Cowtipper
02-19-2009, 11:12 AM
PHOENIX -- Eric Gagne was once the best closer in baseball, but he returned to Maryvale Baseball Park on Wednesday as a Minor Leaguer on a mission.
"I let the team and the organization down," said Gagne, who inked a Minor League deal with the Brewers and reported to big league camp just in time for a physical exam and Milwaukee's first full-squad workout. "The one thing is that it's easy to succeed, it's hard to fail. They paid me a lot of money last year, and I didn't really deliver. This is a little bit of payback."
In his estimation, posting a 5.44 ERA while earning $10 million wasn't good enough, even though Gagne was one of Milwaukee's best relievers in the second half. That lingering sense of unfinished business -- not to mention the terrible offseason market for free agents -- prompted Gagne, now 33, to accept a Minor League contract from the Brewers. It included an invitation to big league camp but no assurances that he would be on the Opening Day roster.
Gagne said he had similar low-risk offers from other teams, but a return to Milwaukee felt right. He'll earn $1.5 million if he makes the team, plus as much as $3 million more in incentives, and is hoping for a chance to pay back the organization.
"You look at your paycheck every two weeks and it's like, 'Man, that's crazy what I get paid for,' and you put pressure on yourself," Gagne said. "I felt bad about it. I want to pitch good. I was happy with the season, because we made the playoffs, but I was disappointed because I knew [general manager Doug Melvin] took a chance on me last year, he stuck his neck out. ... He gets judged on all his moves, [especially] the big moves, and it didn't work out with me."
Gagne ran up a 6.98 ERA in his two months as the Brewers' closer before heading to the disabled list with a right shoulder injury and ceding the job to since-retired Salomon Torres. That ERA ballooned to 7.33 with a July 12 appearance against the Reds in which Gagne allowed two homers and four runs and was showered with boos from a disapproving Miller Park crowd that expected more from the first -- and still the only -- eight-figure reliever in franchise history.
But then Gagne turned his season around. In his final 28 games, including two appearances in the postseason, Gagne's ERA was 3.24 and he had 18 holds. Opponents batted .189 against Gagne during that span, and over his 11 scoreless appearances to end the season, they batted .091 (3-for-33).
If Gagne pitches like that in Spring Training, he's got a shot. But Gagne faces a tough task, because it appears to outsiders that the Brewers, barring injuries, have only two open bullpen spots for a large field of competitors, most of whom are already on the team's full 40-man roster.
Among them are former Orioles closer Jorge Julio, who finished last season with 11 scoreless appearances for the Braves. Todd Coffey went on a similar run for the Brewers in September, stringing together nine scoreless games. Milwaukee will lose Eddie Morlan if it doesn't give him an Opening Day roster spot, because he was a Rule 5 Draft pick, and therefore must be offered back to Tampa Bay if he misses the cut. There's also Mark DiFelice, who could be the long man if the team decides to use hard-thrower Seth McClung in the late innings, and Tim Dillard, who is young and inexperienced but has one of the team's best sinkers.
Gagne, who said he very briefly considered retiring over the winter, figured it's been nine years since he reported to Spring Training unsure about a job on Opening Day. He can return to free agency on March 25 if the Brewers don't place him on the roster.
"I have to show them I can still do it, that's all it is," said Gagne, who is noticeably trimmer than he was last season. "That's the only difference. I prepared myself a lot earlier this year and I'm about four weeks into a throwing program. I've been working hard and I feel good."
Gagne, who reportedly got a look from the Twins over the winter, among other teams, would not say Wednesday whether he turned down any Major League offers for better deals that never came.
"I'm not going to talk about that one," Gagne said. "Yes and no. It was a weird offseason, let's put it that way.
"I could have retired, but I'm not done."
Gagne was excited for the opportunity to pitch alongside Trevor Hoffman, who remembers chatting with Gagne at Miller Park during batting practice prior to the 2002 All-Star Game. For years, they were Interstate 5 rivals, with Gagne setting consecutive saves records in Los Angeles while Hoffman climbed to his perch as the all-time saves leader in San Diego.
"He's obviously had some great success in the game, so hopefully he'll be a big help," Hoffman said. "I think it's awesome that we have a little bit of familiarity with each other."
Add Gagne to the list of current and former closers in camp. There's Hoffman, of course, who inked a $6 million, one-year deal to fill that role this season. But there's also Julio, the former Orioles stopper who is suddenly competing with Gagne for a setup role, and Braden Looper, the former Marlins and Mets closer who moved to the starting rotation two years ago and signed with the Brewers earlier this month to be a starter.
"[This] actually feels pretty normal," said Gagne. "That's one of the reasons I wanted to come back here: familiar faces, familiar place."
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090218&content_id=3843818&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb
Phoenix - To the outsider, baseball's salary arbitration process must seem a bit puzzling. Players and their teams butt heads for weeks before settling just in time to avoid a hearing.
And often at the midpoint of figures filed.
So, what gives? Why not avoid all the aggravation and settle at the midpoint the day figures are exchanged?
"Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way," Milwaukee Brewers assistant general manager Gord Ash said. "It's long been an arbitration blueprint to go down to the wire and then settle at or near the midpoint. You're never sure of the result until the end."
The Brewers and rightfielder Corey Hart danced that dance before settling on a $3.25 million deal Tuesday. The agreement was right at the midpoint between the $3.8 million sought by Hart and the $2.7 million offered by the club.
In his first year of eligibility, Hart admitted to being relieved at avoiding a hearing scheduled for today.
"I don't think anybody wanted to do that," said Hart, who made $444,000 last season, when he batted .268 with 20 home runs, 91 runs batted in and 23 stolen bases and made his first all-star team.
"Going through this for the first time, it was pretty stressful. I'm definitely pleased at how it all turned out."
The Brewers and Hart's agent, Jeff Berry, were in ongoing discussions earlier in the day when something happened to push them toward an agreement. The Los Angeles Dodgers settled with outfielder Andre Ethier, who also had a $1.1 million gap with his club ($2.65 million/$3.75 million).
Ethier received $3.1 million, just below the midpoint, with $100,000 in incentives to get him to that level.
"That really brought some clarity to the situation," Ash said. "Sometimes, negotiations take a circuitous route. The surrounding cases help you get there."
The agreement allowed general manager Doug Melvin and Ash to maintain their streak of never going to a hearing while with the Brewers.
http://www.jsonline.com/sports/brewers/39758772.html
"I let the team and the organization down," said Gagne, who inked a Minor League deal with the Brewers and reported to big league camp just in time for a physical exam and Milwaukee's first full-squad workout. "The one thing is that it's easy to succeed, it's hard to fail. They paid me a lot of money last year, and I didn't really deliver. This is a little bit of payback."
In his estimation, posting a 5.44 ERA while earning $10 million wasn't good enough, even though Gagne was one of Milwaukee's best relievers in the second half. That lingering sense of unfinished business -- not to mention the terrible offseason market for free agents -- prompted Gagne, now 33, to accept a Minor League contract from the Brewers. It included an invitation to big league camp but no assurances that he would be on the Opening Day roster.
Gagne said he had similar low-risk offers from other teams, but a return to Milwaukee felt right. He'll earn $1.5 million if he makes the team, plus as much as $3 million more in incentives, and is hoping for a chance to pay back the organization.
"You look at your paycheck every two weeks and it's like, 'Man, that's crazy what I get paid for,' and you put pressure on yourself," Gagne said. "I felt bad about it. I want to pitch good. I was happy with the season, because we made the playoffs, but I was disappointed because I knew [general manager Doug Melvin] took a chance on me last year, he stuck his neck out. ... He gets judged on all his moves, [especially] the big moves, and it didn't work out with me."
Gagne ran up a 6.98 ERA in his two months as the Brewers' closer before heading to the disabled list with a right shoulder injury and ceding the job to since-retired Salomon Torres. That ERA ballooned to 7.33 with a July 12 appearance against the Reds in which Gagne allowed two homers and four runs and was showered with boos from a disapproving Miller Park crowd that expected more from the first -- and still the only -- eight-figure reliever in franchise history.
But then Gagne turned his season around. In his final 28 games, including two appearances in the postseason, Gagne's ERA was 3.24 and he had 18 holds. Opponents batted .189 against Gagne during that span, and over his 11 scoreless appearances to end the season, they batted .091 (3-for-33).
If Gagne pitches like that in Spring Training, he's got a shot. But Gagne faces a tough task, because it appears to outsiders that the Brewers, barring injuries, have only two open bullpen spots for a large field of competitors, most of whom are already on the team's full 40-man roster.
Among them are former Orioles closer Jorge Julio, who finished last season with 11 scoreless appearances for the Braves. Todd Coffey went on a similar run for the Brewers in September, stringing together nine scoreless games. Milwaukee will lose Eddie Morlan if it doesn't give him an Opening Day roster spot, because he was a Rule 5 Draft pick, and therefore must be offered back to Tampa Bay if he misses the cut. There's also Mark DiFelice, who could be the long man if the team decides to use hard-thrower Seth McClung in the late innings, and Tim Dillard, who is young and inexperienced but has one of the team's best sinkers.
Gagne, who said he very briefly considered retiring over the winter, figured it's been nine years since he reported to Spring Training unsure about a job on Opening Day. He can return to free agency on March 25 if the Brewers don't place him on the roster.
"I have to show them I can still do it, that's all it is," said Gagne, who is noticeably trimmer than he was last season. "That's the only difference. I prepared myself a lot earlier this year and I'm about four weeks into a throwing program. I've been working hard and I feel good."
Gagne, who reportedly got a look from the Twins over the winter, among other teams, would not say Wednesday whether he turned down any Major League offers for better deals that never came.
"I'm not going to talk about that one," Gagne said. "Yes and no. It was a weird offseason, let's put it that way.
"I could have retired, but I'm not done."
Gagne was excited for the opportunity to pitch alongside Trevor Hoffman, who remembers chatting with Gagne at Miller Park during batting practice prior to the 2002 All-Star Game. For years, they were Interstate 5 rivals, with Gagne setting consecutive saves records in Los Angeles while Hoffman climbed to his perch as the all-time saves leader in San Diego.
"He's obviously had some great success in the game, so hopefully he'll be a big help," Hoffman said. "I think it's awesome that we have a little bit of familiarity with each other."
Add Gagne to the list of current and former closers in camp. There's Hoffman, of course, who inked a $6 million, one-year deal to fill that role this season. But there's also Julio, the former Orioles stopper who is suddenly competing with Gagne for a setup role, and Braden Looper, the former Marlins and Mets closer who moved to the starting rotation two years ago and signed with the Brewers earlier this month to be a starter.
"[This] actually feels pretty normal," said Gagne. "That's one of the reasons I wanted to come back here: familiar faces, familiar place."
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090218&content_id=3843818&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb
Phoenix - To the outsider, baseball's salary arbitration process must seem a bit puzzling. Players and their teams butt heads for weeks before settling just in time to avoid a hearing.
And often at the midpoint of figures filed.
So, what gives? Why not avoid all the aggravation and settle at the midpoint the day figures are exchanged?
"Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way," Milwaukee Brewers assistant general manager Gord Ash said. "It's long been an arbitration blueprint to go down to the wire and then settle at or near the midpoint. You're never sure of the result until the end."
The Brewers and rightfielder Corey Hart danced that dance before settling on a $3.25 million deal Tuesday. The agreement was right at the midpoint between the $3.8 million sought by Hart and the $2.7 million offered by the club.
In his first year of eligibility, Hart admitted to being relieved at avoiding a hearing scheduled for today.
"I don't think anybody wanted to do that," said Hart, who made $444,000 last season, when he batted .268 with 20 home runs, 91 runs batted in and 23 stolen bases and made his first all-star team.
"Going through this for the first time, it was pretty stressful. I'm definitely pleased at how it all turned out."
The Brewers and Hart's agent, Jeff Berry, were in ongoing discussions earlier in the day when something happened to push them toward an agreement. The Los Angeles Dodgers settled with outfielder Andre Ethier, who also had a $1.1 million gap with his club ($2.65 million/$3.75 million).
Ethier received $3.1 million, just below the midpoint, with $100,000 in incentives to get him to that level.
"That really brought some clarity to the situation," Ash said. "Sometimes, negotiations take a circuitous route. The surrounding cases help you get there."
The agreement allowed general manager Doug Melvin and Ash to maintain their streak of never going to a hearing while with the Brewers.
http://www.jsonline.com/sports/brewers/39758772.html