Oswalt Recruiting Sheets

[joepepsi]

Good post JohnBriggs. It looks like there will be several options out there this winter. Doug seems to favor shorter term deals on players who are still able to contribute but may be past their peak, ie, Gagne, Kendall, Cameron. That's not a bad strategy for this market, especially given the core players are still quite young.

 

Lowe is a someone who they could sign for 2 or 3 years. But his road ERA has been average at best the last 3 seasons. So signing him could be like signing an older Suppan or Bush. On the one hand this gives you a hat trick of 3-4-5 rotation fillers who never get hurt and pitch 190 innings a year.

 

I think Mussina would be a great pickup, but he's always been adamant about staying out east. Most likely he'll do another 2 year deal with the Yankees, but I could see Philly or Atlanta sneaking in and signing him.

 

Signing Garland is kinda like the return of Capuano. He's been solid and healthy his entire career. Not a bad move picking him up.

 

I suspect Bush is going to be trade bait in an effort to find a 3B. If that happens they're going to need to find a couple pitchers, even if they give Cappy a contract.

[bbaehman]

You can book Sheets to Houston, imo

[Chio151]

Houston almost has to sign someone like Sheets to justify all of their massive spending in free agency. They'll need to just go 'all in'.

[And That]

If the Brewers re-sign Sheets for $17 million per for 4 years, which is a number that seems really low to me, they'll have one of the best rotations in baseball going in to next season, not to speak of a Sheets/Gallardo/Parra/Jeffress/who cares rotation in 2 years. If you say to me that over the next few seasons that the team is willing to pay Jeff Suppan $12.5 mil per and Sheets not $17 mil per, I don't know what to say to you.

[berniebrewer4life]

I'm more worried about his reduced K rate than his injuries.

Same. Maybe it's because we have CC now, but it seems like Sheets isn't as dominate and powerful as he used to be.

[kramnoj]

If you say to me that over the next few seasons that the team is willing to pay Jeff Suppan $12.5 mil per and Sheets not $17 mil per, I don't know what to say to you.

 

IMO, the Brewers not offering any kind of contract before this year tells me they have no interest in retaining Sheets. They weren't willing to gamble that he would be healthy enough to warrant a contract extension. At this point, once FA comes, some team will be more desperate than the Brewers and will offer Sheets more money than the Brewers will want to.

 

I do agree with your main point, though. If the Brewers go out and sign some mid-level pitcher this year, they will presumably be spending $10-$12 million/year for 3-4 years. I personally would rather spend the extra 50% for Sheets and the chance that he could be a playoff ace. It would be unlikely that any pitcher available for FA that the Brewers could sign would be a guy they want starting Game 1 or 2 of a playoff series.

[logan82]

And That wrote:

If you say to me that over the next few seasons that the team is willing to pay Jeff Suppan $12.5 mil per and Sheets not $17 mil per, I don't know what to say to you.

I don't think they should make the mistake of commiting $17M+ per year to Sheets just because they made the mistake of signing Suppan to as much as they did. I would hope they look at the Suppan deal say "lesson learned" and move on.

 

I am not even sure Sheets is the same pitcher he was a couple years ago. He was off all of last year and all of this year since June. I am going to miss Sheets when he is gone, but I wouldn't want to take a chance on him after this year. If they do add pitching this offseason, I hope it is a young prearby guy they acquire through a trade. I think next year will be a down year anyway with Gallardo working himself back up and waiting/hoping for Jeffres to be ready in 2010.

[Invader3K]

I'm more worried about his reduced K rate than his injuries.

Same. Maybe it's because we have CC now, but it seems like Sheets isn't as dominate and powerful as he used to be.

I don't think you could ever call Sheets truly "dominant." He's still a great pitcher...however, I've said it before, I don't consider Sheets to be a true ace. A #1 starting pitcher? Sure. An "ace?" No, not really. Sabathia, Peavey, Santana...guys like that are true "aces".

 

[kramnoj]

don't think you could ever call Sheets truly "dominant."

 

What did Sheets need to do in 2004 for you to consider him dominant? That team only scored 634 runs all season, it had a collective OPS+ of 88. His K/BB was 264/32. Sheets ERA+ that year was 162. CC has never had a season that good. Peavy has one full season like that. Santana has been an ace, but if your definition of ace is limited to one player, you are using that term differently than most people.

[reillymcshane]

Texas might go after sheets. He has a home nearby, he won't have to hit, and with a lot of young hitting talent (and a lack of pitching talent), they are said to be interested in making a FA splash. Sheets would fit the bill in a lot of ways.

[brewmann04]

i really don't care if Sheets hits fa let houston have him

[DHonks]

I see no reason that Sheets will stay in the NL. He can't hit, doesn't like to hit, and likely will take the money from an AL team. It's the same reason (or opposite) as to why I see Sabathia staying in the NL

[razzzorsharp]

i really don't care if Sheets hits fa let houston have him

I also dislike having a player so good that he is the starting pitcher for the NL All Star team.

[yount19.u]

I hope Sheets goes to the AL. If he does, though, I think he's going to be in for a rude awakening.

[brewmann04]

Yeah he been real special since the break and ps sheets was the best option since his natural turn came during the break.

CC is heads and shoulders better than sheets

[razzzorsharp]

Yeah he been real special since the break and ps sheets was the best option since his natural turn came during the break.

CC is heads and shoulders better than sheets

Don't worry, I await you turning on CC as well when he has a couple bad starts in a row.

[brewcrew00]

I'm definitely not turning on Sheet's, but down the stretch now it's gut check time, and if you want to be the elite of the elite, you have to step up. Regardless of what your offense does, you just have to have a little bit more. I hope he gets the confidence back he seems to have lost.

[Postseason2006]

Sheets has count it, ONE WIN since the CC trade. It's been 4 years since 2004. I wouldn't touch the half year wonder with a ten foot pole. Nice bunt tonight....

[brewmann04]

hey razor You be waiting a long time cause the difference is when both pitchers don't bring their A game CC is still a winner.

So i don't care what CC does the rest of the way cause your guy sheets has done absoultly nothing since the big trade a true sign of a #1 guy

[Postseason2006]

Yeah he been real special since the break and ps sheets was the best option since his natural turn came during the break.

CC is heads and shoulders better than sheets

Don't worry, I await you turning on CC as well when he has a couple bad starts in a row.

Your All-Star pitcher has ONE WIN since the CC trade. So when CC doesn't win more than one game in what is it 8 starts, call me.

[kramnoj]

So i don't care what CC does the rest of the way cause your guy sheets has done absoultly nothing since the big trade a true sign of a #1 guy

 

Your opinion is that a shutout is absolutely nothing, is that correct?

 

It is true that Sheets only has one win since the big trade, but the Brewers do have a couple of wins in Sheets starts that Ben didn't get credit for.

[MNBrew]

For Sheets, one win in 1.5 months is not acceptable. He usually hasn't pitched badly, but he also hasn't pitched well enough to win. Now to the end of the year is clutch time and top-end guys need to step it up. Sheets needs to step it up and just hasn't gotten enough done.

 

He's been the Brewers' #1 since he started except since the CC trade. Granted, CC has been pitching like Bob Gibson or Randy Johnson. But now we're seeing the difference between #1 and stud/ace. Sabathia is a better pitcher than Sheets -- 6x has had 13+ wins and reigning AL Cy Young, whereas Sheets has always been only a 10-12 game winner.

 

Does it seem a bit ironic that, just as in Sheets' rookie year, he has a dominant 1st half and appears in the All-Star Game, then can't seem to do enough to win for the most part in the 2nd half? Granted, in 2004 he was amazing. But I put my eggs in the basket of Sabathia first and foremost, roll up the Brinks truck, then make a solid offer to Sheets and take the extra picks instead if someone else wants to top it and Sheets takes the highest bid (and when don't most high end FAs not take the highest bid?).

[moofnelson]

i really don't care if Sheets hits fa let houston have him

I also dislike having a player so good that he is the starting pitcher for the NL All Star team.

Sheets did deserve the All-Star bid. He got the start because others weren't available.

[razzzorsharp]

Ok, I am not going to argue and try to change your minds but to use wins as a measure of pitcher success is not the best way to go about things. I have seen Sheets enough over the last eight years to judge as an above average pitcher as opposed to the last eight starts but to each their own.

[moofnelson]

Ok, I am not going to argue and try to change your minds but to use wins as a measure of pitcher success is not the best way to go about things. I have seen Sheets enough over the last eight years to judge as an above average pitcher as opposed to the last eight starts but to each their own.

Unfortunately for the Brewers, his last eight starts have been the most important in his career.