Rotation battle

[trwi7]

Does it concern anyone that the Brewers could have 4 LH starters?

Not really, no.

 

[And That]

What's stopping the Brewers from sending Suppan down to the minors?

Jeff Suppan. He can refuse a minor league assignment.

[JohnBriggs12]

Does it concern anyone that the Brewers could have 4 LH starters?

Not really, no.

I'd rather have 3. They could use a 2nd lefty in the pen anyway. Assuming the last 2 spots are down to the 2 lefties and Bush, I'd be inclined to give Bush one spot and use the extra lefty in the pen. Stetter's been shaky this spring, but he's got options too. Braddock and he are really interchangeable pieces at this point. Schoeneweis might be a luxury but really, the 2nd lefty could just as easily be Narveson or Parra for that matter especially because they need to stash an extra starter in the pen somewhere and I'd rather have Villanueva than Schoeneweis in the pen.

 

Nightmare scenario for Brewers is for Melvin to keep Suppan, have Narveson (a Cardinal draftee) get claimed by the Cardinals who are scrounging for a 5th starter and have Narveson out pitch Suppan while helping the Cards beat out the Brewers.

[Invader3K]

What's stopping the Brewers from sending Suppan down to the minors?

Jeff Suppan. He can refuse a minor league assignment.

Well, he gets his money either way, so why should he care?

 

I wonder if the Brewers could possibly trade Bush, or trade Suppan (while eating a majoirty of his salary). I mean, some team out there must have a use for one of them, you would think.

[And That]

Well, he gets his money either way, so why should he care?

Suppan hasn't seen the minor leagues in 12 years. I think he'd rather sit at home on the couch, play with the kids, run his restaurant and wait for another big league opportunity than stay in Holiday Inns and ride buses.

 

Bush is more likely to accept a minor league assignment because he has more money to lose.

 

If the Brewers can trade Suppan and eat most of his salary, that would be neat.

[dlk9s]

Well, he gets his money either way, so why should he care?

Because he wants to be a starting pitcher on a Major League team?

[Invader3K]

Suppan hasn't seen the minor leagues in 12 years. I think he'd rather sit at home on the couch, play with the kids, run his restaurant and wait for another big league opportunity than stay in Holiday Inns and ride buses.

I think he actually did have a short AAA stint last year, but that was more of a rehab thing. I could be completely wrong, though.

[JohnBriggs12]

What's stopping the Brewers from sending Suppan down to the minors?

Jeff Suppan. He can refuse a minor league assignment.

Well, he gets his money either way, so why should he care?

 

I wonder if the Brewers could possibly trade Bush, or trade Suppan (while eating a majoirty of his salary). I mean, some team out there must have a use for one of them, you would think.

Trading Bush, while not implausible given he's a FA after this season, would result in Suppan getting a rotation spot at least initially. I just don't see them using him for mop up duty.

 

Given that Bush will be a FA, is making over $4 million, and might not be any more appealing to teams than Jarrod Washburn who can be had for no players, I don't see much in return. Same goes for Suppan unless they pick up 90% of his salary, and really what's the point. They aren't going to get either a top prospect or a guy that could help them unless they could package Hart with them to try to upgrade in RF marginally, ie: Bush or Suppan and Hart to Royals for DeJesus.

[endaround]

Well, he gets his money either way, so why should he care?

Suppan hasn't seen the minor leagues in 12 years. I think he'd rather sit at home on the couch, play with the kids, run his restaurant and wait for another big league opportunity than stay in Holiday Inns and ride buses.

 

Bush is more likely to accept a minor league assignment because he has more money to lose.

 

If the Brewers can trade Suppan and eat most of his salary, that would be neat.

Hard to say Bush taking a minor league assignment means his FA is pushed off a full year. He's right at 5 years service time so a month in the minors would lose him a full year.

[And That]

If Bush opts to be a free agent, it isn't a certainty he'd latch on to a major league squad right away either. Heck, he may make more in arbitration than as a free agent anyway.

[endaround]

He probably would, but if he can get with a team by opening day he might be able to make up the difference with a FA contract a year earlier. Just hard to say, it would obviously be a risk for him. Thast said I just don't see the Brewers going with 4 LHP in the rotation.

[Tbadder]

I still say that the Brewers will shock us all and cut Suppan.

[joepepsi]

While Suppan's contract is bad, it's not Bill Hall Contract bad. I'd rather they try and dump Suppan and agree to pay $8 million of his salary, then try and save Bush's $4 million salary.

[endaround]

No its worse. It costs more and Hall could at least play good defense along the infield. Suppan is owed $14m, no one taking him for more than $1m for the season.

[JohnBriggs12]

No its worse. It costs more and Hall could at least play good defense along the infield. Suppan is owed $14m, no one taking him for more than $1m for the season.

I agree. You can always find a use for a guy as a 25th man even if he's not hitting much if can play several positions.

 

Given that a guy like Looper has been getting only minor league contract offers, Suppan's value is nil.

[CheezWizHed]

Oh to be a fly on the wall of Melvin's office while he, Ash and Macha are having this very same discussion...

[CheezWizHed]

Given that a guy like Looper has been getting only minor league contract offers, Suppan's value is nil.

But it only takes one or two injuries for that to change quickly...

[adambr2]

While Suppan's contract is bad, it's not Bill Hall Contract bad. I'd rather they try and dump Suppan and agree to pay $8 million of his salary, then try and save Bush's $4 million salary.

That would still leave a team on the hook for $4.5M of Suppan's contract this year. There is no way in this market that any team is interested in Suppan at that price, much less trading something to have him at that price.

[adambr2]

Well, he gets his money either way, so why should he care?

Suppan hasn't seen the minor leagues in 12 years. I think he'd rather sit at home on the couch, play with the kids, run his restaurant and wait for another big league opportunity than stay in Holiday Inns and ride buses.

 

Bush is more likely to accept a minor league assignment because he has more money to lose.

 

If the Brewers can trade Suppan and eat most of his salary, that would be neat.

Hard to say Bush taking a minor league assignment means his FA is pushed off a full year. He's right at 5 years service time so a month in the minors would lose him a full year.

In this market, arbitration is setting up to be a much better financial situation for guys like Bush than free agency. There's no way he's a $4.215M dollar pitcher in free agency. I don't think it would bother him that much to be arbitration eligible an extra year...he either makes an overinflated salary for one extra year, or becomes a FA anyway. (if no arby offer).

[JohnBriggs12]

Given that a guy like Looper has been getting only minor league contract offers, Suppan's value is nil.

But it only takes one or two injuries for that to change quickly...

If a team loses one of their top 3 starters, Suppan isn't going to make up that loss. They do what the Brewers did in 08. You plug in guys from your system and hope the injured guy comes back or you stay close enough to deal for a quality arm at the deadline. Most teams have one or two guys close to ready in their systems that they'll go with if a 4th or 5th starter goes down. Suppan simply has next to no value. Brewers will be fortunate if he lands a major league job of any kind so they can save the major league minimum portion of his contract should he be released.

[adambr2]

Suppan had a negative WAR last year, and the year before, and the way he has been trending, there's absolutely no good reason to think he won't have a negative WAR in 2008. So if the average AAA call-up can outperform him, which, by the very definition of WAR, they can, that's really telling about how having Suppan on the roster just for the sake of putting his $12.5M to work might not only block someone else more productive but hurt the team in itself.

 

We've got some starters in AAA that can potentially do just as well or better than Suppan. Capuano (if his latest problem isn't too much of a setback), Dillard, Lofgren. They're not great options but I'd rather rely on one of them in a pinch than rely on Suppan every 5 days.

 

Heck, there are still free agents out there that could be had on a minor league deal that are better than Suppan. There's no reason to panic and worry about whether we will have enough pitching if we release Suppan -- it's like fretting that Mike Burns going down with an injury in AAA will be the difference between the Brewers making or missing the playoffs.

[Ennder]

Pitching WAR is a pretty terrible stat though. Suppan was not below replacement level in 2008, he probably was in 2009 though.

[logan82]

Heck, there are still free agents out there that could be had on a minor league deal that are better than Suppan.

 

We have to pay Suppan either way. Signing one of those guys would be extra money.

[PrinceFielderx1]

Villanueva and Stetter are the odd men out. Send them both down to the minors and have Bush and Narveson take their place. I don't see the Brewers getting rid of their pitching depth or risking their pitching depth to waivers.

[Invader3K]

I could be wrong, but wasn't yesterday the deadline for cutting non-guaranteed players to receive only 1/6th of their salary? If so, I'd assume that is a good sign for Bush.