Due to Gallardo's injury, time to trade an asset for a good starter

[Hate those Rodents]

Time to look into dealing LaPorta or Gamel or Jeffress or something that can get us at LEAST a #3 but ideally a #2 if we want to make a run at the playoffs this year. Otherwise, realistically, we will not be able to keep up with the Cubs or Cards (whichever stays hot the majority of the year) until next season.

 

Edit: "In lieu of" was not the correct phrase in the title. That means "instead of." - Toby

[And That]

I hope the Brewers don't make a knee-jerk trade for a pitcher. And I don't think they will. We need to sort out what we have and see where we are after we do. If the team feels they need to trade for a starter, I don't think they'll reach that conclusion until the end of June.

[Hate those Rodents]

But I would say some teams, if not a Gallardo, have a Parra/Villenueva type they can go to and do alright with. We have Dave Bush or Jeff Weaver. Nothing else anywhere close on the horizon and nobody (unless you have confidence in McClung) in the bullpen to possibly be a competent starter either.

 

I am not saying we need to trade for a starter soon, but if playoffs are going to be realistic (we could improbably get there with the staff as is I guess) then we need to add an arm.

[dadofandrew]

I would assume a top guy is out of the picture, at least for a rental. No way they are trading 6.5 years of Laporta for 2-3 months of a pitcher who may get hurt in his first outing. However, I would assume that Doug and Gord probably already had a list of possible SP additions come July 15th, and that list will be looked at daily.

[fondybrewfan]

I wouldn't mind taking one of Pittsburgh's starters off of their hands. Of course it would be within the division, but I think Ian Snell or Tom Gorzalenny would look good in a Brewers uniform.

 

Or maybe Vincente Padilla from the Rangers

 

There are just to many teams that think they are still in contention right now. Wait 2-3 weeks and some more options may become available

[dadofandrew]

Jeff Weaver is probably as good as Padilla. TEX would give him away and pay a good chunk of salary. His ERA is decent, but his K/IP and BB/K numbers indicate that is short-lived.

[Oldcity]

If they want a good chance to make the playoffs, they need to get someone who is clearly an above average starter. It may not be possible to get good value in such a deal. The biggest decision to make is whether LaPorta can go. He's probably the only one who could net a good pitcher that the Brewers can control for more than a couple years.

[JJ Hardy Har Har]

Can we pry Chris Young away from San Diego with Gwynn plus Weaver and someone else?

[Oldcity]

Weaver has no trade value at all. Chris Young is pretty much an ace.

[SeriesFinale]

Something tells me this thread is going to get huge with people throwing out every possible name until one of two results happens in July or August: 1) The Brewers stick around the race and get a solid if somewhat disappointing #3 or #4-type guy for a few farmhands and/or TGJ, or 2) The season divebombs and Big Ben gets dealt for a young catcher and a couple arms, a prospect and a ML SP

 

I just don't see the Brewers dealing LaPorta, like people said, for what would feasibly be available, or in most other cases unless Prince accepts the deal that was offered. If they can really get a true #2 who will be around for a few years though and not involve LaPorta, I'd be over the moon.

[JJ Hardy Har Har]

Agreed about Weaver now that I think about it. The Pads do have Peavy though, so they might part with Young for less than other teams might.

[giffted1]

I really don't see us getting a starter that will come anywhere close to filling the hole left by Gallardo. If we pick someone up it'll be a guy like Vicente Padilla, Odalis Perez, or Bronson Arroyo - someone who isn't much better than what we already have.

[JJ Hardy Har Har]

I'd like Arroyo and he could maybe be had for cheap right now.

[Gobias Industries]

Hopefully Arizona runs away with that division so Derek Lowe could maybe be put on the block, like someone proposed in the other thread. He's a FA at the end of the year, and is a guy we could maybe keep around.

[Weirdos19]

How about Brad Nelson (while he's hitting) + Gwynn to San Fran for Sanchez?

 

San Fran has stated that they need to get younger in the outfield and need power at first base. Even if Nelson ends up being a starting first baseman, it won't be here. Even if Prince walks in a few years, LaPorta would probably be the replacement, not Nelson.

 

With that deal, we don't give up either of our top hitting prospects and add another young arm. Left handed too.

[GAME05]

i'm not a giant fan of trading away prospects who will be integral parts of the franchise soon and for years to come, which is how I view LaPorta. I'd rather take my chances this year and hope for the best than sacrifice the future of this team. I'm not against making a trade, but i just really hope it isn't LaPorta.

 

1. i know we're thinking about Pittsburgh and San Diego and SF and other bottom-dwelling teams, but isn't it WAY too early for teams to start dealing their good players yet? Won't every team wait until at least June to start dealing guys so they can keep up the pretension that they're still in it?

 

2. What about Cameron? Certainly he has value. obviously we just signed him, but isn't a newly-signed player available to trade starting in July? Sure, Gwynn isn't as good, but he at least has good D and is a lefty, so he'd be an ok fill-in. Also, what about trading Cameron and/or Gwynn and then calling LaPorta up and moving Hart to CF? LaPorta could platoon with somebody. I could live with Kapler as a starter if needs be.

 

3. What about trading Hardy? He's certainly got value and comes cheap to another team. Then we just call up Escobar. Yeah, Escobar would probably be a terrible hitter, but we won't miss a beat on defense. it almost seems inevitable that Hardy would have been traded at the end of the year to make room for Escobar, anyway, so why not sooner than later?

 

4. It's nice to think about adding a top-line pitcher, but i really wonder about our budget when it comes to that, if we really have the funds to even add $10M to our budget to bring in a guy like that.

[joshjs]

I think it's highly unlikely there's a #2 or #3 starter to be had for a reasonable price. And if it's going to happen, I see it happening at the trade deadline, and not any time soon. There's a lot of baseball to be played in the meantime.

 

For the moment, I'd say the best (realistic) option is to play the hand they're dealt and hope Parra and/or Villanueva and/or Bush can step up.

 

And that's kind of why I'm in such a bad mood right now. >:|

[joshjs]

Also: I've heard Jeff Cirillo can pitch.

[Brian the Automator]

Honestly, I'd rather that they just skip Bush's starts whenever they can. That solves about half the problem, at least. I'd be fine with parting with some second-tier guys if the right deal came along, but dealing Laporta's pretty much mortgaging the future for a 1-year shot, unless you somehow landed a top-flight pitcher with years left on his deal.

[KCBrewerfan34]

I think these are significant upgrades over Bush:

Blanton
Oswalt
Young
Cain or Lincecum

There's probably a few more but not many. I'm sure the price is outlandish for any of these guys, tough spot for the Brew. Posters have been saying these pitchers have to step up but the most likely place for improvement is this offense. We've got to start hitting!!!!!

[twobrewers]

I don't think trading for a Rental Pitcher is a likely scenario.

 

Most GM's seem to have figured out that you don't trade prospects for #3 type pitchers. There isn't much of a difference between a Vargas-type pitcher (#5) and a Villanueva-type pitcher (#3). No way would I trade Laporta/Gamel or any other high prospect for a rental.

 

However, I think any time you can add an ace - you pay the price. I really wish the Brewers had been aggressive in going after Bedard or Haren. You need top quality pitching to win champsionships. We have unfortunately lost our only year with both Sheets and Gallardo.

 

If any pitcher is acquired, it needs to be a bondafide ace - with years remaining on his contract. I am really excited about LaPorta and Gamel - but if any young studs become available (Lincecum for example) go get them so that we can pair that player with Gallardo next year. There are only so many #1 pitchers.

 

Bottom line - do you really want to head in to 2009 with Gallardo, Villanueva, Parra, Suppan and Bush as your starters? We need one more stud pitcher. (Of course, you could always gamble with Harden)

[giffted1]

In the pre-game Melvin mentioned that he didn't anticipate a top starter being available, so I'm mildly surprised that Oswalt isn't starting for us tonight.

[brewjihad]

AJ Burnett could be available as a 1-year rental, and Joe Blanton has obviously been available. Either could be potential targets in a trade involving a few young hitters like Mat Gamel.

[colbyjack]

June 27, 2002: Traded by the Cleveland Indians with Tim Drew to the Montreal Expos for Lee Stevens, Brandon Phillips, Cliff Lee, and Grady Sizemore.

 

This is the blockbuster trade that sent Bartolo Colon to the Montreal Expos a few years back (this trade seems as though it happened a lot longer ago than just six years) in which several notable prospects were involved, and I would not be surprised at all to see the Brewers make a similar move if their pitching continues to be a problem yet they continue to hover around the leaders in the NL Central.

 

And it makes a lot of sense. We constantly talk about where and how guys like LaPorta, Gamel and even Alcides Escobar are going to fit into the team's picture in a year or two. And one of the more important parts of a farm system is to give the team's GM valuable chips to use in trades to acquire proven MLB commodities.

 

And while the Colon trade doesn't look so smart these days, keep in mind that Brandon Phillips was a reclammation project of the Reds, Lee has had his ups and downs, while Sizemore of course has turned into a star. That package could easily be translated into Gamel, Escobar and a pitching prospect, whoever that may be (no, it's not going to be Weaver, Narveson or any of the Brewers own reclammation projects).

 

It may have not worked for the Expos (although I remember being a little bewildered that the Expos made this deal, as I don't recall them being that close to contending), but from the Brewers standpoint, it would be tough to stand pat and wonder later "what if they would have made a deal when they had a chance..."

 

It may be tough to swallow, but it would signal that the Brewers are serious about winning now. I would hate to see the Brewers run the course as is without Gallardo if there is a legitimate opportunity for them to be in a playoff chase come September as long as they're able to add an integral arm.

 

And just to give the whole idea of a possible trade with the Giants some credence, keep in mind there were some pretty legitimate rumors this offseason involving Tim Lincecum of the Giants and Alex Rios of the Blue Jays...Lincecum may be a pipe dream, but I don't doubt that Melvin is currently weighing the market to gauge which pitchers may be available and what kind of acquisition may surprise us.

[sbrylski]

If any acquisition is made using some of our prospects that can be considered blocked, the key is to get a guy that will be here longer than just this season. Obviously, the trade price would tick up a little, but its worth it for a small market team. We can't trade multiple prospects for just 80 games of one player, its to crippling and we'll dry up our talent pool both in the minors and the majors very, very quickly. For example, we'd lose both our trade target and Sheets next season, and have less guys to replace them with. I'd rather spend and extra prospect to get another year or two out of the pitcher. Summary: Time=Money.

 

This was my main criticism of the Linebrink trade last season. Its not that we gave up the guys we did, necessarily, its that it was such a bottle rocket move: short, unimpressive, and generally failed to do anything.

 

So for me, Lowe and Burnett are out as targets. I love Lincecum, and would probably pony up if he really could be traded. Blanton would be a solid option too, and probably a tick cheaper. The A's are usually quite willing to take single A prospects, whereas San Fran would likely as for near ready guys that are much harder to give up.