MLBTRADERUMORS: Matt Moore To have the Tommy John Surgery

[weams]

Josh Johnson was going to be one of history's best pitchers. Brandon Beachy was a phenom.

[Frobby]

Moores was supposed to be a TOR. He is not an Ace. He is Wei Chen. With a bum arm.

Moore (age 25): 3.53 career ERA (109 ERA+), 29-17.

Chen (age 28): 4.09 ERA (1-3 ERA+), 21-19

Prior to this injury, I would much rather have had Moore than Chen. Not only are his career stats better, but he improved significantly from 2012 to 2013, whereas Chen stagnated. The only problem Moore has had is that he throws a lot of pitches and walks a lot of batters. His stuff is much better than Chen's, as evidenced by his much higher K rate and H rate.

[weams]

Moore (age 25): 3.53 career ERA (109 ERA+), 29-17.

Chen (age 28): 4.09 ERA (1-3 ERA+), 21-19

Prior to this injury, I would much rather have had Moore than Chen. Not only are his career stats better, but he improved significantly from 2012 to 2013, whereas Chen stagnated. The only problem Moore has had is that he throws a lot of pitches and walks a lot of batters. His stuff is much better than Chen's, as evidenced by his much higher K rate and H rate.

He is not worth anything until June of next year. When he will be age 27.

[Frobby]

He is not worth anything until June of next year. When he will be age 27.

No, he will be 26 -- the same age Chen was when he first came to the major leagues.

The Chen deal was a good deal, because a league average pitcher (which we both agree he is) is worth about $10 mm on the free agent market, and he's only costing us about $4 mm/yr. But Moore is a top of the rotation talent. The TJ surgery is a setback for him, and it makes Tampa's deal with him a bit less attractive, but they were only paying him $1 mm this year and $3 mm next year anyway. If he comes back at the same place he left off developmentally (which is just as likely for Moore as for, say, Bundy) there will be plenty of excess value left in his deal.

[section18]

There may be something to holding pitchers to lower pitch counts (100 or less) and the affects of pitching in cold weather and warm weather (back and forth) in the early months of each season. It seems more pitchers are coming up with arm problems this season. Is the longer winter causing some of these problems? Pitching in 80 degree temps in one start and 45 degrees in your next cannot help a pitchers arm. I've noticed fewer and fewer starters are not wearing sleeves or a black jersey under their regular shirt in cold weather. Gonzalez wore the black shirt yesterday and shutout the Rays for five innings. It would seem starters would be required to try to keep their arm as warm as possible when pitching in cold weather. Some want to act like football players who do the same thing in cold weather. No sleeves! The difference is they are not throwing 100 + pitches with their arm and trying to hit the low to mid nineties with their fastball.