2012 Shortstop

[Invader3K]

Supposedly Ramirez is looking for a 3-4 year deal. I don't think he'll get that at this point.

[The Truth]

Supposedly Ramirez is looking for a 3-4 year deal. I don't think he'll get that at this point.

That would be very risky for a guy who turns 34 next summer. He put up a .871 OPS in 2011 but in 2010 he hit just .241 with only a .294 OPS, and he missed significant time due to injuries in both '10 and '09. He's earned about $15 million a year during the last 4 seasons and if seeking similar money would arguably not be worth it.

 

Apparently he really loves living in Chicago and Milwaukee might seem "doable" in terms of an easy commute while keeping family in Chicago.

 

He'd certainly be a huge upgrade over Green/McGehee but by no means would it be a great slam-dunk signing. Its a roll of the dice

 

I believe Melvin was doing his "due diligence" but probably sees Aramis as asking for too much over too many years

 

I suppose it depends on how "all in" we are going to be in 2012

[YoungGeezy]

Jimmy Rollins is the guy no one mentions that I'd love to sign. Reyes of course is the dream but won't happen. Rollins is by far #2 option. Haven't heard the numbers he has been said to want though.

[MNBrew]

Even if he's only a solid-and-steady SS who periodically shows glimpses of his All-Star past, I'd gladly take Rollins as the #2 option to Reyes at SS.

[BrandonBurns]

I'd have no problem with Rollins on a reasonable 3 year deal but his agent has stated it's going to take 5 years to get him to sign.

[YoungGeezy]

I guess it only takes one dumb team (usually the Nationals) to pony it up but his agent is kidding himself if he thinks there is a market for a 5 year deal for him 3 with a 4th option I think is most likely.

[dadofandrew]

I feel Furcal projects higher than Rollins, but is more of an injury risk...he might sign for 1-2 seasons though because of it. Rollins will get 4 minimum.

[PrinceEatMeat]

Rollins is clearly the better option, but I'd rather have Furcal on a 2 year deal than Rollins on a 4 or 5 year deal.

[LouisEly]

The thing with Furcal is, not only does he improve the Brewers SS position but signing him also likely downgrades the SS position for their #1 competitor for the division title. If acquiring a player also weakens your top competitor, that's added value.

[Invader3K]

I guess there's an article on ESPN Insider that suggests the Brewers are interested in Furcal, but I don't have access anymore.

[yoshii8]

According to his agent he's looking for a 3 year deal. I really like Rafael Furcal, but I think a 3 year deal would be a big mistake. He's been very injury prone over the last couple of seasons, and was thinking about retiring w/ the Dodgers last season.

[bucksman4]

I guess there's an article on ESPN Insider that suggests the Brewers are interested in Furcal, but I don't have access anymore.

I wish I would've been reading this post back in July before the trade deadline. Instead, we were stuck with inept Betancourt. Melvin sat on his hands and showed his arrogant side by sticking with Yuni in spite of the majority of people rightfully suggesting he's not a MLB starter at SS.

[RockCoCougars]

I agree that the time to get Furcal was July. If the Brewers weren't so fixated on Jamey Carroll, they could have gotten him for little or nothing. If anything else, it would have most likely prevented the Cardinals from making the playoffs. Though I liked the idea of bringing in Furcal in July, I'm not so sure about giving him a deal now, still an injury risk, and my guess is that he will be overpriced

[Invader3K]

Yeah, I can't see him getting a three year deal now that he's 34. A lot of these agents like to posture, but he'll probably take a two year deal (maybe with a team option for a third) if the money is right.

[BrandonBurns]

I agree that the time to get Furcal was July. If the Brewers weren't so fixated on Jamey Carroll, they could have gotten him for little or nothing. If anything else, it would have most likely prevented the Cardinals from making the playoffs. Though I liked the idea of bringing in Furcal in July, I'm not so sure about giving him a deal now, still an injury risk, and my guess is that he will be overpriced

Wasn't the issue with acquiring Furcal the money not being in the budget? I could be wrong but I thought that it wasn't in the budget and the money they would have had for Furcal was used on KRod?

[yoshii8]

I'd rather give Jimmy Rollins a 4 or even 5 year deal than give Furcal a 3 year deal.

[Invader3K]

I'd rather give Jimmy Rollins a 4 or even 5 year deal than give Furcal a 3 year deal.

I don't think Furcal is really going to get a three year deal at this point. Maybe two years with a third year option. Rollins might get a four year contract, but do we really want to be paying him big money when he's 36 (he's already 32)?

[Luke7799.u]

I am becoming more and more of a fan of trading for Jason Bartlett. Solid D, we should be able to get him for minimal return, and he would be a solid 7 or 8 hitter for us.

[RockCoCougars]

I agree that the time to get Furcal was July. If the Brewers weren't so fixated on Jamey Carroll, they could have gotten him for little or nothing. If anything else, it would have most likely prevented the Cardinals from making the playoffs. Though I liked the idea of bringing in Furcal in July, I'm not so sure about giving him a deal now, still an injury risk, and my guess is that he will be overpriced

Wasn't the issue with acquiring Furcal the money not being in the budget? I could be wrong but I thought that it wasn't in the budget and the money they would have had for Furcal was used on KRod?

The Dodgers paid nearly all of Furcal's salary on top of giving him away for a middling prospect. If Melvin wasn't interested then, I have no idea why he'd be interested now.

[Baldkin]

What about Hiroyuke Nakajima?

 

I'll admit, I don't know that much about him, but seeing things like this:

 

Hiroyuki Nakajima (SS, Seibu Lions, 28) – Nakajima gets

my vote as Japan’s second best hitter, behind Aoki. Nakajima doesn’t

quite match up with Aoki’s pure contact skill or plate discipline, but

is still very good in both categories and adds a bit more gap power to

the equation. Nakajima is a back-leg hitter, with a big stride that he

will occasionally shorten up. On the turf, Nakajima plays a solid

shortstop, among many good shortstops in his league. The best video I

could find of Nakajima was this one,

of him hitting an opposite field home run off Dicky Gonzales (I know,

not the best competition). Also of note in the video, you can see that

he’s made friends with teammate Dee Brown. The high-five routine they do after home runs shows up on Japanese highlight shows.

Makes him intriguing.

[JohnBriggs12]

I guess there's an article on ESPN Insider that suggests the Brewers are interested in Furcal, but I don't have access anymore.

I wish I would've been reading this post back in July before the trade deadline. Instead, we were stuck with inept Betancourt. Melvin sat on his hands and showed his arrogant side by sticking with Yuni in spite of the majority of people rightfully suggesting he's not a MLB starter at SS.

Yuni had the exact same OPS in the 2nd half as Furcal (.718), and a much better postseason. Furcal even had a lower FP with the Cards (.958) than Yuni (.965) had as a Brewer. The Brewers were 47-23 (.671) after the break with Yuni. It's hard to imagine what Furcal could have done to improve on that record.

[Matt Breen]

What about Hiroyuke Nakajima?

 

I'll admit, I don't know that much about him, but seeing things like this:

 

Hiroyuki Nakajima (SS, Seibu Lions, 28) – Nakajima gets

my vote as Japan’s second best hitter, behind Aoki. Nakajima doesn’t

quite match up with Aoki’s pure contact skill or plate discipline, but

is still very good in both categories and adds a bit more gap power to

the equation. Nakajima is a back-leg hitter, with a big stride that he

will occasionally shorten up. On the turf, Nakajima plays a solid

shortstop, among many good shortstops in his league. The best video I

could find of Nakajima was this one,

of him hitting an opposite field home run off Dicky Gonzales (I know,

not the best competition). Also of note in the video, you can see that

he’s made friends with teammate Dee Brown. The high-five routine they do after home runs shows up on Japanese highlight shows.

Makes him intriguing.

I'm game. Give him a try. I like thinking differently.

 

I don't trust Furcal. 34, injuries, inconsistent performances. Scares me. Although we could do worse. If you did go with Furcal I'd want a good back up - like Hairston - to fill in when the inevitable injury comes up. Between Barmes and Furcal I guess I lean Barmes, because I see him as a little more safe - but not with Furcal's upside. I'd be okay with either.

[GamelToe]

I guess there's an article on ESPN Insider that suggests the Brewers are interested in Furcal, but I don't have access anymore.

I wish I would've been reading this post back in July before the trade deadline. Instead, we were stuck with inept Betancourt. Melvin sat on his hands and showed his arrogant side by sticking with Yuni in spite of the majority of people rightfully suggesting he's not a MLB starter at SS.

Yuni had the exact same OPS in the 2nd half as Furcal (.718), and a much better postseason. Furcal even had a lower FP with the Cards (.958) than Yuni (.965) had as a Brewer. The Brewers were 47-23 (.671) after the break with Yuni. It's hard to imagine what Furcal could have done to improve on that record.

He would've taken away from the Cardinals. I remember at least one game that Furcal won single-handedly (over the shoulder catch against the Brewers)

[Bombers]

If we can get Furcal for 2 years + a mutual option, I am all in. 3 years would be a tough sell but I might even do that too. We have no SS on the horizon so the chance we sign a guy to a 1 year deal is minimal in my opinion. I personally like Furcal. High energy, good defense, and he can hit. He is coming off his worst hitting season in his 12 years as a pro. (And it isn't even close his 2nd worst season was .269 in 2009) ... He sounds more like a solid bounce back candidate than a guy who is going to keep declining. I highly doubt he hits .231 in 2012. I would expect closer to a 265/335 line out of him. With his defense being far greater than what we saw out of Yuni ... All in all, I would be very happy to get Furcal.

[B2k1121]

Don't like this tweet:

@DKnobler

Brewers have strong reservations about Furcal, probably not enough money for Reyes. May actually stick with Yuni at short.