Brewers claim SP Nick Green on waivers from Angels; DFA RP Luis Pena; Latest-- Pena claimed by the Mariners (reply #61)

[TheCrew07]

I'd venture a guess that most people that are fine losing Pena haven't seen him pitch and are just looking at his stats. He's absolutely filthy and his regression last year was one of the most disappointing aspects of the season for me personally. He may never put it together but I sincerely hope he doesn't get claimed by anyone, I hate to give up on his arm when we already had tons of below average SP depth in AAA. I don't see how Green is better depth than someone like Gulin or DiFelice who out pitched him by a wide margin in the same league? The only thing he has going for him is that he's still young, that's about it. He's never been dominant at any level of the minors and his peripherals aren't eye popping other than a nice K:BB ratio 2 years ago.

 

I'm probably too high on Pena based on his pure stuff but if I had to pick between more mediocre at best SP depth and Pena, I'm keeping Pena.

[Fatter than Joey]

I'm probably too high on Pena based on his pure stuff but if I had to pick between more mediocre at best SP depth and Pena, I'm keeping Pena.

 

Losing Pena isn't optimal I suppose, but I can appreciate the need for SP depth.

[TuesdaysWithRillo]

Well there's still hope that nobody will claim Pena. They'd have to clear a 40 man spot for him, so we might be able to stash him in AAA.

[PeaveyFury]

Pena has an interesting choice if he clears waivers. If no one offers him a major league deal after that, he may well come back to the Brewers as our bullpen situation probably suggests he could get called up fairly quickly from AAA.

[JJHardy7]

I've seen Pena pitch and he has some nasty stuff. I'm a 'power arm' kind of guy so I hate to see this guy go, but I do understand why I guess. I'd have kept him over some other guys on the 40-man roster, but that's just me. The thing I don't get is that he had major control issues this year and some people are sad to see him go. Weren't some here agaisnt McClung because of control issues last spring and wanted him DFA'd?

[TooLiveBrew]

If no one offers him a major league deal after that, he may well come back to the Brewers as our bullpen situation probably suggests he could get called up fairly quickly from AAA.

 

If he could get called up so (relatively) easily, wouldn't that make it pretty likely that he gets claimed? I wonder if Morlan's presence, and requirement to be on the 25-man (since he was a Rule 5 pick), is what made Luis expendable?

[Mass Haas]

http://www.rotoworld.com/images/headshots/MLB/5376.jpg

 

There are so few starting pitchers who are African-American (relievers also, but to a lesser extent), so here's to rooting for the still-young Mr. Green to have a productive Brewer career (not that we aren't rooting for all the farmhands to impress, of course). Wow them in Nashville, and we'll see you down the road, Nick...

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

Green now a Brewer

By Steve Carter/Tifton (GA) Gazette News Editor

 

TIFTON - Thanks to Bobby Abreu, Tifton native Nick Green is on the move.

 

Green spent Thursday en route to Arizona for spring training with the Los Angeles Angels. By the end of the day, he was in the right state, but instead of being with the Angels, he will now be with the Milwaukee Brewers.

 

The change was Los Angeles' signing of Abreu, a free-agent outfielder that spent last season with the New York Yankees.

 

Needing a space on the 40-man Major League roster for Abreu, the Angels moved Green off of the Major League roster. That resulted in the Tifton native being put on waivers. That led to Milwaukee immediately picking Green up and adding him to their 40-man roster.

 

"It has been a crazy 48 hours," Green said in a telephone interview from his hotel room Thursday night. "I got a call from my agent around 8 Tuesday night, saying something could be up. I hadn't heard anything when I got on the plane this morning, but I found out when I got off. It was like a shock to me. I went from competing for a job (with the Angels) to being a Brewer."

 

But, while he is still getting over the change, Green also realizes the move could be a good one for him.

 

"I am excited. This is a fresh new start for me," said the Tifton native.

 

While the Angels had a number of top pitching prospects, Milwaukee is lacking in top pitchers in the minor leagues. That means Green could be up in the big leagues relatively soon.

 

Also, even if Green does not make the big league club after spring training, the Brewers' Triple-A farm team is in Nashville, which is much closer to Tifton than Salt Lake City, where Green played last season.

 

There is also one other thing. Green will now get a chance to hit as he will be moving from the American League to the National League.

 

"My granddaddy will be happy, because I will get a chance to hit," said Green. "He has always wanted to me to hit and get dirty."

 

Spring training starts today for the Brewers.

[vannzee]

Granddaddy...I like this Green kid. Maybe Pena doesnt leave, and I will like him more.

 

But there is a former Brewers pitching coach in Texas, I wouldnt be surprised if hes claimed.

[monty57]

I think Mr. Carter needs to mention Tifton a couple more times in the article.

[agent39]

If Pena elects for free agency he obviously can sign anywhere.

[And That]

If he elects for free agency... does he think he has a leg up on Dillard, DiFelice, Coffey, either Morlan or Julio, Aguilar, Bateman, Smith, or Mendoza? If not, I'd elect for free agency, too. And that's why I have so big a problem with this transaction.

 

Guys who throw like Pena don't grow on trees. Guys like Gwynn who do grow on trees, you get rid of.

[Mass Haas]

Hopefully the phone is ringing for Doug and a team offers a prospect swap, just as the Brewers recently did in giving up Eric Fryer for the DFA'd Chase Wright. With Pena still having an option left, that makes him pretty attractive for a team willing to acquire him.

[kramnoj]

I think that Melvin has to think in worst case scenarios. RP is probably the deepest part of the roster right now for the Brewers 40-man. The talent there isn't amazing, but there's lots of it there, and Pena was apparently low on the depth chart for Brewers management.

 

If Cameron goes down for a month, Melvin needs to have an option, and Gwynn right now is the best option they have. Melvin even has to plan for having two OF going down. He needs to have Gwynn as one option and then has the option of Nelson, or Irribarren.

 

In terms of just talent, there's no question Pena is better than Gwynn. But Melvin doesn't have the luxury of thinking that way.

[JohnBriggs12]

While I appreciate how impressive hard throwers can be, I don't understand the fascination with Pena. He's 26 years old and except for half a season at Huntsville in 2007, he's done nothing above A ball. Even his last full season in A ball in 2006, his ERA was 4.43. It's not like it's just walks either. He's allowed a hit per inning over his entire minor league career. What's special about that?

 

He doesn't compare with McClung. McClung has had command issues but never walked a batter an inning over a full season like Pena did in 2008. In fact McClung posted a full season ERA under 2 at AAA.

 

Throwing hard doesn't make you a major league pitcher. Pena's had 531 minor league innings. That's plenty of time for the light to go on. It hasn't.

[TheCrew07]

Pena isn't just a hard thrower, he has very good movement as well. Sometimes a simple mechanical adjustment can allow a pitcher like him to locate his pitches better so he doesn't have to groove fastballs down in the count. The only free video I remember of him pitching was the AAA All-Star game last season, and that inning kind of sums up Pena in a nutshell.

 

No one is debating Pena's results, they've been less than stellar. The point is that when we're down to the last couple of spots on the 40 man, why not keep a player who has rare talents over someone that's replaceable off of the scrap heap?

[Crewin06]

as a 25 year old in AAA Pena put up a line of 49.1 innings, 6.93 ERA 47 BB's 49 K's.

 

Then in winterball he put up an 8.1 ERA in 11 outings and 6.1 innings with 8 BB's and 3 K's.

 

And I have never seen him pitch but I will usually take a younger arm that put up better stats and is a starter over the older one that put up worse stats as a reliever almost every day.

 

As for letting Pena go over all of the other options, moves will have to be made at the end of spring training why not keep guys around that have a shot at making the team (Gwynn) maybe its a long shot but its still a shot.

[Tisko]

Lets also remember that we have not lost Pena yet. It is still possible that we could resign him.

[jackalope02ca]

Or it's possible he's playing independant ball somewhere partly through the year. Pena is regressing and quickly getting too old to be considered a prospect. He's looking more and more like another one of those incredibally raw talented guys that never puts it all together. Time to move on and try a younger arm.

[agent39]

Or it's possible he's playing independant ball somewhere partly through the year. Pena is regressing and quickly getting too old to be considered a prospect. He's looking more and more like another one of those incredibally raw talented guys that never puts it all together. Time to move on and try a younger arm.

No, thats not possible. 100 percent not happening. Youll see him on some team (brewers maybe) tomorrow.

[JJHardy7]

Josh - So Pena has a shot at sticking with the Brewers? That would be good news IMO. I hate giving up on power arms. You can't teach that and to me this is a nearly perfect example of why minor league stats can't be used as the bottom line for players. Who knows...maybe Pena was working on his delivery, etc. in 2008 and that led to some poor results.

[kramnoj]

Is there a question that Pena might not stick with the Brewers? I thought the questions were if the Brewers could find a minor trade for Pena, or if Pena would choose to sign a minor league deal with the Brewers once he is a FA.

[JJHardy7]

Is there a question that Pena might not stick with the Brewers? I thought the questions were if the Brewers could find a minor trade for Pena, or if Pena would choose to sign a minor league deal with the Brewers once he is a FA.

 

If a deal isn't struck, I would think Pena would have better options instead of the Brewers in terms of making a MLB roster. If he is back on the Brewers that'd be great, but it doesn't appear that he'll have a shot to make the 25 man out of spring training.

[TheCrew07]

If he's not traded he would be a minor league free agent and could sign with any interested team, Brewers included.

[PeaveyFury]

If a deal isn't struck, I would think Pena would have better options instead of the Brewers in terms of making a MLB roster.

 

While there are probably better situations out there, I would think that Josh and Pena would look at the Brewer roster and realize that while there may be a number of options for the Brewers in the pen this year, there's not a whole heck of a lot of them that don't have major question marks. I'd think if Pena starts out strong and someone in the pen falters, there's a great chance Pena is called up before June.