Looking back, that rotation is literally in tatters.

Greinke was traded to the Angels when the Brewers thought they were out of contention. Marcum went on the disabled list for over two months, and has a 5.70 ERA in five starts since returning. Wolf was released towards the end of August after he was unable to ever find himself as a starter this season. Narveson went down after just his second start in April with a torn rotator cuff.

In other words, Gallardo has been the one staple of the rotation. The Brewers have had to dip into their farm system to find the rest of their current rotation. And, I have to say, most of them have filled in admirably. Marco Estrada, who pitched out of the bullpen to start the season, was the first guy the Brewers turned to, and, despite the fact he hasn’t been able to notch many wins, he’s been very solid. Mike Fiers, who was having just a mediocre year at Triple-A Nashville prior to his call-up, has come up and established himself as a perennial Rookie of the Year candidate. Mark Rogers was solid before his shut-down, but Wily Peralta has been dominant since taking his rotation spot.

Let’s say the Brewers don’t make any starting pitching-related moves this offseason. The 2013 rotation would look something like Gallardo, Estrada, Fiers, Rogers, and Peralta, since Marcum is leaving via free agency. There are plenty more prospects who will get a chance in ’13 Spring Training, but these pitchers are the ones with the most experience (despite the fact some of them still have very little experience).

There is definitely a lot of inexperience in that rotation, but, if they all pitch to their ability (and get solid run support while doing so), they could all be successful in the Majors. And, personally, I’d almost like to see the Brewers experiment with that next year.

But we know they won’t, because there’s too much risk involved. The Brewers will more than likely go after at least one free agent starter. But, many consider the 2012-13 offseason’s starter front to be one of the worst in years. The highlights will be Greinke, Marcum, Ryan Dempster, and that’s really about it, at least for big names. Greinke is definitely the safest of the three, and he expressed the possibility of re-signing with the Brewers this offseason. But we might have to wait and see if he’s still around after waiting for the $15 million per year that he isn’t going to get.

Since it’s more than likely the Brewers won’t pick up one of those three, I’d almost like to see the Brewers try an experiment of young, in-house starters in the rotation, like I said earlier, and I’d like to see that for a few reasons.

First off, it would keep the Brewers from thinking they need to make an actually unnecessary move that would make the team worse. The most recent examples of that are Wolf and Jeff Suppan. Now don’t get me wrong; I liked Wolf. He had a solid year and a half under his belt with the Crew prior to his release. But things weren’t clicking this year, which makes me worry about the Brewers signing a similar veteran over this offseason. I don’t think I need to explain my reasoning for Suppan.

The front office will probably think that veteran presence is needed in a young rotation, but Gallardo should be at the point of his career where he can start setting an example for the guys behind him and serve as that “veteran” (although he’ll only be 27 next year). Estrada hasn’t been on the Brewers for very long, but he’s been around. I don’t think the Brewers should waste money on getting that “veteran starter” this year.

My second reason is that the Brewers have something that they didn’t have previous years in which they needed a veteran guy: they have a ton of prospects that are big league ready. Fiers, despite his inconsistency recently (which could be due to fatigue from his first year in the Majors), should have a rotation spot locked up for next year. Before his shut-down, Rogers was giving the Brewers a chance to win every time out. It’s too early to say about Peralta, but, after three dominant starts, a good Spring Training next year could net him a rotation spot. And then there are all the prospects (i.e. Hiram Burgos) and the recent draft picks (i.e. Taylor Jungmann, Jed Bradley) that haven’t even made it to the Majors yet.

Even though Gallardo is the only pitcher who has a spot locked down for next year, the Brewers have so many starting pitching prospects that they’ll have to be able to get something out of at least some of them, particularly the ones who are getting big league experience this year. This could be the makings of a very dominant future rotation for the Brewers; why not get a glimpse of it next year?

Probably either one of the rookies, right?

August 24, 2012; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Mike Fiers (64) throws a pitch against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the sixth inning at PNC Park. The Milwaukee Brewers won 6-5. Image: Charles LeClaire-US PRESSWIRE

Judging by Marcum’s lack of control and efficiency with his off-speed pitches since his return that have led to a 5.70 earned run average and 1.69 WHIP in five starts since his return from the disabled list, I doubt the 30-year-old right-hander would be most people’s selection. If there was a need for a further case, one can point directly to his struggles in “big game” situations. Marcum has proven to be the anti-James Shields after his 14.90 era in three postseason starts last season.

It’s a rarity that you would hand the ball to a rookie over a pitcher with 898 career innings pitched and a career FIP of 4.05, but, in the Brewers’ case, it’d be hard to let Marcum take the bump.

All hypothesizing about this season behind, the key is that Marcum becomes a free agent at the end of the year. Four-to-five months ago, when all was going well between he and Zack Greinke, it appeared that at least one of the two acquisitions of the 2010-11 winter would remain a Brewer past this year. No longer is that the case.

After injury to Shaun Marcum, the sudden emergence of one Mike Fiers and a separate Mark Rogers, and an implosion by the Brewers which rapidly turned the team into “sellers” (funny how that works, looking back) and dominoed into a deal with the Angels for Greinke, the future of the Milwaukee Brewers rotation looks promising.

And that promise probably won’t include Shaun Marcum.

Marcum is currently earning $7.73 million in his final contract year; though he hasn’t produced the prototypical “contract year

Shaun Marcum has struggled since his return from the DL (Image: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE)

numbers” that have led to huge paydays for AJ Burnett, Johan Santana, Barry Zito, etc., he will undoubtedly demand more money than his current salary. Kyle Lohse, whose numbers (66-57, 4.07 FIP, 2.37 K/BB) are similar to Marcum’s (55-36, 4.26, 2.70) since the then-Blue Jay’s emergence in 2006, ranks as the 23rd-highest paid pitcher in 2012 at $12.19 million. The Brewers gave that kind of money to Randy Wolf, but when they dished out that contract, the starting rotation’s only staple was Gallardo.

Now it features a plethora of young arms led by Gallardo and a strikeout-laden supporting contingent of Fiers, Peralta, Estrada, Mark Rogers, and even shades of Tyler Thornburg. And those are just the guys who have reached the big league level (paging Taylor Jungmann, Hiram Burgos, Jimmy Nelson, and Jed Bradley in the minors…). And I didn’t even mention Chris Narveson.

There’s a lack of room and necessity in the rotation for Marcum; why spend $10-12 million that could go towards bullpen restoration with all the arms in waiting for 2013?

Fiers has regressed, as expected, from his jaw-dropping, sub-2.00 era beginning to his career. But I use the term ‘regressed’ lightly, as he still holds a 9-8 record (relative, I know, I know), 3.23 era, 9.05 K/9 ratio, and 2.77 FIP (second in all of baseball to only Kris Medlen) in 114.1 innings–large enough of a sample size for the Brewers to have confidence in giving Fiers a starting spot next year. The kid hailing from Cooper City, Florida (shoutout to his sister, Haley, who always keeps it real…follow her on Twitter!) has sneaky velocity on his fastball and, outside of the occasional slip-up, has shown impeccable command on the mound.

After a fall from first-round draft pick grace that was difficult to watch, Mark Rogers is living up to the promise that he showed when drafted in 2004. The Brewers shut him down after 134.1 innings between Triple-A Nashville and the majors because of injury history that previously kept him from reaching his potential, but he was impressive in that time. His average fastball reached 93.6 mph, often reaching into the 95-96 mph range, the slider has been his best pitch in terms of linear-weight run values, and he drew swinging strikes on 10.3 percent of all pitches (the same number as Chicago’s Chris Sale). Overall, he won each of his final three starts to finish 3-1 with a  3.92 era with 9.46 K/9.

Though Peralta and Thornburg have shown glimpses of what they can provide to the Brewers in the future, their sample size is limited and we know what can happen when we read too much into a small sample size.

It wasn’t mentioned publicly as to whether or not there were scouts at the game, but you can bet there were at least a few. And they couldn’t have liked what they saw. Marcum lasted just four innings while giving up three runs on five hits. He also uncharacteristically walked four batters. There were some signs for concern, especially in the fourth inning, when Marcum stopped to stretch out his leg after every pitch. He was removed with what was later diagnosed as right calf cramping.

That certainly didn’t boost his trade value, but you have to wonder if Marcum would have been dealt anyway. Today is the waiver Trade Deadline, during which players must first clear waivers before having the ability to be traded to any team. Marcum was placed on waivers on Wednesday, and it has yet to be reported whether or not he’s cleared them or if a team has placed a claim on him. If Marcum is dealt by 10:59 CT tonight, he’ll be eligible to play in the postseason for another team. If he’s traded to another team following the deadline, he’ll be able to help that team reach the postseason, but not be able to actually participate in the playoffs.

In other words, the Brewers have around eight hours left to get a deal done involving Marcum, otherwise he’s probably staying with the Brewers until the offseason.

The Brewers would probably prefer to trade him, since Marcum himself has said he expects to test the free agent waters this offseason. Teams that could have had interest (or maybe still do) in him were the Dodgers (obviously), Yankees, and Orioles. The Reds could have also made sense, but trades between division rivals are unlikely at this point of the season.

So, assuming the Brewers fail to get a deal done before the deadline tonight, all Marcum can do now is hope to stay healthy for the rest of the season- something he’s clearly struggled to do- and audition for a free agent market that should be otherwise weak on the starting pitching front.

Marcum, as well as the Milwaukee Brewers, have been no strangers to shifting rosters this season, but many fans – and most likely Marcum himself – should see this move as somewhat surprising. Not because it happened necessarily, but WHY it happened.

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With the season far out of reach of the postseason, the coaching staff and front office for the Brewers are switching to a new strategy – tinkering. The changes are set to come later this month and into September as Shaun Marcum looks to get back into the rotation following a long stint on the Disabled List after dealing with elbow problems.

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It certainly doesn’t feel like it, though. Marcum has been out since early June, and was originally slated to miss just one or two starts with shoulder soreness, which has become quite common with Marcum over the past few years. But, it feels like he’s had to go through endless setbacks, including both shoulder and elbow issues. So here we are in mid-August, and Marcum still hasn’t returned to the rotation.

Barring any more “frustrating,” as Marcum calls them, setbacks, we should see him finally back in the rotation as soon as next week. Marcum has been rehabbing with the Timber Rattlers, the Brewers’ Class A affiliate, and has had up and down results. In his first start, which was last week, Marcum threw 36 pitches- 28 for strikes- over three solid innings while surrendering a solo homer. Marcum made his second start last night, which didn’t go quite as cleanly. He went 3 2/3 innings while giving up three runs, two of which were earned, on four hits. He also walked two and struck out four. But, Marcum needed 59 pitches (39 strikes) to get through those 3 2/3 innings.

Prior to his injury, Marcum was one of the more consistent Brewers starters, with a 5-3 record and 3.39 ERA. His only real bad start was a six-run disaster against the Giants back in May. Had he stayed healthy, Marcum would have been on pace to have a similar season to that of his 2011 season, when he went 13-7 with a 3.54 ERA.

Unfortunately, it looks like Marcum is going to come back, hope to stay healthy the last month or so, then test the free agent waters this offseason. I’ve heard multiple reasons that Marcum might be choosing to stay with the Brewers. The first is Marcum is bitter that the Brewers didn’t even attempt to extend him last offseason because they focused so much on Zack Greinke, despite the fact Marcum showed a lot of interest in staying Milwaukee long-term. Another rumor is that the Brewers think Marcum is going to draw $12.5 million per year. Even though Marcum is probably going to be a coveted starter in an offseason where there won’t be many starters available, I just can’t see him getting that much; his injury-plagued career doesn’t match it. The last reason is the Brewers simply don’t want him anymore because of his collapse in September and the postseason of 2011. Marcum had a 5.17 September ERA last year, and a horrible 14.90 ERA in three postseason starts, all of which he lost.

The most likely of those is that Brewers honestly think he’s going to attract too many suitors on the free agent market, and that they won’t be able to maintain him.

But we’ll see what happens. It’s a bit early to get into all of that free agent mumbo-jumbo. There’s still time for us to see how Marcum responds to not pitching in over two months, and that will determine his free agent situation.

Off we go.

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Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Mike Fiers is D-E-A-L-I-N-G Photo: Benny Sieu-US PRESSWIRE

This is something that Brewers management needs to be asking themselves right now.  And if you are asking me?  The answer to that question is YES!  And this article will have many opinions and Lou oriented hearsay…no one will blame you if you turn back now. 

After what we saw yesterday, Mike Fiers talent can not be denied.  The kid has no fear.  To no-hit the Reds through 6 complete innings is nothing to turn your nose up at.  Shaun Marcum has not pitched for almost 2 months and has never really “wowed” me.  Mike Fiers “wowed” me yesterday.  So that makes it a quick 1 to nothing. 

Marcum will be a free agent at seasons end.  This is a fact.  He will probably fetch upwards of $10-$12 million a season, from a team looking to over spend on a middle of the rotation starter.  My thoughts are still along the lines of…the Brewers will throw everything they can at Zack Greinke to get him to come back.  It would be one of the biggest coups in baseball if we snag Zack back.  That would leave Shaun playing second fiddle, which will piss him off, which will give him road rage, which will cause him to drive his car into Miller Park, which will cause him to burn it to the ground, which will cause him to sign with the Cubs, because he is the type of guy a team like that will spend money on…and jerks play for the Cubs.  I’m not saying Marcum is a jerk, but if he drove his car into Miller Park and burned it to the ground, he would clearly be a baby bear loving jerk.  

Mike Fiers will cost us almost nothing (for a few years anyway) and he has shown me enough for me to believe that he can be a dominant pitcher in this league.  After his first few starts, I was very skeptical of the kid.  There was no doubt that he could pitch at the major league level, but I was concerned about his delivery and stamina.  There was something so herky-jerky about his delivery.  Plus he has kind of a small frame, so I thought maybe he would be better suited for long relief.  I no longer believe any of those things, it was a phase, like POGS or Tamagatchi.   

In 12 major league starts, the kid is 6-4 with a 1.80.  This is something we all know by now.  It has been all over the news.  Have you not seen it?  Well…it’s true, so accept it. 

Fiers has thrown 80 innings already this season and strikes out 1 batter per inning.  That is not just a rookie getting lucky.  Mike’s delivery is very deceiving and a little bit jerky, I want to compare it to Tim Lincecum…but Fiers looks much more graceful.  I think that a large part of his success comes from his ability to hide the baseball prior to delivery.  As he rears back, the ball drops almost behind his thigh and then he brings it down, over the top of his body arch.  This delivery makes his off-speed stuff crippling to batters.  Yesterday he got Brandon Phillips to drop to one knee after a swing and miss.  Whatever Fiers is doing, it works and we should continue to encourage it. 

Now, why does Fiers make Marcum expendable?  Yovani Gallardo, Randy Wolf, Chris Narveson, and Marco Estrada.  That’s how. 

In my opinion, Mike Fiers is a solid #2 starter going into next season.  He is a perfect compliment to Yo and a wonderful lead in for Wolf.  Should we not get Greinke or Marcum back, I feel very confident in the rotation referenced above.  Let’s not forget that we still have some absolute flame throwing studs in the minors.  They will not be held down for much longer. 

Mike Fiers is a cheaper, younger, more marketable option.  Oh, I’m sorry…did I hurt your feelings by reminding you that baseball is a business?  Mike Fiers is a marketing gold mine!  His name alone will spurn all kinds of amazing t-shirts and signs. ”We Didn’t Start the Fiers”  “Fiers Down Below”  “Then you add in that amazingly well crafted facial hair?!?!?  This guy is everything a front office could possibly want.  Shaun Marcum is kind of bland…he probably fit in better in Canada. 

Look, I like Shaun Marcum.  He is not a bad pitcher, but I would rather we save the money and spend it elsewhere.  By comparison, Marcum only threw 82.1 innings before getting injured.  His stats were as follows: 5-3 record, 3.39 ERA, 31 ER (Fiers has 16), 10 HR’s, 26 walks, and 77 strikeouts.  In my mind it is a bit of a wash right now, but it is certainly not worth dropping a lot of coin to keep Marcum around. 

Mike Fiers has made me feel very good about the future of this team, although his offense leaves something to be desired.  This team could still contend for the NL Central next season.  I honestly and truly believe that.  If Doug Melvin guts the bullpen, figures out what to do with Mat Gamel (Corey Hart should be our 1st baseman, end of discussion), and can get Rickie Weeks to not suck …we might really have something to cheer for in 2013.  Unfortunately, this season is lost.  That does not mean we can not watch some of the young kids play and see what the future holds.

On an unrelated note, Jean Segura is awesome.  I am a fan.  His future is so bright….he will have to wear shades.