Benson's done, for good this time.

by zknower on Mar 15, 2007 1:37 PM EDT in News & Rumors

What a shocker (Sun).

Benson met with Orioles vice president Jim Duquette on Tuesday morning and was later given approval to have the surgery after he conferred with team doctors. He left the team to return home to Atlanta and is expected to have the surgery early next week.

...The Orioles paid Benson $7.5 million last year and are responsible for $7.5 million this season. They still could pick up an option for 2008, but that is not considered likely.

Because he was traded in the middle of a multi-year contract, Benson could have requested a trade this offseason, but declined that option. He'll now likely be a free agent at season's end, but would like to come back to the Orioles, his agent said.

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American Legends

As a Met fan I gotta say, I'm sorry we stuck you guys with him!

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by JMEnglish on Mar 15, 2007 10:17 PM EDT reply actions

Seeing how...

...your rotation's filling out, I'd be sorry too.

by Jonnypops on Mar 15, 2007 10:31 PM EDT up reply actions

except for the fact...

that maine is healthy, was quite a bit better than benson last year and would probably be better than wright or trax.

oh, well.

by jq higgins on Mar 16, 2007 9:18 AM EDT up reply actions

We know Maine...

...and soon enough, you will too. And sure it sucks that Benson is out, but if I had to do the deal again, with the options being Kris Benson vs. John Maine pitching in the AL East, I'd do it in a heartbeat. What I really feel bad about getting is that garbage, Steve Trachsel.

But seriously, I kinda like the Mets, but you guys are like the team that built its house upon the sand with all those oldtimers. I don't know what the hell Minaya's thinking spending all that money without getting some youth into that starting rotation. Now you can look forward to reading those articles about doctor's visits all season...and into the forseeable future.

by Jonnypops on Mar 16, 2007 9:39 AM EDT up reply actions

Oh...

...and I can give you that Maine could possibly be a bit better than Trax, although this remains to be seen, and it ain't nothing to be proud of. You guys are getting all excited over half a season of Maine in a new division in the league where old pitchers go to die. I would certainly take Wright over Maine in our division. Even the Wright that only pitches 5 innings a game.

by Jonnypops on Mar 16, 2007 9:50 AM EDT up reply actions

easy, pal...

i'm an o's fan, not a mets fan.
not only was maine a million times better than bence last year, even if he pitches to his level he'll be better by being healthy and about 7 million beans cheaper!
i can't see how you say you knew him so well (unless you know him personally). 8 or nine starts in b'more vs. 15 in new york? look at his declining walk & hr rates! he looks like a youn guy whose command saw modest improvement and probably would've benefited from leo much more than benson.

whatever, it's water under the bridge at this point. since pitching seems to be the organization's strength at the moment, pitching will have to be part of trades to get quality in return, but when you trade young guys for league average medicrities, it's a waste of resources!

by jq higgins on Mar 16, 2007 11:55 AM EDT up reply actions

oh woops

my bad, higgins. i guess it would help to look at the handles of the people I'm replying to every once in a while.

It is water under the bridge...but for starters his HR rate was improved enormously by cavernous Shea Stadium, and it still is not good at all. He would be getting killed in Camden Yards vs. AL East lineups, getting in much more trouble and gettting rattled much more easily. Now Maine's BB/9 went surprisingly far down when he moved over to Shea and so did his H/9. They both went so far down that I tend to think it's an anomaly aided by a big old ballpark (again with less homeruns making him hate himself) where he also gets to face pitchers.

by Jonnypops on Mar 16, 2007 12:59 PM EDT up reply actions

Maine

"not only was maine a million times better than bence last year, even if he pitches to his level he'll be better by being healthy and about 7 million beans cheaper!"

I've said this before but look at Maine's game log. Almost all but 4-5 of his starts were against sorry ass offenses (e.g. he faced WAS at least 3 times). Replace those starts against the Yanks, BOS, Tor, and teams from the AL Central and I'm not sure Maine replicates Benson's performance.

Big Bird says, "Get Pat the Bat!"

by birdman on Mar 16, 2007 1:29 PM EDT up reply actions

Replace those with starts against good teams...

...and I'm sure Maine would be very Bensonesque. Getting ready for an oversimplification:

Benson ERA last year: 4.82
Maine PERA (Expected ERA based on peripheral numbers): 4.82

John Maine will be better thanm Kris Benson this year, but that's not because the O's traded for an inferior pitcher. They traded for an older version of the same type who made more money. That's not good, but Maine was very lucky to post a 3.60 ERA last year.

"Your best? Losers always whine about 'giving it their best.' Winners go home and fuck the prom queen."

"Carla was the prom queen."

by NHZ @ Camden Chat on Mar 16, 2007 4:10 PM EDT up reply actions

Maine

"John Maine will be better thanm Kris Benson this year, but that's not because the O's traded for an inferior pitcher. They traded for an older version of the same type who made more money."

I suspect that Maine wouldn't even be a Benson like in the AL East so I don't think they even traded for older version of the same type of pitcher who made more money. I know saber peeps use statistical "AL versus NL" adjustments and I'm sure they would show a very Bensonque performance for Maine if he stayed with the O's, but I'm skeptical of such adjustments because if you start replacing a handful of WAS/HOU starts with the Yanks/RS/TOR, I wouldn't be surprised if Maine gets lit in a few of those starts (2.3 IP 5 ER), thus the difference between his AL versus NL performance is far greater than just adding one run to his overall ERA. Of course, I'm speculating so I'll admit I'm not standing on strong ground.

Big Bird says, "Get Pat the Bat!"

by birdman on Mar 16, 2007 7:27 PM EDT up reply actions

Thats pretty good!

ha ha ha a league where old pitchers go to die! I'm picturing something like an elephant graveyard or a junkyard with a rusty old Randy Johnson proped up on a beat up Chevy Nova.

by BENNYBIRDMAN on Mar 16, 2007 10:17 AM EDT reply actions