Brewers talking with Jeff Suppan

[rluzinski]

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Initially, I was scared of paying Suppan $10 million 4 years from now, but then I realized that in 4 years that will be chump change... MLB revenue, according to ESPN radio, has increased 11% each of the last 5 years.

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I agree, sorta. With a growing disparity between rich and poor, I'm a bit skeptical about assuming the Brewers keeping up with that 11% inflation. Still, 2/3rds of the teams in the league probably will, so I dunno. A 4 year, $44 mil deal with 11% "inflation" turns into a 4 year, $34 mil deal in present value. $8.5 mil a year.... not horrible.

 

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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.

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Groundball pitchers generally rely on defense more than flyball pitchers. Specifically, infield defense is very important to the success of a groundball pitcher. With Braun, Weeks and Fielder being around for years to come, I just don't think Suppan is a great fit for the Brewers.

 

Fielder was adequate defensively with everything but receiving throws last year, IMO. Fielder did not do Hall any favors last year in that regard.

[aracko]

If we were to sign Suppan to 4 years 44 million - is Ben Sheets going to be demanding a new contract? Quite honestly - as much as I think Suppan can help the team - if It were my money - I would take that 4 year 44 million dollar contract and put it in front of Capuano first. Locking him up is something that needs to be done before he hits the market.

[JohnBriggs12]

"is Ben Sheets going to be demanding a new contract?"

 

Hardly. Under his current deal, Sheets is 16-16. In that same time Suppan is 28-17. Besides, Sheets' deal has just 2 years left. He'll cash in somewhere big time with two healthy seasons. Certainly one reason the Brewers may be pursuing Suppan is that they may not be able to afford Sheets' next deal.

 

As for Capuano, they control him until he's 31. Why commit the big dollars just yet? Three seasons is a long time and who knows if he'll stay healthy. By the time he's a FA, the Brewers should have other rotation options making Capuano a prime trading chip.

[patrickgpe]

the thing we have to our advantage is that he has always been a midwest guy (kc, pittsburgh, st, louis), so maybe he could be serious about pitching here.

[patrickgpe]

also the chance to pitch against the cards more often may appeal to him.

[Tisko]

i had this wonderful dream last night that we signed suppan to a 4 yr/14 mil deal.

[Team Canada]

Under his current deal, Sheets is 16-16.

 

Good point. Clearly Ben should up his run support.

[dadofandrew]

i had this wonderful dream last night that we signed suppan to a 4 yr/14 mil deal.

 

Did you also fill up your pickup truck for $10?

[deeswan]

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.

 

I think it's more important where a player's wife wants to be. They are the ones at home all the time, where the player is on the road for almost 8 months a year counting spring training. That being said, with plane travel and an extra million dollars, there wouldn't be much of a difference between SF and MIL.

[thumperden]

I wonder if Tisko made a typo or was trying to say 14 mil per year. Clarify?

[BREWCREW5]

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Good point. Clearly Ben should up his run support.

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Or how about staying healthy?

[M Skjellyfetti]

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Certainly one reason the Brewers may be pursuing Suppan is that they may not be able to afford Sheets' next deal.

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I really hope that's not the case, because Suppan is nothing compared to Sheets. That's like Tony Romo pursuing Roseanne in case that whole thing with Jessica Simpson doesn't work out.

[rluzinski]

Hardly. Under his current deal, Sheets is 16-16. In that same time Suppan is 28-17.

 

Is your point that Sheets should demand to be traded to the Cardinals?

[dadofandrew]

Maybe I'm missing something here, but why are we comparing how long it takes for someone to fly to Southern Cal from MIL versus driving there from SF?

 

Let's say Jeff pitches Tuesday, and the team has Thursday off, and Jeff is scheduled to pitch again Sunday. If he were in SF, he could leave as soon as the day game was over Wednesday at say 4, take a flight home, and spend Wednesday night, Thursday, and early Friday with his family. He can fly back at noon Friday and make it to the park in time to get in his pitching session Friday late afternoon.

 

This is a huge advantage if you are the Giants and you are bidding for Jeff, without a doubt.

[Team Canada]

Or how about staying healthy?

 

Well that would increase his number of decisions, but not necessarily his win total.

[RockCoCougars]

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Certainly one reason the Brewers may be pursuing Suppan is that they may not be able to afford Sheets' next deal.

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Not only Sheets, but how about Hall as well? Everybody is gaga over Suppan like he is some kind of star. The fact of the matter is that he is a journeyman pitcher who has accumulated wins due to the fact that he never misses a start and has been on a good team. Jason Marquis had 14 wins on that team last year with a 6+ E.R.A. I remember a few years ago when everyone was laughing about how much Boston gave up for him in the deadline trade.

 

One question that everyone should ask is why don't the Cardnals have any interest in him? They have plenty of holes in their rotation.. Plus they seem to have more interest in Weaver and Mulder (who will be out at least half a year). That says a lot to me.

 

If the Brewers sign this guy, he is going to be an albatross around their neck... I pray that the Giants bail them out again, like they did with Dave Roberts.

[Invader3K]

Sorry to say it, but Sheets looked kind of shaky in some of the games he did pitch in this past season. He needs to get healthy to get back on track, and that's really the bottom line.

[JohnBriggs12]

No rluz, my point wasn't that Sheets is not a better pitcher than Suppan and I didn't intend to start a controversy. I clearly think he is.

 

I was responding to aracko's concerns about Sheets reacting to Suppan getting a bigger contract by demanding a better contract. Sheets hasn't yet provided the return on investment of his contract due primarily to injury and secondarily to lack of run support. I'm sure he is as aware of that as anybody so he's not going to make any waves about his contract. Besides, if he stays healthy two more seasons, Sheets is fully aware that he will benefit greatly from the inflation of starting pitching contracts, so the more guys like Suppan get, eventually the more Sheets will to.

[dadofandrew]

Considering the Cards are chasing Joel Pineiro and begging him to be their 5th starter, I think it's safe to say SL cannot afford Suppan.

[aracko]

I happen to think if Sheets was a Free Agent this season he would have been regarded as the top arm on the market and gotten paid over 15 Million per from a team like Boston or LA, NY - any large market. Not to mention the amount of perks the prestige of working in a market like that would bring him in endorsements, status, chics, etc. I dont personally think they would care about his record. What more can he do - he pitches great games and is our best bunter.

[1992casey]

Sheets was signed in a different year and under a different pay scale (two of the contract years were pre-free agency). If Suppan is signed to a larger deal, there should be no reason for Ben to pout.

[JohnBriggs12]

aracko

 

I don't disagree with you at all on Sheets value on the open market. But Sheets isn't on the open market now and when he was he was happy with his $40 million deal.

 

But you voiced concerns that Suppan's contract would make Sheets unhappy. I don't understand why everyone is so upset that I pointed out that Ben is 16-16 since signing the deal. I'm not trying to knock Ben but point out that he's not yet really provided the type of return the Brewers hoped for when they signed him for $10 million per year. I'm not blaming him or saying he didn't pitch well or didn't deserve what he got, I'm just stating a fact to illustrate my point.

 

Does his contract over the next two seasons look relatively cheap? Sure, but that happens with everybody when salaries inflate like they are. I think I am complementing Sheets competiveness when I say I think he's disappointed he didn't do more in 05 and 06 due to physical problems so he's not going to complain about his contract vis a vis Suppan or anyone else especially when he knows he will benefit in two years when he is on the market.

[1992casey]

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Does (Ben's) contract over the next two seasons look relatively cheap? Sure, but that happens with everybody when salaries inflate like they are.

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I think that's the pertinent point when comparing Sheets' current contract to a potential Suppan deal.

 

The 16-16 stuff would come into play if we were talking about a new deal for Sheets. It really doesn't have much to do with Suppan.

[splitterpfj]

I don't think Suppan will impact Sheets either. As far as the next two years go, Ben is already signed, and needs to regain durability so he can go get a HUGE deal.

 

That horse is already out of the barn, with the deals that were handed out this winter, Ben may get 15 million a year if he's healthy in one of these next two years, he may push 20 if he has two good years.

 

I don't think signing Suppan will cause Sheets to leave in two years, but if he wants to get top dollar, he will leave Milwaukee regardless....unless you think they'll commit a minimum of 60 million over four years to keep him.

[1992casey]

For those who feel inclined to get into the nuts and bolts of a possible Sheets deal, let me suggest this thread:

 

Should Brewers extend Sheets now, ala Carpenter?

 

Otherwise, carry on..... http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif