i guess the d'backs just couldn't stomach anymore of those gem type starts of his. somehow you just know he will catch on with another team this year though.
PHOENIX (AP) -The Arizona Diamondbacks decided Tuesday they would rather eat the remaining $22 million of Russ Ortiz' contract than keep him on their roster.
The club designated the struggling right-hander for assignment, which means it has 10 days to trade, waive or release him. The team is on the hook for the balance of the $33-million, four-year contract Ortiz signed in December 2004, a figure general manager Josh Byrnes said was close to $22 million.
``We're like most clubs: every dollar counts. You want to spend them as effectively as possible,'' Byrnes said at a Chase Field news conference. ``That affected the decision, but we also were true to ourselves, and we want to put our best 25 on the field and try to win games. That led us to our decision.
``We have to spend all our dollars wisely, and obviously we owe Russ a lot of money going forward,'' Byrnes said. ``The flip side is we probably have more young talent than anyone in baseball, and that's a good thing as managing the payroll,'' Byrnes said.
The 32-year-old Ortiz was 0-5 with a 7.54 ERA in six starts for Arizona this season, and he was 1-14 in his last 19 starts dating to last May. Ortiz spent parts the last two seasons on the disabled list, with a rib cage injury in 2005 and a calf injury this year.
``We tried a lot of different things and it just wasn't working, so we decided to give someone else a shot,'' Byrnes said.
In a corresponding move, the club purchased the contract of left-hander Randy Choate from Triple-A Tucson. Choate was 3-0 with five saves and a 2.45 ERA in Tucson
The club designated the struggling right-hander for assignment, which means it has 10 days to trade, waive or release him. The team is on the hook for the balance of the $33-million, four-year contract Ortiz signed in December 2004, a figure general manager Josh Byrnes said was close to $22 million.
``We're like most clubs: every dollar counts. You want to spend them as effectively as possible,'' Byrnes said at a Chase Field news conference. ``That affected the decision, but we also were true to ourselves, and we want to put our best 25 on the field and try to win games. That led us to our decision.
``We have to spend all our dollars wisely, and obviously we owe Russ a lot of money going forward,'' Byrnes said. ``The flip side is we probably have more young talent than anyone in baseball, and that's a good thing as managing the payroll,'' Byrnes said.
The 32-year-old Ortiz was 0-5 with a 7.54 ERA in six starts for Arizona this season, and he was 1-14 in his last 19 starts dating to last May. Ortiz spent parts the last two seasons on the disabled list, with a rib cage injury in 2005 and a calf injury this year.
``We tried a lot of different things and it just wasn't working, so we decided to give someone else a shot,'' Byrnes said.
In a corresponding move, the club purchased the contract of left-hander Randy Choate from Triple-A Tucson. Choate was 3-0 with five saves and a 2.45 ERA in Tucson
