SD signs Mark Prior (1yr/1M + 2M in incentives)

[lukevan]

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3168825

[Thurston Fluff]

I don't get it. Why pay $1 million for 1 year for him when he's coming off surgery the year before? Most people seem to think shoulder surgery takes a couple years to regain form so by the time he's healthy and up to speed the contract is over. I could see investing that much with a club option the following year so if they suffer through the inevitable post surgery setbacks they at least get him the following year in return. I thought someone would do with him what the Cubs did with Miller. Take a small gamble one year in hope it paid off big the next.

[Brian the Automator]

I don't get it. Why pay $1 million for 1 year for him when he's coming off surgery the year before? Most people seem to think shoulder surgery takes a couple years to regain form so by the time he's healthy and up to speed the contract is over. I could see investing that much with a club option the following year so if they suffer through the inevitable post surgery setbacks they at least get him the following year in return. I thought someone would do with him what the Cubs did with Miller. Take a small gamble one year in hope it paid off big the next.

From what it sounded like leading up to this point, Prior insisted only on a one year deal so that he could hit it big next winter. I'm assuming there were several teams who would have gone 1 & 1 on him, but someone probably finally gave in and gave him just 1.

 

[Fatter than Joey]

Huh -- I guess I'm not sad about missing this at all. That said, if he is able to get a big contract in 2009, the Padres will have gotten their money's worth.

[kilgore37]

didnt his agent say he wanted no less than a 2 yr deal?

[Brian the Automator]

didnt his agent say he wanted no less than a 2 yr deal?

link

He wanted a 1-year deal...

 

[Thurston Fluff]

I guess I understand his desire for a one year deal but I think it's a bit short sighted on his part. If he signs a 1+1 he could have added escalators to make his second year palatable short term. Long term if he follows the two years to full strength theory of performance following surgery he'd get a bigger deal after the second year.

If he doesn't look good next year he'll be even less in demand.

I guess I'm not sure why someone would give him that simply because he wanted it. A pitcher with a long history of medical problems coming off shoulder surgery really doesn't have much leverage. I don't understand the value vs risk for the Padres.

[Ennder]

I think it is a great deal. The history of injuries are mostly because they never knew it was the shoulder that was the problem so in theory he has finally fixed his problems. I dunno, i'd rather take a chance on Prior being healthy for $1M than Gabe Kapler suddenly being decent for 800k.

[patrickgpe]

Kapler's is not guaranteed though which is a big consideration.

[Brian the Automator]

I think it is a great deal. The history of injuries are mostly because they never knew it was the shoulder that was the problem so in theory he has finally fixed his problems. I dunno, i'd rather take a chance on Prior being healthy for $1M than Gabe Kapler suddenly being decent for 800k.

So would I, but I don't think it was an option for the Brewers.

 

[Thurston Fluff]

wasn't one of his injuries a leg or achilles or something like that?

[Ennder]

Midseason 2003

Shoulder after on-field collision with Atlanta Braves second baseman Marcus Giles.

3 Starts

 

Preseason 2004

Achilles tendon injury

2 months

 

Preseason 2005

Elbow strain

Several weeks

 

May 27, 2005

Throwing elbow - comeback line drive off the bat of Brad Hawpe

Several Weeks

 

Preseason 2006

Strained shoulder

3 Months

 

July 14, 2006

Strained left oblique in batting practice

2 starts

 

August 14, 2006

Shoulder tendinitis

Rest of 2006 Season

 

Spring Training 2007

Shoulder surgery

Entire 2007 Season

 

The shoulder Surgery in 2007 found that basically his shoulder had been a wreck for a while(probably since before the elbow injury) and the Cubs never properly diagnosed it. So I like his odds of returning now more than I did in 2006 or 2007.

[Big Reed]

so is this basically the padres spending $1 million for the right to have him on their roster this year and to try to sign him next year? Are they going to stash him on their 60 day Dl once the season starts? I have to believe he has something left. if he spends the year rehabing with the padres , at least they will have first hand info as to what he actually has left. is that worth spending a Million on? if it was me, I'd think Lofton would be a better return on the investment.

[Brian the Automator]

so is this basically the padres spending $1 million for the right to have him on their roster this year and to try to sign him next year? Are they going to stash him on their 60 day Dl once the season starts? I have to believe he has something left. if he spends the year rehabing with the padres , at least they will have first hand info as to what he actually has left. is that worth spending a Million on? if it was me, I'd think Lofton would be a better return on the investment.

He should be active for the last 3 months of the season. That would be a potential big boost for a division contender.

 

[Thurston Fluff]

He should be active for the last 3 months of the season. That would be a potential big boost for a division contender.

When was the last time a pitcher came off the DL from shoulder surgery and could legitamately contribute right away though? There must be someone who did but I can't think of any off hand.

[Diskono]

He should be active for the last 3 months of the season. That would be a potential big boost for a division contender.

When was the last time a pitcher came off the DL from shoulder surgery and could legitamately contribute right away though? There must be someone who did but I can't think of any off hand.

 

Tony Danza in Angels in the Outfield?

[foamboy1]

I would have done that deal and viewed him as a mid-season acquisition to replace the poorest performing starter. Given his insistence on a one year deal, he'll be plenty motivated to give it everything he has.

[Zycho32]

This should be interesting to watch, if only for a fact there's a chance we might get him next year depending on how well he performs and recovers from his injury. Then again, I don't suppose the rest of his injury history is very appealing to begin with.

[jordanmuehl]

He should be active for the last 3 months of the season. That would be a potential big boost for a division contender.

When was the last time a pitcher came off the DL from shoulder surgery and could legitamately contribute right away though? There must be someone who did but I can't think of any off hand.

Tony Danza in Angels in the Outfield?

So true...

Seriously, though; Prior could be a legitimate arm in their rotation come July/August when the Pads are looking to win the NL West or the Wild Card. When it comes down to it, you're going to pay ANY "name" in baseball at least a million a year for their services, especially a former Cy Young-caliber player (despite injury concerns).

[aracko]

No better place to pitch than Petco. I expext Prior to post an ERA under 4 and I imagine his strikeouts will be where they always are. IF Prior can return to health, Imagine a top 4 to your rotation as Peavy, Chris Young, Greg Maddux, and Prior.......with Randy Wolf manning the 5th spot in the rotation.

 

Thats amazing.

[pogokat]

prior has lost like 6 mph off of his fastball...this is a distant longshot signing for the padres

[xisxisxis]

Shoulder injuries for Pitchers are pretty predictive of a major drop in performance. Add in almost 2 years of not playing consistently and the likelihood of Prior pitching above replacement level in the NL this year is slightly worse than my chances with Angeline Jolie. I think the Padres would have a better chance at a return on the $1M if they went to Vegas and put it down on a number on a Roulette table, but they couldn't take that as a business expense on their taxes.

[Zycho32]

Y'know, come to think of it the tone would be a lot different if Prior were to have signed with us. Probably either entirely white- "He'll be back in Top Form!!", or entirely black- "We wasted a million that could've helped signed our young guys for THIS!?!"

 

It's amusing to laugh at the Padres selection, but nothing is 100 percent certain. This is a very low risk gamble they took to shore up an already fairly strong rotation on a team that already has a pitcher's advantage at home. Better yet, it only cost a million- and anybody who argues the merit of wasitng that is still stuck in the sub-Thirty Million days of pure salary hell we've gone through.

[Tbadder]

I being serious--I think xisxisxis has got it right. The Padres should've taken that money to a roulette table and let it ride on black for three rounds. Far more productive, helpful in the long term, and a better chance on a return.

[Gopher74]

prior has lost like 6 mph off of his fastball...this is a distant longshot signing for the padres

I don't think we can say with any type of certainty what he's lost off of anything. This will be the first time he's thrown with a shoulder that's actually been addressed.

 

Yea, of course he was throwing with much less velocity when he was pitching in 06, but again, he had a shoulder that went incorrectly diagnosed for how long? I'd be very surprised to see him hitting 85 again unless he's throwing a change. I'd GUESS and this is just pulling this out of my rear since as I said, it's impossible to know, but I'd guess he's back in that 92-95 range when he's healthy.

 

He could very easily have a Chris Carpenter type comeback.