TooLiveBrew

Atlanta may be his dream coaching job, but why take the risk of being unemployed again when you have long-term (at least for an MLB manager) certainty sitting in front of you? Once Fredi Gonzalez got fired, I think he became the early leader for the Atlanta gig, and Yost at least knows the Royals organization a little bit more due to being an "advisor" for the club for quite a few months before being named the manager there. And would being under contract with the Royals stop Yost from still pursuing the Braves vacancy?

Gamel has huge range, and is a MUCH better defender than Braun ever was at 3B. His errors are almost all throwing/footwork related, which is why it has frustrated Don Money so much. This is what disappoints me so much too. His range at third can be downright jaw-dropping. Even in his brief stint with the big club last season, he made a handful of plays that I doubt many other 3Bs in the league could have made. He has the range & arm strength to be an elite defender at 3B. Whether it ultimately comes down to that he hasn't or won't put the effort in, or that he just isn't able to 'figure it out' no matter how much he works, ultimately Brewers fans shouldn't be too upset if he winds up in the corner OF. His bat will play well enough imo to be an asset at any position. The guy is probably, right now, the ideal #2 hitter for almost any MLB lineup.

Unfortunately, I think this is the real solution. I still believe in Gamel's tools at 3B, but it sounds like he just isn't realistically progressing on defense. To me, McGehee profiles best as a utility player to handle 1B, 3B, & be the emergency catcher. Like rcon notes, his bat doesn't play well enough to be a 1B, and his defense at 3B is very poor. At least Ash lent a glimmer of hope that the Brewers aren't necessarily content with Casey at 3B: Asked if the decision also was an endorsement of Casey McGehee at third base in the majors, Ash said, "I wouldn't read it that way. You just don't want to limit your options."

Gamel's park- and luck-adjusted line as of today, per minorleaguesplits: .355/.429/.545/.974 (non-adjusted line is .300/.382/.480/.862) I'd say I'm looking forward to seeing him called up come September, but Macha probably won't play him anyway.

If you take Loney out of the NL West he should add about 60-80 points of OPS. This seems vastly overstated. Three of the five parks are definite pitchers' parks, but the other two (ARZ, COL) play pretty strongly as hitters' parks. Without being argumentative, I'll ask if you can produce a pattern of player improvement that backs up the speculated addition of 60-80 OPS points for Loney leaving the NL West. Not one of Matt Holiday, Orlando Hudson, Kevin Kouzmanoff, Juan Pierre, Garret Atkins, Jody Gerut, or Khalil Greene has seen any kind of noticeable improvement (sorry, those are just the handful of guys I could think of). I'm not definitely certain your claim is wrong, but it just seems like one based on an assumption.

Which is quite likely to drastically skyrocket the rest of the way. Guys don't switch on & off being clutch, it's just small samples.

It was a buyer's market out there. I agree wholeheartedly with this. If Melvin was getting offers on a par with most of the completed deals around the league, then I'm really glad he didn't deal Hart &/or Fielder. The spare parts guys like Edmonds, Counsell, etc. can most likely be moved in waiver deals.

Deal is official, per beat writer Chad Jennings http://yankees.lhblogs.co...es-trade-for-kerry-wood/ PTBNL or cash to the Indians; Cleveland is paying part of Wood's salary

Wood is now a done deal to NYY http://yankees.lhblogs.co...es-trade-for-kerry-wood/

Gem of a tweet from TH Pay no attention to the 140 OPS+ behind the curtain

Tweeteth Ken Tremendous:

*facepalm* Thanks nate.

Cantu was really the best they could do? I guess he can play all around the infield, but that's a pretty weak bat at first. He's also rated out as a bad defender at 2B (> 1800 Innings) & 3B (> 2600 Inn.), whether you go by TZ or UZR/150. Not to mention that he hasn't even played 2B since 2007. This pickup doesn't make sense to me at all for the Rangers. In Texas's position, which appears to be going all-in on 2010, I'd rather have paid more to add Adam Dunn, who actually makes an impact. Both Dunn & Cantu are 1B-only caliber defensive players, but Dunn has been worth 3.0 WAR thus far, while Cantu's been worth a measly 0.5. Justin Smoak has been horrible at the plate this season aside from a solid June. If you're trying to shoot the moon this season, there would be no harm done in sending him back to AAA to work on his swing & bringing in Dunn. That's a massive upgrade, not to mention the possibility you could extend Dunn to step in as DH after Vlad's current one-year deal is up (mutual '11 option with a $1M buyout for the Rangers). Call up or trade for a glovely-type 2B to fill in until Kinsler returns & be a utility player after that. As it stands, if the Rangers plan to have Cantu fill in for Kinsler, they acquired a player whose defense at 2B will most likely mightily outweigh anything he brings at the plate. Not sure if they then plan on starting Cantu over Smoak at 1B, but like Funketown said Cantu's bat is not good at 1B. Otherwise, I guess he becomes their utility player that can't field 2B or 3B? Strange trade imo. They basically traded for Casey McGehee.

(1) I don't view Major League Baseball as 30 different companies. I view MLB more like a single entity because the product is really the interaction of the teams and not the individual teams operating independently. Given the (unanimous) ruling on American Needle v. NFL, the Supreme Court disagrees with you. They need to be recognized as a single entity. You need to protect fan feelings first and hire employees who understand the concept. Single entity status for pro sports leagues would absolutely not be good for the fans. As a sports fan, I was relieved when the Supreme Court ruled against the NFL's claim of single entity status. The people deserve better... It should be all about the fans. Like I said before, then stop going to games, stop buying merchandise, etc. Organize other fans to boycott with you. Until you stop supporting the league(s), you can't realistically claim anything unfair is being done. You're not being forced to be a fan of MLB or any pro sport.

I just wish there was a way that the players could get their money AND fans would be able to hold on to their favorite stars. You mean like creating a salary exemption that the NBA already had in place, but LeBron bolted to Miami anyway? You can't make an athlete do what's best for you, the fan, if it's not what's in his best interest. I know we feel like we're part of the team, but as has been pointed out by others, as soon as Brewers players aren't producing, the fans are very quick to boo. Why should an athlete feel any sense of loyalty, when the only 'loyalty' from fans is that we cheer for players are producing? ('what have you done for me lately?') Look at how people acted about Corey Hart's contract process -- it's just not objective to demand that players show us loyalty, when the reverse is most certainly not true. As fans, we want to see performance, and see it now, or we won't support whomever/whatever isn't producing. Why should Fielder, for example, support the Brewers when he can go on to a bigger salary & likely a better shot at the postseason somewhere else? Why does he owe 'us' loyalty when 'we' will most defiantly assert that we owe no such loyalty in kind? Owners should just pay the players more in exchange for bringing back the reserve clause. Just give the union a big check, and let the players fight amongst themselves how they want to divide it up. But please stop screwing the fans who invest so much emotionally and financially to make you so rich. As a mid- or small-market fan, I've learned that the old Seinfeld point is true -- cheer for the laundry. I think the best thing any small- or mid-market fan can take away from all this is to grow attached to the organization, but not the individual players. Braun will probably not finish his career in a Brewers uniform; Gallardo will probably not finish his career in a Brewers uniform. Better to get used to it than get burned by players leaving imo. There just isn't any regard for the fans anymore. It's really horrible what sports has become. Your only vote in this, then, is to stop paying money to watch/consume this sport. If you keep spending to support it, you're endorsing what it has become, just as you've been a part of helping it become what it is now (as have I).

I would imagine they won't be there to see if he goes 4-4 or 0-4, either. I'd bet they'll be there to see if his swing looks normal, or if it looks like his injury will impede him from swinging the way he normally does.

Going off the Cot's info, maybe the Red Sox are one of 5 teams *not* on Hoffman's no-trade list.

That throw from Escobar was incredible (I was there last night too). Gallardo's home run was awesome -- wasn't it on a 2-strike count, to boot?

At this point I think I'd love to see what kind of return the Brewers could get by trading Fielder and picking up his salary the rest of the way. The Rangers seem like a team that could make that worth the Brewers' while.

I also have some doubts about him clearing waivers, as he's not very expensive and having a very good year. I thought the post-deadline waivers were where the so called gentlemen's agreement existed amongst MLB GMs. Meaning, guys don't tend to put claims in on players.

"Surprise Attack" gets my vote. Well done.

I don't think Hart's value has realistically been affected. It's not a wrist injury, as it's widely reported. It's really a thumb/hand injury, so there really shouldn't be much, if any, long-term concern. Even if Hart can't play or play well before the deadline, he can always be traded after the deadline.

HA! Incredible. (even if it's only a bike helmet)

1) No one will protect Braun like Fielder. Fielder is a feared hitter in the league and an elite player. No one on are roster come close to the presence Fielder holds IMO. Is Fielder's protection part of the reason for Braun having his worst season thus far as a big-leauger? Or would Braun's OPS be even below .800 if Fielder wasn't hitting behind him?

I think that, maybe if you actually played good defense, Prince, people would say you play good defense.