The Sports Nut
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Sabathia, Part II?
Who will be Milwaukee's midseason messiah in 2009?
by Howie Magner | Monday 6/29/2009
Messiahs, apparently, don't come around too often. I think I remember that from Sunday school. Or was it a line from the movie Dogma...?
Anyway, it's true, and it's certainly not restricted to religion. Which is why Milwaukee Brewers fans shouldn't get overly excited about the upcoming trade deadline.
Yes, Mark Attanasio has said that the Brewers can be buyers instead of sellers on the trade market this season. But just what will they be able to buy?
The Brew Crew already had one midseason messiah come through town last year, when CC Sabathia singlehandedly pitched Milwaukee into the playoffs for the first time since 1982. But now, the fan base seems spoiled.
With the Sabathia trade so fresh in everyone’s mind, there’s this pervading idea that the Brewers can simply snap their fingers and the next savior will appear. Apparently, all GM Doug Melvin has to do is make a phone call and – presto! – Roy Halladay’s on the next plane, and he’s bringing the ghost of Cy Young with him.
Folks, it ain’t that simple. And while it’s easy to see that the Brewers need pitching help, there’s nothing easy about getting it, especially at the level that Sabathia provided.
First off, exactly who is this season’s Sabathia? The answer is nobody. Barring some seriously unforeseen developments, there simply isn’t a pitcher of his caliber available this summer.
Yeah, Jake Peavy had the chance to be Sabathia 2.0, but he’s pretty much done for the season with an injury. Halladay? With Toronto contending, and having him under contract for another season, he won’t be going anywhere. And if you don’t believe me, believe Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi, who just happened to say recently, “I don’t see him going anywhere.”
The only two potential aces who might be available are Seattle’s Erik Bedard and Cleveland’s Cliff Lee, both of whom are still a notch below Sabathia in terms of talent. But Bedard has been hurt, and there’s no guarantee he’ll be healthy the rest of the way. And the Indians have a $9 million option on Lee for next season, which means someone will have to blow them away with an offer.
Problem is, Milwaukee probably can’t blow anyone away this season. A year ago, the Brewers had an embarrassment of riches in their farm system. That’s why they could make Matt LaPorta the centerpiece of the Sabathia deal, and still throw in a few more impressive prospects for good measure. This year, Milwaukee is merely well off in the minors. Moreover, Melvin has said it’s “almost impossible” that he’ll trade top prospects Alcides Escobar and Mat Gamel.
So what bullets does Milwaukee have left? With Escobar waiting in the wings, shortstop J.J. Hardy is surely available. But when you’re batting .220, your trade value isn’t exactly high. Corey Hart’s name has been bandied about, and for a guy who made the All-Star team last season, his inconsistency is maddening. He also doesn’t appear destined for a long-term contract here. But the Brewers don’t have a clear replacement, and like Hardy, Hart’s value has dipped.
Seeing a supply and demand problem here? In a nutshell, there isn’t a lot to trade for, and Brewers don’t have a lot to offer. That’s not a recipe for bringing the next Sabathia-like savior to Milwaukee.
I fully expect Melvin to make a deal before the trade deadline. I just don’t expect it’ll be a major one. Maybe the Brewers can pick up a Doug Davis/Felipe Lopez combo from Arizona, or perhaps they’ll snag Jarrod Washburn from Seattle. And perhaps those guys can contribute to a playoff run.
But if anyone’s waiting for the next messiah to show up, they’ll be wandering in the desert for a while.
Brewers' Minor Concerns
Want more proof on how hard it’ll be for the Brewers to acquire an impact player this summer? Look how the team couldn't put a deal together for slugging utility man Mark DeRosa, but the St. Louis Cardinals could. Now Milwaukee can only hope he won't come back to haunt them.
On the surface, it appears the Cards got DeRosa at a good price, swapping him for middle reliever Chris Perez and a player to be named later. The Cards had touted Perez as a future closer, but he'd only managed a 4.18 ERA this season. We don't know how good that mystery player will be, though Brewers assistant general manager Gord Ash thinks he'll be pretty good.
The most telling of Ash's comments is this: "They didn't feel like we had the type of players they were looking for," Ash said of the Indians. And since Cleveland wanted young, major league-ready pitching, it's further proof that Milwaukee's minor league system is bereft of quality young arms.
Moreover, that situation wasn't helped by the 100-game suspension of Jeremy Jeffress, who's supposed to be Milwaukee's best pitching prospect.
But after testing positive for a "drug of abuse" again, baseball shouldn't be atop his priority list anymore; getting clean should be. And at this point, the Brewers have to be thinking that anything they get out of Jeffress down the road will be an unexpected surprise.
The Journal Sentinel's Tom Haudricourt takes a closer look at Milwaukee's pitching prospect problems and ranks Milwaukee's top 10 future hopefuls.
Bucks Developments
I'm late to the party on the Milwaukee Bucks' draft analysis. And frankly, I don't know if first-round pick Brandon Jennings is closer to Chris Paul or Mrs. Paul.
The math at Bucks Diary (a top-notch Bucks blog) doesn’t seem to bode well, but Jennings does look impressive on video. Go to the 1:02 mark of this clip and watch Jennings turn into Curly Neal. And I still think GM John Hammond is doing an excellent job of remaking the team.
But while I can’t predict how good an NBA player Jennings will be, here’s what I do know about the newest Milwaukee Buck: He needs to hire some good PR folks. And fast. Because this type of image (warning: the link leads to some offensive language) is not going to fly very well in Milwaukee. Naive or not, straight-laced Midwestern cities don't like to think of their athletes using words like this.
I know Jennings may not have known that this thing was a conversation that would go public. I also know the kid’s only 19, and when you’re 19, you’ve got a lot of growing up to do. But some people hide that fact better than others, and Jennings hasn’t quite learned how to do that yet.
The good news is, there’s still time for him to change. But not much of it. You have to grow up fast in the NBA, and if nothing else, this incident should drive that point home quite clearly.
On a different Bucks note, this just in: Milwaukee's a tough sell to NBA free agents.
Sports Illustrated's Steve Aschburner ranked every NBA team according to it’s ability to attract free agents. Milwaukee came in 27th out of 30 teams, though Aschburner did characterize Milwaukee as “vastly underrated.” So we’ve got that going for us.
But the Bucks won’t have Charlie Villanueva going for them. After the Bucks declined to make a qualifying offer, he’ll be tweeting for someone else next season.
Soccer Moment
Everybody's talking about soccer.
Well, a handful of people.
OK, three guys at a cable access studio in Kenosha. And they just scored an interview with Alexi Lalas.
But allow me to be a fourth voice.
You don't have to appreciate soccer to appreciate what the U.S. National Team did last week. It beat the top-ranked team in the world – a 2-0 win over Spain - and was 45 minutes from beating the most storied team in the world, holding a 2-0 halftime lead before losing 3-2 to Brazil.
It all bodes well for next year’s World Cup, when a few more Americans will actually care what happens.
No Wrigley Witnesses
Sad news to report from the world of television. Besides the death of... (insert your favorite recently departed celebrity here... I'll go with comedian and master impressionist Fred Travalena, who was Frank Caliendo before Frank Caliendo was born)
Last week, I told Brewers fans about the History Channel's "Life After People" episode in which you get a front-row seat for the destruction of Wrigley Field. I also mentioned that the episode was scheduled to air again on June 30 at 10 p.m.
Well, apparently the History Channel has changed its mind, replacing the Chicago episode with a rerun of an episode about the destruction of Las Vegas. (Maybe one of the schedulers lost a lot of money at the Luxor and this is his personal vengeance.) This page, which last week touted the June 30 airing, now says there are no airings in the next two weeks. And for some reason, the History Channel hasn't made the Chicago episode available online.
In fact, about the closest you can get to the destruction of Wrigley now is this photo gallery, which has a few shots of the overgrown ballpark. But I'll check back periodically, and if I spy a rerun or see that they've put the episode online, I'll let you know.
But here's the good news, Brewers fans: You might not be able to see Wrigley's demolition, but you can still watch the Cubs self-destruct.
And apparently, when you’re in Romans’, the thing to do is drink. At least that’s the word from Bar Time.
Also, tune in every Tuesday morning at 6:25 when I join Doug Russell and Mike Wickett on SportsRadio 1250 AM for Tuesdays with Howie. You can also find the segments in their Audio Vault.
Messiahs, apparently, don't come around too often. I think I remember that from Sunday school. Or was it a line from the movie Dogma...?
Anyway, it's true, and it's certainly not restricted to religion. Which is why Milwaukee Brewers fans shouldn't get overly excited about the upcoming trade deadline.
Yes, Mark Attanasio has said that the Brewers can be buyers instead of sellers on the trade market this season. But just what will they be able to buy?
The Brew Crew already had one midseason messiah come through town last year, when CC Sabathia singlehandedly pitched Milwaukee into the playoffs for the first time since 1982. But now, the fan base seems spoiled.
With the Sabathia trade so fresh in everyone’s mind, there’s this pervading idea that the Brewers can simply snap their fingers and the next savior will appear. Apparently, all GM Doug Melvin has to do is make a phone call and – presto! – Roy Halladay’s on the next plane, and he’s bringing the ghost of Cy Young with him.
Folks, it ain’t that simple. And while it’s easy to see that the Brewers need pitching help, there’s nothing easy about getting it, especially at the level that Sabathia provided.
First off, exactly who is this season’s Sabathia? The answer is nobody. Barring some seriously unforeseen developments, there simply isn’t a pitcher of his caliber available this summer.
Yeah, Jake Peavy had the chance to be Sabathia 2.0, but he’s pretty much done for the season with an injury. Halladay? With Toronto contending, and having him under contract for another season, he won’t be going anywhere. And if you don’t believe me, believe Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi, who just happened to say recently, “I don’t see him going anywhere.”
The only two potential aces who might be available are Seattle’s Erik Bedard and Cleveland’s Cliff Lee, both of whom are still a notch below Sabathia in terms of talent. But Bedard has been hurt, and there’s no guarantee he’ll be healthy the rest of the way. And the Indians have a $9 million option on Lee for next season, which means someone will have to blow them away with an offer.
Problem is, Milwaukee probably can’t blow anyone away this season. A year ago, the Brewers had an embarrassment of riches in their farm system. That’s why they could make Matt LaPorta the centerpiece of the Sabathia deal, and still throw in a few more impressive prospects for good measure. This year, Milwaukee is merely well off in the minors. Moreover, Melvin has said it’s “almost impossible” that he’ll trade top prospects Alcides Escobar and Mat Gamel.
So what bullets does Milwaukee have left? With Escobar waiting in the wings, shortstop J.J. Hardy is surely available. But when you’re batting .220, your trade value isn’t exactly high. Corey Hart’s name has been bandied about, and for a guy who made the All-Star team last season, his inconsistency is maddening. He also doesn’t appear destined for a long-term contract here. But the Brewers don’t have a clear replacement, and like Hardy, Hart’s value has dipped.
Seeing a supply and demand problem here? In a nutshell, there isn’t a lot to trade for, and Brewers don’t have a lot to offer. That’s not a recipe for bringing the next Sabathia-like savior to Milwaukee.
I fully expect Melvin to make a deal before the trade deadline. I just don’t expect it’ll be a major one. Maybe the Brewers can pick up a Doug Davis/Felipe Lopez combo from Arizona, or perhaps they’ll snag Jarrod Washburn from Seattle. And perhaps those guys can contribute to a playoff run.
But if anyone’s waiting for the next messiah to show up, they’ll be wandering in the desert for a while.
Brewers' Minor Concerns
Want more proof on how hard it’ll be for the Brewers to acquire an impact player this summer? Look how the team couldn't put a deal together for slugging utility man Mark DeRosa, but the St. Louis Cardinals could. Now Milwaukee can only hope he won't come back to haunt them.
On the surface, it appears the Cards got DeRosa at a good price, swapping him for middle reliever Chris Perez and a player to be named later. The Cards had touted Perez as a future closer, but he'd only managed a 4.18 ERA this season. We don't know how good that mystery player will be, though Brewers assistant general manager Gord Ash thinks he'll be pretty good.
The most telling of Ash's comments is this: "They didn't feel like we had the type of players they were looking for," Ash said of the Indians. And since Cleveland wanted young, major league-ready pitching, it's further proof that Milwaukee's minor league system is bereft of quality young arms.
Moreover, that situation wasn't helped by the 100-game suspension of Jeremy Jeffress, who's supposed to be Milwaukee's best pitching prospect.
The Journal Sentinel's Tom Haudricourt takes a closer look at Milwaukee's pitching prospect problems and ranks Milwaukee's top 10 future hopefuls.
Bucks Developments
I'm late to the party on the Milwaukee Bucks' draft analysis. And frankly, I don't know if first-round pick Brandon Jennings is closer to Chris Paul or Mrs. Paul.
The math at Bucks Diary (a top-notch Bucks blog) doesn’t seem to bode well, but Jennings does look impressive on video. Go to the 1:02 mark of this clip and watch Jennings turn into Curly Neal. And I still think GM John Hammond is doing an excellent job of remaking the team.
But while I can’t predict how good an NBA player Jennings will be, here’s what I do know about the newest Milwaukee Buck: He needs to hire some good PR folks. And fast. Because this type of image (warning: the link leads to some offensive language) is not going to fly very well in Milwaukee. Naive or not, straight-laced Midwestern cities don't like to think of their athletes using words like this.
I know Jennings may not have known that this thing was a conversation that would go public. I also know the kid’s only 19, and when you’re 19, you’ve got a lot of growing up to do. But some people hide that fact better than others, and Jennings hasn’t quite learned how to do that yet.
The good news is, there’s still time for him to change. But not much of it. You have to grow up fast in the NBA, and if nothing else, this incident should drive that point home quite clearly.
On a different Bucks note, this just in: Milwaukee's a tough sell to NBA free agents.
Sports Illustrated's Steve Aschburner ranked every NBA team according to it’s ability to attract free agents. Milwaukee came in 27th out of 30 teams, though Aschburner did characterize Milwaukee as “vastly underrated.” So we’ve got that going for us.
But the Bucks won’t have Charlie Villanueva going for them. After the Bucks declined to make a qualifying offer, he’ll be tweeting for someone else next season.
Soccer Moment
Everybody's talking about soccer.
Well, a handful of people.
OK, three guys at a cable access studio in Kenosha. And they just scored an interview with Alexi Lalas.
But allow me to be a fourth voice.
You don't have to appreciate soccer to appreciate what the U.S. National Team did last week. It beat the top-ranked team in the world – a 2-0 win over Spain - and was 45 minutes from beating the most storied team in the world, holding a 2-0 halftime lead before losing 3-2 to Brazil.
It all bodes well for next year’s World Cup, when a few more Americans will actually care what happens.
No Wrigley Witnesses
Sad news to report from the world of television. Besides the death of... (insert your favorite recently departed celebrity here... I'll go with comedian and master impressionist Fred Travalena, who was Frank Caliendo before Frank Caliendo was born)
Last week, I told Brewers fans about the History Channel's "Life After People" episode in which you get a front-row seat for the destruction of Wrigley Field. I also mentioned that the episode was scheduled to air again on June 30 at 10 p.m.
Well, apparently the History Channel has changed its mind, replacing the Chicago episode with a rerun of an episode about the destruction of Las Vegas. (Maybe one of the schedulers lost a lot of money at the Luxor and this is his personal vengeance.) This page, which last week touted the June 30 airing, now says there are no airings in the next two weeks. And for some reason, the History Channel hasn't made the Chicago episode available online.
In fact, about the closest you can get to the destruction of Wrigley now is this photo gallery, which has a few shots of the overgrown ballpark. But I'll check back periodically, and if I spy a rerun or see that they've put the episode online, I'll let you know.
But here's the good news, Brewers fans: You might not be able to see Wrigley's demolition, but you can still watch the Cubs self-destruct.
And apparently, when you’re in Romans’, the thing to do is drink. At least that’s the word from Bar Time.
Also, tune in every Tuesday morning at 6:25 when I join Doug Russell and Mike Wickett on SportsRadio 1250 AM for Tuesdays with Howie. You can also find the segments in their Audio Vault.
1 Comment
I really like your column but the gray underlined links are hard to read.