Jeremy Reed

I just read today's USS Mariner post on the M's asking for Papelbon or Lester in exchange for Reed.  While I agree that Reed should not be traded (from the M's standpoint) I strongly disagree with Dave's "so what" assessment of Paps/Lester.  I'll grant that they aren't King Felix-grade prospects, but lumping them in with the likes of Jesse Foppert is a little much.

Paps showed no sign of growing pains at any point last season, not even in his spot starts.  He's got three power pitches, and an improving changeup.  Give his opponents some film to study and maybe they'll come around, but he's also got the offseason to work on the change.

The jury's obviously out on Lester, and the assessment that he gets by on his fastball is probably true, but lefties with 93 mph heat are not to be pooh-poohed.  And his curveball is still inconsistent... which proves, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he is, indeed, a young left-handed pitcher.

Criticizing them for not having offspeed stuff at this point is just stupid.  It's like complaining that a rookie quarterback can't read defenses yet.  Oh, you think so, doctor?  Of course they have no offspeed pitches, they're prospects.  What do you expect?

Dave's argument seems to be along the lines of "everyone has prospects like Papelbon and Lester."  The implication is that anyone less than a phenom would die on the vine, as Gil Meche and Joel Piniero have.  Well, whose fault is that?  Is that because Meche and Piniero didn't have "It," or is it because the Mariners haven't developed a consistent starting pitcher of their own since... I dunno, Mark Langston?

But it's moot anyway.  If they won't go back to talking Reed for Clement + cash, or for Arroyo, the deal is dead.  In terms of prospect status it might be fair, but the fact that Reed struggled last year changes his value significantly in my mind.