Here's an article from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel shortly before the Brewers signed Eric Gagne to be the closer.
Brewers may tap Turnbow as closer
Slim pickings for team in free-agent market
By TOM HAUDRICOURT
thaudricourt@journalsentinel.com
Posted: Dec. 5, 2007
Nashville, Tenn. - Barring an unforeseen development, the Milwaukee Brewers don't anticipate acquiring an established bullpen closer, either through trade or free agency.
With that in mind, they are talking up Derrick Turnbow as the leading candidate to assume the role he held for a year and a half before melting down in midseason 2006.
"Derrick probably has a head-start on it because he has done it before and has been an all-star closer," manager Ned Yost said Wednesday at the winter meetings.
Club officials realize many fans are up in arms over the prospect of Turnbow being the closer again. Despite pitching well for the most part in a set-up role last season, the big right-hander was booed heavily at times by Miller Park fans for his failures.
Turnbow eventually admitted the booing was getting to him. So, won't it crush him if the fans turn on him again?
"Yes, I'm sure it will," Yost said. "He is (a lightning rod). I don't know what to tell him. 'Just go out and do your job. I'm not worried about it, so don't you worry about it.' "
The Brewers have had no luck at the winter meetings in finding a replacement for Francisco Cordero, who departed as a free agent to sign a four-year, $42 million deal with Cincinnati. Teams making closers available, such as Washington's Chad Cordero, Minnesota's Joe Nathan and Arizona's Jose Valverde, want so much in return that general manager Doug Melvin refuses to seriously consider trades.
Other than Eric Gagne and Octavio Dotel, the free-agent market for closers has been picked clean. The Brewers did finally complete their deal with setup man David Riske, who would be Plan B behind Turnbow, but there is no indication an established closer will be acquired.
Turnbow, 30, was a dominant closer for the Brewers in 2005, compiling a 1.74 ERA in 69 games and posting 39 saves, tying the club record at that time. But he fell apart after making the all-star team in '06 and forfeited the role to Cordero, acquired from Texas in the Carlos Lee trade.
Setting up for Cordero last season, Turnbow was erratic, posting a 2.19 ERA in April, 7.84 in May, 1.93 in June, 6.10 in July, 2.92 in August and 9.35 in September.
In a team-high 77 appearances, he posted a 4.63 ERA. But his ERA was inflated mostly by seven appearances in which he surrendered three or more runs.
Turnbow held opponents to a .183 batting average and ranked among the major-league leaders with 33 "holds" but got himself in trouble at times with walks, issuing 46 in 68 innings. He also allowed 12 of 14 inherited runners to score, which Yost called an "anomaly."
Because Turnbow can be stunningly wild at times, fans were quick to turn on him when he didn't throw strikes. But Yost believes he can be an effective reliever again.
"You look at Derrick's numbers, he's got a chance to be a dominant guy," Yost said. "They just don't see the ball good coming out of his hand.
"You break it down, how many bad outings did he have? Eight or 10? There's not many perfect people left in the world. For me to look for one in a closer, I'm not going to find him."