John Patterson released from Nats; sign to Minor League deal?

[Gopher74]

The Washington Nats released John Patterson a couple days ago in a pretty surprising move. Patterson was the Nats opening day starter last year and posted a 3.13 ERA with nearly a K per 9 and a 1.19 whip in 2005 before suffering nagging injuries the last couple years. He's got a big fastball that can reach the mid 90's, and a big overhand curve that can be an out pitch.

He is 30 years old, but Doug Davis was 29 years old when we pulled him off the scrap heap a few years ago, and he didn't have as good of a year as Patterson has had in the big leagues.

 

So my question is, should this be our latest reclamation project? I'd have to assume that there is another team out there that may be interested that likely offers him a better chance to work his way back to the big leagues, but this guy has a good arm, and can get the K.

 

If nothing else, I'd just like to stash away a couple talented guys in AAA like he and Naverson in the hopes that we can find a diamond in the rough for next year when Sheets likely departs.

 

And beyond that, even if he doesn't ever start a game for the Brewers, he seems like a perfect candidate to move into the bullpen for the Brewers, and Lord Knows we're going to need to once again replenish our pen in 09.

 

Naverson and Peterson would be a nice R/L combo IF they could somehow regain their form and realize their potential.

[Gopher74]

By the way, I was just thinking about what could be our AAA rotation.

Manny Parra/Carlos Villanueva

Chris Naverson

John Patterson

Chris Capuano(if he goes on the DL and spends some time down here rehabbing)

Zach Jackson

Tim Dillard

Steve Hammond

 

Maybe not a lot of frontline starters, especially if Parra breaks camp with the big league team, but a lot of pitchers who could fill a nice little role for the big league team in the future. Pitchers who can perhaps be long men, or in the case of Naverson a lefty out of the pen if they don't develop into big league starters which most likely won't.

 

But this is a pretty good AAA rotation all the same. There were years where this would be better than our big league rotation. God I'm glad that Sal Bando is gone.....

[paul253]

I would love to see Patterson in Milwaukee. I think he is better than Vargas and Capuano, and maybe Bush.

[MJLiverock]

Why would Patterson look at the logjam of bottom of the rotation guys in Milwaukee and sign here? Especially if he is going to go to AAA. Some team will come calling and give him a slot in the majors unless he has nothing left in which case why would Milwaukee want him? Teams like Texas, KC, maybe St. Louis, etc. all could be a better option for him.

[jackalope02ca]

There are lots better options for Patterson out there.

 

I think he must be pretty much done as well. Why would Washington release him otherwise. They have the worst rotation in baseball and released him. That says something in itself. I don't see him as a better option than Vargas or Bush at this point either. Capuano possibly depending on what his injury turns out to actually be.

[endaround]

Patterson is now 30 and likely needs to rehab for an entire season in hopes of getting back something. Keep in mind the guy only had one good year, so no he isn't anywhere near as good as anyone in the Brewers top 8 or 9.

[dadofandrew]

I would happily sign almost any major league pitcher to a AAA deal.

 

If Patterson has a clue, he'll sign with a team with much less depth.

[hauser42]

Pass on Patterson. He has proven on thing and that is he can not stay healthy. We already have Brittle Ben to fill the teams need as an often injured pitcher no need to have a backup at that spot.

[mothershipconnection]

We have plenty of depth plus he'll likely take some time to be effective again. If we were desperate and had a bleak outlook (like we did a few years back), he'd be a great pickup. Now though, we have better options and he'll probably have better options as well in teams with crap pitching where he'll have a good shot of seeing some MLB time by the end of the year.

 

Rotoworld reports that the Astros are interested, which would seem like a decent fit. http://www.rotoworld.com/content/playerpages/player_main.aspx?sport=MLB&id=2961

[Gopher74]

Why would Patterson look at the logjam of bottom of the rotation guys in Milwaukee and sign here? Especially if he is going to go to AAA. Some team will come calling and give him a slot in the majors unless he has nothing left in which case why would Milwaukee want him? Teams like Texas, KC, maybe St. Louis, etc. all could be a better option for him.

Obviously I'm asking the question from the Brewers organizations point of view. I don't know why he'd come here. Maybe because he believes he's a solid pitcher, he wants to be part of a good team. Because we'd have success turning guys careers around. Because he likes Brats. I don't know. He did just get cut from Washington, not exactly a team flush with big league options, so we're not talking about Johan Santana.

 

Should WE do it was more the question.

 

[Gopher74]

Patterson is now 30 and likely needs to rehab for an entire season in hopes of getting back something. Keep in mind the guy only had one good year, so no he isn't anywhere near as good as anyone in the Brewers top 8 or 9.

I didn't say he was. I said we'd stick him in AAA in hopes that he'd figure it out. If he did, he's got pretty good stuff and ability that it would seem to be a good risk/reward type situation when there's really no risk at all.

 

I think he must be pretty much done as well. Why would Washington release him otherwise. They have the worst rotation in baseball and released him. That says something in itself. I don't see him as a better option than Vargas or Bush at this point either. Capuano possibly depending on what his injury turns out to actually be. Obviously he's not going to come into Milwaukee and get a starting spot beating out Vargas or Bush at this point. I never suggested that at all. I said stick him in AAA, and then if nothing else, try him as a reliever next year. Let him work back this season, and then try him out. Throws in the mid 90's, curve. Maybe he's a guy who could have success going to the pen. But no, of course he's not a better option than our starters right now. As for the Nats releasing him, they're in a rebuilding mode. Maybe they just wanted to go with young guys knowing that he's not going to be around. I don't know. Maybe they don't want to wait for him to get healthy.

[Gopher74]

We have plenty of depth plus he'll likely take some time to be effective again. If we were desperate and had a bleak outlook (like we did a few years back), he'd be a great pickup. Now though, we have better options and he'll probably have better options as well in teams with crap pitching where he'll have a good shot of seeing some MLB time by the end of the year.

We're not going to have much depth next year. We could lose Torres, Mota, and Gange. And like I said in my original post, he could be a possible bullpen option down the road as he does throw hard and have a good second pitch.

 

And who cares if it takes time for him to be effective again? Clearly if we were hoping he'd be this year, we'd be in big trouble.

 

And, yea, the chances are that he never pans out, but again, what's it really cost us if he doesn't? We're not giving anything up?

 

 

Oh well, guess I'm alone in this one. That's alright. I'll just bookmark this thread and bring it up when he gets back on top.....or quietly let it fade in to bolivian like Mike Tyson would say.

[Big Reed]

a question i have is how much does a rehabing mediocre major league pitcher take away from the progress of other up and coming minor league pitchers? The Cardinals are probably going to start the year with both Carpenter and Mulder rehabbing somewhere. Is their minor league system ruined because they have a couple of veterans taking up minor league pitching slots? it may take bartolo Colon 1/2 to 3/4 of a season to get in shape pitching for boston's minor league system. By signing him, is he going to block the progress of some other great boston minor league pitching phenom?

 

What's the RISK?

 

are posters here trying to say we have no room at the inn and we don't want to try any reclamation projects? Do we have 58 5 star phenom minor league prospects that all need to pitch 12 innings a game?

 

again I ask, what's risk? money?

[splitterpfj]

Patterson signed a minor league deal with Texas yesterday.