He spent all winter dangling all-star second baseman Fernando Vina as trade bait for a starting pitcher, with no takers. I never turned down one deal for a pitcher. And I don't think I set my sights too high because we always felt we were overpaying.
Nobody's willing to give up pitching, no matter how inexperienced.
Thus, the Brewers began play this season with only one change in their season-ending rotation of 1998. And Karl pitched so poorly in Arizona that he was demoted from first to fourth in the rotation. Nothing has happened in the first 15 games of the season to erase fears that a paper-thin rotation will doom the Brewers to a seventh consecutive losing season. In addition to 94 hits allowed over 76 innings, starters have walked an alarming 42 batters. At this rate, not only will the Brewers' bullpen be shot by midseason but the Harley-Davidson motorcycle used to signal pitching changes will have a couple of thousand miles on it.