TwinsBrewersWorldSeries

No way I want to give up Hardy. the guy is on an absolute tear right now. We can't give up anyone from our current club if we expect to improve

My thinking today has been this..... If we get CC, we follow it up with MAJOR offers to Sheets/Hart. By getting CC, Mark A is basically validating that he's committed to winning, and signing Sheets/Hart locks up our "core" for atleast 5 years (Sheets, Braun, Hart, Yo)... throw in that we have Parra for atleast 4 more years.... Find some way to trade Prince (in a three way deal for Greinke/Cain/Linescum), and we suddenly have our core locked up through the 2013 season. Yes, it costs money, but the value of the Brewers will double in the next five years if we make the playoffs 4 or 5 times.... not to mention that we'd routinely be above 3M fans and have a MUCH better TV Deal All Star Presser............ announce CC trade, Sheeter signs a 5 year $100M deal, Hart 5 years $40M Get er done

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooh Weeks isn't starting... that clearly means he's been traded :P (blue) I like the deals discussed earlier for Hudson/CC

This has nothing to do with luck. It has everything to do with the Twins having perhaps the best GM in baseball for the past decade. Granted, he's now out of the fold but alot of those moves will still be a factor for years.

Again, when talking about trading players, Fielder could net a much better player than Gamel or Laporta (alone)... for that reason, and financial reasons, i saw trade Prince

The question is now, who is more valuable to the Brewers? Zach Greinke who would be under our control through 2010 or CC who would be a few month rental. CC might be better than Greinke, but i think we could sign Zach to a reasonable contract. #1 starters are extremely difficult to replace and Zach could become our replacement for Sheets. We have Gamel/LaPorta to step in. I would much rather trade Fielder for Greinke than CC Sabathia

Wow.... i completely forgot about Yo

Get it done Doug!

I haven't been this excited for a movie in several years!

While i'm excited about the Brewers playing better lately, i think we are a year away. in the midst of the Fielder controversey, Yo Injury, and pending Sheets free agency, these would be my "dream" moves for the Brewers this offseason 1) Trade a package of mid-level prospects to Kansas City for Zach Greinke and Mark G - (maybe Weeks, Cole G, and Carlos V) 2) Trade Prince Fielder (and Jeremy Jeffress if neccesary) for Tim Lincecum 3) Resign Ben Sheets (whatever it takes)... if he wants 6 years $120 million, give it to him. damn the risk, we're either going for it or we're not 4) Find something to trade to Baltimore for Brian Roberts 1) Sheets 2) Lincecum 3) Greinke 4) Parra 5) Soup 2B- Roberts, SS-Hardy, LF-Braun, 1B- LaPorta, RF- Hart, 3B Branyan/Gamel, CF Cameron, C- Kendall, P Bench: Branyan/Gamel, Dillon, Backup C, Kapler, Utlity IF

Time to revive this idea, especially with us discussing Mark G... See the Mark G thread for my rationale, but i think we should offer the Royals Rickie Weeks as part of any package. I'd definitely rather give up Weeks than LaPorta or Gamel. Weeks, Carlos V, and Gillespie for Greinke/Mark G

http://www.baseball-reference.com/g/greinza01.shtml Greinke is actually having another excellent year. He is 24. I think the Royals would only be interested in trading him since he'll be a FA soon. His first season was 2004, but he missed all of 2006. I think he was eligible for Arby this winter, meaning he will be a FA after the 2010 season. The Brewers could trade for him, and if he pitches well, maybe give him a modest 4 year deal to buy out 2 years of Arby and 2 Years of FA. The guy has a decent WHIP, a very good K/BB ratio, and a mid 3 ERA. I'm sure it would cost something, but this would be a good guy to acquire with Mark G. I'll amend the offer to Weeks/Carlos V/mid level propsect (they can have Gwynn for free) in exchange for Zach/Mark G Further note- If we lose Sheets this is EXACTLY the type we need to acquire. He probably isn't a #1 type, but would be a VERY solid #2

How much longer is Arroyo signed for? the guy has simply been outstanding the past few seasons, and its playing in that hellish place for a pitcher. Given his track record, i think Arroyo could be a good addition for beyond this season. Maybe an offseason aquisition? Time to buy low

How about Weeks/something for Mark G and Zach G

He certainly would cost less that CC. Though maybe Cinci wouldn't trade him within the division?

To clarify.... i should have said our "high dollar free agents" are duds. Cameron might yet come around, but i shudder to think that players with a line of .220/.330/.800 with 20-25 HR are worth $10 million per...... I'm all for the Kapler, Branyan, Kendall, etc signings as i think its great to have some veteran "role players"...... but i'd rather the Brewers play with 2-3 ELITE players and youngesters rather than 6-7 average/mediocre players. I'm not stating that the offseason was a failure, only that our "high dollar" acquisitions were a failure. Lets face it, if someone is worth 12-15 or even 20M, there is a pretty good chance their current club with realize it and pay to keep them. I'd say the 8-10M per signings in free agency are almost always duds. Why pay for average. Resign your own elite players and try to group as many as possible together.

Lets do some quick math here 1) Offered $60M Guaranteed in 2008 = 100% 2) Offered $100M + in 2012.... 25% Hmmmm, to me this is like two people putting $50M into a bet, and the winner gets $100M to be determined by a coin flip. I ask again, what can someone do with $100M that they can't with $60M? I'm a young professional in "year 2" of my first administrative position. I probably will make $125-150K/year if I wait until year 5 or 6 to "switch jobs" and will make approx $50K until then... If i was given a chance to lock in my salary at $90-100K for the next TEN years, (even though i might then delay my chance at $150K) i would do it in a second. The argument about "maximizing salary is total bunk. We are talking about $60M dollars

Now 1/3 into this season, i think its safe to say that the Brewers trying to get 'over the top" through Free Agency has been a failure. They didn't offer any MEGA contracts, but Gagne and Cameron have been pretty much duds especially given the resources committed to them. I've been critical of Melvin/Mark A in the past for "not making that splash", but i think its clear that strategy simply results in failure. Given we are a small market team, and given the premium now placed on younger players, i think the Brewers are going to need to strike "lightning in a bottle" to ever reach the world series. The talk about our "youth" and how we'll "get better" is really a red herring as we will constantly be shuffling in players. I think our future (and World Series potential) hinges largely on who we selected to be our "cornerstone players". Clearly, Ryan Braun was/is/will be a cornerstone of our future and the 8 year $48m deal looks even better at this point. I think the "above average" players that the Brewers bring through need to be kept long term at a modest but solid salary 8-10M per, and that we should only pay our ELITE players at that next level. Regardless of his injury history, i think this franchise will NOT reach a World Series in the next 10 years without Ben Sheets At the moment, i think Sheets/Braun are our "ELITE PLAYERS", Hart & Parra (are or are heading towards) the above average status, and that Hall, Weeks, and Hardy are good, but replacable players. The key should be to be constantly restocking at positions where we don't have an elite/above average player and try to fill out the diamond with players who are pre-arby or arby. Committing all of your payroll resources for average players seems foolish, and i don't think that Cameron, Gagne, or Hall are perfoming much better than cheaper/younger replacements would be. As for Prince Fielder- let him go. I'm becoming more and more disgusted with his attitude, and if he doesn't want to be "our guy" than good riddance. The notion that a 23 year old player would turn down $60M is absurd. He's not even the best player on the team, has had ONE outstanding season, and could have a relatively short career given his physical makeup. Give Ben Sheets $60M for three years with a clause that it comes 100M/5 years if he makes a certain amount of starts. We have no other #1 starter. As for Hardy, Hall, Cameron, and Fielder, let them go when the kids are ready.

At first glance, the Brewers lineup seems a little "weak" in the 5th-8th spots with Corey Hart now in the leadoff spot. I think its clear that our lineup is pretty solid with Braun, Hart, and Fielder, but that its been a pretty weak year since then. Cameron, Hardy, Hall, (as well as) Weeks have stuggled in a major way this season and Kendall has been mediocre (on offense) since his torrid start. My question is at what point do we call up either LaPorta or Gamel (or both) to inject some life into our offense? Russell Branyan brought a spark, but i don't anticipate him keeping up his current pace and if we don't pick up our offense this year i'm not sure how we finish with a winning record (let along with the division) I'd like to see some OFFENSE heavy lineups for early in the game (if we call up LaPorta/Gamel), and use an array of defensive replacements (Cameron, Counsell) in the late innings to "secure" the win.

they can have rickie weeks, billy hall, and any prospect not named gamel/laporta http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif

I gotta inject a little life here on an otherwise uneventful monday... Having attended the annual Brewers-Twins matchups the past few years in both Milwaukee and Minneapolis, i think its clear that Brewers-Twins is more hotly contested that Brewers-Scrubs. I think, in general, that the Brewers-Cubs gets way overhyped by the milwaukee media, with most of the "hype" being driven by cubs fans who happen to invade miller park and annoy the local fans. Not to say that Cubs-Brewers isn't a rivalry, but to be honest, the Cubs haven't won anything in forever. They are a big market team with a huge payroll that has stunk forever. If tickets to Miller Park weren't cheaper than Wrigley, i doubt we'd have so many northsiders up here, and i doubt this would even be discussed. Brewers-Twins on the other hand is much more about the actual play ont the field, and not whose fans are more annoying. During the last "run" of Brewers teams in the late 80's and 1992, the Twins were the dominant team in baseball. We are both small market, but they have regularily had a winning record, have made the playoffs on a pretty consistant basis, and have two world series rings (granted none since 1991). Despite the Bears-Packers people, Wisconsin-Minnesota is a MUCH bigger rivalry IMHO, and with the Twins being good and with the Brewers being the stepchild the past two decades, i'd say there is more venom in Brewers players to beat and shut up the Twins, than the Cubs. Just my opinion but i think the atmopshere is WAY better for Brewers-Twins than Brewers-Cubs, and i don't think its debatable that Twins fans are far more educated/classy basbeball fans than the northsiders.......

i would trade Fielder for Haren in a heartbeat. ( i know not an option)... but maybe we can do a three way....... Fielder to team X, prospects to Giants, Linecum to the Brewers

Gehrig (who is the best baseball player EVER imho) would have easily reached 3,000 if not for his career being cut short......

way to go soup,......... lets limit the Rocks baserunners though. Even their weaker hitters don't have trouble knocking one out. Brewers always seem to get beat by no-name players

Great at-bat for Billy....... take what they are giving you. Gotta love the 2 out RBI and also working the count. Cmon JJ, a 5-0 start for Suppan would be excellent...............ugh........ ugly K