So I was listening to Mike and Mike on ESPNradio last week and every baseball guest was asked the same question: if you could sign any pitcher to a 4 yr 60 million dollar contract, who do you sign?
There are a lot of pitchers to consider, from veterans like Roy Halladay to young guns like Tim Lincecum everyone is in play. This is an interesting question to think about. Here is a quick list of guys who come to mind who would be in play for this contract: AJ Burnett/ Rich Harden/ Brandon Webb/ Dan Haren/ Cliff Lee/ Johan Santanna/ Josh Beckett/ Roy Halladay/ Tim Lincecum/ Edinson Volquez/ Jake Peavy/ Cole Hamels/ Felix Hernandez/ Carlos Zambrano/ Joba Chamberlain/ Ben Sheets/ Chien-Ming Wang
Lets start by eliminating dominant guys, with great stuff but who are always hurt: AJ Burnett, Jake Peavy, Josh Beckett, Ben Sheets and Rich Harden are out of the discussion. Cliff Lee is not proven enough. Even though he is starting this year's all-star game last season he was sent to AAA due to ineffectiveness.
Joba Chamberlain/ Edison Volquez/ Felix Hernandez all are very impressive at their young age but they do not have the experience or lasting power so far to show that 
they are going to be this dominant.
they are going to be this dominant. I would put Dan Haren, Chien-Ming Wang and Cole Hamels into the second tier of pitchers. They are not worth the big, big money. They are solid number two pitchers but are not the aces that this contract is for. Even though Wang had the most wins over the last two years he still isn't the ace everyone is looking for.
The Finalists: Johan Santanna/ Brandon Webb/ Roy Halladay/ CC Sabathia/ Carlos Zambrano and Tim Lincecum.
Vote and leave comments on your 
picks on the Finalists. Our picks will come later.
picks on the Finalists. Our picks will come later. 
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4 comments:
How could you pick someone other than CC for this?
I think you provide a solid analysis of the tiering; Burnett (is having his best yr ever/ possibly showing what he could do for the next several years), Beckett (postseason stud) and Sheets could all be Tier 1 guys but theyre too big of a question mark due to injuries, also Sheets tends to be very avg after the all-star break (look it up).
Any of these guys could be argued as a no 1, So, of the finalists, I take Roy Halladay first. I have liked this guy forever, he's a throwback power pitcher (Bob Gibson if he were to pitch today), and would probably win the cy young every yr if he wasnt trapped in toronto - but apparently he likes it there http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/rumors/post/Jays-believe-Halladay-wants-to-stay-in-Toronto;_ylt=AqTp7vV.fT3VBqEClta_r6.FCLcF?urn=mlb,103017.
No 2 goes to the Freak, Tim Lincecum. He's incredible and 24 yrs old. If he can do what he's doing this yr for a terrible Giants team, he will win plenty of cy youngs. This is a bit of a risk since 2 years of exp isnt the biggest sample.
No 3. the big lefty CC. See: this yr w MIL
No 4. Webb, playing for a mediocre Ariz offense, he just wins, which is why I have him over Johan. Also he took a liner off the chest and isnt supposed to miss a start.
No. 5 Johan, his numbers are quite impressive, and his pen has blown 6 or 7 wins for him this yr, but winner's win - throw a complete game.
No 6. Zambrano, nothing against him, hes a workhorse 200+ inn every yr, he gets his W's and K's, but i'll take the other guys.
The thing CC has going for him over everyone else (other then Johan), is he is a lefty. It is hard to find good lefties in the game.
I think you've got to give the contract to Halladay. In addition to being an absolute work horse, 39 career complete games, his K-BB ratio this year is about 5-1. The 2.6ish era doesn't hurt either.
And I'm not sure Lincecum's success with a terrible San Fran team necessarily indicates success on a better team. Clearly not a perfect comparison, but Jeff Weaver had a whole lot of expectations before bombing in the Bronx.
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