2013 FA arms

[PrinceEatMeat]

No need to worry about Lohse or any other remaining top FA pitcher coming here. They've priced themselves out of our range, by far. Lohse and Jackson should be doing cartwheels after seeing the deals Dempster and Sanchez just got.

[jmeks23]

There's some pretty decent names still on the list, including Jurrjens (who probably has some outstanding health issues) that makes me wonder why it was Dempster or bust for Melvin this winter. Hopefully he can make a trade for somebody, plus we still need at least one more new BP arm.

[nate82]

There's some pretty decent names still on the list, including Jurrjens (who probably has some outstanding health issues) that makes me wonder why it was Dempster or bust for Melvin this winter. Hopefully he can make a trade for somebody, plus we still need at least one more new BP arm.

 

It wasn't Dempster or bust really it was just that he was the only realistic option though I thought McCarthy was more of a realistic option than Dempster was. Melvin wants an innings guy at 2 years max which Dempster fit almost perfectly.

 

Braden, Liriano, Jurrjens, and others are probably the only other options right now. I believe Melvin has kicked the tires on others but it looks as though those tires have kicked back.

[wisniewski]

Reading this morning that the Phils are closing in on a deal with Mike Adams.

[Kelbysdaddy]

Phillies also signed John lannan. That's one I kinda think would have helped. He's obviously not a 1 or 2 but he is a very reliable lefty.

[wisniewski]

Phillies also signed John lannan. That's one I kinda think would have helped. He's obviously not a 1 or 2 but he is a very reliable lefty.

 

Agreed. I'm wondering what the deal looks like.

[PrinceEatMeat]

Phillies also signed John lannan. That's one I kinda think would have helped. He's obviously not a 1 or 2 but he is a very reliable lefty.

 

Agreed. I'm wondering what the deal looks like.

 

I saw $2.5M guaranteed with possible additional $2.5M in incentives.

[RockCoCougars]

There are plenty of guys I'd have interest in on the list above. One guy that you aren't hearing much about is Joe Saunders. He's nothing to get excited about, but he could definitely fill the Suppan/Wolf vet-innings eater type role and might be gettable for a reasonable two year deal. I'd also take a look at one of the risky options like Liriano, Chris Young, Harden or even Jon Sanchez. I think the Brewers need to sign two guys (even if they are taking a flyer) to add to the mix of 6 starters that they have right now.

[wisniewski]

I actually like Saunders and think he's sort of underrated. I thought for sure him going back to BAL was an unspoken done deal, but it's not looking that way.

[JohnBriggs12]

I like Saunders too. But the lack of interest by the Brewers on guys like Lannan and Saunders tells me they are pretty confident that Narveson is healthy and ready to go. Narveson is on par with those type guys and he'll command less in arbitration than those guys will as FA.

[RockCoCougars]

I know that Narveson is on target, but I don't count on him to be back to his previous form. Shoulder injuries are particularly nasty and one setback will mean a big chunk of time.

 

The more that I think about Saunders, the more that I like it. I don't think that a two year deal in the $15-18 million total range would be out of line, and he just may bite. He's probably a 3 or 4 on this team, but has a decent track record pitching for winning teams.

[TURBO]

Counting on Narveson for anything other than long relief is not wise.

 

He wasn't that special before he got hurt, now I see everyone counting on him as if he was a vital cog in our success before the injury. He is an average pitcher at best, and if our success hinges on a guy like him, we are in for a long season.

[RWeeksFan23]

Why would Saunders make sense for us? He's basically Randy Wolf, who we already released last season.

[PrinceEatMeat]

Saunders really accomplishes nothing for us. I'd rather just give the young guys those innings. The only way it makes sense to sign a starter is if it's a solid #2 or #3 type guy. Saunders isn't that.

[PrinceEatMeat]

JIM BOWDEN ‏@JimBowdenESPNxm

Doug Melvin just told us they have interest in Jon Rauch, Kyle Farnsworth, Mike Gonzalez and Jason Frasor #SXM

[TURBO]

JIM BOWDEN ‏@JimBowdenESPNxm

Doug Melvin just told us they have interest in Jon Rauch, Kyle Farnsworth, Mike Gonzalez and Jason Frasor #SXM

 

What would be the reasoning behind telling the world who we are interested in?

 

Seems like a dumb thing to do.

[Eye Black]

If they sign Rauch, at least Johnny Hellweg will have someone to "look-up" to.

[MNBrew]

I'd guess Melvin threw those names out either because....

 

- they really are interested in those guys and enough other teams know that it doesn't matter,

- they really are interested and, by mentioning several names, perhaps they gain some leverage with the 1-2 they want the most,

- they have shown some interest but aren't as committed to that interest, so there's no harm in saying what he said, OR

- while they have some interest in those guys, they're really more interested in others, which, by mentioning these guys, doesn't alert the general public to guys they may think they have a better chance of getting (perhaps Howell or Gorzelanny).

 

I'd hope it's the last one b/c if Melvin's putting up a smokescreen, those are still good arms and they maybe, just maybe, wouldn't come at overly inflated prices.

[SRB]

Those four names are all decent, and it sounds like Melvin is standing firm in not giving out larger contracts, so that's good.

 

Has anyone heard anything about Dallas Braden? He's coming off two major surgeries, I believe, so who knows if he will ever even start in the majors again, but if healthy he might be a good risk for the Brewers. They really need a LH starter and other than Liriano (maybe Bedard) not really any on the market worth looking into.

[Tim_Unroe_Helped]

I'd be ok with the Brewers signing Kyle Farnsworth or maybe Mike Gonzalez. Kyle Farnsworth consistently strikes out a fair number of batters and keeps the ball in the ballpark while keeping his walk numbers fairly low. Mike Gonzalez strikes out batters more, but it's more than offset by his worse home run and walk numbers.

 

From my point of view, if we're going to go after Jason Frasor or Jon Rauch, we might as well re-sign Kameron Loe and Jose Veras. Jon Rauch and Jason Frasor can't keep the ball in the ballpark. Jason Frasor also struggles with keeping the ball in the strike zone and Jon Rauch has very low strikeout numbers, especially for a reliever.

[MNBrew]

My gut still agrees with those who've been lobbying for J.P. Howell, and I see some logic in Gorzelanny (SP & RP experience, a bit more initial RP success this year, but an arm that could still start or relieve and thus create options in times of need), too, though Gorzelanny's basic numbers seem to indicate he's average at best when he's going well, which would represent less of an upgrade from Parra/et al.

 

I've seen enough of Rauch (in his Twins stint) that I'm not overly sold on him, and Farnsworth and Frasor aren't necessarily potential "home run" acquisitions on the surface, either.

 

But I could see 1 or 2 of these guys because there are still too many potential bullpen holes to worry about and we need some quality depth, not just 7 passable, MLB-capable, non-disaster types of pitchers for 7 BP spots.

[reillymcshane]

Anyone familiar with Mickey Storey?

 

The guy got designated for assignment by the Astros today.

 

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2012/12/astros-designate-storey-for-assignment.html

 

He was a rookie last year - age 26. He split time at AAA. In the bigs he did pretty good - at least stat wise. He had a 3.86 ERA in 30 innings. 34K and 10BB. At AAA, he was better - a 3.05 ERA, 72K in 65 innings - and only 12 walks.

 

Before 2012 he was pretty average. Decent looking, but nothing to get excited about.

 

Stats: http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/storemi01.shtml

 

I was wondering if anyone remembered watching him pitch last year - any opinions. He seems like a decent kind of player to take a flyer on if you have the roster space.

[JohnBriggs12]

My gut still agrees with those who've been lobbying for J.P. Howell, and I see some logic in Gorzelanny (SP & RP experience, a bit more initial RP success this year, but an arm that could still start or relieve and thus create options in times of need), too, though Gorzelanny's basic numbers seem to indicate he's average at best when he's going well, which would represent less of an upgrade from Parra/et al.

 

I've seen enough of Rauch (in his Twins stint) that I'm not overly sold on him, and Farnsworth and Frasor aren't necessarily potential "home run" acquisitions on the surface, either.

 

But I could see 1 or 2 of these guys because there are still too many potential bullpen holes to worry about and we need some quality depth, not just 7 passable, MLB-capable, non-disaster types of pitchers for 7 BP spots.

 

 

In his Twin stint, Rauch saved 21 of 25, and the Twins won 3 of the 4 games he blew the save in including 2 where he was credited with the win. So I'm not sure what you are objecting to based on his performance there. Look, he's not a world beater, but he's solid, doesn't walk a ton of guys and takes the ball on a regular basis. And he can close in an emergency As for concerns over his HR rate, it's a little high but mostly because of one year (2011) when he gave up 11. The Brewers got a lot of out of Saloman Torres in 2008, and Rauch is a similar type guy. His WHIP last year was under 1.00. Compare that to the Brewer pen last year: Axford 1.442, K-Rod 1.333, Loe 1.434, Veras 1.507, and Parra 1.653.

[yoshii8]

Anyone familiar with Mickey Storey?

 

The guy got designated for assignment by the Astros today.

 

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2012/12/astros-designate-storey-for-assignment.html

 

He was a rookie last year - age 26. He split time at AAA. In the bigs he did pretty good - at least stat wise. He had a 3.86 ERA in 30 innings. 34K and 10BB. At AAA, he was better - a 3.05 ERA, 72K in 65 innings - and only 12 walks.

 

Before 2012 he was pretty average. Decent looking, but nothing to get excited about.

 

Stats: http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/storemi01.shtml

 

I was wondering if anyone remembered watching him pitch last year - any opinions. He seems like a decent kind of player to take a flyer on if you have the roster space.

 

 

I was about to come post the same thing. Judging by his numbers last year I agree that he'd be worth a chance.

[reillymcshane]

Anyone familiar with Mickey Storey?

 

The guy got designated for assignment by the Astros today.

 

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2012/12/astros-designate-storey-for-assignment.html

 

He was a rookie last year - age 26. He split time at AAA. In the bigs he did pretty good - at least stat wise. He had a 3.86 ERA in 30 innings. 34K and 10BB. At AAA, he was better - a 3.05 ERA, 72K in 65 innings - and only 12 walks.

 

Before 2012 he was pretty average. Decent looking, but nothing to get excited about.

 

Stats: http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/storemi01.shtml

 

I was wondering if anyone remembered watching him pitch last year - any opinions. He seems like a decent kind of player to take a flyer on if you have the roster space.

 

I was about to come post the same thing. Judging by his numbers last year I agree that he'd be worth a chance.

 

The hard part is that we already have 10-11 relievers on the 40 man roster (and only one spot open at this time).

 

I just wonder about some of our existing players. Like Josh Stinson. The guy walked 71 and struck out 91 in 145 innings at AA. He had a 1.638 WHIP. Those numbers are kind of crappy. Perhaps the team thinks a lot of the guy, but you have to wonder if a guy like Storey doens't have more upside than Stinson.