JohnBriggs12

The teams with the most excess starting pitching are the Rays and the Rangers. The Rays won't deal youth for a big contract rental. MLBTraderumors quotes Buster Olney as saying they will shop Shields and Garza. Now either of those two would look good in the Brewer rotation next year, but they are going to likely want top prospects, not someone like Fielder with a big arby amount and FA at the end of the year. The Rangers ownership situation is completely up in the air. Who knows what direction they'll go? I could see them making a big push to keep Lee, and using a young arm to acquire a big bat. Whether Derek Holland fits the bill of "young ace" remains to be seen. The problem with trying to trade for pitching is that it generally takes pitching to get pitching. It either takes young pitching to get veteran pitching or vice versa. Fielder probably would fetch a good young bat and a pretty decent young arm, but not a future ace type. I have a hard time seeing Parra in the Brewer plans next year. Whatever deal happens with Fielder, I think they'll try to include him. I honestly think Narveson is more reliable with a WHIP .2 less than Parra, and a better 5th starter option.

I would put Bucci on the list as well. He's not a "wide margin" below this group, nor is Lasker. I don't think Arnett can be written off either.

Saunders pitched a complete game 5 hitter (1 R) last night vs. the Nats, and now has gone 16 innings in 2 starts for D-Backs allowing 3 runs. The A ball pitcher they got threw 5 scoreless (2 hits), with 8 K's in hitter friendly California League. Haren's pitched well for Angels but is 0-2.

66 of his 99 pitches were strikes. He's only walked 2 in each of his last couple starts and he got through 7 in one and 6 in the other. That's encouraging. You can't blame him if the opponent can't put the ball in play. 99 pitches in 6 innings coupled with 10K's isn't bad at all. The Cub rookie vs. the Brewers last night needed 122 pitches to get through 6 with 10K. Rogers is a power guy, and those guys run up pitch counts. I'm hoping we get to see Rogers make at least a couple starts in Milwaukee before the season is over. If he continues to show he's commanding, I think that could happen.

Guys are still washed up by their late 20's. The difference is most of those washed up guys are still pitching in the big leagues (Zambrano, Kazmir etc) because they have contracts.. Back in the day, they were gone having been replaced by the next 20 or 21 year old.

Just saw the Braves have put 27 year old Chris Resop on irrevocable waivers. He was rehabbing an oblique strain in AAA, where he was 6-3 with a 2.09 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, a .187 BAA, and had 91 K's in 82 innings. He's just coming off one bad outing and hasn't done all that well in limited major league chances, but he'd certainly be a guy worth a look.

I do think Braun maybe needs to think about a lighter bat. Just because you handled a big bat at 23, playing everyday in the majors wears down even guys still just 26. Pitchers are getting balls past him that he used to mash.

As an old school baseball fan I love this topic. Question for all those using words like "shellshocked, not major league ready" etc., do you realize that Charlie Finley built a 3 time world championship team by putting kids in the majors? Vida Blue debuted at age 19, won a Cy Young and an MVP at 21. Catfish Hunter threw 133 innings in the majors before turning 20, posted a sub 3 ERA at 21, and pitched a perfect game at 22. Blue Moon Odom also debuted at age 19. The opening day pitcher for the Brewers in their inaugural season, Lew Krausse, pitched for Finley's A's at age 18 pitching a 3 hit complete game shutout in his debut. Though Rollie Fingers didn't debut until 21, he never pitched an inning in AAA. Baltimore was another team that brought up pitchers very young. Jim Palmer came up at 19 and joined a rotation that already had 20 year old Wally Bunker, who the year before at 19, had gone 19-5 with a 2.69 ERA. Milt Pappas, 18, and Dave McNally, 19, were other Orioles of note to hit the big leagues as teenagers. Were young men more mature that they could handle being thrown into the big leagues earlier back then? I think not. Back then, kids grew up exposed to a lot less than they are today. Today, it's all about controlling arby years, protecting young arms etc. While that may be fine, that has led to the big leagues being filled with guys of lesser talent. I have no doubt there are guys in A ball with the stuff to get major league hitters out. Whether any are in the Brewer system is questionable, but it's certainly possible. I would certainly bring up Rivas and Rogers sooner rather than later and let them start games. My gosh both will be 25 by January. Back in the day, that would be considered ancient for a rookie pitcher. What on earth do the Brewers gain continuing to start Dave Bush? Maybe, just maybe if Wolf has to miss a start or two, they go to either Rivas or Rogers instead of trotting Capuano out there again. If there's any other guys who would have to be added to the 40 man in the offseason anyway to avoid rule 5 exposure, why not bring them up in September if they had a good year. I'd certainly also bring up Jeffress because he's already on the roster too. As for Butler, no. I don't think he's done enough to retain a 40 man spot.

He benefited from low expectations his first few years in Milwaukee, then got a pretty decent influx of talent. I don't think his teams ever dramatically overachieved. Low expectations go with the territory in KC so he should feel right at home.

I don't think his power is fluky. His adjustment (lowering his hands) allows him to get more loft on the ball. He also seems (finally) to have accepted that he's better off defined as a power guy that can run rather than a speed guy with some power. In past seasons, he often seemed more interested in being Juan Pierre, laying down bunts and trying to hit the ball on the ground and running. He finally realized he's 6'6" 230 lbs with the ability to drive the ball.

I think the thinking is sound about Kazmir in that it wouldn't cost much in players for guy who's overpaid based on recent performance, but who's only signed through 2011, and gamble that in a contract year, he might revert to something close to his peak. Kazmir's numbers look pretty bad (in fact they are very Parra like) but it wouldn't hurt to scout him. A little cheaper than Kazmir (and not quite as bad this year) would be a guy like an Aaron Cook. Cook's control has been off this year (3.6 BB per 9), so you don't know if there's some soreness causing that or just years of pitching in Coors (though he's been better there than on the road) but he's made every start, kept the ball in the park as usual and made his fielders work with his normal low K rate. His numbers could have been affected by missing Tulowitzki for 5 weeks too. Cook is signed for 2011 for $9.25 million with mutual $11 million option for 2012 and a $500K buyout.

Hudson's first start with D-Backs: 8 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4K. The White Sox got absolutely fleeced in this deal. I have a bet with a Sox fan friend of mine that Hudson will out perform Jackson the rest of this season. Only reason Sox made this deal is because they believe Don Cooper made Gavin Floyd and Cooper said he spotted a flaw in Jackson. It's all about the ego of the pitching coach and GM who would get more credit if Jackson pitched well than if Hudson (who's minor league stats are excellent) pitched well. If Melvin backed off on deal with Sox because he believed Hudson to be a 4th starter, he's going to be proven wrong.

Not to be picky, but Prince has been better at the plate and on defense than Hart as of this morning. Prince (.388 WOBA/-5.1FLD) Hart (.387 WOBA/-8.1FLD). While the numbers on this contract seem good I still am not sold on Hart. I see him as a 1.5-2 win player going forward with the potential to have a 3ish win year at some point in the contract. Is that worth around $9 mil per? Probably to most teams, but I think we could get similar value for those 3 years from a cheaper, cost controlled player who isn't a mental breakdown away from swinging at 55' sliders again. I know a lot of posters on here are those that think recently created "player value stats" such as WOBA, are the "be all and end all" of stats. Sorry, but there is no one stat, even those that purport to define a players value that accurately defines a players contribution to a team for the simple reason that it's impossible to create an all in one formula for every player in every role. The role of a leadoff hitter is vastly different than a cleanup hitter. Does anyone who has watched the Brewers this year honestly think that Fielder has contributed more offensively than Corey Hart? Where in those stats do they take into account going from 1st to 3rd on a single or scoring from 2nd on a base hit, or hitting in the clutch? To think he has, you have to believe in stats such as WOBA with a fervor that is religious in nature and that's my biggest problem with those that rely on those numbers. Baseball isn't a religion and no stat is dogma. I'm not saying Hart is a better offensive player than Fielder. Fielder rarely faces anything but left handed pitchers after the 6th inning. Teams pay extra special attention game planning vs. Fielder. But it's clear that Hart has produced more than Fielder has in 2010. No made up stat convinces me otherwise.

That's great. I don't think they could have filled the void left had both Fielder and Hart been dealt in the same year. If it's $25 million over 3 years, that's quite reasonable and doesn't handcuff them too far into the future.

Which is quite likely to drastically skyrocket the rest of the way. Guys don't switch on & off being clutch, it's just small samples. It's been around .170 all season. It's now 129 plate appearances. Want to talk OPS? Okay, his OPS with RISP is .619. Want a larger sample of ineptitude? He's had 231 plate appearances with a total of 298 men on base. He's driven in exactly 22 of the 298 (7.3%). That's the worst ratio of any regular in all of baseball including singles hitters.

I could see McGehee, Prince and Bush for Hudson, Viciedo, Teahen, and say Carlos Torres or a lower level pitching prospect. But I still doubt Beckham is involved.

Joe Cowley now tweeting Ken Williams is working on "something big", and if this goes through, Jackson deal is off. Hmmmmm!

Huh? Veterans change teams all the time late in the year. What is any more unprofessional about trading Edmonds than the Reds trading home town Ken Griffey Jr. to the White Sox a couple years ago at the deadline? Or when Toronto traded Canadian Matt Stairs to the Phillies a couple years ago?

I think that would be a pretty dumb move on the White Sox's part. Wouldn't you rather take your chances with the younger, cheaper Hudson? After all, Hudson could conceivably out-pitch Jackson the rest of the way this year.That would be a real dumb move. Not only is Hudson younger and cheaper and probably just as good at this point but he's under control through what 2016? Jackson's been getting lit up this month and that's facing NL teams. Jackson wouldn't be a terrible acquisition for a team like the Brewers that has young pitching 1-2 years away, and could use an interim stopgap or two, but even then there's some risk paying him $8.35 million for 2011, especially with his form lately.

Farris is now 10 for 24 since his return to Nashville.

I think the virtual locks are Eric Farris, Lawrie, Schafer (if healthy) and Jeffress. It's tough to tell on the other pitchers, but it will be interesting to see as it may foretell who gets more than a token spring invite.

I kind of like Porcello. He's basically what Jon Garland was 9-10 years ago. He'll probably be a serviceable mid rotation guy for years. I just don't see Tigers giving him up. I wouldn't give up Hart for Oliver or Turner. Oliver is clearly over his head in the majors right now. He was force fed earlier and really belongs in AA. I'd just like to see a little more results. Turner's a really nice prospect and might be a nice investment for the future, but he's years off. Brewers' inventory of guys his age and level is pretty good.

Most of the fielding value at 1B comes from the ability to pick throws out of the dirt and save errors for the rest of the infield.

I still don't think Wolf is all that dis-similar to Ted Lilly. Both give up a ton of HR. The difference is that Wolf's walks are way up this year. There's plenty of interest in Lilly as a rental. If Wolf were to put together 3 good starts in a row, given his history, there would likely be some type of market for him, but the return in players wouldn't be much because of his contract. Given that Brewers are dropping plenty of payroll already, I doubt they are that motivated to move him.

Holland had a rehab start this afternoon at AAA. His line: 5 IP, 1 Hit, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K. At AAA this season he's now 5-1, with a 1.03 ERA in 43 2/3 innings with a 4-1 K/BB ratio. He's 2-1 with Texas this year with 4.19 ERA. His injury wasn't serious, just some inflammation in the shoulder, and Texas was being cautious. The shoulder's felt fine for nearly a month but a little knee tendinitis set back his rehab. He's nearly ready to go.