Harold Hutchison

I think they should anyway. Reed is literally the 9th OFer on the 40 man if you count him behind Perez. He's a little fish in a big pond and there just really isn't a need for him. He can play 3 OF positions, he has good OBP skills, some decent speed, and gap power. He will be cheap for three seasons. As a depth asset, he is very useful, with a ceiling as a Brady Clark-type 4th outfielder. That's not a bad asset to have on the roster.

The only teams I have gear for are my teams: MLB - Milwaukee Brewers NFL - Chicago Bears Minors - Potomac Nationals (local), but will buy Brewers gear as well Yes, I know I probably root for the LEAST favorite football team here. But my dad was military, we moved around, so my baseball team was the Brewers, and football ended up being Da Bears.

Cordell has also played second, third, and short in the minors. Add in time at first base at Colorado Springs, and DHing at AL parks... Reed could still get a fair number of ABs.

Suter had three options. Plus, at AAA, they can stretch him out a bit to start, or he could be a long reliever, LOOGY, or closer.

And Villar probably is eyeing the depth the Brewers have in the system. I don't think it rules out an extension next year, either. It may be a bit more if he hits like 2016, but that may also be in the cards. We know we have a pair of superb players in Villar and Perez. We don't know exactly how Arcia or the prospects will shake out.

Nope, just the Rolaids (he emerges as the new closer) and the ROY (citing the Rolaids).

Brewers record: 75-87 Team MVP: Braun Team Cy Young: Davies (Rotation) Team Rolaids: Suter (takes closer role by mid-season) Brewers ROY: Suter (see Team Rolaids winner) First traded: Garza (spring training) Surprise player: Thames (becomes excellent middle of the order bat) Disappointing: Susac/Bandy (we will miss Lucroy) Prospects who rocket up the list: Ronnie Gideon (75 power tool), Weston Wilson (versatility and power bat) Disappointing prospects: Meideros, Kirby

I remember Baseball Bunch... and they never had a Brewer. Had OZzie Smith though...

The Astros were directly harmed by the Cardinals' hacking, and they deserve some compensation for that.

If that's gaming the system, then I suspect they're the fools. Fowler's a 2 WAR player who just had a sudden career year at age 30 who relies heavily on speed to get his value. If one thinks he's a 4 WAR player going forward, well....... I think the punishment is appropriate, and I expected MLB to go easy on them. The problem is... they managed to get something for their first-round pick, and the Cardinals will just hit the free-agent market again. They really needed to lose some high-level 2018 picks (any in the top 50) as well.

My take: 2b: Villar 3b: Erceg lf: Braun 1b: Gideon rf: Ray cf: Brinson c: Nottingham ss: Arcia bench: Susac, Garcia, Wilson, Perez, Clark, Reed rotation: Hader, Davies, Woodruff, Wang, Ortiz bullpen: Suter, Bickford, Kirby, Magnifico, Ponce, Perrin

Stop solely looking at numbers and watch him play, even if it's whatever youtube videos you can find. His athleticism is highly praised (not just us but in TX too) and it's not talked about much but his bat to ball skills are pretty darn good. There's a reason he was ranked in the Rangers Top 10 and that was prior to us acquiring Brinson/Ortiz and them getting rid of another top prospect. He has 20HR power with plus speed. At age level for A, A+ he put up excellent numbers. Last year he was playing with injuries all season and still put up decent numbers in 400 AB. He plays good defense and is versatile playing all 3 spots. He's a late bloomer and at age level every step so he's not going to get as much love as the other OF prospects. Doesn't negate his talent though. Worst case I see him as a 4th OF that can back up all spots and perform well, which makes him very valuable. I personally think he has starter ability. Over the last two seasons, Cordell has played all three OF positions, plus SS, 1B, and 3B. And he has 20 HR power. Seriously... I love this guy as the next Hernan Perez - or alongside Hernan Perez on the Brewers bench.

Never understood why the Crew didn't keep Gindl around... his 2013 was pretty good, and certainly seemed to warrant a longer look.

I like the idea of putting Cordell in all three OF slots and all four IF slots. Over the past two seasons, he's done most of that in the minors (he hasn't played first, but he played second, third, and short in 2015). I love that versatility and that 20+ HR power.

Cheap veteran FA pitchers are a handy way to improve the talent in the system. They let you keep a guy in the minors and not worry about roster spot shuffles, and more importantly they are easy flips at the trade deadline. Not opposed to finding nuggets, but the money spent on a Milone could pay for two more scouts. That's two more sets of eyes who could find some legit talent.

Yep, agreed totally. In theory, a small market team can stay near the top forever with the right formula. - Draft well (obviously the better you are, the lower you're drafting, but the competitive balance round helps) - Extend a very select few of your homegrown players. The earlier the better because the more you'll save, but you better be right about the ones you extend, big wrong investments will get you in trouble quickly. We obviously dodged a bullet with Prince, and the more deals you can do like Lucroy's, the better. - Trade as high as you can on your trade pieces, no matter how competitive you are or aren't. Obviously this is much harder said than done. Not only do you have to figure out where 'high' is, but you have to be willing to sell off pieces when you're competitive. It's a continuous cycle, but probably the only way to stay continuously competitive as a small market without a rebuild. Emotionally it's nearly impossible to trade a star away in a year where you're contending. Clearly doing all these things to perfection is nearly impossible which is why the longer a small marker can sustain a winning model, the more impressive it is. If you have a good farm system, you get the flexibility with extensions. You also need to come up with good insurance policies to cover salary in cases like this. Thus, if I had a core like Fielder, Lucroy, and Braun... I try to keep them together. But much of it comes down to the farm system. Having a very good farm system with a constant flow of talent means the team can absorb even a Prince Fielder suffering a career-ending injury. Honestly, when I think about it, it's why I am frustrated the Brewers did sign Milone. Why spend on a free-agent (even a cheap one) when you could give Suter, Woodruff, or some other pitcher the chance? Or even have them just fill the spot for a couple of years (another advantage - even if Suter completely bombs as a starter those years, you get good draft picks).

Problem is, almost everybody has more money for whatever (including scouts),everybody wants a great minor league system, and most have an advantage at getting overseas talent (Ironically, the ONLY reason we have a top minor league system is that we emptied the major league team for it).We would have to make up this disadvantage by hitting big with multiple drafts and lopsided trades to be in such a luxurious position to be good in the majors AND have a quality farm system. I agree. The key is to get a better farm system WITHOUT having to empty the major league roster, and hitting big on multiple drafts is the way to do it. The best way is to avoid seeing players in rounds 2-10 flame out. Get more like 2010, where the second-rounder was a mid-rotation starter and the third-rounder became the closer before he was the centerpiece in a trade. Now like 2002 where the second rounder is better known for winning the Bachelorette (and then breaking up with her). Hit on those picks, and the Crew can do more trades like Sneed-for-Villar. The next-best way is to get more of these late-round gems like Manny Parra, Lorenzo Cain, and Brent Suter. This last draft has three I really love in Gabriel Garcia, Ronnie Gideon and Weston Wilson. Imagine if those three hit.

That ten million for a #5 starter needs to go for more than just the staff. Put more in the amateur scouting - get better results from the 2nd-10th rounds. A lower miss rate in those rounds would be huge, as well as getting a couple of those late-round steals. The best part is that is becomes a cycle that reinforces itself. If you can regularly develop Suters, Woodruffs, and Perrins - you don't have to go the free agent route, and that is more money to keep the good players in or to land that free agent to fill the gap. Plus, more prospects means more trade chips - that makes the Greinke/Sabathia-type rentals more affordable. You don't clean out your entire farm system to make a real run for the title.

You know... maybe a Kieschnick-type approach? He comes up as a position player, but you have the option to put him in for a few innings in a blowout, or for extra innings.

Looking back, I wonder if after the 1988 season, it might not have been a better idea to trade Ted Higuera and Rob Deer and try to get some younger, cheaper, high-ceiling players. What haul could Higuera have netted, say from the Atlanta Braves? Glavine? Smoltz? Both?

The Rockies, maybe? It would closely mimic the dynamics of Coors Field.

I agree that every pitcher is unique. That said, CS or an affiliate like it can be useful in helping find some pitching gem. If someone has a lower-than-average ERA there, it may be a very positive sign for them. Similarly, I think it would be helpful to catch if a hitter needs more seasoning.

Suter? Didn't allow a run in any relief appearances. If not the rotation, why not try him as the closer?

For me, it isn't so much Corey Ray and Lucas Erceg, it's how well Gabriel Garcia, Weston Wilson, and Ronnie Gideon do. This draft class could give the Crew a starting outfielder, the third baseman of the future, their first baseman of the future, and two supersubs to join Hernan Perez. That is an awesome haul from one draft class...

Liked what he had to offer: Hit no lower than .287 over a full season with the Crew, very high walk rate, some speed. Honestly thought he was a missed opportunity at second base.