| Douglas Benton. 10th December, 2007 - 5:10 pm
 In a tale of two seasons, closer Eric Gagne went from potential comeback player of the year to an afterthought by late October. After failing miserably with the Boston Red Sox following his success with the Texas Rangers, Gagne has moved onto his third team after signing a one-year deal with the Milwaukee Brewers.
In his time with the Texas Rangers and the Boston Red Sox, Gagne went 4-2 with 16 saves and a 3.81 ERA. However in Boston alone, he went 2-2 with a 6.75 ERA and an opponent’s batting average of .325. The numbers would have been far worse had Boston not in effect shut him down the last few weeks of the regular season.
With those numbers as the lasting reminder heading into the winter, Gagne’s free agent forecast was foggy at best. By landing with the Brewers, he returns to the National League, where he had great success with the Los Angeles Dodgers and a place where is has a good chance of closing from opening day.
So, which Eric Gagne will the Brewers get in 2008?
His stuff didn’t take a drastic hit in Boston, but it shouldn’t be expected to reach his Dodgers’ days either. To be successful, Gagne has to stay aggressive but be smart when he challenges hitters.
He averaged a walk more per nine innings in Boston compared to Texas, although his strikeout numbers were better. This signals his stuff is there, but he developed a bad habit of nibbling, and that liner to the gap is a lot worse with guys on the corners than with the bases empty.
Gagne is the third reliever signed by the Brewers, who are intent on filling holes and improving weaknesses in their bullpen. However, both Gagne and Scott Linebrink struggled after second half trades, and Riske isn’t a proven commodity yet.
Gagne, if his closes, is a good signing for the Brewers because they lacked a go-to arm in the ninth inning. This will also allow Derek Turnbow and Linebrink to be set-up guys with Riske and create a deep bullpen.
Also, for a one-year deal, there is no risk for the Brewers beyond 2008.
Grade: B+
Does Eric Gagne make the Brewers' bullpen complete? Email your thoughts to Douglas.Benton@realgm.com |
