Brewer FAs after 2008

If they take some of that 16 million and the 11 Sheets is making this year and resign Sabathia I’ll be a happy panda with Sabathia/Gallardo/Bush/Parra/Place Holder for Jeffress in 2010. And if they can rid themselves of Jeff Suppan for even a non-prospect I’ll be an ecstatic panda.

Dillard and DiFelice would be cheaper mediocre arms. Stetter too.

Resigning Shouse, if he doesn’t retire that is.

When you sign someone of Suppan’s age and talent to that kind of contract, if he gives you four years of an ERA under 5, you’ve won the bet.

He didn’t make it into Type B territory last year based on his 2006 and 2007 stats, and his numbers this year are worse than in 2006, so I don’t think he’ll move up.

Ray Durham was a Type B after last year, but again, his numbers so far in 2008 are way down in terms of home runs and such. Of course, Jeff Keppinger managed to become a Type B guy after last year despite about three months of playing time in two years, so who really knows. I suspect they weight batting average more than power when it comes to middle infielders, so Durham keeping that number near where it was in 2006 should help.

... I think you’re probably looking at at least 10 million in salary increases. Howard won his arbitration hearing last offseason and ended up with a 10 million dollar salary as a result. I believe Fielder’s arbitration eligible this offseason I don’t see any way he’ll make less than 8 million. If he puts on a huge burst to end the season and tops 40HRs (yes please!) he might even approach Howard’s number, and clearly there’s little or no chance of an extension that might keep the number lower at this point. Even at 8 million, that’s 12.5 million added to the payroll from Fielder and Suppan alone. If they want to target Sabathia they’ll have to hope to cobble together a pen out of Torres, Villy, Riske, McClung, Stetter and a couple of minor leaguers they already control.

But even assuming that inexpensive approach to the pen there probably won’t be enough money left to have a legitimate shot at Sabathia. You can’t count on the notion that they’ll actually replace all the dollars they clear from the payroll. Financially they’re running in the red this year (short of a WS appearance according to Attanasio), so if they clear 46 million with the contracts that are ending, they might only put 36 million back on the payroll with other players, which would still put the payroll at about 80 million. Of he 36 million they might have to play with, 12 million (or more) will be accounted for by Suppan and Fielder. If Counsell’s option is picked up the other holes they’ll have to fill (backup infielder, a 4th OF) which would, at a minimum, cost about 1.5 million with low payroll guys the equivalent of Kapler and Dillon for a total of 5 million to fill out the bench, if the goal is to try to keep enough payroll clear to make a run at CC. Even if you Ignore for a moment the more modest increases for a handful of other players, Fielder, Suppan and the Bench have just eaten up about 17 million of the perhaps 36 million they have to play with, leaving 19 million you can throw at Sabathia for next season, which probably isn’t enough. With the increases that the younger players are likely to get, the amount left over for a potential Sabathia deal is probably closer to 15 or 16 million which isn’t going to be close to what he ends up getting. They’d have a better shot of landing Sheets, but not much.

There may be things I’m missing and my numbers may be off, but the only way we’ve got a shot at Sabathia is if Attanasio breaks his historical trend of tying payroll to revenue and commits to funneling outside cash into the operation for the next several years. I just don’t see that happening.

He was a second baseman until this year and would make it as a fifth outfielder who happened to also play second. He can’t play short.