Jair Jurrjens agrees to deal with Orioles

[Crazysilver03]

That really sucks that Exposito might get moved off the 40 man. I didn't get him to sign my 40 man from last year team ball, even though I probably could have if I tried hard enough. It's already going to be difficult enough to hope that Paulino is up with the Mariners when they make their trip to Baltimore.

You'd probably have to go to Norfolk either way to get Exposito's signature.

[brianod]

The one thing I will say...Braves usually don't miss on pitching talent. Lets hope that streak ends with this signing.

My thoughts exactly. Before we start the celebration, that's a sobering thought. I still remember when we traded Surhoff for the Braves prospect that through over 100. Problem was that guy was hurt and never pitched for the O's.

[Floater]

It's funny that this is the biggest move of the offseason

[Mayor McCheese]

:scratchchinhmm:

so many JJ's on this team

[Can_of_corn]

It's funny that this is the biggest move of the offseason

McLouth was HUGE.

[Frobby]

Actually Tony, I think folks missed an interesting point. Some folks in this thread were harping on his successful 2011 campaign but when you look at his splits:

First half

110 innings, 1.066 WHIP 5 HR 2.6 SO/BB 585 OPS against

Second half

41.9 innings, 1.645 WHIP 9 HR 1.32 SO/BB 947 OPS against

He has performed poorly for 1.5 seasons now.

Honestly I think the O's just spent 1.5 million on a #4-5 starter for Norfolk. I didn't even expect Jurrjens to get a major league deal this offseason.

I think there is enough chaff on the 40 man that adding him won't weaken the club and I don't think signing him is going to keep them from any other moves, so I can't feel strongly against it.

Well, I didn't miss it:

I'm OK with the Jurjjens signing, but I don't really view him as a guy who was very good in 2008-11 and just had a bad year in 2012. The fact that the Braves were willing to trade Jurjjens, Prado and Delgado for Jones -- before Jones had his big year last season -- tells me that the Braves knew he was damaged goods. Let's not forget that in 2011, Jurjjens had a 1.51 ERA in April/May, but then slipped to 4.07 for the next three months, and then didn't pitch in September. The Braves knew things weren't right with Jurrjens, and that was proven out in 2012. So I'm not too sanguine that this is a matter of letting Rick Peterson tweak Jurjjens' mechanics. Is it worth $1.5 mm to see if Jurjjens can be resurrected? Yeah, maybe. But I'd say the odds that this experiment will succeed are in the 25% range, if that. That's the reason that a guy like Jurjjens is available at such a low price.

[atomic]

Actually Tony, I think folks missed an interesting point. Some folks in this thread were harping on his successful 2011 campaign but when you look at his splits:

First half

110 innings, 1.066 WHIP 5 HR 2.6 SO/BB 585 OPS against

Second half

41.9 innings, 1.645 WHIP 9 HR 1.32 SO/BB 947 OPS against

He has performed poorly for 1.5 seasons now.

Honestly I think the O's just spent 1.5 million on a #4-5 starter for Norfolk. I didn't even expect Jurrjens to get a major league deal this offseason.

I think there is enough chaff on the 40 man that adding him won't weaken the club and I don't think signing him is going to keep them from any other moves, so I can't feel strongly against it.

He had great seasons in 2008 and 2009 as well. He has more lifetime WAR than Saunders and is only 27. I don't see anything negative about this signing at all. He is getting paid less than Nate McClouth. You know the guy that they claimed off waivers last year? The team thinks they can get him back to form. If they do it is an awesome signing... if they don't they have lost nothing.

THis is a good signing. This isn't a lost cause like the signing of Nick Johnson was last year. Even if he spends most of the season in Norfolk you have depth in Norfolk so if someone gets injured you can bring him up instead of someone like jo-jo reyes.

[Crazysilver03]

He had great seasons in 2008 and 2009 as well. He has more lifetime WAR than Saunders and is only 27. I don't see anything negative about this signing at all. He is getting paid less than Nate McClouth. You know the guy that they claimed off waivers last year? The team thinks they can get him back to form. If they do it is an awesome signing... if they don't they have lost nothing.

THis is a good signing. This isn't a lost cause like the signing of Nick Johnson was last year. Even if he spends most of the season in Norfolk you have depth in Norfolk so if someone gets injured you can bring him up instead of someone like jo-jo reyes.

Actually, McLouth was released (or DFA'ed and elected free agency) and signed with the Orioles as a minor league free agent. He had an out-clause and that is what prompted the Orioles to promote him (along with injuries).

[Can_of_corn]

Well, I didn't miss it:

I did say "think" Frobby. It was an 11 page thread.

And I did go deeper into the numbers then just ERA.

[brianod]

He had great seasons in 2008 and 2009 as well. He has more lifetime WAR than Saunders and is only 27. I don't see anything negative about this signing at all. He is getting paid less than Nate McClouth. You know the guy that they claimed off waivers last year? The team thinks they can get him back to form. If they do it is an awesome signing... if they don't they have lost nothing.

THis is a good signing. This isn't a lost cause like the signing of Nick Johnson was last year. Even if he spends most of the season in Norfolk you have depth in Norfolk so if someone gets injured you can bring him up instead of someone like jo-jo reyes.

Are we sure he is healthy enough to pitch?

[Can_of_corn]

He had great seasons in 2008 and 2009 as well. He has more lifetime WAR than Saunders and is only 27. I don't see anything negative about this signing at all. He is getting paid less than Nate McClouth. You know the guy that they claimed off waivers last year? The team thinks they can get him back to form. If they do it is an awesome signing... if they don't they have lost nothing.

THis is a good signing. This isn't a lost cause like the signing of Nick Johnson was last year. Even if he spends most of the season in Norfolk you have depth in Norfolk so if someone gets injured you can bring him up instead of someone like jo-jo reyes.

I didn't say I was against it.

I don't think it will pan out but as long as he doesn't undeservedly make the team out of ST I am fine with it.

[Floater]

McLouth was HUGE.

Well yeah but I was always under the assumption that signing him was going to be a lock

[Frobby]

I agree. Not only did he adequately replace Nick Markakis, the best hitter on the team, he played the best LF defense the O's have seen in about a decade and he even did alright batting third.

If you want to believe UZR, the best defense in LF for the Orioles in the last 10 years (300 innings minimum) was:

1. Melvin Mora, 2003

2. Jay Payton, 2008

3. BJ Surhoff, 2004

Those three also rank 3-1-2 in total UZR in LF for the period 2003-12. For UZR/150, it would be Mora, Surhoff, Byrnes, Fahey, Payton.

UZR aside, I'd agree that Mora was probably the best defensive LF we've had in the last decade. Of course, he was never our full-time LF. He started 63 games there in 2002 and 54 in 2003, then got moved to 3B in 2004.

[Crazysilver03]

Are we sure he is healthy enough to pitch?

There is a post earlier in the thread about how JJ was throwing bullpen sessions already and feeling good.

[Can_of_corn]

There is a post earlier in the thread about how JJ was throwing bullpen sessions already and feeling good.

Of course players lie about their health all the time so time will tell.