The Orioles are close to reaching an agreement with free-agent pitcher Mark Hendrickson, and an...

Your New Year’s wishes have been answered.

/snark

by zknower on Dec 28, 2008 10:44 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

A quick sampler

Pitcher A’s career WHIP and ERA+:

1.606 and 86

Pitcher B’s, same:

1.451 and 89

Pitcher A is, by the way many years younger than Pitcher B and probably cheaper.

Pitcher A as I’m sure you all know is Daniel Cabrera. Pitcher B is Mark Hendrickson.

But wait…he brings “veteran presence!” That makes it all okay.

Fuck Mark Hendrickson.

Let me clarify by saying that Mark Hendrickson may very well be a wonderful man. Could be a great humanitarian. Maybe he’ll write the great American novel someday. Maybe he’s the world’s greatest father or something. But he will not help the Orioles win baseball games, and he will not help the young pitchers learn how to do anything except suck. What possible advantage is there to signing this guy?

I repeat: Fuck Mark Hendrickson. This better not be the kind of FA signing “The Plan” calls for from here on out.

"Might as well just win this game." - Adam Jones, 4/17/2008

Adam Jones is the tits.

by KenDixonFanClub on Dec 28, 2008 11:04 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Pitcher A is, by the way many years younger than Pitcher B and probably cheaper.

If the O’s signed this clown for more than what Cabs would have earned in arb, yeah, that’s crazy. I don’t think this will be case though. As long as it’s under $2M, this signing is pretty much non-news.

by birdman on Dec 28, 2008 11:21 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Cheaper?

DCab was going to make $4MM in arbitration.

by dkdc on Dec 28, 2008 11:38 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

fair enough

I’m probably wrong on cheaper…but I had the 2.6 mil he signed with the Nats for (it is 2.6, right) in mind, not 4.

And Lord knows I was NOT a supporter of Cabrera. I wanted him gone. I am glad he’s gone. But replacing him with a guy who is older, who has no chance of getting better, who will, I am ready to practically guarantee, get worse…what the hell is the point? Why chase our tail that way? Have we really spoken to the Japanese free agents, Braden Looper, Paul Byrd, Jon Garland, all these other pitchers and decided, “Gee, Mark Hendrickson really hits the spot. Some of those other fellas might’ve been league average or perhaps a little better…but that just ain’t the Oriole way!”

"Might as well just win this game." - Adam Jones, 4/17/2008

Adam Jones is the tits.

by KenDixonFanClub on Dec 28, 2008 11:48 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

while I agree with you in principle

Remember that we need about 3 new starting pitchers in training camp to be just an ordinarily bad team as opposed to a disaster team. We don’t want to be a disaster team because it risks injuries to our young bullpen arms and forces us to bring up guys before they are ready. Dennis Sarfate starting games last season should pretty much nail that home. Hendrickson is terrible though.

by math_geek on Dec 29, 2008 12:07 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

am ready to practically guarantee, get worse…what the hell is the point?

He’s cheap and he doesn’t prevent us from chasing after those other pitchers you mentioned.

by birdman on Dec 29, 2008 12:15 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

We weren't going to get

Danny Cabs for $2.6M this year – he was gonna get $4M in arb. The Nats were able to get him much cheaper than teh O’s could have. Danny wasn’t an option at $2.6M a year.

Duck Around - a progressive blog about the Eastern Shore of Maryland. And getting off my lawn.

by duck on Dec 29, 2008 7:36 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

ALSO

The Sun is reporting the O’s see Hendrickson as a spot starter and a long reliever. He’s not filling Canny’s spot. He’s a #5 AT BEST, and Andy knows it.

Duck Around - a progressive blog about the Eastern Shore of Maryland. And getting off my lawn.

by duck on Dec 29, 2008 7:37 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I guess he's cheap

Baseball Reference says Hendrickson made 1.5 mil last year with Florida. I’d imagine we will pay him about the same.

Pitching, defense and three run homers

by Desert O on Dec 29, 2008 2:02 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

this also better be a one-year deal or ima go ape-shiiit.

by jared.sager on Dec 28, 2008 11:21 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

It's a 1 year deal

Duck Around - a progressive blog about the Eastern Shore of Maryland. And getting off my lawn.

by duck on Dec 29, 2008 7:37 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

This just sucks.

I know we are just trying to fill innings, but damn. What better way to tell ur fans that you have no interest in competing anytime soon. It is so hard being patient while we wait for the ship to turn around. Swing low, sweet chariot…

WHAT ain't no country I ever heard of. Do they speak english in WHAT?

by sickuvitall on Dec 28, 2008 11:37 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

how does this show we dont plan on competing anytime soon

its just gonna be a one year, two max cheap contract so we can get by

right now we have one quality sp, olson should never be a number 2 but he is and we have no number 3

im fine with hendrickson as a filler till the big three of tillman, arrieta, and matusz arrives

by NickMarkaces on Dec 29, 2008 12:17 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Perhaps I overreacted,

but given all the other signings going on recently, this just slaps me in the face as the typical shit we have come to expect. Other teams signing the good FA’s, while the O’s pick up the leftovers. U will see what I mean when he is getting his ass shelled right out of OPACY.

WHAT ain't no country I ever heard of. Do they speak english in WHAT?

by sickuvitall on Dec 29, 2008 2:03 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Am I the only one...

who likes the signing?

Personally I don’t want Chris Waters or Danys Baez or Liz starting in the rotation but maybe thats just me

by NickMarkaces on Dec 29, 2008 12:15 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

chris waters...

is probably better. hendrickson is a bum. end of story.

"When people ask me what my motivation is, I have a simple answer: Money."

--Jerry Reed, on acting

by j.q. higgins on Dec 29, 2008 9:03 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Chris Waters is a bum as well

"Hey Yankees... you can take your apology and your trophy and shove 'em straight up your ass!" --Tanner Boyle

by BirdFanInPhilly on Dec 29, 2008 9:52 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Liz has upside. Hendrickson does not. Baez won’t start. Waters is a Double-A player.

Bad Left Hook
Camden Chat

"I decided to become a basketball fan this year and it’s not working out so well because the Wizards SUUUCK. So then I shifted to hockey. That’s pretty fun except there are a lot of flashing lights and horns and shit at the game."

by SC on Dec 29, 2008 5:48 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

we should have signed penny

though

by NickMarkaces on Dec 29, 2008 12:18 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

$8 million

AM isnt going to do that for a one year deal.

by sanders833 on Dec 29, 2008 10:00 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Plus

Penny gave the familiar quote about Boston being an attractive win-now option. You can bet he would want more than that $8 M to come to Bawlmer.

by Brotz13 on Dec 29, 2008 10:14 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

on a positive note we’re also in serious contention for kenshin kawakami.

What up?

by snakethejake on Dec 29, 2008 12:52 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Again

This is a great sign, and I hope it happens.

by Dr Orpheus on Dec 29, 2008 12:47 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

good lord

Mark Hendrickson.

Bad Left Hook
Camden Chat

"I decided to become a basketball fan this year and it’s not working out so well because the Wizards SUUUCK. So then I shifted to hockey. That’s pretty fun except there are a lot of flashing lights and horns and shit at the game."

by SC on Dec 29, 2008 2:35 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Somebody has to pitch

Who cares, were gonna suck, anyway.

Maybe in order to understand mankind, we have to look at the word itself: "Mankind". Basically, it's made up of two separate words—"mank" and "ind". What do these words mean? It's a mystery, and that's why so is mankind.
-Jack Handey

by jobe on Dec 29, 2008 4:11 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

still

I threw up my breakfast when I saw the news…

by sanders833 on Dec 29, 2008 10:02 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I'm of two minds about this

On the one hand, I see this and think “There is no intention of competing this year, so the cost difference between Hendrickson and a slightly better veteran FA pitcher is just wasted money. Hendrickson’s job is to eat innings.”

On the other hand, I think “Mark Fucking Hendrickson.”

by punkrawka on Dec 29, 2008 7:02 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

he also doesn't really eat innings

…frankly we’d have been better off keeping Cabrera if this is his replacement.

Bad Left Hook
Camden Chat

"I decided to become a basketball fan this year and it’s not working out so well because the Wizards SUUUCK. So then I shifted to hockey. That’s pretty fun except there are a lot of flashing lights and horns and shit at the game."

by SC on Dec 29, 2008 5:49 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I know

that making that statement had to hurt your insides. I guess that is as close as Danny will ever get to a compliment from you.

WHAT ain't no country I ever heard of. Do they speak english in WHAT?

by sickuvitall on Dec 31, 2008 12:19 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Baltimore Morlocks!

by Jonny Pops on Dec 29, 2008 9:35 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

BFD

NFL playoffs are starting soon. It’s bowl season. College hoops are gearing up. Wake me up when the Orioles do something real.

by pipkin on Dec 29, 2008 9:50 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Don't forget the Caps

Leading the SE division, btw.

Duck Around - a progressive blog about the Eastern Shore of Maryland. And getting off my lawn.

by duck on Dec 29, 2008 7:40 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Trek up into the Catskills on a squirrel hunt

Imbibe with oddly dressed men you encounter playing nine-pins. When you wake up in twenty years, maybe things will have changed.

by drj on Dec 29, 2008 9:55 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

According to the Sun

the team sees Hendrickson as a long reliever/spot starter. Don’t we have enough of those?

[Guthrie's] president of my heart. ~PhilR8

by Stacey on Dec 29, 2008 9:51 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

well we certainly added to our depth

of long reliever/spot starters….

To answer your question, other then Guthrie and the short guys they all are for the moment and possibly forseeable future.

Wonder what Brian and Nick think, not that they would say…how can Brian sign an extension seeing that?

by sanders833 on Dec 29, 2008 10:09 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

It actually makes sense

Think about it. If the Os sign Kawakami as a starter and have a try out during Spring Training for the three other spots in the rotation, those three spots will be held by guys with little to no experience/confidence. So it stands to reason that the team should have a good number of mop-up guys. Hendrickson and Burres could switch off when a starter gets shelled and needs to be pulled in the second or third inning…I’m being realistic here.

by Dr Orpheus on Dec 29, 2008 12:49 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

We will see

on the Japanese pitchers if the market allows the O’s to have a shot or if AM sees one of these starters worth a multi year deal. I am somewhat skeptical at the moment.

I just dont see the difference between allowing Chris Waters, Brian Burres, etc pitch innings Hendrickson would get? When your era is up over 5.25 and your whip is ballooning in the NL….I dont see any difference. Any of the three can eat innings if your willing to just allow them to keep getting hammered…and Waters and Burres are league min. salary. I dont see any chance of upside with Hendrickson, I mean like a 4.75 era or something. If you invited him to spring training on a make the team deal I could see it. But guaranteed, why bother.

by sanders833 on Dec 29, 2008 4:09 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

The Orioles are not going to spend dollars

on throw away players, hasnt that sunk in yet….not in 2009.

by sanders833 on Dec 29, 2008 9:59 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Ugh.

What can I say? The Return of Trachsel.

by fishoutawata on Dec 29, 2008 1:12 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

FUCK!!

This is not good. Not good. I have to watch this worthless lanky piece of shit pitch every 5th day now?

The hitters of the AL East are probably cheering this move…

by O'sFan21 on Dec 29, 2008 1:31 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Woohoo!

Mark Heinrich! Wasn’t he a pretty good point guard at Kansas? Oh wait…

Always trust your cape. -Guy Clark

by BPinOK on Dec 29, 2008 2:21 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

why

I’m not sure why we did this considering he is 34. We are rebuilding, right?

Librarians are hiding something

by dfa on Dec 29, 2008 2:49 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Every team has two teams

the product in 2009 and the core. This is a “save the core pitchers from getting scarred” signing. I understand. But Hendrickson….there has to be something better then this. I dont even want to watch this guy pitch, sorry.

by sanders833 on Dec 29, 2008 4:12 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

this is no help at all.....

sign anyone but this guy has a ERA sky high and can’t win ballgames, heck he can’t even keep ya in a ballgame. I understand what they are trying to do but this isn’t the guy to do it with.

I could’ve gotten them a little league pitcher down the road if that is what they wanted.

"The main idea is to win"-John McGraw

by Orioles 1894 on Dec 29, 2008 5:56 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Ugly

this is just an ugly, ugly signing. i wrote a post today (http://natsnewsnetwork.blogspot.com/2008/12/nationals-officially-annouce-cabrera.html) about the Nats official signing of Cabrera, and if i wanted to take the time, i could just substitue Hendrickson’s name in place of Cabrera and post it here. but Cabs is considerably younger. not that suck really needs an age to define it.

Your voice of doom and gloom.

by Dave at Nats News Network on Dec 29, 2008 6:01 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

last year

The Orioles had a 5.13 ERA, not just for SPs mind you but for all pitchers

mark hendrickson=an improvement

by NickMarkaces on Dec 29, 2008 6:21 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Hendrickson had a 5.45 ERA in the NL, how is that an improvement?

by edsachs1 on Dec 29, 2008 11:55 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

meh

Hendrickson actually has pretty decent numbers as a reliever in his career (3.39 ERA in over 100 innings, with good peripherals) and according to the Sun article, the O’s see him as a long reliever/spot-starter.

I don’t like the signing, but if the price is around $1MM, I don’t really care. A little more depth never hurt anyone.

by dkdc on Dec 29, 2008 7:10 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

This is a done deal now.

O’s, Hendrickson agree on contract terms (Sun).

The Orioles, who are looking to add at least two starters, value Hendrickson’s versatility and like him best as a long reliever and spot starter. However, the 6-foot-9 Hendrickson could get an opportunity to win a spot in the rotation behind Jeremy Guthrie if the Orioles are unable to land a couple of starters.

Uh Oh.

by zknower on Dec 29, 2008 8:03 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

y'know...

roch and schmuck both point out that penn is out of options, so he’s probably in the rotation barring some phenomenal spring collapse.

"When people ask me what my motivation is, I have a simple answer: Money."

--Jerry Reed, on acting

by j.q. higgins on Dec 31, 2008 11:09 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

so is sarfate

you can only carry pitchers for that reason for so long….which come to think of it is how we got Jeremy Guthrie…

by sanders833 on Dec 31, 2008 12:02 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

What about the bullpen?

It may make sense to move Johnson back to the rotation and put Penn in the pen for now.

"Hey Yankees... you can take your apology and your trophy and shove 'em straight up your ass!" --Tanner Boyle

by BirdFanInPhilly on Dec 31, 2008 12:13 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I say you just give Penn

a shot in the rotation and if he doesn’t pan out, then he can see his way out. If he produces, great, but if not, oh well. Either way, I acknowledge that we destroyed his confidence a few years back when we promoted him to the bigs too soon. It seems we are trying to avoid that fate with out next generation of young arms…lesson learned Birds.

WHAT ain't no country I ever heard of. Do they speak english in WHAT?

by sickuvitall on Dec 31, 2008 12:18 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I’d rather start the guy who has actually had success in the ML.

"Hey Yankees... you can take your apology and your trophy and shove 'em straight up your ass!" --Tanner Boyle

by BirdFanInPhilly on Dec 31, 2008 12:21 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

not as a starter...

i mean, i actually like the idea of giving both albers and johnson a shot to start, but i believe of those three, albers has the most success as a starter (which, admittedly, is not much at all).

really, as opposed to having anything to do w/ hendrickson, i would run w/ guthrie, penn, and olson in the rotation. if patton and albers are healthy, they should should start, as well. that leaves johnson, ray, hoey, walker, bass, hendrickson, flat breezy…baez?

"When people ask me what my motivation is, I have a simple answer: Money."

--Jerry Reed, on acting

by j.q. higgins on Dec 31, 2008 12:59 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Johnson has only pitched 3 innings in the majors as a starter (granted 3 bad innings). He hasn’t had success yet, but he also hasn’t gotten a shot. 2009 would seem to be a great time to figure out if he can start in the majors. I’m not kidding myself, Johnson’s success is limited to about 68 innings so far, so it’s not like we are talking about a proven player; but he may as well get a shot.

I have almost no faith in Penn at this point, so I really don’t want to see him in the rotation.

that leaves johnson, ray, hoey, walker, bass, hendrickson, flat breezy…baez?

I think Liz and Mickolo end up there at some point as well.

"Hey Yankees... you can take your apology and your trophy and shove 'em straight up your ass!" --Tanner Boyle

by BirdFanInPhilly on Dec 31, 2008 1:09 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Shit I completely forgot about

Jim Hoey. Does anyone know how his rehab went/or when he will be back near 100 percent?

WHAT ain't no country I ever heard of. Do they speak english in WHAT?

by sickuvitall on Dec 31, 2008 4:49 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

hoey, ray, albers and patton

are all apparently regular offseason programs now and barring setbacks, should be ready for spring training.

uh, i guess baez will be ready, too, but does anybody really care?

"When people ask me what my motivation is, I have a simple answer: Money."

--Jerry Reed, on acting

by j.q. higgins on Jan 2, 2009 11:33 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Oh and I should clear up the Hayden Penn thing.

I don’t have much faith in him either, but let him get a few ST starts and if he sucks, the oh well, he can go. If he looks decent, let him get some regular season action. But like I said, he is expendable at this point. Either Hayden gets some sort of chance or we get some more Brian Bass and plenty of Mark F-ing Hendrickson…no thanks.

WHAT ain't no country I ever heard of. Do they speak english in WHAT?

by sickuvitall on Dec 31, 2008 4:52 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs