Rosenthal: Pirates Could Get Jeff Weaver

by Charlie Wilmoth on Jan 24, 2007 10:27 PM EST in News

The team has maintained steady interest in Weaver, according to major-league sources. The question is whether the Pirates would meet the price of Weaver and his agent, Scott Boras.

The Cardinals are offering Weaver a two-year contract at an average salary believed to be far below the $8.325 million he earned last season, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

The Pirates presumably could pay Weaver in that range...

The Cardinals are far more likely to contend than the Pirates next season, but last week's trade for first baseman Adam LaRoche increased the Pirates' appeal...

Weaver averaged 14 wins and 222 innings under Tracy and Colborn in 2004-05. He then flopped with the Angels after signing a one-year, free-agent contract, only to revive after getting traded to the Cardinals last July...

His turnaround was credited, in part, to Cardinals manager Tony La Russa and pitching coach Dave Duncan, but Weaver's comfort zone with Tracy and Colborn would be similar.

This sounds like it's approximately equal parts fact and speculation at this point. For whatever it's worth, I'd much rather have Weaver than any of the other free-agent options available. He was bad last year, but decent for two years before that, and unlike Tony Armas, he doesn't have huge injury issues.

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Strikes me . . .

. . . as the standard Scott Boras mystery team tactic to provoke a last-second increase in the offer of the team that's really going to sign his client.

by WTM on Jan 25, 2007 12:12 AM EST reply actions

Yeah...

That was the first thing I thought when I cracked open Dejan's Q&A, but then I let myself think of the possibility and figured, hell, how bad could it be? He would be better than Armas or whoever, he chews up innings like its his life's entire purpose, he goes on those little runs of brilliance...sure, two years. 8 per is a little rich for a marriage of him to the Bucs, but as long as it doesn't foul the chances to get key <ahem> guys locked up during that period, it's livable. We know Littlefeat ain't spending that money on a new Dominican academy.

by psk984 on Jan 25, 2007 12:34 AM EST reply actions

Better?

Better than Armas? Based on what?

by sisyphus on Jan 25, 2007 1:20 AM EST up reply actions

The simplest answer...

being that it's late and all - you can count on Weaver to at least actually make the majority of his starts. Yeah, he had a lousy run for awhile. He was also perfectly, delightfully average before that. The Bucs aren't gonna find "great" or even "good" because they lack the resources to get it. "Average" is exactly what the rotation needs and Weaver is precisely that. Optimistically.

by psk984 on Jan 25, 2007 2:44 AM EST up reply actions

Weaver

He hasn't been anywhere near average in two out of the last four seasons. Durability is not a plus for a bad starter; it just assures you that you'll get more bad outings from one guy instead of from a variety of guys. What would you be willing to pay him?

by sisyphus on Jan 25, 2007 1:47 PM EST up reply actions

Said another way

In two of the last four years, he's been a near-average pitcher.

It's not the worst thing to have.

azibuck

by azibuck on Jan 25, 2007 3:41 PM EST up reply actions

The only worry

being cost, of course. Guys like that don't deserve the $8 million per or whatever.

In further consideration, we all know DL, if he's indeed interested, only wants Weaver because he's a tradeable commodity come July.

by psk984 on Jan 25, 2007 4:20 PM EST up reply actions

Average

Actually he was above average in those two years. What makes me cynical is that those two seasons were in Dodger Stadium.

by sisyphus on Jan 25, 2007 5:41 PM EST up reply actions

(dramatic pause, then) NOOOOOOO!!!!

I saw Weaver and the Cardinals get f*ckin' SHELLED at the new Busch stadium this year, one miserably hot (August?) evening vs. the Phillies. Dave Duncan's magic touch (and the fact that Weaver was the Cardinals' best pitcher in September) notwithstanding, Jeff Weaver is still at best merely the second coming of Dave Rucker (or is it Danny Jackson?!?), and I hope that ANYONE outbids the Pirates for his services in '07. I'd much rather see B.P. Chacon out there instead of Weaver (for his myriad faults, Chacon was at least traded for Thor, which means SOMEthing, right? Right? uhh, never mind.)....

by gonfalon on Jan 25, 2007 12:59 AM EST reply actions