At Mariner Central, Joseph pointed out a truly strange quote from Jarrod Washburn:

"I will listen to (Tigers pitching coach) Rick Knapp here, but if I have too many problems, I can definitely see a phone call back to Rick Adair - but, hopefully, that won't be necessary."

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1. I like Wash.

2.  The man has a knack for saying really obnoxious things.

3.  He's no dummy.  He understands that he was LH in Safeco with three center fielders, and a bunch of coaches who buy into him longer than other people do.

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How do you think his new team takes that comment?  

Suppose that Ian Snell, after blowing his first two games for us, said something like "Nothing against Wakamatsu and Adair, but the guys who know what they're doing are back in Pittsburgh.  I'll let them coach me, even though I happen to be wearing different team letters on my jersey at the moment."

That, my friends, is an unbelievable quote from a guy who is supposed to be making it his job to fit into a new clubhouse.  

And the Tigers, if you hadn't checked, are leading their division with the White Sox right on their keisters.  Washburn is their big move.  He's gutpunched them, and here he is telling them it's their fault.

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Ichiro was asked this year about why he's not in any controversies.  "One thing I can tell you is that I have not changed.  So if others have left, and there is no longer a problem, you can do the mathematics."

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Don't take this wrong; we mean it good-naturedly.  There are times that Jarrod Washburn comes off as almost socially backwards or something.  BUT! that same trait -- his obliviousness to what anybody else thinks or feels -- is the same one that allows him to watch an HR get lost in a cloud, flash a goofy grin, and come right down the pipe with the next pitch.

Jarrod Washburn is as fearless a pitcher as I have ever seen in 35 years of watching baseball, and in some vague way that is connected to the brainless quotes you get from him in the paper.

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=== Calypso "Same Story, Different Version" Dept. ===

Washburn's first Tiger game, 5+ innings, 2 homers, 2 strikeouts, a deflating 8-2 defeat by the Orioles.

His second game, 6 innings, 10 hits, 2 homers, 5 runs, 3 strikeouts, the Tiger offense bails him out 8-7.

It's nothing that isn't just Jarrod Washburn under normal (bad) luck.  We have no doubt that he's throwing just about the same way he did in Seattle.

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D-O-V never bought into Washburn's 2+ ERA for two seconds.   We DO think that in 2010, 2011, he could be an average-solid to slightly better SP, who is pitching in absolutely perfect circumstances at Safeco.

When he first got here, we opined that he could go from a "50-55" starter to a "60-65" starter, with the park and outfielders -- and that therefore, Bavasi's 4/$40M contract was about par for the market.  

D-O-V looked terrible the first three years, but in year 4, Washburn modeled exactly what Bavasi had had in mind.   I think Washburn could run a 3.75 ERA here for two more years.

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=== One of Your All-Time Cheap 3.00 ERA Offseasons ===

General Managers are well aware of the above.  Everything you know about Jarrod Washburn, they know, and then some. 

Dombrowski himself, after trading for Washburn, warned his fans that "Washburn is a solid pitcher having a career year."

So Washburn isn't going to break the bank, especially if he has a bad stretch run.

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As pointed out at Mariner Central, Washburn seems the kind of guy who wants to enjoy the game, rather than get smashed the next two years.   I could see him taking 70 cents on the dollar to come back here.  Do you want him at, say, 2/$15M?   

Hm.  You CPA's will have to let us know whether -- if you drop Beltre -- there's any way to sardine in two $7M pitchers and a bat for 2010.  Deferred money?

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=== You'd Have One Problem ===

Could be that we get both Bedard and Washburn back on the super cheap.  Wouldn't THAT be something.

Morrow is anointed for 2010, don't forget.   You almost start to wonder, would the obstacle to Washburn's return be the fact that we'd have 5 firmly entrenched SP's already.  With Morrow, RRS and Ian Snell, you figure it would be Bedard -or- Washburn.

But, it's funny to think about.  Felix-Bedard-Washburn-Morrow-Snell-RRS.   With the progress the offense is making, the CF and SS all set, I could see a real ballclub here next year.

Get R Dunn,

Dr D