Britton for Wright and $4M

[Hank Scorpio]

Yes...and I am a little optimistic that they are still looking at free agents. We need depth in the rotation. The one thing the Yankees always had was a lot of depth in the rotation. Not necessarily quality, but quantity. Wright was part of that equation and, when healthy, performed decently.

I am a little concerned about 1970's review of Wright's flyball tendencies, though.

Based on nothing other than the overall shoddyness of Lopez last year, Wright's impending numbers almost couldn't be worse.

[weams]

From NYYankeefans...

Today, 09:24 AM Post #11

Joe DiMaggio

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Excuse me, did I wake up in Bizarro World today?

There are many worse things than having Jaret Wright as your fifth starter. Sure, he doesn´t last long into games, and he walks a bunch, but he´s a perfectly average starter. And we just flipped that for a generic minor league reliever

And, am I the only one who notices there are now THREE unfilled spots in the rotation? Now there is tremendous pressure to make a deal, and Zito and Schmidt (and Moose, for that matter) have all the leverage in negotiating with the Yankees. Add the first base situation to that, and...

They also posted lots of "fat" pics

[Baroquen131]

I think it could be an example of the FO "trading high" for once. I think they made a decision that they didn't like Britton's upside, and were able to flip him for a SP (granted, one that has been average, but has the potential for a bit of a rebound with Leo).

I think there wasn't any guarantee that we would have been able to get him as a FA. I think some team would have thrown him a multi-year deal. I believe the FO is banking more of the young arms progressing to eventually fill some rotation/bullpen slots.

Plus, as others have said, this could be the precursor to other moves.

I'm reserving judgement now. The stat heads can lambast this move, but given the leash our FO seems to be on sometimes, I don't think it's necessarily a bad deal. We'll see.

[Ovechkin]

From NYYankeefans...

They also posted lots of "fat" pics

Word out of NY Papers is the Yanks are pursuing M Batista, G Meche, J Schmidt, and Clemens. No interest in Zito and the Yanks expect Clemens to be a Red Sox but that was before they got Matsuzake. Word is the Mets came in 2nd with a 30 mil bid and the Sox could trade Matsuzake's rights, still questions as to whether they would be allowed to though.

[wildcard]

I still look for the O's to bid 3 for 24 for Lilly.

[Mashed Potatoes]

I have a very neutral reaction to this much like the Benson deal.

-I really want to see what Hayden can do this year, the FO apparently doesn't share my sentiments here. I guess Penn will be in the pen, taking Britton's spot perhaps.

-The idea of trading away a young, cheap bullpen arm for an injury prone older and more expensive arm sounds crazy but...

-Britton's stuff is sooooo underwhelming. 91 MPH fastball with no movement? No second pitch? I was surprised he had any success at all in the majors. My lack of faith in the chubster makes the gamble a worthy one IMO.

-1970 doesn't like the deal, and whatever he and Drungo say I adopt as the utmost truth.

Whatever your thoughts we can take comfort in the quickness and decisiveness of our FO's first offseason action. For better or worse, they do have a plan (cough, Tex, cough).

[Skywalker76]

Even if Wright doesn't have a contract year and we can't trade him at offseason we do get a draft pick for him in 2008, right? And with what I saw this season I wouldn't be shocked to see Wright be a type A FA.

So basically we get Wright for one year, a 1st round suplemental pick or something at the trade deadline plus 4 million for a young and promising reliever.

[Greg Pappas]

I am pleased by this move, as many here are. Wright could be a steal at 3m, and if he pitches well (12-15 wins/ 4.45 era or less). The O's FO was pro-active, which is a good sign. I like Britton, but you have to give up something to get something. Solid effort on Flanny/Duq's part... keep at it. This seems the precursor to bigger deals... so, dare I say it? STAY TUNED!!

On a slightly different topic, I want to be clear on my view of FA signings. Unless it's an impact player, such as Soriano/Lee/Schmidt/Zito, I am in favor of keeping our draft choices. I see the future of the franchise being built on a strong farm system and prudent FA acquisitions.

Start now, by leaving Joe Jordan's picks alone.

[wildcard]

Which some might call typical Orioles since he'll likely get more than that. Not to mention that he will likely end up on the West coast.

Yes, Maybe.

I think Wright is a safety net move. He fills out the rotation but they will go after Lilly to get better. The market is projected to be crazy, so they will probably fold on Lilly and be happy the have added Wright.

[mikezpen]

I really want to see what Hayden can do this year, the FO apparently doesn't share my sentiments here.

I think everybody does. But I also think Penn was rushed last year and you saw the results. I think the FO is wise not to count on him this spring. Start him at triple A and leave him there half the year. Give him regular work, a chance for the hitters to catch up with him and hit him and a chace for him to adjust back.Wright can bring you something at the Trade Deadline-that is, if he's not traded this winter for someone.

[Leitch]

Could the Orioles be thinking about using him as a reliever in '07?

Has he ever been (good) in the 'pen?

[Sports Guy]

What would you rather have:

1) Rlo and Britton

or

2) Britton and Wright for 2/10

To be honest, i could go either way here but the more i think about it, the more i think this is a stupid move even if it leads to other things. If you wanted Wright so bad, just sign him for 2 years, trade Rlo anyway and get ANOTHER good young reliever.

We can't expect to get back a better reliever than Britton for Rlo so, at best, we end up with the same types of players but with different names. What si the point?

[skipshot26]

I think that if the result of this trade is to replace RLo with Wright then I see it as an upgrade. Here's why:

- the money is about the same with Wright somewhere in the neighborhood of 3-500K cheaper.

- RLo seemed to be less than a Mazzone favorite while Wright had his biggest success with Leo. Granted, this is an intangible, but one not to be taken too lightly.

- RLo didn't want to pitch in the pen and had no success there in 2006.

- Wright had a very solid second half in 2006 while RLo was horrid.

The obvious key to this trade is getting a reliever that is likely to outperform Britton in a trade for RLo. I think that's do-able. If it happens to be someone who throws with their left hand, so much better.

[Mashed Potatoes]

I think everybody does. But I also think Penn was rushed last year and you saw the results. I think the FO is wise not to count on him this spring. Start him at triple A and leave him there half the year. Give him regular work, a chance for the hitters to catch up with him and hit him and a chace for him to adjust back.Wright can bring you something at the Trade Deadline-that is, if he's not traded this winter for someone.

Penn has nothing left to prove in the minors. If he's not starting I want to at least see him in the pen working with Mazzone. The bottom line is its a long shot that we're competing for anything. It's no secret that the fate of our team lies with the young arms, if they do well we can be legit, if not, we're going nowhere. So for better or worse, let's find out what Penn can do!

Also I don't want to trade him now, his value is as low as its going to get.

Despite my rhetoric in this thread I would like to be able to maintain some neutrality as well.

I think in order for this to ultimately be graded as a postive move, two things have to be considered. The first is that this has to be the first of a series of moves - just as others have suggested. The second will depend on who replaces Britton in the BP. I don't think Britton is as replaceable as many think.

The quickness of our action would suggest that this indeed is the first part of a larger plan. However even if we do have a plan and try our best to execute it, that doesn't me we will be able to.

When you say Britton is not that replaceable, are you commenting on how much we're undervaluing Britton, or the scarcity of bullpen arms in the majors? If its the former I'll have to ignore my gut, because as I said your word is the gospel.

RZNJ, you're right about his production, can't argue with his fast rise but cot damn I just can't get my mind around a one pitch pitcher having success when that one pitch isn't even a plus pitch. It's impossible...right?

[Sports Guy]

Jaret Wright post AS ERA = 4.76

Rodrigo Lopez pos AS ERA = 4.66

I do agree on the key being, replacing Britton somehow. For the next 6 years.

But when you think about it, why replace him? Why not just sign Wright(you have to think he would be interested to come back here because of Mazzone) to a cheap 2 year deal and keep Britton?

The Orioles must really not like Britton's future(which doesn't seem to likely with the way he shot up through the system) OR this is them "punishing" him because of his lack of conditioning and perhaps, the Orioles are using him as an example.

Of course, he has the last laugh because he goes to a winner.