More invites and reaction from Sarfate
The Orioles have invited six more players to spring training, including shortstop Blake Davis.
Joining Davis will be catchers Luis Bernardo and Adam Donachie, infielder Miguel Abreu, outfielder Matt Angle and infielder/outfielder Jonathan Tucker.
The Orioles also made Sarfate's removal from the 40-man roster official.
Sarfate received the news from his agent earlier today that the Orioles had designated him for assignment. He let it sink in, took a deep breath and headed outdoors to throw a bullpen session.
"It was probably the best bullpen of my life because I was so pissed," he said.
Sarfate must have gotten over it quickly, since he kept insisting to me that he's not angry. Saddened is more like it - and surprised that the Orioles decided to hand his spot on the roster to new third baseman Miguel Tejada.
"My agent asked them what the process was," Sarfate said. "He took a look at the roster and said there were plenty of guys they could do that to. They said that if he recalled, they thought about doing it last year.
"I know it's a business. They said they hoped that I'd get claimed so I can go to a big league team, but they also hope they can retain my rights and I could go to Triple-A or make the club out of spring training."
Sarfate said he could refuse an outright assignment and elect to become a free agent.
"I don't know if I would," he said. "Right now, where I'm standing, I hope I get to pitch for another team. Obviously, my goal is to pitch in the big leagues every year. I'm not saying I couldn't make the (Orioles) out of spring training, because if I do go there, I intend to make the team, but obviously I'd be the last in line to get innings. If I get the chance to go to another team, I'd be happy and take it with open arms.
"To me, I'm kind of in shock. I wish I had known earlier and saved two days of my life and not gone to Baltimore for FanFest. I flew cross-country and left my daughter at home."
If he sounds bitter, he doesn't mean for it to come across that way.
"I'm not mad at anyone," he said. "They gave me two years in the big leagues and I thank them for it. It's been a great two years. My daughter was born there, I met a lot of awesome people, I love the city of Baltimore, and the organization is definitely going in the right direction. I wish I could be part of it."
He'll know by Monday whether that's possible.
"I told my agent to just get me on a team," he said. "I don't care where it is. I'm not opposed to staying with the Orioles and coming up if someone goes down, or making the team out of spring training. I've even thought about Japan.
"It's gut-check. It's someone saying they don't think you're as good as someone else on the roster. I'm not going to trash anyone, but I know I'm better than some people on the roster. But that's the way it works. It's just a numbers thing. I've got to live with it."
Sarfate said he'll miss his teammates, especially Brad Bergesen, who contacted the reliever earlier today to express his disappointment.
"It's a sad day, but I also want to see where I end up," Sarfate said. "I might go to the World Series next year. Who knows? Anything can happen.
"I'm not pissed by any means, just a little hurt. It caught me off guard. I never thought it would be me."
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Categories (click for archive)Roch Kubatko | Roch Kubatko Orioles |
You should have gave him the Rickie Vaughn - Lou Brown speech from Major League.
I feel bad for the guy as well, unfortunately his injury certainly played a role. I wish him the best and would love it if he remained with the O's.
Glad to see Blake getting the ST call, I hope he's fully recovered.
Do you think the Orioles will be inviting Jim Miller to spring training?
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Is Jim Miller still in the organization? I don't know what happened to him. - Roch
Roch,
Let the Miguel Abreu transition to SS begin. I've been championing that transition for 2 years now. Let's hope they finally listen.
Maybe Houston will claim him as partial compensation for losing Tejada.
I am not a MacPhail basher but this move is absolutely terrible. I do not understand it at all. Here are 4 players I would have removed before Sarfate: Matt Albers, Alberto Castillo, Armando Gabino, and Craig Tatum.
Sarfate looked very promising in 2008 before his injury. The guy can bring it. Unless the O's know something I don't (possible of course), this move is just inexplicable. Sarfate has every right to be upset. Not that it would happen, but do you know if this type of thing is reversible? Can they change their mind and put him back on? Thanks.
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They can't reverse it. - Roch
More players to check out in ST....WOW....that was a sad read. I feel sorry for Sarfate. Everyone knows that baseball is a business but sometimes it can be cruel or hurtful game. Sarfate just comes across as being very upset, hurt and crushed and his dreams busted. He held his tongue fairly well. Maybe he will get lucky or the O's will get lucky and he does not get claimed and comes to ST and wins a job. I do agree with him 100% on the fact that there are others on that 40 man roster that could have gone before him. Glad it was not me making the decision on this but how can you go against AM and all he has done. I for sure would have chosen another player without saying names here but what the heck do I know. Like you said Roch we will all see by Monday. Another life lesson......
I would never say darn in real life but you asked that we use that in place of the beaver home. That is what I said out loud when I read this post. Someone is going to get a reliever next year that is:
A) pissed off and nasty
B) a dude whose shoulder explodes in spring training trying to throw 103 MPH
I personally hope he is back because I noticed all of the teams in the playoffs had relievers that can miss bats. The dude has a quality arm and can blow people away when/if he is healthy.
I like Sarfate. Hope he makes it through. Good Luck Dennis!
boooo. Sarfate was healthy and hitting 97 on the gun and he is the guy designated to go? Does not seem right to me. It is, however, one of those cases where I am sure they front office knows way more than I do. But is sure looks a bit odd. I hope we manage to keep him around somehow. I think he will have success in the majors.
Ken Francis - Good points about contact hitting being important for #2 and also about Tejada's career average in walks being better than last year. And, ok, also about his better hitting in that spot last year.
I don't like Jones hitting 2nd because he has yet to develop consistent contact hitting skills, as you point out. I do like Nick hitting 2nd but I think he is destined for 3rd since he is seen by DT and others as the perfect #3 hitter.
So..... We may see Tejada hit 2nd frequently next year. Maybe:
Roberts (s)
Tejada (r)
Markakis (l)
Atkins (r) - I wish we had a cleanup hitter
Scott (l)
Jones (r)
Wieters(s)
Reimold (r)
Izturis (s)
I suppose if Atkins stumbles, we will will put him at #8 and use the hottest of Jones, Tejada, Wieters or Reimold at cleanup. If Tejada goes to cleanup, you have Jones or Reimold at #2.
Aww heck, if Tejada can come up with 46 doubles and 199 hits and so few strikeouts again, I may have to recant on my bad hitting part of condemning his signing. And IF he can play 3B.... Ok, I can see where the optimists are coming from on the on-field side of this thing.
Still not liking the anti-Oriole Way side of it from the character and professionalism and hustle and perfect practice and fundamentals side of it. But maybe a leopard can change his spots every now and again...
where did I put those orange glasses?
You probably already saw this, but Keith Law rates the Orioles organization in sixth out of 30. pretty cool considering we were bottom 5 a few years ago.
http://insider.espn.go.com/mlb/insider/columns/story?columnist=law_keith&id=4861174
Wow again...give that baby a pacifier! It's your duty as a player to participate in fan fest. Sounds a lot different than Chris Ray who said all the right things when he left.
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He meant that if the Orioles already knew he would come off the 40 for Tejada, he wishes they had done it before Saturday, so he could have saved the cross-country trip from AZ. That's understandable. Otherwise, he had no problem coming to FanFest. A few others on the 40 weren't there. He was. - Roch
Real candor from a real human being. As opposed to the scenes in Bull Durham where Kevin Costner coaches Tim Robbins on the three sentences you say to the media.
Me Like!!!!!
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Yeah, we'll miss him. - Roch
I don't blame the guy! But in all fairness, it is going to be tough to earn a spot in spring training, regardless if is on it or not. You have guys like Gonzo, JJ, Koji, Meredith, Mickolio, Hernandez, and an open spot...probably going to be taken by a lefty. I was actually looking for him to have a bounce back year. Sad day indeed, I hope he has success whether that's here or somewhere else.
i hope he has a chance to show his stuff in spring training for the o's. like albers, last yr he was coming off an injury. i think he has the stuff to be a good major league pitcher. wherever he winds up i wish him well and for those who criticized his reaction..you are all nitwits, no nitwits is a compliment to you..losers is more like it.. if the o's knew before fanfest he was going to be cut that's weak. speaking of weak. charging extra for walk-ups and for "premium" games is pathetic for a team that has had about 25 losing seasons in the last 28 yrs. do you think the o's will give you a few bucks back if jeter and or arod doesn't play in a game when the yanks come to town or will the o's give you a discount when a team with a losing record comes to play at the yard?
Sarfate is no loss...he can't throw strikes anywhere except the middle of the strike zone....he is in the category of "stuff" but has insufficient command or ability to change speeds effectively...
No loss to the Orioles in my view...
I think the move was for him as much as it was for the O's. He wasn't going to make the team. Hernandez will have his spot se maybe he can get claimed from another big league team. If not hopefully he'll accept the assignment and we'll have depth at AAA. I understand his disappointment but for the O's it's better to dfa him now before spring training because most teams rosters are set. Spring training injuries come up and he could get snatched up. Am I on target here Roch?
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You're on target. - Roch
When healthy he hits 97. If he can work on that consistency he'll pitch in the Bigs again someday.
Well done Andy!!!
Bye bye retread Dennis. That is the door hitting your inept pitching arse on the way out!
Now you see why they haven't signed Hendrickson yet. He wants a Major league deal and we don't have any roster spots for him. He'll hold out in hopes of getting a Major league deal but it looks like he'll get a minor league offer to come back to the birds.
I'm not sure he was referring to when he said there are other guys on the roster they could have released. The only guys I can think of are Andino and Hughes. And because of their positions and our needs neither of them were going if we could help it.
Feel worse for Sarfate as a person than the loss to the team. o's have plenty of possible replacements depending on who makes the rotation.I figured it's be Castillo but he'll go if they sign a legit lefty.Sarfate will catch on somewhere.
Tejada will be wearing #9.
They should release Matt Albers next
My apologies to Sarfate...I read the article too fast and reacted too fast...as usual! The Orioles did give him plenty of chances to find consistency but w/injuries, etc., it didn't work out in his favor. I would have rather kept him and gotten rid of Albers. Good luck, Dennis!
Brummie_Oriole said:
Well done Andy!!!
Bye bye retread Dennis. That is the door hitting your inept pitching arse on the way out!
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"arse" - Brummie, could you be any more of a pretentious twit? I hope that "ignore" button comes soon.....
HORRIBLE MOVE!!!!!!! ANDY WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?????????
Andy, has guys on the roster that SHOULD have been DFA.
Sarfate had a 0.90 ERA in his last 10 apperences with the O's. I remember against the Blue Jays, when Jim Palmer was doing color, he was flabergasted by Sarfate's new cutter, it was cutting like 10 inches. People, it was honestly betters than Rivera's. And he was hitting 97 on the gun.
He performed excelent in the Mexican League.
And HE IS ALWAYS IN SHAPE.
ALBERS IS USUALLY NOT IN SHAPE. And his delivery is so violent, Im not sure how much longer his arm will hold.
IMO, Sarfate is a big loss. He is a power arm that can be had for cheap money and he can pitch long relief, closer, setup, 7th inning man. He was too valuable to DFA. If you want him gone trade him.
Roch-
He is probably right, that there are worse players on the 40 man, but, he didn't do it when given the chance. 2 seasons, and below mediocre at best.
Albers needs to go too, but, at least Matt had stretches of being a quality guy. Sarfate just didn't. A game here or there, but I never was like, " Oh, Dennis is coming in, lights out time."
This is like those kids on American Idol who really think they are the next Stevie Wonder or Aretha.
To keep Matt Albers around over Sarfate is completely idiotic. I have young kids too and I hear what he is saying about fanfest. They treated him horrible!
I actually think Sarfate is a pretty good arm. He had some good strings of shutdown innings in there. Maybe he's not a starter, but that would make him a very good reliever. The collarbone took away sn opportunity for him. Too bad.
If I got my wish, I hope he gets to talk to MacPhail personally, and really understands that it's most likely not a raw evaluation of his talent, but a weighing of several factors of health, price, experience, controlled years, and thhen talent.I hope he finds his way onto the Orioles again.
At the very least it does say something when the Orioles are in a position where not only is their 40-Man roster close or at max capacity, but also that they are getting into situations where they need to release pretty good talents. More and more, MacPhail will be tested by his ability to stash, anticipate, and manage roster issues.
Well you know someone has to go and there will be two more go if the O's sign two left hander for the BP.
Hey roch,
question for you. Do you really think this is the move? Like out of all the people on the 40 man roster would you of pick sarfate? I'm not saying he had the best season or anything and i know he had injurie problems. But some of these people on the 40 man roster i never heard of and seriously doubt they had any better chance of making the club either. He at least seemed like he had some promise for a future here. It's like when the orioles let steve johnson go in the rule 5 draft. Do the orioles know how to work the 40 man roster is what i should be asking.
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I'm sure their reasoning has something to do with him being out of options, and there are questions about his command. He wouldn't have been my next choice, but I knew he was on thin ice since the season ended and have written it. - Roch
Hey roch,
sorry to change the subject and bug you with a question. But me and my roommate just thought of this...since you have been around the block with orioles for a couple of years now...do you have any spring traning/start of the new season traditions? I mean they have been in a slump for a couple of seasons now..there has to be something you do to try and bring luck to this team...have a good one
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Well, I stopped bleaching my hair, but that hasn't helped. I really don't have any traditions. I might need to start one. Maybe I could stop making bad decisions with women. - Roch
Hey Roch, a little off topic but i was wondering if you or anyone else could be of some assistance. A couple of buddies and I are planning our annual trip to Camden for a weekend series against the Mets in June. Being out of town tourists we usually hit up a lot of the places along the inner harbor, however I'm really looking to get into some more of the local hot spots on gameday.. I'm told there is a restaurant/bar where their special is a huge plate of steamed shrimp and a pitcher of beer( my kinda style)...any suggestions would be awesome
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I'm not familiar with that place, but I'll let the readers here chime in. They're usually helpful. - Roch
That's sad for Dannis. He was one of the few players I saw signing last year at the Yard. I think he was even on the DL at the time...
I'm going to give AM and the Orioles the benefit of the doubt... the Orioles wanted to sign Tejada sooner, but Tejada went to Haiti to help out there, delaying the signing until Fan Fest. I'm going to assume that AM originally planned to have Tejada at Fan Fest with Sarfate already having been released.
Good luck Dannis, and I hope you make it back to the Yard because we could use you on this team..... I agree I'd take him over Albers.
Sarfate is one of those guys that I think will never tap into his full potential. Everyone knows he throws hard. He stays in shape and from what I heard was a good clubhouse guy. However he threw a flat fastball WHEN he had to get it over for a strike. Otherwise it seemed like he was always pitching behind batters which speaks to control issues.
You hate giving up on an arm like this, this soon and he will be claimed but it might not be when we meet again as opposed to until we meet again.
Id say the encouraging thing is that the Orioles use to have at least 3 guys on the roster that nobody would shed a tear about losing, now the calls are getting a lot harder to make. Sarfate wasnt an easy choice Im sure and IF the Os are to sign somebody else I would expect them to trade a few players for one in order to create the roster spots needed.
I feel bad for Sarfate. He has a great arm, and great potential but never figured out how to pitch at ML level. Dennis did show signs of brillance during his last appearnces of the 09 season and in Mexico. Hopefully, he slips by waivers and gets a chance to prove that he has the smarts, and the stuff to pitch effectivly at the ML level. But, as the 2010 season gets closer and closer to it's debut, I am getting more and more pumped up. I'm really praying for atleast a .500 season and with all the talented young players and experienced veternans we have, that goal can be reached. Here's my suggested lineup(subjects to change):
Roberts S
Jones R
Markakis L
Tejeda R
Weiters S
Reimold R
Scott L
Atkins R
Izturis S
This is a nice balanced lineup and it alternates between L, R, and S so you never have two or more same-handed batters in a row. Here's my starting rotation, and bullphen:
Millwood R
Guthrie R
Matusz L
Bergy R
Tillman R
Bullphen: M. Gonzalez L, J.Johnson R, K.Uehara R, C.Meredith R, M.Hendrickson L, K.Mickolio R, A.Castillo/W.Perez L
Questions/Comments/Concerns?
Hey Roch, a little off topic but i was wondering if you or anyone else could be of some assistance. A couple of buddies and I are planning our annual trip to Camden for a weekend series against the Mets in June. Being out of town tourists we usually hit up a lot of the places along the inner harbor, however I'm really looking to get into some more of the local hot spots on gameday.. I'm told there is a restaurant/bar where their special is a huge plate of steamed shrimp and a pitcher of beer( my kinda style)...any suggestions would be awesome
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I tried commenting on your post last night before shutting down the laptop, but I guess it didn't go through. Sorry. I'm not familiar with that place. I usually let the readers jump in with suggestions, since they spend more time outside the ballpark before games. - Roch
Andrew said:
ALBERS IS USUALLY NOT IN SHAPE.
****
oh stop. "Spherical" is a shape. And a perfectly fine shape, at that.
That said, plenty of my bff's are spherical, which, by default, always makes me the hot chick of the bunch (yessssssssssss!). So there is plenty to be said for spheres.
The northern hemi is my fave, if we're picking.
I'd like to one day have the option of picking eastern vs western hemi.
Lovies,
am, who is a horrible, horrible person for having said ANY of that.
Perspective: Over his professional career, Sarfate has shown significantly less control than Daniel Cabrera (6.12 BB/9 vs. 5.24 BB/9). And both of them are about the same age (Cabrera is actually a month-and-a-half younger). Nice guy, live arm, no prolonged period where he got results.
Well, I stopped bleaching my hair, but that hasn't helped. I really don't have any traditions. I might need to start one. Maybe I could stop making bad decisions with women. - Roch
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Not only hasn't that helped the team, but it also probably didn't help your friends who had to come up with some new jokes.
I for one am glad that Dennis made the trip to FanFest. He made my 8 year old daughter's day. He was very nice and took the time to talk to her for a minute as she was getting his autograph. She was very happy. He told me how much he loves kids and has such a different perspective since his daughter was born. I wish Dennis the best of luck.
Hey Dennis, here's a pitching tip. THROW IT OVER THE PLATE!
I have to say that I am very disappointed in this move. When healthy, Sarfate has shown that has the ability to pitch here. It's really a mystery to me why a guy like Matt Albers is kept on the roster.
Personally, it doesn't matter if Dennis is pissed (hey, I can say it since he did), because I know that I am.
I can understand roster moves need to be made, but seriously what a stupid move to get rid of a healthy Dennis Sarfate who's back to hitting 97 on the radar gun and keeping Matt Albers. Albers who still has a tear in labrum and judging from what I saw at FanFest still hasn't learned to lay off the carbs.
I'll get over it - because it may still have needed to be done if other moves are made, but I still think it was a stupid choice on the O's behalf.
Andrew:
What stats are you looking at for Sarfate's last 10 games?
See:
http://baltimore.orioles.mlb.com/stats/individual_player_splits.jsp?c_id=bal&playerID=430610&statType=2
He had a 4.91 ERA, 7.1 innings, 8 hits and 5 walks for a 1.773 WHIP
There may have been other players to DFA, but you are totally wrong about Sarfate's last 10 games with the Os!!!!!!
Dennis Sarfate is a nice guy who can throw hard. He does not have Major League command of his pitches. The fast ball is straight, the curve cannot be thrown consistently for strikes, the control is shaky, and the presence on the mound is lacking. I've always enjoyed the interviews with Dennis and, like the Orioles, wanted him to succeed. But Dennis could not be counted on, even in mop-up situations.
Roch,
You and a bunch of other people are right, there are other players on the 40 man roster that need to be released before Sarfate. Releasing Sarfate seems to be a rash move by AM. Whether a person thinks him deliberate, glacial, effective, or rediculous (sic), most everyone can agree that AM is not rash. Therfore...
I think there is a very good possibility that you will be reporting about a trade of Sarfate in the coming days that will net the Os' prospects that will not need to go on the 40 man roster. Or there is the possibility that Sarfate is part of a larger trade that is coming soon that might free up other positions on the roster. Else as you speculated, the Os have information about his health that we don't.
If it is the injury possibility, it is sad, but a good business move. If a trade is in the works, it makes much more sense. The fact that it was Sarfate and not Albers etc. leads me to think that the trade is already determined and will actually be of some significance. I guess we'll know in ten days or fewer.
The thing I'm waiting to see is if this ends up having impact on the lefty reliever hunt or if it will just pad the minor league depth.
How valuable do you think Sarfate is?
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There isn't much value, considering he was just designated for assignment. - Roch
Maybe I'm giving the front office too much credit here, but couldn't making this move now actually be a sign that they actually do like Sarfate more than some of the other players on the 40-man? A couple of possibilities:
-They think that by putting him on waivers now (as opposed to a week from now when they have to do it to somebody else if they add a LHP on a ML-deal) they might have a better shot of passing him through waivers and getting him to accept the assignment to Norfolk. If other teams' rosters are pretty full right now, and with FA signings starting to pick up, maybe they think he has a better chance of clearing waivers than a week or two later, when some team realizes they're an arm short. Plus, coming off an injury, before anyone has seen him throw, teams might be less likely to take a chance on him (despite rumors of his Mexican League prowess).
-Or, on the other end of the spectrum, they realize that his chances of catching on with a big league club are better now than they will be in a week or two, so give the guy who's been in the org. for a couple of years the gift, and let an Armando Gabino or somebody pass through unclaimed in another week when everybody's roster is set and have to accept the assignment or become a minor-league free agent.
I honestly don't know which of the two is more likely, or if Andy took any of that into consideration in making the decision to put Sarfate on waivers today, but if the guy knows he's likely going to have to drop two or three guys from the 40-man roster in the next week or so, I've gotta believe he's got some strategy for who goes now and who goes later. Maybe Andy will have a comment on it after the 3-day claim period passes.
In general, I would have preferred to at least see what Sarfate looked like in spring training before cutting him loose, but it's hard to see him breaking camp with the team (barring injury), and without any options left he probably would have been put on waivers before opening day anyway.
Good luck Dennis. I believe you gave 100% playing for the O's - and even taking one for the team and trying to start games.
Strange, strange move by the O's.
Not happy with this move I am positive there are other players on the 40 man who could have gone before him. I really don't get it. I really don't understand this one. I am miffed.
I am sure its little consolation to Dennis but I am glad he was at Fanfest. We didn't know it, but it was one last chance to see him before he (potentially) leaves the organization.
I haven't lived in the city for a couple of years, but I recall that the Dead End Saloon in Fells had a special like this during O's games, and I think Captain Larry's in Federal Hill has a similar deal.
This move was a mistake, and I won't blame Sarfate a bit for his remarks. I wish him a great 2010 season. I'm sorry to hear the Orioles don't value him more than Craig Tatum, Armando Gabino or Pedro Florimon, Jr. No club would have claimed any one of those guys.
Roch-
Looking ahead to next offseason, the O's HAVE to do something to get back into the mix. They can't every year just keep the status quo. Regardless of the reasons, they just haven't been able to either sign or trade for marquee players. Hopefully, this year, a few develop of our own aside from Markakis.
I also hope a bunch of the minor leaguers step it up, so that we have more ammunition to make a trade or 2. The free agent class is weak on sluggers aside from Hawpe, and RF is pretty set.
1 name jumps out, and that is ofcourse Jose Reyes. Adding that kind of SS, to our line-up would be just amazing.
I fore-see Bell busting. I'm not basing that on anything other than a hunch. I also see a problem at 1b. The flip side of that is, I think Miggy is going to surprise a lot of people being back in OPACY and rejuvinated, and I think they will sign him to another year.
Hopefully, Adrian Gonzales "price" is down with just the 1 year left on his original deal, and they go hard after him.
Then, I see Brandon Webb.
Those 3 make the O's not just a play-off contender, but a WS contender. Its that easy.
So, sign Reyes, trade for AG, and sign Webb. $25 million bucks and about 4 prospects for a WS title. :)
Good luck Dennis. I believe you gave 100% playing for the O's - and even taking one for the team and trying to start games.
Strange, strange move by the O's.
I'm the one who convinced my bud Andy to DFA Dennis because I can't pronounce his last name and it makes me look bad.
To be honest, I don't have any problem with this move, other than Dennis seems like a stand-up guy. These are my reasons:
1) In his first few games in the 2008 season, Sarfate was great. I remember seeing him in that first series with Seattle, and he dominated the Mariners' hitters. I even thought he might be a potential closer. However, starting with his relief appearance on a Friday night in Tampa, he struggled immensely with his control and command. He never regained anything close to the dominance he showed in the first few games of the 2008 season. Since that time, I thought he was an average to below-average relief pitcher whom I would not trust in a game-on-the-line situation.
2) Last year he was pretty much useless, although I will admit that because of the injury it was not entirely his fault. However, I don't think he was anything special before the injury. I think he's one of those guys who will show flashes of brilliance but will never have the consistency required of a dependable reliever.
3) I hate to see a relief pitcher come in and go 3-and-0 or 3-and-1 on just about every hitter.
4) The Mexican League is hardly a predictor of major-league success.
5) I seriously doubt this is the last move that will affect the 40-man roster. There are a few other "suspects" on the 40-man roster -- although, thank goodness, it seems there are fewer than in past years -- and I believe there will still be some tweaking before and during spring training.
How ironic. Sarfate is DFA to make room for Tejada. Really shows what we received for Tejada to start with, was sad. All the Orange Apologist can no longer claim that was a magnificant trade? We basically received nothing except shed some salary for a few years. All the while we lose Johnson to a rule 5 draft, DFA Sarfate and pick up a 38 year old malcontent who demanded to be traded from us two years ago. Minus out the bedard trade....Andy's tenure is emabarrassing!
Where is the plan Indecisive Andy?
I'm suprised with peoples anger over this. Sarfate rarely shows any control. I've been hoping we would cut this guys loose but I'm not going to say that with the general nastiness of say oh i dont know brummie? Paul how can you still say we got nothing from that trade? Troy Patton was great in the Houston system, followed by an injury, came here and was great in our AA system and hit a wall into his AAA stint. That's the following year of labrum surgery he's expected to have those kind of hold ups. I still think Patton is going to find a really useful role with our big league club. I also think people calling albers worthless is pretty short sighted. His first year here he was our best reliever. Last year he came in after an injury and sort of out of shape and was not a good pitcher. I think the guy deserves the chance to try to be good again. That first year he was dominant in the pen. My only problem with him was his decision not to get the labrum surgery, time will tell if that has hurt him in the long run i guess.
To me, irony is slamming Tejada as the most worthless piece of garbage ever, then criticizing "Orange Apologists" for claiming MacPhail getting Luke Scott and Troy Patton for Tejada was a great trade. See the irony? See it? It's funny, no?
I completely agree with everything skindooley said. Thank you because I didn't have to type it all!
Sarfate has been a replacement-level player for the last two seasons. In that time, his FIP has been 4.88 and 5.01. He has 81 walks in 119.1 career MLB innings. At 29, these trends are unlikely to reverse themselves. If Sarfate were 23, we wouldn't be having this conversation; he would have gotten more time to figure it out (kind of like Daniel Cabrera). But he's a 29-year-old pitcher who's a replacement-level player with bad command. THIS is the guy all the hand-wringing is about? Seriously?
I hope the Orioles compensate Sarfate for attending FanFest. It really was bad of them to invite him knowing they were about to DFA him.
As a player, though, he's no loss. Right handed relievers who might be effective in the future, but haven't been yet, are always available, and are interchangeable like potato chips.
I think alot of the Albers bashers on here have short term memories. Albers was pretty good in 2008 before we overused him and he got hurt. Last year he was definitely rusty but I expect him to be closer to his 2008 form this year.
Sarfate had a few things going against him: his injury (I heard it was potentially career ending) and he was out of options. I think we did him a favor by DFA now instead of having to do it in the middle of the year. Yes, he has a great fastball but he is too inconsistent with it and gave up too many walks.
Hopefully Dennis recognizes that we appreciated him being there. He was polite enough to sign our pet calendars. Also it was a pleasure to meet you at Fanfest, Roch! You’ve talked to my husband, Kevin Mil…er Mike on several occasions.
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Good seeing you both. Sorry I couldn't stick around and talk. Players were being brought to us behind the curtain and I was pounding away at the keyboard. - Roch
Dennis and his family shopped with us at our farmers market this summer and they were extraordinarily nice people. I hope he's reading along here - I wish all of the Sarfates nothing but the best in whatever is next for them.