Apparently Erik Bedard is about to re-sign with the Mariners on a 1 year deal worth 1.5MM and a laundry list of incentives that could bump it up close to the 7.75MM he earned in 2009. In short, Bedard has been injured more than he has been healthy in each of the past 2 seasons, and currently he is trying to recover from a torn labrum. It’s a serious rehab and if we see him pitch at all this year, it surely won’t come sooner than June.
More Bedard thoughts…When he does pitch, he usually only goes 5 innings. He is also a constant reminder of the worst trade in Mariners history. Not to mention, he’s kind of a jerk.
And yet, I like the signing. 2007 is not an eternity ago and in ’07 Bedard was 13-5 with a 3.17 ERA. He was emerging as a top flight starter, and he had ridiculous stuff. A mid-90’s fastball to compliment a gorgeous breaking ball. It all seemed worth giving up a bundle for. The potential is there, and the idea of a Felix-Lee-Bedard trio in October is fantastic, even if those odds are slim. At 1.5MM it’s a gamble worth taking, and a low-risk proposition; Jack Z’s specialty!
If I had known back in February ’08 when Bedard was acquired from the Orioles for half of Seattle’s farm system, that Bedard would eventually re-sign with the M’s, I would have certainly thought his new extension would be darn near 100MM over 5 or 6 years. After all, he was supposed to be one of the elite lefties in the game. He was supposed to provide Felix Hernandez with a 1-2 punch that would certainly be one of the best. Ironically, Seattle has the best 1-2 punch after all, but Bedard is neither the 1 nor the 2. At best, he is the 5th or 6th jab. But who knows, maybe Bedard ends up being the missing piece the M’s need in July when the playoff race heats up. He could essentially be a trade deadline acquisition. And if this turns out well, the best part is salvaging some of the train wreck that Bavasi created on that fateful day in February, 2008.*
*Keep in mind, had Bavasi not traded Adam Jones in the Bedard trade, we likely would not have death to flying things manning center field (aka Franklin Gutierrez). I guess that counts for something. Whatever helps you sleep at night…
Who wouldn't want a pitcher who tucks his shirt into 1 small portion of his belt?
-Dan
andrewlong7
dpscansen
Joe Loughery
Matthew
The Good Guys Sports Blog 
Great re-cap on Bedard. Love the “death to flying things” nickname for Gutierrez too!
Danny, I agree on Bedard. Really no risk at all, and like you said, it’s worth the risk to try and re-coup something from the trade. Thanks for bringing up Gutierrez as well. It bugs me when fans are like “imagine of we had Jones and Gutierrez!!”. Yo, we would not have Guti if we had Jones!!! Honestly, I’d rather have Guti, he defense is amazing, and only getting better. Locking him up was a brilliant move by Jack…