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Milwaukee Brewers Wiretap

Suppan Deal Finalized

Jeff Suppan passed a physical Friday morning, formally clearing his path into the Brewers' starting rotation.

Suppan and the team came to terms Christmas Eve on a free agent contract that guarantees $42 million over the next four years, plus an option for a fifth. It's the largest contract in franchise history, and will become official next week when the team files paperwork with the Players Association.

Barring injuries, Suppan will join a rotation that includes right-handed ace Ben Sheets, whose four-year, $38.5 million deal had been the biggest in club history, plus left-hander Chris Capuano and right-handers Dave Bush and Claudio Vargas. Suppan, also a right-hander, will turn 32 on Tuesday.

Via MLB.com


Suppan To Undergo Physical On Friday

Pitcher Jeff Suppan is scheduled to be in Milwaukee on Friday morning for a physical, the final hurdle between the veteran right-hander and the richest contract in club history.

Suppan and the Brewers reached a preliminary agreement Sunday on a four-year free-agent contract that guarantees $42 million. The deal includes a club option for a fifth year.

Friday's physical will be administered by head team physician Dr. William Raasch, and it's regarded as a formality. Suppan has made at least 31 starts in each of the last nine seasons, and he has not been on the disabled list since the end of the 1996 season. He will turn 32 on Wednesday.

"Knock on wood, he's one of the most durable pitchers in the game," agent Scott Leventhal said.

Via MLB.com


Brewers Counting On Consistency From Suppan

In Jeff Suppan, the Brewers are hoping for a low ERA and a lot of quality starts, but they are also hoping that he provides stability to their pitching staff.

"There's no substitute for consistency," Yost said. "He brings that to the ballpark every single day.

"It hasn't been fun to watch from our side because he was always sticking it to us," said Yost, whose club went 2-12 against Suppan during the three seasons he pitched for National League Central rival St. Louis. "But, still, you have to have an appreciation for the way he executes every pitch."

Via Journal Sentinel


Suppan Joins The Brew Crew

Jeff Suppan reached a preliminary agreement Sunday on a $42 million, four-year contract with the Milwaukee Brewers. Suppan must pass a physical for the deal to be finalized, the Brewers said in a rare Christmas Eve announcement. His contract includes a team option for 2011 with a $2 million buyout. "He gives us a big-game pitcher. He's shown that last year," Brewers general manager Doug Melvin said during a telephone conference call.

Via ESPN


Selig Named Executive Of The Year

Street & Smith's SportsBusiness Journal and SportsBusiness Daily has named Bud Selig their Executive of the Year.

In their joint announcement on Tuesday, the publications cited Selig's leadership in a year when Major League Baseball's revenue was $5.2 billion and attendance was more than 76 million, both record figures.

The year also featured a new Collective Bargaining Agreement reached without a work stoppage, three new television and media agreements, long-awaited stadium deals in Minneapolis, the San Francisco Bay Area and Washington, D.C., the success of the inaugural World Baseball Classic and the seventh different World Series champion in seven years.

"Baseball under Bud Selig's leadership has done in one calendar year what for most people would be a great career," Fox Sports president Ed Goren told SportsBusiness Journal and SportsBusiness Daily in the latest issue. Fox Sports in July committed $1.8 billion to MLB between 2007 and 2013 in one of the new TV deals.

"I've said it time and again: We're in a golden age of baseball, a renaissance," Commissioner Selig said from his Milwaukee office. "We're doing things that nobody thought possible. I've had tremendous support from the clubs and the Players Association, so it's not trite to say that I accept this on behalf of very many people.

"It's kind of funny that I'm getting patted on the back now for the same things that I got ripped for in the 1990s. We've come a long way since then. The labor agreements, for example; we had eight work stoppages and a lot of suspicion and hatred. Now there's peace and quiet. To do what we have done, it took labor peace."

A former winner, NBA commissioner David Stern, agreed with Selig's selection.

Via MLB.com


Brewers Dec 2006 Archive