Peña DFA; LHP Sam Freeman acquired (Latest: Peña accepts AAA assignment; post 38)

[DHonks]

per mlb.com

[pacopete4]

A lefty with reverse splits. Looks like an okay pickup.

[brewmann04]

Could not hurt at this point

[adambr2]

Well, there goes the last piece of the Zach Greinke trade. It's all up to you now, Isan Diaz.

[MrTPlush]

Well, there goes the last piece of the Zach Greinke trade. It's all up to you now, Isan Diaz.

 

Islan Diaz was mostly because of picking up Aaron Hill. All up to Chase Anderson really.

[wildcat2237]

I don't get it. You keep old and average Torres, but get rid of younger and talented Pena. Weird.

 

If we were trying to compete this year, I could understand, but that is not the case.

[trwi7]

Probably not going to bite us long term but I'm on the side of wildcat here. Torres and Boyer should go before Pena and yes I know Pena was awful yesterday but he at least has a chance to be a decent bullpen piece/trade asset at some point. Would rather just roll with some young guys than old scrubs like Torres and Boyer.

[Boomer5]

This season isn't about developing young talent at the MLB level.

[brewcrewdue80]

I'm glad the Pena experience is hopefully over. Certainly wasn't 25man worthy. He is not somebody I want to sit through waiting to improve. He's never increased talentwise since being acquired. Good riddance.

Sadly the team seems to have picked up a guy with equal lack of control but it cost cash. I expect his leash to be short. Just gotta get through this period with Smith and Knebel on DL. The minors guys to show readiness vs being thrown to the wolves. But for Pena out of options, the club tried and got what was to be expected.

[patrickgpe]

seems like a big overreaction after one bad outing.

[DuWayne Steurer]

seems like a big overreaction after one bad outing.

 

That's kind of (or... exactly) what I thought. Pena is what he is, I mean he's not a top notch prospect, but at the same time you don't toss guys aside after one bad inning either.

[JohnBriggs12]

Pena young? He's 27 and has never established himself as a major league pitcher. He'll undoubtedly clear waivers and become a FA and what better organization to be a part of than one that's likely to go through 25 or so pitchers by season's end? It's more than just the one outing. He wasn't very good in spring and undoubtedly they were looking around for something better before the opener.

[MillerParkSouth]

seems like a shame to give up on Pena already, but I'm sure he'll clear waivers and be back in AAA shortly. I expect a lot of moves like this this year, shuffling the bottom of the 25 man roster in and out.

[JohnBriggs12]

This season isn't about developing young talent at the MLB level.

 

Players dominating minor leaguers will have their development stunted if they aren't brought to the big leagues for the final stages of development. Artificially holding them back because they don't quite fit a time table is shortsighted. Anthony Rizzo and Jose Altuve were developing into stars with awful teams.

[Boomer5]

This season isn't about developing young talent at the MLB level.

 

Players dominating minor leaguers will have their development stunted if they aren't brought to the big leagues for the final stages of development. Artificially holding them back because they don't quite fit a time table is shortsighted. Anthony Rizzo and Jose Altuve were developing into stars with awful teams.

 

I don't disagree, but that isn't what this team is about, at least right now.

[pacopete4]

This season isn't about developing young talent at the MLB level.

 

Players dominating minor leaguers will have their development stunted if they aren't brought to the big leagues for the final stages of development. Artificially holding them back because they don't quite fit a time table is shortsighted. Anthony Rizzo and Jose Altuve were developing into stars with awful teams.

 

 

Service time trumps them being up on the MLB squad. None of the guys we have in the minors are screaming that they are ready for the MLB. Until they do, this is a weak argument for bringing anyone up that doesn't truly need to be.

[CheezWizHed]

This season isn't about developing young talent at the MLB level.

 

Players dominating minor leaguers will have their development stunted if they aren't brought to the big leagues for the final stages of development. Artificially holding them back because they don't quite fit a time table is shortsighted. Anthony Rizzo and Jose Altuve were developing into stars with awful teams.

 

I don't disagree, but that isn't what this team is about, at least right now.

 

I agree with your intent that our main rebuilding focus is at the MiLB level.

 

But "what this team is about" at the MLB level is finding which of the massive host of fringe MLB talent (Villar, Walsh, Flores, Liriano, Broxton, Rivera, Pena, Jones, Nolin and a lesser extend Santana, Anderson, Jungmann, Peralta, Nelson) are viable MLB players; Be it a starter, bullpen or bench player role. Which of those guys do we keep around once the MiLB talent actually starts coming? Which do you DFA and which do you trade?

 

So either Pena made the decision really easy this spring or losing Will Smith is causing the management to react and get a bit more experience in the BP. I'm a bit surprised and hoped he would get a longer rope. His history is a slow starter in the spring.

[danzig6767]

I don't get it. You keep old and average Torres, but get rid of younger and talented Pena. Weird.

 

If we were trying to compete this year, I could understand, but that is not the case.

Pena is 27 not 22 and rarely has been good in either the minors or majors. He has had a good arm though, so his overall crappy results didn't doom him as it would have someone else with a lesser arm.

 

After about 10 years in the minors and majors, at some point a pitcher has to actually be productive. The guy just can't throw strikes often enough and he doesn't throw in the high 90's either.

[MenchHead]

Pena was advertised as having a big arm and control issues. He doesn't have the big arm any longer and now he sits low 90's-still having command issues. He likely only made the team due to injuries and since he's been DFA'd before, it would seem likely there won't be many suitors once again. It's unfortunate he never developed but it doesn't seem we're giving up too soon by any stretch of the imagination.

[MNBrew]

The other thing that came out in the JSOnline blog today is that the Brewers were already working on acquiring Freeman before Pena pitched on Opening Day. Then they got him and someone had to go, which turned out to be Pena, who as we all know, was very borderline re: making the roster in the first place and may well not have made it if it weren't for so many likely BP guys going on the DL (Smith & Knebel at minimum, Jones & Nolin & Barrios possibly ahead of Pena on the "keep" list as well).

[umphrey]

Freeman and Pena actually have pretty similar stat lines except Freeman held a decent ERA for a few extended periods of time

[Roderick]

I don't know what Pena has ever done that has everyone up in arms that we might lose him.

[Boomer5]

I don't know what Pena has ever done that has everyone up in arms that we might lose him.

 

I agree, he is at best pretty ordinary. I assume its because he is what we have left from Grienke.

[3and2Fastball]

I don't know what Pena has ever done that has everyone up in arms that we might lose him.

 

I think when you see someone as a prospect it is hard to accept that they just might not turn out the way you had high hopes for. I've felt that way about several players over the years, Hunter Morris most recently

[CheezWizHed]

Especially this year. Pena wasn't much of a prospect but his resurgence at the end of last year always gives a glimmer of hope for the guy. But then he got one shot (or not even really that as it seems they decided before he pitched) and was replaced by a complete non-prospect.