Ryan Theriot Traded For Living, Breathing, Human Being
November 30, 2010 at 12:59 pm | Posted in Blake Hawksworth, Ryan Theriot | 49 Comments
The news keeps coming fast and furious:
The #Dodgers have traded Ryan Theriot to the #Cardinals in exchange for RHP Blake Hawksworth
Hawksworth is… well, he’s not Ryan Theriot, and that makes this a big win. Seriously, though, he’s a 27-year-old (28 in March) righty who’s pitched in 75 games for the Cards over the last two years, with all 8 of his starts coming in 2010. One of those starts came against the Dodgers on June 7, and it didn’t go well, as he allowed six ER in 4 IP.
He’s got a career FIP of 4.76, and he’s a fastball/change-up type with heat that averages about 93 MPH, so he’s certainly not great, but he’s not without his uses, and he’s not even arbitration-eligible until 2013. So maybe he’s a bullpen swingman, maybe he’s in the ABQ rotation (okay, perhaps not; I’ve been told he’s out of options). But most of all, he’s not Ryan Theriot – and that’s a win.
As for the Cardinals, is Theriot a perfect fit for a team that employs Brendan Ryan and Aaron Miles or what? Yeesh.
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That 4.98 ERA in 2010 might scare some off, but that was largely due to his failure as a starter (5.83 ERA in eight appearances); he was still decently effective as a reliever, posting a 4.25 ERA and actually increasing his K/BB ratio from the year before. He’s gotta control his home runs allowed though; 15 in just 90 innings? Ah well, at least he’s not 35 years old and making $9 million a year. Kudos Ned.
Comment by SamL— November 30, 2010 #
I noticed that about his HR rate, too. He allowed six of those home runs in his 41 2/3 innings as a starter (for his career). His career HR rate as a reliever is 1.12, which isn’t great for a sinkerballer, but it isn’t horrible either.
Comment by Dustin Nosler— November 30, 2010 #
Holy cow….is it let your kids come to work day and Neddy let one of his kids pull off this deal? Good bye Riot….too bad we didn’t get more for Blake DeWitt but at least we aren’t seeing Theriot anymore.
PS–I guess Uribe passed his physical…which consisted of how many Dodger Dogs he can eat in 5 mins?
Comment by jeff— November 30, 2010 #
LMAO
Comment by DodgersKings323— November 30, 2010 #
Jeff, be sensible here. The Dog test was used only for Andruw Jones.
Comment by Greg— December 2, 2010 #
Buh bye Mr. TOOTBLAN!!
Comment by rudegirl3— November 30, 2010 #
this is wonderful news and music to our ears! the useless Theriot is gone! celebrate god times!
Comment by format— November 30, 2010 #
Ned confounds me. He does good things like this and then goes around signs Uribe for 21 millions. There is no happy medium.
Oh well, The Riot for a bag of shit would have sufficed as well.
Comment by Juan Pierre— November 30, 2010 #
yup…neddy is all over the map. next he’ll sign Jeter…4 yrs. 100 million
Comment by jeff— November 30, 2010 #
Maybe the Dodgers got Hawksworth to throw BP as the team can hit him. It will give them confidence coming into a big series. And you probably can say that it’s better then nothing for Theriot but probably close! I wonder if this move precludes the Dodgers from looking at Jesse Crain or Matt Guerrier from the Twins. And, like Sam mentioned up top, Hawksworth did give up 15 homers in only 90 1/3 innings a number that he will have to cut down on. And I’m sure that the guy who’s name sounds like he should be an Indian scout for the Pony Express, would hope that some of those homers would come with the bases empty.
Comment by Pete Sweeney— November 30, 2010 #
Yeah, kind of like Iron Eyes Cody, the greatest Indian to hit the big screen since Rocky Colavito. It does look like the Canadian-born Crain will be heading to the north countries as the Blue Jays seem interested. I’ll give you this, Hawksworth is more then likely a step up from Jeff Weaver. I see Weaver being involved in a family reunion with brother Jered in Anaheim. They say it’s beautiful there this time of year and I know. 15 homers is a lot, a lifetime’s worth, but LA does offer a better venue for such sins! And Hawksworth may just need a little change of scenery to flourish. I’m a little skeptical but he could continue his starting ways at Triple-A if all else fails!
Comment by Abner Clarke— December 1, 2010 #
I’m still reeling, Abner, from suggesting both on this site and my site, rotoimbeciles, that the Dodgers reach out to Bengie Molina. I feel like a pariah at this point. I’m getting egges thrown at my house. Thank God, they’re scrambled! I just think for a cheap stop-gap, one season of Molina is better than 2 or 3 seasons of Pierzynski. Of course, that other OBA champ, Miguel Olivo, is available. At least he has more speed than Molina but I know some octogenarians that can beat him in a 40! But, with Molina, it’s not about foot-speed or, in his case, lack of it. It’s about leadership. The team already signed a good clubhouse fellow in Uribe and there’s nothing wrong with adding another “good guy.” Of course, that may take a one-year commitment at about a cool $2-mil. And, I hate that “C” word, commitment. My favorite Indian was always the pitcher, Charles Nagy because it took the Tribe 6 seasons before they realized he just wasn’t that good. And I won’t rest, Sosh, until I personally have Molina hand-delivered to the Dodgers. Or, I’ll die trying and, at my age, that’s about 8 to 5!
Comment by george hubschman— December 1, 2010 #
Balls! Balls and bats, maybe some rosin bags son!
Comment by DodgersKings323— November 30, 2010 #
Not a bad pickup, really, if the alternative is non-tendering him. We could always use young replacement level pitchers. I predict he will start at least one game for the Dodgers this year after some inevitable injuries.
A minor note: you should really use xFIP for your analysis. It normalizes homerun rate and is a lot more stable from year to year and better predictive of ERA. His xFIP was 4.39 last year and 4.59 the year before.
Comment by Hotblack Desiato— November 30, 2010 #
Thats really the key, good to get some value out of a guy we would have just non-tendered.
Comment by Gillbert— November 30, 2010 #
Hurray!! OK Ned, don’t screw this up by signing one of your favorite over the hill “veterans”!!
Comment by Scott— November 30, 2010 #
Just saw that the Cards see Theriot as a SS. I could be wrong, but isn’t Brendan Ryan considered one of the better defensive SS in the league? If you’re gonna run out one of two guys with an absolutely useless bat, I’d think you’d at least want the one with the better glove, especially at a high defensive value position like SS.
Comment by Dave— November 30, 2010 #
Ryan’s bat is even more useless than Theriot’s. Theriot is actually not a terrible hitter in the right environment.
Comment by Alireza— November 30, 2010 #
Good move Ned. Brendan Ryan and Theriot….how cow what a black hole of offense in the infield, LOL
Comment by Steve— November 30, 2010 #
you can consider these things when you field the best first baseman I will see in my lifetime.
Comment by ghost of ortizii past— December 1, 2010 #
I guess we could applaud Ned for getting a possibly serviceable pitcher for a sure fire non-tender candidate, except that his fool hardy deadline deal last July is what brought the Riot to us in the first place.
We’re back to having three Blakes on the team…Casey, Hawksworth, and Jamey Blake Carroll. Meanwhile, the Cards prefer to load up on Ryans.
Anyway, this is one deal that has no downside. Even if Hawksworth proves worthless, it’s a wash.
Comment by SamAdams— November 30, 2010 #
Hawksworth was a pretty good prospect back a ways with the Cards that never really worked out for him. Maybe a trek west could awaken him but, up to now, he hasn’t shown a heckuva lot! You’re right, Sammy, at least they got a warm body for Theriot who they weren’t going to tender anyway. Theriot probably moves right to the head of the class as the SS for the Cards and Hawksworth may end up being organizational depth. Too bad the trade couldn’t have bought Dave Duncan with Hawksworth.
Comment by Eddie Kurpiel— November 30, 2010 #
A trip to the great state of California is definitely not a bad thing for Hawksworth. Because, if you’re just looking to replace Jeff Weaver, you’ve already upgraded in youth, ability, and body language. I’m not a fan of the 50 major league walks in 130 career IP. That’s a problem, along with the long ball, that has to be fixed this spring. Because, like the great posters on this site know, the most important pitch is “strike one.” He struggled with the HR ball in the minors as well but his peripherals were always ripe for this foray to the pen. And he may surprise as an organizational guy in a new system. To me, some guys may be a little sensitive to the abrasiveness of Cards manager, Tony LaRussa. I got to know Mattingly during my career and you can rest assured that, compared to LaRussa, he’s Mother Teresa! And maybe that’s what some guys really need in baseball, a little TLC. Because given the right situations, Hawksworth could be a survivor out of the Dodger pen and maybe a bit of a revelation as well!
Comment by george hubschman— December 1, 2010 #
I’m sure that Donnie Ballgame remembers you, too, along with the 30,000 or so folks that he meets every year. And I’m sure if you told him about your zeal for Bengie Molina, he would definitely have you escorted from the premises. In a straight-jacket and hand cuffs. There you go again and you must see the pattern, George. Getting on your soapbox orating to the Dodger nation about Molina just isn’t going to get it done. And your own readership is down 30%. Get over it, the powers that be may want to invest on Russell Martin. Hey, at least it’s not your money! I was never really a fan of Tony La Russa’s handling of people. He could have always gone into the field of sensitivity training of course. The move west for Hawksworth could prove fortuitous, but I’m never going to lower myself to use the words revelation and Hawksworth in the same sentence. I think Dodger fans would accept the word, “serviceable.” And, you know what, George, there’s a lot worse things to be called at the end of the day!
Comment by Abner Clarke— December 1, 2010 #
My first thought was, “Great trade! Who’d we get?”
Comment by jeffreydm— November 30, 2010 #
So Hawksworth replaces Weaver as the longman, I like.
Comment by Table— November 30, 2010 #
I see him more as Monk’s replacement as short-medium-long swingman.
Comment by Alireza— November 30, 2010 #
What the hell is going on with all this so-called dodger fans?first they wanted riot gone then they wanted uribe to replace him now that its happen they r still bitching & moaning!now i hear its a risky contract at 3yrs for uribe(isn’t every deal risky ?) then they should have traded for uggla.(who the reason the marlins traded him was because he rejected 4yrs at 48mill)to top it all now everyone wants to get rid of loney who steps it up in the playoffs and kills the hated ones let donnie teach him a few tricks!
Comment by Pete guerrero— November 30, 2010 #
Agreed, except about Loney, i hope all these deals were setting up a big splash 1B or OF and trading of Loney.
Comment by DodgersKings323— November 30, 2010 #
I’d rather Loney stepped it up during the regular season, so we’d have a better chance of actually *making* the playoffs.
Comment by hotblack desiato— December 1, 2010 #
An absolutely hilarious headline to this post. Nice little move by Ned, but enough with the aging ex-Giants, please!
Comment by dutchbubba— November 30, 2010 #
hey Mike,
with theriot now gone, who do you think will take over as TOOTBLAN leader? who will take the TOOTBLAN reigns?
Comment by format— November 30, 2010 #
With Davey Lopes at first and no Theriot we can retire the TOOTBLAN.
Comment by Aaron— November 30, 2010 #
Maybe Martin if he’s still here, Reed Johnson? Kemp?
Comment by DodgersKings323— November 30, 2010 #
please let the TOOTBLAN die away, … like all your hopes of holding the runner during an actual live TOOTBLAN…
Comment by ghost of ortizii past— December 1, 2010 #
I would have been psyched if the headline read, “Ryan TheRiot traded for a couple of maple bats, a sack of bp baseballs, and a tub of the special mud they rub new baseballs with.”
Getting something with a pulse is just a bonus.
Comment by Goober— November 30, 2010 #
Ryan Theriot Trade Headline Contest!
Comment by ghost of ortizii past— December 1, 2010 #
“Pujols inadvertently calls new teammate an asshat, subsequently shocked by Card’s trade for Ryan Theriot”
Comment by ghost of ortizii past— December 1, 2010 #
With this move alone, Colletti has clinched GM of the Year.
Comment by WBB— December 1, 2010 #
Uhh, no.
Comment by Mickey Hatcher— December 1, 2010 #
Besides getting a sentient being for Theriot, we also get Hawksworth’s sister. She is hot enough to make most of us go Alyssa Who?
Comment by grabarkewitz— December 1, 2010 #
Really? Hang on, lemme Google that. . .
Comment by jeffreydm— December 1, 2010 #
Yowza. turns out you’re right.
http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/sportatorium/2008/10/the_top_10_hottest_tv_women_in.php
Comment by jeffreydm— December 1, 2010 #
daaaaaaaaaaam. I would have taken just her for theriot.
Comment by format— December 1, 2010 #
Msti why doesnt l.a trade for bonifacio from fla to be a super utility player with some real speed?delwyng young is a free agent he can play almost every position too.if l.a manages to resign martin will we see him maybe move to 3b or 2b?(remember he even played ss a few yrs ago)
Comment by Pete guerrero— December 2, 2010 #
Any word on Martin being tendered a contract?
Also, all these available 1st basemen are depressing me. Berkman, Lee, Konerko, Dunn and the less crappy LaRoche can all be had. They aren’t great, and they all come with some risk (some more than others), but their availability makes me wish Loney wasn’t around. Berkman and Lee are both looking for something in the $7-9 M range, I think. Granted, they could be huge busts. But this would be a decent time to be looking for a first baseman.
Comment by Tom— December 2, 2010 #
[...] Ryan Theriot mercifully out of the way now that he’s St. Louis’ problem, let’s quickly look at the five remaining cases. [...]
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[...] I will say this until it can’t be said any longer: Blake Hawksworth derives value from simply not being Ryan Theriot, whom he was traded straight-up for back in November. Or do you not remember the sheer joy of “Ryan Theriot Traded for Living, Breathing, Human Being“? [...]
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