How much longer for Jeff Suppan? -- Latest: Suppan signs with STL, starts 6/15

[RockCoCougars]

I'm glad to see that the local media has finally jumped onto this bandwagon. Should be an interesting next few weeks. My guess is that Mark A. will demand Soup be stashed back on the D.L. now that there is some room back on there. This will help him keep a shred of dignity and shield him from abuse from the fans/media. I still say in the meantime, if I'm Macha, I'm running him out there all the time in close games as a type of protest to management. Heck, make him the closer.

[TheCrew07]

In hindsight, I definitely would have preferred to see Melvin view things as a continual process of building, but I honestly can't say I blame him absolutely for seeing a shot to go for it, and taking it. While on the surface, it may just be the emotional reaction you mention, that emotional reaction has led to very tangible revenue increases. I won't argue that Melvin has spent money wisely, but the playoff appearance has absolutely given the team more money to work with. I just think it's a complex issue.

I didn't mean to suggest that Sabathia was his only opportunity, it's just that he's never dealt position players away unless he was forced to by pending FA or a super prospect needing a spot on the roster. While I've wanted him to trade a guy or 2 away, I never expected him too because he's never done it in his career. The time frame of the Sabathia deal was just the most obvious place to address future of the rotation with Sheets' impending FA staring him right in the face, and given he also had the prospect ammunition to get it done without dipping into the MLB talent pool. I also didn't mean to suggest that the Brewers would have made the postseason in 2008 without Sabathia, that was a point I never argued, not even then. I believe we would have had a reasonable shot in 2008 regardless, and a much better chance of competing going forward with a better rotation.

 

I agree that the playoff appearance absolutely was a spike in revenue through the 2009 season, but I don't see having a positive impact this season or beyond for the Brewers. Ultimately the best way to fill the ball park is to keep moving the franchise forward, I don't see much false hope around the 3 Brewer sites I visit the most anymore. Melvin has had plenty of opportunities to make a difference, he just keeps choosing poorly, and I'm not going to fault Peterson for that.

[brewmann04]

It funny but i believe some of the Blame must go with the Scouting Dept and Scouts for their inabily to get Pitching up to the Major League Level.

[logan82]

I don't see much false hope around the 3 Brewer sites I visit the most anymore.

 

That is because fans in general are highly emotional and the brewers are having a bad year. If we were 27 - 26(about a 83ish win pace) fans would be talking about acquiring a player at the deadline to get us into the playoffs since we would only be 3 games back in the wild card and 4 in the division.

 

Melvin traded his one shot to acquire a pitcher of significant talent without having to give up a MLB piece for a rental player, the emotional response to a playoff appearance aside, was that one appearance worth losing the nest 2 years and maybe 3?

 

Yes it was. There are not guarantees we could have traded for anything other than a rental for LaPorta and the other guys we traded.

[DougJones43]

That is because fans in general are highly emotional and the brewers are having a bad year. If we were 27 - 26(about a 83ish win pace) fans would be talking about acquiring a player at the deadline to get us into the playoffs...

So you're saying fans would be more optimistic if the team was significantly better? Hmmm, interesting theory...

 

And that reaction sounds more like "completely logical" than "highly emotional."

[logan82]

It wouldn't be logical to try improving your team from 83 to 85-86 wins because that still probably doesn't get you into the playoffs. 2 wins over half a season is about all you would get for improving any one position because if we were at 27 wins that probably means Hoffman, Wolf, Davis, Fielder, Hawkins and the rest of our drastically under performing players are performing well.

[JJHardy7]

Random question that somewhat ties in with Suppan...

 

What are the highest contracts that were flat out 'eaten' by a team? I know since Soup only has a few more months left under contract he probably (?) wouldn't make any type of list. Just curious...

[logan82]

Random question that somewhat ties in with Suppan...

 

What are the highest contracts that were flat out 'eaten' by a team? I know since Soup only has a few more months left under contract he probably (?) wouldn't make any type of list. Just curious...

Here are some links from the end of March.

Fangraphs

Googledoc sheet

[TheCrew07]

\That is because fans in general are highly emotional and the brewers are having a bad year. If we were 27 - 26(about a 83ish win pace) fans would be talking about acquiring a player at the deadline to get us into the playoffs since we would only be 3 games back in the wild card and 4 in the division.

And they'd be wrong, just like Melvin has been wrong band aiding the symptoms instead of curing the disease. The simple truth is we aren't even playing .500 ball and for the 2nd year in a row Melvin's much debated pitching plan has come crashing down. He's not unlucky, he's made bad decisions... unlucky is a team like TB missing on Burrell, Melvin hasn't had hardly any success in FA outside of Cameron, that's a pretty disturbing trend.

Yes it was. There are not guarantees we could have traded for anything

other than a rental for LaPorta and the other guys we traded

 

What exactly is guaranteed in sports? Just like 3 years of player data becomes predictive? No, it's simply descriptive... a reasonable conclusion may be drawn from that data, but that conclusion is not a factual representation of future performance. Furthermore, I grow weary of the phantom "we don't know what was available" defense. It's the most hollow justification of Melvin's actions that floats around the forum. How do you know there weren't other deals out there? How do you know he even looked for a young upside pitcher? Just so I understand this, it's okay for you to speculate that Melvin hasn't had any other opportunities except for the deals he made, but it's not okay for me speculate that Melvin sticks to conservative deals and could have gone a different route? Essentially the lack evidence of you have trumps the lack of evidence I have because you said so? At least I can point to his trade history and team building philosophy as the backbone of my hypothesis, what can you hang your hat on here?

 

What's more likely? That in all these years no one offered a starter of at least Matt Cain quality to Melvin, or that Melvin just didn't want to give up what it would have taken to acquire said pitcher?

[WestSideWillie]

It is clearly Melvin's fault. Since 2007 season ended, he spent 16.25 million on Mike Cameron, $11.15 million on Kendall/Zaun, approximately $20 million on Hall, $12.75 million on Riske, $13.5 million on Hoffman and $10 million on Gagne. That's almost $85 million to various mostly older players, none of which are starting pitchers. Was some of that spending necessary? Probably, but certainly nowhere near that amount. Lets say instead of spending $85 million on those positions, he spent $55 million. That would have left him $10 million per year that could have been used on starting pitching. Now given his track record, it's quite possible that he would have wasted that also, but we'll never know.

I forgot about overpaying for David Riske. For a point of information, Riskes' contract was similar to Ted Higuera's contract that got Harry Dalton fired. How times have changed. Hoffman was worth it last year, and Gagne? I will blame Attanasio on that one, as he remembered when Gagne was Cy Young for the Dodgers. Glad the point about Castro was taken, yes, he was a scapegoat, and a tragedy to a good baseball man. He deserved better but again, I do not think it was Melvin's decision, I think it was made in LA. Do you think the Brewers overpaid for Randy Wolf?

 

[battlekow]

Brewers release Suppan

Tom Haudricourt

No longer willing to carry Jeff Suppan on their pitching staff merely

on the basis of his salary, the Brewers finally decided to part ways

with the veteran right-hander by releasing him Monday.

 

Suppan, 35, was in the final year of a four-year, $42 million

contract he signed as a free agent before the 2007 season. His salary

for this season is $12.5 million, and approximately $8.3 million remains

to be paid.

 

The Brewers also are obligated to pay Suppan a $2 million buyout of a

club option for $12.75 million for 2011.

 

So, in essence, the Brewers are paying more than $10 million to cut

the cord with Suppan.

 

Removed from the starting rotation after two outings this season,

Suppan had become more of a liability than an asset, pitching almost

exclusively in mop-up duty. In 15 outings, including those two starts,

Suppan was 0-2 with a 7.84 earned run average. In 31 innings, he allowed

50 hits, 12 walks and 27 earned runs, with 18 strikeouts.

 

In 110 games with the Brewers, including 97 starts, Suppan went 29-36

with a 5.08 ERA.

 

Suppan had become a chief target of angry fans, who booed him at

Miller Park every time he entered a game. Message boards, blogs and

other forms of communication were filled with pleas for his release

despite the cost.

 

The Brewers signed Suppan after a successful three-year run in St.

Louis during which he went 44-26 with a 3.95 ERA. But his effectiveness

declined in each of his seasons with the Brewers, beginning with a 12-12

record and 4.62 ERA in 2007.

 

In 2008, Suppan went 10-10 with a 4.96 ERA. He started Game 4 of the

National League division series against Philadelphia at Miller Park and

was tagged for six hits, including three homers, and five runs in three

innings as the Brewers were eliminated from the playoffs after a 26-year

wait.

 

Suppan slipped to 7-12 with a 5.29 ERA in 30 outings, spending some

time on the DL with an oblique strain. He was allowed to make a start in

St. Louis on the final day of the season to extend his streak of making

30 starts to 11 seasons.

 

Suppan began this season on the 15-day DL with cervical pain in his

neck. He was activated on April 15 and made two starts against the Cubs.

In the first game, he allowed four runs in five innings. In the second

start, he allowed 10 hits and six runs (five earned) in 4 1/3 innings.

 

Suppan was removed from the rotation at that point and placed in the

bullpen. He was used almost exclusively in mop-up duty but manager Ken

Macha did give him once last chance on May 30 to pitch with a game on

the line, sending out in the sixth inning of a 3-3 game with the Mets.

Suppan surrendered four runs in less than two innings and the Brewers

went on to lose, 10-4.

[And That]

http://edibleink.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/champagne2-1.jpg

 

 

[MNBrew]

Shoot, battlekow, you got me by 4 minutes. Long overdue. A good day in Brewer Nation.

[RockCoCougars]

Best news of the season. I may have to crack a few beers tonight! Good riddance to bad rubbish. Jeff, go back to your restaurant, and don't let the door hit you where the dog should have bit you. Thanks for nothing.

 

http://blogs.sun.com/HPC/resource/champaign.jpg

[Funketown]

http://i.thisislondon.co.uk/i/pix/2007/10/11a_16_rugby_415x275.jpg

 

This is even better than the day Chad Moeller was released.

[And That]

I think the pertinent question becomes: how long is it before Suppan signs elsewhere and proceeds to hold the Brewers to 1 run in 7 IP at Miller Park?

[trwi7]

[TheCrew07]

Bah I was pretty happy till you put that thought in my head And That.

[TooLiveBrew]

Who's getting put back on the 40-man now?

[BrewCrewForever]

Celebrate good times indeed trwi7!

 

So glad this finally happened. Probably should have been sooner, but oh well. Beggars can't be choosers.

[And That]

From that same link to TH's blog, he updated it to say Chris Smith's contract has been purchased.

[BrewCrewForever]

Who's getting put back on the 40-man now?

Riske on Wednesday?

 

Edited: Smith, nice!

[homer]

I think the pertinent question becomes: how long is it before Suppan signs elsewhere and proceeds to hold the Brewers to 1 run in 7 IP at Miller Park?

You know Ned Yost is going to lobby for him in KC. Too bad the Brewers don't play them this year.

[PrinceEatMeat]

YES! This is the best moment of the season so far! All I can say is...IT"S ABOUT TIME!!!!!!!

[logan82]

I would be more excited about this move if his replacement wasn't Chris Smith.