Suppan's Horrible Contract and Its Impact on Prince Fielder

4 years, $42 Million. In my opinion the 2nd worst contract for a pitcher behind Barry Zito. At the time he signed the deal he was a 3rd or 4th starter with no upside because of his low K/9 and only mediocre for a finesse pitcher control. He was coming off of a season in which he had a 1.45 WHIP. That is a ridiculously high number that suggests a middling 5th starter. On top of that opposing batters had hit .280 against him. And they were certainly not weak hits (49 doubles and 21 HRs). What the Brewers saw in him is beyond me. The good news about his contract? It's up after this year.

Which bring us to our next topic. Will the Brewers be able to sign Prince Fielder long term? I believe the answer to that is yes because Suppan's albatross of a contract is coming off the books after this year. That means if they are smart they will spend this extra money on Fielder instead of just pocketing it. It is essential for the Brewers to keep their own players because it is hard for them to attract premium free agents to Milwaukee.

I agree with Ryan Braun. The Brewers have two young stars that have opened up a window of opportunity to win in the playoffs. It is up to GM Doug Melvin to capitalize on this with shrewd trades and a quality free agent signing or two. Unfortunately, shrewd is not a word I associate with Doug Melvin.

Stats courtesy of Bill James Online