How long of a leash would you give Suppan?

[jeffy]

I see no reason why they shouldn't consider converting him to a reliever.

 

I think that is the only realistic "leash" that there can be. If we were to have 5 better starters, he could become the long reliever.

[pitchleague]

(I had to look up how to calculate ERA+. Call me a dweeb but I couldn't remember and had to look it up again.)

 

The question I have is how long a leash will the fans have on Sunday to keep their bobbleheads in their hands rather than on the field. I envision the baseball giveaway from back in the '90s repeating itself.

[sheethead]

I envision the baseball giveaway from back in the '90s repeating itself.

 

But that was on opening day. Less drunk fans might be a bit more rational. My question is... who thought it was a good idea to give Jeff Suppan a bobblehead day?

[hawing]

I envision the baseball giveaway from back in the '90s repeating itself.

 

But that was on opening day. Less drunk fans might be a bit more rational. My question is... who thought it was a good idea to give Jeff Suppan a bobblehead day?

I wonder how common it is to have a bobblehead deal put into your contract. That's my best guess for why Jeff gets a bobble.

 

And pitchleague, your question about Soup bobble day is the same one I've had since the moment I realized he was in line to start on Sunday. I hope it doesn't come to that, and neither encourage nor condone it, but if he gives up a leadoff dinger...let's just say not much would surprise me.

[Invader3K]

At least it might send a message to Brewers management (I wouldn't ever condone throwing things on the field though, since we're not trying to be Wrigley "fans" here).

[hawing]

I doubt management is blissfully unaware of fans' opinions, whether on Suppan or anyone else.

[joepepsi]

I doubt management is blissfully unaware of fans' opinions, whether on Suppan or anyone else.

I'll go one step further and suggest management shares many of the fans' opinions regarding several players.

[DougJones43]

I'll go one step further and suggest management shares many of the fans' opinions regarding several players.

Not Jason Kendall.

[JohnBriggs12]

The fact that next year is the final year of his deal, I don't think the Brewers are forced to stay committed to him as a starter other than perhaps the first 2 months of the year. If he's bad in April and May, there's no following year looming at big bucks that would make it wise to give him an extended period to "find himself". It will be fish or cut bait time and if he's not posting an ERA below say 5.20 around Memorial Day, my guess is he goes to the pen and doesn't come back. If he does manage to post the occasional decent start and keep his ERA around 5, he'll last until his first 4 straight bad game stretch after that. If he's not at least useful there as a long reliever, I would expect him to be shown an early exit sometime next August.

[pitchleague]

thanks, JB12, for getting the thread back on topic. I didn't really think my little comment would break off the discussion as much as it did.

[RockCoCougars]

I don't see any point in bringing him back next year. If I'm Melvin, I'm on the horn with Kansas City to see if they would do a Suppan/(Hardy or Hart) for Guillen/Bannister deal. Not sure anyone could be fooled into taking Soup though. Maybe if they were given both Hardy and Hart and threw in DeJesus that may sweeten things a little on their end.

[nate82]

Suppan for Meche would be my ideal trade to the Royals.

[brewmann04]

if Melvin can work a Trade for Suppan he should get GM of the year. But i have to believe he will not have a long leash for 2010

[DougJones43]

Sorry everyone, for "freaking out over one bad start" at the beginning of this season.

 

Oh wait, nevermind. Suppan is crap.

[PeaveyFury]

Oh wait, nevermind. Suppan is crap.

 

He finished with a 5.30 ERA, and I doubt people would have expected much more than that out of him when the season began regardless.

[AJAY]

I am starting to get stomach ulcers watching Jeff Suppan pitch. The Brewers are doing a disservice to their fans by continuing to throw him out there in the rotation. I don't care how much money he is due next year, the guy just needs to go. We have seen enough.

 

GET HIM OUTTA HERE.

[danzig6767]

As much as i cringe watching Suppan pitch, i can live with him being the 5th starter. Odds are if we replaced him with some random other 5th starter, we'd be looking at fairly similar poor production given the overall dearth of starting pitching in baseball and lack of pitching prospects in the Brewers system at the higher levels.

[craigharmann]

Soup for a bag of balls. Literally. GET IT DONE DM!

[DougJones43]

He finished with a 5.30 ERA, and I doubt people would have expected much more than that out of him when the season began regardless.

As much as i cringe watching Suppan pitch, i can live with him being the 5th starter.

The problem is, he was not being counted on by the team to put up 5th starter type numbers this season. Soup started opening day, and Braden Looper (if anyone) was the one they had chalked up to the 5th spot in the rotation. That's the issue I have with the "he's fine -- he's putting up okay numbers for the 5th starter" argument. You can't just ignore the fact that he wasn't actually the 5th starter on the team. As an organization, you simply can't find it acceptable to have any more than one pitcher putting up those kind of numbers, and the Brewers already had/have a couple of those guys.

[Invader3K]

If the Brewers have to keep him around next year, it should be as a long reliever/6th starter type. He should absolutely not be in the rotation to start the season. A better scenario would be a trade, but I can't envision any team wanting him at this point.

 

He's basically stealing money from the Brewers at this point.

[Klements Bratwurst]

I am all for putting Suppan and his 14 million dollars in the bullpen to eat innings and be the sixth/seventh starter type. Who knows maybe by not starting he can extend his career (somewhere else) and find an extra mile on his fastball or something and become a serviceable multi inning reliever. Anything is better than being put in the rotation. Our "fifth starter" next year hopefully will be Parra or Narveson, meaning that the Brewers signed two starters this offseason and store some of these guys in AAA for call ups for when Hanley Ramirez hits a line drive off of one of our pitcher's throwing arm......

 

Of course.....if you could find a taker for that contract, I would listen!

[sheethead]

He finished with a 5.30 ERA, and I doubt people would have expected much more than that out of him when the season began regardless.

 

So if that is what were supposed to expect out of Suppan this year, what should we be expecting of him next year? Honestly, I wasn't expecting Suppan to be as awful as he was this year, but now I expect him to be as putrid as ever next year. The organization should just give him his money and make him go away. Out of sight, out of mind. He clearly hurts the team more than he helps at this stage in his career (which is just about done).

[JohnBriggs12]

One thing is certain, they absolutely cannot have both Suppan and Looper in the rotation next year. Improvement in the rotation requires subtraction as well as addition.

 

Send Suppan to the pen. He's generally able to get one time through a lineup so he'd likely be serviceable there. Don't bring back both Bush and Looper. Choose one or the other and let the other go or better yet just let both go and save some $10 million. Give Narveson a shot. Deal for a 3-4 guy that's still under 28, and add a 2-3 FA veteran.

[brewmann04]

I agree if Looper and Suppan are in the 2010 rotation kiss the season goodbye. Thankfully he got 1 year left hopefully it be in the Pen for next season.

[joepepsi]

I've kinda sorta defended Suppan for a while, but he looks done as a major league pitcher.