Prospect Insider - Bedard to Seattle

Bedard to Seattle

By Chris Crawford

By 02-04-2010

UPDATE All done, with a mutual option for 2011. Mutual options are almost exclusively not picked up -- but maybe if he pitches well and loves Seattle there's a chance. Not too much to hate about this, folks.

UPDATE: FoxSports.com's Jon Morosi is tweeting the same thing: Bedard and the M's are closing in on a one-year deal.

Despite what Larry Larue wrote today, Erik Bedard is indeed close to signing a one year deal with the Seattle Mariners.

Obviously, this is a one-year deal, with the majority of the funds being tied to start-based incentives. Considering Bedard has basically pitched half a season the last two years, this obviously makes sense.

There are few that can deny how good Erik Bedard is when he's healthy. Every respected pitching statistic worth a darn tells you that. The problem is that he's healthy so rarely, and has shown nothing in his career to say he can pitch every fifth day. The reports are that Bedard is looking to return in May, which, according to Churchill, is probably too optimistic. The All-star break is a safer expectation.

The comments are all going to say Felix/Lee/Bedard, but lets be honest, the chances of Bedard pitching in October are pretty low.

Here's hoping I'm wrong.

bedard-to-seattle-likely

Comments
The following 62 comment(s) for this article are shown below:

1. By: DMac33 on 02-04-2010 15:31:36
Why do you think that the expectation that that is a rotation lasting until October is so wrong?

The comment is that Bedard struggles to stay healthy for a full season.

He's going to miss a portion of the season this year - about half of a season.

The consideration is whether or not he can remain healthy for about half of a season plus hopefully an entire month.

The fact of the matter is that IF this team can make the playoffs AND IF this team can reach October with a healthy front 3 of a rotation of Felix, Lee, and Bedard, well, I'm liking their chances of being very successful.

It's a low risk and high reward move ...

How can you not like that?

Typical pesimistic Seattle fan.

2. By: Edman on 02-04-2010 15:33:22
How can you lose? $1.5 million for half a year of potential #1 stater? The incentives are going to help urge him along.

You have to get to the playoffs, before you worry about a playoff rotation. If Bedard can help you get there, then why not?

There are a lot of mediocre pitchers making much more than that.

Why not dream of a playoff rotation of Felix, Lee, and Bedard? That's down right filthy and would worry any opponent.

3. By: Blowgun7 on 02-04-2010 15:34:15
So wuts up with labrum surgery? Who are the most recent guys to have that surgery, how long did it take them to get back, were they any good when they came back, did they get hurt again?

Anybody familiar with the injury and the liklihood we get 10-15 high quality starts from Bedard?

4. By: JHamlin22 on 02-04-2010 15:36:52
I am on the fence about this. There are a long list of pitchers who haven't been able to come back from a torn labrum in their shoulder, such as Jason Schmidt, Mark Prior and Bartolo Colon. Even someone in the Mariner's system is trying to come back from a torn labrum, Chad Cordero. However, there are some pitchers who have successfully come back from this type of surgery including Chris Carpenter and Curt Schilling. If it's a LOW salary but high incentive based contract, then I don't necessarily see a problem with it because it would be a low risk high reward type signing. Even if Bedard comes back completely healthy, I hope he can be more than just the 5 inning or 90 pitches per game pitcher. Maybe the fact that he will be playing for a future contract will motivate him. Hope so.

5. By: Boise M on 02-04-2010 15:38:07
Could he get a soft landing in the BP?

For the price he has a chance to be better/cheaper than other deadline candidates.

6. By: dewey on 02-04-2010 15:42:01
Edman that was put nicely dream of a playoff series because we aint going no where with this offense and backend of our rotation. Also Bedard has never been and after 2 shoulder surgerys will be a number 1 starter.The only one who ever thought he was a number 1 starter was Bavasai and look at the mess Jack has had to try and clean up he set this org back 5 years under his watch.I will say it one more time our defense is nice but in the American League you have to score a ton of runs to win and we cant and wont with this offense and that my friends is the facts and believe me i want us to win as much as any of you but i dont see it!

7. By: msulcer on 02-04-2010 15:49:38
Something I was thinking about was the possiblity of the M's signing Bedard to a minor league contract, and bring him up when he's ready. Would not affect 40 man that way until nessesary. Possible?

8. By: Chris Crawford on 02-04-2010 15:50:13
Just because Bedard is starting late doesn't mean he will be able to finish later.

I am a huge fan of Erik Bedard's stuff. I am not a huge fan of assuming Erik Bedard's stuff is going to stay healthy.

9. By: PositivePaul on 02-04-2010 15:52:15
I think the (potential) move is a good one. It keeps the favor with both sides, and allows Seattle to keep its position as the first in line w/him. I truly believed all along that Bedard genuinely LIKES Seattle. With the LaRue interview, I'd say that hunch is confirmed.

Let's keep in mind that recovering from a shoulder injury is a lot harder and slower than recovering from an elbow injury. Even if he's able to start pitching in May, he likely won't regain velocity quickly. His effectiveness will take awhile to build back up. I know his injury hasn't been reported as severe as, say, Meche's or Carpenter's was (as far as I know anyway), but shoulder injuries are still, more-often-than-not, career-killers. There's a toooon of risk here, and ultimately I'd consider 2010 a year of rehab for Bedard. I wouldn't necessarily count on him for anything good in 2010, really...

Fortunately, though, Bedard's best pitch is his curveball. These tend to screw up elbows more than shoulders. So he should be able to recover that pitch pretty quickly. I'd expect him to make several rehab starts in the system, probably where the weather's warmer in the spring (staying in Peoria until late-April if not longer). I'd love to see a rehab start or three in Tacoma.

The key for me is that this shows he's amicable to staying in Seattle. Rick Griffin is very well-respected in the game. Safeco is a good fit for any LH pitcher especially, and with the defense the M's have put in place behind the pitchers, you gotta love the situation. I'd strongly consider a team option for 2011 (not a mutual or player option) if he's open to it. Because if he DOES come back to the Erik Bedard that Bavasi was planning on when he traded the farm for him, it'll likely be after 2010.

10. By: Jackson on 02-04-2010 15:53:32
"I will say it one more time our defense is nice but in the American League you have to score a ton of runs to win."

The Mariners scored 31 fewer runs this year than last and won 24 more games. How did that happen? By preventing 119 fewer runs.

11. By: Blowgun7 on 02-04-2010 15:58:27
This is a nice move that could pay off in the second half or come postseason (if we get there). But I put the odds on Bedard doing anything in 2010 at about 15-20 percent. This is only a high risk move if Jack is counting on him for 15 starts this season.

I would expect Jack is too smart to think that, and will continue to pursue another mid rotation guy.

12. By: rjfrik on 02-04-2010 16:00:59
Exactly Jackson. Some people just don't get it.

The ironic thing is this years offense will be better then last years as well. I think we will score about 35-50 more runs then we did last year.

13. By: griggs on 02-04-2010 16:04:42
I'm not saying this will be the rotation. Just more ranked on talent/ability.

Felix RHP
Lee LHP
RRS LHP
Snell RHP
Fister/French/Vargas RHP/LHP/LHP

Then throw in Bedard at the break, it's looking like this.

Felix RHP
Lee LHP
Bedard LHP
RRS LHP
Snell RHP

That's a lot of lefties! I would have to think that Wak would want to break up the lefties in the rotation so that there wont be three straight days of a LHP. In Safeco, that is going to be huge!

14. By: Mackie on 02-04-2010 16:42:40
I like the idea of signing Bedard for $1.5 million plus incentives this year much more than I liked the idea of trading five guys for him a couple years ago. This time around, what does the ball club have to lose?

If he is maybe coming back for a relatively low salary (as compared to what Sheets and Harden, a couple of other injury-hampered guys with good stuff are making), I'm not sure how the M's would lose out by giving Bedard a flyer for $1.5 million.

If he is able to pitch this season, if he is effective, and if he can be useful in whatever role he can fill for the team, then great! If he can't go enough innings to start a ballgame, maybe he could pitch a few good innings of relief here or there. He has had major surgery, and it isn't likely he will be back at full steam until later this season. I hope they work him back into things slowly to minimize the risk of further injury and let him gain strength. Short relief, long relief, spot starting, or in the rotation... a healthy Bedard is worth having on the team.

If it took him until July or August to come back, but he was pitching well at that time? Still worth the gamble, in my opinion!

From all indications, it sounds like both sides want things to work out. I hope things do.

15. By: Edman on 02-04-2010 17:19:26
dewey, you really should try reading whole sentences. I said "half a year of potential #1 starters". Bedard's stuff is #1 starter stuff, when he's healthy. The only thing that's kept him from being mentioned with the likes of Lee and Hernandez is his health. If he's healthy, he's right up there with both.

It's really nice of you to let us all know that this offense isn't good enough to win, but I'm no so inclined to march to that music. All they need to do is score one more run than their opponent. The fewer you give up, the fewer you need. Hense the age-old baseball saying that, "Winning starts with pitching and defense."

The Rangers of the late 90's scored a lot of runs. However, their pitching couldn't prevent enough to get them into the playoffs.

16. By: frontstreetfan on 02-04-2010 18:09:05
Fox sports has been proving to be pretty reliable in their advance calls. This deal makes sense a potential mid season acquisition of a #2 or #3 SP, without giving up a prospect. He can go on the DL continue his rehab and get live action rehab starts in the minors prior to being activated on the roster around mid season. Win win Hope this turns out to be a true report.

17. By: rotoenquire on 02-04-2010 18:14:06
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18. By: JonathanAicardi on 02-04-2010 18:15:34
I've seen far worse decisions in the last decade.

For less than $2 Million guaranteed, in the grand scheme, whether Bedard regains full health or not just isn't an issue. If he does, great. If he doesn't, we're out $1.5-ish Mil. Whatever. We've been through Batista, Silva, Sexson, and just in the last three years. Wash and Beltre weren't great deals either, though they weren't horrible. This is a $1.5M bet that Bedard will come back and show enough of his former self to be useful to a contending team, and we're talking about the same off-season where Lackey got a 5 year deal worth MORE than Felix's, where 38-year-old lefty Wolf got a 3 year deal worth $30M, and where another injured, high talent (and older) starter got $10M, TEN, guaranteed by our own rival.

If it turns out he's at the back end of our rotation in August and September throwing quality or even solid innings and earning his incentives, I won't argue with those results.

19. By: Rudolf on 02-04-2010 18:52:05
I would think that signing an injured Bedard in 2010 would give us a leg up on signing a potentially healthy Bedard in 2011. This years salary could be perceived as a partial investment toward 2011.

20. By: universalguru on 02-04-2010 18:54:42
I don't think there's any chance of re-signing Bedard after the season if he's looking for the market value a "healthy" Bedard would get. Even if the year goes well. Odds are pretty good this is it unless he signs for cheap next year as well.

21. By: Rudolf on 02-04-2010 19:29:40
I agree to a point. I think Bedard, (or most anyone), would be less inclined to come back to town in 2011 if we blew him off in 2010. Money always talks, but all dollars being equal, feelings might get in the way, (not to mention geography). By signing him for 2010, the relationship could develop to where Bedard would want to stick around, even if we aren't the top bidders next year; and whose to say he would come back even if we were the top bidders. This can only help retain him in the future, if we so choose.

22. By: dewey on 02-04-2010 19:46:10
I understand everything starts with defense and pitching without a doubt.Does anyone else think everything fell perfect for us last year? We got 31 HR from Branyon never came close to that in his career .Lopez career high HR.Aardsma a up and down guy had a fantastic season allmost perfect can this happen again? Is Ryan Rowland Smith a third starter ? No would be my answer and or 4-5 Fister,French and Vargas if you feel good about that your drinking bad Kool Aid my friend! When has Bedard ever been up there with Lee and Felix Edman? He has had 1 good season ever he has had surgery on his arm 2 years in a row the odds our so bad its not even funny there hoping for late june who gets outs till then? I dont think the offense will score as many runs and our piyching wont be as good but thats just one guys opinion.I want the Mariners to win as bad as anyone but lets ne real and remember the division isnt as weak as it was last year.

23. By: dewey on 02-04-2010 19:48:12
I forgot Snell in that 4-5 spot but it still isnt good.

24. By: pwhit44 on 02-04-2010 20:19:05
With all this speculation about Bedard and/or Washburn, I wonder whether they will sign both of them, and then trade RRS as part of a larger deal. It's probably a slim possibility, but I guaranteed it has been considered.

Of the huge glop of young back-end starters we have, RRS is easily the most tradeable. Low salary, and has performed better than Vargas/French/Olsen/Fister.

Again, it's probably a slim possibility. But I'm sure it has been tossed around.

I wouldn't want to lose RRS, because he's cool. But if he was part of a huge package to get a sweet hitter, I'm all for it.

25. By: baseballman on 02-04-2010 20:25:31
dewey are you actually serious?

The Ms will have better production at LF, 3B, SS and DH. Equal or better production at CF, RF, 2B. Question mark at C and 1B (I believe Kotchman will have a big year for us though). Better production at 4 key positions, Guti and Lopez should also get better too, how can you honestly say that we will be worse next on O?

Last years pitching staff cannot touch this years plus we will have one of the, if not the, best defense in all the majors. Our bullpen is better too with the addition of League. If you think Bedard is not good, then you simply dont watch enough baseball.
Felix/Lee/RRS/Snell/Fister(ultimately Bedard) is just so much better than anything we had at any point last year.

What exactly did we lose from last year? 31 HR from branyan? really? look at our additions, when will people realize that HRs arent everything in an offense? dewey there are more ways to score runs in baseball than just HRs...

26. By: Edman on 02-04-2010 20:35:03
dewey, you might actually wanna look at a few stats before you speak too quickly.

Bedard, from 2005 on, has never had an ERA higher than 4.00 (hit it nut on, in 2005). In 2006-2007, he threw 192.1 and 182 inning, respectively. Yes, he was injured in 2008-2009, but still managed to throw well, in spite of the shoulder pain, until he had to stop. From 2005-2009 he won 45 games, while losing 31.

Had he been able to throw 200+ innings in 2008-2009, and continued to pitch well, he certainly would have been compared to Cliff Lee. A solid #1 starter, probably not, but on the lower tier of #1's.

On an added note, it looks like Hudson is going to sign with the Twins. Perhaps this will end the constant, "Trade Lopez and sign Hudson" banter.

27. By: pwhit44 on 02-04-2010 20:35:41
Agreed. Anyone who thinks we aren't significantly better on offense is nuts.

Just because the improvement is spread out over all the positions, doesn't mean it isn't better. Seriously, we are going to score more runs.

It's not a great offense. At all. But it could be average, with is far better than last year, when it was the worst in the AL. Scoring 50-100 more runs may not seem like much, but it is a big deal.

28. By: pwhit44 on 02-04-2010 20:39:23
Also, Bedard is a borderline ace when he's fully healthy. Enough said. Why don't people realize this?

No one is guaranteeing he'll be healthy, but not to recognize his ability is to not have watched much baseball.

29. By: Uncle Al on 02-04-2010 21:56:21
Stone is now reporting that the Bedard deal is close to being completed pending a physical. If the $1.5M contract amount is correct, that puts the total budget at around $95M for the year. When I first saw that there was some consideration for signing both Bedard and Washburn, I first thought that this was crazy because they could get almost as much from what they already had. There is something to consider. Zduriencik had to give up prospects in the last two years in trades and has been trying to accumulate as many trading chips as he possibly can. In signing Washburn for $5M and the M's feel he is capable of pitching as well as last year again, he can easily be traded at the trade deadline. He is only going to cost about $2.5M then and the idea that his injury didn't cause his falling apart in Detroit last year will disapear. Because of the lower salary, he should be worth even more than last year in a trade. Just another thought in conjunction with signing Bedard and picking up a player or two at the trade deadline for this year as well as the future.

30. By: FelixElRey on 02-04-2010 22:06:47
I like the idea of signing both because by the time Washburn starts to burn out, Bedard should be ready to go.

31. By: Chris Crawford on 02-04-2010 22:18:57
Would much rather see what you get out of RRS, Snell and whatever replacement arm breaks camp then spend money on Washburn at this point. Washburn made sense to me when Bedard appeared to be a non-option, but at this point? I'm not feeling it.

32. By: pwhit44 on 02-04-2010 22:42:41
Chris- But if Bedard isn't going to be ready until the second half, you don't face that issue for a few months. Seems like Washburn would just be insurance against Bedard never getting healthy. Who knows what will be happening with the team and the back end starters by the time June/July rolls around?

33. By: Uncle Al on 02-04-2010 22:48:41
That's just the whole point of this. You get a half year of Washburn who is just a little better than the replacement arms we have for a cost of about $2.5M and it's not going to do anything to stunt RRS or Snell which I agree with 100% as they must pitch this year. As far as Fister, Olson, French, or Vargas are concerned, they will all get some opportunities this year anyway and their progress will be monitored closely. Washburn gives you a little more security if Bedard can't pitchand will get you some more trade chips if bedard can pitch. And there is no one better to make this decision than Zduriencik and his people. They will do the right thing for this team. There is no doubt that they will screw up sometime but it's just amazing how much of the time they are right in what they do.

34. By: pwhit44 on 02-04-2010 22:55:27
That's my thought. If Washburn and Bedard end up healthy, then Washburn, Bedard, RRS, and whoever else is pitching well become pretty cool trade chips to acquire late-season help.

Whatever. We'll see.

35. By: pwhit44 on 02-04-2010 22:59:40
I have a question for people who are spring training vets:

Is it fun to be there just after pitchers and catchers report? I was thinking of doing that, but wanted to check for advice. Seems like things would be calm in terms of the number of fans. You could just watch pitchers throw their bullpens and watch position players take BP as they trickle into camp.

Maybe better opportunity for taking pictures without the masses of fans.

Does that make sense, and has anyone ever done that?

Never been to spring training at all before. Thoughts?

36. By: JHamlin22 on 02-04-2010 23:13:37
Buster Olney just reported that Orlando Hudson signed with the Twins for a 1 year 5 million dollar contract.

37. By: DobberSr on 02-04-2010 23:18:11
Watching the pitchers and catchers is a blast for a true fan. You will get chances to get some great picture taking opportunities, as well as primo opportunities for autographs. There still will be some fans there, and quite a few of those folks looking for autographs to sell on the internet. Should be lots of opportunities to watch BP as there are always early arrivals, and mabe some of the higher rated prospects who have been in Peoria for advanced training prior to the actual openings of the ML and minor league camps. Get your butt down there.

38. By: pwhit44 on 02-04-2010 23:31:39
Dobber- Thanks man! That's exactly the vibe I'm going for. I'd rather watch BP and bullpens than the actual games. I'm sold. Can't wait.

39. By: Lamda on 02-05-2010 01:47:39
it is funny that those who are angry about this move are only angry because they still tie Bedard to the trade. These are the same people who say Z is great for getting Byrnes/Garko, etc for almost nothing which is what we're getting Bedard for. He costs us almost nothing and if he bombs and doesn't recover from his arm surgery - big whup - 1.5 doesn't hurt us much at all and doesn't go beyond this year.

40. By: JohnMcD on 02-05-2010 02:31:23
Good point Lamada. I think people should get over the trade. It was a while ago we all know what happened and there is nothing we can do about it move on. Same goes for drafting Morrow instead of Lincecum. Stuff happens, no need to dwell on it. We have one of the best GM's, if not the best GM in baseball and we should look ahead to the season and what Jack Z can give us next!

41. By: Uncle Al on 02-05-2010 05:11:50
Nobody has a better idea on Bedard's medical condition than the M's. Why wait until June for others to bid up the price. The only real question should be if he can ever throw as well as he's thrown in the past. It really is a drop in the bucket when you think how large of a payoff you can get if it works. That's only 1.5M in a $95M budget which is about 1.06% of this year's budget. I absolutely hated the idea of the Bedard trade before it was made and was sure the trade was completely idiotic based on the information we had then but it sure wasn't Bedard's fault. I'm just as sure now that we should resign Bedard at $1.5M now if we can and roll the dice. We could get a huge pay off on this. The only thing we are out is $1.5M if this doesn't work out for us.

42. By: Uncle Al on 02-05-2010 05:13:21

43. By: FelixElRey on 02-05-2010 08:38:36
42, good point. Never looked at it that way. :)

44. By: Edman on 02-05-2010 10:54:41
dewey, you didn't notice that your Caps Locks were on? It've very hard to read.

As for Jack, we shouldn't praise what he's done, because he formulated a plan that took one of the worst teams in baseball and made them a contender? No, he hasn't finished the job, but few could have done what he did.

I don't think anyone's naming him King, or calling him a God, or proclaiming him a genious. But, he deserves credit for what he's done, regardless of the outcome.

Just because few here support your position that Bedard shouldn't be signed, doesn't mean you should take shots at Jack. Most here are reasonable. It's not like Bedard did anything to anyone in this city. He showed up, did his job, even pitching through pain. How many here have that kind of courage? You want to blame him for a trade that he had ABSOLUTELY no control over. Why? Because your too small minded to move past it?

To Jack and the M's credit, they have continued to assist Bedard through his recovery. That is the definition of a class organization. Actions define, words don't. They could have put minimal effort in, but didn't. If I was Bedard, I'd want to return to an organization that went beyond what was required, to help me get better.

45. By: Sarcasticus on 02-05-2010 10:54:55
What was the question? ^^

This is all too easy. If Bedard recovers from surgery then it is a great move. If he cannot recover, then the M's lose the relatively small investment given Bedard.

The only downside to this is listening to the knee-jerk reactions of people that spew the name Bavasi whenever they hear the name Bedard.

46. By: dewey on 02-05-2010 11:31:25
I GOT A QUESTION FOR YOU WHY AM I TYPING IN ALL CAPS RAWR (edited, and made funnier)

47. By: Lonnie on 02-05-2010 12:36:01
pwhit44 asks:

"Is it fun to be there just after pitchers and catchers report?"

It all depends on what you like to do. If you enjoy kicking back and just watching the goings on out in the warm sunshine, then ya, it's a blast. If you are there to try to talk to the players or get some pictures, it can be a little frustrating.

The covered area where the pitchers work is a tough place to get any decent pictures. The area where the catcher squats and the pitchers throw from are both covered and the area in between is open. What you get is two very dark areas and one very bright area. Also, the chainlink fence around the perimeter can destroy a good shot. BTW, I'm a photographer, so I know a little bit about what I'm talking about. I won't claim expert status, but do know a thing or two.

The pitchers are working on things and it would be frowned upon to try to get them into a conversation.

There are times though when it is possible to meet some of the pitchers and catchers, but it is rare. They do a lot of running during ST and have to walk out in the public area to get back to the clubhouse. If you can find out when they are doing their running you might be able to catch someone.

I've been down there four times now, and heading down for my fifth ST in March. I've gone early and I've gone late. My best times is mid to late February when the teams are holding scrimmages and you get to see all of the pitchers out on the mound in the sunshine. Also, this is the best time to meet any position players since they have to walk through the public grounds to get to the clubhouse.

The Peoria complex is a great place for us fans because it gives us probably one of the best opportunities to get up close to the team.

Lonnie

48. By: mykillmagnum on 02-05-2010 13:04:01
Personally, I like the move of picking up bedard, but I don't understand why he automatically gets penciled in as the 3rd starter. I'm all for going with felix, lee, rowland smith, snell, and fister/ french/ vargas/ or whoever to start the season and then bringing in bedard to become the 5th srarter when he's ready. To me, the expectations of a 5th starter is around 5 to 6 innings, and since that's probably all we will get from him, he kind of fits there, he would pitch before felix and just think if he actually got things going and pitched like the good bedard, we could have series of bedard, felix and lee at times, souuunds good to me.

49. By: Edman on 02-05-2010 13:45:41
I think the expectation is that every starter goes as many innings as they can. I don't think Bedard is penciled in to anything. I think most people mention him as #3, if he returns to form, which would be accurate.

Pitching rotations, after you get far enough into a season, are pretty meaningless. So much happens. And, at the All-Star break, they're usually realigned. It's simply a place to start.

50. By: marinerdan on 02-05-2010 14:24:23
Now that he has a contract, maybe we should just let him take it easy until August, the fewer innings he pitches the better, come back for a push in August, we always seem to struggle in August. Hudson got signed so unless there is another trade, it looks like either the payroll is small than we expected, or Z is saving money for the trade deadline.

51. By: pwhit44 on 02-05-2010 15:30:47
Thanks for the advice, Lonnie! So if p's and c's report on the 17th, then you'd recommend the last weekend in February (25th-28th) over that first weekend (18th-21st)?

Sorry for bombing this thread with off-topic stuff, Chris.

52. By: Chris Crawford on 02-05-2010 16:17:53
It's about baseball, and not about ten thousand trade ideas...so its perfectly relevant. Thanks for the concern.

53. By: kevin_ess on 02-05-2010 22:53:29
While I'm actually very happy about the extension, as others have commented, it's not going to be until late May at the least when he is able to contribute. That said, the thought of a lineup of Felix, Lee, (a healthIER) Bedard and possible Washburn is MIND BLOWING. Bedard is the type of pitcher that can take the labrum problem and make it a non-issue upon return because he has the mind and skill set to do it. In my mind, many a pitcher facing this kind of injury has failed to return to form due to mentally killing themselves. Bedard knows what he has done, CAN do, and what he plans to do upon return. This is an inexpensive and awesome pickup. Meanwhile, Bavasi is likely looking at bringing Kevin Jarvis back from the "dead" for Cincinnati. You know, because he's a VET. Seriously, I've wanted Bedard back all along, praying he would be able to contribute and succeed, and we seem to be getting to that point. ST is going to be interesting for so danged many reasons.

54. By: safecochatter on 02-06-2010 12:18:31
bedard deal is official.
petit dfa.
might be interesting to look at year end stats of bedard and sheets. oakland will get more out of sheets as he's further along. but 10 mill for sheets vs 1.5+ for bedard. bedard could end up being a hell of a bargain for the m's.

55. By: Galway on 02-06-2010 13:16:33
Plus if things go bad with Bedard the expense was not prohibitive but if things go well Bedard is probably more likely to stay with the M's as it was his first choice. Sheets does well and he probably will be ringing the cash register elsewhere. There are negatives, but overall the deal is very good value. The fact the M's are willing to sign the deal now speaks well about the confidence of Bedard to successfully comeback as they are the team that would know best and have a pretty solid medical staff.

56. By: Adam T on 02-06-2010 19:16:59
Bavasi got the GM job in Cincy? That's nuts. Good for him.

57. By: DRWheelock on 02-06-2010 21:24:34
Nice job out of the Z Man to salvage "some" value out of the Bedard trade. That trade was atrocious! BUT, this signing is completely separate from the trade, but it does ease out pain "a little" knowing that there is a chance that we have Bedard now for 2 more years, with extremely low risk this year. AND if he doesn't have an ACE like 2nd half in 2010, but ends up being healthy by Sept...Z man can always do the same kind of thing he did with Wilson, and decline and do a lower base w/incentives again.

This gives Z man a lot of choices going forward, and we could end up with some great value over the next 2 "more" years with Bedard. So "if" Bedard is healthy enough for both sides to accept the mutual option, that means we'll end up getting Bedard for a total of a minimum of 4 years. What a way to salvage Bavasi's MESS!

Hail The Z!!!

58. By: DRWheelock on 02-06-2010 22:07:13
Jason,

Any chance that we still end up trading for Harang?

With all the potential LHP starters, and now adding Bedard, I would think Harang would be HUGE espeically if Cincy sent $4M cash back on Harang which I would expect.

It would also give a very balanced rotation without having 4 LHPs, and Snell would be bumped to the pen in long relief.

Felix/Lee/Harang/Bedard/RRS.

Damn.

59. By: slamcactus on 02-06-2010 22:54:16
The way Bedard's return has been discussed here is a little off. Bedard being "healthy" isn't a threshold question where the answer will be yes or no. That's the case with minor injuries to the non-throwing arm, but when a guy has been through major elbow surgery and multiple major shoulder surgeries - each of which could independently end a pitcher's career - health is a matter of degree.

A fully healthy Bedard at this point may very well not be the #1-caliber pitcher he's been in the past. What you mean is a Bedard returned to his 2007 form. It's an important distinction, because one of those things is reasonable to hope for, but the other is something of a pipe dream. Bedard may go all Chris Carpenter on the league and come back in full form, but there's a very good chance that never happens, and there's also a good chance that it happens but not this year.

Bedard will very likely be healthy at some point this season and ready to start. I don't think Zduriencik would have guaranteed him 7 figures if that weren't the case. Just clicking a mental box that says "he's healthy now, so we've got our 3rd ace" is a recipe for disappointment.

I love that Bedard's back, because the upside is huge, but let's not kid ourselves. This is a calculated risk the Mariners are taking. The upside is huge, but there's a very, very good chance they get nothing out of this deal, even if Bedard comes back "fully healthy."

60. By: Galway on 02-07-2010 08:09:30
I don't think its a given he'll be healthy but value to me is about return and probability. The fact the M's who know probably more than most teams are willing to not just be interested but actually sign on the dotted line I do feel bodes well for the probability side of the equation which to me the real question regarding the value of the deal.

I'd love to see Harang in this group but realistically are the M's going to bump Snell from the rotation and pay him his money before camp breaks. I do not see a bunch of trade value for Snell as his value is rock bottom and do you pay a guy that much dough to essentially be a spot starter. My impression was they were committed to giving Snell a chance to turn it around.

Off topic but Oliver Perez actually showed to Port St. Lucie in shape, so I guess anything can happen

61. By: Lailoken on 02-07-2010 12:44:46
Bedard's velocity took awhile to come back after his Tommy John surgery but even with his shoulder ailments the last two seasons his fastball velocity has been fine. Of course, after 2008 the thought was that his labrum was torn when it wasn't. This time, after 2009, the labrum was torn so this is a whole different animal. Even when hurt Bedard, with the exception of a game or inning here or there, has always pitched well when he's pitched. The problem for me is that he hasn't pitched deep into games. With Wilson, Death-to-flying-things, & Ichiro I hope Bedard doesn't nitpick as much when he returns. Carrying a 6-man bullpen is better for this roster considering JR & Bradley are going to be around. Bedard cannot throw a ton of pitches & only go 5 or 6 innings if this team has a six man bullpen. Over the past two years he has averaged 5.47 innings a start. Then again, I won't complain much if he's doing that when things are close in September & the roster has expanded. :)

62. By: UPURWAZZU on 02-11-2010 02:41:02
The Canadian Crybaby makes sense whether it is May, April, June, or July...If he comes back from this injury strong, and has a wicked curveball still, awesome! If he doesn't 1.5 isn't going to kill anyone. Question is...Does he really have the work ethic and commitment to come back from the shoulder 100%? It wont be easy, and others who have had the surgery have struggled to regain their form, eg. Jason Schmidt and Chris Carpenter. He hasn't shown me much in 2 years to give me much hope, but maybe, just maybe, he can come out of this and help lead us to a Championship.

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