jeffy

Hardy will not be eligible for the postseason roster, should Milwaukee make a run in September. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/laugh.gif 12 games out with 32 to play, I don't think this is really an issue.

Whatever the reason, they got what could be considered undeserved MLB service time on the front end. So, in Hardy's case, they are just sort of making up for that now.

Except, with Soup, it is quite obvious that performance has nothing to do with a starting job and salary has everything to do with it. So Hardy being in AAA doesn't make sense in the way you say it does. No, as has been stated, Suppan's status has to do with lack of viable alternatives. Until he becomes the 13th best pitcher that the Brewer have, he belongs on the roster. Until he becomes the 6th best starter, he should remain a starter.

I'm guessing he is not stupid enough to not show up, as I assume it would mean not collecting millions in pay next season. Instead, he'll be there trying to prove that he deserves the SS job over Escobar. The team has the right to send him down, what is he going to grieve? Dear MLBPA: I was having a bad year and my team sent me down to AAA. I think this was really mean and not very nice, as it will mean I have to wait a whole extra year before I am a free agent. Meanwhile they are only paying me millions per year to play. Is there anything you can do about this horrible, horrible treatment I have been subjected to? Sincerely, James J. Hardy

Hardly, he got himself into this situation via his poor performance. There is some bad luck involved too, in that they have a viable alternative. It is about time this club stopped treating guys like Hardy, Hart, and Weeks as if they had some inalienable right to a spot on the major league roster.

In the pregame they said all the pitchers bowled with their opposite hand.

I think that is the only realistic "leash" that there can be. If we were to have 5 better starters, he could become the long reliever.

The Brewers can not afford to operate in the way teams like the Red Sox do. Where are these dozens of better options? They sure are not in the Brewer's system. He is making $12 million. If they release him and hire someone at, say, $1 million, then they will be devoting $13 million to that position. Do you think there is a certain upgrade available for even $1 million? Besides even if there is, it would still make sense to retain Suppan, since they have to pay him anyway. As you point out yourself the lack of depth is a problem. The money has nothing to do with the decision to keep him or not, the available payroll is reduced by $12 million whether they keep him or not. Essentially all of that money is spent either way. Let's say the Brewers target a $90 million payroll for 2010. About $35 million of that is already spent on Suppan, Hall, Fielder, Braun, Riske and a few guys that are at MLB minimum and pretty sure to be desireable to keep. So the question is what is the best use of the remaining $55 million. Even if they can afford 11 pitchers that are better options than Suppan and fill out the rest of the roster for that $55 million, Suppan still makes sense as the 12th best pitcher at no additional cost. More precisely they could deal Suppan and another team would presumably pay a portion of his salary that equals his current true worth. This would mean they would have an amount that is equal to Suppan's true worth to go and get someone else. What reason is there to think that the money would buy anyone better?

At the time the team was going to have Hall and Hardy in the infield. What difference would it make to the team which played ss and which played 3b? Anyway, the real point was just bafflement at the comment someone made that Hardy's problems were the result of the Brewers mistreatment of him. Bill Hall is really the only guy who could have made that claim. As you point out he was more deserving of a spot in the IF than several of the favored stars from Huntsville. Even before he sucked, he was always the odd man out.

I do like the idea of getting a pitcher named Bastardo. If he is good, great. If not, there is fun to be had with that name. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif

If anything, the Brewers have given too many from this group of players, that were supposed to save the franchise, the idea that they are entitled to a position (JJ Hardy, Corey Hart, Rickie Weeks). Maybe there were good reasons for doing this, but only Braun and Fielder have really shown that they deserved it. What justification was there, at the time, for taking SS away from Hall? Why wasn't Hardy pushed over to 3rd base or traded, instead?

That is the normal way it works for small market teams, isn't it? They trade the guys who become too expensive to sign for prospects. Seems like the Brewers have not really done that, though. With Carlos Lee, instead they included Cruz in the deal and got Julian Cordero (was he a legitimate prospect). So is the assumption that the Brewers have changed their thinking since then?

because the Brewers have good infield depth but no pitching depth Exactly, it would be idiotic to release Suppan for nothing and eat his salary, when his roster would be filled by someone worse from AAA, as was the case while he was on the DL.

http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/laugh.gif No chance the Cardinals would give up Jason LaRue's in exchange, I suppose? We could sure use that to give somone a Yount-esque look on the next retro Friday.

Well the other article also says: Brewers general manager Doug Melvin, however, is disinclined to make trades during the August waiver period, believing that he cannot receive adequate returns. But what do you expect him to say. Obviously he should not trade them if the alternative is better, the McCalvy article also says: Melvin may be more inclined to hold his free agents, offer some or all of them arbitration after the season and then either bring them back for 2010 or reap Draft compensation should they sign elsewhere.

But who is this guy with no mustache that they are calling Doug Melvin http://msn.foxsports.com/id/9985086_36_2.jpg I guess this means they are officially announcing that they are giving up on this season.

I did not stay up after the ninth (thank goodness), but I think the more obvious place to criticize Macha was back in the 5th. They had planned on an 80 pitch limit for Suppan, but instead of sticking to that, when Suppan had struggled the whole time, he sent him out in the 5th to give away one extra run. He could have double switched with Cat (since doing it with Kendall would be unthinkable) even though Rock said "it's a little too early for a double switch". Really "too early" what difference does it make if you double switch or use a pinch hitter. Either way you have used up one bench guy. Was it really critical to keep Cat in there? (not to mention Kendall) Macha's choice for 3rd base coach is also a very questionable decision. Why does that guy still have a job?

Yeah, I'd like to see a replay, but it looked like Counsell was several feet from 2nd when he got the ball.

Cameron's defense can make all pitchers better as well as the other two outfielders. I suppose some will be happier with some hack who stands on the warning track and scoops up singles that would be outs with Cameron.

So not one GM in MLB will see Hardy's "true worth", yet you can?

How about 10 and $250 million?(or maybe $253 million, to break the record)

Probably the truth is simply that lefties get more time and opportunities to develop.

I am not sure why the BP felt the need to deface an entirely good ball though A new major league ball is worth, what?, $9...so after being signed by our bullpen it's worth probably $3.95. The guy should have said "just have Hoffman sign it, the rest of you keep your worthless names off it". http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

The Brewers were not that far off on the annual amount, $20 million vs. the Yankees $24 million. But no way could they match the years. Maybe they'd even have been willing to give him the $100 million over 4 years, but I doubt he'd have wanted to sign for 3 fewer guaranteed years, despite Braun's comments.

Yeah, that makes sense, since had they kept him and paid him the $500K buyout, he'd then be free to collect a salary for playing for any other team during that season (2011). Much too early to conclude that the trade has turned things around for him, of course, but Hall has 4 hits in 9 ABs as a Mariner.