Dodged a bullet? (Lynn, Archer, Cobb all struggling)

[TURBO]

So far, Lynn, Archer, and Cobb have been nightmares. Only the beginning of the season, yes, but looking at what they have done this year so far makes me really happy we did not go all in on any of them.

 

Stearns made the right call on all 3 to this point.

 

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

I'm coming around to thinking that if we make mid-season acquisitions, it's going to be for offense. Specifically catcher and 2B. This is pretty much the exact opposite of what I thought would happen. I figured offense would be great, and pitching would be suspect at best.

[pacopete4]

I’d rather be after bats than pitching I think. They seem less expensive.

[homer]

I'm coming around to thinking that if we make mid-season acquisitions, it's going to be for offense. Specifically catcher and 2B. This is pretty much the exact opposite of what I thought would happen. I figured offense would be great, and pitching would be suspect at best.

 

I think the offense is fine as long as they stay healthy and don't play the Cubs every day

[Fear The Chorizo]

One offseason SP trade candidate there was some discussion on acquiring was Gerrit Cole - he's off to a fantastic start this season...

[jerichoholicninja]

One offseason SP trade candidate there was some discussion on acquiring was Gerrit Cole - he's off to a fantastic start this season...

 

Maybe there were some rumblings but I don't remember anything mentioned other than here.

 

Another bullet dodged is Sonny Gray. He was ok for the Yankees last year but has been terrible so far this year.

[tmwiese55]

Might also speak to the need to actually go through spring training.

[monkeyman343434]

Might also speak to the need to actually go through spring training.

 

I think you nailed this one right on the head. It seems like free agents who join spring training late, end up having results more along these lines. I still think they're all good pitchers, but not going through a normal spring training I think is what is really crushing them.

[Fear The Chorizo]

Maybe there were some rumblings but I don't remember anything mentioned other than here.

 

Here you go...

 

http://forum.brewerfan.net/viewtopic.php?f=66&t=36194

 

Houston sent four players to the Pirates to get Cole, 3 of which are essentially MLB ready but not considered elite prospects with high ceilings. However, the Astros are so loaded that Musgrove (RH starter who's currently rehabbing a recurring shoulder ailment), Moran (3B who would never see the field as an Astro with Bregman there), Feliz (power arm reliever off to a good start), and Martin (OF prospect off to a good start in AA as a 22 yr old) were all essentially expendable. The Brewers could've sent the Pirates a comparable package (Woodruff, T. Williams, Phillips, and Ray/Grisham) or one-upped them rather easily.

 

I doubt Cole keeps this up for the next two seasons before reaching free agency, but he's definitely among the small # of trade/FA acquisitions that has been great to start 2018.

[stoutdude04]

Trevor Bauer thinks they are using pine tar to increase spin rate.

 

https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/indians-pitcher-trevor-bauer-insinuates-theres-something-fishy-going-on-with-astros-pitchers-and-mlb-rules/

[MrTPlush]

Patrick Corbin though....

[reillymcshane]

Patrick Corbin though....

I thought trying to get Patrick Corbin was a bad move. You just never know.

[MrTPlush]

Patrick Corbin though....

I thought trying to get Patrick Corbin was a bad move. You just never know.

 

I wasn’t really a fan of it either. Just throwing it out there because this thread is very biased towards the bad moves we failed to do, but no mention of the good moves we failed to do. There are a million rumors an off-season though. We are going to be connected to ones that would have been really bad and others that would have been really good. Nature of the beast.

[Fear The Chorizo]

To be fair, a lot of the offseason potential moves get generated based on certain player contract status and perceived team needs/outlook - particularly when discussing players who wind up not being dealt at all (Sean Manea is another example). I think the Corbin rumors were spawned by people speculating the DBacks may have been looking to trim payroll in effort to try and retain JD Martinez in free agency and Corbin only had 1 more year of team control before becoming a FA - Looking at the pure baseball aspect of it makes that speculation far-fetched even back then, as it was obvious the DBacks wanted to contend this year and contending teams just don't put starters who gave them the 2nd most IP the season before on the trade block to save ~ $3.5Million bucks (Corbin made roughly $3.9M in 2017, $7.4 M this year). The Dbacks were willing to listen, but would've needed to be blown out of the water to deal him.

[KCBrewerfan34]

I've been banging the drum for awhile for Brian Dozier. Lets get this done, as soon at the Twins hoist the white flag. He is a FIT

[TURBO]

Actually, my original intent for this thread was to call attention to Lynn, Cobb and Archer alone.

 

Someone added the other part to the title of MY thread, changing the original reason I started it to begin with.

 

Oh well.

[TooLiveBrew]

Actually, my original intent for this thread was to call attention to Lynn, Cobb and Archer alone.

 

Someone added the other part to the title of MY thread, changing the original reason I started it to begin with.

 

Oh well.

That was me, trying to make the title less vague. I'll change it to those guys.

 

Sorry!

[TURBO]

Actually, my original intent for this thread was to call attention to Lynn, Cobb and Archer alone.

 

Someone added the other part to the title of MY thread, changing the original reason I started it to begin with.

 

Oh well.

That was me, trying to make the title less vague. I'll change it to those guys.

 

Sorry!

 

no problem...

 

[monty57]

I didn't want to sell the farm for Archer, and I didn't want to go long-term on a 30-something year old (Cobb, Arrieta, Darvish).

 

I hoped to get a 1-2 year deal, and when I saw what Lynn signed for I wished we had signed him. Looking at how he's pitching (0-3, 8.37 ERA, 23.2 IP, 27 H, 22 ER, 5 HR, 23:26 BB:K, 2.11 WHIP), I'm glad we didn't.

[TURBO]

Just because they were viewed as the best available didn't mean we had to have one, or even two of them. Just really happy Stearns didn't do something stupid.

[YungTeeler]

Just because they were viewed as the best available didn't mean we had to have one, or even two of them. Just really happy Stearns didn't do something stupid.

 

In Stearns We Trust

[stoutdude04]

I know this was kind of mentioned before, but I wonder how much of this is attributed to missing spring training? I know Arrieta seems to be pitching pretty well, but he was also elite, whereas Cobb and Lynn were just...pretty good/above average.

[monty57]

I know this was kind of mentioned before, but I wonder how much of this is attributed to missing spring training?

 

I'd guess that's having an effect. Plus, it's hard to judge a long-term deal on the first three starts.

 

I think we "dodged a bullet" by not signing a 30-something year old pitcher to a long-term, big money deal. We instead signed a 30-something year old CF to a long-term, big money deal, but that's for another thread.

 

There are so many variables, it's hard to tell what we shoulda or coulda done. I'm just happy our current rotation has pitched pretty well, and hope that continues.

[homer]

Patrick Corbin though....

I thought trying to get Patrick Corbin was a bad move. You just never know.

 

Apparently Corbin's velocity is down about 3 mph today....maybe will end up dodging that bullet too?

[MKEguy]

I started a new thread in the major league area. I was thinking about how crappy Walker and Holland have been. This is what I posted. That one will probably get locked...

 

Two of the FA’s I really wanted DS to look at, for different reasons, were Neil Walker and Greg Holland.

 

I wanted Walker to step into the 2b job so we can either have a bench of or get rid of Sogard, Villar or Perez. We can debate the value of those players, but my thought here was to get Walker once the FA price floor fell out. I thought he’d easily out produce any other option we had at 2b.

 

I wanted to look at Holland for the same financial reasons as Walker, due the floor dropping out. I thought the bullpen would be strong, but who doesn’t want another outstanding arm, especially if we got him for a cheap one year deal. I didn’t think our bullpen would be able to produce what it has so far.

 

Oh boy, am I glad we didn’t sign them if the (small sample alert!) first month is any indication of the remainder of the season.

 

Walker’s ops+ is 18, ops is .428 and has a war of -0.8 so far this year.

 

Holland has an era of 7.36, although it’s only 7 IP. The only time I’ve seen him was when he blew up against us a few weeks ago. He looked terrible.

 

This last off-season had plenty of moves that are already looking good, Cain, Yelich and Jennings are all looking solid.

 

Speaking of FA’s, a few others that we were discussing;

 

Cobb’s era is at 9.68.

Arrieta’s era is at 3.49.

Lynn’s era is at 8.37

 

What a crappy crapshoot.