TooLiveBrew

I don't think this is going to be the 'Screw Matsuzaka to screw the Yankees' move that's being discussed. "Let's say the Red Sox did bid that much. Why is Seibu taking so long to accept? Japanese reporters believe that the winning bid was far lower than expected and Seibu is deciding whether it is worth letting Matsuzaka go." -- From Yankee beat writer Peter Abraham's Blog www.lohud.com/blogs/lohudyankees.html Abraham points out: "Screamin' A. Smith went on ESPN Radio and tried to make that into a scoop. No confirmation, no sources, no word from Japan. Screamin' A. Smith? Please."

Wouldn't it be nice to sign Aramis Ramirez? Unfortunately, I'd put him in the Zito/Schmidt/Soriano category. That guy can hit like a mofo, and isn't bad in the field. I think he's WAAAYYYY out of our price range. That's unfortunate, because I think he, as mentioned, fits right into our short and long-term plans. Sadly, I don't have a strong counter-suggestion for the FA market. I think we're going to have to wait for Doug-e-doug to work his magic yet again. Which, by the way, I feel GREAT about relying upon http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

I like it Briggs!

Has anyone out there got any ideas/rumors on trades the Crew could make for that corner outfielder? Maybe a disgruntled guy or a guy who'd be willing to work out a trade-and-sign. Obviously Vernon Wells has been mentioned, but I'm wondering about other alternatives. Please no mentioning Pat Burrell -- the last thing we need is another 150+ strikeout guy who doesn't hit for average

Good updates here: mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/ne...p&c_id=mlb Including the info on Schmidt, which comes from the Houston Chronicle. Don't quite know why that's an authoritative source on west-coast dealings, but oh well. Here's that dish -- Right-handed pitcher Jason Schmidt -- one of the top free-agent arms on the market this winter -- has narrowed his choices to returning to San Francisco or joining the Mariners next season, according to the Houston Chronicle. Schmidt is from Longview, Wash., and is believed to be interested in pitching in his home state. That could help the Mariners' chances of landing him. Schmidt faced the same decision following the 2001 season. His agent made a verbal commitment to sign with the Mariners, but Schmidt changed his mind several hours later, and re-signed with the Giants. Sounds like he's committed to remaining on the west coast. Any thoughts on the article?

Amen to that splitter! We NEED those two to step up and become the performers we all know they can be. They certainly are better than any trade we could plausibly make -- they've played together in the minors & majors, and watching them turn the dp is a thing of beauty

I think the best part is that they can go lefty-right-lefty, and give Ned Yost that "sequence" he likes in his offense http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif

I don't want him. He's just coming back like Bernie Mac's character in Mr. 3000. And, although we are the @#%$ team in that movie, that's thankfully not our current reality. It's a team like Tampa Bay or Pittsburgh or KC that'd be his stop. The Royals seem a great option for both, since he could DH. While he will be cheap (think Frank Thomas '06) in '07, our OF is kind of a mess as it is, he'd just make it even more congested

Ok igor, I like your point http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif Looking at that '03 Tigers roster, I think even I would have turned down a deal to play for them. What ever made Pudge decide that Detroit was the place for him is beyond me. But, that's the kind of signing it sounds like people are hoping for/banking on. It seems it may even be necessary. I think this offseason is a really tough one for us as far as the FA market. The players available are garnering MAJOR attention from the top teams -- moreso than normal, mostly due to the slim pickins of the market. Matsuzaka's presence may actually help us, since he's attracting so much attention. In addition to the Crew, I follow the Yankees very closely. They have MAJOR interest in Matsuzaka, Zito, & Schmidt (not to mention Mussina). Their offense is such that they don't need to worry about their position players at all. There is also a lot of talk about Sheffield -- They picked up his 2007 option, and did so simply to trade him. The only talk as to their target in that trade is a starting pitcher. Their 5-man rotation as of today is Johnson, Mussina (if they pick up his $17M option), Wang .... ______, & ______. Two spots wide open -- and if one is filled through the Sheff trade, it seems they will need to choose between one of the three FA pitchers. I could definitely see them not picking up Moose's option, but I doubt it. The Boss tends to stick with guys as consistent as he has been. My bet is they land Matsuzaka & Zito, leaving Schmidt as the odd man out. If they don't get Zito, the thought is that it would be because he's just a "Cali" guy, so then Schmidt would be the obvious choice. This thought is based on the idea that Sheff would net them a nice middle reliever. I just see the bidding for Schmidt (if it's not Yankees) being between Bos., LAD, LAA, maybe Seattle. I just don't think we can offer the dollars those teams (esp. the first 3) can -- see our offer to Carlos Lee

Totally unrelated, whimsical post relating to the discussion of Betancourt/Crosby/Yohannis Perez near the top of this page (2) Peter Gammons's preseason pick for AL MVP? You guessed it, superstar fans --- BOBBY CROSBY!!! I threw up in my mouth when I heard him say it. I honestly thought he was (edited) - like he lost a bet or something. Then I went to the Mil-Oak game at Maryvale this spring, and knew that the nefarious BobbyCrosby crime syndicate threatened Gammons's family -- edited language- See the BF.net FAQ here

Think honestly and objectively about the "put yourself in his shoes" notion trwi7. I agree that Schmidt at 27 is even MORE out of our league, but I bet he wants to go somewhere where consistent winning and playoff contention is not an aspiration

Nice colbyjack. I am with you. Graffanino is Italian for "Not going to be a Brewer in 2007." Hardy is an overlooked player -- let's not forget Rickie Weeks has played 96 & 95 games, respectively, his first two "full" seasons. Hardy is just the kind of bat we lacked last year -- good with RISP, not a strikeout problem, solid pop. He's solid in the field, and his arm is nice & strong. He turns the DP very fluidly, quickly, and well with Rickie. He's a smart, focused ballplayer that doesn't need the extra work of a Rickie Weeks. Although Weeks's ceiling is undeniably higher, there's something to be said for a man who doesn't need to be babysat. I love Rickie, but look forward to a full season of the defensive prowess he displayed in his second half (note he only played 95 games), and a guy that doesn't put himself on pace for 150 Ks each year.

Colbyjack: I don't think that, monetarily, adding a Schmidt is out of the question. I think the intangibles take it away. If he were 27, it's a different story! But the man's in his 30s, and doesn't have time to wait around anymore Quite frankly, I think he'd be an idiot to do so! Put yourself in Schmidt's shoes -- Yankees & many other established, star-studded teams in need of a stud RHP knocking on your door, offering you and able to offer you so much more $$$ than the Crew. It's not pessimism, it's just reality - anyone would take the better deal on both fronts That said, if we land Schmidt, I'll be the first to make fun of me in the 'Jason Schmidt makes TooLiveBrew look like the @#%$ he is' thread

I feel so good about our pitching rotation of 5 coming from the group of: Sheets, Cappy, Bush, Davis, ZachJack, Villanueva, Gallardo, Inman. I feel GREAT about the rotation if it includes a proven starter -- probably not off the FA market, let's trust Doug E. Doug again, he's given no reason not to! Our bullpen is one established, dependable arm away from being a strength of the organization. I like our position guys, too. Fielder, Weeks, Hall, Hardy, (hopefully) Koskie & Cirillo, Miller, Rivera, Hart, Gross, Jenks, Clark, Gwynn I don't know who, and I don't know from where, but this squad is one or two guys away from being really, REALLY good. I guess that's part of the magic. Can we find a slugging OFer who wants to be part of a resurgance? I hope so. Is there a nice answer out there at 3B? Hopefully. I just don't want to see us put our chips in the marginal star basket.

I have mentioned my ideas, and I do sincerely apologize for my negativity. I just am frustrated! I honestly feel like there is no viable FA answer for us. I wish people could recognize the reality of the Brewers' situation. Guys like Aramis Ramirez, Soriano, Schmidt, and very, very tangibly, Carlos Lee, simply do not want to be here. I think, had we offered Lee a deal that didn't insult his FA value, he'd still be here. Our offer averaged out to $12 mil/year. He's probably gonna get more like 15-18/yr. That's a serious, signifcant jump in pay! I think the offer boiled down to what Brewer fans noticed in 2006: Lee just isn't worth whatever money he's going to get -- he's worth close to it, but not all the way. He's a nice slugger, but doesn't get on base at a consistent enough rate to justify top-notch money. If he's gonna be your #2 or #1b hitter, and you can justify overpaying slghtly, he's a total find (think Cleveland Indians). Otherwise, you're setting your franchise back a few years by handcuffing it financially. See our Milwaukee Brewers' strategy. I'm happy we didn't bend over to his numbers, and were realistic. I just want our fans to be realistic too! I'm really, genuinely sorry for being an ass. Glad you could point it out to me! Our guys are solid. I think our team is at least as good as last year's with the guys we have, and if we are able to add another starting pitcher, we'll have more than young improvement to laud as reason for being markedly better.

So, in line with the completely unrealistic off-season additions being discussed on this forum (see Jason Schmidt, Carl Crawford, Vernon Wells, Aramis Ramirez), I thought I'd put up a thread dealing exclusively with this topic. How about trading Turnbow for Vlad Guerrero? Maybe Davis for Joe Mauer! Heck, while we're at it, Prince, Rickie, Braun, Gallardo, Sheets, and Hall for Ortiz, Manny, and Babe Ruth!

So, referencing the thread title -- where exactly is the "Jason Schmidt update" in that article? And why is his status relevant, seeing as how there's no plausible way the Brewers can keep up with the impending bidding war for his services? Dude is gonna be up for markets like NY, Bos, LA, Chi, Stl. Not pessimism, but realism -- the Milwaukee Brewers have NO SHOT, and CANNOT COMPETE with the kind of money he's going to command

Homer!! What are you on!? Eckstein batted .292 in a season where he battled injury (123 games). Graffanino only hit .274 total, and .280 with the Brewers. Eckstein won the WS MVP and ring, not Graffanino. Additionally, he's solid defensively at a tough, tough position, and he does the little things so well. Tony LaRussa called him the team's MVP -- that's coming from a manager with 2 WS titles, and 3d place on the all-time wins list! I can't believe you called Graffanino better. I'm not mad, I'm just shocked!

Watch it on Jeter, man. Big Yankee fan here too. Especially Jeet. He may not be nice, but at least he backs it up. I'm so tired of everyone feeling sorry for A-Rod. He's a grown man, and needs to play the part. No more mental softness. Besides, he's not going anywhere, his "awful" year was still better than anyone in our colors http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/frown.gif Jeter said what needed to be said -- "What do you want me to say?"

I think it's ridiculous to think Bonderman is "available." Think of it this way -- would you make him available if he had come up with the Brewers? A 24-y-o starter with velocity and stuff like him? Come on. He has only thrown 200 IP once, this past year. And in his two prior years (not Prior, thankfully for him), he went, respectively, 184 IP 189 IP On top of that, he was a combined 25-26 for a team that went 143-181 in that span. Are we really trusting a fantasy baseball site for insider hot button info? For all the press Verlander got, Bonderman is just as valuable to that organization. They made it to the W.S. with their current mix, and Guillen is a top-notch SS. Why would they make a change there, when they can improve big-time at 1B (a true power-hitter spot)?