Well Now What Brewers Fans?

As the free agents start flying off the shelves like iPads at an Apple store, I can’t help but wonder about what we will do next.  It is clear that we need to add pitching depth, that has been the teams number one concern for the past two seasons.  It is also pretty clear that we are going to try and bring back Counsell and Capuano, but what if we can’t get Capuano back?  Here is how I project the starting rotation with what we have as of today: 1) Yovani Gallardo  2) Shaun Marcum  3) ??????????  4) Randy Wolf  5) Chris Narveson

Here is what I want to know from you, the real fans.  What should we do to fill that remaining spot in the rotation?  I have never tried to open a discussion before, so this is a first time for me.  Please let me know what you think we should do?  Post your ideas in the comments section.  I am very anxious to see what you all think.

These are 3 options that I think are possible, yet not necessarily probable.

• We make a trade for Matt Garza
• Let Manny Parra and Mark Rogers fight it out
• Sign one of the remaining FA’s on the board

Garza — If Doug Melvin is not on the phone right now with the GM of the Rays, we should all be upset.  The Rays have made it very clear that they are looking to move Garza.  Now maybe their asking price is going to be a little bit higher than we would like, but why wouldn’t we want to add this kid.  This is a young kid, who already averages 7 K’s per game and only 3 walks.  Not to mention the fact that he has thrown more than 180 innings in each of his last three years in Tampa Bay.  We need a guy like this to take some of the pressure off of Yovani and the newly acquired Marcum.  He also has 3 years of club control left, so unless the Rays asking price is astronomical, this is a deal that we need to make…..today.  (P.S- This guy threw a no hitter last July……….)

Parra/Rogers — This could end up being an interesting situation come spring time.  Parra has never lived up to his expectations and neither has Rogers.  Parra showed us some skill very early on, yet has never been able to duplicate it consistently.  Rogers is quite the opposite, he was drafted to become our number 1 pitcher of the future.  Sadly for Mark, injuries have really held him back….until now.  Parra’s career ERA is  5.13, hardly anything to lead us to believe he is the answer for this rotation.  We got our first taste of Rogers late in the season, but he looked pretty solid.  He struck out 11 batters in 10 innings of work, while only walking 3.  At this point, Parra is nothing more than a long relief guy or maybe trade bait (for say……Matt Garza).  To me, Mark Rogers should be given a chance to compete for the job.   We have waited for him since 2004 and now it is time for him to show us why we took him over Jered Weaver and Phil Hughes.

Free Agents — Here is the short list of guys I think are worth at least looking at: Carl Pavano, Brad Penny, Brandon Webb, Jeff Francis, Jarrod Washburn, and Chris Capuano.  None of these guys are going to be 15 game winners, but all we need is a guy to eat up innings without getting eaten up by bats.  Since I live in Seattle I have seen the Jekyll and Hyde nature of Washburn, so he is not a strong choice.  Pavano could work out, but I wouldn’t give him a 3 year deal.  Penny, Webb, and Francis are all gambles.  Any one of them could have an amazing year, if the circumstances allow.  On the flip side, Webb and Francis may never recover from their injuries.  Penny could be a great addition if he would subscribe to the Prince Fielder diet, if you can call it that.  Then there is Capuano, a guy who already knows the team and proved he still has something left in the tank.  Why would you take a gamble on these other chumps, when Capuano is already in your backyard?

For the record, option 1 is my favorite and option 3 is my least favorite.  Enough about me, what do you think?  Do you want to see us go after Greinke?  Would you rather we let some of the young guys get a shot?  Do you hate my 3 options entirely?  Do you hate me?  What do you want for Christmas?

Looking forward to reading your thoughts.  Until next time, see you soon Dad, Mom, Gog, Nan, Boots, Snick, Riley, and Ruby-son.