The Milwaukee Brewers made a surprise move Tuesday by parting ways with former-No. 5 starter Claudio Vargas a mere six days before they head to Wrigley Field for Opening Day.
The move shocked some, confused others and of course, didn't bother most.
Some breathed a sigh of relief, finally knowing who would make the starting rotation - the main question throughout Spring Training. Manager Ned Yost is 95 percent"" sure the rotation will feature ace Ben Sheets, Jeff Suppan, Dave Bush, Carlos Villanueva and Manny Parra. Yovanni Gallardo will return to the starting rotation after his injured knee heals and will probably bump Parra to the bullpen or back down to Triple-A.
But before everyone says good riddance to Vargas, this move by the Brewers organization provides the unique chance of looking at how things are run at the major league level.
Of the pitchers named above, Vargas is probably last or second to last in terms of ability. Sheets, Suppan and Bush have proven to be somewhat consistent - yes, they really aren't, but they are still better than Vargas - and Gallardo, Villanueva and Parra are up-and-coming stars with huge upsides. When looking at the move from that angle, it begins to make sense. The Brewers had eight pitchers to fill five spots, and while the season-ending injury of Chris Capuano meant one less arm on the mound, the Brewers still had to make some sort of move.
That move resulted in Milwaukee trying to trade Vargas. However, with the season opener approaching so soon, no team would legitimately want to trade for a pitcher that they could probably pick up off waivers within a week. Unable to find a suitor for the 29-year-old righty, the Brewers did the next best thing and cut him.
Financially, the move also makes sense.
Vargas was slotted to make $3.6 million this season, and while he did perform well in Spring Training - going 3-1 with a 3.86 ERA - he became expendable. Villanueva will only make $384,500 this season, and, coupling his better performance and potential, makes the move seem logical.
By relieving Vargas now, the Brewers will only have to pay him a quarter of his salary. Wednesday was the deadline to release a player and only pay that portion, so the Brewers will only have to pay Vargas $900,000. Compared to $3.6 million when he wouldn't have pitched that much, the move makes a lot of sense financially.
The only downside to the transaction is the small section of the brain in every Brewer fan; that one voice that questions the arm of every Brewer pitcher and asks: 'What happens when Sheets goes down with an injury halfway through June? Who will fill in when Suppan and Bush can never make it past the fifth inning? Why doesn't Brian Shouse get more playing time?' - well maybe not that last one.
To the first two questions, there are no quick and easy answers. Milwaukee has been built on players from its farm system. A year ago, no one was sure who Gallardo or Parra were, until Gallardo was called up and Parra threw a perfect game at Triple-A Nashville.
This year will be similar. The Brewers have talented players in the minors, and they will slowly make their way up to the big league at some point.
Only time will tell whether Vargas will be badly missed or easily forgotten. But if the young guns in the rotation can play to their potential, the Milwaukee Brewers should be sitting high and receiving praises for another savvy roster move.
If you think releasing Vargas was a good idea, e-mail Nate at ncarey@dailycardinal.com.
