OK, maybe the whole motivation for this diary was that I liked the title, but I really do have something to say about the Esteban Loaiza signing. There has been so much speculation that maybe Beane shelled out $7million/year because:
- Aha, he's planning to trade Barry Zito, or
- Aha, he's planning to trade Saarloos, or Blanton, or...
- Aha, his primary motivation was to shrink the free agent market for pitchers, or
- Aha, he saw the writing on the wall that even flawed pitchers would command more than 7million/year by 2007, or
- Aha, he...
So much creative speculation, but it seems little credence has been given to what I see as the most obvious possibility. Here's Loaiza, an enigma whom many teams have wanted to acquire and whom just as many teams have wanted to move. Here's a pitcher with good stuff and very good command, but who also has unimpressive career numbers and a history of being inconsistent. In summary, here's a guy who has pitched extremely well at times, but mostly has underachieved. So why did the A's sign him? Well, maybe Beane shelled out $7million/year simply because he--in consultation with the scouts he most trusts--believes Loaiza will pitch very well in 2006, and he wants Loaiza to do it for the A's. That's my theory. Seriously.
