Big Game James

[BrewCrewBlueDevil]

The Brewers are a pitcher short and a guy that can go six innings is the answer. This would allow Nelson and Davies to rehab slowly and build arm strength. Peralta could go to AAA and stay fresh for a call up. Anderson and Woodruff are both question marks in the rotation (personally, I like Woodruff in the pen). How great would it be to have three arms in the minors that could me ready to go.

 

James Shield: 1 year, 1 million with a games started and incentive laden contract.

 

Rotation: Chacin, Anderson, Burnes, Shields, Woodruff

[brewmann04]

would not mind that

[TURBO]

Hard to let a guy go 6 innings when he is getting shelled...

[HiAndTight]

I really hope that Nelson isn't still rehabbing at this point. It sounds like he'll be ready to go for ST'ing last I heard(though it makes sense to play it safe with him).

 

As for Shields...sure. I'd rather it be a Minor league deal though. I'd really prefer it be Gio than anyone...though I haven't been paying attention the last 4-5 days...he could have signed with someone.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

On a minor league deal with a May or June opt-out? Sure, why not? Really nothing to lose with something like that. With his past success and durability, he'd be a fun one to take a chance on, similar to Gallardo last year. If it doesn't work out, there's really no harm.

[brewmann04]

YES no harm no foul with doing that type of deal.

[JosephC]

I'm not sure what the most eye-catching number is during his recent history? Maybe the 101 home runs he's allowed during the last three seasons.

[HiAndTight]

I'm not sure what the most eye-catching number is during his recent history? Maybe the 101 home runs he's allowed during the last three seasons.

 

Yeah, that's the point of the Minor League deal. Miley was coming off a 1.7+ whip and over 5BB per 9. The whole point of bringing in veteran depth...particularly with pitchers how have had previous success...is to see if you can get lucky and get a solid season out of them.

 

You're not gonna find starting pitchers with pretty peripherals available for minor league deals Feburary 8th.

[AJOHNSON104]

I like the idea of adding him on minor league deal. You can make a pretty good case that someone going 7 innings every 5 days, especially early in the season, would greatly benefit the bullpen over the length of the season. If Nelson or someone needs time to rehab, or they want to keep innings total down for young starters, Shields could take some starts and it would be minimal impact on team if he doesn't work out.

[brewmann04]

I think this would be a nice move

[ebmackenzie]

I think he might be good on the Suter Diet if he watched his innings and had Claudio coming in after him.

He may get stronger and do well in a league (for now) that doesn't have the DH.

 

Very interesting notes:

in Wins 7 0 with a 2.36 ERA

in Losses 0 16 with a 6.8 ERA

 

Also OPS by inning

1st inning .841

2nd inning .650

3rd inning .782

4th inning .632

5th inning .691

 

but left in too long...

 

6th inning .829

7th inning .872

8th inning 2.500

[JohnBriggs12]

I've been on Shields as a good value for some time. He was tied for third in the AL in IP. Part of the reason for that is because as the lone veteran starter on the Sox, which also had a weak pen, they needed him to go 7 innings every time out. That being said, on a better team he's still a solid bet to give you 6 innings most every start and log 180 innings, something the Brewers could use. Shields has always been prone to allowing the long ball, but Guaranteed Rate Field is just as much a launching pad as Miller Park and going from AL to NL should help.

 

What's not seen in the numbers is that Shields has a reputation as a great influence on young pitchers and with a new pitching coach it might be a benefit to have a mentor on the staff.

[reillymcshane]

Pass on Shields. We don't need a back of the rotation guy. If you sign Shields, you're giving him a job. He'll soak up 30 starts and (with luck) keep the ERA in a 4.50 range. But we don't need that kind of pitcher at this time. Nothing against him, but he's a better fit for other teams.

[SRB]

The curse of Wade Miley is that he can now be used to justify signing every horrible pitcher in the league

[TURBO]

The curse of Wade Miley is that he can now be used to justify signing every horrible pitcher in the league

 

Reading these boards, this is exactly true.

 

Every re-tread, used up pticher mentioned is always at some point the next Wade Miley, or the possibility of being the next Wade Miley.

 

We got pretty damn lucky with our version of Wade Miley last season. Some of need to realize this, and stop thinking every has been is the next Wade freakig Miley...

[brewmann04]

I totally agree her the brewers at some point need to more for a quality starter down the line.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

The curse of Wade Miley is that he can now be used to justify signing every horrible pitcher in the league

 

Reading these boards, this is exactly true.

 

Every re-tread, used up pticher mentioned is always at some point the next Wade Miley, or the possibility of being the next Wade Miley.

 

We got pretty damn lucky with our version of Wade Miley last season. Some of need to realize this, and stop thinking every has been is the next Wade freakig Miley...

 

I don't think anyone is saying that ... at least it doesn't seem that way. I don't think there is any harm in trying, especially with what little risk is involved.

[TooLiveBrew]

The curse of Wade Miley is that he can now be used to justify signing every horrible pitcher in the league

But will the "Miley" comp have the staying power of the "Suppan" comp? Asking the important questions.

[JimH5]

The needle in a haystack transactions are fine during a rebuild and if you want to see if a guy has untapped potential. But the Brewers are going all out to win in 2019 and James Shields should be far away from them.

 

He's thrown a ton of innings, gives up a ton of homers, and was only in baseball the past couple of years because of his contract.

 

Pass every time.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

I vividly remember all the consternation last year when the Brewers signed Gallardo and Miley, because I was one of the posters leading the charge. I hated the Miley move at the time ... and in the end I was dead wrong. I liked the Gallardo move, and was wrong there, to. Yes, it is very possible that all these guys end up like Gallardo on the scrap heap at the end of Spring Training, but there is no harm in signing a few guys that have had MLB success in the past that may be able to be unlocked again. Shields has milage on his arm, but he's been a great pitcher in the past, and if the risk isn't great, where is the harm in seeing if there is something there he can recapture?

[clancyphile]

I vividly remember all the consternation last year when the Brewers signed Gallardo and Miley, because I was one of the posters leading the charge. I hated the Miley move at the time ... and in the end I was dead wrong. I liked the Gallardo move, and was wrong there, to. Yes, it is very possible that all these guys end up like Gallardo on the scrap heap at the end of Spring Training, but there is no harm in signing a few guys that have had MLB success in the past that may be able to be unlocked again. Shields has milage on his arm, but he's been a great pitcher in the past, and if the risk isn't great, where is the harm in seeing if there is something there he can recapture?

 

This.

 

That said, I think that the Brewers NEED to do these moves, even in times of plenty - because they can't offer the big contracts that the Yankees, Dodgers, Mets, Angels, Red Sox, Mariners, Cubs, and White Sox can.

 

If you can reclaim a few players like Miley, Cirillo, Jeffress (twice), then they should.

 

Low-risk one-year deals with team options, like the one with Lawrie, could pay off big.

[bill hAll Star]

I have said this in every James Shields thread.

 

If they want to sign him, that's fine.

 

However, Peralta (unless pitch-counted very early), Woodruff, Burnes, Davies, Chacin, etc. all can easily go 6 innings. They don't go 6 innings by design. I get the idea that Shields may have more of a variety of stuff to make it into the 6th, but the White Sox let him pitch 6 because they didn't care about winning or losing. If Shields is pitching and he puts 1st/2nd with 1 out in the 5th or even 2 out in the 4th in a close game, Counsell is walking out there and it's over.

[NievesNoNO]

The needle in a haystack transactions are fine during a rebuild and if you want to see if a guy has untapped potential. But the Brewers are going all out to win in 2019 and James Shields should be far away from them.

 

He's thrown a ton of innings, gives up a ton of homers, and was only in baseball the past couple of years because of his contract.

 

Pass every time.

 

Agreed. If we're dreaming on a WS then we really need to set our sights higher than James Shields. He shouldn't be in the discussion for this roster, imo.

[jerichoholicninja]

I have said this in every James Shields thread.

 

If they want to sign him, that's fine.

 

However, Peralta (unless pitch-counted very early), Woodruff, Burnes, Davies, Chacin, etc. all can easily go 6 innings. They don't go 6 innings by design. I get the idea that Shields may have more of a variety of stuff to make it into the 6th, but the White Sox let him pitch 6 because they didn't care about winning or losing. If Shields is pitching and he puts 1st/2nd with 1 out in the 5th or even 2 out in the 4th in a close game, Counsell is walking out there and it's over.

 

Last year Shields wasn't great any time through the order.

 

1st - .747 OPS

2nd - .692

3rd - .770

 

His 2017 numbers are downright laughable.

 

1st - .786

2nd - .819

3rd - .897

[bill hAll Star]

I have said this in every James Shields thread.

 

If they want to sign him, that's fine.

 

However, Peralta (unless pitch-counted very early), Woodruff, Burnes, Davies, Chacin, etc. all can easily go 6 innings. They don't go 6 innings by design. I get the idea that Shields may have more of a variety of stuff to make it into the 6th, but the White Sox let him pitch 6 because they didn't care about winning or losing. If Shields is pitching and he puts 1st/2nd with 1 out in the 5th or even 2 out in the 4th in a close game, Counsell is walking out there and it's over.

 

Last year Shields wasn't great any time through the order.

 

1st - .747 OPS

2nd - .692

3rd - .770

 

His 2017 numbers are downright laughable.

 

1st - .786

2nd - .819

3rd - .897

 

Yeah, I am not really interested in him but obviously any time Stearns signs a pitcher I give the benefit of the doubt that they can fix something.

 

All I'm saying is that we aren't loaded with "guys that can't go 6 innings." Rather, we just don't want our guys to go 6 or favor guys that are better at being cut off then. So this, "we need an innings-eater" thing is not really something that we really need unless that innings eater is Chris Sale or Verlander.