TooLiveBrew

Interesting. I don't remember this being reported at the time he was signed.

TMZ? Not saying the report is false... but... TMZ.

If you were the acquiring team, would you agree to any of these deals? That's probably the easiest quick-and-dirty way to analyze what Aoki's value is/should be. Aoki's MLB career OPS is .768, and this season so far it's .733. Adding in the fact that he's basically just average on defense leaves me not expecting to get much for 1.5 seasons of him. That's just not very special production at a corner OF spot. His cheap salaries will help his value, however.

If you read the McCalvy blog piece referenced in the MLBTR post (I just updated the lead post with a link to the MLBTR page), you find the following:

Yep. This past offseason, a lot of jokes were made about how bad the Astros are, & what a mess they are & 'good thing we're not run like the Astros' when the rebuild-or-not-rebuild discussions came up. Taking a look at the standings... not so funny now. Well, to be fair, this team has been much worse than expected. I think most of the "experts" before the season had this being pegged as at least a 75-ish win team. The pitching was much worse than expected at the start of the year, and injuries have really taken their toll. I'm not saying that absolved Melvin and Co. of blame, but I don't think anyone thought this franchise with be flirting with 100 losses this year. They've been worse than expected, but not that much worse than expected imo. I think 75 wins is a fair statement of about what I was expecting. And once you're a team that's not talented enough to project to be better than .500, I think it doesn't take a whole lot to slip from a win total in the 70s to one in the 60s (aka 100-ish-loss pace). As to brewcrewdue's argument about losing your best players, well yeah. But it's overstating things to say the team has been without Braun for the majority of the season -- he's produced at a fairly normal clip for him, & is currently 7th on the team in PAs. I mean, for the flip side of the 'what if?' angle, what if the Cardinals had a couple players break out in major ways offensively like Gomez & Segura? It's too convenient to take the things that have gone wrong for the Brewers & just dismiss them because 'what if?' The only point I was trying to make is that it was really easy to laugh about how poorly-run one of the expected cellar dwellers was coming into the season. But the problem this year (as always) isn't about the offense. It's about a complete lack of pitching depth up & down the organization, and that's how you wind up fighting to get out of the cellar. The Brewers could rebound next season & have good fortune with regards to positional player health, but if they still don't have the pitching, the upside again will be 75-80 wins... and being stuck in no-man's land as an organization. I agree the silver lining here is the shot at a top-5 draft pick, and frankly a forced rebuild (if that's how this season winds up playing out) would be a welcome change as far as I'm concerned. The problem I still would have is that it took a worst-case scenario to wake up the organization to just how thin the talent is beyond the core players. So great, maybe they rebuild/re-tool as they should have been planning to do all along, but if that wasn't the gameplan in the first place, then has the problem really been solved?

On my phone so I can't link, but MLBTR reporting Dodgers and Cubs are close on a trade for Marmol. I have to imagine Axford, K-Rod, and Henderson are more attractive bullpen arms than Marmoll at this point, and I'd be pretty frustrated if Melvin isn't actively shopping them

Well played!

Looking forward to your reports when the Sounds come through OKC.

I meant to note last night that I wish Tim Dillard would've taken on his Tim Kurkjian persona & interviewed himself after becoming the Sounds' all-time wins leader.

Wow. I don't think I can bring myself to read on.

I like that Baseball America has taken note of an increased presence from the Brewers in the Latin America market this season. Can't be a bad thing.

But Henderson is cheap for two more years, which is more important to the Brewers than the Tigers. The Brewers should be looking to sell Ax and KRod first, unless some team wants Henderson specifically. I think most teams that are looking for bullpen help, would maybe prefer the guys that have been in the playoffs before anyways. Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. The Tigers have some very expensive players, and perhaps adding an impact bullpen arm for pennies on the dollar would make a ton of sense for them. What's important to keep in mind regarding Henerson's lack of service time is that the less service time/more team salary control he has, the more value he has in any trade.

Yep. This past offseason, a lot of jokes were made about how bad the Astros are, & what a mess they are & 'good thing we're not run like the Astros' when the rebuild-or-not-rebuild discussions came up. Taking a look at the standings... not so funny now.

I hope this post exists for all eternity.

The catch. The boy can go get 'em out there. Also, PLEASE tell me someone can make a .gif of the fan in the front row wearing a Bucs cap backwards & a light-blue shirt (right behind Schafer as he makes the catch) from 0:53-1:02 or so. Too funny.

That's right where I recall it being when he was up & starting in the bigs last season.

Tim Dillard Becomes Sounds Career Wins Leader Nashville's Caleb Gindl Goes Yard In 5-3 Series Finale Victory Nashville Sounds http://i.imgur.com/ym1bXUw.jpg Tim Dillard (Mike Strasinger / Nashville Sounds) AUDIO: Sounds Win Final Out AUDIO: Blake Davis Go-Ahead Double AUDIO: Caleb Gindl Go-Ahead Home Run NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Nashville Sounds rallied past the Oklahoma City RedHawks Sunday night at Greer Stadium to pick up the 5-3 victory and give relief pitcher Tim Dillard his 36th win as a Sound to become the club's career wins leader. Dillard, who has pitched for Nashville in each of the last seven seasons, entered the game with 35 wins, tied with former Sound Keith Brown (1988-92) for the most in Sounds history. The 29-year-old took the hill for Nashville with the game tied in the fifth inning and stayed in to face the minimum in his 2 1/3 innings of work. He inherited two runners from starter Johnnie Lowe and induced Carlos Perez into an inning-ending fly out to keep the score at three runs apiece. He continued to strike out the side in the sixth and have each of his seventh-inning batters ground out. In the home half of the seventh inning Caleb Gindl snapped the tie by hitting his ninth home run of the season. The solo shot to right field put the Sounds up 4-3 and Dillard in line for the milestone win. Nashville added an insurance run later in the inning when RedHawks catcher Carlos Perez committed a throwing error when trying to pickoff Blake Lalli at third, and instead sent the ball into left field, which allowed Lalli to score. The RedHawks held the initial lead after second baseman Marwin Gonzalez hit a sacrifice fly in the top of the first inning to score lead-off batter Jonathan Villar, who started the game with a triple to centerfield. Josh Prince got a piece of the ball at the wall, but could not make the out. Jose Martinez's solo home run in the fourth put the RedHawks up 2-0 before, the Sounds strung together a three-run rally in the bottom of the inning to take a 3-2 lead over Oklahoma City. First baseman Hunter Morris led off the frame with a double to centerfield and was driven in two outs later by Prince's shallow single into right-field. Infielder Hainley Statia tied the game with an RBI double to left field on a well-struck ball that just got by Robbie Grossman. Blake Davis followed with an RBI double of his own for the go ahead run. Down 3-2 in the fifth, Oklahoma City connected for three consecutive two-out singles to level the game and end Lowe's night. The right-handed pitcher, making his fourth start, allowed three runs on nine hits across 4 1/3 innings of work for Nashville. Lowe fanned two RedHawks and walked none, before giving way to Dillard. Both Michael Olmsted and Rob Wooten recorded scoreless innings from the hill for Nashville. Wooten collected his 17th save. Every Sounds player in the line-up recorded a hit; Scooter Gennett, Robinzon Diaz and Khris Davis each recorded two-hit nights. The Sounds welcome the Round Rock Express, Houston Astros affiliate, to Greer Stadium Monday night for the first game of a three-game set. Throwing for Nashville will be RHP R.J. Seidel (1-3, 5.98) against Round Rock lefty Ryan Feierbend (4-2, 3.90). Fans attending the game will enjoy $1 hot dogs for Dollar Dog Night. Nashville Box Nashville PbP Nashville Gameday

It's not about a half season of stats for me. It's about Thornburg not having good enough stuff & command to be an effective MLB SP. He's too prone to leaving average fastballs over the heart of the plate, & doesn't have great breaking stuff.. He gets hit hard in pretty much every start he makes, obviously some more than others. I guess you could say he suffers from the same weakness Manny Parra did -- hittable-fastball-itis. Out of the bullpen, all of a sudden Tyler has that much more velocity on his fastball & can throw his breaking pitches that much more sharply. I think he can make a good impact as a RP. As a SP, I think his upside is roughly a poor man's Dave Bush.

Ann's photography is second to none among the affiliates. Her graphic work for the T-Rats website is also good.

Because, long term, imo his role will be in the bullpen. So I want to see him get acclimated to that asap.

Sounds Lose Third Straight To Oklahoma City, 6-4 Ninth-Inning Comeback Falls Short For Nashville Nashville Sounds http://i.imgur.com/lwm7o04.jpg Blake Davis (Mike Strasinger / Nashville Sounds) NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Nashville Sounds dropped their third straight game to the Oklahoma City RedHawks, falling 6-4 in front of 8,889 fans on Saturday evening at Greer Stadium. Oklahoma City took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning when Jimmy Paredes grounded into a rare 6-4-6-8 double play with runners on second and third. On the twin-killing, Jonathan Villar, who had opened the game a double, scored the night's first run. The Sounds answered with a pair of runs in the home half of the opening frame to grab a 2-1 lead against Brad Peacock. Scooter Gennett reached on a throwing error by third baseman Jose Martinez and Josh Prince followed with a bunt single before Caleb Gindl, in his first at-bat after returning to Nashville from Milwaukee, ripped a game-tying RBI single to right. Blake Lalli gave the home team the lead with a sacrifice fly to left that plated Prince. Following the first-inning scoring for Nashville, Peacock (3-2) calmed down and retired 13 of his next 14 batters faced, including a string of 10 in a row. The right-hander picked up the victory with his quality start, holding the Sounds to two runs (one earned) on five hits while striking out nine batters in his seven innings of work. The RedHawks rallied back into the lead in the fourth when Che-Hsuan Lin laced a two-out, two-run single to right off Chris Narveson. Oklahoma City added a pair of runs in the sixth against Narveson to extend its lead to 5-2. Marwin Gonzalez led off with a single and scored on a subsequent Paredes single combined with a fielding error by Gindl in right. Brandon Laird followed with an RBI double to right-center to plate Paredes. Narveson (1-4) took the loss for Nashville after giving up five runs (four earned) on eight hits in six innings of work. The RedHawks made it a 6-2 game in the seventh with a run off Kyle Heckathorn. Martinez led off with a single and later scored on a groundout. Nashville didn't go down without a fight in the ninth, plating two runs against RedHawks closer Jose Valdez on Hainley Statia's two-out single to center. Catcher Robinzon Diaz, who went 2-for-4 in his Sounds debut, and Stephen Parker (walk) scored on the knock. Left-hander Wade LeBlanc was summoned from the bullpen to face pinch-hitter Hunter Morris, the potential tying run, and retired the slugger on a game-ending groundout. The teams wrap up the five-game series with a 6:35 p.m. finale on Sunday. Right-hander Johnnie Lowe (0-1, 4.07) will make the start for the Sounds and face Oklahoma City right-hander Philip Humber (0-3, 4.66). It will be the team's fourth Faith Night of the year, featuring a pregame concert by World Outreach Church and a special bobblehead giveaway of biblical figure David to the first 1,000 fans. Gates open at 5:05 p.m. Nashville Box Gennett: 1-3, BB, PO, CS Prince: 1-4 Gindl: 1-3, RBI, BB, CS, E (fielding) Blake Lalli: 0-3, RBI, SF Diaz: 2-4, 1/3 CS Parker: 0-3, BB Statia: 2-4, 2B, 2 RBI Nashville PbP Nashville Gameday

Well so much for this angle. As Mass Haas notes in yesterday's Link Report, Morris was lifted due to a freak injury.

This afternoon, the Brewers announced that Corey Hart will miss the entire season. Tonight in Nashville, Hunter Morris played 11/3 of the Sounds' doubleheader. I think the Brewers are going to call him up. Morris was off Wednesday, played one game on Thursday, & under normal circumstances I think would've played both games of this doubleheader. Tonight, in total, he went 2-5 with one double, triple, & RBI. In his last 10 games he's posted a .983 OPS, and he's also on a pace to draw the most walks he's ever had in one season. If we're giving a guy like Francisco a shot, why not Morris? The club have more invested in Morris, and they control his rights through 2019 no matter how much MLB service time he gets this season.

Nothing beats a firsthand report. My hope is that we can find at least one local fan per affiliate to report on player performances. Even if you only attend a few games each season, your insight on players is more valuable than the assumptions we'll make on this forum. I know we have a tried & true Nashville fan, and I'm guessing we have a few commenters and lurkers who attend affiliate games and/or are good primary sources. Your contributions would be appreciated.

Nashville Game 2 Sounds Swept In Double Dip Nashville's Kroenke Tossed Complete Game in Loss Nashville Sounds http://i.imgur.com/YyiIjSb.jpg Blake Davis (Mike Strasinger / Nashville Sounds) AUDIO: Hunter Morris Triple Off Wall AUDIO: Khris Davis' RBI Double AUDIO: Hainley Statia RBI-Ground Out NASHVILLE, Tenn. - A three-run fourth inning doomed the Nashville Sounds Friday night, losing 6-3 Friday night at Greer Stadium in the nightcap of their doubleheader with the Oklahoma City RedHawks. Tied 2-2 in the fourth inning, Oklahoma City worked three singles and a two-run double off of Sounds starter Zach Kroenke (4-10) to take a three run lead. Ruben Sosa hit the third single to give the RedHawks a 3-2 lead and Jonathan Villar, two-for-four, followed with the double. Kroenke finished with a career-high nine strikeouts in a seven-inning complete game effort. The lefty surrendered six runs, five earned, in the loss, in which he allowed eight hits. The RedHawks jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the first inning with a solo home run from lead-off batter Jonathan Villar, but the Sounds quickly answered with two runs in the home half of the inning. With two outs, Blake Lalli singled to left field and was driven in by Hunter Morris' triple off the right-field wall. Khris Davis followed with an RBI-double to give the Sounds their only lead. RedHawks centerfielder George Springer, who was promoted from Double-A on Thursday, where he had 19 home runs, tied the game with his first Triple-A home run. The Sounds picked up their final run of the game in the sixth inning. Designated hitter Blake Lalli, two-for-three, hit a single off the first baseman to move Josh Prince to third base and infielder Hainley Statia drove in Prince with a groundout. RedHawks' Jake Buchanan (1-0) made his first Triple-A start a good one, getting the win for his five innings of work for Oklahoma City. The right-handed pitcher held Nashville to two runs on four hits, fanning two and walking none, and retired 13 of his last 14 batters faced. RedHawks reliever Josh Zeid picked up his seventh save in a scoreless seventh. The loss, coupled with their 5-1 game one defeat, makes the Sounds 0-3-1 in double headers this season. The Sounds will play game four of their five-game series against the Oklahoma City RedHawks Saturday night at Greer Stadium. Throwing for Nashville will be LHP Chris Narveson (1-3, 7.04) against RHP Brad Peacock (2-2, 3.38). The first 1,000 kids through the gates will receive a youth jersey courtesy of McDonald's. The game will be followed by a Fireworks Extravaganza powered by Nashville's News 2. Nashville Box Nashville PbP Looks like either good news or bad news for Hunter Morris... hard to imagine that he'd have been pulled at this point in a 2-2 game, if not for an injury or a pending promotion: Nashville Bottom of the 3rd -Scooter Gennett doubles (9) on a line drive to right fielder Che-Hsuan Lin. -Josh Prince pops out to first baseman Jonathan Singleton in foul territory. -Blake Lalli strikes out swinging, catcher Cody Clark to first baseman Jonathan Singleton. -Hunter Morris strikes out swinging. Okla. City Top of the 4th -Defensive Substitution: Hainley Statia replaces first baseman Hunter Morris, batting 4th, playing third base. -Defensive switch from third base to first base for Stephen Parker. -George Springer flies out to right fielder Cole Garner. -Brandon Laird singles on a ground ball to center fielder Josh Prince. -Che-Hsuan Lin singles on a line drive to right fielder Cole Garner. Brandon Laird to 2nd. -Cody Clark strikes out swinging. -Ruben Sosa singles on a line drive to left fielder Khris Davis. Brandon Laird scores. Che-Hsuan Lin to 2nd. -Jonathan Villar doubles (13) on a line drive to left fielder Khris Davis. Che-Hsuan Lin scores. Ruben Sosa scores. -Marwin Gonzalez grounds out, first baseman Stephen Parker to pitcher Zach Kroenke. Nashville Gameday