Tbadder

If I'm spending 2 mil+ on Craig; I'd rather spend 5/6 mil on Lopez. Ugh. Let him go.

That's not really my point. My point is keeping Looper stops you from spend 7 to 10 mil per season on a pitcher who will only be slightly better than Looper. Now if you're instead going to go with Naverson and save 3/4 million--by all means have at it.

I hope for his sake he goes. It'll be better. He's got to be one tough, humble guy by now given his yearly stat lines. I'll be rooting for him. Maybe he'll play for the Pack one day. Go Brewer Go!

But that's if we don't regress offensively. And I do believe we'll be worse offensively at 2B, SS, CF, 3B, and maybe even C and 1B.

Well, that 5.5 mil better not go to Davis or Washburn. Because you'll have to tack on another 3 to 4 mil for the same player.

My initial reaction is this is a mistake. There going to get a slightly better pitcher for a lot more money, and a longer contract, which should really hurt the Crew.

Cameron and Lopez. If either of them accepts that will stop us froming signing a free agent pitcher--which would be a very very good thing.

Nobody is giving up. We're just being realistic. Lackey is not going to make us as good as the Phillies or Dodgers or Yankees etc. He might make us a division contender if the Cards lose Holliday and the Cubs keep shooting themselves in the foot with contracts for old broke down players. But that's really it. And that's only if we get Lackey. We're probably not going to get him unless we really overpay. What is Davis going to do? Wolf? Washburn? I just respectfully think this is a fools game; I don't want the Brewers chasing their own tail.

The Crew really need to stay away from free agent pitchers. This year's crop is not good emough to elevate them to a serious playoff team, so why waste the money? I'd much rather keep Looper at 5/6 mil than give 8 or 9 to davis or Washburn or any other stiff they're looking at. And as much as I'd like to avoid trading young players, if I got a youngish pitcher in return, Say Edwin Jackson, I rather go this route. Re-up Looper, trade for Jackson, hope Bush rebounds, and next year doesn't Suppan, Riske, Hall, and Hoffmann's money come off the books? Then if there's someone young enough think about a free agent. I'm amazed that people believe an organization can force-fix its problems in a single off season.

There is only "value" shopping. Whether you are the Red Sox or the Brewers, it all comes down to what you can afford.

Could this mean Counsell says goodbye?

I hope the non-tenders do start flying. It may force the price of free agents way down. Maybe not, but I can see plenty of teams making due with a non-tendered replacement than silly money on older players. Crossing my fingers.

I don't like the move one bit. While I believe he'll be a better defensive player than Cameron he's never really hit/OBP, so I can't see him significantly improving--a leopard cannot change its spots. If I was going to take a risk I would have opted for a high ceiling A ball or AA pitcher for JJ. I'm one of those guys who can't see the Crew really contending next year and had hoped the Melvin would have concentrated on maximizing our draft status. But he's turned down the chance to pick up a #2 for Cameron, and that will hurt as well. I'm wondering if the suggestion that JJ would've been non-tendered also means we won't offer arby to Lopez? I also think this means that Gamel probably has to go--which I think is a huge mistake and is really what is gonna get Melvin fired. I love Casey as a back up but he's not a 150 game performer by any means. As people correctly pointed out--there's just no pitching out there to truly make us better. And trading for good major league starters is going to cost us our best young players +, so what's the point? We'd just be tanking the franchise, but in a different way. If we get King Felix forget about what the Brewers truly need, a constant influx of young, cheap players, and if we get, which I suspect, Davis and another old stiff, we won't be significantly better anyways, especially since the offense is starting to be drained. And then there's Kendall. Putting Kendall in a line up that sports Gomez, Escobar, a regressing to the norm McGehee, a below average Hart, and an uncertain Weeks, and you've got an offense that will be lucky to finish in the top half.

I have to admit that I love the idea of Salome, a kind of Kirby Puckett of the catching world, but I can't bring myself to actually believe it will come to fruition. And his inability to be moved to another position would seem to me that his best chance is in the American League with a small market team willing to take a chance on an anomaly. I think Lucroy will make to the major leagues in the middle of the 2011 season. Jonathan reminds me of a young Kendall. I'm hoping (and probably assuming) that the Brewers continue to emphasize catching in the draft as both Salome and Lucroy probably have just as much a chance of being back-ups or failing altogether as being a starter.

I think we have to get over the idea that baseball is in fact sports. Baseball is merely entertainment. Sports connotes a level playing field, but nothing could be further from the truth. Baseball is a system that is rigged to favor certain teams, certain outcomes, etc. I agree that the Yankees have done everything according to the rules, but only a naive person believes that rules are objective and represent what's best for everyone. No, rules are a set of agenda meant to skew in favor of certain behaviors or norms or beliefs. Baseball is metaphorically most like Nascar; they both just run around in circles to the same 'ol tune--and quite frankly it's getting boring.

This is the most heartening thread I've read here. I won't watch any baseball that includes the Yankees. So I won't be watching this year. Otherwise non-Yankee playoffs I generally enjoy but not nearly as much as the regular season. I just love the regular season. It feels like history, unlike the playoffs which feel like a Mariah Carey video.

I'd love to see Randy Ready as manager. Can you imagine him throwing the 3rd base bag while agruing with an ump. I betcha that things goes thirty rows up. It'll be glorious.

Watching Yo's homer disappear into the night was my highlight. It was such a perfect blast; really pulled that little mother. And the look on Randy's face. I swear there's nothing better than a pitcher who can hit (well, maybe a Robin Yount triple). It just lift's the whole team.

I can't see the logic in letting defense walk when your main priority is pitching--especially up the middle defense. Geesh Doug, if this is true...

For myriad reasons I'd like to trade Salome. He has value but I don't think he has much of a chance at the big league level. He certainly isn't a long term solution because he'll always have to be paired up with a better than average 2nd catcher for the reasons listed in this thread. It's hard enough to find one catcher much less two.

Absolutely. When all sports do the NHL thing we'll actually have true competitiveness. People will be able to afford to see the games. You watch what people will be writing 5 to 10 years down the road about the lockout and the new player agreement that links contracts in a real way to actual revenues. I realize the NHL isn't particularly cool right now, but I think they're ready for a renassaince (sic). I love their international draft as well.

It's all paper. If it was real, and the team was disbanded, now that would shake up things for the better. The day when franchises start to really falter and payrolls can't be made, that's the day when baseball will have a chance. In the mean time please don't play with my emotions.

No amount of money will keep Fielder in Milwaukee Pretend if only for a second, that Milwaukee's offer equals Boston or New York's offer. Would Prince stay? He'd be insane to stay. If we "pony up" were not going to give him any help. The money will be used up. In addition his ability to make residual monies in advertising will be off the charts in NY, Bos, LA, Chi. Milwaukee won't be able to compete with that. It's better to move on when the time is appropriate. Same for Braunie. We're small market and doomed to a cycle of occasional competitiveness.

I thought that Kendall had solidified that spot. Macha is coming back.

Actually hating the Cards and their fans makes you morally astute. Being happy about the Cards being swept is like being happy at the liberation of Paris. Only the demise of the Yankees would in fact be better for the world. If that happens peace will break out all over the globe, but alas, it will never happen. The old blue marble will have to eat its own tears this year I'm afraid.