Linebrink acquired for Inman/Garrison/Thatcher

[MessiahRp]

I don't see the reason why people should be upset here. It's not like Inman was a sure fire top of the rotation starter and we kept Jeffries and Parra so our best minor league pitchers are still there.

 

Linebrink is an upgrade over ever single part of our pen maybe sans Coco. Our pen needed the help as Wise and Villanueva could not carry this thing alone. Shouse is limited, Spurling is shaky at best, Turnbow is either really on or will self implode and take the game with him, Dessens and Aquino don't seem like viable options and personally I would rather keep Parra in AAA for him to develop.

 

We needed an elite middle of the pen reliever especially if we're serious about making a playoff run and Will Inman wouldn't be much of an option as a starter down the line anyways.

 

I like the move. Now if we could move Mench and find a miracle way to add Dunn I would be psyched. :-)

 

Rp

[NYChez]

With last week's rumored Dunn trade and now the Linebrink trade, it seems like Melvin is trying to block guys from going to the Cubs as much as picking up guys to help his team.

 

About the worst news Brewer fans could hear right now (besides Suppan or Balfour taking the mound) is the Cubs picking up a big-time left-handed bat or bullpen help.

 

The Brewers didn't necessarily need Linebrink, but they definitely needed him to not be on the Cubs.

[chuckiehacks]

Welcome to Win Now mode, kids.

 

I've read all the pages and overall I'm ok with this. Linebrink will most certainly = 2 picks, as Doug mentioned he doesn't do this deal if Linebrink isn't a Type A. We're setting up to have a bunch of picks, which bodes well for the future but also probably means we'll be making more deals like this in the future. That's a good thing. We've shown an above-average ability to develop talent, especially in the low levels, which is who you trade for rentals.

 

If Nate Silver was that smart he'd be a GM, not an writer.

 

Time will tell how well this deal works out, but if Linebrink helps us get to the postseason and nets two picks, that works for me.

[gregmag]

I think the people that don't like this deal are being really shortsighted. Making the playoffs is a financial windfall for teams.

 

I think the people that don't like this deal don't buy your unstated premise -- hey, I wouldn't state it either -- that Scott Linebrink will make the difference in getting the Brewers to the playoffs. If that's "shortsighted," then taking the long view is overrated.

 

Inman was complete trash in AA

 

Actually, no; Inman was complete trash for two starts in AA, when he supposedly had mono and at the very least had adjustment jitters. You could count his bad starts in his pro career on your hands, and those were two of them. If you want to play that game, then we just traded away a guy who has been "complete trash in AA" for a guy who has been complete trash on the road away from his home cavern this year, with the difference being that the guy we traded is on the way up and the guy we got may very well be on the way down.

 

Look, to put this in perspective, I don't like pitching prospects. They get hurt, they flame out, they break your heart. Will Inman isn't a Brewer any more? Yawn. But loads of other people, many of whom run major league organizations, love pitching prospects, so don't tell me we traded Inman for 25 innings of Matt Wise, Gold Edition and a chance to draft another pitching prospect who, if we're really lucky, might turn into Will Inman.

 

Greg.

[brewers255]

My thoughts

 

Linebrick career ERA- 3.19

 

All 3 minor league pitchers havent pitched in the majors.

 

Enough said.

 

We are in a pennat race, we dont need prospects anymore. We are usually the ones selling players now were adding proven veterans. Please get over it.

[Bernman23]

Quote:

---

Prospects mean nothing until they make the majors RE: Hendrickson. The Brewers got a proven MLB pitcher for a few unproven minor leauge pitchers

---

 

Hendrickson threw mid 80's with a straight over the top delivery, his changeup was only around 4-5 ticks slower, and he had the makeup of Rickie Weeks without all that talent baggage. He was also completely foreseeable as a bust to me. To believe he was a top prospect was lunacy. Drafts aren't quite crapshoots, and prospects certainly are far from crapshoots. Inman is the polar opposite of Hendrickson because of his attitude, so that was a pretty ironic comparison. The only way possible that Inman doesn't succeed in my eyes is if he's felled by arm injury. Which is of course a distinct possibility, considering he has some history, and he's a high school pitcher.

[RyDogg66]

All of this bellyaching is pretty wild. Maybe we should think about trading Capuano or Sheets for prospects, then people will be happy with Melvin again.

 

Inman has a long road to success in the major leagues.

[Dollarbill13]

Linebrink is an upgrade over ever single part of our pen maybe sans Coco.

 

Linebrink from two years ago, yes. Linebrink this year... probably not. He's also going from a great pitchers park to a hitters park and his K rate has plummeted this year. A contending team wouldn't give up a top of the line bullpen guy in the pennant race. Linebrink just isn't that great anymore.

[aracko]

Inman was helping us get nowhere this year. We have a chance now

[brewers255]

Is all you guys do is look at ERA?

 

Linebrink's era 10 days ago- 2.48 He has had 2 bad outings.

 

COL- 4 ER in 0.2

NYM- 3 ER in 1.0

 

Other than those 2 here was his stats

 

6-30 FLA 1 IP 2 K 0 ER

7-2 FLA 1 IP 1 ER

7-4 FLA 1 IP 0 ER

7-7 ATL 1 IP 0 ER

7-14 ARI 1 1 ER

7-15 ARI 1 IP 0 ER

7-16 NYM 1 IP 0 ER

7-18 NYM 1 IP 3 ER

7-22 PHI 1 IP 0 ER

7-23 COL 0.2 IP 4 ER

 

besides those 2 outings he only gave up 1 ER in 2 outings. How is that bad? Someone please explain,

[RyDogg66]

The haters are using small samples, instead of what he has done the past 2.5 years.

[Mass Haas]

"We think this is a great deal," Padres general manager Kevin Towers said. "This is one [deal] we said we just can't pass up."

 

Those better be 30 or so beautiful innings Mr. Linebrink gives the Crew.

 

Ugh.

[Invader3K]

What do you expect him to say? "I just got taken by Doug Melvin and should be fired?"

[brewers255]

Also Linebrink's road splits were tremendous the last 3 years. Also how much of the last 2 outings have been effected because his wife is having a baby? Maybe he has other things on his mind.

[diomedeh2]

If Nate Silver was that smart he'd be a GM, not an writer.

 

I really doubt that's true...there are a lot of people smarter than GM's that aren't GM's. Look at Brian Sabean, who has single handedly created one of the inept offenses in recent times (less Bonds of course). Oh, he was just extended two years.

 

I can't say that I'm horrified by the deal, but I'm definitely underwhelmed. Regardless of everything involved, the Brewers will, at most, be getting 25-30 IP out of a guy who's shown a marked decline in peripherals this year.

 

I'll gladly eat my words if he somehow manages to single-handedly put the Brewers on his back, carry them to the playoffs, and bring a pennant to Milwaukee.

[Katuluu]

Those better be 30 or so beautiful innings Mr. Linebrink gives the Crew.

 

This from the "Link Report Guy". http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif

[diomedeh2]

Inman was helping us get nowhere this year. We have a chance now

 

Unfortunately we still have the little problem that is Jeff Suppan is not that good, Ben Sheets is out for 4-6 weeks, and Ned Yost is starting Counsell, Graffanino, and Mench consistently. I can't see how a middle reliever is going to put us Sylvester Stallone (over the top).

[logan82]

Inman was more than likley 2 years away from the majors in the best case scenario. In that time we will more than likley make a trade or 2 that brings back a MLB ready pitcher or some other pitcher in our organization will have passed him up.

With the pitching right now we have Suppan, Bush, Villanueva, Parra, and Gallardo through the end of the 2010 seasons. In 2011 we have to decide wether or not to pick up Suppan's option and wether or not we want to offer Bush a contract. Not exactly a lineup of studs, but not terrible either. It isn't like we have room for Inman anyway. Of course a hanful of injuries isn't out of the question either. The point being that Inman would have had minimal chances to make it to the Brewers as a starting pitcher with the current players we have. We still have at least 3 years to develop more minor leaguers.

[brettac1]

We have a chance now

 

I didn't realize that, even though they had the best record in the NL, that up until they acquired Scott Linebrink (...pause for dramatic effect to let that one settle in...) the Brewers had no chance.

 

That's a revelation.

[tigerbrew]

I think this is a bad trade and I don't like it, trading Inman for Linebrink is a mistake.

 

I think with more seasoning, Inman could make a decent starter in the bigs and if he's converted to a reliever like CV, Inman could make a better reliever than Linebrink for years to come.

[bsglorydays]

Although I feel that giving up the 3 pitchers was a bit much, I have no problem with dealing Inman and I love the deal overall. Win now. If you keep waiting for next year, next year never comes. For once the Brewers are in position to deal prospects instead of stockpiling them.

 

If Inman eventually becomes a stud, DM may one day regret this trade. However, the odds are stacked against that. For every can't miss prospect that actually pans out to his "potential", 10 others (or so it seems) flame out before they ever even make a (positive) mark in the big leagues.

[DHonks]

I guess from Melvin's perspective this makes a bit of sense. As of now they are thinking of Sheets for at least one more year, Cappy for some time, Bush for some time, possibly Vargas, and of course Villy, Garrardo, and Parra for the next 6 years. In reality, given that you want pitchers with experience, it probably came down to the idea that we were going to have too many prospects arrive at once. Still, to give up a young lefty like Garrison, in addition to minor league studs like Thatcher and Inman, seems a bit crazy

[brewers255]

I can't believe everyone hates this deal. What has Innman, Thratcher proved in the majors? Absoutley nothing, what has Linebrink proved in the majors? 3.19 career ERA, best set up man in the baseball last year and two years ago. He had a 2.45 era within the last 10 games. 2 BAD outings made his ERA jump from 2.45-3.80. Face it where in the pennat race and we have no need for prospects anymore. The time is now.

[RyDogg66]

Middle relievers dont win you division titles or championships, but a bad bullpen certainly can lose on for you.

 

Sure, Id love for the Brewers to have gotten back more for Inman. I liked Inman, but we'll get draft picks out of this as well. And as Melvin said, that was part of the consideration in this deal.

[Ulice Payne]

Good deal.

 

Griping about the cost of relievers during a playoff race is like refusing to have fun on your trip to Disney World because the food is so expensive.