Sheets watch (closed in deference to new thread)

[PeaveyFury]

Perez would also cost us our 1st rounder.

[joepepsi]

I have to disagree with you on this one, that is basically saying if this was 3-4 years ago you would trade Prince, Braun. Weeks & Parra for Peavey. That sounds like a hefty price tag. Sure Peavy is under contract but near the end it gets to 16M per season which is a lot to give up when the crew drafted so heavy on pitching the last few seasons.

Well, if they would have had the equivalent of Prince, Braun, Weeks & Parra on the major league team 3-4 years ago, as well as the actual guys in the minors, then yes, that's a trade I would do. The Brewers are a team that has to go for it when they have the opportunity. Peavy would give the Brewers the better chance of winning a World Series in the next 3-4 years than any other move.

[And That]

Peavy would give the Brewers the better chance of winning a World Series in the next 3-4 years than any other move.

While I agree that a Peavy for Escobar/Gamel/+ trade would probably make us a better team in 2009, I think it is quite the overstatement to say that this is move is so necessary that it will help us more than any other move could in the next 3-4 years. 3-4 years is a long time - it is impossible to say making one trade now will be the move to give us a better shot in 2012.

[GAME05]

thing is, if the Brewers go and trade away our best prospects now for Peavy, in three years we'll end up with just the opposite problem we have now. We'll have good pitching depth but we'll suddenly be clamoring for good infielders.

[RU Rah Rah]

nate82 wrote:

Maybe Wolf will come at a discount and the Brewers will sign him. Wolf would be OK to put between Bush and Parra. Wolf would make a nice #2 or #3 pitcher for the Brewers if the price and years are right though.

At this point, I'd be fine with Wolf, if the price was right. His career ERA+ is right about 100, so he's average. And that's not a bad thing, for the middle/back of the rotation.

 

What bugs me about DM in this case is that there isn't any apparent sense of urgency to boost the rotation. I'm assuming that he's waiting for the right deal to come along, but I think he's running the risk of going into the season shorthanded.

[TuesdaysWithRillo]

It sounds like the DBacks have some interest in Sheets.

 

http://www.azcentral.com/...15/20090115dbgarland.html

 

The Diamondbacks have expressed interest in health-risk, free-agent pitchers such as Pedro Martinez, Ben Sheets, Jason Jennings and Kris Benson, but another pitcher who might resemble Garland in both durability and price could be Braden Looper.

[joepepsi]

thing is, if the Brewers go and trade away our best prospects now for Peavy, in three years we'll end up with just the opposite problem we have now. We'll have good pitching depth but we'll suddenly be clamoring for good infielders.

Then you trade Peavy for good infielders. My point is, sometimes, if it's the right player, you have to be willing to gamble on the long term future if there is a strong possibility for a big short term gain. Like a trip to the World Series. Of course it could all backfire, but that's one reason you try and build a deep farm system: to minimize mistakes.

[1992casey]

IF Brittle Ben had pitched well...

Back on November 1st, it was requested that the "Brittle Ben" stuff cease:

1992casey wrote:

---

Can we lose the "Brittle Ben" moniker? It's getting repetitive. Also, it seems to me that the points remain the same without the name-calling.

[lbb020]

It sounds like the DBacks have some interest in Sheets

If DM doesn't resign him, this would be the best possible outcome for the Brewers in my eyes. Dbacks have the 16th overall pick (highest possible pick we could receive since top 15 are protected). Of course, if he becomes a Brewer killer and shuts us down in the playoffs then this outcome wouldn't be so good.

[fondybrewfan]

I had also heard that the Dbacks had less than $8M to spend this year which would certainly take them out of the running for Sheets.

 

What are the odds that Sheets signs with anyone prior to Pitchers/Catchers reporting in less than a month?

 

Has there been any updates at all on his health? Could he showcase his arm for a team or is he still rehabbing and not throwing at all?

[trwi7]

I doubt the D'Backs get Sheets.

 

The Diamondbacks offer likely was for a fraction of that; they are believed to have about $4 million left to spend for 2009.

Link

[reillymcshane]

I wouldn't be shocked to see Sheets go to the Yankees.

 

Let's say he signs a modest one year deal with incentives. It only costs them a 4th round pick. He gets a year on a superior team, win a ton of games (but his era would likely rise in the AL East), not have to bat. He then comes back next year with no questions about his health and a better economic atmosphere (we all hope). Of course, that is on the assumption he is healthy and he stays healthy.

 

If I had to lay money, I'd pick the Rangers still, but I think this is a dark horse possibility.

[joepepsi]

I wonder if the Angels won't get involved. Seems like they've been pretty quiet all winter.

[SquirrelMaster]

I wouldn't be shocked to see Sheets go to the Yankees.

Haven't they signed as many class A free agents as they can already?

[logan82]

Sam estimated they could sign one more. Post #451 in this thread.

[Gobias Industries]

The Diamondbacks have expressed interest in health-risk, free-agent pitchers such as Pedro Martinez, Ben Sheets, Jason Jennings and Kris Benson, but another pitcher who might resemble Garland in both durability and price could be Braden Looper.

I think it's hilarious that Sheets is getting lumped together with those scrubs. He's more durable and a much better pitcher than any of the others. Someone is most likely gonna get quite the bargain, even if Sheets continues to slowly decline.

[mothershipconnection]

Not really anything new, but the local news in DFW just discussed continued interest in Sheets by the Rangers, but noted that they have serious "disagreements about his value". Perhaps Sheets not signing anywhere yet is a result of unrealistic expectations more than recent injury history.

[trwi7]

but noted that they have serious "disagreements about his value". Perhaps Sheets not signing anywhere yet is a result of unrealistic expectations more than recent injury history.

Yeah, that makes the most sense. He basically turned down $12 million guaranteed. Now there's almost no market for him and those that do want him don't have a ton of money left to spend and are concerned about his injury history.

 

Probably trying to save face and hold out as long as he can hoping a team gets desperate and spends more than they otherwise would have.

[RU Rah Rah]

The Diamondbacks have expressed interest in health-risk, free-agent pitchers such as Pedro Martinez, Ben Sheets, Jason Jennings and Kris Benson, but another pitcher who might resemble Garland in both durability and price could be Braden Looper.

I think it's hilarious that Sheets is getting lumped together with those scrubs. He's more durable and a much better pitcher than any of the others. Someone is most likely gonna get quite the bargain, even if Sheets continues to slowly decline.

Yeah, mentioning Sheets in the breath as Kris Benson seems a little out of whack.

[Ennder]

Not really anything new, but the local news in DFW just discussed continued interest in Sheets by the Rangers, but noted that they have serious "disagreements about his value". Perhaps Sheets not signing anywhere yet is a result of unrealistic expectations more than recent injury history.

I think it is more a case of a very heavy pitching market this year more than anything and the fact he is a type A FA which really kills a players value these days. Same reason Hudson, Cruz, Perez etc are sitting out there unsigned. Teams with protected picks are mostly not looking for veterans right now and those without protected picks either don't want to lose one or already spent their cash on someone else.

[silversurferr]

Yeah, Peavey is under contract for a bunch of years, but he will blow out his arm before the end of the contract. Reminds me of Kevin Brown.

[TheCrew07]

If we can sign Hardy long term which I think is a good idea we can trade Escobar in a package for Peavy. Maybe Escobar, Salome, and an A ball arm could get the deal done. I think having Hoffman around might be incentive for Peavy to be willing to play in Milwaukee.

I'm not picking on you, I keep seeing this posted though and don't understand the logic here. Many fans want the team to lock up Hardy, the team may want to lock Hardy up, we don't know for sure... but why would Hardy want to sign now? He's 2 years from big money, maybe being the best FA position player in his class if he keeps hitting. If he was a WI boy I could see it maybe, but he wants to stay at SS, Escobar will be ready by the time 2009 is finished, I'm sure he can see the writing on the wall just like anyone else. It's been pointed out many times but he's probably in the top 5 SS in the league at this point in time, and he'd be the best player at the position in the entire AL. He'll be a highly coveted player and he knows it.

 

It doesn't really matter what we want, or what the team would like to do, it comes down to what JJ wants to do and if he'd be willing to change positions to stay in Milwaukee long term. Exactly like how we the fans might want Sheets to resgin, Melvin might want him back, but it only matters if Sheets wants to come back to Milwaukee and it appears he doesn't. Unfortunately the players hold most of the cards as they approach FA and become FAs. If a player is going to be signed it's typically going to happen early like with Braun, but the Brewers missed badly with Hall and by signing some relief pitchers after 1 good season.. TB has done it a couple of times and some think they did it too soon with Longoria, but that Shields deal is looking pretty darn good right about now. I really admire what TB's new front office has done, they've had the midas touch, everything they've done has worked out very well for them.

 

I think if Escobar was going anywhere it would have happened in the Sabathia deal (+ rumors leading up to) and there were quotes that basically made it known that Escobar was untouchable. Trade wise Escobar doesn't carry anywhere near the value of Hardy or Fielder, and while we do have some depth at the position with Brewer, I don't think Brewer is a SS long term. I'm done arguing that Escobar's talent is greater than his stats suggest, there's just no changing opinions when people care more about projections than talent. I just don't see Hardy staying with the Brewers beyond arby, I want better return for him than draft pick compensation, and the clock is ticking.

[GoldGloveSS06]

Not sure if this was discussed earlier or not, but I wonder if Hoffmann could help Sheets with the elusive changeup he could never really master. If he were to get good at it, maybe he could throw his curve less and put less stress on his arm/fingers/ear/etc. (just kidding on the ear part).

[bklynbrewcrew]

Hardy has said on more than one occassion how much he wants to be a Brewer. Throw in how quickly he just signed the one year deal and I could definitely see him being willing to sign a below market deal to stay a Brewer. Not every player is out there chasing every last dollar and JJ comes off as one of those guys that is willing to be fair in his contract demands. I could be wrong but I think if the Brewers guaranteed that JJ would not be moved off the SS position he would be more than willing to stay.

 

If this is the case and maybe Im reading things wrong we can trade Escobar as part of a package to get a top of the rotation starter which is something we desperately need if we are going to contend this season. My preference would be to resign Sheets but if he is not willing to come back I would be more than happy to resign Hardy and trade Escobar for pitching.

[endaround]

Thing is the Brewer don't need "Sheets" they just could use a good pitcher and Sheets looks to be the best value and most realistic option like he has been from the start. The Brewers are at like 82 wins or so and so each marginal win is huge. And they are going into the season with two (2!) replacement level pitchers in the rotation. (Ok, Suppan might be 1/2 a win above replacement if all breaks right. But he was replacement last year and has been below average every year save 2003 and 2007). In addition there is no real depth now that Melvin has basically said DiFelice is bullpen only at he big league level.