105 Quotes by Jon Daniels

He is a front-line starter and has taken the ball in big games.

There is a hunger level on the team and we want to see what we can do. This is not a perfect roster or win-at-all costs situation. We have the opportunity for the next few years to continue to put out a competitive club.

We told him that we support him but it's time to step it up. We're starting to make decisions. He seemed to embrace that. We'll see how his next outing goes.

What we had talked about at one point was a deal that would go into his free agent years, but we agreed to disagree and this was the best compromise for us at the time. It was an amicable resolution on both sides. ... With a player of Mark's caliber and how important he is to the club and organization, we certainly didn't want to get into an acrimonious setting with an independent arbitrator.

He's 24 years old, a power pitcher. We look at him as a starter. He has a plus fastball, and had some success in the major leagues last year.

He's doing well down there. He's playing third base today, but he's been playing mostly second base. One of his strengths is his versatility, but he's just not versatile. He's good defensively at a number of positions.

He's doing very well. That was a calculated risk ... not putting him on the roster, but he's starting to pitch well. He has a big fastball and one of the best breaking balls in the system. It wouldn't surprise me if we have a need, he could help us this year.

We looked for durability and consistency. In today's game, 200 innings is the benchmark that defines consistency and durability. The inherent value is that it takes you directly from the starters to the back end of your bullpen. It allows you to bypass the more unpredictable parts of the pitching staff.

He was a candidate to be a fifth starter and he was here late in camp for a reason. I was hoping we wouldn't have to go to our protection starters this early, but that's happened.