Carlos Silva (Twins) - any takers?

[MadtownTim]

I was perusing the list of available players that have filed for free agency and I have to admit, the pickings are pretty slim. I ran across Carlos Silva and thought that he's at least a veteran pitcher who throws a lot of innings and has "decent" stats.

Taking a look at last year, on what many would consider an average Twins team this was his line:
13-14, 4.19 ERA, 33 GS, 2 CG, 1 SHO, 202 IP, 229 H, 89 K, 39 BB (WHIP of 1.31).

All in all, not a bad year and seems to be pretty consistent from year to year. He made 4.35million last year and I'm guessing he's going to want a decent contract going forward. How much would the Brewers be willing to spend?

[sbrylski]

Is he better than what we already have? As one of the best guys on the market, I don't think it would be wise to spend what he would cost - especially given that he relies heavily on his defense with his severly low K totals. I don't think he's a fit.

[MadtownTim]

Better than Vargas? Yes. Better than Bush? I'll call a push. Better than Cappy was after April? Undoubtedly. Worth probably 4mil? Probably not, but, and I'll use a phrase littered around these boards, it's not my money.

[trwi7]

Better than Vargas? Yes. Better than Bush? I'll call a push. Better than Cappy was after April? Undoubtedly. Worth probably 4mil? Probably not, but, and I'll use a phrase littered around these boards, it's not my money.

 

He's better than Vargas and that's about it. Unless we get a real upgrade (like Schilling) then I want no part of any of the starting pitchers in this market.

[MadtownTim]

Unless we get a real upgrade (like Schilling) then I want no part of any of the starting pitchers in this market.

 

Schilling would be nice, I'm not going to argue with that. However, if he's not in Philly next year, I'll be REAL surprised.

[danzig6767]

Better than Vargas? Yes. Better than Bush? I'll call a push. Better than Cappy was after April? Undoubtedly. Worth probably 4mil? Probably not, but, and I'll use a phrase littered around these boards, it's not my money.

 

Silva will get alot more than four million

 

[lukevan]

Silva should get somewhere close to Suppan/Meche/Lilly money I would imagine, probably a little less like 8 mil per. No need for Silva, and no way I touch him after the ugly 06 season he had: 180.3 IP 5.94 ERA 1.54 WHIP 38 HRs 75 ERA+

 

Granted he had a nice 07 (contract year) but it's likely Capuano and Bush are better pitchers this upcoming season IMO.

[yoyomayoma]

The Star Tribune reported a couple of weeks ago that Silva turned down 3 years 21 mil. If that's true, wave goodbye. He's nothing special.

[dadofandrew]

He'll get 4y and $40-50M. And in '06, he was terrible. The Crew won't have any interest, but he'll get a ton in this offseason.

[Katuluu]

If you sign Silva you have a huge lead in the Santana sweepstakes. Outside of that, he doesn't have a lot to offer.

[brettac1]

He wouldn't mesh particularly well with the Brewers defense because of how many balls he puts into play. I seriously think he'd be about a 5.50+ ERA guy with that defense behind him. It's not a Silva problem, it's a Brewers problem.

[dadofandrew]

I don't think the Brewers' defense ups an ERA by a run a game, or anywhere near that. Anything over a third of a run is pretty much off-the-charts.

[brettac1]

Suppan's went up a half a run, and that's while actually pitching better than he did in St. Louis (using FIP). Silva's tendencies are even more exaggerated than Suppan's were (fewer K's, more groundballs). 5.50 may be a high prediction, but I wouldn't doubt 5.00 at all.

[davego]

Silva waling away from $7 million is a lot more (to me) alarming then the whole A-Rod stuff.

[dadofandrew]

Well, Silva had a 5.8ish ERA in '06, was that the Crew's defense?http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

 

I think many folks simply blame everything on defense and ignore simple variance.

[TooLiveBrew]

Schilling would be nice, I'm not going to argue with that. However, if he's not in Philly next year, I'll be REAL surprised.

 

Why's that? Does a rapidly aging pitcher really want to pitch in that bandbox? I know Miller Park lets the HRs fly, but its overall play is pretty neutral. Are you selling our talent a little short here? Why wouldn't Milwaukee be a desirable squad?

[brettac1]

Well, Silva had a 5.8ish ERA in '06, was that the Crew's defense?

 

No, it was because he gave up a bunch of HR. That season was pretty much an outlier, IIRC, he was injured and pitched through it.

 

I think many folks simply blame everything on defense and ignore simple variance.

 

I understand variance. I also think I hate the word "folks". I guess I don't understand your point. Is it that the Brewers have a good defense and that it wouldn't hurt Silva? Because I couldn't disagree with that more.

[dadofandrew]

Preventing runs is pitching and defense, but the percentages of each are up to the individual. In many games, there are only a play or two that are anything but routine. Some games, there are a few balls that could go either way, hit or out, or maybe an extra base. Especially with 3B (and 1B, LF, and RF), they only average a couple plays a game, so saying a guy like Braun costs you .25 runs per is ridiculous. The team as a whole, as I said, could probably cost you about 50 runs in a year, but that's just an awful group, and the Brewers have some guys that are fine.

 

Suddenly, you're down to what, 25 runs below "average". A good team might be 25 above, but that still leaves the vast majority of the game being scoring runs and pitching, and that's exactly what it looks like. Manny Ramirez has won a pair of titles in 2 years and is very poor. Jeter is the worst SS in the game and the Yankees win yearly.

 

It's an overreaction, it's easier to blame than to accept. The Brewers were expected to be about an 85 win team, and that's where they finished. That's where their runs scored and allowed put them too. It's a young team getting better, which is what people all over baseball know...except a few around these parts, who need a scapegoat.

[danzig6767]

It has nothing to do with a scapegoat, it's just a fact and Jeter or Manny have nothing to do with it. The Brewers defense was terrible last year, they had three Jeter's in the infield and a catcher Bengi Molina could run on. This cost the Brewers wins and given how little they miss a playoff berth by, it's important.

 

Sure the Yankee's and Red Sox can win with a bad defender, they could win with multiple bad defenders. With a money printing press on hand for both teams, they can acquire run scoring machine lineups and pay for pitching to cover for other warts in their team year after year. The Brewers are likely going to have less margin for error and continued terrible defense possibly being enough to hold them back in a tight playoff race.

 

Different areas of the team were responsible for costing the Brewers enough wins to beat the Cubs, the defense was one of the big culprits.If it doesn't improve quite a bit next year, it will continue costing some games. Hopefully not enough that the playoffs end up being close but no cigar again.

[MadtownTim]

Schilling would be nice, I'm not going to argue with that. However, if he's not in Philly next year, I'll be REAL surprised.

 

Why's that? Does a rapidly aging pitcher really want to pitch in that bandbox? I know Miller Park lets the HRs fly, but its overall play is pretty neutral. Are you selling our talent a little short here? Why wouldn't Milwaukee be a desirable squad?

 

TLB...Not at all. However He's made mention on a couple different radio shows that it's Boston first and he'd love to end his career in Philly. I can only suppose that Curt is looking to possibly return to the place where his career really started to take off and an area that he already knows and is comfortable with.

 

Like I said, I'd love to have Curt in uniform for the Crew, but I am not holding my breath 'til it happens.