ILuvDaBush

I doubt LaPorta would interest them, as he is going to be a 1B in a few years and Villalona is also a 1B, and they have a few other interesting names that will also end up being 1B. Cain interests me more than Lincecum, except for the contract situations, but I would have a hard time giving up Corey for them. I could see a "JJ+"-type deal but no Hart.

I'm a big Jonathan Sanchez fan, as he would be filthy and dominant if he were ever to hone his fastball's command. As for Crede...WHY? He's an overrated defender and an overrated offensive producer, with an injury history to boot. I say we give this idea the boot.

What about Clement? He's a few years removed from surgery and he was once one of the better pitchers in the NL Central. It also doesn't hurt that he is a good example of the inefficiency of the Cubs' front office and he allows me to reference the Willis deal at will.

I think they were saying that we all hope he doesn't take that path. Thus far, it's simply been his body-language and his affinity for being a spectator of his own swing.

Well you also have to remember that we have two players playing out of position and Corey Hart is but 3 years removed from being a 3B. With Braun tring to get his footing back there, wouldn't it be best to get a true centerfielder in there? And if they're not going to move Hall to CF, which would be better than Hart in my opinion, then Gwynn would be my next choice. If he bats seventh and leads off, gets on, then the pitcher can move him to second on a bunt and Yost has many options with Kendall up. Slap Gwynn over to third and let Rickie be an RBI guy, or just let Kendall hit and run. And considering Ben's recent propensity to pitch to contact, I think having a good defensive centerfielder would be most appropriate.

How many times is Pie going to have to hear the inevitable "Don't get your testicles all twisted up in a bundle" when he gets upset with someone? The Pie Tie (And I know how his last name is pronounced but it just is too funny).

So Dusty is telling the kid to be more of a free swinger or he's not going to be replacing Scott Hatteburg...whose one redeeming quality is his ability to take the BB. Hmm, maybe Dusty plans on playing Corey Patterson as an example of how to "Swing Away." Those poor poor Great American BP fans. Their Idea of the Big Red Machine is about to become the Big Red Fan from all the whiffs.

Young minor league pitching? And guess what, the Red Sox have it to spare. Sign me up for Masterson.

Well if/when A-Rod goes down, we could always trade for J-Load from the Giants to be our starter, resembling the Regal One.

The only thing I'd be worried about is to have a "Jon Lieber situation", where we'd be forced to send Yo to your bullpen to be our closer, just so we don't have to send Vargas and/or Capuano to AAA. :-)

I would think with the pipeline of pithing prospect the Rays have, that trading for one of our starters (let alone two) would be counterproductive. The teams that we should target with our pitchers are teams that are in "win-now" mode and have no better alternative for the next two years. The Rays are most likely hoping to sink or swim with their position players this year, and next year do the same with their pitching prospects, though I could see Wade McGee and David Price getting call-ups this year. They do have the best supply of prospects in baseball, but the only deal I could see them swinging for on our team would be for the Regal One, though that would be a crazy hypothesis on what bevy of prospects would be enough to secure his Royal Highness.

Well the author does praisxe the overall depth of our system, inferring that there is a great amount of potential within the organization. If Braddock comes out firing and one of our many outfielders were to take the next step, we shouldn't be too bad off. Seriously, while we don't have the top 100-type prospects, we don't lack high ceilings. There is another thread where I argue that the Grand Salome could bust out and be a top 3 prospect in baseball by the end of the year. Honestly, between Jeffress/Salome/Brewer/Rogers/Ford, you have some of the higher CEILINGS in baseball. Jeffress' ceiling is obviously one of the highest in all of baseball. Brewer and Salome (I LOVE the kid's howitzer, even if it's more shotgun than rifle) have obvious defensive deficiencies but their offense plays sick for the position. Rogers is a great deal removed from the majors, but his ceiling is unquestionable. When Yo was bursting onto the national prospect scene, it was Rogers and Yo who were one and two in K's in the minors. Then...his wheels fell off and Yo went Segway. And Ford is arguably the fastest player in the minors. If only baseball were played on a track. Thus, with a bit of maturation from our high-ceiling prospects, and a bit of luck with our newfound plethora of picks, we could easily be a top seven organization next year. Then again, if we went cheap on the picks and Rogers' arm falls off, and Jeffress has a chance meeting with Ricky Williams, and the Grand Salome can't stick behind the plate, and Ford marries Marion Jones, and Brewer is enticed by Bobby Bowden to lace up the cleats, and Braddock takes up prize fighting...well we would still have Prince, Weeks, Hart, Hardy, Braun, Yo, Parra, LaPorta, and Ned.

Maybe I'm in the minority here, but I think T-Bow has better "stuff" than Marmol. I recall some article last year that queried baseball managers about who had the best "stuff" and for curveball, Ben Sheets was top three, while at fastball, T-Bow was #2 (behind Lidge, I believe). That fastball has late life, and more velocity than Marmol's fastball. And while Marmol has a better slider, I'll take T-bow's fastball everyday. It also doesn't hurt that T-Bow has a longer record of success than Marmol, and more All-Star appearances (even though they are a popularity contest). And finally, I would say the biggest meltdown bow our relief corp last year was the ninth inning vs. the Phils (I believe it was a Friday Night game, as I remember most people had left early, since we had an "insurmountable lead"). Between Wise and Coco, they surrendered five runs in the ninth. And Turnbow's contribution??? He did his job.

What type of package could the Cubs conjure up to sway the Red Sox into such a deal? I could see a "Howry/Cedeno/Ceda" package, but that's more than they would have to give up for Brian Roberts, which they have thus far balked at. I just don't think they're a good fit. But if the Cubs did get Coco, that would be a very good outfield defensively, and I have NO respect for Soriano and his assist numbers.

In a recent Fantasy Draft I did with a few friends on yahoo, I was queue-ing up all my favorite Brewers and I didn't know that it didn't take whomever was at the top of your draft order but instead by whomever is highlighted at the top of your queue... Long story short, I was ridiculed for taking Rickie Weeks fourth overall (in front of Utley). It does have OBP instead of AVE, however, so I got that going for me....which is nice.

I'm going to Opening Day as well (I'd rather see my Beloved Brews take down the Cubbies than see my Beloved Brews take down the helpless Little Giants). And I also have had a shirt made that has the Brewers Insignia on the front with white lettering saying "Take Back Miller South" Now I say it in good fun, but I can't wait to display it, even at the expense of an occasional beer bath or three (mind you, I'm going with a Bitter Blue-Facer). Here's to 1-0 to open.

Did anyone else notice that The Riot's wife, Johnnah, made the Road Trippers some Brownies? Something tells me they could have sold the rights to the trip to the networks before the writers came to their senses.

Milwaukee Brewers This has probably been mentioned in another thread, or should be posted in an already existing thread, but I just thought I would direct link it, as it is always good to get a true "Assessment" of what a national writer has to say about our team. My favorite part is when they say: Insert joke about how he at least didn't make a "riske mota mistake" here.

It all depends on the rules for eligibility. If you only have a one-game burden, then a guy like Pedro Feliz, who played catcher for a game last year, could be a viable option. And I can't believe he criticizes Bush. Reading him and his affinity for late night games of Madden with the women, I figured his mantra would coinicde with my screen name.

Arizona NotesMike Maddux taught The Sharpie to throw the cutter (though LOCATING the cutter was another story), and now our former "Ace" is teaching a new disciple how to throw the illustrious gyroball, err, cutter.

I'll say Ryan Braun....defensively. I remember the spring training game at Miller against the Pale Hose when Corey Hart got moved off the hot corner into the outfield for the Brews. He, like Braun, needed to get moved off the hot corner for defensive deficiencies and had a difficult transition to his new position. I just wish Braun all the best in his new endeavor. Also, T-Bow and JJ. JJ really fell off after his acting stint and T-Bow was overworked in the second half.

There are signing bonuses in baseball. And also, in regards to the idea of a ten year contract with Rickie with a provision to renegotiate after three if he is un-injured, isn't that counterproductive? Basically what you're saying is that we'll pay him $115mil over ten years if he is injured, or allow him to fleece us if he finally lives up to his potential.

Does anyone else find it weird that the best baseball player in our state (Prince) plays on a team named after a beverage that the best football player in our state no longer imbibes, while said football player plays for a team (Green Bay [Meat] Packers) named after an occupation related to a product stated baseball player no longer consumes? Just a thought... Onto an extention for Prince and Braun. Maybe I'm in the minority here but I would rather lock in Hart/JJ/Weeks with long term deals at set prices, and let Braun and Prince go year to year. Maybe you lose out on them when they hit free agency, but you have five years and four years, respectively. JJ, Weeks, and Hart will also come relatively cheaper right now, and also have more service time. And while I know Prince must feel slighted for the manner (right or wrong) in which his contract is renewed, he surely must understand that he has a coarse agent who (rightly or wrongly) works first for the player's (and by extention, his own) pocketbook. I think this year is going to go a long way in getting a few players some lucrative extentions, who, however, I don't know. My guess, Weeks and Hart, and perhaps Sheets.

I blame Dusty Baker.

His velocity was the same in Boston as well, so it wasn't lack of stuff. Also, Turnbow was our most dominating relief pitcher last year, though he was also in the top 3 for most incosistent. If he is on, when he is on, he issues K's like he's got a box of Alpha-bits. Riske is good, but I think the 'Bow gets first crack at set-up, even with his recent comments regarding his stamina. And finally, while I am excited about the upcoming season's bullpen, I can't help but think this year's will be dictated by monetary concerns (options/salaries/arbitration clocks) instead of pure talent and ability to help the big-league club.