Worst Signing/Non-Signing (or trade) by the Brewers?

[Prince James]

I was just reading another thread talking about how bad some of the recent ex-Brewers have been doing. However, I don't really like to take joy in that kind of thing. If we are going to do that, we should probably also talk about our biggest mistakes (signings or trades) that the Brewers have made. I have a pretty short memory, so I could not come up with many, other than Jeffrey Hammonds. Out of curiosity, what other ones stick out in your minds?

[RightFieldCoder]

The Doug Davis trade doesn't look so good a year later. IIRC, the Sheffield trade wasn't the best either. The Molitor non signing isn't very good. Heck, everything between Molitor leaving and Doug Melvin can probably be called a bad move.

[Fatter than Joey]

Rick Manning for Gorman Thomas ranks up there for me.

 

Sean Berry was a horrible signing.

[Crewin06]

I am not going on long-term memory here.

But the Doug Davis Move is looking worse by the day. Not just because of the move but because the subsequent moves after the trade and how good Davis and Eveland at 24 are doing.

All we have left to show for the trade is Mota. Who most Brewer fans wish we didn't have.

Add to it the Brewers needed to sign Suppan to replace Davis and have 25 million more to pay Suppan after this season instead of the 7 million that Davis will get and that difference of 18 million will be a major detriment in the Brewers ability to sign Sheets.

Also figure that Davis is pitching better than Suppan.

And last but not least to add insult to inury the Brewers gave up on Dana Eveland at 23. And now at the ripe old age of 24 Dana is throwing up a 3.50 ERA in the American League.

I don't know about many of the old time trades. But this is the worst trade in my memory (Taking into account the last 10-15 years)

[Invader3K]

I thought the Davis trade was the right move at the time, but it's definitely not ended up being a good move in retrospect.

 

I think it's also worth mentioning the trade for Scott Linebrink. I liked the move at the time, but looking bad, I think the Brewers would have been better off not making that move, and keeping those prospects to bring up or trade later. Of course, Linebrink is now pitching quite well for the White Sox, go figure. He just didn't seem to really improve the Brewers last season at all.

[Brian the Automator]

Bichette for Reimer.

[brewers4eric]

The Kevin Reimer for Dante Bichette trade was a bad one in my book. Of course, I played enough foosball in college that I have a bias toward the professional foosball players. I liked Bichette for his arm, but the guy put up a ton of offensive numbers in Colorado. Reimer looked like he needed a batting helmet every time he was in the outfield.

 

The Paul Molitor non-signing was a tough one. I stopped watching baseball for a long time after that disaster.

 

I would add another category for the players that the Brewers failed to protect in the expansion drafts. Darren Holmes had some nasty breaking stuff and contributed some nice innings down the stretch in 1992. Joel Adamson seemed like he had some nice outings in 1997.

 

I hold a special disdain for the Takahito Nomura signing, although it is quite obscure. Each appearance that he made might as well have been an intentional walk. Allen Levraults comments on losing his roster spot to Nomura were hilarious.

[bball123h2]

http://www2.jsonline.com/sports/brew/image/2001/april/hammonds0415.jpg

 

 

[davego]

I thought we traded for Jeffery.

 

Sean Berry was a bad deal.

 

I didn't mind the Rick Manning trade, I might be in the minority on that one.

 

Hammonds, obviously.

 

Not getting Nomar to sign after we drafted him.

 

Cirillo deal with the Rockies; I really hated that @ the time.

 

Not trading Dave Nillison when we could have.

 

Not trading Rock after he had like 14HR in 87 or whatever it was. California wanted him, but Harry played hard to get.

[thablingster]

Paul Bako for Henry Blanco. No, really. At least Blanco was stellar defensively.

 

I second Hammonds and Berry. It looks like the Mota trade will end up a bust, even though it was garbage for garbage.

 

Ricky Bottalico was a pretty bad signing.

[DougJones43]

Jeff Suppan.

[joepepsi]

Greg Vaughn and Gerald Parent for Ron Villone, Bryce Florie, and Marc Newfield. Vaughan hit 175 home runs over the next 4-1/2 seasons. I guess he was going to leave anyway, but they sure didn't get much for him.

[Brian the Automator]

Greg Vaughn and Gerald Parent for Ron Villone, Bryce Florie, and Marc Newfield. Vaughan hit 175 home runs over the next 4-1/2 seasons. I guess he was going to leave anyway, but they sure didn't get much for him.

That trade sort of summed up the Bando era... Instead of trading for higher-ceiling prospects that might have been further away from contributing, he went with the lower-ceiling players that could come in right away and contribute.

 

[SoCal Brew Crew Fan]

Sal Bando...even though he helped us start winning in the 70's, his GM skills sent the franchise into the abyss. The Molitor non-signing kick started a 15 year tailspin. They had a better team than the Blue Jays the year before and should have won the division. The economic realities of the 90's probably wouldn't have helped, but he was so bad it was mindboggling.

 

Franklin Stubbs anyone?

 

How about Teddy Higuera's 4 year contract?

 

The Manning/Thomas trade while emotionally tough, involved a bunch of players who were shadows of their former selves.

 

With Bichette, I wonder if he could have been good anywhere else but Colorado at that time. Trade was still horrible.

 

Hammonds...both flaps down on a permanent basis...ugh (ooops...meant to say Leonard, i kinda liked it too...but he wasn't very good)

[nate82]

Hammonds...both flaps down on a permanent basis...ugh

 

 

Getting Hammonds instead of Damon. I believe the Brewers were targeting Damon also that year. Didn't Damon sign the same kind of a contract with the Red Sox that Hammonds singed with us?

[yount19.u]

How about Juan Acevedo for Fernando Vina?

[Postseason2006]

Getting Jeff Leonard... Sorry, I always liked the flap down thing.

 

Anyhow, Matt Mieske, Valentin, and Ricky Bones for Shef still bothers me especially watching Sheffield go for the Triple Crown that year.

[Postseason2006]

How about not signing Alex Fernandez....

[FVBrewerFan]

Generally speaking, bad FA signings don't bother me as much as bad trades. At least with a bad FA signing you're not giving up talent, just wasting money. The Doug Davis trade bothers me the most. Sheets, Parra, Eveland, Davis and Bush would look good right now with Gallardo returning next year. And LaPorta would still be here more than likely.

[MessiahRp]

I am willing to give the Teddy Higuera contract a pass. The guy was clearly our ace and a pretty darn good pitcher. I can't fault the club for trying to retain their ace.

 

Rp

[Jopal78]

Jeromy Burnitz, Jeff D'Amico, and Mark Sweeney for Glendon Rusch, Lenny Harris and Alex Ochoa.

 

That salary dump, didn't even bring back young low ceiling players, it brought back merely some worthless veterans.

 

Fetters, Villone and Ben McDonald to the Indians for Grissom and Jeff Juden.

 

This one was pretty bad from the perspective that both Fetters and Villone went on to have lengthy careers after leaving Milwaukee, yet Juden didn't even last one season, and Grissom turned in the worst string of seasons in his 17 year career while playing for the Brewers.

 

One final thought, Dante Bichette was a product of Coors Field his career OPS on the road is under .740, had he stayed in Milwaukee he would have wound up a nobody.

[homer]

I have a feeling Bichette had some medical assistance too.

[TooLiveBrew]

Where do people rank the Marquis Grissom signing?

[pepsimax23]

its murder when you think about the sports economy now, that if the brewers couldve ponied up an extra $1M per year, they couldve kept paul molitor in 93. to me, this was the biggest heartbreaker of a milwaukee brewers move. (i'd rather blame the higuera contract or larry yount) but i suppose it doesnt suck molly became a world series MVP and achieved 3k hits. (two feats he probably doesnt reach if he stayed a brewer for full time.) would it be completely inappropriate to suggest that he mightve had some medical assistance in the twilight of his career?

[Sundown Kid]

There should be a special sub-category within this thread for everything post-92 season.

 

Subtract Paul Molitor, Chris Bosio, Dan Plesac, Dante Bichette, and Kevin Seitzer (at the outset--it's a lucky break that they got him back)

Add Kevin Reimer, Tom Bruansky, Bill Doran, and Dickie Thon. Ouch!

 

Letting Troy O'Leary go after the '94 season wasn't very helpful.