Scott Linebrink trade revisted

[adambr2]

Inman: (AA San Antonio Missions)

4.17 ERA 41 IP .224 BAA

Not bad for his first couple months in AA. Still remains to be seen how he'll come out of the A to AA jump which is generally a big one.

 

Garrison (A Advanced California League)

2.79 ERA 42 IP .205 BAA

Solid numbers. Still a long ways to go but I hope we don't end up wishing we'd hung onto him.

 

Thatcher (MLB San Diego Padres)

1.29 ERA .90 WHIP 21 IP

Sheesh. He's been arguably their best reliever since the trade, and we couldn't find a spot for him on the team at some point before the trade deadline when Dessens, Aquino, and Spurling were all stinking it up? I understand San Diego has a pitchers park, but still, that's pretty remarkable statistics. We could have just promoted Thatcher and ended up better off for the stretch run.

 

I'm a big fan of Doug Melvin, but it doesn't look like he got the better of this one.

[Oldcity]

We should be revisiting this in a couple years, not now. You can't take Melvin to task for a guy's first 21 big league innings. You'll also have to consider the players the Brewers draft with the picks they get for Linebrink.

[Katuluu]

Not only that, if we get two 1st round picks for Linebrink that changes the complexion of the trade quite a bit.

[Oldcity]

Katuluu beat me to my edit.

[homer]

"This trade could be judged as questionable if and as soon as Linebrink signs somewhere else this offseason, and it can only go south from there. "

 

It could have been judged questionable at the time it was made too.

[adambr2]

Why does everyone seem to think that we'll get 2 firsts for Linebrink? It doesn't seem that he's in the top percentile of players at his position. I think we have to settle for a single pick on him.

[sweepscc]

To paraphrase a pad friend of mine, "not only do we get a lefty specialist and a top prospect but we also get to ensure a NL rival blows a few leads down the stretch."

 

Pad nation was much too happy to see Linebrink go.

[DHarris34Phan]

We should have kept the 3 prospects.

 

Getting 2 unknowns for Linebrink shouldn't make up for losing 3 guys we knew a lot about. Also, Thatcher looked like he probably could have helped our bullpen long before Linebrink got here.

[pogokat]

still hate it...thats not changing anytime soon...

[Katuluu]

still hate it...thats not changing anytime soon...

 

http://www.myconfinedspace.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/10/Whambulance.gif

 

 

[NYChez]

This is irrelevant, but if the trade didn't happen, then Melvin would have been accused of standing pat while the Brewers were in the middle of a pennant race - even if Thatcher was called up and was lights out.

 

Without the trade, we would have complained that Melvin didn't go out and get a setup guy to replace Turnbow.

 

However, without the trade, we would have never known the steep price required to acquire a decent, proven reliever ... but we still would have complained.

[RU Rah Rah]

This is irrelevant, but if the trade didn't happen, then Melvin would have been accused of standing pat while the Brewers were in the middle of a pennant race - even if Thatcher was called up and was lights out.

 

Without the trade, we would have complained that Melvin didn't go out and get a setup guy to replace Turnbow.

 

However, without the trade, we would have never known the steep price required to acquire a decent, proven reliever ... but we still would have complained.

I honestly don't think this is a matter of "some fans will complain, no matter what you do, or don't do." I don't even think it's a matter of fans complaining primarily about Linebrink himself (who was decent but not great). It's more a matter of fans questioning the steep price paid for a guy who pitched 25 innings and who might turn out to be a half-season rental. That's not a knee-jerk reaction at all, in my book.

 

[Postseason2006]

Then if we are playing...we should wait on the picks http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/eyes.gif, then we might as well just speculate who we could've had in another deal instead of Federlinestink.

The guy was pretty brutal for what we got out of him. Honestly, did he win or save any game for us that did anything major? And can you not tell me Thatcher might not have made more of a difference in 2 months than Scott.

[bklynbrewcrew]

The trade was absolutely awful. Trading three young arms for 2 months of an average reliever makes no sense and as it turns out Thatcher would have had a bigger impact with the Brewers than Linebrink. I just hope we can get two draft picks for him because paying Linebrink the 6 mil or so that he will probably get is just not worth it. Since last offseason Doug Melvin has done an awful job and this trade was probably the biggest mistake he has made as a GM besides his love of Ned the Lost.

[naivin]

This is irrelevant, but if the trade didn't happen, then Melvin would have been accused of standing pat while the Brewers were in the middle of a pennant race - even if Thatcher was called up and was lights out.

 

Without the trade, we would have complained that Melvin didn't go out and get a setup guy to replace Turnbow.

 

However, without the trade, we would have never known the steep price required to acquire a decent, proven reliever ... but we still would have complained.

Pretty sure you're wrong on this, and the first sentence kind of blows your theory, because had Thatcher come up and been lights out, as you put it...We might be talking about the Brewers game today, instead of revisiting the Linebrink trade. BTW, what's to say he wouldn't have made another deal anyway?

 

[davego]

I sort of agree with NY Chex in one regard, DM needed to upgrade the pen do to its (over)use. I guess he went for Scott as he was to be a proven guy. Thatcher was more of an unknown, and I'm gathering they went for Scott because of the pennent drive. I don't think fan pressure is or was much of an issue. If fans had that kind of pull, Carlos would still be in LF.

 

I saw another poster talk about Bush being delt, I'm wondering if the 'Crew goes the other way and Dave becomes the 6th/7th inning guy.

[JohnBriggs12]

It was a lot to pay for a guy like Linebrink. The Brewers apparently did a very poor job self scouting Thatcher and Garrison's numbers for the California League at a very young age suggest he's not all that far away.

 

That being said, I think they have to strongly consider trying to bring Linebrink back rather than look to draft picks if he signs elsewhere. The Brewers have to offer him arbitration to get the draft picks anyway and that might end up being a number that he might just take. I would hope we've seen the last of Turnbow and Wise, and they may not be able to re-up Cordero either. They will need to find one or two veterans somewhere.

 

While Linebrink was less than stellar, I think part of that might have been that the trade came as a shock to him. He still has the stuff to be an effective late inning guy and that is a huge need for this team. You can't go into 2008 with Chris Spurling and Greg Aquino as top candidates to fill those roles.

[Fatter than Joey]

The Brewers apparently did a very poor job self scouting Thatcher

 

This is where my hangup is. I really didn't care about Inman --- but it seems like to me SD knew way more about Thatcher than we did.

 

SD didn't miss Linebrink once they traded him.

 

As long as Yost is managing the BP, I really think the only option is to make it as fool-proof as possible.

[rluzinski]

I think part of that might have been that the trade came as a shock to him.

 

He was having a subpar season even before he was traded.

[Bucky Rules]

As long as Yost is managing the BP, I really think the only option is to make it as fool-proof as possible

Having more than one reliable pitcher out there might help.

[naivin]

As long as Yost is managing the BP, I really think the only option is to make it as fool-proof as possible.

 

Yep, pitchers who can actually get batters out would be a good start.

[Ennder]

Linebrink was the second best RP in our bullpen after the trade, too bad Yost mostly wasted him.

 

8.9 K/9 and a mid 3.00 ERA(was running right around 3.00 before his last outing) with that defense behind him is decent. If we had used him in the setup role instead of Turnbow he very well may have been the guy who pushed over the top and gave us a playoff spot. But instead Yost misused him and let guys like Aquino face key situations instead.

 

Thatcher was decent but hardly dominating especially given the park he was in, when his BABIP jumps back up to .287 or so instead of .217 and his HR rate climbs to a more normal level he'll start to give up plenty of runs.

 

Inman still showed control problems in AA with 4.17 BB/9. I still say he's in AA to start next year and will spend another year in AAA so lets visit this in 2009 when he's actually sniffing the majors.

 

I didn't have a problem with the trade when we made it and I don't have a problem with it in hindsight either. Linebrink pitched well for us but it wasn't enough to make a playoff run.

[clancyphile]

I have to agree. Linebrink was a good reliever. The problem was he couldn't do it alone, and some other guys still melted down.

 

The best approach at this point is to let Linebrink and Cordero walk, make Bush the closer, and sign a bunch of folks/give out minor-league invites and see who emerges. Tim Dillard did a nice job closing before he became a starting pitching prospect. Stetter's not too bad. They're ours and cheap. Turnbow's on about 85% of the time. McClung's September was VERY good. Steve Bray was good in AAA. Wise may not be much more than a mop-up man, but with the options next year, we may not need much of a mop-up man. Brewers starters were rarely baby seals this year. Plus there is Manny Parra as well.

[Team Canada]

I don't completely hate the idea, but Dave Bush might be the least intimidating closer ever. Especially when he shaves.

[MJLiverock]

I don't completely hate the idea, but Dave Bush might be the least intimidating closer ever. Especially when he shaves.

 

http://static.yuku.com//domainskins/bypass/img/smileys/roll.gif

Love the post. I read it and instantly thought yeah he doesn't have the big fast ball or splitter for a strike out pitch but at least he throws strikes. Then my mind grasped it all with the second sentence.