Johnny Ray on Jan 14, 2011 3:52 PM EST reply actions

Jeff Francis

Sucks the Pirates never seemed too interested in Francis or could’nt reach an agreement. Would’ve loved to have seen Francis in Pittsburgh; especially over our other FA signings (Correia, Olsen). His deal is reportedly 1year/2mil guranteed + 2mil incentives. I believe the Pirates should’ve been willing/able to pay that for Francis…

by FusilliJerry88 on Jan 14, 2011 4:35 PM EST reply actions

The royals have a horrible rotation right now and Francis is probably a lock to make the top 5. I think that is the true reason he signed where he did. Plus he is coming off an injury.

by Cainyoudigit on Jan 14, 2011 5:12 PM EST up reply actions

francis was my favorite choice to land as a free agent, and i think youre right; royals can practically guarantee him a starting nod

which is what he kinda said in his interview

by white angus on Jan 14, 2011 6:49 PM EST up reply actions

I’d also take Francis over Correia and Olson. Francis was extremely unlucky last season and now he’s a full year removed from the injury. I think he’s going to have a really good season., even with the switch to the DH league. A 3-to-1 K/BB ratio is an excellent barometer of success.

by bolton on Jan 14, 2011 6:24 PM EST up reply actions

I must be missing something, because Francis looks much better than our starting pitching signings.

by Adam Reynolds on Jan 14, 2011 8:31 PM EST via mobile up reply actions

Noticably cheaper than Correia, too.

by Vlad on Jan 14, 2011 9:34 PM EST up reply actions

That depends on how well Francis pitches, right? If he meets his incentives, then he makes $4 million this year or the average rate of Correia’s contract. You can debate whether a 1-year deal is better than a 2-year deal for the team in this case. I prefer the 2-year deal even if Correia becomes depth in the 2nd year due to the success of Owens, Morris, etc.

More importantly, I doubt Francis is healthy. There was a quote in the last mlbtraderumors entry that he felt some soreness in his shoulder at the end of the season.

by TNbucs on Jan 14, 2011 10:13 PM EST up reply actions

The 1-year deal is better, since if he sucks, you can cut the cord.

Plus, I’d rather have more funds available for next off-season. Doumit, Snyder, and Maholm will be off the books ideally with no ill effects to the team (because of Sanchez and the pitching wave).

If all goes reasonably well, the team will have more cash and fewer holes on the roster for 2012. Thus, we can fit a big signing at either 1B/3B or the top of the rotation. Why take away $4 million from that for a bottom of the rotation guy?

by Adam Reynolds on Jan 14, 2011 10:59 PM EST via mobile up reply actions

And if he’s good, you can’t re-sign him on a 1yr deal at that same price, so it works both ways.

Also, he just took what we were going to pay Duke (and we actually saved there). You already mentioned how we will have $$ for next year, but just toss in Overbay’s $5mil as well as the $10-15 we had available to sign guys this year. If the fit is there, we will have the money to sign someone next year, it’s just that Neal is very stubborn about value in terms of years and money.

by Mr. E on Jan 15, 2011 5:09 PM EST up reply actions

You already mentioned how we will have $$ for next year, but just toss in Overbay’s $5mil as well as the $10-15 we had available to sign guys this year.

And who knows? If we’re lucky, we may get more high-impact signings like Kevin Correia and Lyle Overbay!

by Vlad on Jan 16, 2011 5:29 PM EST up reply actions