rpmeehan

There are only so many spots on the 40-man. The only way you find space for some of these folks is if you waive a younger player. Now, the best option would be to get a few guys on non-guaranteed deals, but even with the depressed market, there are probably teams that will either sign these reclamation projects to an incentive-laden major league deal, or teams that offer the minor league deal but have open rotation spots that create more opportunity. In other words, if I'm a pitcher getting a minor league deal, I'd much rather be in Seattle, Pittsburgh, or KC than some place like Milwaukee, San Francisco, or Florida, where the rotations are mostly full. Really, what we need is either a difference maker, or Triple-A depth (guys that can hang out all season in the minors and not get mad about it).

That's an excellent point. In the AL, only Jeter or Michael Young could claim to be a better offensive weapon, and when you eliminate Jeter because of his horrid defense, Hardy and Young stand head and shoulders above the other shortstops in the league. I personally hope they choose to keep him, because he's one of the few hitters on our team that seems to put together quality ABs and demonstrates a willingness to go to the opposite field. He can be a bit streaky, but which one of our hitters isn't? I think Gamel's minor league defensive stats show that he might be better suited to 1B at the big league level, and I think a long-term infield makeup of Gamel (1B), Escobar (SS), Hardy (3B), and Weeks/Free Agent (2B) is probably the most realistic. Of course, to keep JJ Hardy through free agency will probably cost in the $10-12 mil per year range.

It is for the second baseman.... Great way for us to pad our defensive stats....

The smart money is on Sveum finishing the 2009 season as pitching coach....

SecondedI was hoping this move would have been done when Ned was fired. Kapler was on the DL anyway. By putting your team in the hands of a player/manager with 2 weeks to go, you're sending a message to the players that 1) YOU are the ones responsible for the nosedive by having stupid ABs and not making adjustments, and 2) If you guys want to make the playoffs, it's time to stop whining, cos the job is all yours now. Might have been good to put the accountability and responsibility for winning in the players' hands. The inmates want to run the asylum? Okay, well, here you guys go. You manage the team and see how it turns out. That said, I don't want Kapler any more than Sveum long term here. Valentine or Davey Johnson get my vote. I can't believe how Johnson hasn't managed in the big leagues in 10 years. I mean, he wins wherever he goes. I always wondered about Cito Gaston, too. The guy wins back-to-back World Series titles and no other organization is willing to hire him as manager? Glad he got another shot with the Jays.

Is there any reason we're taking Gammons' word for gospel here? I'm looking online for independent verification. The way Gammons said it, it almost sounds like he was just speculating. Maybe Cleveland already informed Melvin which player they would take if the Brewers went to the playoffs, but normally, I would think this business doesn't get sorted out until after the season ends. I'm kinda bummed if it's Brantley. He was my favorite Brewer farmhand.

My apologies if this has been covered earlier in the thread. I just thought I would put out the career numbers of Cameron, Hall, and Kendall versus Brad Lidge. Cameron ... 0-for-8, 6 K's Hall ... 2-for-18, 10 K's Kendall ... 1-for-9, 1 K That's a combined 3-for-35. And 2-for-26 with 16 K's between Cameron and Hall. It reminds me of earlier this year when Cameron started against Randy Johnson -- he's 2-for-29 with 18 K's versus Randy, and yet Yost penciled him into the lineup. At least Yost pinch hit Durham (3-for-5 lifetime v. Lidge) for Hall. But I was talking to someone during the 8th about these splits and how Yost has got to pinch hit for all three of these guys. I'm usually not hard on Yost, but this -- combined with the Counsell/Kendall duo facing Cordero twice in the 9th inning earlier this week -- it just boggles the mind. Do any of the other coaches communicate this information to Yost before the matchup comes up?

I think it would be a nice gesture if the Brewers signed Richie Sexson for the remainder of the season. It would only cost the prorated major league minimum. We're going to be paying that to each of the minor league call-ups anyway. While Sexson's overall numbers this year have been terrible, he's done alright against lefties, and would be an alright option to throw in there against tough lefties to give Prince a day off or three between now and the end of the season. Also, as a RH pinch-hitting option, he provides some power off the bench. Really, though, this would be a sentimental signing. He was the face of the franchise for 4-5 years, and his trade in 2004 was what really kick-started the Brewers' renaissance. He's likely at the end of his career, and is still waiting for that taste of postseason (not counting what he may have had in Cleveland). I think it would be cool to have him back in a Brewers uniform for the stretch run. And if not Sexson, then there's always bringing back Gary Sheffield for a reunion tour...

Agent39, thanks for taking the time to post here and fend off some of the unsubstantiated rumors. Amazing how speculation runs wild. I'm thrilled that Michael Brantley is staying with the Brewers organization. He just became my favorite Brewer prospect a few weeks ago, and I think he's going to be one heck of a player in the major leagues. I see a 2:1 walk-to-strikeout ratio, and that tells me this guy knows what he's doing up there at the plate. Add to that speed and defense, to go with a .324 average... Who cares about homeruns....this guy is going to be an impact player, and I'm looking forward to watching Brantley leading off for the Brewers for many years to come. Thanks too, Agent39, for a great blog. I'll have to check back periodically over the summer. Good luck sorting the rest of this trade mess out, and get some sleep...

An OBP of .360 translates to .290 at the major league level? How do you figure. The guy consistently has an OBP 50-60 points above is batting average. That means even if he isn't hitting, he'll draw a walk or two. Which would you rather have? Kevin Mench batting .280 with an OBP of .285 or Tony Gwynn hitting .260 with an OBP of .315? Neither is very good, but the point is, he's already demonstrated pretty good plate discipline at the minor league level, where most players are just trying to show they can hit the ball hard somewhere. And the few guys that do walk a lot in the minors are the top prospects, who end up walking a lot cos minor league guys don't want to face them. Let's review his actual OBP numbers. Because when I say 50-60 points, I too am projecting what I think his MLB numbers would be. His minor league numbers are actually much better: 2003 - .280 / .366 2004 - .243 / .312 2005 - .271 / .370 2006 - .300 / .360 Aside from a hiccup at Huntsville in 2004, those numbers look pretty good to me. The Southern League is largely regarded as a good pitchers' league...humidity probably having something to do with that. At any rate, he repeated Double-A the next year and did fine. I don't see why Gwynn can't hit at that level in the majors. He's a contact hitter. It's not like he's some power prospect with high HR totals because the opposing pitchers can't locate. He slaps the ball around. So what? How does that make him any less quality of a hitter. People put way too much emphasis on power numbers these days.

It drives me nuts every time I see this "Gwynn will never be more than a 4th outfielder talk"!!! Look, no one's claiming he's the second coming of his Dad. But the guy is an above average fielder and an above average hitter. I think the real reason everyone wants to call him a 4th outfielder is simply because he has no power. And if that's the case, why are we putting overemphasis on the HR ball? I'd much rather have a centerfielder who's going to carry an .OBP fifty points higher than his average, play good defense, and steal a ton of bases, than some schmuck who might hit 10 meaningless homers over a 162-game season. Hall is unique in that he has greater power potential, but does that mean that after a half-season, he's locked down centerfield for the next 5 years? Hey, I'd love for it to happen, but I think Gwynn is a perfect fit for that role should Billy need to move to a corner down the road. Don't get me wrong...I think Otsuka is the best pickup of any player the Brewers should look at this summer. But I don't like sending Gwynn in that deal. Mench in a heartbeat. Even ZackJack or Dillard. But not Gwynn.

I've never been a Jenkins-hater, so I hope he stays. Personally, I would have liked a Mench/Hendrickson for Jesse Crain trade back in winter. Would have made sense at the time, given the uncertainty of Minnesota's rotation at the time. Plus, they were one of the teams going after Mench before the deadline last summer (settling on Phil Nevin instead). And to the Mike Gonzalez trade notion. That will never happen. The Braves gave up too much to get him (LaRoche), and I can't see them swapping LaRoche for Jenkins straight-up...which is, in effect, what that would mean. I just don't see a match with the Braves. Shoring up the bullpen was their primary offseason objective...they're not going to trade from that new-found strength.

I was talking to some people this weekend about how a Walker for Graffanino trade would make sense for both clubs. I figured San Diego wouldn't be willing to eat the $900,000 termination pay they will owe Walker for a month's worth of spring training play. I thought Melvin's handling of the Graffanino situation was bone-headed, but Towers in San Diego beats him out by a length on this one. I think Walker would be an improvement over any combination of Counsell, Graffanino, or Rottino at third. Rottino for starters has been below average offensively all spring. Versatility is great, but we have that already. We don't need Rottino in the outfield, he's the 3rd best option at 3rd base, and the 4th or 5th best option at first. As for Graffanino, he has never played 3rd base regularly, and I think it's a stretch to say his defense would be any better than Walker's (at third). And Counsell was signed to be the utility guy, a pinch hitter, pinch runner, emergency starter... He's definitely the best of the group defensively at 3rd base, and has the most innings logged there. But he's not an ideal starter. If the roster juggling works, I think there could be room for Walker...a guy who has hit .289 versus righties over the last 3 seasons, who regularly puts up an OBP of .350 or better, and who strikes out roughly once every nine AB's. He's like a more contact-friendly version of Koskie. And let's face it people...Koskie isn't coming back. Starters (5): Sheets, Capuano, Suppan, Bush, Vargas Bullpen (7): Dessens, Aquino, Capellan, Shouse, Wise, Turnbow, Cordero Catchers (2): Estrada, Miller Infield (5): Fielder, Weeks, Hardy, Counsell, Graffanino Outfield (5): Hall, Jenkins, Hart, Mench, Gross I count one spot open. I hope it's not Villy. He should be starting down at Triple-A, not buried in the bullpen for mop-up work. Is it another reliever, such as Spurling or Balfour? Or a utility guy such as Rottino? I think that having a Walker/Graffanino platoon with Counsell on the bench is much better than a Counsell/Graffanino platoon with Rottino on the bench.

What about shipping Clark and Hendrickson to the Marlins? They are sorely lacking in CF, and while they passed on some more credible CF options via trade this winter, they could probably use Clark as part of a CF platoon should we be willing to eat up most of his salary. Are there any mid-tier Marlins prospects available? Or maybe they have a young bullpen arm available...talented, but unproven?

"Mench and Hendrickson (he is a MN boy) for Crain (Canadian I think...) would be good enough for me..." Yeah, that's the package I've been mentioning to people as well. It makes sense for both clubs. Actually, the Twins would probably be the clear winner in this deal, so they might go for it. God knows they could use some starting pitching depth.

I think with Randy, the biggest issue is health. If he is healthy, I really don't see last year as being as much of a decline as the numbers would indicate. His WHIP was still fairly low, and if you take him out of the AL East, and put him back in the NL West, with some of their ballparks and putrid offenses, I think he could easily come back next year to post an ERA in the low- to mid-3.00's. Again, the question is health.

Well, I guess we can scrap Romero. He just signed a deal with Boston for $1.75 million with performance bonuses. The Sox also got Brendan Donnelly from the Angels for what seems to be the rather inexpensive cost of a minor league lefty who missed all of 2005 with injuries and was basically a waiver claim off the Mets a few years ago. So, anyone got any other ideas?

What about the Crew taking a look at J.C. Romero? Now...I know what you're thinking. His ERA last year was atrocious. BUT...if you look at the secondary numbers, it looks like he was more effective than the first glance would indicate: 44 Inherited Runners 13 Inherited Runners Scored Meaning he stranded 70% of baserunners when he entered the game. 2.24 Groundball-to-Flyball Ratio (2006) 1.80 Groundball-to-Flyball Ratio (Career) Lefties batted .202 against him last year. 18-for-89 with 1 HR. Righties batted .382 against him last year. 39-for-102 but with only 2 HR. He also allowed only 2 stolen bases against him last season...an area where our bullpen guys are pathetic. Conclusion: If you restrict Romero to facing lefties only -- which the Angels obviously didn't do (13 more AB's vs. righties) -- you have a quality reliever. Lefties hit a Chad Moeller-like .202 against him. The guy does NOT give up homeruns. And he does a pretty good job at stranding other pitchers' guys on base. So, when used properly, he would be a good asset in the bullpen. Having both him and Shouse would give Yost more flexibility as to when to go to the lefty, and avoid the scenario of either Shouse or Romero being left in the game to face a right-handed hitter sandwiched between two lefties. AND Romero should come relatively cheap given his high ERA last season.

Where would you like me to send your credentials? I hear you've got some friends inside...

I was under the impression that the Brewers had inquired about Westbrook a few years ago. It was immediately following the Sexson trade. One rumor had us asking for Alex Escobar in exchange for Spivey and being turned down. And then I thought they had actually offered us Westbrook instead, and we rejected that proposal. Not sure if my memory is cloudy here...