Jeff Suppan

Jeff Suppan, a 36-year-old right-hander, is desperately trying to prove once again that he can help a major league team win. This time, it's with the World Series champs.

Suppan, now with his seventh team after 16 seasons in the majors, is trying to regain the pitching form that led him to back-to-back 16-win seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2004 and 2005.

With starters Kyle Lohse and Brad Penny on the disabled list and poor showings from rookies P.J. Walters and Blake Hawksworth, the St. Louis Cardinals may be close to bringing a familiar face back to Busch Stadium: Jeff Suppan.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that parameters of a deal were in place that could have the veteran right-hander, who was released by the Brewers on Monday, join the team this weekend in Arizona.

Jon Mozeliak, the Cardinals General Manager, warned that any deal was unofficial as of yet.

Talk about your worst-case scenario.

The Brewers had lost two in a row to the Cubs at Wrigley, the second game punctuated by a LaTroy Hawkins meltdown when the Brewers had a three-run lead in the eighth inning.

The wind was blowing out for the third day in a row. Derrek Lee was back in the lineup (for a while at least) after sitting out the game prior while nursing a thumb. Cub ace Carlos Zambrano was on the bump for the home team coming off a strong outing against the Mets despite his Opening Day woes in Atlanta.

Dec. 24, 2006: Suppan signs a four-year, $42 million contract with an option for 2011. Did Santa come early in 2006? No, but Scrooge sure did. 

Fresh off of a NL Championship series MVP award, Suppan jumped at the chance to sign a big contract with the Brewers. GM Doug Melvin explains the signing stating, "He gives us a big-game pitcher. He's shown that last year."

That quote was far-fetched considering Suppan's line from 2006: 12-7 with a 4.12 ERA.

In my quest to post an article related to every Milwaukee Brewers player that I felt had a legitimate shot at making the 25-man roster to begin 2010, I knew this day would inevitably arrive.

No player in recent memory for the Brewers has come under more fire and criticism than Jeff Suppan.

After he signed a four-year, $42 million deal in December 2006, expectations from most fans were for Suppan to become a very good No. 2 starter behind Ben Sheets.

He was the hot name in free agency, winning the NLCS MVP award for the Cardinals.

2009 was a tale of two seasons for Dave Bush. Prior to June 4, he was a solid middle-of-the-rotation pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers. After June 4, he spent the remainder of the season injured and quite ineffective on the mound.

On that fateful early June day, Bush took a line drive off his pitching arm from Marlins' star Hanley Ramirez.

Although he made his next three starts, it was quite clear that there was something not right with his arm. An MRI on his arm revealed a micro-tear in his right triceps, and Bush spent the next two months on the disabled list.

Beyond Hanley Ramirez and the mammoth 2005 deal that sent the slugging shortstop to Florida in exchange for Josh Beckett, Mike Lowell, and Guillermo Mota, who are the best former Red Sox toeing the rubber and flashing their leather today?

You know some of these, but some may surpise you. Who else in your fantasy draft was once a Red Sox? Who should have called Fenway home, but Fenway shut the door?

Here are my top ten.

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Do you think Jeff Suppan wakes up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night thinking "I am why the Brewers cannot win..."?  I doubt it.  If he does lose sleep at night though, he shouldn't.  It's not his fault... it's GM Doug Melvin's.  Melvin is the man who gave the then 31 year old Suppan a 4 year $42 million dollar deal, and it will be a crushing blow to the Brewers this season as they will be forced to pay Suppan almost $13 million for sub par pitching.  His stats for last season?

The Brewers are sinking. But there's good news: It's only just before the All-Star Break, which means there's still plenty of time to get some sort of deal done, and with left fielder Ryan Braun starting to speak up about wanting General Manager Doug Melvin to make some moves, there could be some unrest in the locker room if something isn't done.