How many of the Brewers personnel decisions has Attanasio been behind?

[TheCrew07]

Seems to me that we traded off Lee/Cruz for a closer and crap in 2006, why was FA the only option here? We'd better served doing more research and focusing less on FA and big name players on this forum.

 

Every year there is very nice pitching that isn't showing up on any BA top 10 lists, like Derek Holland from TX. I know he's been very up and down to start the season, but that's not really the point as young players will have their ups and downs. The franchise would have better off picking up a couple of young guys that at least worked in the low 90s as starters along the way than doing what was done. Even if those guys fail there is always the option that they become decent relievers.

 

I'm alright with FA hitters but the FA pitching market has always stunk and continues to stink. Value wise it would have made more sense to trade a hitter for a pitcher, then plug that subsequent position player hole through FA than to sign Suppan, Looper, Davis, and Wolf. I realize that the scenario I just presented doesn't happen but I wanted to make the point.

[nate82]

I'm alright with FA hitters but the FA pitching market has always stunk and continues to stink. Value wise it would have made more sense to trade a hitter for a pitcher, then plug that subsequent position player hole through FA than to sign Suppan, Looper, Davis, and Wolf. I realize that the scenario I just presented doesn't happen but I wanted to make the point.

It is easier to sign a pitcher in free agency than it is to pry away young pitchers in a trade.

[TheCrew07]

Now, not in the mid 2000s.

[nate82]

I still believe leading into the 2008 year was the best time for the Brewers to have made a trade for a good young starting pitcher. I believe Hughes had fallen out of favor in New York and could have been had for someone like Laporta, Gamel, or Salome. Probably would have had to add another piece to that deal though someone like Green or a pitcher not sure who that would have been.

 

There were definitely some options open for the Brewers to land a good young pitcher from 2006-2008.

[TooLiveBrew]

Hughes never realistically fell out of favor with the Yankees. He was always considered basically untouchable -- Cashman has loved Hughes from day 1, and iirc he was considered the best (or at worst one of the best) pitchers in MiLB before being called up. I think an offer for him would have had to have been pretty darn huge. I doubt the package for Sabathia would have gotten it done.

 

I don't disagree that the Brewers had a chance to add a young arm instead of CC, though.

[Invader3K]

Well, I don't think anyone can say Mark Attanasio preventing Doug Melvin from making such a move to shore up the pitching staff. Melvin has certainly had the budget to work with as well.

[thebruce44]

Incorrect. Mark A was the one who wanted Suppan and they overpaid for getting him also.

Evidence? Or just more conjecture?

The evidence you will never find but Mark A definitely had a strong hand in signing Suppan. Per the reason of the Suppan deal was a hey look at me I am the new owner and I am signing an expensive free agent signing. You know the signing that says I am going to be spending money on the team even though this is foolish spending for a pitcher who is a career #5 pitcher.

 

So no evidence.

 

Wow, you are making some pretty bold statements considering you are just guessing like the rest of us.

[RockCoCougars]

Nobody else had any interest in Suppan beside the Brewers, so I'd be guessing that Attanasio had his fingers into things quite a bit, and the fact that Suppan is still here cements that notion.

[MJLiverock]

There is no indication Lilly was interested in signing with the Brewers either. He may well have had a similar offer and chose the Cubs instead unless the Brewers were willing to pay substantially more. I think most pitchers/players given the choice of equal contracts would probably pick the Cubs over the Brewers.

[RockCoCougars]

Ugh...people forget how desperately the Brewers needed a reliable starting pitcher that off-season. The team had just come off a disappointing '06 due to not having enough reliable starting pitchers. Sheets and Ohka had both gotten hurt. We were throwing guys like Wes Obermueller into the rotation hoping to get some decent starts (sound familiar?). This after a promising 2005 where it looked like the team had turned a corner. Yes, it ended up being a bad decision based on this season and last, but at the time it wasn't a completely illogical move. I buy MJLive's assesment more than the assertions that signing Suppan was a gigantic ego stroke by Mark Attanasio. It's really not out of line for a team owner to meet with a free agent to talk up the team. I'd rather have an owner taking an interest in the team than one who is completely absentee, anyway.

If they had such a dearth of starting pitching, why did they deal Davis about a month before?

 

More on topic, I really hope Attanasio takes a look at the track record of teams with meddling owners over the years (Daniel Snyder, Peter Angelos, Mark Cuban, etc.). Though Steinbrenner had some initial success buying a couple of World Series, Yankees fans endured almost 15 years of mediocrity after that until he learned to step back.

[Nottso]

This never ceases to amaze me. One of the best things in the entire organization is the owner, yet every so often somebody comes up with this kind of conjecture. When an owner becomes meddlesome, it usually becomes very apparent very quickly. I've never seen any evidence of any kind that shows Mark A. as anything other than a great owner.

I've never seen Mark Attanasio and Bigfoot in the same place at the same time. Clearly, Mark Attanasio is Bigfoot.

[adambr2]

This never ceases to amaze me. One of the best things in the entire organization is the owner, yet every so often somebody comes up with this kind of conjecture. When an owner becomes meddlesome, it usually becomes very apparent very quickly. I've never seen any evidence of any kind that shows Mark A. as anything other than a great owner.

I've never seen Mark Attanasio and Bigfoot in the same place at the same time. Clearly, Mark Attanasio is Bigfoot.

No one is doing anything more than speculating. And there's nothing wrong with that. I'm not really a Melvin fan at all anymore and am certainly not looking for an "out" to defend him. I used to think he was a great GM years ago, but a number of poor moves (and a number of times when he didn't make a move when he should have), and a large amount of dead money on this team has me re-thinking that position.

This quote from the MJS today from Mark A: " It was always Doug's call as to what we do with players on the roster. " does seem to indicate Melvin's responsibility.

 

[thebruce44]

No one is doing anything more than speculating. And there's nothing wrong with that. I'm not really a Melvin fan at all anymore and am certainly not looking for an "out" to defend him. I used to think he was a great GM years ago, but a number of poor moves (and a number of times when he didn't make a move when he should have), and a large amount of dead money on this team has me re-thinking that position.

This quote from the MJS today from Mark A: " It was always Doug's call as to what we do with players on the roster. " does seem to indicate Melvin's responsibility.

Actually, quite a few posters on this thread are posting as if they know something the rest of us don't as if to indicate that they aren't speculating.

[wishicouldhit]

On firing Melvin: I Know this is a little of topic from bashing each other about mark Attanasio's role in signing Suppan, but i dont see Melvin being fired simply because Attanasio does not have enough experience to hire a new GM. He has only owned the team for 5-6 years and I doubt he has enough knowledge on finding the next great GM and a scouting staff. Almost everything Attanasio knows about the business comes form Melvin.

[PrinceFielderx1]

I don't know about anybody else, but I'm very happy to have Mark A as the Brewers principle owner. The Brewers payroll used to be just under 36 million, and now it is 90 million. With room to go up according to Mark A himself. I can't really complain about Mark A because he is doing his job as the owner of the Milwaukee Brewers. I think the focus should be on Doug Melvin. Mark A job has more to do with the payroll then which players the Brewers go after. Which is Doug Melvins job btw... I believe that it was Doug Melvin's idea to go after FA pitching like Randy Wolf, and not to trade for pitching. Doug Melvin deserves most if not all the blame for this years teams performance, and bad contracts. Not the Brewers owner.

[Menace II Sobriety]

On firing Melvin: I Know this is a little of topic from bashing each other about mark Attanasio's role in signing Suppan, but i dont see Melvin being fired simply because Attanasio does not have enough experience to hire a new GM. He has only owned the team for 5-6 years and I doubt he has enough knowledge on finding the next great GM and a scouting staff. Almost everything Attanasio knows about the business comes form Melvin.

In my opinion this is way off base. Mark A. had the chance to fire Melvin years ago and has had the opportunity many times in between. He runs a major corporation and knows how to choose a leader no matter the industry. I do not feel as though Melvin deserves a gold star or should show up for work without just cause for being terminated at any time. Mark A. could hire numerous recruiting firms, headhunters, leadership coordinators, to lead the search for a new GM if he felt necessary. To say that a man with his net worth and business acumen lacks the foresight to hire a leader is misinformed.

[logan82]

The Brewers payroll used to be just under 36 million, and now it is 90 million. With room to go up according to Mark A himself.

 

Not sure where you got this information from but Mark A. was saying they would probably lose money this year and the payroll was maxed out.

[thebruce44]

The Brewers payroll used to be just under 36 million, and now it is 90 million. With room to go up according to Mark A himself.

 

Not sure where you got this information from but Mark A. was saying they would probably lose money this year and the payroll was maxed out.

 

And that was if they maxed out Miller Park again, which they will not. They could potentially lose quite a bit this season. It seems as though they are where they have been for the last couple of years. With attendance above 2.7 mil, they can suport an MLB payroll of around $87 by the end of the season.

 

Mark has said in the past that in 2 years when the new TV deal kicks in and if they continue to max out revenue from Miller Park to above 90% (not a given considering how volitle attendance can be) they could top a $100 million payroll. I don't see that happening for a while though.

[PrinceFielderx1]

The Brewers payroll used to be just under 36 million, and now it is 90 million. With room to go up according to Mark A himself.

 

Not sure where you got this information from but Mark A. was saying they would probably lose money this year and the payroll was maxed out.

Here is the link,

link

 

The Brewers can still add players come the trade deadline if they can be competitive again. Absorbing Suppan's salary doesn't affect that.

 

"Brewers principal owner Mark Attanasio said the decision to absorb a $10

million hit by releasing Jeff Suppan on Monday won't affect the team's

ability to add players in midseason trades. But that's only if the team

begins to perform better on the field."

[logan82]

The Brewers payroll used to be just under 36 million, and now it is 90 million. With room to go up according to Mark A himself.

 

Not sure where you got this information from but Mark A. was saying they would probably lose money this year and the payroll was maxed out.

Here is the link,

link

 

The Brewers can still add players come the trade deadline if they can be competitive again. Absorbing Suppan's salary doesn't affect that.

 

"Brewers principal owner Mark Attanasio said the decision to absorb a $10

million hit by releasing Jeff Suppan on Monday won't affect the team's

ability to add players in midseason trades. But that's only if the team

begins to perform better on the field."

He does not say in your quote that they are staying within their budget. For all we know he might go over budget to get a player of need. According to this, I believe that to be the case. I couldn't find the original JSOnline article.

 

"I'm at a little bit of a discomfort point with the payroll. That will

be my burden." Attanasio added, "We have a prudent amount of debt and

we're trying to keep it that way. I am a little nervous this year but

that will be my nervousness. We're at a limit of what we can support."

But he did say, "If we get to midseason and we're in a position to win,

we're going to go for it."

[PrinceFielderx1]

Logan,

 

My point is that the Brewers can still add to the payroll. That's all I was saying.

[logan82]

No problem as long as we are clear that the payroll isn't likely to be this high next year.

[PrinceFielderx1]

No problem as long as we are clear that the payroll isn't likely to be this high next year.

The payroll next year should be lower, because of attendance drop.

[adambr2]

I hope they are reasonable enough to accept the fact that a team 11 games under .500 is probably not in a position to "go for it."

 

I know Mark wants to win every year and I understand the need and desire to keep attendance at a healthy number, but if they continue to try to go year to year with this team and hope that they managed to plug enough holes to make a run, they're never going to be able to get over the hump.

[Brewer Fever]

A whole lot of baseless, unchecked claims being made about the owner who turned around our favorite baseball team yet this site is too embarrassed to be caught hosting a vent thread.