Five Hundred and Fifty Nine
Dear Doug Melvin,
Hello. My name is not important. I am writing to try to convince, plead, beg, implore, and perhaps try some mixture of all of the above to PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE avoid mortaging the future of the Milwaukee Brewers by signing a high priced free agent just before the All-Star Break.
Roy Halladay is the first name you'll want to avoid. You see, everybody knows he's a great pitcher. And everybody knows that, in order to make a Halladay deal, the Milwaukee Brewers would have to give up either Mat Gamel or Alcides Escobar. Both of these prospects are crucial to our long-term success. Giving up either one for a rental would be a travesty.
Alcides Escobar is a better shortstop than JJ Hardy, no doubt. When you watch him, you see shades of Robin Yount and Ozzie Smith... and it's quite possible that my children will speak his name with the reverence that is reserved for the Younts and Smiths of baseball. And Mat Gamel will fit nicely in the 5-hole for years to come, slugging for power and playing perfectly adequate defense at third base.
Oh, sure, CC Sabathia pitched us into the playoffs last year, that's true. And sure, Matt LaPorta has not really panned out for the Indians. But there is NO REASON to expect the kind of pitching CC gave us from that day in June onwards from Roy Halladay. CC Sabathia has never equalled HIS OWN NUMBERS for that period of time! He had an insanely good half-season, one that will rarely be duplicated by anybody - and the odds of Halladay doing so are astronomically small. It's also ridiculous to compare LaPorta to Gamel, who has proven himself, or Escobar, who almost certainly will (and even if he doesn't, we still have JJ - unless we trade him... but more on that later).
No, what the Brewers need is somewhat more complex, yet much easier to acquire, given the makeup of our team. Let me explain.
Regarding pitching, there is no doubt that the Brewers could benefit from the acquisition of a reliable starting pitcher. However, there a bazillion names flying under the radar that would provide decent - not all-star, but decent - starts, guys better than the Suppans but worse than the Gallardos of the world. Look at Oakland's roster - Josh Outman and Dallas Braden might be available for a low price. The Minnesota Twins have six decent starting pitchers ready to rock - but desperately need a shortstop. Trade Hardy! The Arizona Diamondbacks are planning their future around Dan Haren, but might make Jon Garland or (ironically) Doug Davis available. My personal favorite idea to explore would be the acquisition of the perennially overlooked Javier "Javy" Vasquez from the Atlanta Braves, who I loved when he was a White Sox and who continues to impress. Any of these, or many others, would be more than adequate to restore our starting rotation to what it was until Parra's wackiness and Bush's injury: one of the top as measured by ERA and WHIP in the National League. Yes, it was that good. It's true. Look it up.
(By the way, I know how Pedro Martinez hurt your feelings by refusing outright to sign with a team in such a backwater area of the country. Well, some people just don't understand what a great city Milwaukee is! But honestly, Doug, you might want to consider having a few more Latinos on the roster. Yo grew up in Texas, so he barely even counts. Think about it.)
Let's get hypothetical. There's a chance, as negative as it sounds, that Dave Bush is done for the season. But on the other hand, Manny Parra seems to be truly on top of things, badder than ever. Imagine this, then, after a trade for Javy Vasquez from the Braves:
1. Gallardo 2. Vasquez 3. Parra 4. Looper 5. Suppan.
That is actually a BETTER starting rotation than the very good one we began 2009 with. We don't need Halladay to play October baseball, Mr. Melvin.
But that's not all. The Brewers, for all their home run power, somewhat lack basic hitting skills. Of course, I am not denigrating home runs! I'll take more of either. There are plenty of potential sluggers out there, such as Adam Dunn of the Nationals or Mark Reynolds of the Diamondbacks. The Diamondbacks are a youth movement, but I'm sure we could try prying Reynolds away. Adam Dunn is my favorite option; if we could go back to April and sub his 23 homers for Hart's 9, then we already win an extra two or three games thus far, and we'd be tied for 5th in all of baseball in home runs hit with the Tampa Bay Rays. The Nationals want to become a speedier, better defending team - offer Hart and a medium prospect for Dunn. Sure, we've scored the 4th most runs in the NL, and have the 6th best on-base pct.. But we can have more, without sacrificing ANYTHING except a slight decline in corner defense. Corey Hart, JJ Hardy, Casey McGehee, and several of our young borderline major league pitchers are all great chips we can use to trade for a real powerhouse slugger.
Still not convinced it's the hitting that needs upgrading? Maybe this hypothetical lineup against right-handed Cubs starter Carlos Zambrano will help illustrate what I'm saying, after a hypothetical Hart-plus-prospect for Adam Dunn swap:
1. Counsell (2b)
2. Cameron (cf)
3. Braun (lf)
4. Fielder (1b)
5. Dunn (rf)
6. Gamel (3b)
7. Hardy... or Escobar! (ss)
8. Kendall (c)
9. (p)
That's murderer's row from 2 through 6! And what if Ricky Weeks comes back next year, swinging like he did at the start of 2009? That's not more rain you hear falling, so don't worry about the basement flooding; that's the sound of Brewers Nation SALIVATING.
Well, Doug, I hope that some of that has made a difference in your tactical and strategic strategy before the trade deadline. That's about the best I can present my case, Mr. Melvin. I hope it has not fallen on deaf ears.
You can write back to me if you wish, but my preferred method for you to respond to this letter would be better accomplished by making a few phone calls. Thank you for your time. Go Brewers!
Sincerely,
Anonymous