TooLiveBrew

I doubt the Brewers had time for a board meeting to discuss who should be worthy of appearing on the opening day magnet. I'm pretty sure the marketing department had a meeting to discuss who'd be on the magnet

Maybe just walk the other way I'm sympathetic for your fiancee's loss, but there's no way I let a dog terrorize me & its incompetent owner tell me where I can & cannot walk on city streets.

Charter sucks. I'm really glad to not have to deal with them anymore. Sorry guys http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/frown.gif

I'd forgotten your boy's pairing with Yo Jr.! Thanks for the pics

Thanks for the info, guys. While I also wouldn't mind seeing Seid & Co. draft a big bat high this June, I'd be even happier (given the draft class) to see them continue to stockpile the types of arms they did last year. You should always be able to trade for a big bat when you can offer quality pitching. Are there any sort of under-the-radar bats that might make sense somewhere in rounds 2-5? Sounds like this might be a year to get another top arm in round one, but perhaps after that try to salvage a big bat thereafter that's slipped due to signability or some other concern.

"2B if he wants" ... that's certainly not the first comment that appears to question Lawrie's desire to work at becoming a good 2B. I certainly could be reading into something that isn't there, though.

I don't believe that. If he has 5 starts and gets shelled a couple times, they can still win most (maybe all) of those games Which puts added strain on the bullpen, and while they could win those games they could also lose them. I'm not saying I expect Suppan to get shelled in each of the hypothetical 5 games I proposed. I'm saying it isn't worth the risk. Saving league-minimum (which is basically all any team would offer to eat of his contract) is not worth the risk that your team gets shelled & loses two or three games they otherwise would have had a much, much better shot at winning. This is a season imo where every single win the Brewers can scratch out will be huge, since they don't project as one of the favorites in the WC race & they aren't the favorite to win the Central. The big picture always factors in. Otherwise reserves would never start, and you would use your top 3 guys in the bully until their arms fell off. I just don't believe a small market team can dump $12MM without at least trying to get something out of it. The big picture is what I'm focusing on, though. There are two superior options to Suppan at this point, so to me there is no excuse in opting for the 3rd-best choice. We're not talking about the thought that the reserve shouldn't play -- quite to the contrary, the reserve player is being given a starting role ahead of not one, but two superior alternatives. I believe that Suppan is done being an effective starting pitcher, & that no MLB team will offer to take on any more of his salary than the league-minimum (without a prospect included). Therefore, I think the best-case scenario here is that Suppan is passable, which may result in the Brewers sticking with him until it's later in the season & the games are perceived as being worth more**. I don't believe a small market, fringe-playoff team should cost itself wins by experimenting with a declined, veteran pitcher when there are two superior options on the roster, just to see if they can 'get something out of' a sunk cost of a contract. ** - And the further problem I have with this is the longer they stick with Soup, the more time Parra's & Narveson's development is stalled... Parra especially, since he's currently the last man in the bullpen.

Well, I'm here to tell you neither one of those things are going to happen. It's simply a mtter of show-casing Suppan to see if there's a team out there that will eat a portion of Suppan's salary. That doesn't jeopardize the entire season, or hold back Parra's development. That depends. If they showcase him for 5 starts or so, that could well wind up being a mistake that means the difference between playoffs & no playoffs.

The thing I like about the Brewers' situation is that they project to have that cheap talent all over. You may be right that Weeks is a luxury the team will have to forgo (I weep at the thought), but there are viable & cheap options at catcher, 2B (if Lawrie can stick there), SS, 3B, OF, & there's a good chance we'll have pitching of all kinds on the cheap. Melvin & Co. have certainly done a nice job building up a stable of complementary players through the farm. EDIT: FanGraphs already has a post on the deal. I found this part interesting: I love Gallardo as much as anyone, but Lester is probably the better pitcher -- bigger velocity, probably better stuff overall, & certainly better control to this point... not to mention better results in the toughest division in MLB. Interesting that Yo was able to get basically a carbon-copy deal.

Braden Looper went 14-7 last year, which has nothing to do with how terribly he pitched.

This is the fly in the ointment for me, as well. Macha is going to do what he always does -- favor the players that he 'trusts'. For some reason, Jeff Suppan is one of these guys. It's a disappointment to me that Melvin isn't more proactive about situations like this (or Gamel's)

That is pretty creative. I really can't wait to see the official specifics on this deal.

The problem with Suppan goes beyond guesstimating stats based on his past performance. His stuff is so nondescript now that it's hard to believe he will be any better at getting hitters out than he was last season. Beyond that, when you have not one, but two pitchers who've shown both the ability to get MLB hitters out as effectively as Soup, and they both have room to grow, keeping the #5 SP spot reserved for the worst of the three options is just a bad decision. Honestly the debate should be about whether Narveson or Parra is the #5, not that Jeff Suppan somehow is owed this opportunity for being a Proven Gritty Veteran ®

Braden Looper and Doug Davis. Obviously different circumstances though.Whoops. Jeez, thanks logan. Not sure how I whiffed on those. I agree with Invader, though. If it were a player option, wouldn't the buyout be higher?

This is how I've felt about it as well. Your point on how (if he pans out) it's the kind of move that is a total difference-maker is right-on. It's too bad that Melvin couldn't get a more polished player in return for Hardy, but this is a nice job of maximizing the return that was available imo. Gomez will likely always struggle with plate discipline, but it's certainly well within the realm of plausibility that he takes a step forward at the plate to the tune of a mid or upper-.700s OPS... which, combined with his defense would make him on heck of a valuable player.

The Brewers haven't done a mutual or player option in some time. I'd be surprised if it isn't a club option. I have to be the Nth person to chime in with how great this is. Sure, there's some risk involved, but at least it comes with a payoff for the Crew in the two FA seasons.

I will argue that a computer could manage teams better than most managers do. The computer lacks the gut instinct though. How can you manage if you don't know how to talk yourself into a zim-zam?!

The ones badmouthing "the team"! Not the real FANS

Not leaving, I guess?

What on earth are you talking about? Honestly, if that's your two cents, good riddance.

I will never (& have never for many years now) drink Bacardi Limon again

Their tickets being priciest makes sense in terms of supply & demand. But think about that... you're paying more (on average) to sit in that dump than the new Yankee Stadium. The Cubs are probably the most overdue for a new stadium of any team in MLB.

Don't you see? The scorn from baseball's almighty righteous ones has shown the Brewers the true Way to Play the Game ®

The option that he knows what he should do, but forgets to do it. You know, like how humans can make mistakes sometimes.

I'm sure Weeks is doing all this just to mock fundamentals, and he doesn't actually care or work at it