Fear The Chorizo

I feel like Guerra is their official starting pitcher, too

If DS is looking for a controllable, top of the rotation-type starter to try and acquire at this year's deadline, I'd rather he turn his attention to the west coast and not east coast. Oakland is 7 games over 0.500 but still 8 games behind the 2nd wild card spot in the AL thanks to some dominant teams in front of them - if they don't make up significant ground over the next few weeks and a playoff spot looks like a longshot, I'd at least give Beane a call and ask about Sean Manaea's asking price.

I like what Miller has shown offensively thus far, and think a quasi platoon of him + Villar at 2nd would be solid. With Saladino nearing a potential return, Miller could still fill in occasionally at SS depending on pitching matchups, too. Where this roster could take a huge leap forward offensively is not by acquiring Merrifield - it's by going after Machado to play SS if they're open to a rental, or it's by bringing in Realmuto if they can come up with a palatable prospect package in return for multiple years of control for a difference-making C. I really like Thor, but I just don't see this season as the year a trade materializes unless some team is willing to blow the Mets away. He has so much team control left but also has the injury ?'s that both drive his value into the stratosphere and hamstring teams from wanting to pony up. If Thor is dealt, there's almost no chance it would wind up as a win-win for both teams - either the Mets get hosed or the team trading for him gets hosed, and it all depends on health. I'm still not sure why the Mets even are seriously considering moving him unless they are expecting an injury blow up and figure his value will only plummet like Harvey's did. I don't want to include Hiura in any trade - there is just too much upside in having a middle of the order bat holding down 2B for the Brewers as early as next season. I think DS is much more likely to see what he can bring in to help the 2018 MLB club using prospects and young MLB players they're going to struggle to keep on next year's 40 man that do have value. He's only had a couple years of drafts, but to this point I don't think DS has traded anyone prominent he drafted during this organizational rebuild - and I expect that to continue.

I don't have any specific info, but it's likely that both of these guys are in strength and conditioning programs, along with working hard at building more consistent pitching mechanics, without having to pitch in actual games. Both were drafted right out of high school and need time to develop physically before being tossed into regular game situations. Barring any sort of injuries (haven't heard of an issue with either of them), they're probably ticketed for the latter part of rookie ball and fall instructionals, with the plan to start breaking them into lower minor league levels next year.

Saladino in, Sogard out. Cain back active, Orf back down. Then you roll with a quasi platoon of Miller and Villar at 2nd, and also Saladino with a sprinkling of Miller at SS depending on pitching matchups - I guess keep Perez around for comic relief and a IF/OF reserve role. pitching-wise I almost don't care who it is as long as Zagurski heads out.

weird to say, but gotta thank the Cubs in part for this win - Twins' pen isn't good to begin with, and their staff got abused over the weekend...hard to believe that was their best remaining option out of the pen to get through the 10th, but it probably was given the circumstances. gotta smile on a night with a win!

Even if Strop's is an ode to his father, his dad is a Cub player's father so it's ok to hate them both...

When all the chips are down, this team has to try and rely on a guy who can count to his entire OPS+ for the season using his fingers and toes to lead off the 9th...stop the madness hopefully we're not in the midst of a fake rally here - let's come through middle of the order!

This team needs a LOOGY in the worst. freaking. way.... I get the idea of trying to get one more out with the current reliever in the game if there's an apparently favorable matchup due to what side of the plate the hitter takes his stance in, but that strategy sure seems to have blown up alot in CC's face - particularly when the next reliever brought into the inning occasionally resembles a gas can. Hoping we get good Barnes tonight

"A source" , "J.A. Happ could be on Brewers' radar"...these are part of the initial tweet that could frankly be written by anyone about anyone. The Blue Jays are probably extensively scouting just about every other contending team's systems, too - "extensively" could mean having an intern with a fangraphs account combing through brewer farm stats, and having a couple area scouts show up to a few games between contending teams' minor league affiliates. "the Brewers need a starter and the lefty (Happ) is one of the top arms expected to be traded this month".....could've been written back in February and still been just as accurate as it is right now. nothingburger

While I agree 100 percent with the above post in terms of the justification for bringing up zagurski over ramirez, I think it's time the brewers spend a little less time making moves with the priority being roster control / flexibility - seems like far too often they are willing to play shorthanded or with lesser talent at the mlb level to make sure a minor league option isn't burned, or a guy like miley / logan is kept around and given more than his deserved opportunity.

Unfortunately, it sounds like there's a chance Yelich goes to the DL. How many full games have they played shorthanded with him out? 3 or 4?? At the end of the season, i think it will be interesting to try and log just how many games the brewers willingly started with playing shorthanded due to guys being injured, and see what their record was in those games. This close to the all star break, just put guys on the dl and get them healthy instead of dragging the last 3-4 weeks.

He certainly looks the part, but keep in mind until this season he had struggled as a brewer following the Davis trade. Asking a prospect to come in at C midseason and make an impact in a playoff race is tough - I would much rather Nottingham get his shot at a permanent mlb roster spot next spring, and let him play everyday in CO Springs. IIRC, Bandy has been raking ever since his demotion too. And Kratz can't hit a hr every start he gets, but he hasn't been terrible as a backup. Ultimately the best option for the brewers is for pina to be the backup to a better everyday catching option. Nottingham could be that guy, but not this year - if the marlins value him I wouldn't mind Jacob heading that way as part of a realmuto trade

I like Hiura, but do people really think that he's a generational type player who couldn't be replaced in the system? I'm raising my hand, and have been since very early this season. He's special.

Cubs are far from beasting - they just got swept by this same Reds team last weekend over four games, and they are having to win slugfests because their pitching is on fumes. Wrigley plays like a softball field when it's hot and the wind blows out, that's why you see the huge run totals over the past few games.

Nothing like having INF next to your ERA...least surprising result ever. Hiw many day to day guys do we have right now? 3-4??

This game reeks of other games where CC left williams in to face a righty to try and get an extra out, only to walk him or give up a hit, then logan would come in and get shelled by a group of lefty hitters... Hoping zagurski isn't just a polish logan

Stinks for him, but in reality there isn't a rotation spot in milwaukee I'd want him to slide into right now. He's been dinged up ever since spring training and can't seem to get right this year. Hindsight is 20/20 and it would have been shocking back in january, but this past offseason would've been prime time to have traded Davies - I don't see him as a longterm brewer rotation arm and he's about to start getting expensive (albeit probably at a slower rate since this year appears to be a lost cause to convince an arbitration hearing that he's an upper rotation starter)

If there was ever a time for peak 2017 Santana to make an appearance this season, right about now is it if either yelich or Braun wind up back on the dl.

Thames was arguably the team's best hitter to open this season until he got hurt

This is the type of move that happens when a team is working on a trade or two and is doing as much as possible to preserve 40 man roster flexibility in case they need to jettison whoever they call up tonight to make room for who's coming in... that's at least my hope, because, well I don't want to see games hanging in the balance over the next week with this guy pitching to quality LH hitters.

Thrilled at this point to not have signed Darvish this past offseason - sounds like while his statline was good in a recent rehab start, he experienced more tricep/arm discomfort than anyone is comfortable with and he's about to be re-evaluated. Would be very surprised if he makes a meaningful start for them before the All Star Break, and it might be extended DL time for Yu. Cubs are in the midst of wrapping up a dreadful road trip today and have been in dire need of a day off for more than a week - which still won't happen for them until next week Monday. Pitching depth was always the weak spot on their 40 man roster, and this is the time of year when that problem starts showing up - especially in the pen when guys a team leans on to get key outs wear down or get injured. Also, Bryant is on the DL - they are not a team that appears to be on the verge of winning 25 of their next 35 anytime soon...

More often than not, teams in the wild card mix have to play out the entire regular season to make sure they get in - not really much opportunity to line up the rotation and bullpen to have the ideal arms available for a 1 game playoff that happens two days after the regular season ends. Odds are pretty decent any Ace-caliber pitcher the Brewers acquire will have pitched on one of the final regular season games, meaning they'd be worthless in the 1 game playoff. If the Brewers are going to go after a starter, I'd rather it be due to them viewing the NL Central division title as theirs for the taking and not doing so with all eyes on trying to ensure a quality start for the play in game (only to then be at a huge division series pitching disadvantage).

AAA is where guys that aren't good enough to play in the major leagues make a nice little career for themselves playing baseball, that's why. It's a misconception that prospects, true prospects, need to work their way through every minor league level before making their mlb debut. Just because you are a minor leaguer, you are not necessarily a prospect. This whole thread has turned into evaluating which one of 5-6 MIF options that at best are 25th men on the roster the brewers should have in Milwaukee because Arcia has decided to suck offensively so far this season. In a perfect world Arcia rights the ship, Villar provides adequate offense from 2nd, and a combo of Perez and one of these other guys fill out the bench (my preference right now would be either a healthy saladino or miller). Problem is Arcia just isn't an everyday offensive option right now so the brewers are stuck trying to make things work with too many of these marginal at best mlb players getting significant playing time. It was posted earlier in this thread, brewer ss offensive production is pitcheresque thus far in 2018, mIles behind even the league average. It's position #1 to upgrade via trade to drastically improve this team. If the brewers still want arcia starting there longterm, he can go down to AAA to get some consistent at bats the rest of this year without hurting the mlb brewers in meaningful games after they bring in the guy currently in Baltimore that can hit a little and not embarrass himself defensively at SS for a free agency audition/postseason run.

That is concerning. You'd think the guy would want to play and get himself righted. He's got no one to blame but himself for the situation he's currently in. This happens all the time with mlb demotions - and it's not like domingo can't be hitting like crazy on the side. It wouldn't surprise me if he had to take some time to get living arrangements set up, because they told him that he would be down quite awhile.