TooLiveBrew

Ennder, you just seem to miss my point. I think you're so wrong on so many points. No, I point to two bodies of work - one 8 years in the making, and one 4 years. That's not a small or limited sample space. It sounds to me like you need to look at Suppan's career more closely. The guy has pitched very, very well since becoming a full-time starter in 1999 Simply because you don't understand me doesn't give liscense to make broad, ridiculous generalizations that trivialize others' points. Re-examine what Suppan brings to the table. Not many SPs are both as durable and as winning as he has been in his career, not just the last year or two. Actually, since his game is not based on velocity, but control, he is going to be able to reasonably maintain his success until at least the age of 36 (or so) I know we just disagree, but I'd appreciate if you'd take the time to recognize that I didn't just rush to my decision

"this guy is not a difference maker" What? I'm just puzzled. He won NLCS MVP, a WS ring, and has shown durability - he's made at least 32 starts for 8 consecutive years!!! (1999-2006) and sustained success - in those 8 years, his record is 96-88. From 2003-2006, he's 57-37!! Where do you people get these notions about players? This is the definition of a player that your budget should be re-adjusted to include! And, as already pointed out, he can actually HIT too! I've said it before, and I'll say it again -- this site is going to drive me crazier than Hamlet I'll end with the perfect quote, from dadofandrew That's why you can 'overpay' for him. He can, and will, continue to pitch at a high level into his late 30s I FEEL LIKE I'M TAKING CRAZY PILLS!

I'm sooooo temmmmppttteddd.... Please someone tell me why I want to pay this man so much money.... There's just something about him that screams to me "Exactly the arm that solidifies the Milwaukee Brewer starting rotation".... I know he's a little pricey, but I feel like a kid in the shoe store, asking for the cool shoes, not the ones that will wear longer -- "It only costs a little bit more, come onnnnn....Please!"

*Echo, echo, echo...* I agree, adding a guy like Romero is just what the doctor ordered. I feel that would solidify an already solid BP. Having two consistent lefties is a luxury many teams in MLB go without. That being said, I don't really care if it's Romero or another option, but J.C. is just alright with me

Amen, GAME. Weeks is the perfect example of what patience in expectations can do. We were told all along by the front office that Rickie was going to be a top-tier player, both offensively & defensively. From the progress he made at the MLB level in 2006, I think it's fair to say that our F.O. guys are pretty accurate. They project the same ceiling for Braun --- that's why Hall is moving to the OF, not merely Hardy's presence

http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/roll.gif http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/roll.gif http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/roll.gif That's possibly the funniest platoon name ever - and, it would double as a super-hot porn name

Weirdos - I think the notion of TGJ & Jenks for Haren is laughable, not to be a jerk. Out of the three you mention, he is arguably the best -- Harden has had some injury troubles in the past two years (I believe), and Haren has bettered Blanton in IPs, ERA, & ERA+ in the past two seasons. I know you add the possibility of ZachJack to the deal to get it done, but I'm unqualifiably uncomfortable with that (probably only bc ZJ's our best lefty prospect remaining) I agree with you that they're open to deal, but I don't think targeting one of their young guys is the right way to go at this point for the Crew. The asking price for any of the aforementioned pitchers will be steep. That's why I pinpointed Loaiza initially. Granted, he is what he is, not overwhelming, but that's exactly what makes him a good candidate. The Brewers have rotation spots 1-3 accounted for in 2007, and Vargas fills one of the two back-end spots. Adding Loaiza to fill that other spot works great, IMO. There will be plenty of teams making offers for Harden, Haren, & Blanton. I'd love the Brewers to swoop in and snag Loaiza for a lower cost, player-wise. I don't want to be a jerk here -- I'd love for the Crew to be able to land one of those young guys. I just don't think giving up a guy like ZachJack is wise in the long run. Now that Eveland is gone, ZJ's arguably our last big LHP prospect. I guess if we actually got one of those young SPs, I could forget over time, but right now (for the long & short terms), I think the rest of our pitching prospects should be kept in-house.

I still see the Phillies as viable trade partners -- Lieber for Jenks makes too much sense, perhaps. From the Phillies' website, via Rotoworld: That was from Dec. 8th, and, seeing as how they haven't added a RFer yet, it's reasonable to assume that still holds true. I've been looking for a few hours now, and the teams I keep coming back to are the Phils, the A's, and Indians. Seeing as how the ChiSox have already dealt Garcia, their likelihood of trading is significantly reduced. Perhaps now that certain SPs have gone/will go non-tendered, the focus of a trade of our OFs can focus on bullpen help. Particularly that of the LHP variety -- I'd love to see Mench/Jenkins out for a relatively inexpensive LH reliever.

Some new thoughts on our OF quandry, as the non-tender deadline quickly approaches.... Although Melvin has reported the most interest focusing on Mench, I believe Jenkins's ability to mash RHP (since the vast majority of MLB pitchers are RHP), coupled with his stellar defensive skills, give him the edge on Mench. I'd love to retain Gross & Gwynn (speed & D), and could handle keeping Clark for 2007. IMO, both Jenks & Mench have to go. Of the two, I guess least objectionable to keep around would be Jenks, for the same reasons mentioned above. That being said, I target starting pitching; I think any BF.net-er will agree that's #1 priority right now. Cleveland could use a RHP-killing LH bat like Jenkins, and could reasonably part with either Jake Westbrook or Paul Byrd. Westbrook would take more than just one player, while Byrd could probably be had for a straight-up deal. LHP prospect Jeremy Sowers made good on his promise in 2007, going 7-4 in 14 Starts (88 1/3 IP), with an ERA of 3.57 & ERA + of 125. This gives the Tribe a surplus of starters, similar to our OF situation. This from The Tribe Source, an Indians blog (tribesource.blogspot.com) The Brewers are in an ok spot here, in that this is an area where we can afford to have a guy walk in FA after 2007. Westbrook would be great to add to our rotation, and if or when he tests the FA market, we have talent from within to promote. This is another move in the 'as many good baseball players as possible' line of thinking. I'm off to research other teams with pitching to burn and a need in the OF.......

I'd be willing to bet the Bucs would want a MLB-ready player/pitcher in addition to Mench/Jenks. My offers, in order, would be adding one of TBow, Aquino, or Capellan. I do have to say I'd be uneasy about trading two guys to an interdivisional rival, though. Buuuuuuttt, with that arm in return, I could get over it. If the Pirates wanted a younger arm/player, Sarfate is a decent choice, but so are Aquino (28 ) & Capellan (25), who have both proved ready for MLB

That's a list to get any Brewer fan drooling. The high regard for Braun comes from not merely our Front Office, including the projection that he is a, "very good athlete with all of the tools to be a solid third baseman." This makes the Hall to OF move much more palatable, if only that it comes from an objective 3d party. I know we could harp on the D all day, but look at how effective Weeks was after turning the corner at 2B in 2006. They're slightly different types of athletes, but I think having a guy at 3B that approaches Weeks's overall athleticism is great, and most likely why Hall is moving. Now, if Braun goes through AAA ball with a lot of errors and mistakes at 3B, putting him in the OF the rest of the way would not be the end of the world, as Bill can slide back to 3B if need be. That being said, it doesn't sound like there's any reason to expect that Braun will not improve his D with an entire off-season and regular season focusing upon it.

Sorry, just saw the thread addressing this in the 'Major Leagues' category Moving my post.....

mlbtraderumors.com has compiled & posted a list of potential candidates in this category: SPs - Josh Fogg, Shawn Chacon, Rodrigo Lopez, Joel Pineiro, Mark Hendrickson OFs - Brad Wilkerson, Jason Lane, Jody Gerut, Aaron Guiel, Jayson Werth IFs - Marcus Giles, Antonio Perez Just to name a few.... This seems like the logical place for another reclamation candidate for the Crew. I know the list is not perfect, but there are some options that may prove to be fairly affordable, with no draft pick penalization. Personally, I like the thought of adding a pitcher like Fogg or Pineiro on the 'cheap,' and in that order of preference. The position players don't excite me, really, in any way. Wilkerson does somewhat, as an undervalued player, due to missing a large portion of 2006 with a right shoulder problem. His splits over 2004-06 are: v. LHP - .272/.362/.441, & v. RHP - .235/.346/.441 v. LH OPS - .803, v. RH OPS - .793 Additionally, he's a solid defender in the OF. Rotoworld expects the Rangers to tender him an offer by the 12/13 12am deadline, however, so I suppose it's a moot point to discuss him. Added thought --- The more this offseason progresses, the more open I am to a CF platoon *gasp! I'm such a hypocrite -- I hate platoons* of Gross and Clark. That is, if Gross can't hit LHPing. He had only 21 such ABs in 2006, & posted an atrocious .095/.208/.190. That's bad, but clearly not a large enough sample space from which to judge (I haven't been able to track down Gross's minor league or college stats v. LHP) Clark's 2006 #s v. LHP -- .273/.338/.375/.713 Not stellar, but not bad to mix in, occasionally, vs lefties if Gross can't do better. IMO Gabe can, and will, given the opportunity. He mashed RHP in 2006 (.290/.398/.492/.890), in 183 ABs. Since the vast majority of ABs take place against RHPing, I like Gross as our main CF option, although I think this platoon would work in LF or RF, as well. In 2006, Bill Hall played a 'full' season, playing 148 games with 537 ABs. He faced RHPing 417 times, and LHPing 120 times. Gross getting at least 400 ABs v. RHP in 2007 is a nice possibility, and if he proves he can't hack it vs. LHP, Clark is a decent option. Brady is a patient hitter who had an off year in 2006. From 2004-2006, his line v. LHP = .280/.370/.402/.772 (and an overall OPS of .759) If there's no avenue via trade or free angency, I'm cool with this CF.

From Rotoworld: I wonder... Might the cost-conscious Beane be interested in either one of our men? I would not want to get into offering too many prospects (preferably none), so my target becomes Esteban Loaiza. He's owed: 2007 - $6 mil 2008 - $7 mil 2009 - $7.5 mil (w/$375,000 buyout) Jenkins is my idea, because he is only guaranteed his $7 mil for 2007. The A's would then be free to pursue any number of the great FA class of 2007. Throw in a pitcher if you must, but this is a strong deal. Loaiza pitched for Washington in 2005, and posted a 3.77 ERA in the NL. He went 12-10 for a team led by Jose Guillen's 76 RBI. Nick Johnson & Vinny Castilla were the only other players with > 60 RBI. Loaiza has only pitched in the NL with Pitt. (when he broke into MLB - 1995-98 ) otherwise. He's going to offer at least 150 IP in 2007, is affordable, and has a cheap buyout after 2009. He keeps his BBs down - his career high 71 (2004) would make Doug Davis blush. This offseason has proved how whimsical my ideas can be, but here's another one

More update on the domino-style situation: (From Rotoworld) All 3 teams are offering one-yr. deals, but LuGo prefers to stay in the NL West & play the D-Backs as much as possible So this puts the O's in big-time need of a corner OF. If they wanted LuGo, Jenks seems a natural next choice. Bring me Benson!

Thanks Bench Coach, for a great link & find. Quote of the article: http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/roll.gif http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/roll.gif http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/roll.gif (Even Mench has no idea how he got mentioned in the same class as Freddy Garcia)

Rotoworld: Couple that with what Doug said about Philly, and I'd say some combination with Mench and/or Jenkins should start checking out neighborhoods and school districts in the greater Baltimore area

From Rotoworld: Disheartening, but at least now we're actually in conversations with a player of this caliber. I like that now, instead of being immidiately dismissed, without Mil. even crossing players' minds, we actually are a team that someone has to 'give some thought to'

IMO, it's the player's responsibility to "harness" his own darn talent. I agree with you, that the O's young gun could be that good, but I don't believe in miracles from pitching coaches, just good instruction. Kris Benson is proven, and a total salary swap at a place where we have a need, from a position of depth. I'd be willing to guess that, because of the opinion that Cabrera could 'put it together' (which he certainly can), the O's would be asking for more

Penny for which Brewers? Jenkins, and Mench... and someone else? Most likely. Who then? ZachJack? Capellan? CV? I'd be willing to bet the two OF, plus one pitcher mentioned, would be a starting point

This would be a FA signing, not to be a jerk. From that Rosenthal article, it seems the Brewers chances have moved from slim to dismal to dire. He has worked with GM Colletti & Trainer Conte in SF. So it seems that now the Crew is going to have to overbid a team from Los Angeles. Uh Oh. Well, it was fun while it lasted. P.S. - What're the Vegas odds on a Schmidt to Bos flip for Man-Ram? Cause I might take 'em

Yeah, I wished on the Miguel Batista star a month or two ago... I guess our counterpart to potentially acquiring him is Vargas.... Oh well, I can't complain about not overpaying, but I sure love MB's durability. Plus his experience & willingness to work in the Pen is SOOO valuable, especially with CV, YoGa, Inman, Rogers, etc. on the way up!

Actually PGHH04, Pettite has thrown 2005 - 223 IP 2006 - 214 IP in his last two seasons. He had serious injury trouble in 2004, his first in Houston & first on a new, (then) big contract. He seems to have rebounded fine, and his injury at the end of 2006 was a strained left elbow muscle - not anything structural. While I realize it could be a 'nagging' kind of injury, Pettite's career track record suggests otherwise. He has always kept himself in fine shape, and, at age 34, is not the ancient guy many would have you believe. His long, successful career makes many (including me) think of him being as old as, say, Clemens, or Johnson

Ok, coop, in that case, it's details like you posting that link later in the thread, anticipating that someone lazy like me might benefit! Gold stars all around!

More fuel.... From Rotoworld: www.rotoworld.com/content/playernews.aspx?sport=MLB Once/If L. Gonzalez goes, that's almost the deal-breaker for the O's -- they'd really be pressured to add someone like Jenkins, and, given the market, taking him at $7 mil. is a solid deal for a team/market that can afford it (especially since Benson for Jenks would be an even-money deal, essentially)