On Remaining FA Pitching and "Going in a Different Direction"

ha!

From that list you’d be looking for someone who has a good chance of being better than those two this year. I’m not seing too many on that list.

Randy Wolf? I’ve heard talk of multi-year deals for him, which doesn’t make sense from a team’s perspective. If he’d sign for a year…?

Jason Jennings? If he’d sign cheap with incentives for one year, and hope he comes back from the surgery. But you can say the same thing about Capuano, so I don’t see him as much of an upgrade.

Chuck James as a reclamation project?

Would John Lieber work cheap for a year?

Those are for possible, but much-less-than-attractive options (I mean that in a baseball sense, since I’ve always found John Lieber oddly beguiling). The rest of that list looks pretty toxic to me.

Wow, is it just me or did you think Livan Hernandez was older than 34? It seems like he’s been around since the early 80s. He looks like he’s 51. And he throws like he’s pushing 60.

As Capuano, Yovani, Sheets (still 31 starts) all missed time last year, we would be in serious trouble.

We could start seeing Trevor as a starter not our closer. Last year going into spring training I think we had 7 SPs… and let go of Vargas- and still had to trade for a starter and move a bullpen arm to a starting position for part of the season (McClung).

The only arm we could potentially convert would be villenueva this year… if another injury occurs then what? A below average pitcher from AAA?

One of these guys you listed will have to be added… but I dont want multi year deals with any of these guys, only if there is perhaps an incentive laden deal.

Livan Hernandez probably is older, like Alou, but just didn’t report it so he could get to the majors faster…

He’s projecting to be just about equal to the other O. Perez

As the second post states, are any of these pitchers actually better than Capuano, Villanueva, or McClung? Yes, possibly, but are they worth the cost? (I’m afraid that some of these may not even be better than Mark DiFelice in the rotation, to be honest.)

At this time, I’d say the Brewers are better off looking for minor league free agents or major league FAs willing to take a minor league or split contract so there are better alternatives at AAA than the 4 guys who got NRIs for this spring.

Sign Pedro and Clemens and spend the rest of the payroll building a three-seated time machine back to the late 90s for them and Hoffman.

are here.

But also see here.

Or Ken Macha as a manager. Perhaps he feels put off by the Brewers not really talking to him about coming back.

Ben Sheets is a pitcher. He could have phrased it better, but what he means is that he wants to see fewer baseballs going in different directions.

“4-3 defense” suggests that Rickie Weeks successfully fields a routine grounder and Prince Fielder catches it.

“3-4 defense” suggests that Prince Fielder successfully fields a bunt and throws to somewhere near Rickie Weeks covering the bag.

I understand why he wants to play somewhere else. Maybe where Orlando Hudson signs.

BA changed the Ben Sheets money quote!

Free agent Ben Sheets appears to be headed in a different direction but the door is never closed until he is signed.

Sneaky sneaky sneaky!

I think the Crew may need to trade for a #2 guy. I like Greinke.