Padilla at $11.3M/per? Just keeps getting crazier!

[TrueBlueJay]

This is insane. Padilla is now making more average money per year over the course of his contract than AJ Burnett!

Lilly's price is now almost surely $10M + per year, it really is getting ridiculous.

Baseball owners/GM's are shooting themselves in the foot this year. If this crap keeps up, theres going to have to be a salary cap like the NBA to keep the teams in check. Teams with no money like Kansas City must be wondering if they can drop down to AAA. How will they ever compete in this market?

[gojays2007]

You don't think the Jays signings of AJ and BJ last off-season contributed to this at all?

[fmradioguy]

The free agent market is out of control this year. No two ways about it. I'm hoping the Jays can work something out on the trade market rather than jump into the free agent fray this off season.

And yes, the Jays did contribute to some degree to the rise in salaries. Every time a benchmark is set, every contract that follows is compared against it. I'm sure a few teams were also thinking "well, if the Toronto Blue Jays of all teams can do it..."

[TrueBlueJay]

The Jays contributed no more to this than the other teams. STL offered AJ $10 Million so the Jays offered him $11 million. Thats how the system works.

All of baseball is guilty when it comes to overspending. This didnt just start last offseason, it started many years ago with the start of free agency.

But it is insane. Its nuts to think that Texas had to pay Padilla more than $11 Million or else risk losing him to someone else would have given him almost that much. And it does make me feel a lot better about getting AJ and BJ for the prices we did last year.

[gojays2007]

the biggest contract ever given to a relief pitcher also belongs to JP

[TrueBlueJay]

One of the best seasons ever by a reliever belongs to BJ Ryan.

[gojays2007]

ever? really?

[TrueBlueJay]

Uhhh, yeah, I'd say so:

Of all the 30 save seasons in MLB history, BJ Ryan has the 9th lowest ERA, and 12th best WHIP.

top 11 30+ save seasons sorted by ERA:

1. Eckersley 1990 - 48 saves, 0.61 ERA, 0.61 WHIP
2. Papelbon 2006 - 35 saves, 0.98 ERA, 0.78 WHIP
3. John Smoltz 2004 - 45 saves, 1.12 ERA, 0.87 WHIP
4. Jose Mesa 1995 - 46 saves, 1.13 ERA, 1.03 WHIP
5. Gagne 2003 - 55 saves, 1.20 ERA, 0.69 WHIP
6. Armando Benitez 2004 - 47 saves, 1.29 ERA, 0.82 WHIP
7. Ugueth Urbina 1998 - 34 saves, 1.30 ERA, 1.01 WHIP
8. Bruce Sutter 1977 - 31 saves, 1.34 ERA, 0.86 WHIP
9. BJ Ryan 2006 - 38 saves, 1.37 ERA, 0.86 WHIP
10. John Wetteland 1993 - 43 saves, 1.37 ERA, 1.01 WHIP
11. Mariano Rivera 2005 - 43 saves, 1.38 ERA, 0.87 WHIP

[Noob]

Originally Posted by TrueBlueJay

Uhhh, yeah, I'd say so:

Of all the 30 save seasons in MLB history, BJ Ryan has the 9th lowest ERA, and 12th best WHIP.

top 11 30+ save seasons sorted by ERA:

1. Eckersley 1990 - 48 saves, 0.61 ERA, 0.61 WHIP
2. Papelbon 2006 - 35 saves, 0.98 ERA, 0.78 WHIP
3. John Smoltz 2004 - 45 saves, 1.12 ERA, 0.87 WHIP
4. Jose Mesa 1995 - 46 saves, 1.13 ERA, 1.03 WHIP
5. Gagne 2003 - 55 saves, 1.20 ERA, 0.69 WHIP
6. Armando Benitez 2004 - 47 saves, 1.29 ERA, 0.82 WHIP
7. Ugueth Urbina 1998 - 34 saves, 1.30 ERA, 1.01 WHIP
8. Bruce Sutter 1977 - 31 saves, 1.34 ERA, 0.86 WHIP
9. BJ Ryan 2006 - 38 saves, 1.37 ERA, 0.86 WHIP
10. John Wetteland 1993 - 43 saves, 1.37 ERA, 1.01 WHIP
11. Mariano Rivera 2005 - 43 saves, 1.38 ERA, 0.87 WHIP

BJ is deffinately in some good company there.

Wow Eckersley had an unbelievable season in 1990.

[TrueBlueJay]

yeah, he was godly that season. Whats amazing his his WHIP...0.61! Thats insane!
I believe that is the best WHIP of all time for a single season of at least 60 IP

Back to the topic of this thread, if we sign Meche I am going to ralph. I was reading a comparison on another board, and Meche actually had worse career stats than Josh Towers going into this season despite pitching in Safeco...yucks. Imagine we give him $10 million a year, or worse, Padilla money? BLECH.

[Noob]

Originally Posted by TrueBlueJay

yeah, he was godly that season. Whats amazing his his WHIP...0.61! Thats insane!
I believe that is the best WHIP of all time for a single season of at least 60 IP

Back to the topic of this thread, if we sign Meche I am going to ralph. I was reading a comparison on another board, and Meche actually had worse career stats than Josh Towers going into this season despite pitching in Safeco...yucks. Imagine we give him $10 million a year, or worse, Padilla money? BLECH.

Agreed but at least Meche can strike people out. That should make up for the 8 million difference in salary

[gojays2007]

For fun, review Mariano Rivera's career stats.

[TrueBlueJay]

I'm pretty familiar with his career stats...but what does that have to do with anything?

[gojays2007]

Rivera has had several years like BJ's last year..you know what...nevermind

[TrueBlueJay]

Whats your point though? Do you have one or are you just trying to annoy me? So far since I've been posting here, you always seem to be trying to prod me.

I really don't get what you are trying to do here. You started this by criticizing how much money was spent on BJ by saying it was the highest contract every awarded to a reliever.

I said that at least he gave us one of the best seasons ever by a reliever.

At which point you decide to question that statement.

So then I do some research and present factual evidence that in BJ Ryan's 2006 season he had the 9th lowest ERA and 12 lowest WHIP of all the 30 save seasons in MLB history. Therefore, it was one of the best all time seasons by a reliever.

Then instead of acknowledging that I was correct about BJ, you ask if I've ever looked up Mariano Rivera's stats, which is kind of silly since I listed Mariano's 2005 season as one of the best seasons of all time in the research I provided, so obviously I had looked up his stats.

Then you say "Rivera has had several years like BJ's last year"

First of all, so what? What does that have to do with my statement that BJ had one of the best years of all time as a closer?

Second of all, Rivera has had a number of fantastic seasons, but only his 2005 is as good as BJ's 2006 season. In 2005 Mariano finished a hair behind BJ in ERA and WHIP, and averaged more than 1.5 less strikeouts per 9 innings. Techically, Mariano has never had a season as good as BJ's 2006, but we're splitting hairs here.

Again, Mariano Rivera is one of the most consistent, greatest closers of all time. But what does that have to do with the fact that BJ Ryan had an unbelievable season last year? It has nothing to do with it, and takes nothing away from his season.

If you want to debate whether or not BJ Ryan's 2006 season is one of the greatest by a reliever, fine, thats what this forum is for. But I don't think thats what you are trying to do here.