Brewers Acquire LHP Chase Wright from Yankees for catcher/outfielder Eric Fryer

[liveforoctober]

Melvin really needs to do better than this to improve our starting pitching. I am sure we could trade Hart and get a decent pitcher in return. At this point if we have one or two starters get injured we will really be scouring the scrap heap for innings and that could get very ugly.

 

That's the exact reason for this signing. It was a nothing for nothing trade... but the guy we get at least has some major league experience. I'm sure if you would have talked to Melvin last week... he wouldn't have said "I'm really looking forward to acquiring Chase Wright from New York.... he should complete our staff". But if the deal comes around should he turn it down because he isn't the 5th starter we need? This is just upgrading the options at AAA.

[JohnBriggs12]

I posted 1/27 on the Andy Pettitte signing thread that Wright would be a good waiver claim. Obviously it took a little more, but it's the type of move that needed to be made.

 

Wright had a better minor league season than anyone the Brewers had at the upper levels in 2008 and he's younger than Parra.

[bklynbrewcrew]

I have no problem with this trade since we are very desperate for any depth whatsoever but I really hope we can acquire a more solid arm before the season starts. If that means trading Corey Hart who should have some value so be it. We can always pick up a corner OF on a one year deal if we trade Corey.

 

I am very concerned that this rotation as currently constituted will not pitch nearly enough innings and our bullpen will be toast be the all star break.

[jjfanec]

I have no problem with this trade since we are very desperate for any depth whatsoever but I really hope we can acquire a more solid arm before the season starts. If that means trading Corey Hart who should have some value so be it. We can always pick up a corner OF on a one year deal if we trade Corey.

I just do not know what we could get for Hart as we would be selling low on him. GM's are not going to be enamored by his all-star appearance they are going to look at his dismal second half numbers and question why they would trade good starting pitching when the could just as easily pick up one of the corner OF out there who do not have a contract. Why trade a pitcher for a guy who was awful the second half of last year when you can just sign a guy like Dunn, Abreu, etc and keep the pitcher. Yeah Hart is better in the field but I just do not see a big market for him right now. Maybe last June there would have been but not now.

[kramnoj]

This rotation is not nearly good enough to compete for a playoff spot with.

 

What would you have said about the Phillies rotation at the beginning of 2008? The front end pitchers are better, but overall this staff isn't that different than what the Phillies were projected to get in 2008.

[logan82]

This rotation is not nearly good enough to compete for a playoff spot with.

That's pretty much the same thing we heard last offseason. Our current rotation isn't a world beater, but it is good enough to get us into the playoffs. We just don't have anybody when one of them goes down. I said when not if.

[JohnBriggs12]

This rotation is not nearly good enough to compete for a playoff spot with.

 

What would you have said about the Phillies rotation at the beginning of 2008? The front end pitchers are better, but overall this staff isn't that different than what the Phillies were projected to get in 2008.

The Phillies had a much better offensive team going into 2008 than the Brewers do now and it's front end pitchers that make the difference. The Phils scored 892 runs in 2007. The Brewers are coming off a season where they scored 750 and have not made any offensive upgrades that I can find.

[strawbossisevil]

Yeah, our rotation as currently constructed is probably just as good as the rotation the Phillies ran out there last year. This has been pointed out before. And that team did awful last season, let's hope we don't achieve the same results as them.

 

Look, I hope bklyn's right. I hope we pick up another arm, but if we don't, I still think we will be in the playoff chase around the trade deadline. By all appearances and things said, the Brewers are not going to pick up a top of the rotation free agent starter (nor could they by trading Hart as we've seen suggested over and over).

 

My guess is the best we can hope for is a Looper/Wolf type. And even that is probably unlikely at this point unless we get them at an absolute bargain.

 

I do like this Wright move. He gives us a second person who could start for us if one of the bottom three of our rotation goes down (Villanueva being the other one).

[JohnBriggs12]

If Hoffman goes 41 for 41 in save opportunities like Lidge did for the Phillies, and the offense improves by 50-60 runs, then they probably have a good enough rotation.

 

That's asking a lot.

[joepepsi]

His K:BB ratio in the minors is borderline horrible.

[kramnoj]

The Phillies had a much better offensive team going into 2008 than the Brewers do now and it's front end pitchers that make the difference.

 

The statement was that the rotation isn't strong enough to compete for the playoffs. My point is that there isn't such a thing as a playoff rotation. You can make the case that the Brewers as a team aren't strong enough right now to compete, and that the rotation is an area that could be upgraded. But it would be incorrect to just shorthand it and say that this isn't a playoff rotation.

 

As far as the front end pitchers making the difference, I'm not sure that's true in the regular season. They obviously can have a huge impact in the playoffs, but the number one starter might not signnificantly more starts than the number four starter for the Brewers this year.

 

As for the Brewers offense, I think most projections would have the Brewers scoring more runs than last year, based on improvement from quite a few of the Brewers hitters.

[strawbossisevil]

I think our offense could improve by about that much. But that is just a rough estimate on my part. To say this team is not capable of being in the playoff chase is just not being honest about this team's talent level. We have a lot of our offensive core coming off of down years, and with many of them improving, even by a little bit, our offense may become one of the better offenses in the division.

 

What is ridiculous to me is that people keep pointing to Suppan and McClung as the reason as to why we are so bad. They are probably about as league average as you can get for a #4 pitcher and a #5 pitcher. Our rotation is likely going to be average next season. Our offense is likely to be well above average.

 

If we lose one of Parra and Gallardo for any extended period of time, yeah, we are likely in trouble. But I am willing to guess that the loss of a #1 or #2 pitcher for any team would make reaching the playoffs unlikely.

 

I think it's important too, when we compare this team with the team that played in the first half of last season. The team that was hanging within a couple games of the playoff chase well before CC ever entered the picture. What is the difference between this team currently, and that team? We have Gallardo as our #1 rather than Sheets. That is the only difference. But yeah, we were right in the playoff hunt last season with almost the exact same team, with many of our young offensive players struggling. If Gallardo comes in and is able to post similar numbers to Sheets (probably an ERA a bit higher, but his hitting ability will likely make up the difference), and our offense improves on it's down season. How are we not going to be competing? This doesn't even consider that having a full year in the majors, Parra will be able to come in and likely perform better than he did in 2008. Nor does it account for the upgrade of Hoffman from Gagne. I don't care how pessimistic someone is, if they say the current team doesn't have the ability to hang in the playoff chase, I just don't think they were paying attention to what happened last season.

[paul253]

Geez, if people are already willing to put him in the rotation, it might be a very long year. I'd rather see Capuano in the rotation. At least he has had some success

 

Maybe he can be the new centerpiece in a Peavy deal.

[strawbossisevil]

Yeah, because his 10 innings in the major leagues tell us everything we need to know about the guy.

 

The guy was 25 last season, and he just had a sub-3 ERA in AAA last season. Now I´m not saying he is going to be a top of the rotation starter, but he certainly doesn´t appear to be nearly as awful as you make him out to be either Paul. Unless we consider his 10 innings sufficient evidence that he is nothing but a AAAA pitcher, the rest of his stats from last season don´t seem to point to a guy who is going to be absolutely horrible. With time we may know better, but I am of the opinion that you can´t know much from the first 10 innings of a guy´s MLB career. I don´t think it would be a huge stretch to see him put up an ERA at, or around 5.

[TheCrew07]

Boo, I would have rather picked up Niemann who's out of options anyway.

[stoutdude04]

If nothing else...it puts a little competition out there for McClung. If he comes in a little sharper and in shape, im all for it. The depth as well...im ok with that too.

[PeaveyFury]

Don't care for the Mendoza pick up.

 

I don't see how anyone is a bad pick up on a minor league deal. If they do well, it's surprise depth. If they stink, you cut them and are out very little.

[strawbossisevil]

And I should mention, while I know it isn´t necessarily fair to remove an inning from a player´s stats. If we take out that one four HR inning from his stats. He has given up 4 runs over the other nine innings he´s pitched. When someone´s ERA nearly doubles because of one inning, I think we have to consider that said player is likely significantly better than the overall stats suggest (in this case the numbers he put up over a small sample of just 10 innings).

[twobrewers]

Wright = Zack Jackson.

 

I'll take it. I don't want him to pitch for the Brewers - but with an option left he makes nice AAA depth.

 

Fryer posted good numbers - but was never really considered much of a prospect. It's unlikely he ever sees MLB.

[paul253]

and he just had a sub-3 ERA in AAA last season. Now I´m not saying he is going to be a top of the rotation starter, but he certainly doesn´t appear to be nearly as awful as you make him out to be either Paul.

Ben Hendrickson had a sub 2 era one year in AAA. Luis Martinez had a really good year, and Dana Eveland never really had a bad year in the minors. AAA matters absolutely nothing. Also, I am not making him out to be anything. All I said was that I cant believe people are willing to automatically throw him in the rotation, and that at this point I'd rather have Capuano in the rotation, which I would. Capuano has at least had some success where it matters, where as Wright has not.

 

 

[Mass Haas]

Scranton Newspaper Blog Entry with various quotes today, including from Wright

[Ennder]

A pitcher who can keep his walks down and induce groundballs 50% of the time will have some amount of success. He's also pitched slightly better overall against righties which is a very good thing as a LH pitcher though it might bea bit luck induced since his GB% is lower but his HR/FB is way lower. His basic skill package seems like it could work.

[RU Rah Rah]

It's interesting that Wright was the 95th overall pick in the '01 draft, and Dave Bush was 109th. That gives you some idea how long Wright has been toiling in the minors.

[BrewCrewForever]

Love the move, it gives depth and at this point that is something we really need. He has good minor league numbers which I know doesn't translate to MLB success all the time but he seems to have decent stuff and is a lefty.

[RightFieldCoder]

Here's what I see Wright providing. Someone in the rotation goes down with an injury. We have several guys in the bullpen that can also spot start (Charlie Newhouse, Big Red, etc). Wright can be called up to cover the hole now created in the bullpen.

 

But color me happy if the team doesn't need him and he stays in AAA all year.