Note: I breifly touched on this idea in the piece about trading Gil Meche yesterday and I thought it would be fun to expand abit on the trade idea. Please leave your thoughts in the comments.As we all know by now:
-The Brewers need to add a quality starting pitcher (or starting pitchers) to their staff to slot in behind Yovani Gallardo if they are going to be serious contenders in 2010.
-The Royals are looking into moving Gil Meche with the hope that they will be able to reduce their payroll and cut some costs.
With those needs in mind, let's make a deal.
Here is the (hypothetical) offer on the table:
Royals trade Gil Meche to the Milwaukee Brewers for SP Jeff Suppan and prospects
Would you do it? Let's lay out the pros and cons for each side:
Why the Royals would do it:
-save $12 million dollars in 2011
-get some young prospects back in return
-don't have to eat ANY of Meche's salary
Why the Brewers would do it:
-Meche gives them a front line pitcher to pair with Gallardo, which dramatically improves starting rotation
-Get rid of Jeff Suppan!
-Save $500,000 million in 2010 salary; still have funds to go after a free agent starting pitcher
-Legitimate contenders in 2010?
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Why the Royals wouldn't do it:
-Are they getting enough in return?
-Jeff Suppan stinks
-Gil Meche is very valuable to the Royals because they have no one who can adequately replace him in the rotation
Why the Brewers wouldn't do it:
-This move adds an additional $12 million in payroll in 2011; do the Brewers want to take on that much salary?
-Is Gil Meche the #2 starter they are looking for?
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***Note: Both Meche and Suppan have limited no trade clauses for 2010, so that needs to be taken into consideration as well***
Conclusion
To me, this deal is a no-brainer for the Brewers, who would be adding a potential #2 starter by trading away whatever is left of Jeff Suppan and some young prospects. That is not a high cost to pay as long as the Brewers are willing to take on the 2 years and $24 million owed to Meche. For the Royals, this is a interesting scenario because they would not have to eat any of Meche's salary and they would be saving money in the long run, but I'm sure the idea of reacquiring Jeff Suppan is not a good thought for many Royals fans. Then again, I think this move is best for the Royals future because they aren't going anywhere this year or next so any savings they can get for the future should be looked at as a positive.
