Kyle Lohse Strikes Out

After last season, where Lohse pitched pretty well for the Phillies on their stretch run to the NL East title (the Phils got him in a trade with the Reds), it appeared that Lohse and agent Scott Boras were looking for a big-time, long-term contract. Say along the lines of the 3-year, $24 million deal Adam Eaton got from the Phillies the year before. Truth be told, Lohse pitched much better at a lower price for the Phils than Eaton did.

Yesterday, Lohse inked a one-year, $4.25 million deal to pitch for the St. Louis Cardinals, a team that probably doesn't figure to contend for a division title, except that in the NL Central it's not clear that a team will need more than 85 wins to take the division. This article from mlb.com suggests that Lohse and Boras blew it, that Lohse was asking for too much and that he turned down a deal in the range of 3 years for a total of $20 million from the Phillies.

Talk about playing too hard to get.

Kyle Lohse is a decent pitcher who should fare well with the Cards. With only a one-year deal, he could be available at the trading deadline for a team that needs pitching help down the stretch.

As one Philadelphia-area paper suggested this morning, that team could well end up being the Phillies.

Again.

If Lohse pitches well again, he should take a page out of A-Rod's book and consider replacing Boras with an agent who has a more realistic view of the market and can wrap up a lucrative long-term deal. After all, good pitchers know that you can't throw the same mistake pitch twice and get away with it.