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Monday, April 16, 2012

Predicting the Milwaukee Brewers Starting Rotation in 2013 - Bleacher Report

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Too early to start talking about next season? Maybe. But not for the Milwaukee Brewers.

The 2013 offseason will be very interesting for the Milwaukee Brewers. The Brewers have three starting pitchers who will be free agents after this season: Zack Greinke, Shaun Marcum and Randy Wolf. They will have many decisions to make.

Only Yovani Gallardo is guaranteed a spot in the rotation, considering he's under contract until 2015. Chris Narveson will only be in his second year of arbitration, which means he most likely will stay put, although the Brewers could move him to the bullpen as a long reliever. Owner Mark Attanasio and General Manager Doug Melvin will have their hands full during the offseason.

Here's my prediction who will be in the starting rotation for the 2013 Milwaukee Brewers.

5. Chris Narveson

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Since Chris Narveson will only be in his second year of arbitration, the Brewers will sign him to a relatively cheap deal.

Narveson is a solid five starter who has the potential to be a three or four starter if he can avoid the big innings. Last year, Narveson posted a 11-8 record with a 4.45 ERA. Not an overpowering pitcher, Narveson keeps hitters off balance with his big breaking ball.

The Brewers might consider moving Narveson to the bullpen to serve as a long reliever, but I don't see that happening.

Unless Narveson absolutely implodes this season, he will remain the fifth starter for the Brewers in 2013.

4. Marco Estrada

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Marco Estrada is currently the Brewers long reliever. He started four games for Zack Greinke in 2011 while he was dealing with a rib injury. He posted a 1-0 record with a 3.00 record. The Brewers organization considers Estrada the sixth starter.

Estrada will replace Randy Wolf in the rotation. Wolf is a free agent after this season and Milwaukee will not re-sign him. Estrada will fill in nicely for Wolf in 2013. He has more velocity on his pitches than Wolf and should be a viable pitcher in the back end of the rotation.

He might not be as consistent as Wolf was, but Estrada will earn the spot in 2013.

3. Kyle Lohse

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After an extremely good season in 2011, posting a 14-8 record with a 3.39 ERA, Lohse is in his final year of his contract for the St. Louis Cardinals.

Although Wily Peralta is ready and waiting to be called up from the minors, he will have to wait. Lohse has resurrected his career and the Brewers will sign him to try and soak up whatever he's got left. He is off to an incredible start in 2012, going 2-0 with a 1.35 ERA, including a win against Milwaukee.

At 33, the Brewers will most likely sign him to a two year deal. Lohse might be hard to get as he's one of the few reliable starters in the free agent market next season.

If Milwaukee signs him, it'll be a good move that could pay off in a big way.

2. Shaun Marcum

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The Brewers will not be able to re-sign Zack Greinke. The Matt Cain deal completely killed all possibility of Greinke's return to Milwaukee, which is too bad.

Although Milwaukee would much rather sign Greinkie, Shaun Marcum will be the one to re-sign. The deal will either be a two or three year deal. Marcum had a stellar season with Milwaukee in 2011, until his arm wore down toward the last months of the campaign.

Marcum is more suited as the number three starter, but the Brewers won't have much a choice. If the Brewers miraculously re-sign Greinke, Marcum will start game two of the 2013 season.

1. Yovani Gallardo

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This is a no-brainer.

Yovani Gallardo will start his fourth consecutive opening day for the Crew in 2013 and once again be the team's ace. Gallardo has been the most consistent pitcher for the Brewers since he came into the league.

Gallardo is under contract with the Brewers until 2015, but don't be surprised if he remains with the Brewers longer. Milwaukee loves their home-grown talent and Gallardo is one of them. However, Gallardo must work on his pitch count if he wants to remain with the Brewers after the 2015 season.

Fans are happy that Gallardo will be a Brewer for years to come and hopefully will continue to mow down hitters.

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