Great pitcher, never been injured. Can be a head case, but he gives a great interview. No filter.

so correct me if I'm wrong-

Here's our most used starters from last season, and their WAR #:

Mendoza +1.4
Chen 0.0
Hochevar -1.6
Sanchez -1.3
Guthrie +1.8
Will Smith +0.1
Everett Teaford +0.1
Vin Mazzaro -0.3

for a total of: 0.8 WAR. Understand that Hochevar's -1.6 weights a helluva lot more than Mendoza's +1.4 due to innings pitched, but what the hell. Let's say sample size holds up.

Here's your likely starters for 2013 and their likely WAR#:
James Shields +4.3
Jeremy Guthrie +2.2 (based on 2011 full season #'s. Also about a median for his last several seasons)
Ervin Santana +2.9 (based on his 2011 full season. also was 2.2 in 2010)
Wade Davis +1.1
Bruce Chen 0.0

for a :+10.5 DIFFERENCE in WAR not accounting for innings pitched or games started weighting. Just baseline total #'s. This also doesn't account for the return of Mendoza (+1.4) or Duffy (too small a sample size really) to push out a Chen or Davis to the bullpen.

Your weighted numbers would mean a lot more difference as you can see a big difference in +4.3 innings pitched versus, say, Hochevar's -1.6 over roughly the same number of innings.

So, yeah. the offseason pitching procurements should realistically project for a contending ballclub if all of the pitchers do about what they've done in the last couple of years. This also assumes Hosmer hits .220 or whatever for most of the year and Frenchy is a black hole in the lineup, etc.

One of the most talented pitchers in baseball. He's underperformed his peripherals for almost his entire career and has never been as good as he should be. I doubt that will change in LA, but he should be a very good #2 behind Kershaw.

Every time he's interviewed by anyone, on any topic, tune in.

The dude is really weird and has no filter. Sometimes he's shut down and will say nothing, but when he gets talking its high entertainment.

He is fun to watch, nasty slider, I miss Greinke days.

You can ask Grienke about literally anything...and he'll answer...honestly. It's pretty hilarious, actually.

Who else says things like this, other than, maybe, Jared Allen:

"Mizuno gave me a samurai sword for winning the Cy Young. It’s awesome. … I’m going to hang it up and, maybe, start a collection. Not a gun collection, but a samurai sword collection. If you can do it. I don’t know if you’re allowed."

Dude can pitch when he decides he wants too. Seems like an odd duck at times.

Commands 4 pitches, and has pinpoint control with all of them. Has an easy, compact delivery which masks what he's about to throw and allows for a repeatable, efficient style which guards against injury. Is an extremely underrated athlete and fielder, almost Maddux like getting off the mound.


Has the best put-away slider in the game when ahead in the count, IMO.

Is much bigger than you think. I stood next to him at Panera once a few years ago and he is very tall and pretty muscular. I didn't expect that. He's just an incredibly gifted player.

who is also a mental midget

Even more to the point, most major leaguers would rather have proven major leaguers coming in rather than unproven rooked.

Good think that hasn't mattered a wit the past 5 years when he put up the best composite numbers in all of MLB.

Meyers is going to be an absolute star.

Why not keep him, dump Francour, and sign Anibal Sanchez? Probably could get him for similar $. He is not the pitcher Shields is but we're not getting fleeced and mortgaging the best prospect in the game who's going to be up THIS year. Not to mention giving up Odorizzi TOO!

I am very frustrated by this. Just another cluster**** by the Royals.

All in the name of DM saving DM's job.

Disgusting.

Greinke is a ****ing flat out stud regular season pitcher who will probably shit himself in playoff baseball like he did the first time around.

He's stubborn, and will throw a pitch he believes to be the right pitch even when it's not working for him.

He was either flat out unhittable (more often than not) or gave up hits and runs in bulk.

My prediction for him this year?

18-7 2.6 ERA 1.0 WHIP 225 K's

Greinke is a ****ing flat out stud regular season pitcher who will probably shit himself in playoff baseball like he did the first time around.

He's stubborn, and will throw a pitch he believes to be the right pitch even when it's not working for him.

He was either flat out unhittable (more often than not) or gave up hits and runs in bulk.

My prediction for him this year?

18-7 2.6 ERA 1.0 WHIP 225 K's

Exactly.

What if David Glass told Dayton Moore "hey, I guess I'll authorize some extra spending. But you better be competitive and put butts in the seats THIS YEAR."

If that's the case, not only is Dayton Moore trying to win now, he's absolutely 100% thinking about the FUTURE.