SI.com's Top 50 Free Agents (Fuentes/Byrd Content)

[MillerParkSouth]

Ranking the top 50 free agents

 

They have the Dodgers signing Manny AND CC and much to my surprise, they have the Brewers signing Paul Byrd and Brian Fuentes. I'm not really sure I would want Fuentes for what he'll cost and i'm not sure Byrd would be an upgrade over what we have now. What kind of contracts would it even take to get these guys? I'm sure Fuentes will be looking at upwards of $10mm a year and i'm just not sure it's worth it for a guy who lost his job last year.

[MillerParkSouth]

Ranking the top 50 free agents

 

They have the Dodgers signing Manny AND CC and much to my surprise, they have the Brewers signing Paul Byrd and Brian Fuentes. I'm not really sure I would want Fuentes for what he'll cost and i'm not sure Byrd would be an upgrade over what we have now. What kind of contracts would it even take to get these guys? I'm sure Fuentes will be looking at upwards of $10mm a year and i'm just not sure it's worth it for a guy who lost his job last year.

[bklynbrewcrew]

I wouldnt pay a closer 10 mil per yr for the 3 or 4 yrs that it will take so I would pass on Fuentes. As far as Byrd is concerned he is another Suppan so no thanks there. My theory with free agents is this; either sign an elite guy like Sabathia or focus on sleepers like a Juan Cruz. We should never ever sign mediocre free agents like Suppan or in this case Byrd for big money.

[bklynbrewcrew]

I wouldnt pay a closer 10 mil per yr for the 3 or 4 yrs that it will take so I would pass on Fuentes. As far as Byrd is concerned he is another Suppan so no thanks there. My theory with free agents is this; either sign an elite guy like Sabathia or focus on sleepers like a Juan Cruz. We should never ever sign mediocre free agents like Suppan or in this case Byrd for big money.

[Ennder]

Fuentes lost his job because he got hurt, that really should have absolutely nothing to do with any decisions made about him.

 

If Macha is smart enough to use a closer in high leverage situations that are not save situations then a shut down closer would be worth $10M a year. I'm not sure he is that type of guy though so I'd rather not spend it.

[Ennder]

Fuentes lost his job because he got hurt, that really should have absolutely nothing to do with any decisions made about him.

 

If Macha is smart enough to use a closer in high leverage situations that are not save situations then a shut down closer would be worth $10M a year. I'm not sure he is that type of guy though so I'd rather not spend it.

[bjkrautk]

The name that sticks out on that list is Pedro Martinez....not because I think he'll be a Brewer, but because he may be the most difficult guy to project. You could get fifty starts out of him in the next two years, or you may only get 5. I'd put in an offer for 2 yrs, 10 mil (total), but wouldn't be surprised if he gets double (or at least 1.5x) that.

 

Byrd is Suppan Lite; not great, but not horrible, and more of an innings eater than a power / strikeout guy.

[bjkrautk]

The name that sticks out on that list is Pedro Martinez....not because I think he'll be a Brewer, but because he may be the most difficult guy to project. You could get fifty starts out of him in the next two years, or you may only get 5. I'd put in an offer for 2 yrs, 10 mil (total), but wouldn't be surprised if he gets double (or at least 1.5x) that.

 

Byrd is Suppan Lite; not great, but not horrible, and more of an innings eater than a power / strikeout guy.

[giffted1]

I don't see either of those moves happening. I can't see Doug spending a lot of money on a closer again anytime soon. And why would we want Paul Byrd? If Ben and CC leave and no trades are made for starting pitching, I think McClung or Villanueva would be better options than Byrd. If we needed some old, mediocre starter to fill out the rotation I'm sure Zduriencik would love to send us Jarrod Washburn for almost nothing.

[Ennder]

Bradley apparently is a type B free agent so he might not be the worst guy to go with if we end up trading Hart or not picking up Cameron's option.

[giffted1]

I don't see either of those moves happening. I can't see Doug spending a lot of money on a closer again anytime soon. And why would we want Paul Byrd? If Ben and CC leave and no trades are made for starting pitching, I think McClung or Villanueva would be better options than Byrd. If we needed some old, mediocre starter to fill out the rotation I'm sure Zduriencik would love to send us Jarrod Washburn for almost nothing.

[Ennder]

Bradley apparently is a type B free agent so he might not be the worst guy to go with if we end up trading Hart or not picking up Cameron's option.

[trwi7]

Since when is Miller Park a pitchers park?

 

Edit: Also like the guy saying we need a 4/5 starter. No, we have plenty of those guys (Suppan, McClung, Bush, Villanueva) what we need is a 1/2 starter to replace Sheets and Sabathia (assuming they leave.)

[trwi7]

Since when is Miller Park a pitchers park?

 

Edit: Also like the guy saying we need a 4/5 starter. No, we have plenty of those guys (Suppan, McClung, Bush, Villanueva) what we need is a 1/2 starter to replace Sheets and Sabathia (assuming they leave.)

[Ennder]

Miller park played as a pitchers park in 2008 but a hitters park in 2007 according to ESPN's factors. Generally it ends up right around average though, every system rates it a little differently.

[Ennder]

Miller park played as a pitchers park in 2008 but a hitters park in 2007 according to ESPN's factors. Generally it ends up right around average though, every system rates it a little differently.

[TooLiveBrew]

Bradley apparently is a type B free agent so he might not be the worst guy to go with if we end up trading Hart or not picking up Cameron's option.

 

I would love to see Bradley brought in. Would his injury concerns make a one-year deal plausible? And yes, I hate that he's a big stinky jerkface too... but he's exactly the kind of bat we could use. Now if he could just play 3B...

[TooLiveBrew]

Bradley apparently is a type B free agent so he might not be the worst guy to go with if we end up trading Hart or not picking up Cameron's option.

 

I would love to see Bradley brought in. Would his injury concerns make a one-year deal plausible? And yes, I hate that he's a big stinky jerkface too... but he's exactly the kind of bat we could use. Now if he could just play 3B...

[bklynbrewcrew]

Bradley would be perfect if he wasnt always hurt and always a jerk. Then again if he wasnt a bad guy he would be out of our price range.

[bklynbrewcrew]

Bradley would be perfect if he wasnt always hurt and always a jerk. Then again if he wasnt a bad guy he would be out of our price range.

[homer]

I wouldn't mind having Baldelli off the bench.

[homer]

I wouldn't mind having Baldelli off the bench.

[rluzinski]

Park factors jump around from year to year, in large part because of statistical noise. You need to use mutliyear, regressed ones, like Patriot supplies. Miller Park plays as a slight hitters park brcause of the extra HRs it gives up.

[rluzinski]

Park factors jump around from year to year, in large part because of statistical noise. You need to use mutliyear, regressed ones, like Patriot supplies. Miller Park plays as a slight hitters park brcause of the extra HRs it gives up.

[Fear The Chorizo]

Would park factors have anything to do with who the home team has for a pitching staff? I would think it would play as a pitcher's park when two out of every 5 starts made by the home team had Sheets or Sabathia taking the ball.

 

Miller Park probably plays about as neutral a park as any in baseball, since wind and weather rarely affect games there. The dimensions are relatively standard, too. If the Brewers have a decent pitching staff (which they did last year), Miller Park's a pitcher's park. If they have a poor pitching staff (as they did in 2007, especially once Sheets went down and Turnbow imploded), Miller Park's a hitter's park.