No Moves, Whew

Although I'm going to suffer through another series of Claudio Vargas 5th inning blow ups, I'm pleased the Brewers didn't make any major moves ... their certainly were a bunch of silly ones this time around.

It would have been nice to get a pitcher who would be sticking around through next season, the real season the Brewers should be building for. However, nothing major is good, this off season needs to be spent addressing the pitching and/or conditioning of the arms here already.

Also, no need to ever worry about Cincy as long as Dusty Baker is there ... though you should already know that.

Tough Day for Suppan

5.1 IP, 10 R, 10 H, 4 BB vs. the worst team in the league

The Hold Steady

It's increasingly difficult to watch the Brewers lurch their way through the season, so I think the only winning move re: the trade deadline is not to play.

Recall that prior to the season, the predictions and regression analysis all spotted the team to hover around .500 through the season unless a handful of hitters have career years. Fielder is obviously on that pace, Weeks was until the injury, but Braun, Hardy, and Hart have diminished numbers compared to this point last year. The rotation is fraying and the bullpen has been hit or miss … I don't think this is going to be the year.

I recommend putting on a brave face for the rest of the season and let the Cubs & Cardinals, who have obviously sold the farm for success this season. Both teams seem to be snakebitten with injuries, so I'm not suggesting the Brewers are entirely out of playoff picture, but drastically overpaying for a starting pitcher for two months of service (or a season + two months in Halladay's case) does not appear to be a smart strategy. 90 wins could win the division, but the moment the Cards or Cubs figure it out, it will be 95.

The Brewers can get more worth from Gamel, Escobar, Hardy, or Weeks in the offseason (the Phillies did the right thing in rejecting the Jays' proposal). With a little luck, the Brewers can spin the excess hitters for solid, if unspectacular, starters and cajole Parra to get his head on straight. I think signing a starting pitcher is within the realm of possibility. Here are the pitchers available by trade or signing after the season if things stay static the next week:

Halladay (one year left on deal w/ Toronto)
Peavy (returned from injury, signed through 2012)
Bedard (injured, FA after this season)
Cliff Lee (FA)
Webb (FA)
Doug Davis (FA)
Harden (FA, if you can stomach it)
Millwood (FA)
Penny (FA)

That's a lot of pitchers seemingly available after 2009. Sign/trade for one of these guys, and that's a solid rotation, fuse new middle relievers in and that's a very good lineup for 2010 … but only if the urge to make moves is tamped down this week.

A Quick One

Rough one today, but at least the Brewers one two of three from the Mets ... thus adding to their misery.

Just wanted to post this image drawn by Robert Ullman ... no doubt you've seen his work before, but he has an excellent blog where he offers up doodles, finished products, and whatever he wants. Check it out and support his work ... yesterday he drew one about some other state legend Brent or something.