Suppan: Melvin’s First Bad Signing?
It may be a bit premature to label Jeff Suppan a total failure at this point, but there is no way he can be classified as one of Doug Melvin’s shrewd moves. This man is making $42 million, which even for the new Attanasio-backed Brewers is a lot of money. We are simply not getting a good return on our investment. I said it before, and I will say it again. The guaranteed contract is the worst thing about MLB’s free agency. There is no way to hold a guy like Suppan accountable once he takes the money. He goes out there and throws meatballs over the plate. The bottom line is he is not getting the job done. I cannot say anything bad about Doug Melvin. Almost every one of his moves thus far has been a resounding success. But even the best sometimes make mistakes, and signing Suppan may prove to be a big one.
Speaking of shrewd moves, today the Brewers traded three minor leaguers to the San Diego Padres for Scott Linebrink, one of the better set-up guys out there. Now if you read this blog, you know that I have very mixed feelings when it comes to Derrick Turnblow. The guy is as likely to mow down the opposition with fastballs as he is to walk the bases loaded and then give up a grand slam. So getting a guy who is a bit more dependable is fine. However, at this point we are down our ace starter (Sheets), and basically another if you go by Suppan’s numbers since June which show that he is the opposite of a stopper. I don’t know how many more outings like this the Brewers can take before they send him to the pen. I know that is a drastic move for a guy making that much money, but the team comes first. Right now, a Suppan start equals a Brewers loss.
Note: Dare I say it? The lead is now down to 2. Count ‘em One…Two… There are six more days for the Brewers to prove me correct (unfortunately) and lose the NL Central lead before August. What do you think that post might read like?