I like Paul Wilson, and I didn't hate the contract the Reds game him this offseason. I'm not a big fan of the fact that he's our number one or number two starter, but that's really not his fault.
But I think it's a mighty big stretch to call Wilson a steal, as Hal McCoy did today:
At the going rate for pitchers who can walk and talk without stumbling over the pitching rubber, Wilson is an Armani suit found on a K-Mart rack.
Wilson's a K-Mart suit found on a K-Mart rack, and there's really not much that can be said to argue with that. Wilson is what he is, and the Reds gave him right around what I imagine he's worth. Teams have to be willing to give out market contracts eventually if they want to be successful so the Reds should be applauded for giving a fair market deal to Wilson. They should also be applauded for not crying poor after the Wilson deal and getting two real life major league pitchers to complement Paul. But McCoy is doing more than applauding in the above article.
He's out and out cheerleading, which is more than a little embarrassing coming from a Hall of Fame journalist. I understand a Reds beat reporter being excited about the team this year after the past few seasons (they must have been awfully boring to cover every single day), but gushing about Paul Wilson being cheap? It's a little much.