OFFICIAL: Sox Sign Linebrink - 4 yrs, 19 mil

[Heads22]

It's a valid point though. Look at the 06 numbers, where Cordero's pretty much Linebrink - and then last year he was not tons better than Linebrink either

 

That's pretty much what I was trying to say.

 

If we paid something like that for a guy like Linebrink, we'd absolutely flip s***.

[Punch and Judy Garland]

Ominous line from the Buster Olney blog this morning: By the way: The signing of Scott Linebrink is getting a lot of reaction within the industry. ... More on that tomorrow.

[thedoctor]

Ominous line from the Buster Olney blog this morning: By the way: The signing of Scott Linebrink is getting a lot of reaction within the industry. ... More on that tomorrow.

 

well, if industry insiders don't like the linebrink deal, i'd have to think the cordero signing will make them flip tihs.

[Punch and Judy Garland]

I think its not the deal itself in terms of money (the Orioles gave out similar deals last year) but I'd guess its the 4th year and the fact that Linebrink was a shell of his former self last year. Thats my guess

[SkokieSox]

I think its not the deal itself in terms of money (the Orioles gave out similar deals last year) but I'd guess its the 4th year and the fact that Linebrink was a shell of his former self last year. Thats my guess

 

With all the signings from Boras' clients alone, which the Sox are never apart of, how would this signing possibly get attention from the industry. They can all **** me if they're upset. That's absolutely ridiculous.

[southsider2k5]

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/7480854...3162&ATT=49

 

Looks like Reds are going to get the other big name Brewer reliever, for 4/46!!!!!

Makes Linebrink look a little better. Wow.

 

that is about 2.5 times what we paid!

[Punch and Judy Garland]

Not that its a good contract but Cordero is more than 2.5 times as good as Linebrink and had success in that league. That said, we didn't need a closer so don't think I meant we should get him. Anyways, I bet the industry is surprised because middle relief is the one place where you need bargains given the cost of starting pitching. Nearly $5 million a season suggests that day is gone (it has been for about a year now)

[NorthSideSox72]

Not that its a good contract but Cordero is more than 2.5 times as good as Linebrink and had success in that league. That said, we didn't need a closer so don't think I meant we should get him. Anyways, I bet the industry is surprised because middle relief is the one place where you need bargains given the cost of starting pitching. Nearly $5 million a season suggests that day is gone (it has been for about a year now)

2.5 times as good? Not even close. His numbers aren't all that much better than Linebrink's.

 

Keep this in mind too - the Sox could spend this money on a setup guy because they have an elite closer for super-cheap. Most other teams can't do that. And, honestly, I think one of the reasons they did it also is they like having semi-reliable insurance on Jenks in case he gets hurt.

 

[Texsox]

2.5 times as good? Not even close. His numbers aren't all that much better than Linebrink's.

 

Keep this in mind too - the Sox could spend this money on a setup guy because they have an elite closer for super-cheap. Most other teams can't do that. And, honestly, I think one of the reasons they did it also is they like having semi-reliable insurance on Jenks in case he gets hurt.

 

Spot on.

[Punch and Judy Garland]

Check out their K to walk ratios. He's much much better

[santo=dorf]

Uh, correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't much of this site wishing the Sox would get Linebrink a couple years back? Or am I getting him mixed up with someone else?

Let's trade Josh Fields for him.

[NorthSideSox72]

Check out their K to walk ratios. He's much much better

He is not worth anything like 2.5x salary of Linebrink.

 

[Punch and Judy Garland]

They were indeed. He was a dominant setup man a few years ago. He was pretty much a liability for the BRewers though

[3E8]

It depends whether he continues his downward trend next year or not. Most any metric you look at for last season will tell you that Cordero was twice as valuable as Linebrink.

[Pastime]

At least Linebrink has a proven track record and has had success in the majors. I will feel a lot better seeing him come in the game than I EVER did when AAArdsma or Sisco Kid took the mound. Those two made you want to cover your eyes with your hands.

 

Plus, it's highly unlikely that Linebrink could be anywhere near as bad as some of the guys who got lit up this season).

[The Beast]

When are the Sox expected to announce this deal and do we anticipate any moves towards Rowand or another OF this week since KW had said something about chasing one or two outfielders in the paper the other day?

[daa84]

looks like nobody else in baseball likes this deal

http://insider.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index...me=olney_buster

 

Mad money for Linebrink

posted: Sunday, November 25, 2007 | Feedback | Print Entry

 

There are more signings and trades to come, more deals that will cause general managers to flinch with mental anguish and agents to laugh giddily. But so far, the move that has stunned executives -- and some agents, for that matter -- more than any other has been the White Sox's signing of reliever Scott Linebrink to a four-year $19 million deal.

 

"Our industry has gone insane again," said one GM.

 

Linebrink, 31, has had a terrific career so far. Eight seasons in the big leagues, 384 career appearances, a 30-16 record, and by all accounts, a good teammate; Trevor Hoffman strongly criticized the Padres after they traded the right-hander in July.

 

But all of the major indicators in Linebrink's career point to some rough days ahead. Opposing hitters had an OPS of .619 against the right-hander in 2004, then .583 in 2005, before having more success in 2006, .678, and even more in 2007 -- .728 for the Padres, and .767 for the Brewers. His ratio of strikeouts per nine innings has descended from 8.89 to 6.40 over the last four seasons. He got hit hard in his last two months with the Padres, and never really gave the Brewers what they hoped to get from him. He allowed a career-high 12 homers in 70.1 innings in 2007, while pitching in the NL.

 

And now he goes to Chicago, to pitch in a home run haven. He may do better than rival executives expect, of course. Maybe he and Bobby Jenks will give the White Sox a formidable late-innings duo.

 

But many major league officials view the Linebrink signing as something akin to betting to win in a six-player game of Monopoly: There is just too much chance involved to commit as much money as the White Sox have. That is the nature of gambling on middle relievers.

 

This from an AL official: "I think Linebrink is declining and the difference in ballparks will really hurt him. I do know that [GM Kenny Williams] has always loved him, so it's not like he just threw money at the best available guy. Still, I think it's a really bad signing. … Can't see it working out."

 

"Crazy dollars," said an NL executive. "And a No. 1 draft pick?"

 

Another executive wrote in an e-mail: "Signing relievers to multi-year deals is a considerable risk, given the volatility of relief performance for all but the truly elite guys. Despite a hyper-competitive free agent market with few quality options, extending four years and nearly $20 million to a middle guy is not something that [his team] would have considered. I would guess the White Sox get two solid years of performance and two years of mediocre to poor performance out of Linebrink."

 

Said an AL GM: "I'd rather give the ball to one of my young guys in the minors. There's probably as much chance that he would succeed as there is that Linebrink is going to pitch well, and it costs you almost nothing."

 

In recent years, teams have tended to gamble more and more on middle relievers, but rarely have the biggest bets paid off. The Yankees tossed a lot of money at Kyle Farnsworth, who has been a bust, for three years and $17 million. The Orioles signed Danys Baez to a three-year, $19 million deal to be their set-up man for Chris Ray, and even before he got hurt, he pitched poorly. The Mets probably would love to get out of the three-year, $10.8 million deal they gave Scott Schoeneweis. The same could be said for the Orioles, in their three-year commitments to Jamie Walker ($12 million) and Chad Bradford ($10.5 million).

 

But the White Sox have stuck their quarters into the middle-reliever slots, and pulled the lever. We'll see how it turns out.

 

The White Sox are hoping to benefit from Orlando Cabrera's enthusiasm and work ethic, writes Joe Cowley (at least I think Joe wrote this piece; no byline was listed early in the day).

[max power]

I don't understand why everyone sees this as a trend. He, by my interpretation of his OPS, had:

 

A solid year in 2004

 

An outstanding year in 2005

 

A solid year in 2006

 

A relatively bad year in 2007

 

So that's a trend? Every reliever has up and down years. I think people are making too much of it. Its not as if he is 37 years old and losing his stuff.

[southsider2k5]

Said an AL GM: "I'd rather give the ball to one of my young guys in the minors. There's probably as much chance that he would succeed as there is that Linebrink is going to pitch well, and it costs you almost nothing."

 

Like Sisco, Massett, or Aardsma?

[bigruss]

Like Sisco, Massett, or Aardsma?

Thats what I was thinking, maybe more like guys like Wasserman, or Buckvich, or the mighty Printz

[Guest]

you both are wrong, that anonymous GM was talking about Dewon Day!

[RockRaines]

Actually its not a #1 draft pick executive.

[Pods70Rowand33]

I personally don't mind the deal. In response to giving the ball to a minor league pitcher, we did that last year multiple times and where did it get us? No where. Aardsma, Masset, Day, we tried older minor leaguers like Bukvich, and Prinze. I don't mind paying a guy who has done relatively well in his set up role. At least we're going in with a proven pitcher, and not staying with the same guys we had last year.

[G&T]

So they aren't shocked by the $275 - $300 million A-Rod deal (when no other team would come close to that price), and they aren't shocked by the Torii Hunter $90 million deal (where no other team was within $15 million), but this is a sign that the industry is going crazy again?

Maybe they say that because it's a middle reliever, but I don't think this is the deal to complain about for baseball as a whole.

 

I don't know maybe I'm wrong on this one.

[Dick Allen]

Like Sisco, Massett, or Aardsma?

I was going to say KW probably said the same thing a year ago, but whether it works out or not, he did what he had to do.