After beating John Lannan in an arbitration hearing this week, the Nationals are now aggressively shopping the left-hander according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The move would potentially clear $5MM in payroll, and Rosenthal says (on Twitter) they are targeting Edwin Jackson (not Roy Oswalt). Signing Jackson is contingent on trading Lannan, he adds. The Nationals would like to get a position player in a trade for Lannan, MLB.com's Bill Ladson tweets.
Gio Gonzalez, Stephen Strasburg, and Jordan Zimmermann are locks for Washington's rotation, and Chien-Ming Wang is a safe bet as well given his $4MM salary. That leaves Lannan and Ross Detwiler for the final spot, though Detwiler is out of options. He could potentially shift to the bullpen if the team is able to move Lannan and sign someone like Oswalt or Jackson.
Lannan, 27, is the team's highest paid pitcher. He posted a 3.70 ERA with 5.2 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9 in 184 2/3 innings last year. It marked the third time in four seasons that he has started 30 games, pitched 180-plus innings and kept his ERA under 4.00. He will be under team contract as an arbitration-eligible player in 2013.
I wonder if the Cubs would/should be interested.
Meh, I think with Wood, Maholm, and Sonnanstine, we’re all set with sub 2.0 WAR guys for the back end of the rotation.
I would assume they won’t because they’ve got a lot of starting pitching depth. With Matt Garza and Ryan Dempster as the locks for the rotation along with Brandon Wood, Jeff Samardzija, Andy Sonnanstine, Paul Maholm, Randy Wells, Chris Volstad, Casey Coleman and Rodrigo Lopez vying for the last 3 spots in the rotation, it makes little sense. However, he’s a 27 year old, young and talented starting pitcher that I would love to see pitch for the Cubs. Only a pipe dream I guess.
I’ll agree with most of what you said Mr. Schaitkin. However, Sonnanstine, Colman, and Lopez should be insurance in triple A. And while Samardzija can be stretched out, I doubt he makes it out of being a multiple inning bullpen pitcher.
A lineup of:
Garza (Assuming hes not traded to the Tigers after losing arbitration)
Dempster
Maholm
Lannan
Wood
with Volstad as the swingman with Wells hidden in the bullpen just in case of a trade or accident would be reasonably decent.
Seattle
Ugh. Not at 5 mil.
Ugh. Not at 5 mil.
His FIP and xFIP are almost a full run worse than his ERA in some years, and he’s never had a FIP or xFIP below 4. Pass. Unless they take on Figgins contract, which is unrealistic, then no. Pass.
Seems like the perfect fit for the Twins….
… and that thought terrifies me.
Just what the Twins need..Another junkballer.. They love this type and he would fit right in.. Another rubbish thrower…
Great, maybe the Twins can trade Miguel Sano for him.
I was about to say that the coming starting pitching shortage in Minnesota makes Lannan a likely target and they will probably overpay for him. Washington is to Minnesota what Boras is to Washington.
I would much rather take him than Oswalt. He’s cheaper and more durable as well. I think he makes more sense for the Cards than Oswalt does. I wonder if they are looking for a good prospect or just an average one…
Chambers is a CF in AAA. He could be the piece and we’ll eat Lannan’s whole contract.
If the Cardinals were looking to fill out their starting rotation, I’d agree with you. They aren’t. The rotation is already full. Oswalt still makes sense, because he is a significant upgrade (when healthy) over Westbrook. Lannan is an upgrade, but he’s not Roy Oswalt.
If the Cardinals were looking for a pitcher to be in the rotation next year, I may agree with you. Lannan would be under team control in 2013 as well. The Cardinals have 3 pitchers already pencilled in next year, and that Shelby Miller kid may just be ready then too. Lynn/McClellan/Rzepcinski are all possibilities for the fifth spot next year if someone more impressive doesn’t come along. Lannan really isn’t more impressive.
All in all, I want Oswalt as an upgrade over Westbrook. Lannan would be a waste of a prospect.
I hope this is a joke. Lannan and Oswalt are different classes of players. Lannan doesn’t give you much of an improvement over what you have. Oswalt does.
I’m with you, but Lannan had the lowest ERA last season and is still young, which means he could have more left in him. Plus, he’s a southpaw in a division with Howard, Utley, McCann, Ike Davis, etc. Oswalt is coming off his career-worst season in a stellar career and the fewest IP since ’03. Plus, according to his list of his teams (STL/TEX), you’re really going to have to make a substantial offer – and based on WSH’s history of being unable to reel in quality players (i.e. Greinke invoking no-trade clause), they’ll have to really blow him away for him even to consider.
So, would you be willing to take a chance on a lefty, in which could provide more balance to a rotation with only 1 lefty so far (Gio) and try to use that money to create depth OR do you trade Lannan for not much, hoping to give yourself some farm depth, and make a substantial offer to Oswalt?
I see them as having more of a chance at Edwin Jackson, which I don’t consider a good fit for them considering Jackson could want a multi-year deal that would block some of their ripe SP talent from moving up in a year and/or Jackson could be as inconsistent as he has been in year’s past, especially knowing that the NL East has quite a few sluggers. I don’t think WSH can get Oswalt or Jackson on a 1-year deal.
I stand corrected. WSH gets Jackson for $8-12M on a 1-year deal. Overpaid, of course, but that’s what you have to do when in WSH (do as the politicians do).
Funny that you would say that. Last season, Lannan, who is seven years younger than Oswalt, started ten more games than Oswalt (33 to 23), had a nearly identical ERA as Oswalt (3.70 to 3.69), had a very similar WHIP, HR/9, SO/9 and Lannan gave up four or more earned runs in only five times last season and only two times after his six earned runs on May 21. He had two games in May in which he surrendered six earned runs.
That means, in his last 23 games started last season, he had only TWO games with four earned runs (never more than four ER in that stretch), a 3.16 ERA, only 10 home runs (less than 0.5 HR/9). Which is pretty damn good.
Do the redsox think they will lose Ellsbury at end of the year? If so maybe Lannan/Morse/ramos for ellsbury/salty ( although looking at it does not seem like that would be only pcs involved but decent jumping off point i guess)
You are funny.
lololol ya right. You can always tell a homer when they propose a ridiculous trade. I bet the Angels would take the Pirates entire AA team for Pujols and Trout.
There’s some real talent in AA. (all sarcasm before I get slammed by idiots)
So the Sox should trade a player who was one of the very best in baseball last year for a surprisingly old power hitter without a position with only 1.5 good seasons under his belt, a glove-heavy catcher and a junk ball starter that’ll get eviscerated in the AL East. And they should give up their starting catcher who had a surprisingly solid year last year.
Not so much…
As a Jays fan, I like this trade
one of the very best with just one great season? let’s not forget salty’s atrocious defense and pathetic offense. Yes, CF is Nats’ great need but I pass on this trade.
This is the exact opposite of most trades proposed by Red Sox fans.
I think you’ve been touching your monkey a little too often.
I’ll give you Clay Mortensen for Lannan and not a penny more
GOOD!! Lannan kills us for whatever reason.
Because he’s a lefty. Braves struggle against the lefties, so Gio should put up HOF numbers against us in Lannan’s place.
Gio also walks a ton of guys and we have some decent patience at the plate so I don’t see us having all that many problems with him.
It was hyperbole, but Gio has way better stuff. Lannan walks his fair share as well and he seemed to own us. You’re right, though, the Braves need to show more patience against those kind of guys.
ATL was 8/16 (NL) in 2011 in BB, which isn’t the only stat for plate discipline, but we were also 4/16 in NL (6/30 MLB) in 2011 in most team strikeouts. That’s not good. The most important stat, imo, OBP ranks ATL 14/16 in NL (26/30 MLB) in 2011, with only SD and SF being worse at getting on-base than us. That’s sad. In my mind, that’s not “decent patience”. If we were at least “decent” in the patience department, I think we wouldn’t have fired Larry Parrish as hitting coach after just 1 season and brought in Greg Walker.
Gio does walk a ton of a guys, but you’d be amazed how a pitcher’s accuracy can change when he has the constant pressure of not being able to make mistakes because his team (OAK) can’t put up the runs he needed to get wins. I can see him getting more control in the NL.
What’s this all mean? ATL was the worst in the MLB vs. LHP in 2011 and that has to change, no iffs, ands or buts about it. They have to strikeout less, walk more, and in general, get on-base more. Rebound years from Prado, Heyward, and frankly, Jones (all key cogs in the team OBP%) will do a lot more and set the table for Uggla, McCann, and Freeman.
“Whatever reason” = left-handed thrower.
I’d really like to see Lannan in Pittsburgh
No, he’s just Paul Maholm/Zach Duke all over again.
Paul Maholm had a couple pretty successful seasons in Pittsburgh, and Duke had one of his own. Lannan is a young southpaw, and much more consistent than Duke or Maholm, which is where you’re wrong. He has had an ERA of under 4.00 in three of the past four seasons with Washington and started 31, 33, 25 and 33 games in the past four seasons. Consistent and young, at 27 years old.
go get him, AA.
Why? That doesn’t help the jays at all. They don’t need another 4/5th starter.
John Lannan…in the AL East. I don’t think I need to write anything more.
There is no market for Lannan. He costs $5mil in addition to some sort of prospect return. Any team can go out right now and sign Jackson or Oswalt for less than double that (probably $8-10mil), and get MUCH better results than anything you could hope for from Lannan.
Lannan to Pittsburgh for McLouth and Lincoln.
can’t trade mclouth. just signed as a FA this offseason.
can’t trade mclouth. just signed as a FA this offseason.
Tigers.
Tigers definitely make sense, at the right price. He’d be a good fit for that 5th spot in the rotation… plus it’d be nice to add a lefty.
Definitely makes since for any team at the right price. as for 5 million or so thats chunk change for tigers after dropping a ton of $$$$ on Fielder.
Seems like a no-brainer to go to the Tigers … he’s a decent 5th starter, and a lefty – just what they need. Trade over Dirks or something and let’s take him.
That’s what I was wondering. If the Tigs take on the salary, would Dirks or Worth be enough to pull it off
Some quad A type player. Maybe Strieby
Strieby doesn’t have much value anymore.
Brandon Inge
They have no use for Inge with Zimmerman
Fair enough
But it shouldn’t take much as a salary dump
And for the comment below about Inge… He is also making 5ish… So that wouldn’t help the Nats
I’m with you. As long as this is a pure salary dump for EJax, shouldn’t have to part with anything worth much and Lannan as a 4/5 at the back of the rotation seems like a serviceable placeholder for Turmer/Smyly/Crosby
lannan to orioles?
I think him going to the Orioles is a no brainer at this point, which means Duke prob won’t do it.
I said earlier that I didn’t think Lannan would be in D.C. past the trade deadline.. Looks like he might not even make it to the regular season, if he’s moved, rotation should be
Stras, Gio, Zimm, Wang, Detwiler
Wang is terribly injury prone though. And he’s a shadow of the player that won 38 games in 63 starts from 2006-07 in New York. Time will tell if he can regain that form, but I’m skeptical after his rough 2009, missing 2010, and pitching mediocre (worse than Lannan, mind you) in 2011.
*Edwin Jackson
Oswalt turned us down, just trade some low grade prospect to get lannan at 5mil. If he doesnt work out you still have turner. If they want a better prospect they are going to have to eat that salary.
4.81 K/9 and 3.33 BB/9 over the past 4 seasons with an xFIP of 4.38 sounds like the prototypical Royals pitcher to me!
That being said, he’d definitely still be an improvement over Sean O’Sullivan…If the Nats ate a bit of the contract, I wouldn’t be disappointed to see him wearing Powder Blue this season.
What will you give for him?
I don’t think it’s actually a salary dump, they have money and can probably pay a little of his salary. At 3 or 4 million, he starts to look better for a club that needs solid ML innings.
that 1.39 so/bb is all sorts of scary.
Tigers, Mariners, Cubs, San Diego, all make a certain kind of sense.
Is Cleveland’s rotation full? The groundball% kind of fits in with their current rotation.
Lannon for Brian Fuentes
@BWOZar, Ramo’s rookie season as a catcher at the plate was actually pretty sweet, by the end he had the top 5 ops amongst NL catchers. And though he threw out 32 percent of runners his defense sort of fell off in the second half the year..but the skills, in my belief, to be a really good defender are there. Anyways, this is not a plausible trade, the Redsox would be much better off signing Oswalt or Jackson & not giving up one of the best players in baseball.
he’s not nearly old enough for colletti so count LA out.
Cherington…paging Ben Cherington.
Yeah, I’m genuinely afraid that’s already happened.
Lannan for Rajai Davis or Julio Borbon would do..
Lefty arm, sub 4.00 ERA, I agree.. Paging Ben Cherington
Braves fans everywhere rejoice!
Tigers should get this guy as their 5th starter. They need a lefty and they could do a lot worse.
Mets could use him but probably can’t take on the salary. I’m not fussed whether they do or don’t
Definately Tigers, trade Raburn or Dirks and/or Worth. Or even a lower A ball guy if they are that “aggressive”. Castellanos will probably become the SS with a move of Peralta to 2B eventually so no need for Raburn. If they trade any of these two players then it will also make an available spot for a Cepedes signing. I think the Tigers need to make this happen.
Castellanos was a SS in high school, but every scouting report I’ve seen suggests that he doesn’t have the range to play SS going forward. If they move him off of 3B (which in my opinion would be a big mistake), it’ll be to the outfield.
Dipoto you better not deal Bourjos for this GUY!