Hendrickson could be an Oriole very soon (updated)
The Orioles are close to reaching an agreement with free-agent pitcher Mark Hendrickson, and an annoucement could be made early this week pending the results of a physical.
Update: Hendrickson definitely will be in Baltimore this week to take his physical. An announcement of his signing might not come until late in the week because of the holidays.
Hendrickson would be joining his fifth organization since breaking into the majors with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2002. The 6-foot-9 left-hander is 50-63 with a 5.07 ERA in 215 career games. He was 7-8 with a 5.45 ERA with the Florida Marlins this season.
Not only could Hendrickson provide a veteran presence for the rotation, he also would give the Orioles a decent power forward. He scored 381 points and grabbed 316 rebounds in 114 NBA games.
Can't wait to see him post up Kam Mickolio.
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I'm not a huge fan of Hendrickson, although I do remember him doing well against us on occasion. Main thing is, he's an experienced veteran who can fill the gap until one of our prospects come up this year. I hope he works out, but I still would like us to fill the one of the other vacant spots w/someone who has a little more upside...perhaps a Ben Sheets w/an incentive laden deal?
Kudos to the Warehouse.
If nothing else, an excellent placeholder until the young pitching explodes on the scene here. Reminiscent of Chuck McElroy pencilled in over a winter by Syd to prevent public clamor for an unwise FA signing. I have the tapes of the Hunter Hot Stove show from that winter. They were classics.
Roch,
Thanks for the info on Garland, etc. I still think Garland is a good fit for the Orioles if they can get him for around 10 mil.
He is still young enough to be around for a while. I have seen him pitch quite a bit, and after a slow start last year, he pitched very well.
I have heard that Adam Dunn is not that good defensivly, is that true?
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To put it mildly. - Roch
add bartlo colon cheap and could be better out of boston
What? Sorry but don't we have a handful of pitchers with similiar won-lost percentages and high earned averages. They don't need a veteran presence with a history of losing....they have proven that they are more than capable of producing these stats on their own. Let's get real.....this signing isn't going to help this club or the young pitchers one bit. If they're going to bring in a veteran pitcher, bring one in that at least has had a winning season or better yet, has a career winning percentage. Jon Garland isn't my favorite but he has proven to be a winner...yes he has a high ERA on occasion but he wins games....now maybe that's the veteran presence we need in our rotation...not another player who has never lived up to his billing or who has known nothing in his major league experience except losing.
Roch,
Why would they get him if he has a high ERA? Why not just use a younger guy that would put up the same numbers? I still think Colon for 5 million would be good.
Would he be our # 2 starter?
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Depends if they sign anyone else, and what happens in spring training. He won't be the No. 2 starter if he pitches poorly in camp and one of the younger guys is exceptional. - Roch
I think we should go after Garland, and Colon who can pitch in the AL east.
Roch,
Any idea on the contract?
It doesn't seem like it should be that big, since basically all he has going for him over someone like Bass or Waters is the name and the (bad) experience.
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Haven't heard contract terms. I guessed one year with an option, but I don't know yet. - Roch
Roch,
Told you ;) Any reason we're going with Hendrickson over someone like Colon or Pavano??? What's the latest on the pitcher form Japan? Ask AM why we are going after Blalock who blows away from Arlington.
Sign Dunn and have Huff play 1B
or
Platoon Hinske and Rich Aurilia at 1B
Who is this Wilfredo Perez we have on our roster?
Lifetime 5 wins and a 3.64 ERA against the Orioles...Amazing!
May I be blunt? He sounds like a white Daniel Cabrera, from the numbers you mention. Maybe Andy and the scouts see a guy they can coach, as opposed to a guy (Daniel) they can't.
Horrible signing.
Roch, is there a chance another Stephen Strasburg type player will be available in the 2010 draft? Looks like we'll be picking extra early. ;)
Guthrie
Garland
Colon
Redding
Hendrickson
"Marlins starter Mark Hendrickson expressed annoyance that Roberts was stealing bases in an exhibition game."
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/01/sports/baseball/01base.html?ex=1362027600&en=9a5ede4fd3f32b16&ei=5088&partner
That is the only thing I think of when Mark Hendrickson gets mentioned.
I really do not like this signing, I understand our lack of starters but this guy is at best a long man.
Pavano and Looper would be better one year options.
And I would rather see Liz and Penn as our long men.
I don't expect the birds to sign Sheets or even Kawakami at this point but we can do better than Hendrickson.
I am not thrilled with Henricksen or any NL pitcher with a high ERA. History has proven that pitching in the AL raises the pitchers ERA by a run. I hope he will atleast eat innings.
Garland and Sheets would be better gambles. Unless we get significant innings out of starters, our bullpen wil be used up by the All Star game and we will see another horrible 2nd half AGAIN!
Garland and Sheets will cost, but they can help a lot more than Henricksen.
Sheets history of injury is of concern, but a heavy incentive laden contact can protect us.
Henricksen is no better than our young lefties. San Diego allegedly wanted Olson so somebody things highly of him. Maybe he can become a Moyer-esque junk ball pitcher who has more upside than Henricksen. Nobody believes he can give anybody the years Moyer has, but half the years Moyer has been around would be nice.
Eh.
I thought that the O's made the right call by letting Cabrera go. Now I'm not so sure. Chris Waters is already a better pitcher than Mr. Hendrickson.
Garland is dreaming if he thinks he's going to get 13 mil, but Carlos Silva got paid so anything is possible.
Too bad Hendrickson can't pitch against us if we get him. I never understood it, but he always seemed to beat the O's when he was a Ray. He seemed to have nothing, but the O's never were able to do well against him.
No disrespect ment to Mr. Hendrickson, But why? I would rather take a chance on someone like Carl Pavano, Brad Penny, or Bartolo Colon. Atleast these guys have won sometime in the past. This guy has no up side, and he is 34 years old. I would have rather kept Daniel Cabrara, atleast he was fun to watch. I'm trying to give Andy McPhail the benifit of the doubt here, but if your not going to compete, just let the guys we have pitch, and get some innings. What does this guy bring.
Hendrickson? Wow, are the Orioles going with a seven-man rotation?
Whats the difference between Cabrera and Hendrickson?
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A jump shot? - Roch
Is it expected to be a 1 year deal? Who else is on the radar? I liked the idea of Bartolo Colon and Pedro to one year deals also. Low risk, high reward. Any word if they've spoken with either of their agents?
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Don't know the terms. I'll guess one year with an option, but haven't been told. - Roch
So, that's one of the two veteran SPs they've promised us... I like it.
Roch, if you had to bet, who would the second be?
I can't agree more with Dr. Jekyll. My frustration at those like Jim (first comment) can't be expressed in words. Did anyone watch last season, when the O's were running young guys who clearly weren't ready for the majors and getting shelled out there? Or when Alfredo Simon became our go-to 7th inning guy? It did no one any good, and did its worst damage to the confidence of those pitchers who were not great pitching prospects, but took a hard mental hit from the experience. The O's need viable veterans who have proven themselves at least worthy of 4th or 5th starter capabilities.
Unfortunately, Hendrickson will not be able to face the fearsome lineup of the 2002-2005 Orioles. His 1.5 WHIP should be awesome in the AL East. He is 35 in June.
Izturis for 2 yr/5million and now Hendrickson for whatever the going rate for journeyman placeholder.
The gap widens.
The profit margin is retained.
The fans wait... and wait... and wonder, "Are we really moving forward?" Other teams are also drafting pitchers, you know. This division is not standing still while we groom our slightly above average crop of minor league arms. There is no accountability when the outcome is always supposed to be 2-3 years away. What are the benchmarks between then and now? Have we met any? Where should we be at this season's end to be in alignment with the master plan?
They just keep getting taller and taller soon we will have a 7 foot pitcher
his numbers are horrible! i just want a few pitchers on one year deals but it sounds like this dude could be worse then daniel! just let olsen, liz, penn do it till our young studs are ready! why spend money on trash arms with era's over 5?
I've been a supporter of AM, but the interest in Hendrickson is baffling.
We really do suck!!!!
I would've taken a chance with Sheets, Colon, Penny, Pavano, Wolf...I would feel good with any of those guys, because at least there is a chance of something positive...instead we get Hendrickson, and we get told Garland wants too much money...but somebody we'll get him, we'll just continue to be cheap and satisfied with losing. I know I should not ask, but can this get any worse?
wow....brad penny, one year of 5 million with the red sox? where were we on this? if he is anywhere near his 2007 season this is a steal! one year deals....thats what we need. bring on the horrible pitching were gonna sign.
Waste of money.Fans in the bleachers will be getting plenty of souveners this year.
This really makes no sense to me. The only plus I see is that he is left-handed. Meanwhile, the Red Sox reportedly have signed Brad Penny.
Those who wanted Cabrera gone are saying what now? He's worse with no potential, it does save the team money but there is no upside at all. Congrats to those who offered to drive DCab to wherever he would land, things are sure looking up!!!
Jumpshot..LOL..I like that reply
I hate this signing. The guy is 35, has a 5+ ERA, and only pitches well against us. I'd much rather see Radhames Liz or even Danys Baez putting up those numbers. You can't tell me that Liz or Olson can't match those numbers, especially in ERA.
I'd really like to see the Orioles sign Ben Sheets or Jon Garland. If Garland is looking for $13 mil a year, though, I wouldn't go after him. Sheets might be willing to go with an incentive-laden deal. When healthy, he is a very effective pitcher. I'd also like to see us sign Kawakami, as I do believe it would give us a foothold into the Japanese market. I'm curious as to whether we could get Hideki Matsui from the Yankees as well? He would help fill in at DH and LF. Also, have we thought about going after Pat Burrell, and seeing if he could play 1B?
I'm guessing Mark H. will be getting lit up like a christmas tree in the hitter friendly confines of Oriole Park come May.
How did that old commercial go, the take off on Avis. We're number five we don't try at all.
If all they are interested in is an innings-eater, then why don't the Orioles sign Livan Hernandez? He could certainly be counted on to eat 200+ innings per season - as well as any leftovers in the clubhouse fridge.
is there any chance we will get a basketball team in b-more for him to play on ? maybe put up a hoop behind home plate ? make him wear baggy game shorts to pitch ? a sweatband around his forehead ? hiked up white tube-socks with 3 orange rings around them ?
just a thought.....
He had an ERA over 5 in the NL playing half of their games in Florida. He will have an ERA close to Trachsel's.
The O's will parade a half a dozen dufus's this year on the mound. I just hope they don't burn out Trembley.
And to think that some people doubted that there was a rebuilding effort underway! Shame on all of you.
Clearly the addition of a 34 year-old SP will confuse the rest of the AL East as much as it confuses the fan base. It's all part of MacPhail's misdirection.
See, you guys are not as smart as Andy MacPhail. He has a lot of baseball experience and that's why he is spending time and effort on a pitcher who had an ERA of 6.24 as a SP in 2008, and an ERA of 6.13 as a SP in 2007.
Someday you fans will understand what it takes to be such a good General Manager. For now, you'll just have to watch and learn...
Why do people continue to fantisize about McPhail signing big name players at high salaries?He's said countless times in the past that he's not going to spend big money until the team is ready to compete and that means a solid rotation of young pitchers.And why would someone of Sheets stature come play for the O's anyway. We have to sign players willing to come here and they are few and far between. I'm one of mcPhail's biggest critics on the planet because I think there can be moves made with surplus young pitchers but not over throwing money away on high priced free agents when we're still a last place team.If they don't get a 1st baseman besides Millar then my head will explode.
terrible signing. similar to resigning trachsel last year. over the hill and never that good in his prime. i am ok with garland, looper and/or redding who have some upside. you need to acquire quality arms from other organizations. you cannot count on our organization to produce five quality starters. that hasn t happened for this team in 40 years. even in the hey-day, they always acquired quality arms from other organizations, i.e. mike cuellar, ross grimsley, and scott mcgregor. this signing is a joke.. like others have stated, i d rather have daniel cabrera, again he at least had upside...
Pathetic signing if it comes to pass. No one decent want the O's money? He brings nothing but height to the rotation. Though he probably is a lot less money than Cabrera would have been in arbitration, he's the same type of inning eating pitcher, ugly. AM needs bodies to fill some slots and that is about all he got, a body. And he is no example, or tutor, for the kids, short of the fact that being a lefty allows you to hang on indefinitely. AM needs to take a chance on a previously injured pitcher rather than the Loopers or Reddings of the world that figure to be marginal, at best, in the AL East.
Why waste there time on this guy. He isn't any better then what we have. Let the young guys learn on the big league level. Its not like the team is going anywhere soon. Let Guthrie Olson Liz Penn albers or Patton be our rotation n let them learn. Hey roch keep up the good work.
Why are we signing Hendrickson as a "starter" when he has a National League ERA as a starter well over 5 and he has an ERA in the low 3's as a releiver? Is he any better than Olson; Burres; or Waters?
Boy what a great signing Andrew!
And remind me again why did we get rid of Cabrera who had better numbers then Hendrickson who was 7-8 with a 5.45 ERA? Oh that is right, he is CHEAPER
The gap further widens.....
Is this part of the "plan" Roch?
Gee, I cant wait to see the rest of the "CIA Plot" play out.
Can you see Hendrickson getting banged around in Camden Yards like a ping pong ball in a glass bottle!
Come On Andy...keep up your Oriole Magic from the beaches of Florida!
Way TO GO PETER. You are really going all out this winter!
Mr. Hyde,
Yes, many of us watched the Orioles last season. And because I watched, I remember the Orioles attempting the same thing that they are trying to do going forward for this year...bringing in a veteran to stabilize a young staff. I totally concur with the premise. What I don't agree with however are the choices being made. If YOU watched last year, you would remember the Orioles bringing back Steve Trachsel for the sole purpose of "stabilizing" a young staff. How did that work for you? Again, I agree with the theory....just bring in someone who has a proven track record for being a winner, a Jon Garland type. Not a arm that has been around the league for awhile that you can pass off as a veteran "stabilizing" force for the the staff. A career losing record, a 5.07 career ERA and giving up more hits per inings pitched just doesn't cut it!
JPA,
"Other teams are drafting pitchers, you know."
Maybe you need to pay a little more attention... Our #1 draft pick in 2008 was a top prospect pitcher. If you're going to spit out random pessimism at least try to remain even remotely accurate.
That goes for all of these posters. I love Roch's blog, but reading 50% of these comments are on par with bashing my head into a wall. You guys know nothing besides random negativity, and we don't need fans like you.
5+ ERA? This guy has been an Oriole his whole career. At least now he gets to wear the uniform.
Roch- I just got a text from Tex. The Yankees are quaking in their boots over this MONSTER Free Agent Aquisition. Its like 1970 all over again. I can hardly wait.
The only thing that concerns me is....IF YOUR ERA IS 5.25 IN THE NL EAST, WHAT IS GONNA HAPPEN IN AL EAST?
I get what everyone says that we need a 4th or 5th guy... but this guy would not be a 4 or 5 on my kids T-Ball staff.
Just because a team is rebuilding, again, doesn't mean that maybe a little money coudn't be spent.
If spending 7 instead of 5 million gets you an extra 4 or 5 wins, call me crazy, but don't the fans deserve it? Who throws in the towel before spring training?
I pray they land that Kawakami guy so at least there is some excitement in the air. At least Braden Looper has thrown some good games. World series games. a 4ish ERA is all we are asking for here.
1 run every 2 innings and you are a quality start machine. Coming to the AL east, adds a 1/2 run to all of these guys ERA.
Roch,
Why the secrecy from McFAIL if this deal was finalized last week according to the Sun. http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/baseball/bal-sp.digest290dec29,0,1871991.column
Why didn't McFAIL announce this last week. Is there a reason for his secrecy. Does he see that his weak point is his communications. He has absolutely ZERO skills in communicating ideas or the "plan" to the fans or even the media. Talk about being self centered!
Did you hear about this last week? Why do you think they kept it secret? I dont buy the "has to take a physical bs" because Tex and other FA are announced seconds after they agree?
Your thoughts please
Well put JPA!!
The Spanks get Tex, Burnett, Swisher, etc... even the Suxs are about to $ign Penny..... & we $ign Hendrickson???? That about sums things up with potter.
Hendrickson $igning is a joke, an insult. The guy is terrible. What a panic ridden, grab whatever they can move this is.... half the guys they have at AAA are better options than him. Veteran presence??? Just because he is getting old by ML standards doesn't qualify a journeyman SP with a losing record as a veteran presence.
The more things change, the more they stay the same. Just change their name to the Baltimore Mediocre Misfits and be done with it. Then, at least their uniforms will be a model for truth in advertisement.
I think that this is a decent low risk signing. It doesn't send shock waves through baseball, but it adds a warm body to the rotation that has major league experience, and doesn't block the path of one of our minor leaguers. Mark is a good guy that will eat some innings and do what he Is paid to do. He isn't going to win us 15 games, but he is going to be consistant, and that is something that we lacked in last year. I used to watch mark play legion ball in pa before the jays and 76ers signed him. He is a big dude, and he will be a good influence on the younger members of our pitching staff. Also, if the orioles pay jon garland more than 7 mil to pitch here I will be dissapointed, I'd assume just sign a couple more low risk vets to put some more pressure on guys in spring training.
Anyone who thought there was any chance of the O's contending in 2009 does not know anything about baseball. If you cannot contend then what is the point in spending all this money in the off season. You wait, one of these years when we are only a FA pitcher or two and we need a big bat or a complementary one from being a WS contender MacPhail will go get it. Even if we somehow, which this never would have happened, got Sabathia, Burnett, and Teixeira we still would not have won the East. It actually would have been more likely that we finished fourth. How about that spending about 60 million in payroll extra to move from last place to fourth. 2010 or 2011 looks to be a year where the O's can hopefully make the jump from pretender to contender but we'll see. MacPhail does not tell you things because no good GM does, they are not going to spell out their plan for you, he has told you what it is: build through the draft, trades, and free agency.
Hey Roch, Happy New Year to ya.
This is just the kind of signing that seems to keep the quality FA market players away from the O's. I'm sure Mark Teixeira and rest of the AL East is now shaking in their shoes with this signing. I alway thought that if your goal was to sign someone to help teach or set an example, you sign someone that has those qualities and that provided those traits. Oh, & yes I also know the other goal is to have them be a stop-gap until the young baby bird arms come to their full potential but I'm not sure Mark Hendrickson with his numbers accomplish any of the objectives. You know I've always been taught that you get what you pay for. This seems like another perfect example of that.
For all the bloggers out their it's been great reading everyone's opinions and thoughts and my new years wish for the O's is that at least one of the baby bird arms comes into their own this year.
Come on people. Stop drinking the negative cool aid. We are not going to the playoffs in '09 and probably not in '10. Deal with it. Accept it and realize that all moves now are being made with 2011 in mind. We're not going to sign Garland for 3 years and 45 million dollars. It makes no sense. We are going to pick up 2 or 3 arms to pitch for us.
I see a big difference in Hendrickson and Cabrera. Hendrickson throws strikes.
Please tell me Hendrickson was signed to pitch batting practice. Is this the reason why McFail left town? I wouldn't want my car egged either.
Roch, I pity you having to sit through a season of this next year. By June you will be able to hear crickets in the Yawn....
Hendrickson???? That's their answer? Hell, this makes Benson & even Trachsel look progressive...
Discarded Cabrera & replaced him with Hendrickson basically.... BRILLIANT move potter.... ALL about $$$$$... just like the $alary dump with Bradford late last year.
This is just beyond words. I honestly don't know what to say about the Orioles anymore.I know what I can think to say is not flattering. I hope I will be able to think more positively by the time spring training starts, although if we lose Roberts as is anticipated I may just finally give up on the O's and search for another team to support. I am just that frustrated and disappointed with the O's.
My hunch right now is that 3 years from today we will be hearing we are just 2 years away from contending. We have been hearing that promise for 11 years. When will 2 years really be 2 years?
Lawyer logic; send someone to prison for 2 years and it actually means 1week and a day(I know I exagerated somewhat). Buy a baseball team and suddenly 2 years becomes 20 years. Go figure.
Why all the negativity in Baltimore?
I actually hope for the good of this team that we can land the number one draft pick for 2010. We get a bunch of these top draft picks accumulated and as they mature we will have a reason to spend some money to get the finishing pieces of the puzzle.
Until then we must hold the course, and the only money we spend should be to protect our young arms-which we are doing here- and lock up our young talent, which I'm sure their working on now.
I think Hendrickson is a good signing because it could provide the Orioles the flexibility to trade George Sherrill for more prospects. If Andy is going to trade Sherrill, I would think his value is as high as it's going to get given that he is coming off an All-Star year. Hendrickson is a left-hander who has a 3.11 ERA as a reliever with the ability to start. Andy is obviously going to sign at least one more veteran starter.
I love the approach Andy is taking with player development with a focus on pitching, defense, and speed/athleticism. I hope the Orioles attempt to acquire young players that have fallen out of favor with their current clubs and/or are blocked by another player at the major league level (e.g., Homer Bailey and Felix Pie).
Well O's fans looks like we will have someone with the first name Mark next year on the field... just not the one we wanted...
Career Numbers vs. AL East are horrible and that was without Arod and now TEX
Way to go Andy and Peter A your having the best off season in the history of the franchise with signings like Mark freakin Hendrickson.... what a waste.....
DaveL, could not agree more with your logic on your last post...
Hey Bill, Andy did go to FL for his VACATION... wonder if he was having intense negotiations with MARK HENDRICKSON...... I wonder if he was telling him our offer is flexible.....
I completely hope Fred and James at around 11:57 had it right, and I think they did.
This team never needed the Teixeira or Burnett's of the world. This team needs draft picks to get the guys when they are cheap and who can be molded to an extent to play 'the oriole way'.
Its like the Orioles are an unhealthy body which needs to start eating healthy and delay gratification.
We play in the Rays division, so The O's basically have to out-Shanahan Shanahan, so to speak, and Out-Raise the Rays.
This is about building a dynasty. We'll never be able to win a spending war with the Yanks and Sox, so we'll have to out-draft the Rays and take that route.
This move costs little, and serves as a harmless one-year roster filler. We get some guys back for Roberts/Huff/Sherrill and that's when we start to speed up the process by getting older prospects like we did for Bedard.
Attn: Mason-Dixon
You mentioned the one of the two magic names: Livan Hernandez...you here by banned from School of Roch!
'innings eater'...let's be more accurate...'eater'!
The other magic name is...P.. B......
former Phillies LF for those who have forgotten.
What a bunch of whiners you guys are. Roch, you've got great info, but MAN these comments are downers!
Suck it up, people, it's going to be a long lean time in Birdland. At least they have some pieces to build around for the future and they're going about it in a reasonable way.
Wieters
Markakis
Adam Jones
Matusz
Arrieta
Tillman
is a really good core of young players. Markakis just turned 25. Tillman is 20. There are a bunch of other young guys, some of whom will turn into something useful - Niemold, Bergeson, Hernandez, Spoone, Snyder, Erbe... it's going to be fun for fans this year with Wieters and probably a pitcher or two. It was fun last year to watch Adam Jones develop into a major league hitter and a terrific defensive outfielder. Watching young players blossom is the most fun thing about being a fan of a baseball team (OK, maybe the second most fun thing, after winning the WS).
So stop bitching about Mark Hedrickson, folks, and get ready to enjoy some good young talent coming up to the big league level over the next couple of seasons.
Tim