TooLiveBrew

You're way overvaluing him. Nobody is going to pay a 31 year old catcher $25 million a year for 4 years. Brian McCann signed in 2014 (entering his age-30 season) for 5 yrs/$85M. That was what I was using as a quick & dirty benchmark. I think three years later, 4-5 yrs & $100M will be at least what Luc is looking at. And to clarify, what I meant (wasn't clear, sorry) was that it'll take a minimum of 4 years and/or $100M to sign him as a FA. I just can't see him having to sign less than 5 years -- seems like the standard shortest term that established good FAs ever agree to.

And Luc would turn that offer down without even blinking. Of course the Brewers would be thrilled to have him at that price, that's way under what he's worth. He's set up to be one of the most expensive position player on the FA market after next season. I think 4 yrs/$100M would be the minimum to get him as a FA.

He is banking on his likely one and only significant free agent contract coming over the Winter of 2017-18. It doesn't help his $$ value to be perceived as a part-time catcher. Anybody who perceives him as a part time catcher even after a year of playing multiple positions is a fool. It's not necessarily that anyone would actually believe it, but that it would be used against him as leverage in FA negotiations. Accepting a move to become a C/DH/1B in your FA walk year could easily cost you millions upon millions of dollars. The Brewers have had Luc on an absolute steal of a deal for years now. I can't blame Luc for not wanting to leave even more money on the table. And like I said in the MLB thread -- I think the Crew will be able to get a similar, if not improved, return on him in the offseason.

None of this sounds shocking. I can see why Luc would ask to have his 2017 option declined &/or be guaranteed that he's a catcher next season (for his FA value), & I can see why Cleveland would back away... they made the offer for 1.5 yrs of Luc, not 2-3 months. Trading him in the offseason will net a very similar return to this offer imo, & with more teams building their rosters to contend from Opening Day, the market will be bigger for him as well. I'm not too upset that this deal didn't go through, I'm more disappointed that the market for one of the top 5 catchers in the game was so underwhelming.

After feeling kind of frustrated about this trade, this was a very welcome laugh.

That's definitely a fair read of that report then. Hard to see the Brewers loving Nimmo if most folks here consider him a high floor type of guy.

Could just as easily be the Brewers leaking info trying to encourage other bids.

No one should be untouchable. Closest for me would be Arcia. I'm glad to hear Stearns is holding out for good offers on Guerra, but Guerra is definitely on the trade block right now. Doesn't mean he'll move, but he doesn't have much importance to the Brewers' plans moving forward outside of what he can return in a trade.

And if Wilkerson pitches well, he's going to be worth a whole lot more than 1/2 of Aaron Hill. If he does well in a handful of starts, I wouldn't even be surprised to see him flipped at this year's deadline. Playoff contending teams almost always want more rotation depth.

Having fun at the T-Rats' Star Wars night. Harrison just launched his second HR, bit of a moonshot that went about 330' to LF. His first HR was a lower trajectory rocket, a la Rickie Weeks -- you knew that was gone right off the bat as long as it stayed fair. Clark's 1st inning double missed being a HR to left-center by 4-5 feet off the tall LF wall. Isan Diaz's HR was in almost the exact same spot as Clark's hit, but Diaz's literally bounced off the top of the wall & over. As a team they've had good PAs so far. And aside from the HR, Garza has been steady & has induced a lot of ground balls. Diaz looks the part & quite smooth at SS, but hasn't had to make anything other than routine plays so far.

He's working NBA playoff games.

Agreed. Rock of course represented 'traditional' thinking, by pointing out how unusual it is to employ your best reliever to try to prevent a walk-off win. but he was right, it is unusual in today's game... I don't think he was criticizing CC for doing it, just commenting... Agreed on that take.

Agreed. Rock of course represented 'traditional' thinking, by pointing out how unusual it is to employ your best reliever to try to prevent a walk-off win.

Well... PEDS aren't just for making you bulkier/bigger/stronger. (which I understand everyone knows). Sometimes it's just a recovery thing, especially during a 162 game season which is a heavy grind on the body. Gordon is 28, which I understand he's not an "old man", but when you start to age and get closer to 30, your body doesn't recover the way it did when you were 19- 20 years old. Sometimes PEDS are just used for recovery and not building up and making you bigger. Truth be told, there isn't a single guy who would be named at this point who would surprise me. Makes me think of former Brewer Alex Sanchez, the first MLB player busted under the then-new PED protocol. Smaller speedy guy. http://espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2029037

The talent that this current team possesses for me is a very clear cut above what's been run out there the past couple seasons. I'm enjoying watching, win or loss. Like others have said, the club has a very clear direction & vision, which is also extremely rewarding for me to watch game in & out.

Do you think they haven't built an impressive team & done so through rebuilding from the bottom up? Just because some fans (me included) see the Cubs as being a model to emulate doesn't mean anyone claims they are "godly". Hell, the same model is what led to the Brewers re-visiting the playoffs. I swear, it's incredible how it feels like so many posters here have completely forgotten how the last successful 'era' was built in Milwaukee. I am in no way saying their model hasn't worked but, many forget the Cubs have put themselves over the top due to some major FA signings. Something we will never be able to do. You can't just copy everything they do especially something bad like holding onto Soriano just because the Cubs did it and they turned out OK. Why even trade Lucroy? We don't know that it will actually help us in the future and we might just end up OK not trading him. Bottom line it isn't that simple to follow in a teams footsteps. If it was that easy everyone would have amazing teams. Personally following the Cubs model is probably a bad idea. The team was built with near perfection and honestly total luck. Every trade worked out and they were hitting on draft picks left and right. Then to top it off they had the payroll to add a couple FAs. I don't think their model is something amazing or better than other routes to go. Not saying another team can't/won't succeed with that model, but I am not sure it is necessarily better. I'm at a loss as to which poster(s) is/are advocating copying "everything they do." Extreme hyperbole like that gets in the way of good conversation & discussion imo -- it projects a dismissive attitude, when really you have a lot of constructive observations & good discussion to voice. And "total luck" does an extreme disservice to the long-term plan that Epstein & Co put in place from day 1 when they took over on the North Side. I agree they've had things work out for them in addition to skill, but to call it pure luck isn't accurate either. They defined the plan that they believed would work for them (which, yes, includes spending some of the buttloads of money that they do have), & stuck to it. The Brewers can't do the same exact thing, but we sure as heck can take cues from what worked for CHC, & what has historically worked for teams that have to rebuild (like HOU, & even the Brewers themselves in the early 2000s).

Kudos to our resident transactional wizards, MassHaas & djoctagone. Your accuracy & consistency on this stuff is much appreciated.

Come on, though. If Jerry Augustine were to make up an alter-ego, it'd have to be named Don August. Have the two been seen in the same room so far?

I agree, and Houston is another good example. That Stearns was heavily involved in the approach in Houston is both encouraging, & evident given his moves as Brewers GM so far. I agree with the overall sentiment that Braun is less likely than Lucroy to bring back a significant return. But to quote Super Troopers, "desperation is a stinky cologne." Luc definitely is the more solid overall bet, factoring in age/contract/'baggage'/etc. But Braun is without question the higher-upside bat. It only takes one or two clubs being interested to deliver a great return.

Too many fans around baseball think the Cubs are godly and the road to success is to be exactly like them. If they held onto a massive contract for no reason we must too!!! Do you think they haven't built an impressive team & done so through rebuilding from the bottom up? Just because some fans (me included) see the Cubs as being a model to emulate doesn't mean anyone claims they are "godly". Hell, the same model is what led to the Brewers re-visiting the playoffs. I swear, it's incredible how it feels like so many posters here have completely forgotten how the last successful 'era' was built in Milwaukee.

I don't. He's a tier 1 catcher on a comparably tiny contract. The return for him is going to be impressive. It's an interesting phenomenon that so often (we) fans underestimate what it'd take to acquire another club's player, yet we also manage to underestimate what it'd take to prize away our elite talents. There's a reason Stearns hasn't moved Luc yet, & it doesn't have anything to do with his upcoming bobblehead day. He's worth a LOT, & someone will eventually pony up the asking price... because catchers like him can be World Series-winning important.

I'll guess 'R-lando Arr-chee-ah'

I don't know if BF.net has already celebrated the glory of the Bedrock Tile & Granite dinosaur commercial, but if not, I'd like to do so. So the tiny T-Rex walking through a kitchen is obviously hilarious. But I also like the phrase used in the intro to the commercial -- "the dawn of granite has been around since the early days of the dinosaur...". Now, leaving alone for a minute just how god-awful that is structurally as a whole... "the dawn of granite"?! Or maybe they meant The Don of Granite, who is apparently a 4-foot tall T-Rex. Oh, local commercials that almost go big-budget but fall short... never change!

Getting a look at Vader in his prime would be sweet, but does anyone know at what point between Episode III and IV this is? There is roughly a 20 year gap there, and based on the evidence from the end of Episode III regarding the Death Star (construction had just begun) and the trailer (made it look like the Death Star was fully operational), my assumption is that it is towards the latter part of that gap. I believe the Death Star wasn't activated until it destroyed Alderaan. If that is the case, my expectations for how impressive Vader would be in battle is pretty low. He wouldn't be that far away from fight Kenobi in Episode IV, where they looked like a couple of geriatrics flailing away with their light sabers. But still.... VADER! Another part of the trailer you see the Imperial Guards (in red). I hope to see them in action, as well. Their fighting capabilities should rival the Jedi. In that scene, you see a figure in a black cloak, kneeling towards what looks like a hologram communication device that is often used. Could it be a) Vader, kneeling down before the Emperor (which seemed odd to me since we don't see Vader use a hooded cloak like he did as a Jedi); b) perhaps a secret apprentice of Vader (a common theme in video games, although this defies the "Rule of Two" for the Sith); or c) Could that be Emperor Palpatine/Darth Sidious, kneeling before another figure, perhaps Snoke? Anakin is about 20 or so in Ep. III, so he wouldn't be any older than 40-45. One awesome thing about the Force is that it can make almost anyone into a powerhouse... think Palpatine-v-Yoda in Ep. III. Plus, post-Mustafar Vader (IV, V, VI) was more about force prowess & power than nimble agility. I think there's some incredible battle potential there. Just obliterating opponents with the Force & sledgehammer-strength lightsaber swings. Oh, and great point on the Imperial Guard. All we've ever seen them do is stand around or be ordered to leave. I'm also as curious as anyone about who the cloaked figure is. HAVE I MENTIONED THAT I'M EXCITED?!?!