Braden Looper Rumors

Brewers Decline Option On Braden Looper

The Brewers declined their $6.5MM mutual option on pitcher Braden Looper, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. They'll instead pay a $1MM buyout. Looper posted a 5.22 ERA in 194.6 innings this year; the same kind of financial commitment can probably snag the Brewers someone better. Looper is a Type B free agent, but an arbitration offer is highly unlikely. MLB.com's Adam McCalvy talked to Brewers GM Doug Melvin, who said he'd still consider Looper but wanted to gain flexibility.   Continue Reading

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Brewers Eyeing Starting Pitchers

Regarding the Brewers' search for starting pitching, we heard yesterday that John Lackey is unlikely while Jarrod Washburn and Doug Davis are possibilities. Today, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel has further details. Brewers GM Doug Melvin didn't seem to rule out Lackey, saying: "It depends what they’re asking for. I don’t know if it could fit or not. I might have to make some other moves to make it fit." Haudricourt says Randy Wolf could be a more reasonable target; Melvin met with his agent Arn Tellem at the GM Meetings. Wolf is seeking a multiyear deal. Tellem's agency...   Continue Reading

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Brewers Rumors: Melvin, Looper

All but eliminated from the playoffs, the Brewers are focused on 2010. A few notes about their future... Speculation about GM Doug Melvin being fired is "ridiculous," owner Mark Attanasio told Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Attanasio added that he's not pressuring Melvin to make significant changes. He'll also leave the decision on manager Ken Macha up to Melvin. Attanasio said trading Prince Fielder for pitching "seems like a cop-out." He's right in saying it makes for "great Internet fodder and speculation." Realistically, Fielder will not be on the market this winter. When Braden Looper made his 30th start...   Continue Reading

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Brewers Face Plenty Of Roster Decisions

After a tremendous run last year that resulted in the club's first playoff berth in a quarter-century, the Brewers sat 13.5 GB of a playoff spot coming into today's action, and sport the National League's worst starting rotation thanks to their 5.22 ERA. As Adam McCalvy of MLB.com writes, the club has a ton of roster decisions to make this offseason, although GM Doug Melvin says "We've got a lot of decisions, and none of them will be discussed until the end of the season." Some of the issues facing the Brew Crew this offseason are... Impending Free Agents: Trevor...   Continue Reading

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Four Brewers Clear Waivers

Jason Kendall, Craig Counsell, Mike Cameron and Braden Looper all cleared waivers yesterday, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Now, the Brewers can trade those players to any team. Interested clubs will want to complete deals by Monday because players acquired after August 31st aren't eligible to play in the postseason. Kendall, Cameron and Counsell all hit free agency after the season, while Looper has a $6MM mutual option for next year. According to the latest rankings, Kendall, Cameron and Looper project as Type B free agents and Counsell will likely be unranked. The Brewers could receive draft...   Continue Reading

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Rosenthal On Wagner, Rays, Hawkins

Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports hears from one GM who believes Billy Wagner's best financial move may be to accept arbitration after the season. The Red Sox have the right to offer Wagner arbitration, but they'd have to offer over $8MM, so they could choose not to. Here are the rest of Rosenthal's rumors: Jeff Niemann and Jason Hammel have performed well for their respective clubs, so the Rays' decision to trade Hammel worked out for everyone. A number of teams are sure to claim LaTroy Hawkins by noon CST today, when his waivers expire, but it's likely the Astros...   Continue Reading

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Rosenthal's Full Count Video: Wagner, Holliday, Brewers

Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com has a new Full Count video up. Let's dive in... Don't expect the Mets to just give away Billy Wagner as a salary dump. He'll have "actual trade value" this winter, and his $8MM club option would not be outrageous money on a one year deal if he's healthy. Even if his team declines the option, they could offer him arbitration and receive two high draft picks if he signs elsewhere since he projects to be a Type-A free agent. Wagner would be much more than a six-week rent in that case. Matt Holliday's performance with...   Continue Reading

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Brewers GM On Trades, Free Agents, Draft

Brewers GM Doug Melvin said on 1250 WSSP in Milwaukee that he's glad he didn't go after some of the free agent arms that were available last offseason. Here's the clip and here are the details: Melvin admits that pitchers like John Smoltz and Oliver Perez were tempting, but says he's glad he resisted. The Brewers were interested in Jarrod Washburn at the deadline, but didn't have enough young pitching to complete a deal with the Mariners. The Brewers were in on the Roy Halladay sweepstakes, but were reluctant to give up Alcides Escobar and Mat Gamel. Melvin sounds hesitant...   Continue Reading

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Rosenthal On Free Agents, Orioles, Ortiz

Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has a new column up. Rosenthal discusses the unprecedented number of decent free agents available, a few games into the season (click here for our free agent list). He suggests the hitters will have a harder time getting jobs than the pitchers due to the time needed to shake off the rust. In talking with execs, Rosenthal learned that the trade market for mediocre players (Jarrod Washburn, Nate Robertson, Austin Kearns) may be depressed this summer due to the available free agents. As he wrote in February, Rosenthal says that Braden Looper turned down more...   Continue Reading

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Astros Rumors: Looper, Wolf, Pudge

MLB.com's Alyson Footer spoke with Astros GM Ed Wade and has the latest on the club. The Astros made "11th-hour" offers to Randy Wolf and Braden Looper before they signed elsewhere. They offered Wolf a one-year deal with a mutual option for 2010. The offers to Wolf and Looper were both for less than $5MM. The Astros haven't spoken with Ivan Rodriguez in weeks and never made him a formal offer. Wade says he isn't likely to make any moves between now and the regular season.   Continue Reading

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