MJLiverock

Teams like the Dodgers, Red Sox, Yankees, etc. don't have to worry about things like is Gonzalez worth $22MM or $18MM or $16MM, they do need to be sure and put good players on the field, the money around the fringes really doesn't matter because they have so much of it and only so many places to spend it given when free agents are available and who is already on the team. The Dodgers took their chance to upgrade their offense tremendously this season, it wasn't going to do them any good to have $100MM to spend in free agency when you look at the pool of guys available. In this trade they got the piece they wanted in Gonzalez, his salary is what it is, they pay it and don't care about value since they basically gotta spend it somewhere. Beckett, probably overpaid but again, they get an above average pitcher for a couple years and is better than just about anyone on the free agent market. In order to do it they have to suck it up and absorb the truly bad deal in Crawford but that was why they got it done for such little in the way of prospects. The Crawford deal will likely be bad but if he's over paid by $10MM a year they can deal with. The interesting thing will be the Red Sox, they will have shed $88MM from payroll after this year by moving and free agents rolling off Gonzalez, Beckett, Crawford, Youk, Dice-K, Bobby Jenks, plus Ortiz is a free agent getting paid $14.75MM this year, so really $102MM rolling off. They may make another 1 year offer to Ortiz, Cody Ross is getting $3MM this year and is a free agent and having put up decent numbers may get a raise. Locking up Ellsbury longer may be an option for some of the money but they are going to have $75MM plus to spend with not much on the market. They could use bullpen help likely raising the competition for the Brewers on any bullpen arms. They could also take the Dodgers route and try to trade to take on salary from other teams to bridge the gap to when some free agents they really want hit the market.

Why does every fast food or to go place make their coffee so scalding hot you have to take the lid off and let it cool for 20 minutes to make it drinkable?

[sarcasm]So clearly the Cardinals GM is terrible, signing injury prone guys like Carpenter and Wainwright. That idiot Cashman in NY has signed how many pitchers who got hurt? Idiot Epstien signed oft injured Josh Becket but I guess he redeemed himself by signing the workhorse that is John Lackey until he too got hurt this year. Teams should probably just stick to signing pitchers who will take a 1 year deal like Braden Looper.[/sarcasm]

Most of the time the complaints about Gomez batting 2nd have merit but the results this year disagree and make RR look pretty good for the decision. Remember early in the year Weeks was awful and many called for his moving down in the order because of his poor results and to just let him work through it further down the lineup. Lucroy was hurt (and it isn't like his career OBP has been anything special prior to his hot start/short period which no one wants to give Gomez credit for yet supposedly Lucroy was going to keep it up). The team has struggled to find a combination to bat 1-2 and with Aoki at the top the 2 hole was left between choosing a DFA filler from SS, the back up catchers or CFer. Gomez in the 2 spot has been .333/.511/.844 compared to Weeks batting 1st or 2nd putting up .325/.303/.628, and the demotion of Weeks to the 6th spot has worked as well with him finding his stroke/working through whatever was plaguing him. Weeks has hit .355/.429/.783 down there. Some will argue it is dumb luck but the move worked for RR and that is really all that matters in my view, results not projections, and why managers are there, to make moves to try and improve a situation. Going forward if they flipped them I'd have no problem with it since Weeks has started hitting again but he may say he likes hitting there better or they may decide to not get cute and leave what is working alone for now.

NBC had just acquired USA networks in 2004 so they may have been showing off the new channels and trying to drive viewership not to mention the limited internet speeds and streaming capabilities in 2004 and even in 2008. TNT is part of Time Warner and wouldn't have had Olympic coverage. Aren't all events streamed on the internet now in addition to using MSNBC,Bravo, CNBC, NBC Universal Sports, NBC plus the special dedicated channels for soccer, basketball? I think it is kinda funny how I keep reading (granted this is a lot of stock research of people trying to predict the future) that everyone is dropping pay TV so they can just watch streaming on the computer but then see all the complaints that the 6 hour time difference Olympics are tape delayed and there should be more coverage when it is all there streaming all day but apparently no one wants to watch it that way.

I think Gomez should definitely be in the mix for CF next year. He is never going to be Matt Kemp out there but he provides great defense, is still young, has shown some improvement and someone has to play the position. I really don't see Schafer putting up numbers any better than what Gomez is doing this season. Schafer doesn't walk a lot either, he is probably going to add about 50 points to his BA for a OBP of .310-.320 while being not quite as good defensively and he just can't seem to stay healthy playing everyday. Additionally Gomez is only 9 months older than Schaeer. I imagine if Gomez had been playing the minors all this time he would still be labeled some untouchable prospect and some would be salivating over him. An outfield of Braun, Gomez, Aoki, Schafer, and some split of Hart/Gamel working in seems balanced and provides some decent bench depth.

No kidding. Does this team have to constantly do everything they can to help the Cardinals?

I was thinking of how to express my thoughts on this and you came pretty close to do it for me. Prices for above average to elite players move up but not smoothly, it goes in fits and starts tied to thinks like media deals, when big market teams have big contracts drop off and who is available. All the discussions complaining about paying guys like Hart, Ramirez, Wolf, etc. $10MM+ a year, to me seem like living in the past. As soon as it appears the Brewers can even come close to paying the market rate for above average to elite talent the scale shifts up because it has to economically speaking. If the Brewers are getting free agents that are in that above average area at market rates it likely means the Brewers just had some surge of cash which will quickly be dwarfed when the rest of the market competition gets their surge of cash. Just when you think, "Hey, the Brewers are throwing around $20MM/year offers like the Yankees/Angels/Red Sox of a few years ago, BAM, those teams move the market on that talent to $25-30MM a year." In turn those guys that used to be $8-$10MM a year guys become $14-15MM/year. Guys like Ramirez, Hart, #3 starters are all going to get contracts paying them well in excess of $10MM per year and closer to those mid teens at the end. $10MM a year isn't going to get what $10MM did 3 years ago. The sheer dollars of the big market team's surege easily overwhelm the smaller market teams increases. So the Brewers got an extra $20MM in revs from the new TV deal and some playoff bumps in attendance/merchandise, shares, etc. Teams like the Yankess, Angels, etc, get bumps in the $50MM+ range from TV deals when they roll onto the next contract. Makes it real easy for them to pay that extra $3-$5MM per year for an average to elite guy because there is no trophy for wins per dollar spent, only wins.

Here's Segura making us forget the Brewer's SS play of 2009-2012.

Thankfully he is finally gone. Now I feel the relief that the many fans who hated YB with a passion feel when he was gone. I can only hope the miracle of receiving a waiver claim on the worst player in MLB is accepted and Melvin signs as quickly as possible for Washington notices the laughter coming from Baltimore.

That was my point, the quote was about Yuni being signed as a back up. Izturis's d is way over rated and doesn't make up for just how truly awful his bat is. I know it is splitting hairs discussing the worst players in baseball but I'll stick to my opinion of multiple years that Izturis is the worst player in baseball. If truly bored, just Google, Izturis worst player MLB and see how many articles come up. I can't believe how many people have taken the time to prove how awful he is.

Haha, that's incredibly hilarious. It's also entirely believable. Kinda like the Brewers signing of Izturis, they went out and found the one guy worse than Yuni.

[sarcasm]But won't calling him up and not playing him everyday ruin him?[/sarcasm]

Last year was Schafer's first AB's above A ball, split roughly 200 ABs at AA and 200 at AAA and he still didn't play a full season due to being injured again. I have no problem with him being held in AAA for a full season this year. I think it makes sense to platoon him with Gomez next year and let Morgan go but I don't think the Brewers have been onerous in holding him back. I don't think Green rates as high in the organization's eyes as he does for some here. The team wasn't going to go into this season with playoff hopes tied to the last year with Marcum and Greinke on the staff and rely on Green and Gamel at the corners after losing Prince. Green was given more plate appearances in April May June than Ishikawa and didn't do anything with his chances to force the team to play him more. His numbers have fallen off in AAA thus far this year, not horrible but down. His future is probably a bench player backing up the corners and 2nd base in the infield.

At some point even the fans who defend Gamel bitterly (and yet don't know him any more than those fans who criticize him) have to admit there has been more than just made up quotes or just RR blindly questioning Gamel's attitude or what have you. Seems multiple sources have made a point of bringing this up or providing a sort of back handed compliment, be it RR, Money, Melvin, and every time it comes up some poster get mad or calls it unfair or unfounded. I doubt the team really wants to just make stuff up about a guy who they would like to succeed and have no real incentive to criticize other than to try to an motivate, it isn't like he is in big salary negotiations. I have to believe the team officials have more basis for their comments than any poster and seeing it come up more than once makes me believe there is or was something to it. I want Gamel to succeed but it doesn't prevent me from believing there are some negative intangibles floating around him holding him back. Hoping a player succeeds doesn't mean he can't be criticized for attitude or whatever, especially when it comes from the people who actually know the situation. Using the, "fans don't know him," card to come down on doubters seems foolish since it cuts both ways, and fans don't know their hoped positives are true either. I think there tends to be some over reaction on how guys like Green or Gamel are treated. The fail rate on prospects is very high and neither guy has been considered a can't miss prospect outside of Brewerfandom. Assuming the coaches and baseball people who are experts in the area, and see these guys every day, are all idiots or have a vendetta against guys or that every quote is a slight is a bit much. I hope they do well but I don't just assume they are all great guys and that somehow the team just doesn't want that surefire .350/.450/.800 bat in the lineup because they are stupid.

Exactly. Quite the hijack just to nitpick an absolute throw away quote vs. a paraphrased throw away quote.

I already know to avoid Twitter, ESPN, etc. if I don't want to see results during the day but it seems everyone has to get in announcing results. I clicked on Bloomberg site yesterday to read a financial article and sure enough the top story on the page was the swimming results and men's gymnastics results. It's one thing if a sports site does it, but a financial new site not affiliated with NBC?

Agree 100% with this. There is always this assumption that Hardy is some phenomenal player the Brewers traded away for nothing. Hardy has had some ups but at a very high cost and his bat hasn't played any better than Gomez at this point. I'd play Gomez most of the way for this year and look to soft platoon him with Schaefer next year, letting Morgan go in the offseason. I've seen nothing out of Schaefer to convince me he is ready to be counted on as the full time guy in CF for the Brewers next year.

I could see the Rangers dealing Andrus in the offseason but in the midst of a pennant race in favor of a rookie? I have my doubts they would move a proven guy at SS for the rookie for the stretch run. Although maybe they think the addition of Greinke makes up for the risk. I'm not bashing Profor, by all accounts he is going to special like Mike Trout special, but teams tend to want the proven guy for the stretch run/playoffs.

Izturis was the one who needed to go.

It actually astounds me that anyone would have a problem with Greinke being pulled after 7 last night. He pitched 7 great innings, there was absolutely nothing to be gained by leaving him in longer, zero, zip, nada. Winning the game meant nothing to the team, if Greinke is traded they are announcing to the world they are sellers and giving up on the season, why play with fire and expose yourself to nothing but downside risk to try and win one more game in a season where you are not playing for the playoffs? Not to mention Melvin probably made the call on how long he was going to pitch and expecting a bullpen to hold a 5 run lead for a couple innings isn't exactly pushing the envelope of game decisions, no matter how bad a pen the team has. Axford pretty much had to come out of the closer role, he was completely ineffective, lost command and likely had some head issues with self doubt, anger at himself, etc. KRod was the likely choice just because he had done it before and really no one else in that terrible bullpen was shining and pushing for the role. Now KRod likely comes out and either Axford steps back in or they run it situationally for a while. Given the performances of the guys in that pen I don't think anyone of them makes any decision seem smart or stupid because they all have been terrible, not even 20/20 hindsight offers up better options than the ones made because they have all failed when given the opportunity.

So after playing OF for most of a decade and a whopping 40 odd games at 1b he can't play OF now? Seems your complaints about IsHikawa and RR get further stretched all the time.

To piggyback on the first part of TheCrew's post I wonder how much "development" training or focus college pitchers get while in college. The coaching staff's there are incentivized to win now and getting a guy ready for MLB is probably pretty low on the list of their priorities. If a college pitcher can get guys out with 1 or 2 pitches I doubt the coaches care to rock the boat and try to work in a 2nd or third or tell the guy to change his delivery. I see college coaches taking a "if it is working at this level don't change it" approach regardless of longer term issues like secondary pitches, mechanics issues, etc. Leave me thinking a lot of college pitchers probably have built up arm strength over HS guys, more comfort on the mound, got a little better coaching, but aren't light years ahead of the HS guys in terms of secondary pitches, mechanics, non pitching day routines, etc.

If that's the spin they put on what happened here in Madison I don't know if I could stomach watching the show.

You may not want to hear this, but for new subscribers it is actually free for the first year. I had that great pleasure last season and had told myself that I would never spend $350 on it. Now that it's on $200 I am really thinking about dropping down the cash for it. Trying to figure out how to convince the wife that it's too good of a deal to pass up. The reason the company gave for dropping the price is that in the past few years they have used it as a tool for subscriber retention and awarding long time subs. Guys I work with would call and complain about something everyday until they convinced someone to give them a deal or even give them Sunday Ticket for free. DirecTV usually provides an accounting line item in their earnings announcements spelling out how much stuff they gave away like discounts, free premiums, etc. to customers. This year they said they were cutting down on all that stuff and they figured out that if 20% of the people they used to give discounted or free Sunday Ticket to, sign up and they keep all the old subs who used to pay full price for Sunday Ticket they will break even with the new lower pricing. They just aren't going to give further discounts or give it away free as much now that pricing has been lowered.