Goodbye to Edwin Jackson

[UnderPressure]

http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20060114&content_id=1295784&vkey=news_la&fext=.jsp&c_id=la

Dodgers get Danys Baez.

[mojorisin71]

I seem to remember the days where Edwin Jackson was trade bait for Randy Johnson, Tim Hudson, and Barry Zito. Now we have to settle for Danys Baez and Lance Carter? How the mighty hath fallen.

[KCGHOST]

Big drop from "can't miss" to Tampa Bay.

[crzblue]

Goodbye and good luck E.J. and Tiffany.

I remember that game E.J. pitched against Randy Johnson. It was on his 20th Bday and he pitched a great game. I made the trip to Arizona just to watch that game.

Last year at the caravan I met Tiffany. He is a local guy that grew up being a Dodger fan. Wish he'd still be a Dodger but I guess with Brazoban getting shelled in the Dominican we needed insurance in the pen.

[bhss89]

I seem to remember the days where Edwin Jackson was trade bait for Randy Johnson, Tim Hudson, and Barry Zito. Now we have to settle for Danys Baez and Lance Carter? How the mighty hath fallen.

Danys Baez saved 41 in 49 opportunities in '05. His ERA was 2.86.

mojorisin71, you think we're "settling" for Baez? Get a grip and get the facts before making such a ridiculous post. 41 saves in any league is tremendous.

He will hopefully become an ideal set-up guy for Game Over. Yes Jackson had potential - every young pitcher has potential, but it was obviously Colletti's thought that Edwin's time was up. Let's try to look at all of the positives that Baez brings to the Dodgers.

So . . . do you find it easy to be a cynical fan? I am so SICK AND TIRED OF DODGER FANS WHO THRIVE ON BITCHING!!! Every once in a while, try acting more like Tommy Lasorda and looking on the bright side of things.

[Jake83]

I was loOking forward to this season to see Edwin Jackson blossom into the pitcher we saw early in his carrer. I am going to hold my comments to a minumum on Baez and Carter for now until I see if they can handle the pressure of being expected to produce and win.

[mojorisin71]

Danys Baez saved 41 in 49 opportunities in '05. His ERA was 2.86.

mojorisin71, you think we're "settling" for Baez? Get a grip and get the facts before making such a ridiculous post. 41 saves in any league is tremendous.

He will hopefully become an ideal set-up guy for Game Over. Yes Jackson had potential - every young pitcher has potential, but it was obviously Colletti's thought that Edwin's time was up. Let's try to look at all of the positives that Baez brings to the Dodgers.

So . . . do you find it easy to be a cynical fan? I am so SICK AND TIRED OF DODGER FANS WHO THRIVE ON BITCHING!!! Every once in a while, try acting more like Tommy Lasorda and looking on the bright side of things.

It's not a knock on Baez. I was commenting on how much Jackson's stock has dropped. He went from a can't-miss prospect to being banished to Tampa Bay. That's one hell of a drop.

I don't like blind homerism, which is why I'm not promoting the Dodgers as division champs yet. It's easier to look at the teams on paper and make predictions. But that's why they play the games. We should have the best chance of the five teams to win the division. But then again, that's what we said last year, and the Giants didn't have Barry for five months. You'd think that after 18 years of playoff futility, we'd know better than to proclaim ourselves WS champs in January. Do I like Baez? I remember him being inconsistent in Cleveland, but somehow he developed into an All-Star closer (thanks to the team representation rule; that's how Carter also became an All-Star). Do I think it was worth giving up one of our top pitching prospects? Absolutely not. If Billingsley or Broxton were traded away, you wouldn't be as optimistic about the future, would you?

And don't get me started on why I think the save is an overrated stat.

[bhss89]

It's not a knock on Baez. I was commenting on how much Jackson's stock has dropped. He went from a can't-miss prospect to being banished to Tampa Bay. That's one hell of a drop.

I don't like blind homerism, which is why I'm not promoting the Dodgers as division champs yet. It's easier to look at the teams on paper and make predictions. But that's why they play the games. We should have the best chance of the five teams to win the division. But then again, that's what we said last year, and the Giants didn't have Barry for five months. You'd think that after 18 years of playoff futility, we'd know better than to proclaim ourselves WS champs in January. Do I like Baez? I remember him being inconsistent in Cleveland, but somehow he developed into an All-Star closer (thanks to the team representation rule; that's how Carter also became an All-Star). Do I think it was worth giving up one of our top pitching prospects? Absolutely not. If Billingsley or Broxton were traded away, you wouldn't be as optimistic about the future, would you?

And don't get me started on why I think the save is an overrated stat.

Fair enough, I won't bring up the save as a stat. Although I wouldn't mind a PM when you find the time to enlighten me as to why you're "anti-save". Our RPs on my college team saved my "W" more times than I care to admit, and most of them were 1-run affairs. That, IMHO, is something to be recognized by an official stat. Now to your thoughts on Baez vs. Jackson . . .

I understand where you're coming from; I'm not just ready to pop any champagne corks yet either. However, I wouldn't call my optimism blind homerism. I have been, am, and always will be eternally optimistic when it comes to anything regarding the Dodgers. I think Baez is a young RP on his way to many consecutive stand-out seasons. I think Jackson is a young SP on his way to many consecutive mediocre seasons; seasons in which he "never reaches the potential he once showed as a young Dodger prospect".

All of that said, I hope that I'm correct about Baez. I certainly didn't mean to come off as too harsh. To be honest, I'd just finished reading posts on the dodgers.com board, and as I'm sure you know, negativism abounds there. That kind of thing just starts to wear me down after a while.

GO BLUE!

[Jake83]

According to an article in the Times Baez is just a one year fix and wants to be a closer again which will not happen at Chavez Ravine.

[mojorisin71]

According to an article in the Times Baez is just a one year fix and wants to be a closer again which will not happen at Chavez Ravine.

That's assuming the Dodgers don't pick up Gagné's 2007 option (which I think is worth $12M). Two closers on any team means that only one figures to be in the team's future plans.