Schilling for Glavine?

As you might have already seen, Curt Schilling listed the Mets as one of the teams he’s interested in signing with for next year.

Wow … where did that come from?

Ideally, he’d like to return to the Boston Red Sox, but there’s a good chance they will not meet his expectation of a one-year, $13M contract. However, there will be someone out there willing to give him that kind of deal — after all, Roger Clemens received $25M to pitch four months. Teams don’t mind spending big bucks for proven veterans seeking short commitments.

Now, although I advocate that the Mets go after a Carlos Silva or Livan Hernandez to eat up innings, I see no reason not to consider Schilling on a one-year deal. The reason being: the Mets were prepared to spend $13M for another year of Tom Glavine. Regardless of whether Glavine had accepted or rejected the option, the Mets still needed to get a Silva/Livan guy. So why not take that $13M earmarked for Glavine, and give it to Schilling?

The pros:

  • Big-game pitcher
  • Successful in the AL East
  • Longtime veteran; provides experience and instruction for youngsters
  • At worst, a solid back-of-rotation starter

The cons:

  • Not the strikeout pitcher he once was
  • Older, more prone to breakdowns / DL stints
  • Openly opinionated (or as some people say, a big mouth)

OK, so he probably won’t pitch 200 innings in 2008 … but he might. Glavine through exactly 200 and posted a 4.45 ERA, and was counted on to be the #1 starter. Do we know for sure that Glavine will pitch another 200 frames? If he does, will it be at the expense of a 5+ ERA? Would he be counted on to be a #1 next year? All these are fair questions.

Like Glavine, Schilling would not be expected to be a top-of-the-rotation starter. He wouldn’t be expected to pitch 200 innings. Also like Glavine, he would be expected to be a role model and go-to guy for the youngsters, like an “assistant pitching coach”. Similar to Glavine, he’d be counted on to pitch in the postseason, assuming the Mets get there. Tell me: at this stage in each of their careers, who would you rather have starting a “big” game — Glavine or Schilling?

Schilling threw 150 innings last season, going 9-8 in 24 starts and posting a 3.87 ERA in the American League — facing powerful lineups like the Yankees, Tigers, Angels, and Rangers. A move to the NL would certainly help him maintain those numbers, if not improve upon them. Personally, I’ll take those numbers from a #4 or #5 starter next year, if all it’s going to cost is a one-year, $13M commitment.

Of course, there is the personality issue. As mentioned, Schilling is, well, opinionated, and not afraid to speak his mind to anyone who will listen. And he often says things that some find inappropriate, offensive, or just plain stupid. You know what? Maybe that’s exactly what the Mets need in their clubhouse — someone to speak to the press. For the last two years, the New York media has been running around in circles trying to get some kind of juicy comment from a Mets player, only to be frustrated with boring quotes from the lifeless personalities in Met uniforms. After finding out quickly that Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado, Tom Glavine, David Wright, Jose Reyes, and most of the rest of the Mets didn’t ever say anything headline-worthy, the media focused on making Paul LoDuca or Billy Wagner crack. By the end of 2006, LoDuca was clearly tired of being “the” guy to answer all the questions, over and over — and it only became more of an issue in 2007. LoDuca is willing to talk, but he doesn’t embrace the microphones the way some players do — such as Schilling. Let Schilling come in and be the fall guy, and be the guy to say the dumb things — he’s done it before, he can handle it, and he loves it.

Before you think that Schilling will say something that will rattle some cages, or cause ill will in the clubhouse, or somehow “poison” the team, think about this: he’s made plenty of questionable, supposedly damaging comments under a hotter spotlight in Boston, yet has won two World Series rings in the last four years. Maybe Schilling will come out and say some of the Mets are lazy, or don’t have the killer instinct. And maybe that’s what the Mets will need. Maybe part of the problem has been that no one — other than Wagner and LoDuca in a mid-season tirade — has spoken up, and made others uncomfortable. Guess what? Sometimes, discomfort is a good thing. Getting your teammates riled up, or angry, can be better than lounging around and waiting for something to happen. Ask the 1976-78 Yankees. Ask the 1971-74 Athletics. Ask the Red Sox of the last four years, who dealt with Schilling as a teammate.

I’ll pose another question: which would you rather hear after a tough loss? That the starting pitcher, who was knocked out in the first inning, “didn’t feel devastated”? Or “The feeling after I lose a game, I can’t describe how miserable, and the elation I feel after I pitch good is so much less than the bad is bad” ?

The $13M is already there, for “good guy” Glavine. Why not hand it to a similar pitcher and competitor, who can also be an effective lightning rod for the media?

Joe Janish began MetsToday in 2005 to provide the unique perspective of a high-level player and coach -- he earned NCAA D-1 All-American honors as a catcher and coached several players who went on to play pro ball. As a result his posts often include mechanical evaluations, scout-like analysis, and opinions that go beyond the numbers. Follow Joe's baseball tips on Twitter at @onbaseball and at the On Baseball Google Plus page.
  1. skibolton October 31, 2007 at 2:53 pm
    The mets just picked up alou’s option and re-signed easley to a one year deal. I like having both of them back.
  2. isuzudude October 31, 2007 at 3:23 pm
    Joe, if it came down to choosing between Glavine or Schilling, considering they both can be had for $13-mil, my choice would be Schilling all the way. And I like your thinking as per Schilling shaking up the clubhouse and motivating his team to win by using the media (in the right way).

    However, I’m not sold that the $13-mil saved from Glavine’s option can’t be better spent. Sure, Schilling brings a great reputation with him, but like you said he can’t be relied on to A) pitch over 180 innings, or B) be counted on as a top-end rotation pitcher. Maybe if the Mets didn’t already have so many question marks as far as health concerns (Pedro, El Duque) and lasting effectiveness (Maine, Perez) in their rotation, I’d welcome bringing in Schilling to be the veteran missing link. But with so much up in the air heading into 2008, I’d prefer to bring in some more reliably healthy arms for the rotation, whether it means investing $35-$40-mil on Silva or picking up the $34.5-mil left on Vazquez’ contract or $33.5-mil left on Bonderman’s contract in a trade.

    By the way, looking at AJ Burnett’s contract…he can opt out at the end of 2008. That leads me to believe he’s not a wise pickup at this point in time. Say if the Mets were to give up Pelfrey & Humber to get him, and he gets hurt and then doesn’t return to the Mets, bad move…even if Pelfrey and Humber turn out to be bums, b/c we could have gotten better value in return. It would be better to either wait until July to see if Burnett is healthy and available, and then give up less (because the Jays will be getting more desperate to get rid of him for something), or simply sign him next offseason when he opts out. Anyone agree/disagree?

  3. joe October 31, 2007 at 3:30 pm
    I know most of us here would like to see AJ return to the orange and blue, but I’m not seeing a match with the Blue Jays. Every time I look at their roster, I think, “why would the Jays want anything the Mets have to offer?”. Though, I suppose it’s different if they’re viewing it strictly as a salary dump. It’s just that there are some holes on the Toronto roster, and plenty of teams looking for a pitcher like Burnett, that I find it hard to believe the Mets would be the one to offer them the best package.

    And I agree it wouldn’t be a great idea to get Burnett and then lose him after ’08 … and think it could be smarter to send a similar package in July rather than now.

    As for Schilling … well, the way I’m looking at it, the $13M is “found money”, and as I stated, if Glavine did/does return, the Mets still need to get that Silva/Livan/whomever. I’d prefer they get BOTH Livan and Silva, but just don’t see that happening. But if they get one, and therefore have Pedro, Ollie, Maine, and Livan or Silva, then I’d much prefer to have Schill at #5 than cross my fingers with Pelfrey again.

    I’d rather give Pelf and Humber another year in the minors, or transition one / both to the bullpen for ’08.

  4. skibolton October 31, 2007 at 3:36 pm
    Of all the names mentioned above, the only two I have no interest in are schilling and glavine. Any of the other 4 would sit fine with me. Before I went after any of those guys though, I’d try to get ollie signed to an extension, as he is a free agent after next season. I’d prefer to wait on burnett, but if the price wasn’t unreasonable I’d have no problem with it. Toronto is probably looking for infield prospects though.
    I wonder what cincinnati would be asking for harang, or baltimore with bedard. Both of those guys would be great additions, and we seem to match up reasonably well with those teams as far as needs. I can’t see either expecting to compete next year, although cincinnati is in a lousy division. I’d gladly give pelfrey and humber, along with another decent prospect for either of those guys. When all is said and done though, I’d like to see silva in blue and orange since it will not cost us any prospects. He got tabbed as a type b guy, so we won’t even lose a draft pick.
  5. isuzudude October 31, 2007 at 3:52 pm
    I know what you mean by the found money, but also take into consideration that Wright, Reyes, Beltran, Delgado, Perez, and El Duque are all getting raises heading into 2008. On top of an $8-10-mil per year deal extended to Silva/Livan, acquiring a new catcher (or two), and perhaps adding some arms to the bullpen, the $13-mil saved by not re-signing Glavine is pretty much gone. It’s not that I think the Mets should be chinsey with their play money – we all know they have enough of it. I’m just saying, with what Schilling brings to the table, we could probably do better with other alternatives.

    I notice you also left out El Duque in next season’s projected rotation. Am I the only one who has major qualms about his durability pitching out of the bullpen?

    I agree with Pelfrey/Humber. Both are probably better suited for relief work…a la Heilman, Grant Roberts. But Pelfrey has to work on pitching out of the stretch, and Humber just needs to get some work. Maybe…and it’s a big maybe…but maybe it’s best NOT to trade either of them this winter with the intentions of transferring them to the bullpen. Start them out in triple-A working out of the pen, and hopefully the transition sticks. If it does, we have a pair of young, low-priced, talented relievers for the next 3-4 years. If it doesn’t, they lose their trading value and it’s a waste of two highly touted prospects. It’s a tricky situation…but if the Mets can’t get any value for either in a trade and are coming to terms that they aren’t cut out for starting duty, what other options do they have?

  6. sincekindergarten October 31, 2007 at 6:22 pm
    Hasn’t Schilling stated that he’d like to possibly return to Philly? If so, wouldn’t he just be using the Mets as leverage?
  7. joe October 31, 2007 at 6:34 pm
    Check his blog … he’s pretty frank about the fact he wants to pitch for a team with a chance to win. And his choices do not include the Yankees, interestingly enough.
  8. skibolton November 1, 2007 at 9:26 am
    Glavine was the only met that will get a teams first round pick this offseason. LoDuca, Castillo, and Green will all get a sandwich pick between the first and second round. Silva, Livan, Affeldt, David Riske, and Andruw Jones wouldn’t cost the mets a pick to sign (I don’t think we sign andruw, I just think it’s funny that the braves won’t get much in return for losing him). Arod, F Cordero, Posada, Schilling, Mo, and Linebrink would all cost a draft pick. If the braves were to sign glavine, the mets would add the 18th pick in the draft and at worst the 7th additional pick between rounds 1 and 2.
  9. joe November 1, 2007 at 10:55 am
    Thanks for the info. Where is the source, so we can all check it out?
  10. skibolton November 1, 2007 at 11:00 am
    In the USA today
  11. Micalpalyn November 1, 2007 at 1:38 pm
    hi guys:

    i wrote a post yesterday that somehow did not make it across

    So in summary:
    a. Burnett: MLB rumors http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/
    http://www.bluebirdbanter.com/story/2007/7/5/212237/7469
    Read comment #4

    I think AJ will be moved. after those comments the Jay’s GM is toast if AJ comes up lame again.