Mark Shapiro
Mark Shapiro
abruptly created farm good instead letting naturally players run traded
We were at the tail-end of a championship run. Instead of letting that run naturally just play out and transpire, we abruptly traded good players and artificially created an upper-level in our farm system.
add bring excited grew paul pitcher pleased starting
In Paul Byrd, we are excited to add an experienced starting pitcher to our rotation. We are pleased to bring Paul back to the organization he grew up in.
camp club expect fully good healthy starting
Should he come into camp healthy and in good form, I fully expect him to make our club and be a starting outfielder.
needs pitch starters
A lot is being made about our bullpen, but what needs to get better is our starters. Our starters have to pitch more innings.
affect great perform season start
It's great to see him perform like that, but that is not going to affect our decision. He's doing great things, but he's going to start the season at Buffalo.
clearer deal easier heading might next value year
It might be an easier deal to do next year because we'll have a clearer sense what the value is heading into the first year of arbitration.
validation
I want it for us , ... not as any validation for me.
breakout help hopefully last terms year
Last year was a breakout year for him in terms of command. Hopefully he can help us during the year at some point.
eighth moved ninth offense player responsibility rough sixth year
Our offense got going after he moved to third. We moved him from ninth to eighth to sixth to third, which is a rough responsibility for a player in his first year in the big leagues, and he hasn't blinked.
fit good style
He's a good fit for us as a person and a player. His style is different from everyone else in our rotation.
blink confidence drove handled mentally move
He didn't blink and how he handled that move mentally drove our confidence in making this offer.
basically expected hoped
He was basically everything we had hoped and expected to see.
ability bigger help options situation team
His options situation is not going to be an overriding factor. His long-term ability to help the team will be a bigger factor.
character fits job three versatile
He's done the job before, he's versatile and he can play all three positions. His make-up fits the character of our team.