6-4-2 — an Angels/Dodgers double play blog: Weaver, Angels Creep Toward Contract

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Monday, February 14, 2005

Weaver, Angels Creep Toward Contract

Thanks to Richard for passing on this Baseball America article about Jered Weaver and the Angels. While most of it's not especially enlightening, it does provide some additional fuel for Rich and anyone else wanting to see the two parties come together. Most notably, Manuel writes that

“Prior’s the outlier,” said a scout who saw both pitchers as amateurs. “When Mark didn’t have his best stuff, he still threw 90-93 and the fastball was still firm, with a power breaking ball, almost a slider. Jered was more 86-88 with more of a sweepy slider that he really needs to locate, and if he didn’t have his best stuff, he needed his defense. Mark could dominate even without his best stuff.
“They’re two very different bodies with very different mechanics. Both are very competitive. It’s just hard to compare anyone to Mark as an amateur and have them come out ahead.”
Perhaps realizing this, Boras says Prior’s 2001 landmark $10.5 million guaranteed major league contract—with a $4 million signing bonus—isn’t the standard for Weaver, and that Weaver’s contract shouldn’t be a record-breaker. Boras and Angels scouting director Eddie Bane said negotiations were ongoing, and that general manager Bill Stoneman was handling the case.
...
If neither player signs, they would go back into a 2005 draft class that is considered deeper than the ’04 class by most scouts. Boras would prefer that Weaver and Drew remain part of the class of ’04. [Emphasis mine.]

Let's hope, then, that Boras can graciously accept something like the deal Rich has twice suggested, splitting the difference between Mark Prior money and $5M -- around $7.5-$8.5M.

// posted by Rob @ 3:56 PM link // 0 comments