So Where Are All the Suitors For The Surplus Starting Pitching?

[Roscoe Chill]

Do people still think teams are going to be beating down the door for Claudio Vargas? Or even Dave Bush or Chris Capuano?

I'm already concerned about this year because of roster decisions that will be made based on factors other than baseball skills, performance, and potential.

 

EDIT: I'm not JUST whining about it http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif, I really do want to know if anyone has heard/read ANYTHING regarding trade partners/scenarios etc.

[Brian the Automator]

The Angels are wanting to trade Juan Rivera for rotation depth. We're all full in the corner OF, but even for 2M, he'd be a great RHer off the bench.

[KCBrewerfan34]

I remember last off-season I said we should do Capuano FOR Crawford and basically I got laughed off the thread, wow what a difference a year makes http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

 

Hopefully we can unload one of these guys but heck if your another team why would you give up much of anything?

 

 

GO Brew

[brettac1]

I think you got laughed off the thread because there was no way the Rays would ever EVER trade Carl Crawford for Chris Capuano.

 

EDIT: After reading the thread (it's archived on page 42) you were correct. I actually said I would trade Gallardo for Crawford, and I might still. I guess I didn't remember people here having so much value placed on Capuano (I didn't, that I can recall).

[Gopher74]

Do people still think teams are going to be beating down the door for Claudio Vargas? Or even Dave Bush or Chris Capuano?

I'm already concerned about this year because of roster decisions that will be made based on factors other than baseball skills, performance, and potential.

I don't recall the suggestion ever being made that people would be "beating down the door" for Claudio Vargas. I think what was said, and correctly so, was that starting pitching has more value during the season as opposed to in the off-season when teams lose a starter due to an injury. The fact that you've essentially got a "told you so" tone to your thread just two weeks into ST'ing is frankly a bit of a head scratcher to me.

 

Second, roster decisions on almost every single team in baseball are made with finances in mind. However I think our roster decisions will be and have to be more than simply which pitcher is the best this very second, and get rid of any excess.

 

And finally, I don't know that anyone in here is privy to all the talks that Doug Melvin has, or even why he'd be having any at this point with his number currently on the shelf.

 

[paul253]

we need to keep everyone just in case Sheets Gallardo Capuano and Bush all get hurt at the same time,

[Roscoe Chill]

I just don't think those guys hold much trade value. And a lot of people on here think they do. And yes, some people predicted a move would be made in Spring Training.

Yes, finances are in mind in baseball decisions. Which is why if I was GM of the Brewers I wouldn't have even tendered Claudio Vargas. Manny Parra is a better option, and it'll be a shame if he isn't helping the team try and make the post season. Carlos Villanueva too. Or how about just non tendering Johnny Estrada like the Mets did as soon as they got rid of Mota's contract, which is all they wanted to do? Without Mota, you have some more options as far as putting guys in the pen, yet still having your best pitchers on the team. That move just made the logjam (and subsequent roster decisions) worse.

Add in the fact that Ned Yost is a bit of a stubborn man, and I don't see an open competition whatsoever, as was pointed out in the JSOnline the other day.

[apirk]

Right now I think they are waiting for injuries to happen. There will always be a handful of pitchers on contenders that go down and when that happens you can usually score some good prospects for mediocre pitching.

[paul253]

I'm also a little worried about the lack of competition for the rotation. Sheets, Gallardo, and Suppan should be in, no doubt, and I think Villanueva should be in unless he has a terrible spring, which he's not. I don't mind sending Parra to AAA in order to watch his innings. I think Vargas should be gone, even if he's traded for a low A, mid-level prospect. Capuano and Bush can compete for the 5th spot, with the loser being the long man. Parra or Jackson can come up in a bind.

[ILuvDaBush]

The only thing I'd be worried about is to have a "Jon Lieber situation", where we'd be forced to send Yo to your bullpen to be our closer, just so we don't have to send Vargas and/or Capuano to AAA. :-)

[Trowekamp]

Don't you think part of the problem is that the Brewers starting lineup is pretty set? I would think most times would be looking to trade surplus for surplus but except for a catcher the Brewers are pretty set....

 

Usually don't see prospects traded until mid-summer. The upside is we have 3 young pitchers that should not pitch 200 innings this year (Parra, Yo, Villy) so if Vargas/Capuano/Bush take some early season starts until a June trade then maybe we can have the youngsters fresh for September/October and not burn them out for next year. Yo is already a concern based on last year.

 

With all the relievers they signed I am not sure where you put them because ideally your starters would be:

 

Sheets

Suppan

Villy

Capuano

Bush

 

Bullpen:

 

Torres

Mota

Riske

Vargas

Turnbow

Shouse

Gagne

 

Parra - AAA

Yo - 15 DL / Couple of Rehab Starts

 

Then try to dump one of Vargas/Bush/Capuano by May 1st and insert Yo and then dump another by end of June and bring up Parra.

 

Of course in the event of injuries you are covered and even after the above scenario you still have 1 of the 3 stooges left if there is a rotation injury so you are covered.

 

 

Gagne

[Gopher74]

The only thing I'd be worried about is to have a "Jon Lieber situation", where we'd be forced to send Yo to your bullpen to be our closer, just so we don't have to send Vargas and/or Capuano to AAA. :-)

I can promise you the Brewers haven't even entertained the idea of sending Yo to the pen to be our closer.

 

Honestly though, I don't get the reference? What young potential ace was sent to the pen to be a closer? I'm not certain if you're talking about Meyers or not in Philly, but he certainly wasn't sent to the pen because of a surplus in SP'ing options, rather a lack of closer options.

 

[Fear The Chorizo]

The way the Rockies' pitching injuries are starting to build up, they may be good match for trading pitching.

 

The Braves may be an option if Hampton can't stay healthy - they have good starters but have paper-thin depth

 

A bottom feeder/small market team may want to pick up a veteran starter at the end of spring training if they want to keep a prospect in the minors for development...Orioles, Giants, A's, Twins, Marlins and Nationals come to mind - all of these teams would have other prospects that the Brewers could use to build their minors back up. Not gonna get a blue chipper from them, but a veteran starter should get you a couple of low-minors, toolsy guys with some potential.

 

Even the Yankees would be an option as the season goes on...mussina and pettite aren't young, and if the rest of the kids in their rotation aren't effective immediately, the Yankees will be wheeling and dealing. Their farm system is good enough again to mine some nuggets. They would also be a team that may look to add bullpen depth, something the Brewers will also have.

 

Possible teams are out there, and I think something gets done at the end of spring training, and probably something else happens before the trade deadline. IF the Brewers stay healthy from a pitching standpoint, they'll have the resources to deal for what they need to help their club down the stretch.

[DrWood]

It's too early to say there is no ST market for bush/cappy/vargas. I wouldn't have expected anything for a couple more weeks. Teams have to figure out if the crappy pitchers on their roster are really crappy or not, and it's too early to do that. Also, injuries happen.

[brewmann04]

I wonder if the red sox might be calling in a few days

[alwz4gbp]

You can bet the farm that the Sox will be calling soon.

[Fear The Chorizo]

Schilling just got placed on the 60 day DL - not expected to return until the All-star break. Beckett's got a balky back, and while he was dynamite last season, hasn't exactly had a pristine injury history - he threw a ton of innings compared to his career averages last season. Bucholz and Lester have been scuffling this spring.

 

Boston's looking more and more like a potential trade partner