We Could Have Done Better

The Mets are reportedly close to a deal with right handed starter Chan Ho Park. The deal is worth $600,000 and could earn Park up to $3 million with incentives.

Given the Twins recent fascination with signing washed-up, once-brilliant starters, I'm amazed we didn't hear any rumors of Park heading to the Twin Cities.

Now, I'm not going to argue that the Twins should have signed Park, because I wouldn't want to see him in the way of guys like Matt Garza, Glen Perkins, Kevin Slowey, J.D. Durbin, and Scott Baker. However, I will argue that Park would have been a much more positive signing than Ramon Ortiz. Park posted a 4.81 ERA with a 1.39 WHIP last season for San Diego, while Ortiz had a 5.57 ERA and a 1.52 WHIP in Washington. On top of that, we have the obvious: Ortiz is guaranteed $3.1 million, no matter how poorly (or how well, if you're really a glass-half-full kind of person) he pitches for the Twins. Park will only make $3 million if he reaches all his performance incentives. And finally, it seems that Park would be the more likely of the two to regain his past form. Park has posted an adjusted ERA, or ERA+ of 115 or higher in three seasons, and injury contributed to his down years in Texas. Ortiz's best ERA+ was 115 in 2002.

Of course, both pitchers are far from brilliant, and I'd rather give some starts to one of the Twins' young guys than either of the two. But given the choice, I'd much rather have Park at $600,000 plus incentives than Ortiz at $3.1 million guaranteed.