Milwaukee Brewers: Alex Cobb lowers contract demands?

Rumors are swirling that free agent starting pitcher Alex Cobb has lowered his asking price. Should the Milwaukee Brewers look to get in on the bidding?

Alex Cobb is believed to have rejected a three-year, $42 million dollar offer from the Chicago Cubs. it’s also rumored that he’s ‘willing to sign’ for a four-year deal worth around $70 million. The Milwaukee Brewers were linked with Cobb as recently as two weeks ago. Cobb has come off his $20 million per season demands, but is $70 million still too much?

Has the market finally turned?

While it’s clear that asking prices are heading south as we inch towards Spring Training, $70 million for Alex Cobb is a lot of money. Cobb enjoyed a solid walk year, but that’s really all it was. Cobb doesn’t post elite strikeout totals. His health has been a concern in the past. He’s also on the wrong side of 30. If Cobb gets four years and over $70 million from the Milwaukee Brewers, what will that contract look like when he’s 34? Cobb probably won’t look much better than Matt Garza looked in his final season.

So, should the Brewers give Cobb’s agent a call?

No. Signing Cobb for the amount of money that’s been discussed isn’t really that different from the Garza or Jeff Suppan deals that the Milwaukee Brewers have made in the past. Milwaukee Brewers GM David Stearns is more interested in waiting for prospects to develop at this point in the rebuild. The Brewers are clearly exercising fiscal responsibility this off season. While adding Cobb would show that the Brewers want to contend, it doesn’t fit the current direction of the franchise.

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Stearns needs to ignore calls from Cobb’s agent until he actually signs. Unless Cobb is looking to settle for a one-year ‘pillow contract’, he doesn’t make any sense for the Milwaukee Brewers. Cobb has value as a mid-rotation option for a contending team, but he’s not going to make the Brewers overnight contenders. If the Milwaukee Brewers add another starting pitcher this off season, they need to add an ace-level starter. Cobb simply isn’t that guy, especially when he’s asking for $18 million per year.