Cutnpaste: - Chris Young, Robbie Shields, FA Spending, Tom Glavine, and More Glavine

Chris Young:

The Padres had declined an $8.5 million option for 2011 on the injury-plagued Young, although the pitcher expressed hope of remaining with San Diego when that occurred in early November. He had shoulder surgery in August 2009. After one subsequent April appearance, he did not return until September. In three starts at the end of the season, he limited opponents to two runs and nine hits in 14 innings. His velocity was reportedly down despite the success. "C.Y. proved at the end of the season how valuable a pitcher he can be when he is healthy," Padres manager Bud Black told the San Diego Union-Tribune as the season concluded. "Given his height and delivery, his high fastball is very hard to catch up to." - .espn  



Robbie Shields:

amazinavenue. - The Mets third round selection in '09, Shields has kind of dropped off Mets prospect rankings after a pretty underwhelming debut including Tommy John surgery last season. However, after getting back on the field mid-way through 2010, Shields is starting to show the kind of offensive potential that made him a top pick. After some struggles early, Shields batted .311 with four homers in his final month+ of the season and looked ready to get back to the level that had people reminded of Reese Havens when he was drafted.



FA Spending:

The NL East is rather consistent for teams not based in Florida. The Marlins hold the record for smallest team salary since 2000 with a paltry $14 million showing in 2006. Jayson Werth is due to make more money in 2011 than the 2006 Marlins paid their entire team. The Mets have been on top of the heap for the entire time, save 2010 when the Phils edged them. Around 2003, the Phillies realized they're actually in the sixth-biggest city in the country, and started to spend like it. - hardballtimes.  



Tom Glavine:

Everyone remembers Game 162 in 2007, but forgets how he anchored the staff from late 2005 to 2007. Give him credit for adjusting late in his career, and compiling a 41-28, 3.93 record during that period. He was exceptional during the ’06 playoffs when the rotation was in shambles. The Mets didn’t get the Tom Glavine of Atlanta, but you could see why he was a Hall of Famer by how he went about his craft. One game should not define his Mets career. - nybaseballdigest.  



More Glavine:

Glavine allowed 2.3 percent of hitters to homer when the bases were empty, but only 1.5 percent when men were on base; to some extent, he minimized the damage of the long ball by allowing solo shots. He unintentionally walked 8.9 percent of hitters with runners on, but issued only 6.2 percent unintentional free passes with none on. With runners in scoring position, his strike-zone evasion became more extreme, as he unintentionally walked 11.3 percent of hitters in those situations. The seeming result was that Glavine was able to find his way out of jams, selectively pitching around the hitters that were likely to knock runners in, and attacking the weaker ones behind them. During the 2003-08 years when SIERA can be computed, Glavine allowed a 4.84 SIERA despite only a 4.11 ERA. - baseballprospectus.