Plan - Involving Fielder - to Improve the 2010 Brewers

[logan82]

Parra may not be young in the sense that Gallardo is young, but his is still relatively young and inexperienced. He has only pitched a little over 500 innings in his entire professional career. He pitched poorly this year, but I see no reason to believe he can't pitch at least as well as he did in 2008. He is exactly the type of upside guy we would want to trade for with the added benefit of not having to give up anything to get him.

[BrewCrewForever]

endaround brings up a great point in Cliff Lee. He was demoted and looked awful before his Cy Young season. Now he has had to terrific seasons in a row. While Parra can frustrate the hell out of me, I'm not ready to give up on him yet. You can't teach being young, left handed and throw mid 90's. He can still turn it around.

[TheCrew07]

I'm not sure why age is always brought up in regards to Parra. He lost most of 2 seasons in a row to injury, then was called up to Milwaukee after his perfect game in AAA to be hit by a pitch while batting, break a bone, and go right back on the DL. Last season was his first "full" (I'm using the term loosely since he broke down at the end) season in the last 4. Logan's point about 500 IP is right on the mark, sometimes age doesn't tell the story. Parra's results haven't come close to the level of his physical talent yet, he still has huge upside.

 

I've been making the same comment about him forever, but it's still true. If he will just quit nibbling and attack hitters he'd be lights out. He doesn't need to throw 6 pitches, he needs to throw 3 and locate them all effectively. If I could put Dave Bush's intangibles in Manny Parra we'd have one hell of a pitcher.

 

As far the deal, obviously I'm in favor of any realistic trade to acquire cost controlled top of the rotation pitching talent. I just don't have much faith in a deal getting done.

[logan82]

I have to apologize as I was wrong about Parra's innings. He has 541.1 MiLB inningsbefore this year. As a point of reference, Gallardo has 396 MiLB innings. Parra however was only over 100 innings twice before being called up for good(excluding his short stint this year), once in 2003 and once in 2007.

[RockCoCougars]

I've got to say that Parra is probably the most overrated Brewer in years. Honestly what has the guy done? He had a good first half last year, and since then has been one of the worst pitchers in baseball. Victor Santos had a good first half once too.

 

First of all, Parra is not "young".... he will be 27 next year. He also has a big time injury history.

 

Granted he has good 'stuff' and is left-handed. I don't think that his 'stuff' is any better than DeLaRosa's when he was here. The problem with both of them is they cannot locate that 'stuff'. I don't remember all the backers for DeLaRosa. The Brewers basically gave him away without really giving him an opportunity (on a lesser team) when he was 25.

[Invader3K]

If we're banking on Manny turning it around like Cliff Lee did...well, I don't think that's much of a plan. He's looking more like a #5 pitcher at best, not the #2/3 type that some had predicted previously. Based on actual results, he's been basically our worse starter this season, even worse than the much maligned Jeff Suppan. I'm not saying trade him for a bag of balls, but I think if the right opportunity comes up, you have to seriously look at it.

[pete]

Parra has had periods where he was great at locating his pitches.

[logan82]

I'm banking on Parra being as good as he was in 2008. Nobody is banking on him being as good as Cliff Lee. That was just an example of a pitcher who developed late. Parra may be 27, but his development was slowed by injuries so he hasn't had as much experience as most 27 year old guys. He went from starting a season in A+ on year to the majors by the end of the next season.

[JohnBriggs12]

I'm banking on Parra being as good as he was in 2008. Nobody is banking on him being as good as Cliff Lee. That was just an example of a pitcher who developed late. Parra may be 27, but his development was slowed by injuries so he hasn't had as much experience as most 27 year old guys. He went from starting a season in A+ on year to the majors by the end of the next season.

What year was that? He made is major league debut in 2007 and he had not pitched in A+ ball that year.

 

This perception that he has an extensive history of injury is way overblown too. He's got 891 2/3 innings of pro ball experience so he's got experience. Since he pro debut season of 2002, he's pitched at least 73 innings every year. True, he missed the 2nd half of 2004 and the first half of 2005, and parts of 06 and the end of 07 (broken bone in hand batting) but his injury history is not all that different from a lot of pitchers his age.

[logan82]

What year was that? He made is major league debut in 2007 and he had not pitched in A+ ball that year

 

and he started 2006 in A+. He went from starting a season in A+ one year to the majors by the end of the next season.

[Tbadder]

Trading Parra is cutting off your nose to spite your face. He's gotta stay and fulfill his potential. I'd anchor him at the #5 spot and one of these years he'll turn on the jets.

 

Trading Fielder? Disaster. Keeping him? Disaster. They trade him and 90% of the people in Milwaukee now hate management. You better be assured of a winning season-playoff bound team. In all likelihood you won't get the farm for him because he has too many warts, other GMs know the Crew are desparate for pitching, and as said there doesn't appear to be enough right fit (although SF seems possible). His max value is now.

 

But Prince isn't replaceable even if he plays 1st base. Gamel and Casey won't put up half his numbers. You're trading your only legit lefthanded batter. I don't think Lopez will stay--why would he? Hardy will be shown the door. Counsell is one year older, I doubt he can repeat what he did this year. What is Rickie's next injury? I say this because I think the Brewers depth in the infield is illusory. Even if you manage to bring down a Matt Cain the offense is going to suffer a lot without Prince. I say hold him and take a chance someone overpays next year, unless someone backs up the truck and unloads a young stud pitcher and a can't miss centerfield prospect.

[paul253]

Prince is absolutely not replaceable. I don't think anyone will argue that. However the more I think about it, the more I believe we have to trade Fielder this year. With 2 years left on his contract, and him coming off arguably his best overall season, this is when he'd bring in the most. If I had any confidence in Melvin to go out and get the pitching we needed without trading Fielder, I wouldn't say this, but the free agent crop is weak, and people like Hardy or McGehee aren't going to bring back the kind of pitching we need to return to the playoffs next year. While no one player can replace Fielder, I would hope that the additions of Gamel and either Rivera or Salome would upgrade those two positions. McGehee could play first place next season. Fielder could being in return a young first base prospect and at least one high ceiling pitcher, which would allow us to basically start anew in 2011, even though most of the team would remain the same. Basically I don't see us doing whats necessary next season, and if we keep Fielder for 2011 we risk losing him with nothing in return. I will no longer favor settling for draft picks over trading for prospects after seeing Milwaukee get screwed over in the Sabathia situation.

[pete]

I don't think its absolutely true that the highest return is with the most time under team control. Prices definitely bump up at the trade deadline, sometimes radically.

[piccione88]

I do not think the Brewers are going to get enough back to make it worth giving up Fielder's 2010 season. Also if the Brewers struggle through the first half next year, the Brewers could just trade him at the deadline and get a deal very close to what we would get this off-season anyway.