M's make offer to Brian Lawrence?

by Jerry on Jan 7, 2007 5:31 PM PST

http://www.rotoworld.com/content/playerpages/player_previousnews.aspx?sport=MLB&id=3244

"The Rockies have yet to join the Mariners and Padres in making an offer for free agent Brian Lawrence."

Huh.

Lawrence would fit in well with the M's M.O. this offseason:

Injured?

Check. Lawrence is coming off surgery for a torn rotator cuff. Who knows how healthy he is, but a few teams are at least giving him offers.

Mediocre?

Check. When healthy, you cannot find a more average starter than Lawrence. Pre-injury, he ate up innings. His stats, year to year, are consistently average.

Groudball tendencies?

Check. He has groundball tendencies, but not extreme ones.

Obviously, evaluation of the possibility of adding Lawrence depends entirely on the specifics of the deal. This is a decent signing if it is an NRI or one year deal for minimal money. It would also be a decent deal for a few mil for one year if the M's were pretty confident in his health.

I would not be suprised at all to see this end up as the M's final move add starting pitching this offseason.

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Few things

I was talking with Positive Paul Tuesday after I learned the M's made a competitive offer to Lawrence and I went back and forth on whether or not I wanted to post anything about it. I have the post ready to go, so you might see it tomorrow, but for now, a couple of things.

Lawrence has always been given more publicity than he deserved. He was part of that Perez, Peavy and Eaton quartet who the Padres thought would lead them to the promise land. He had a good first and second year, but slumped from there. Could it be for the injury, probably, since his drop off rates came pretty quickly and would indicate that he was pitching through pain.

He would be a perfect fit for this team, had the club not already brought in Batista. Lawrence was one of those guys I would've brought in along with someone like Brandon Claussen to compete for one spot in the rotation. If they perform incredibly well and end up taking up two spots, then it's a bonus. It would've saved the M's the long-term commitment and a ton of cash.

Now though, I think the M's would be better served giving a decent one year deal to a guy like Armas or Ohka and not roll the dice on a guy coming back with a completely rebuilt arm.

And just to correct one thing Jerry said, Lawrence had surgery to repair for both a torn labrum and a torn rotator cuff.

by Trent on Jan 7, 2007 6:44 PM PST reply actions

What do you think a competative offer is

by Edgar for Pres on Jan 7, 2007 7:11 PM PST reply actions

Re: Competitive offer

If that question was aimed at me, somewhere in the vicinity of $3 million, give or take $.5 million.

by Trent on Jan 7, 2007 7:43 PM PST up reply actions

Yikes

That is a whole lot of cash for a guy with a torn rotator cuff AND labrum.

That makes Mark Mulder look like a low-risk option.

by Jerry on Jan 7, 2007 7:57 PM PST up reply actions

Yeah

but Mulder will probably make twice that.

by Mariner John on Jan 7, 2007 8:31 PM PST up reply actions

True

Yeah, that is probably true.

But Mulder's injury sounds like it is a lot less serious.

And, when he is healthy, Mulder is a much better pitcher than Lawrence.

Obviously, this all hinges on price.

by Jerry on Jan 8, 2007 8:25 AM PST up reply actions

Mulder

Mulder is going to be pulling a multiyear deal this offseason and will likely get paid about twice what Lawrence will get. Lawrence has a good chance of being ready for Opening Day, Mulder probably won't do much until July or August, if he even pitches this season.

Mulder just isn't a smart option.

by Trent on Jan 8, 2007 8:46 AM PST up reply actions

Jason Johnson

Why no Jason Johnson?

He is also a mediocre groundball pitcher. But he is healthy and will cost nearly nothing.

Even if they do go for Lawrence or another starter, I would give Johnson a shot at the rotation. Why not?

by Jerry on Jan 8, 2007 8:24 AM PST reply actions

I can't remember

was he hurt all of last year?

by Edgar for Pres on Jan 8, 2007 9:57 AM PST up reply actions

Johnson, no

Lawrence, yes

by Trent on Jan 8, 2007 10:47 AM PST up reply actions

No

He was BRUTAL though.

Terrible.

But, as an NRI or on a minor league deal, why not?

by Jerry on Jan 8, 2007 12:43 PM PST up reply actions

Johnson goes the way his defense goes

and an awful Cleveland defense, and a slow Boston defense played behind him.

My heart will go on

by Phil Hatzenbuehler on Jan 8, 2007 2:06 PM PST up reply actions

Yeah I'd give him a NRI

but I'm afraid he might just suck. Its not like his periferals are ever that good. He might have just lost the "stuff" that he had which allowed him to perform in the majors.

by Edgar for Pres on Jan 8, 2007 5:35 PM PST up reply actions

No kidding

Johnson seems like a much better bet to rebound than any of the rehab cases we've signed this offseason.

Then again, I didn't see him throw for Cinci, so maybe the M's scouts know something that I don't. I wonder if he's going the way of Ryan Franklin?

by Bearskin Rugburn on Jan 8, 2007 12:23 PM PST up reply actions

by PositivePaul on Jan 8, 2007 12:42 PM PST up reply actions

Not soon enough!

invent a time machine to make this suffering end.

by johnbai on Jan 8, 2007 3:34 PM PST up reply actions

Ah....Spring Training

Hope, excitement, the smell of new leather and baseball....the wonderment at who will test positive this year.....who will have grown a mardi gras head over the winter....love it.

I killed a 12 pack just to watch it die...

by Dollar97 on Jan 8, 2007 3:41 PM PST up reply actions