Linebrink acquired for Inman/Garrison/Thatcher

[saget]

I've been gone in Colorado for the past week, and I haven't been able to see who we traded to get Linebrink.

 

When I saw the 3 minor league pitchers I had a feeling it would be Inman. Suck suck suck. My favorite minor league player gone.

 

What else is there to live for?

[logan82]

The Sexson trade got us some major league ready players that allowed us to keep our prospects in the minors one more year. Spivey was a place holder for Weeks, Counsell for JJ, and Overbay for Prince. Don't forget we also got Zack Jack and Gross in the Overbay trade. It wasn't a big fleecing, but bought us an extra year of our current core players.

[PeaveyFury]

Gah.... I wish we could have made three more trades like this. Our bullpen is a train wreck.

[RU Rah Rah]

I wouldn't be averse to trotting Linebrink out to close some games on the road, especially if CoCo is overworked.

[TooLiveBrew]

Linebrink has looked nothing short of impressive thus far. His release is fluid & looks effortless, his stuff has been quite lively, and adding him to an already impressive back-of-pen has taken a strength (bullpen) & turned it into an even better strength. Kudos to Melvin & Co. on their scouting here. Whatever problems he's had this year look to be completely correctable for Maddux & Castro. I completely disagree that our bullpen is a "train wreck." Perhaps some recent struggles, but there are a lot of teams that'd die to have our bullpen.

[PeaveyFury]

but there are a lot of teams that'd die to have our bullpen.

 

Name one team even reasonably close to a playoff race.

[Loopee]

Ummm... how about Detroit? Our Bullpen ERA is almost a full point lower than theirs.

 

We're also beating Philadelphia, Colorado, Los Angeles Angels, and the Cubs in Bullpen ERA.

 

Oh, and if you're a believer in WHIP, then our bullpen looks even better.

[TooLiveBrew]

Well, I never added that conditional, but you did...so:

 

Braves, probably the Phils, Cleveland, the Tigers' pen hasn't exactly been great. There are a few, not to mention the other many teams that'd inevitably be IN a playoff race if they had a pullpen as strong as ours. It's very easy to rag on the pen when they hit a rough patch, but by & large, our BP has been very strong. To call it a train-wreck is just laughable, but it certainly was one today!

 

EDIT: good points, loopee, but I tried to look at more than just ERA, hence my different list

[Loopee]

HAH, I've already added a WHIP list before your edit was up TLB!

 

Advantage Burns.

[TooLiveBrew]

Nicely done, loopee.

 

 

Impressive. You are powerful as the Emperor has forseen....

[Loopee]

On a side note, look at the K/9 list.

 

This thread is leading me to believe that our bullpen has been quite unlucky. We're top 5 in MLB in WHIP, K/9, and K/BB. However our ERA is middle of the pack. Perhaps one of the stat heads can back me up on this, but it looks to me that the bullpen has underperformed when compared with the performance we should be getting considering the secondary stats. Or am I missing something?

[PeaveyFury]

Fair enough, I'm glad to see they're doing well in the overall scheme of things. That said, how much of those rankings are due to the great hot start of the pen?

 

It might be considerably more valuable to see how they've done since June or July.

[TooLiveBrew]

so struggling for a small to moderate size of the season gives you the liscence to dub them a "train wreck?" That's what I reacted to. It's simply not a fair characterization of a stellar group of pitchers.

 

EDIT: Though I do agree that they've been worse after a lights-out start...

[imaji]

re: Linebrink, when a guy like Trevor Hoffman goes ballistic about losing him, there's a reason...and it's not just because they're "buddies". Sadly, I already trust him more than just about anyone not named Gallardo...

[PeaveyFury]

so struggling for a small to moderate size of the season gives you the liscence to dub them a "train wreck?"

Considering that I meant "train wreck right now", I think so.

 

Cordero is struggling, Wise is a mess, T-bow is incredibly hit or miss, Villy seems to have hit a wall. That leaves Parra who got rocked today, along with Spurling and Shouse in addition to the aforementioned Linebrink.

 

Yeah, I'd say that's not a good situation.

[TooLiveBrew]

Gah.... I wish we could have made three more trades like this. Our bullpen is a train wreck.

 

Nowhere in there does it say "right now."

[Fatter than Joey]

Nowhere in there does it say "right now."

 

I thought that PF implied that by calling it a "train-wreck". I don't think many contenders would want Wise, Villy, etc. pitching for them tomorrow -- I think that was the point PF was trying to make, and it was a very valid one.

[Point Beer Is Best]

IMO, the stats I'm worried about right now are not ERA or WHIP, although it's good to see we're still ok there. It's the blown Holds and blown Saves right now that are killing us.

[Ennder]

Small sample so far I know but so far he is 7 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 8 K, 1 HR, 1.29 WHIP, .573 OPS against.

 

It also seems plausible that he saves a very overworked bullpen that only seems to have two reliable arms on it other than Linebrink. The deal of course comes down to Inman vs draft picks for losing Linebrink but I'm glad we made the move. I feel if we win the division there can be an argument made that this trade is why it happened.

[aracko]

Linebrink should be able to close for us in the future. I think that had alot to do with our trading for him. He will come at a much lesser price than COCO.

[BrewCityUnit]

I would be very surprised if Linebrink was on the team next year. I think T-Bow is the closer if we lose Cordero.

[dadofandrew]

I would say his pricetag will be much lower than Cordero's, so Linebrink is much more likely to be around in '08.

[aracko]

Id bet Linebrink is signed to an extension before the season is even up.

[Fatter than Joey]

While I agree with AL, that Linebrink will be cheaper than Cordero -- and I agree with Ennder, if Linebrink is able to help keep our sinking BP together he will have been worth it, -- his overall stats do not scream "extension" to me.

[hauser42]

Linebrink has been what the doctor order I just wish he was being used in the 8th and T-Bow in the 7th.