Evaluating The MLB’s Top Contenders: Trade Deadline Needs/Potential Solutions (Brewers Edition)

on 07 5, 2009

With the MLB trade deadline looming, it’s time to take a look at each
contender’s needs and provide potential solutions for those needs. We
at Bareknucks.com will take a look at a few of the top teams in each
league, evaluate the weaknesses in each roster, and look at the
options available to strengthen those weaknesses.

Milwaukee Brewers:

The Brewers find themselves in one of the weaker divisions in the MLB.
The Cubs and Cardinals seem to have the talent to make a run at the NL
Central crown, but both have had tough-luck seasons. Because of this
Milwaukee is right at the top of the Central record-wise, but even the
die-hard Brewers fans know they don’t have the pitching talent to make
any noise come October. With an offense certainly not lacking in power
and speed, an acquisition of a solid starter to compliment Yovani
Gallardo’s nasty stuff would turn the Brewers into serious contenders.
The National League in general is wide open. Aside from the Dodgers,
no team has managed to establish itself as a real threat to run away
with anything. Coming into the season there were trade rumors
surrounding the Brewers’ Prince Fielder and San Francisco’s Matt Cain.
In retrospect it’s a shame neither team was able to pull the trigger.
A trade like that would have really helped both clubs. However, the
deal was never done, leaving Milwaukee without a dependable starter
outside of Gallardo. Matt Cain’s emergence as one of the National
League’s best pitchers make it unlikely that either team will even
consider revisiting talks regarding the deal, forcing the Brewers to
look elsewhere to fill the void left by C.C. Sabathia’s departure
following last year’s surprising playoff appearance. Gallardo is still
young and untested and Manny Parra is in desperate need of a veteran
presence for guidance. Looking at the Boston Red Sox’s young pitching
star Clay Buchholz’s situation following last year’s disappointing
performance for a moment, it’s easy to see how much an established
veteran can impact a young developing player. While John Smoltz
rehabbed with Buchholz in the minors prior to his debut with Boston,
Clay picked the brain of the future Hall of Famer and is now finding
noticeable success in AAA and is due to make another appearance in the
big leagues sometime around August. The Brewers would be wise to try
something similar. A veteran presence could do wonders for not only
Parra, but Gallardo as well. Closer Trevor Hoffman could be looked
upon for that, but he is obviously not making an attempt to do so.
Luckily for Milwaukee, there is an unsigned veteran who could provide
exactly what they need just waiting to get another chance to pitch.

Possible solution: That guy waiting to pitch is none other than Pedro
Martinez. At this point Pedro is not looking for a huge deal, he just
wants a chance to pitch. Acquiring Martinez would allow the Brewers to
hold on to their young talent and still gain a solid starting pitcher.
Martinez pitched well in the 2009 World Baseball Classic, throwing
three scoreless innings against the Netherlands despite his Dominican
Republic’s 3-2 loss. Martinez threw 31 of his 39 pitches for strikes,
striking out four and only allowing a bunt single. There’s no reason
why this guy shouldn’t be given a chance in the majors this season,
especially given the Brewers’ circumstances. The best option at this
point would be to sign Pedro, who was one of the most dominant
pitchers of our era in his prime with the Boston Red Sox, to an
incentive-laden contract with only an average amount of guaranteed
money. Although Pedro is certainly not the pitcher he once was, he
can’t be any worse of an option than Suppan, Looper, or McClung. Not
to mention the potential effect he can have on the young guys like
Gallardo and Parra. Brewers General Manager Doug Melvin has already
confirmed reports that he has looked into Martinez, so this seems like
a no-brainer for both sides.

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