Shaun Marcum to likely stay put

If the Brewers were planning to trade Shaun Marcum, he would have likely been moved by now. But, after his start in Chicago yesterday, he remains with the team, where he’ll likely stay the rest of the season.

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.