When the Toronto Blue Jays announced that they had signed 41-year-old reliever Darren Oliver to a one-year, $4-million deal in January, I thought they overpaid for a left-hander who will only be called upon to face one or two batters per outing.
Yesterday, I decided to get my calculator out to approximate how much the Jays will pay the ageless southpaw for each pitch he throws this season. To see the results, follow this link to my Sympatico blog entry: http://www.thecheapseats.ca/2012/02/is-toronto-blue-jays-reliever-darren-oliver-really-worth-480192-per-pitch.html
I was, and remain excited at the prospect of Oliver coming out of the Jays’ pen (and the fact that he hasn’t missed the playoffs since 2005), but when examining per-pitch cost, $4 million does seem, as you say, “exorbitant.”
Thanks for the note, Landon. I know that pricing by pitch doesn’t tell the whole story, but it sure puts into perspective how much these guys are making.
Great read Kevin, but $4mm for Darren Oliver. That will never sit well with me.
I’m the same way, Devon. I guess Oswalt didn’t want to come to Toronto, but I wonder rather spend $10 million on a quality starter than drop $4 million on a situational lefty.