According to Tom Haudricourts' sources, Milwaukee may have inked Braden Looper to a contract today (pending a physical). In a move to bolster their starting rotation Doug Melvin decided to go with a sturdy pitcher like Looper. Last year the right-handed pitcher went 199 innings with a 12-14 record and a 4.16 ERA. Considering the fact that not a single Brewer even came close to that, I feel this is a good pick up. He's no CC or Ben, but a solid veteran who could take the 5th spot in the rotation, thus dropping Seth McClung to the pen. Surely, McClung will get a shot at the rotation at some point, but until then I would look for him to be solid contributor in the pen. This move only strengthens the pen and provides Billy Castro with one more option.
The only thing I question is why LaRussa let him go so easy?
Looper made 5.5MM last season. This is probably a 1-year deal.
sounds like another suppan to me.
ReplyDeleteSuppan was never an innings-eater was he?
ReplyDeleteNor was he a closer.
If Looper fails as a starting pitcher, he could make an impact in the over-crowded bullpen.