No Prior For Yankees

He Goes To San Diego
I think it' a real bummer that the Yankees didn't score on Mark Prior way back when he was a High School draft pick. They sort of low-balled him and he went to College and then the Cubs. now, as a Free Agent looking to rebuild his injury stricken career, he has chosen to go to San Diego.

Prior, whose once-promising career has been sidetracked by various injuries, missed the 2007 season after undergoing right shoulder surgery April 24. He last pitched for the Chicago Cubs in 2006, when he made nine starts and went 1-6 with a 7.21 earned run average.

Prior, a 27-year-old right-hander who was 18-6 with a 2.43 E.R.A. in 2003, can earn another $4.5 million in performance bonuses.

“Mark Prior is a competitor and is working hard to regain the form that made him one of the great young pitchers in the game,” Padres General Manager Kevin Towers said. ”

Prior graduated from University of San Diego High School and was the second pick in the June 2001 draft, out of Southern California. He is 42-29 with a 3.51 E.R.A. in five major league seasons.

He became a free agent when the Cubs declined to offer him a contract for 2008 before the Dec. 13 deadline.

If healthy, Prior could join a Padres rotation that includes the National League Cy Young Award winner Jake Peavy, the 347-game winner Greg Maddux and the right-hander Chris Young (3.12 E.R.A.).

The smart word is that it's a long shot that Mark Prior is going to recover to his 2003 form. Yeah, San Diego could look like a team with 3 aces, but not any time soon. If he does turn it around, it would strike me that the Yankees have really had little luck with this guy.