RockCoCougars

Here is what I would offer if I'm the Brewers: 5 years $117.5 million with a vesting option (based on 450 pa in 2016) for $30 million in 2017 and an out clause after 2014. Year by year as follows: 2012: $20MM 2013: $22.5 MM 2014: $25 MM player opt-out after 2014 2015: $25 MM 2016: $25 MM vesting option based on 450 PA 2017: $30 MM I really think that this would be workable and I don't think that Prince will find much better elsewhere. This would allow them to basically keep the entire team together next year (sans K-Rod, Counsell and Kotsay/Yuni one of Hawkins/Saito) with about a $10-15 million or so increase due to arby and contract raises. You would have to go with a cheap bench/bullpen for the foreseeable future, but it could be done. After next year, Wolf and one of Marcum/Greinke will be off the books, so hopefully a couple of the young arms are ready. This proposal may sound crazy, but I want to keep the big guy. He's young and has proven durable. Where else will you spend the money? After watching Greinke, I'm not so sure anymore that he's a $100 million dollar pitcher, and I don't think Marcum is a $40-$50 million guy either.

I'm just saying that the additions didn't add 19 wins alone. If that was the case, any 100 loss team could go out and get two 'stud pitchers', (both of whom struggled a bit...mainly Greinke) and become a .500 team. Not to mention, I would think that adding 'marginal wins' to a 77 win team would be much more difficult than a 67 win team. Bottom line, Macha's teams had more talent than the end results show. In particular, his 'non-Pirates' record was brutal. This year's team exceeded almost everyone's expectations with McGehee playing like crap, Greinke, Weeks, Saito and Gomez missing a month or more and Yo/Marcum book ending bad starts/finishes to the year. You have to take you hats off to that.

Even Money said Gamel was okay at 1B this year. Right. Then he questioned whether or not he could hit. This causes me to question his sanity a bit. I really want to give Gamel first crack, but now that the enormity of Prince's departure has hit me, I'm starting to second-guess myself. I really don't see how you can win starting both Gamel and Green at the corners as some have suggested. I'd like to have both on the roster and start one (preferably Gamel). In that case, you need to get a veteran power bat at third (which is a position with a dearth of talent to begin with). I wonder if the team would have moved Gamel from third had they known that Casey was going to regress.

Macha actually replaced those players. How about Alcides, who was downright brutal in 2010- anyway you slice it?

But Macha had Axford at his disposal in 2010. How long did it take him to finally go to Axford after it was clear that Hoffman was almost single-handedly peeing the season down his leg. If I recall correctly, it was somewhere in the range of a month. Yes, it is tough to blame him for demoting one of the all time great relievers, but this is the sort of thing that would have caused people here to bring the pitchforks out on Roenicke (and no, I wouldn't doubt that he'd have done the same thing). You also have to remember that both Greinke and especially Saito missed decent chunks of time. Another thing, Weeks goes down in 2009... smoldering ruins. Weeks goes down in 2011... hot streak. I also blame Macha for the gaping hole at shortstop, because I believe that he threw Hardy and Hall under the bus when they were going down in flames in 2009. That whole debacle was a travesty. Time will tell if Gamel has been ruined by Macha as well.

Thinking aloud here. Assuming Prince leaves, do you think that Houston would eat $8-10 million of Lee's contract if the Brewers were to give them a usable piece or two (midlevel prospect). Lee would be a decent stopgap at first next season.

I don't know if they have love with Macha, they are just pointing out that the difference in records between 2010 and 2011 reflect more on the players than the managers. So Greinke, Marcum, Saito, Morgan and half a year of K-Rod meant 19 games? Even after giving up the stud Escobar for the boat anchor Yuni?

Some people still have a lot of love for Macha, but they conveniently forget that he also stuck with crappy veterans way too long, (see Hoffman, Trevor; Suppan, Jeff; Kendall, Jason). He certainly wasn't the baseball guru that some would have you believe. I couldn't stand him because of his detached and arrogant manner. From what I've seen, most of the players agreed. I'd be willing to wager that he will never get a MLB manager job again.

Pass on Beltran. Pass on Reyes. Both will be overpaid and are major injury concerns.

http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif It'll help if you avoid FOX the next 4-10 days.Please tell me that isn't carrying over into the Series. I could have sworn that they were using the 'Fox NFL' music yesterday for the promos.

I know it sounds like sour grapes, but the Cardinals were incredibly lucky in the series to the extent that even the balls that weren't smoked (though most were) resulted in extremely pretty difficult plays. Rarely did they hit a routine grounder to anyone or even have flyout that wasn't hit hard.

Coco Crisp? Really, people are still into this guy? I had to check the original date on the posting when I saw this name. Honestly, I think the Brewers have to at least attempt to resign Fielder. The Brewers have had pretty good offenses for most of the past 15 years (outside of the Whiff Carew season). Generally these teams have had good power be it with Burnitz/Jenkins/Sexson to Fielder/Braun/Hart. I think this has lead a good deal of the younger fanbase to believe that power grows on trees. That is not the case. After enduring the middle 80's, I never want to see a team struggle to hit 100 homers a year again. Replacing Prince with Crisp would be tantamount to trading Gorman for Manning. Obviously, I have to be a realist here and grant that Prince is pretty much gone, but if you let Prince and Yuni walk, how are you going to replace the 50 home runs? I don't think that you can expect Braun and Hart to combine for 60 again homersover the next few years either.

Optimism..... hoping that I never have to hear that 'Million Miles Away' song more than once or twice again in my life.

I think we have to gauge where Kansas City is at in their 'plan'. With some of the young studs in that lineup, they may think that they can compete in that brutal division next year. To compete, you need a good veteran arm. A hometown boy, who's had lot's of off season success without too much cash commitment could be tempting.

At least half a dozen of the guys who saw action tonight played likely their last game as a Brewer in my view: Counsell- sure bet he's going to retire... 0% chance of returning K-Rod - 1% chance he's back if either some weird stuff happens in arby or he finds low interest Prince - I'll say 10% chance he's back, just to placate the optimist in me Kotsay is probably 80% gone. My guess is he will retire as well Yuni - probably 75% he doesn't return. They won't pick up that option, so he would have to leave money on the table. The Brewers have to give him two anyway, I can't see much more than that. Hairston- probably a coin flip he comes back. The hot playoffs could get him a two year deal somewhere. Kottaras- another coin flip, I could see the team picking up a vet catcher who can throw a little and call a good game considering the controversy about pitcher's being on the same page as Lucroy Saito and Hawkins are probably each 50/50... though I doubt if both would come back. I'd prefer Saito, but he might be ready to go back to Japan. Hopefully, he had a good time here. Hawkins is probably more retainable on a one year deal. I wouldn't be surprised to see Loe and/or McGehee dealt ala Villy or just non tendered. The odds are probably both will be in Maryvale, but wouldn't be shocked to see it happen. As for any surprise trade, I would be pretty surprised to see Hart, Weeks or Morgan moved. I could see them doing something with Gomez, but he probably doesn't have much value. I actually wouldn't be surprised to see them shop Marcum around a bit too. That's my take.

Yes, but how long did they talk about the first two Super Bowl teams (or the Lombardi teams in general)? Until the Packers won one (ironically 29 years later, if I'm not mistaken). This team needs to match or preferably exceed the '82 team to carve their own identity. Otherwise, they are basically a better 2008 team.

Hoffman does nothing for me. Had he been a career Cardinal instead of a Padre, he would have been perfect though.

Funny, but no worse than the WGN guys.

Yeah, I remember a quote from Braun, not word for word, but something along the lines of "maybe now we can stop talking about 1982 around here" after they won the divisional series. I have LONG wondered why we spend so much time celebrating losing a world series. That was a great time, and I'll remember it fondly, but it's WAY past due of 'letting it go' as far as it being a central celebration point of Brewers lore. Then they had better WIN these next two games. Otherwise, I will still be talking about the '82 team. We celebrate the World Series team because we haven't sniffed another one for the past 28 seasons. The '82 team won three elimination games in a row (four if you count the Baltimore game).

That's a good one. To this day, I'm glad that I didn't waste my time going to that.... the worst publicity flop since New Coke. I would think that it has to be someone big and/or unexpected. Hank Aaron is definitely huge, but he's probably thrown dozens of first pitches in Milwaukee over the years. That said, I wouldn't be disappointed to see the Hammer. The only other ex player that I could see as worthy of the hype would be Molitor, as I'm assuming that he hasn't been back since the '82 twenty-fifth a few years back. The Ignitor always gets a huge pop from the crowd. I am a cynic however... and the conspiracy nut in me is saying they are hyping this up to get folks in the ballpark early and buying more beer.

I really don't see why they'd hype a 'surprise guest' if it's just another ex-ballplayer. I would think that it's something 'outside the box' and the poster suggesting the Monsters, Inc. thing is on to something.

I think we have a winner. I never would have thought of that one.

Wow, the bottom has fallen out of the price level for tomorrow's game. Plenty of tickets to be had at or below face value on Stubhub. Has the bandwagon finally jumped the tracks or what?

In my view, Marcum gets five batters to get out of the first tomorrow. If he can't accomplish that, he should be gone. This team simply cannot fall behind by multiple runs early again. This situation is so similar to the Soup playoff start in '08, it's kind of scary.

I'll guess Molitor. If it were up to me I'd go with the following in this order: Don Denkinger, David Green, Sixto Lezcano, Brandon Phillips, Rick Wise or Garry Templeton Ted Simmons would be a good choice too.