Free Agent Pitchers: Open Thread

does that mean we get to pencil him in for an automatic 15 wins? or can only Cubs fans do that?

They should go through the list of minor league free agents and add the guys with MLB experience. Guys like Brandon Medders, Brian Lawrence, Hector Carrasco, and Jeff Weaver aren’t going to wow anyone but they’re not any less deserving of a look than guys like Kip Wells (who’s listed twice even) or Jason Jennings.

Still, there are some names worth looking at:

Freddy Garcia. He’s pitching in Venezuela while recovering from forearm tightness, and he’d be a bit of a gamble health-wise, given that he hasn’t logged many innings the past couple of years. However, if you throw out the 58 innings from 2007 (I’m channeling Ned Yost now) in Philadelphia, he’s been able to keep his WHIP under 1.30 since 2003.

Eddie Guardado. Fast Eddie posted a 3.65 ERA in 49 IP after being traded to Texas last season.

Matt Clement and Mark Mulder. Matt Clement also hasn’t pitched meaningful baseball in a couple of years, due to injury. I admit, this is a stretch. Still, you’d think a 90-win team with an incentive-laden contract in hand could take a look. In his 3 years with the Cubs, he posted WHIPs under 1.3, and in 2005 with the Red Sox it was only 1.36. Mulder…well, he hasn’t been good in some time. I’m really only mentioning him because the Cardinals gave him a 2-year contract worth $13 million in 2007, and he gave them 17 earned runs in 12 2/3 innings over that time. If you combine that with the $1.5 million they gave Clement in 2007 for 6 innings of shutout ball in class A, you have to wonder what they’re doing over there in St. Louis.

I almost listed Al Reyes, before realizing he was a Brewer, 7 teams ago.

Brad Penny. Who needs Ben Sheets when you have Brad Penny? He was hurt last season (try to contain your surprise), but in 2007, he went 16-4 with a 3.03 ERA.

Not to pick on St. Louis, but do you remember Anthony Reyes, and how we begged Moustache to trade for him? He was traded from the Cards to the Indians because he (allegedly) didn’t fit in with how a pitcher should pitch, or some such nonsense. In 6 starts for the Indians, Reyes went 2-1 with a 1.83 ERA.

I like Guardado too (you won’t give that up, will you)

As for starting pitchers:
I’ve already mentioned how I feel about Randy Johnson

Brad Penny would be a great signing if he’s cheap enough on a 1-year deal, that’s the kind of contracts I want to see the Brewers giving out in 09

An intriguing one I haven’t heard mentioned once is Andy Pettite. If he could be convinced to come to Milwaukee, he’d be worth a shot on a 1 or even 2 year deal.

Anthony Reyes is intriguing, but I’ve read/heard way too many things about how his mechanics are so bad he’s going to blow out his arm in a few days.

Another one that fit my short-term, risky, good potential criteria would be Pedro Martinez.

… for a list of things Melvin isn’t doing to improve the club. Yay. The hope I still have stems from the fact that the author of said blog is generally wrong.

–The Brewers are going to Plan B to beef up their rotation after leander CC Sabathia left to sign with the Yankees as a free agent. The Brewers are interested in a pair of Rangers right-handers, Kevin Millwood and Vicente Padilla.

AHHHH CHRIST!!! Don’t we already have one Suppan? We don’t need another

AND the Yankees are close with Burnett?

This bodes well in that it gives a better shot at getting a first rounder for Sheets, and maybe we take a step towards the future by getting a guy like Ian Kennedy instead of a guy like Kevin Millwood.

Personally, I think getting Kennedy for Cameron would be an absolute coup on the Crew’s part. In 2010 our 1, 2, and 3 starters could be: Gallardo (24), Kennedy (25), and Parra (27) (all ages for 2010 season). I like the sound of that, especially if Jeff Suppan Dave Bush is still around to eat up league average innings at the back of the rotation.

if Graziano’s article is right (Cameron for Melky Cabrera), I’d be horribly disappointed. I mean, we already have Tony Gwynn Jr.