Joel Pineiro to the Angels -- My 2 Cents

 I recently e-mailed famed sports radio show host, Roger Lodge and the Sports Lodge on AM830 about the signing of Joel Pineiro.  Here is the original letter.

Hey Roger,

I don't love this deal, but I'm okay with it.  For 2 more million, we probably good have had Ben Sheets who when healthy is a dominant pitcher.  Pineiro certainly makes our pitching staff better, by adding a lot of strike outs and a lot of innings to eat.  It makes Palmer more versatile being able to shift from bullpen and spot starts when players or injured or need a night off.   

Frankly, I would have loved to see the Angels pursue former Yankees Ace, Chien-Ming Wang.  The dude is revered in Taiwan and when healthy has the stuff to be an ace.  He won't be available until May, but that isn't any different with last year waiting on Lackey to be healthy.  His last year in New York his mechanics were off.  But he's been rehab-ing and with Butcher lending his tutelage, we could have had another good arm come May.   And Palmer could have filled the 5th spot until Wang was healthy.

Jay Cal

Roger got a quarter way through the letter when he made a very good point that should be addressed.  I'll paraphrase that what Roger said was something like When Ben Sheets is healthy he is dominant, but when was the last time he had a healthy season, nobody know how his arm will hold up.  A very good point.  Pineiro is healthy.  His strike to walk ratio was the highest of all MLB pitching last year.  He discovered his sinker last year in St. Louis.  And the Angels are a very aggressive defensively, which makes a great fit for the Angels.  Many people will try to make the argument that Pineiro isn't nearly as good as Lackey.  Those people are confused.  Pineiro doesn't have to be better than Lackey.  Pineiro has to be better than Matt Palmer and the bevy of Triple A starters who stepped up to the plate after the passing of Nick Adenhart.  Pineiro is a legitimate #2-#3 on most teams.  He ranks right now as the 5th man on the Angels strong pitching rotation. 

So my thoughts on Pineiro are unchanged.  He's probably the best available option, I don't love this deal.  But it makes sense.