As Dan S pointed out a few days ago, the Baltimore Orioles were finally able to trade their #1 starter, Jeremy Guthrie. For a team that was looking to build towards the future, it seems like an odd move to trade Guthrie to the Colorado Rockies for reliever Matt Lindstrom and starter Jason Hammel. So the question is, was it a worthwhile trade for the O’s?
Guthrie’s acquisition in 2007 was one of the best moves the Orioles have made in recent history. They picked up a highly regarded starting prospect at the cost of a waiver claim. He would post a 4.12 ERA for the Orioles, a fairly impressive number for a pitcher spending his career in the AL East. Guthrie didn’t strike out many batters (5.5 K/9) but he posted relatively low walk rates (2.6 BB/9) which helped him succeed by limiting baserunners. He’s very durable, having thrown 200 or more innings in three straight seasons. So he’s a pretty valuable pitcher, and one that should have allowed the Orioles to...
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