Jeff Suppan is out!

[brewersbrewers]

Brewers finally release him, per jsonline.

[baseballfan50]

That's a lot of money to throw away.

[erik316wttn]

That's a lot of money to throw away.

 

I suppose it's better than paying him all that money to be horrible when they could find a pitcher to perform as well or better than he for much less.

[Schwarber Fan]

haha, I had you blocked and couldn't see the post

 

don't even remember blocking anyone

[cheapseats]

That's a lot of money to throw away.

 

They threw it away when they signed him.

[hardcorecubfan]

bad news for the cubs fan Hendry will probably think he is ideal for our BP

[NonProfitCow]

Big shocker...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cardinals sign him.

[baseballfan50]

If anybody can work miracles it's Dave Duncan.

 

He's worth a shot anyway.

[Formerly Snayke]

I think it's great that La Russa has expanded his rescue efforts to broken-down baseball players who would otherwise be unemployed. How long is it going to take before the Cardinals place a call to Craig Paquette?

[Formerly Snayke]

And what the heck...since I have no decent Cardinals forum to post my thoughts (I'd guess only one person will read this)...

 

This signing, along with Miles and Randy Winn, represents the worst of Tony La Russa. While I've never believed the dumb stuff how he hates rookies, I'm pretty sure he hates the ones he's had this year. I think La Russa is exceptional at a few things. He can really relate to his players. He's fiercely loyal; sometimes to a fault. He refuses to throw Colby Rasmus under the bus when he makes dumb plays in center field.

 

But when it comes to managing his roster he's awful. Left to his own devices the Cardinals would look like...well, what they look like now. This is the manager who didn't want to let Chris Duncan go even though he was clearly at the end of the line. They brought in Aaron Miles because...he was hitting .270 against 22 year olds in Springfield. They brought in Randy Winn because he can hold the bat on his right shoulder even though he hasn't done jack against lefties in over two years.

 

Now it's Suppan, who is absolutely cooked. It's obvious that P.J. Walters and Adam Ottavino are not ready and may never be. But what does Suppan have over them? That he pitched a great Game 7 four years ago? The dude is 35 and his fastball has been getting destroyed the past four seasons. The difference between Suppan and Walters is 10 years and a screwball. They are essentially the same pitcher at this point, only La Russa and Duncan think they may be able to squeeze whatever goodness is left in his arm. Fine, whatever. Let's see what he's got left. But I can only hope that this is the last of these veteran scrap heap pick-ups.

[baseballfan50]

I think signing Suppan, Winn, and Miles are kind of experiments. The younger guys weren't hitting either. It makes sense for the younger guys to back to the minors and play every day, rather than having them sit on the bench at least half the games. Miles is used to playing off the bench, anyway. The Cardinals wanted help, but they didn't want to trade for a player like Oswalt. I think they're going to try signing guys and then go to a trade if they don't work out.

 

Tony and Duncan usually know what they're doing. They're not above questioning (no one is), but their success does gain them some trust and respect in my mind. If Suppan doesn't work out, he's cut. The Cardinals lose around $400,000. If the Cardinals trade for a player, then whether he works or not, they have lost prospects because of it.

 

Suppan's not the first player the Cardinals have tried out at the Major League level. Granted, a lot of these experiments have not worked, but some do. It's worth trying, especially since we seem to be in a rut (mostly with our offense, though). Tony likes to change things around, whether it be the roster or the lineup. I don't think Tony hates rookies. What would be worse is having Mather (and others like him) sit on the bench all season, especially when they are struggling. Send them to Triple-A and let them hit and field every day.

 

Tony likes change and he likes players competing with each other (in a healthy manner). I read that a few years ago the players were polled about the best and worst managers. Tony was on both lists. So not all players and fans like him, but I think he's a pretty smart guy when it comes to baseball. He obviously doesn't take managing lightly.

[NonProfitCow]

Miles had a .566 OPS in AAA last year. He can't hit, he can't field and he can't run the bases. Tyler Greene can do 2 of the 3 very well and has been mashing at AAA this year.

 

Suppan is 35, has a fastball slower than Walters and an ERA just as high. So there really is no difference between them. That's why you don't have either one of them on the roster. Hell, see what it would take to get Resop or call up McClane or Lynn. There are tons of AAAA guys that can give you a 5.00 ERA and sadly, Jeff Suppan likely can't anymore.

 

They're both stupid moves that were made without looking at current skills (or lackthereof.) The only reason they were signed is because Tony and Dave liked them and they were decent one time years ago. That is bad reasoning.

[cardslesson101]

And what the heck...since I have no decent Cardinals forum to post my thoughts (I'd guess only one person will read this)...

 

This signing, along with Miles and Randy Winn, represents the worst of Tony La Russa. While I've never believed the dumb stuff how he hates rookies, I'm pretty sure he hates the ones he's had this year. I think La Russa is exceptional at a few things. He can really relate to his players. He's fiercely loyal; sometimes to a fault. He refuses to throw Colby Rasmus under the bus when he makes dumb plays in center field.

 

But when it comes to managing his roster he's awful. Left to his own devices the Cardinals would look like...well, what they look like now. This is the manager who didn't want to let Chris Duncan go even though he was clearly at the end of the line. They brought in Aaron Miles because...he was hitting .270 against 22 year olds in Springfield. They brought in Randy Winn because he can hold the bat on his right shoulder even though he hasn't done jack against lefties in over two years.

 

Now it's Suppan, who is absolutely cooked. It's obvious that P.J. Walters and Adam Ottavino are not ready and may never be. But what does Suppan have over them? That he pitched a great Game 7 four years ago? The dude is 35 and his fastball has been getting destroyed the past four seasons. The difference between Suppan and Walters is 10 years and a screwball. They are essentially the same pitcher at this point, only La Russa and Duncan think they may be able to squeeze whatever goodness is left in his arm. Fine, whatever. Let's see what he's got left. But I can only hope that this is the last of these veteran scrap heap pick-ups.

 

 

Snayke, Suppan is with the Cardinals because they *think* he can be a better starter than Hawksworth/Walters. 2/5 of the Cards' rotation is out because of injuries. Ottavino has only made two starts and has only pitched 10 2/3 innings. He should have won the game against the Brewers but Reyes blew it. You can't tell after two starts that Ottavino may or may not be a starter.

[baseballfan50]

Miles had a .566 OPS in AAA last year. He can't hit, he can't field and he can't run the bases. Tyler Greene can do 2 of the 3 very well and has been mashing at AAA this year.

 

Suppan is 35, has a fastball slower than Walters and an ERA just as high. So there really is no difference between them. That's why you don't have either one of them on the roster. Hell, see what it would take to get Resop or call up McClane or Lynn. There are tons of AAAA guys that can give you a 5.00 ERA and sadly, Jeff Suppan likely can't anymore.

 

They're both stupid moves that were made without looking at current skills (or lackthereof.) The only reason they were signed is because Tony and Dave liked them and they were decent one time years ago. That is bad reasoning.

 

Dave Duncan knows more about pitching that we likely do.

 

This signing is just a cheap reclamation project. If it works, we got a bargain. If it doesn't, you just release him. So far Walters and Ottavino haven't done much. It's worth a shot.

[NonProfitCow]

You must be a youngun'. You really think they'll release him if he's bad? I can tell you that there is no way.

[17 Seconds]

Hey Suppan, YOU'RE FUCKIN OUT

[Schwarber Fan]

signed with the Cards

 

pixie dust, etc.

[Little Slide Rooter]

I dont think that the pixie dust can work on Suppan. Usually it works for either younger pitchers, or those toward the middle of their careers that Duncan helps figure some things out, not a broken down pitcher like uwho Duncan has already helped in the past but the league has long since figured him out.

[baseballfan50]

Suppan is expected to start tomorrow against the Mariners. I don't expect us to win, but I'm curious to see how Suppan does.

[Keener98]

Suppan is expected to start tomorrow against the Mariners. I don't expect us to win, but I'm curious to see how Suppan does.

 

Well considering hes starting against one of the worst offenses in baseball, how he does won't really mean much in the grand scheme of things.

[Formerly Snayke]

not a broken down pitcher like uwho Duncan has already helped in the past but the league has long since figured him out.

 

I agree with the extent of your post, but this bit bugs me: It's debatable how much Duncan helped Suppan the first time around (stable K, BB, H/9 rates that he had in KC; ERA+ 104 in KC, 110 in STL).

 

St. Louis fans have been doing Suppan a disservice by acting like he was some schlub who Duncan took pity on before transforming into a slightly above-average pitcher. He was always that way.

 

Unless Duncan has a magic wand that turns Suppan's arm 30, this is going to be hopeless.

 

Dave Duncan knows more about pitching that we likely do.

 

Sure, but him and La Russa are prone to managing with their hearts instead of their heads. It's why Mike Gallego survived in this league through 1997, why Craig Paquette could've gotten a job with the Cardinals in 2003, why Aaron Miles was brought back from the dead, etc.

 

Duncan says he has found things Suppan was doing wrong. Great, but Rick Peterson has a reputation as a pretty good pitching coach. I find it dubious that a hitch or inconsistent release point was leading to Suppan being battered around the way he was.

[NonProfitCow]

Suppan better thank God that he was facing the Mariners in a somewhat pitcher friendly park. His fastball averaged 87.11 MPH and topped out at 88.9.

 

http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc5/nonprofitcow/sup.gif

 

87 MPH fastballs and cutters catching that much of the plate are going to get hit hard. Actually, I can't really remember any balls put in play that weren't hit hard.

[Formerly Snayke]

I had to follow along on my phone, but every out was described as "(blank) grounded out sharply" or "(blank) lined out."

[UMFan83]

Suppan better thank God that he was facing the Mariners in a somewhat pitcher friendly park. His fastball averaged 87.11 MPH and topped out at 88.9.

 

http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc5/nonprofitcow/sup.gif

 

87 MPH fastballs and cutters catching that much of the plate are going to get hit hard. Actually, I can't really remember any balls put in play that weren't hit hard.

 

Wow...if he keeps pitching like that he'll probably get Luis Vizcaino'd (released despite good results because he's been getting really lucky)

[Keener98]

That Mariner lineup he faced last night has to be one of the worst American League lineups I've seen in a long time. Going off just batting average they have Ichiro hitting .341 with the next highest averages at .283 and .275. The next highest after that? .232! Thats with a DH in their lineup, unreal.