Brewers talking with Jeff Suppan

[reillymcshane]

Long term, here's a far fetched but fun (I least I had fun) way to add Suppan and still maintain financial flexibility in the future.

 

Sign Suppan to 4 year/$40 million deal. Pay out $15, $10, $8, $7 million. Big payout in year one will allow for more flexibility in the future.

 

Trade Turnbow, Clark, Jenkins and Mench. Don't know what you can get for them, but get teams to absorb as much of teh finances as possible. I alloted about $5 million in 2007 as money we'd have to pay to get teams to take said players.

 

Rosters and payroll for next three years (purely speculative, but fun).

 

 2007 2008 2009 C Estrada 3.75 Estrada 5 Catcher 0 C Miller 2.25 Miller 1 Catcher 0 1B Fielder 0.4 Fielder 0.4 Fielder 3 2B Weeks 0.5 Weeks 0.5 Weeks 3 SS Hardy 0.4 Hardy 2 Hardy 5 3B Koskie 2 Braun 0.4 Braun 0.4 INF Graffy 3 Graffy 3 INF 0 INF Counsell 2.8 Counsell 2.8 INF 0 CF Hall 3 Hall 6 Hall 9 RF Hart 0.4 Hart 0.4 Hart 2.5 LF Gross 0.45 Gross 1.5 Gross 3 LF Rotino 0.4 Rotino 0.4 Rotino 0.5 OF Gwynn/Nix 0.4 Gwynn/Nix 0.4 Gwynn/Nix 1 SP Sheets 10 Sheets 11 pitcher 0 SP Capuano 3 Capuano 6 Capuano 9 SP Bush 0.5 Bush 3 Bush 6 SP Suppan 15 Suppan 10 Suppan 8 SP Vargas 2.5 Gallardo 0.4 Gallardo 0.4 RP Cordero 5.5 Cordero 7 Cordero 7 RP Wise 1 Wise 1 pitcher 1 RP Shouse 1 Shouse 1 pitcher 1 RP Aquino 1 Aquino 1 pitcher 1 RP Capellan 0.4 Capellan 1 Capellan 2.5 RP Carlos V. 0.4 Carlos V. 0.4 Carlos V. 1 RP Sarfate 0.4 Sarfate 0.4 Sarfate 0.5 60.45 66 64.8

 

Key moves include letting Gross play fulltime versus righthanders. Against lefties, I put in Rottino. This is questionable, but what the heck. You could find a righthanded hitting OF to take the job, but I just picked Rottino. He had a .948 OPS against lefties last year in the minors. If he can hit .800 OPS against them in the majors, that's what we're looking for. Gross will need to hit like last year, when he has a .900+ OPS against righties. It would be a decent platoon.

 

The bullpen would have slots for two rookies. Carlos V and Sarfate are there. That could easily change to other guys - Bray or Zumwalt or Hendrickson or Zach J. or whomever.

 

Our costs are right around $60 million, so you would have $5 million or so to cough up to get teams to take guys like Clark and Jenkins.

 

In 2008 you have Braun at 3B, assuming he's kept there. One of the starters - I picked Vargas - is dealt for depth, as Galardo is ready. Of course, maybe it's Carlos V. or Zach Jakcson, no matter, we give a young guy the job. We'd have to resign Cordero - I gave him $7 million - that might be too little. Relief pitchers are likely due for some raises, and one might even go away for another rookie.

 

In 2009, there are holes at backup slots and catcher. Sheets may go, but I've elected to remove him for now. Perhaps Inman is ready to start. Or Carlos V or Mark Rogers or whomever. Suppan's cost continue to lower, making him a solid option. Without Sheets, the rotation is still looking okay. Relief pitchers might include Rogers or some other young guys. Pretty hard to peg at this point. I put in some numbers for fun, but they are just guesses. Our finances aren't too out of whack. Losing Sheets is the only real thing I'd see in the three years - but it's not a given. Perhaps we'd keep him and deal another player like Capuano. Just a thought.

 

I'm already speculating wildly at this point with arbitration prices and so forth, so I didn't go any further.

 

Just a wild guess at how we'd be able to survive if we got Suppan.

[sbrylski]

If Suppan means no Sheets after 2008, count me out.

[dadofandrew]

MLB revenue, according to ESPN radio, has increased 11% each of the last 5 years. With labor peace already at hand for the next several years I see nothing but prosperity in baseballs future. This will lead to continual escalation of player salaries.

 

What are you talking about X? Utility IF's cost $500K and quality SP's about $3M.

 

The irony of this is the escalation of salaries means that players with 0-6 years of experience are more important than ever...and all most people can do is try and find a way to trade any and all youngsters we have for high priced vets...but slightly less than current market value.

 

Suppan is the 2nd best SP on the market, and would improve the rotation of any of the 30 teams in MLB. Joel Pineiro hits the open market and the Red Sox, Yankees, Cardinals, and Twins all chase after him like mad, but we're not exactly sure Jeff Suppan will help us...because he'll cost $3-4M more than we thought he would a couple months ago?

[bsglorydays]

"market value" be damned, the Brewers payroll is only so big, and what would a contract like that do to arbitration or extension negotiations with a pitcher who is IMO better, like Capuano?

 

Capuano would not be compared to Suppan in arbitration. Cappy will only be compared to other players with very similar MLB service time.

 

A good example of this would be Carlos Zambrano, if he goes to arby this year. He will get substantially less than he would if he was a free agent this year. My guess is the Cubs will try to buy out his last year of arby by signing him to a multi year deal now, but we'll have to wait and see.

[UWRyan428]

I was, at first, quite excited to see our interest in Suppan, much like I was interested when we were supposedly eyeing Wade Miller when he was available. Brewer killers tend to have inflated values when it comes to Brewer fans, as you have to respect your vanquisher. But the more I think about his inflated price tag, the more I have second thoughts. I'm sure with our chips and nuggets, we could put that excess payroll to better use more towards the deadline when teams make their rentals available. Andruw Jones would be an obvious target but there is much more to bid on. Right now, I feel like I have a gift certificate to a store with very little left on the shelves because it's going out of business. The point being, with all our cronies spending, it seems Melvin feels obligated to show off his credit rating.

[splitterpfj]

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports the Pirates are backing away from Suppan. It's not real specific, just that discussions have definitely cooled.

[reillymcshane]

Quote:

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The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports the Pirates are backing away from Suppan. It's not real specific, just that discussions have definitely cooled.

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I read earlier that they didn't want to go beyond 2-3 years.

[dadofandrew]

Rotoworld feels it's between the Giants and Brewers, with the Blue Jays mentioned as well.

[splitterpfj]

I could see Toronto getting into that, since they're trying to deal for a pitcher.

 

If it does come down to the Brewers and Giants, we'll find out what matters to Suppan very quickly. He may want to go to the coast, or they may offer more cash...but if he wants to be on a team with a future, the Giants are ancient, the Brewers are rising around young talent. I'd like the odds for Milwaukee.

[bsglorydays]

I'd like the odds for Milwaukee.

 

Toss up, IMO. He's from California and still has a home there (I saw it reported somewhere that he's from Oklahoma - he was born in Ok City but grew up in CA, went to high school in CA, lives in CA, etc).

[TooLiveBrew]

Quote:

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the Brewers are rising around young talent. I'd like the odds for Milwaukee.

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Splitter, this is why I feel so anxious about Suppan. The amount of talent that we now actually have is indeed a draw for other FAs.

 

I've felt this way all offseason, only to see targets head to different, less-talented destinations (Schmidt, Roberts, etc.). I just hope the talent can be the difference in this case

[splitterpfj]

I can see why Schmidt picked LA, he said from the start that he'd stay on the coast, the Dodgers' talent isn't overwhelming at this point, but I do like their future more than that of the Giants or Seattle.

 

Why Roberts chose SF, I don't know, but he may very well have done Milwaukee a favor.

 

I wish I knew why Melvin thinks Suppan "would come here." The Brewers may have a better shot at this than we think.

[trwi7]

Didn't Roberts choose SF over Milwaukee because he didn't want to move too far and because Bochy is now managing the Giants?

[colbyjack]

I'm jumping in really late to this discussion, and I'm not going to add anything new, but I really like the idea of adding Suppan. I remember having this discussion as we reviewed the free-agent-list-to-be when the season was still going on, and Suppan was a name that stuck out to me. I never thought the Cardinals would let him go to be honest, and I like the fact that he not only is a good pitcher, but they would be weakening an opponent while turning one of the team's biggest individual foes into a teammate.

 

I agree that his numbers (like the FIP stuff being tossed out there) suggests that the Cardinals good defense definitely helped him, but I would argue that a good defense helps any pitcher. As for the number of pitchers that have gone on only to struggle after working with the Cards pitching coach, Duncan, it's not like the Brewers have a slouch in Maddux, who seems to work well with guys like Suppan.

 

Get it done Doug. The Brewers starting five on paper would be pretty encouraging. As several have noted this entire offseason, having Villanueva as the team's 6th starter would be a lot better than having him as the team's 5th starter. He'll be needed soon enough, plus the team really didn't have a competent long-man out of the pen last year given Helling's early injury issues.

[brewmann04]

colby

what percentage do you see Suppan becomming a brewer

[colbyjack]

If I were good at odds & percentages I'd be working in Vegas http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif .

 

I wish I knew. A lot of people in this thread sound pretty optimistic.

[WestCoastBrewer]

Jeff Suppan lives in Granada Hills, CA in the off season (So Cal) same town as Ryan Braun.

[dadofandrew]

Would he prefer to be in SF, where he would be an hour or 90 minutes away from home by plane? That will probably be the key to his decision making.

 

He has a restaurant there as well, FYI.

[Riebes24]

I hate to sound so negative, but until a 10 million dollar guy signs here, I will continue to assume that he is using us for leverage when other teams lose interest.

[brewmann04]

that what worries me when everyone is opptomistic that what make me thinks he not comming

[DHonks]

Al, if he's in SoCal, he's more like 5-9 hours by car from San Fran.

 

edit: mapquest shows it's roughly 5.5 hours. Meaning in CA, it's more likely to be 6-7, as San Jose to LA is 5-5.5

[pogokat]

meaning he'll get there just as fast in an airplane from milwaukee as he would from san fran...

 

i think the brewers have a good shot at this...

[DHonks]

exactly Pogo. Given the ease of Mitchell Field, He can be through security and have landed in about 5 hours total. He could drive from LA to San Fran in 5.5-7 hours. Or he can fly from LA to SF in probably 3-3.5 hours (budgeting more time, as San Fran's airport is a bit of a pain).

 

Really not much of a difference, and the cost of living and taxes are lower in WI, amazingly

[pogokat]

So Cal sucks...i would want to be far away

 

no offense socal..

[trwi7]

I don't know if this has been posted since I haven't read the last couple pages.

 

Quote:

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Discussions between the Pirates and Jeff Suppan's representatives have diminished in recent days, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

 

The Pirates may be focusing on someone they have a better chance of signing, Joel Pineiro. The Giants and Brewers are the current favorites for Suppan, but there may be more suitors out there. Don't rule out the Jays.

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