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JohnBriggs12

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Everything posted by JohnBriggs12

  1. JohnBriggs12
    I like Marshall a lot. The Cubs closed a hole in their rotation but created a big one in their bullpen Marshall was the glue. Reds are clearly focused on this year and why not while the Cubs focus is more like 2014. It's probably a good deal for both, and hence not good from a Brewer perspective. I still think the Cubs end up with Fielder because he'll still be in his prime 2 years from now too.
  2. JohnBriggs12
    I think you are overstating how savvy Epstein is in FA. Carl Crawford and John Lackey's ridiculous deals show you he doesnt just get guys at his price. Different team and different situations. Yes he will pay top dollar if he has to. The market for Fielder is weak.. The Cubs don't have 1B. Fielder doesn't have team. Seems pretty cut and dried to me.
  3. JohnBriggs12
    I agree. Ramirez is better off resting occasionally. Green should be competing with Gamel too at 1B too. He actually had the better year at AAA and he's not completely foreign to the position.
  4. JohnBriggs12
    I'll be rooting for Izturis to take enough AB's from Gonzalez so that lousy contract doesn't vest.
  5. JohnBriggs12
    Minor league deal or no, Izturis was signed to fill the backup middle infield role in the major leagues. Has had plenty of injury issues and isn't much offensively, but he should be an improvement over Counsell. Bonus is that he's a switch hitter. Key is whether he's healthy or not. If he is, he might even push Gonzalez.
  6. JohnBriggs12
    Nobody has come near Boras' asking price for Fielder. All the teams linked to him, Toronto, Baltimore, Seattle, are waiting for Boras to come off his ridiculous price knowing eventually he will be forced to. That's why until the Cubs have a first baseman (Jeff Baker is listed number 1 currently on their depth chart) they should never be dismissed as not only a contender, but the likely landing spot for Prince, and not at a ridiculous price tag either. Epstein is playing this like the savvy guy he is. He's going to get Fielder at his price, not Boras' and for the next 7 years we are going to be subjected to seeing our one time hero in the enemies uniform.
  7. JohnBriggs12
    It's worth discussing because of the veteran arms the Brewers have on the last years of their deals. Wolf, Marcum, Greinke, K-Rod, all would bring interest. Most of the position player core are signed but I could see a scenario where say Scooter Gennett progresses right through AA and is tearing up AAA, and they cash in on Weeks to open up room for him or for Taylor Green.. It's called rebuilding on the fly. Unloading all that money (the 5 of Wolf, Grienke, Marcum, Weeks, and K-Rod totals roughly $55 million) would position them to be very active next year too and they'd still have core of Braun, Gallardo, Axford, Ramirez, Lucroy, to build around. They need a long term solution at SS. They also could use a controllable starter or two. I'm not a huge fan over over paying to keep Greinke (too many examples of pitchers declining after big long term deals) or Marcum (I'd rather find a cheaper alternative).
  8. JohnBriggs12
    "We're kind of up a creed with Greinke and Marcum pending free-agents and with Wolf with and expensive option." They'll have freed up $30-32 million in salary to re-invest in other pitchers should they choose to let all those guys walk or trade them at midseason. Yeah they'd have some work to do, but they'd have some money to spend. So they are not quite as up a creek as it might appear. It's not like the Fielder situation where the best they could do to replace him was a guy nearing the end of his productive years.
  9. JohnBriggs12
    Fielder and Boras better hope there are 2 teams left to bid. I for one can't see either Seattle or Toronto getting into a huge bidding war that gets Fielder into the $200 million category or even close to that. Boras is obviously not getting offers he wants and he's holding out hoping the price will get bid up. I just don't see it happening. That's why I don't think the Cubs are out of the picture either. I could easily see a team like the Cubs swooping as the price comes down either in years or total. I'm sure the Cubs still have interest but not at the price tag Boras has on him now.
  10. JohnBriggs12
    Assuming a. Braun is exonerated and b. Hart is traded: Aoki CF Morgan RF Braun LF Ramirez 3B Gamel 1B Weeks 2B Gonzalez SS Lucroy C Assuming Braun is suspended and Hart is not traded: Aoki LF Morgan CF Hart RF Ramirez 3B Gamel 1B Weeks 2B Gonzalez SS Lucroy C
  11. JohnBriggs12
    "95% of the general public will still label him a roider" That comment makes my point fondybrewerfan. Braun was victimized by how the initial story was reported by ESPN. If the initial story was reported: "NL MVP took prescription drug A for medical condition B, and even though drug A was not on any banned list nor thought to cause a positive test until now, in strict accordance with it's drug policy, MLB is suspending him 50 days, the public reaction would have been a lot less than 95% negative toward Braun and more inclined to be negative toward MLB for it's inflexibility. Most people that are not die hard Brewer fans heard the story once from ESPN and made up their minds. That's why Braun has been harmed both financially (less chance for lucrative national endorsements) and as a future Hall of Famer.
  12. JohnBriggs12
    I guess I would be surprised if an investigative journalist as accomplished as Mark Fainaru-Wada would just recklessly ruin a guy without having some good information/sources. I hate ESPN, but he's been one of the most connected journalists as far as steroids, etc. go.His sources were good (Braun did fail a test), and that fact could result in a suspension (it could). The problem was context the story was put in by ESPN that read "NL MVP fails drug tests, faces suspension (as if that was a foregone conclusion)" which had guys like ESPN employee Mike Greenberg suggesting the MVP vote be re-taken. To make the story even more compelling from ESPN's view were their bringing up comments that Bud Selig had made about Braun earlier. My guess is the journalist reported to his bosses what he had and it was a higher up who chose how the story would be reported. Now if Braun chose to sue for defamation of character and ESPN's defense was they reported factual information and didn't imply Braun was juicing, the fact that their own employee, Greenberg interpreted the report to mean that, could make Braun's case. I just happened to be listening to ESPN 1000's "Talking Baseball" Saturday, and when Bruce Levine discussed Braun, he did throw in the very strong suggestion that Braun's test results were medically related. I don't know if Levine did this on his own or at the directive of higher ups at ESPN who now may fear some blow back on their questionable reporting practices.
  13. JohnBriggs12
    To borrow a poker term, now they are pot committed. I can't imagine them throwing away $2.5 million and never making an offer.
  14. JohnBriggs12
    monty57: "I doubt the best hitter from Japan would sign with a team that was looking at him in the "Kotsay role". Exactly. Nor would the Brewers who, according to Melvin were over budget already, invest that much in a guy they look at as a bench player. Even if Aoki is no better the 2nd coming of Fukudome, if Melvin has a great offer (starting pitcher) for Hart, it's worth taking the chance.
  15. JohnBriggs12
    Ok, lets assume Aoki is signed by the Brewers. It's been reported the Braves have shopped Jurrjens and they clearly are looking for a bat. The Brewers could use another pitcher they would control beyond 2012. Corey Hart fits the bill pretty well for Atlanta. While I don't think Hart alone is quite enough for Jurrjens, he's certainly enough to be a centerpiece. Is it possible that Melvin has had discussions with the Braves and this has prompted the sudden interest in Aoki?
  16. JohnBriggs12
    What's interesting about this is that Melvin recently commented that they are over budget already. Assuming the bid has been accepted, it's probably going to take a 3 year deal between $12 and $15 million to sign him. That's a relative bargain if he proves to be a starting quality player, especially in CF but they may look to clear some salary somewhere.. I have to think Melvin has a pretty enticing offer on the table for Hart and this is what prompted this move more than Braun's possible suspension.. Sure they could move Morgan also, but from a lineup construction viewpoint, Aoki leading off with Morgan batting 2nd, that's potentially two pretty good table setters followed by a middle of the order of Braun, Ramirez, Gamel and Weeks. Hart could be the odd man out in that scenario.
  17. JohnBriggs12
    But what happened to Werth when he went from maybe the number 3-4 guy in a lineup in Philly to being designated "the guy" in Washington? His production fell off dramatically. Assuming because Hart has put up some good numbers in a lineup that also include Fielder and Braun that he can do the same in a lesser lineup is fuzzy thinking. He's already got a history begging out of the 5 spot in a lineup. That wouldn't bother a true star in the game. It just might be that his value may never be higher because he's more comfortable being a complimentary player.
  18. JohnBriggs12
    The same shoulder he popped out in 09 could pop out again at any time. There is definitely a structural issue with that shoulder. It didn't take much then and it won't take much the next time. It was talked about often on Cub broadcasts and likely was a reason the Cubs showed no interest in bringing him back. For all the credit the Reds got for bringing in Rolen, his recurring shoulder issues should be a red flag. Take a look at Rolen's numbers from last season, coincidently at age 36. That's the year Ramirez gets $16 million. Look there's no question Ramirez has been a dangerous hitter for most of his career. But this contract covers him from age 34-36. There weren't many players from that age group the last couple years that were as productive as their prime years. It's a very "safe" move on Melvin's part. If Ramirez's production falls off, the "experts" will say that Melvin took a chance he had to take with the loss of Fielder and he'll get a pass. I'll say he should have seen it coming and used that money more wisely.
  19. JohnBriggs12
    It all depends on the competition within the division. It appears wide open right now, and even the Cubs can be there if they add Fielder and a couple decent arms. If Wainwrigtht is healthy and Carpenter sound after logging a ton of innings last year, the Cards have the edge in pitching, but those are two pretty significant ifs. Reds can't be counted out either. With no Braun to start the year and Pujols gone, the Reds lineup is the most formidable in the division.
  20. JohnBriggs12
    I think you are right, but I'd narrow it down to the Cubs and Blue Jays. Teams have Fielder on hold pending the resolution of this. The Cub position all along is that they needed to address pitching first. Some concluded it would be at the expense of Fielder, but I'm not buying it. Epstein could end up getting Fielder at a relatively reasonable rate even after he's added pitching. The notion that Boras will hold out to top Pujols is fantasy in my opinion.
  21. JohnBriggs12
    There would be no rumors at all circulating if someone in MLB or the lab had not blabbed about the test results to ESPN and they had not reported it prior to a hearing which he is entitled to. There's certainly been a breach of confidentiality. The stuff circulating about herpes shows the need for confidentiality through the entire process, a fact that seems lost on ESPN and the leakers. For Braun, a revelation about herpes, assuming it clears the cloud of being a PED user, is certainly the lesser of two evils but none of this should be in the public.
  22. JohnBriggs12
    This may take Braun off the front page. Heck this might get Sandusky off the front pages. Hurd was arrested last night after he contracted with an undercover agent to purchase 5-10 kilograms of cocaine and 1,000 pounds of marijuana per week. That's right, per week. WSCR in Chicago cited unnamed sources in law enforcement, as saying Hurd was supplier to more than a dozen current NFL players, possibly more and quoted the official calling Hurd one of the biggest drug dealers ever arrested in Illinois.
  23. JohnBriggs12
    The guys on MLB Network sure didn't sound sold on Gamel based on the fact that he didn't hit a lick in his major league trials. Those were certainly small samples but until he proves he can hit major league pitching, there will be doubters. AAA numbers for guys his age mean little. The good news is the Brewers can easily swap out Gamel for Green if need be.
  24. JohnBriggs12
    Astros would never do that deal. Rodriguez has more value than Wolf, and they'd want young players back.
  25. JohnBriggs12
    Has Josh Wilson signed anywhere? I have this sinking feeling he will be brought back as a cheap backup infielder. I also get the feeling Melvin will wait until February and bring in a veteran OF on a minor league deal I
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