Jair Jurrjens agrees to deal with Orioles

[Frobby]

Like I said, it is probably just the cynic in me. As far as whether or not Jurrjens is a "big" name? I don't know if that was the right word to describe him, but he was an All Star in 2011 and I think even a pretty casual fan knows who he is. And he is certainly a "big" name when considering the off season the O's have had thus far. Even here at the "Hangout" he's drawing a ton of discussion and interest.

Eveland.......35 page thread

Teagarden....31 page thread

Betemit........20 page thread

The "past his prime" remark was not in reference to his age but rather his injury history and diminished velocity. Is it not plausible to see him as potentially "past his prime" when using those parameters?.

Fair enough. But there is more potential upside with Jurjjens than a lot of the 33-36 year olds we've tried to resurrect over the years.

[OsnRavensallday]

Awesome move by DD, love this pick-up and hate it at the same time. Jurrjens is a few years younger and has big time potential, could potentially be a huge steal for the O's. At the same time Saunders pitched really well for us last year, and came up huge in critical games and against the best competition . It will be interesting to see where he signs , hopefully he could still re-sign with us but I doubt it. On a side note I really want to see Stevie Johnson up here for a whole year to see what he can do , I think it would take a trade involving Hunter or Matusz , etc for that to happen tho

[Frobby]

;

Nothing wrong with depth and I get this move if Jurrjens has to earn his spot. If he comes back healthy and he's pitching well, I'll be very happy. I just fear that Jurrjens past success and current salary will get in the way of the O's young arms, even if he is not. I wish your guarantee was guaranteed.

I'd argue that the structure of Jurjjens' contract provides a disincentive to use him unless he's clearly looking better than the cavalry. The cavalry guys cost what they cost regardless of how much they pitch. Jurjjens costs more as he reaches whatever the innings/starts benchmarks are. There's no reason to let him reach those benchmarks unless he's pitching well.

[isestrex]

I'm not even sure why this is his argument since Roy Halladay actually started the 2011 All Star Game, not Jair Jurrjens.

You just destroyed this thread. Well done.

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[Malike]

I can't see why anyone would think this is a bad move. There is nothing here but upside. If he doesn't pan out, they are out a whopping 1.5M dollars, if he does pan out, then we benefit greatly. He has options, he can be sent to the minors, there is absolutely no downside to this, none whatsoever.

[andrewrickli]

I'm not even sure why this is his argument since Roy Halladay actually started the 2011 All Star Game, not Jair Jurrjens.

Oops, I apologize, I was under the assumption that he did start it. Guess that's what I get for assuming. Regardless he had 10 W's at the AS break and a 2.07 ERA. He was fighting for that starting spot.

[Can_of_corn]

I can't see why anyone would think this is a bad move. There is nothing here but upside. If he doesn't pan out, they are out a whopping 1.5M dollars, if he does pan out, then we benefit greatly. He has options, he can be sent to the minors, there is absolutely no downside to this, none whatsoever.

Cept 1.5 million and a spot on the 40 man.

So very close to no downside.

[isestrex]

Oops, I apologize, I was under the assumption that he did start it. Guess that's what I get for assuming. Regardless he had 10 W's at the AS break and a 2.07 ERA. He was fighting for that starting spot.

I was totally with you... I thought for sure I remembered him starting that year for some reason. Maybe it was announced and there was a lot of debate with the talking heads at ESPN or something. :scratchchinhmm:

[andrewrickli]

Cept 1.5 million and a spot on the 40 man.

So very close to no downside.

I mean, we did give Atkins like what... 4.5M? What a joke that was.. I like this one. Base of 1.5 and if he earns it, he will get 4. Fair enough for me.

[andrewrickli]

I was totally with you... I thought for sure I remembered him starting that year for some reason. Maybe it was announced and there was a lot of debate with the talking heads at ESPN or something. :scratchchinhmm:

IIRC, I read it somewhere, or it was on an MLB.com video. At any rate, the man got guys out that year. He could have EASILY been named the starter. However, I admit, I was wrong, along with you though, I just really remember someone saying he started the AS game

[weams]

Oops, I apologize, I was under the assumption that he did start it. Guess that's what I get for assuming. Regardless he had 10 W's at the AS break and a 2.07 ERA. He was fighting for that starting spot.

Me too. Oops.

[andrewrickli]

Here is a BleacherReport article, and usually, I don't read BR because is all opinions, but this guy uses "heat zones" to show how differently Jurrjens attacked hitters in 2012 than he did in 2011 when he had a 2.96 ERA.

Here is is: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1501776-is-there-any-hope-for-jair-jurrjens-to-regain-all-star-form-with-the-orioles

Peterson specializes in biomechanics, and his expertise could help him pinpoint a crucial flaw in Jurrjens' pitching mechanics. By fixing it, he could help prevent further wear and tear on Jurrjens' legs.

Peterson's presence alone should give Orioles fans hope that the club's newest member will end up being a productive player. Peterson knows pitching as well as anyone, and he proved as much for the umpteenth time in 2012 by helping to turn the likes of Miguel Gonzalez, Chris Tillman and even Steve Johnson into effective hurlers.

In short, Jurrjens needs a pretty major repair job, but he's landed with the perfect organization to carry it out.

[SrMeowMeow]

Without reading any of it since yesterday, how the @#!$ did this thread hit 21 pages?

[Jon]

Eveland.......35 page thread

Teagarden....31 page thread

Betemit........20 page thread

Those numbers right there, as well as this "Jurjjenn" thread are a real testament to both the passion of many on here at the hangout for their O's and to how slow most off seasons are here in Bird land. Point taken...

Fair enough. But there is more potential upside with Jurjjens than a lot of the 33-36 year olds we've tried to resurrect over the years.

Can't argue with that, and you're right that a comparison of Jurjjens to guys like Atkins, Lee and Vlad are not apt. After what DD found last year in McLouth, Gonzalez and others, If he sees hope, I have hope.

I'd argue that the structure of Jurjjens' contract provides a disincentive to use him unless he's clearly looking better than the cavalry. The cavalry guys cost what they cost regardless of how much they pitch. Jurjjens costs more as he reaches whatever the innings/starts benchmarks are. There's no reason to let him reach those benchmarks unless he's pitching well.

A good point and one that makes sense. Also, the fact that he has options should provide DD with another "out" if he so chooses. Either way, as long as Jurjjens has to earn his spot, and as you pointed out, his contract seems structured towards just that, I have no problem with this move.

[Jon]

Without reading any of it since yesterday, how the @#!$ did this thread hit 21 pages?

As Frobby pointed out...

Eveland.......35 page thread

Teagarden....31 page thread

Betemit........20 page thread

Jurjjen's got nothing on Eveland or Teagarden :laughlol: