nate82

It is the same for all GM's. Don't take a single word they say to be 100% truth at most you are getting about 20% of the truth when a GM is answering specific questions that involve players and players on other teams. There maybe some rules that do not allow the GM's to talk specifically about other players that are not on your roster. It may just be a game like poker where Melvin is just not going to show his hand to the other GM's out there on what he is planning. The obvious things that you can guess on are that Melvin is going to get a SS in free agency or through a trade as there really isn't an option in house for Melvin to use. The bullpen is going to be another issue I wouldn't be surprised if players who were injured or had a down year will be looked at along with Saito and Hawkins. The bench also needs to be taken care of I believe Scutaro is someone who like Counsell doesn't do anything great but can play 3 infield positions from average to above average and is someone who Melvin will look at to replace Counsell. After that I think Melvin looks at who is available in a trade and what he can get to improve the team. I believe Narveson is more likely to be traded than Marcum with Fiers taking the #5 spot from him. I also believe there is a very slim chance that Hart is traded probably around a 20% chance that he is traded. The Red Sox would be interested in Hart but nearly all of their good talented players are at A ball and I don't believe Iglesias would be available. The Braves probably still have some interest in Hart who would actually be a better OF in LF versus RF. I am not sure who the Braves would give up probably a pitching prospect as they have a lot of good young pitching that they can trade away. A kind of a blockbuster like trade that I was thinking about would be Hart to the Dodgers for Ethier. I am not sure if that is a good trade or a bad trade for the Brewers but I do like Ethier better than Hart. I also expect Melvin to look at some of the free agent OF's that will be available especially DeJesus and Fukudome both could be put in the #2 spot as they both have good OBP skills.

It was talked about quite a bit actually on twitter and mlb radio. While I didn't remember the correct decision on this, saying "There has been nothing said about this at all" makes you sound like you know everything that has ever been said about baseball. Knock it off...ok? Nobody likes that type of elitist attitude. Nice I love it when someone takes something completely out of context and then insinuates something that wasn't anywhere close to anything that they are insinuating. Gotta love the internet. We'll be lucky to get any first round picks as compensation.... we need teams in the top half of the standings to our FAs (the rich getting richer). The Rays might be looking for a closer and if the market is somewhat bad for relievers I would bet that KRod takes a 1-year offer to close for the Rays. Though I do agree that the compensation system is rather stupid. All or none of the draft picks should be protected. I would actually rather favor a franchise tag system which could add another year of control for that player but they will be paid as a top 5 player at their position and teams would only get to franchise 2 players a year.

Not like there was someone better available to Melvin to get. Furcal really wasn't an upgrade over Betancourt even though I thought he would be it turned out he wasn't especially offensively. Barmes was not available to any team that was in the NL Central so that ruled him out. Who else would have Melvin been able to get instead of Yuni? Counsell would have been worse than Yuni both offensively and defensively he is old and probably would have had less range than Yuni if he had to play more than 1 game a week. I just don't see where an upgrade could have came from as the options available to Melvin to upgrade that spot was very thin and many of the options were either worse or just as bad as Yuni.

There has been nothing said about this at all. Plus KRod get extra money added onto his contract this year in order for that vesting option not to vest. I don't see why the Brewers would have had to put that in there in order for his vesting option not to vest.

Except Hart wouldn't be enough to get Heyward. You are looking at giving up a top 25 prospect in all of baseball to get Heyward which the Brewers have none of. Hart is already showing signs of decline and he is 29. That is at 29 when he is showing signs of decline. If the Braves see Hart as a 1B then he has absolutely ZERO value to the Braves as Freeman is 100x better than Hart. I just do not see any reason why the Braves would trade with the Brewers especially a Hart for Heyward swap. Maybe a Heyward for Gallardo swap would be even but I am not sure the Braves would even take that offer.

I don't do any though I wish I could. Never could really understand the programming part of it. But as a business standpoint the Xbox Live Marketplace, PSN, Steam, etc... are probably going to be the way of the future for games. The indie video game scene is probably one of the more lucrative business operations out there as it doesn't take as much money to put together a game as it does for a blockbuster title. Most of the sales is profit as most of the indie game designers are college students. I actually like the indie video games as they can be a change of pace and be rather fun in interesting ways compared to the big blockbuster games. I love the Toy Soldiers: Cold War game that is so much fun probably the most fun I have had playing a video game in a long time.

Knowing Boras that is going to be something in Fielder's contract regardless of where Fielder signs.

Or they may go after Pujols. Pujols makes a lot more sense as the Marlins are really trying to target the Hispanic population in Florida especially in the Miami area. I don't see any other Hispanic player who would bring a bigger boost for the Marlins in free agency than Pujols would bring. Only other player would be Reyes and the Marlins already have Ramirez at SS so that wouldn't make sense. But I do agree that Prince could be signed by the Marlins. The best case scenario really is Prince signing with Toronto as that gives the Brewers the best pick option out of all the possible destinations Prince could go to.

The Giants wouldn't be able to afford an extension for both Lincecum and Cain if they sign Prince this off season. The Giants may not be able to afford both Lincecum and Cain anyways and if they sign Prince will they also be able to sign Lincecum or Cain also long-term? I don't think the Giants are going to want to try and get that big bat in Prince. I think they will just go with a bat like Bletran and see what Belt can do.

When did I ever compare Peralta to Green? I was using Green as an example of how this organization feels about young talent that could help the big league squad. They tend to shy away from using them if they don't have to. Peralta is going to have to dominate AAA and force their hand. No, Peralta was in consideration as the #5 starter this spring until he didn't perform and the job was given to Narveson. I fully expect Peralta to get a chance again this coming spring. You didn't have to compare him as using Green as an example of the Brewers using rookies or not using a rookie is dependent on the player.

Maybe Upton from 2008 sure he was an All Star but not since then. Upton2009: AVG .241 OBP .313 SLG .3732010: AVG .237 OBP .322 SLG .4242011: AVG .257 OBP .331 SLG .429 After just looking at those stats which are not all that great and then looking at Upton's defense he is not a All-Star caliber player anymore. Defensively Gomez is better and when you look at both defense and offensive production Gomez actually is a better player than Upton. Plus Gomez is going to have a lower salary so actually it is the other way around this trade really isn't fair for the Brewers as they are getting a player with lower quality. Offensively Upton is going to be better than Gomez but overall they are almost equal in value to a team.

I wonder if there is no market for Prince what will happen. If the Brewers can get Prince for that 5 year $100m deal they offered before that wouldn't be all that bad depending on how the Brewers management uses his salary. Will Mark A take on Prince's salary personally and then give Melvin a team payroll?

This would be an insane amount to pay Fukedome. No way he's worth this much. He's a slap hitting platoon guy. Of course, maybe I'm wrong. I just think it would be crazy. Fukudome really isn't a slap hitting platoon guy. The salary maybe to high but I wouldn't be surprised if he gets something along those lines. Fukudome would be a nice add as he is a good left handed hitting OF. He may not be a power hitter but he is a player I would like to see the Brewers get as he gets on base rather well and he plays the OF rather good.

Gomez for Upton would be a fair trade for both the Brewers and the Rays. I wouldn't want to see Morgan as an everyday player in RF. Keep the platoon going as Upton played rather well against lefties this year. Defensively it will be a loss but I like Upton's offensive abilities over what Gomez brings. If you move Hart to 1B the Brewers could always sign Fukudome and get another left handed bat in the lineup for about $6-8m a year.

I'm somewhat fearful that as long as Melvin and company are in "win now" mode, they won't allow any rookies to play a meaningful role on the team. Peralta won't be in the rotation unless there are multiple injuries or trades in the off season. Fiers though will probably get a shot at the #5 against Narveson. Narveson may actually be the one who gets traded this off season. Melvin and company will use a rookie in the "win now" mode they just didn't have one that was as good as Fiers or Peralta and no Green is not that type of a player. The #5 spot can be argued as not playing a meaningful role on the team later on in the season. Wurley was the Phillies 3rd best pitcher this year yet he was taken out of the rotation for the playoffs. Fiers and Peralta would get the same treatment if they were in the rotation and the Brewers made the playoffs.

Green isn't in the same talent level as Peralta though. I'm not that big on Peralta but I still see Peralta as a better prospect who has more potential than Green. At worst Peralta is a mid rotation guy and Green at worst is a AAAA type player. When you look at their ceilings Peralta goes even further as a possible #1 or #2 pitcher. Green at best is going to be an average 3B. So comparing Green and Peralta is like comparing water to whiskey.

With one of the 1/3 not being all that important defensively at 1B. The only big deal was at SS and Molina is only better than Lucroy because he can actually throw out runners unlike Lucroy. I will not be surprised if teams run on the Brewers more when Lucroy is catching and I expect stolen bases to increase and Lucroy's throwing out baserunners percentage to decrease a lot which is going to make him go from an above average catcher defensively to a below average defensive catcher. If Lucroy does not work on his throwing he is not going to be a good catcher going forward.

Peralta will get a shot to be in the rotation but he will spend most of the year in AAA. I don't see anything Peralta has to learn or prove in AAA other than he just needs to command his pitches better otherwise he has nothing to prove and doesn't really need to be in AAA. Fiers is just more advanced than Peralta is right now with his command. Peralta will be in Milwaukee in 2012 at some point either due to an injury or someone not performing or a trade happens.

I wouldn't mind if the Brewers signed Fukudome to play RF. I think he would fit perfectly in the lineup for the Brewers plus he would give the Brewers a LH bat in the lineup that the Brewers need plus he is not all that bad in the OF.

The Cardinals were not even all that much better defensively than the Brewers the Cardinals defense just never really was exposed like the Brewers was. The only spots that I see the Cardinals better at defensively are at C,1B, and SS. 2B is a wash if Weeks was healthy but he wasn't so the edge went to the Cardinals there but in the OF man is that defense horrible the only good defensive OF just like the Brewers played in CF. The Brewers and the Cardinals are not all that different offensively or defensively and pitching wise they were the same as each pitching staff under performed throughout the whole series. The Cardinals bullpen just pitched better than the Brewers bullpen did.

A copy and paste from a post I made earlier in another thread. Trades:Marcum and Hart to the Red Sox for Xander Bogaerts, Lars Anderson, and Felix DoubrontGamel to the White Sox for Eduardo EscobarMcGehee to the Phillies for Matt Rizzotti Resigning:HairstonSaitoFA:Broxton 1-year $2.5mFukudome 3-years $24mScutaro 1-year $1.5m2012 lineupMorgan/Gomez CFHairston 3BWeeks 2BBraun LFFukudome RFAnderson/Rizzotti 1BLucroy CEscobar SSPBench: Green, Rizzotti/Anderson, Scutaro, Gomez/Morgan, KottarasRotation: Greinke, Gallardo, Wolf, Narveson, FiersBullpen: Axford, Saito, Loe, Braddock, Broxton, Doubront, Rivas

Fiers is more likely to be in the rotation next year than Peralta.

The thing about Reyes and Rollins is that there are not that many teams looking for a SS this coming off season. This may drive their price down as I don't see the Red Sox or the Yankees looking for an upgrade at SS they will be looking at pitching instead. That leaves the two big teams out. Teams that will be looking for a SS this off season are the Cardinals, Brewers, Mariners, Phillies, and the Mets. The Mets could go with an internal option here with Tejada and I fully expect the Phillies to resign Rollins as they are the only team that will give him a 5-year deal that he is looking for. I actually expect the Cardinals to resign Furcal which I believe is going to be a mistake. That leaves the Brewers, Mariners, and possibly the Mets for Reyes. If the Mets don't like Reyes price they could drop out and go with Tejada at SS. Jack Z maybe gun shy with another highly hyped free agent like Figgins again. The Brewers are not going to offer a contract bigger than what they offered Fielder previously to Reyes. The Mariners may end up with Reyes but I am not sure Jack Z is going to go with another big free agent and possibly fall off a cliff like Figgins did again. Should be interesting to see where Reyes lands. What I would like seen done: Trades:Marcum and Hart to the Red Sox for Xander Bogaerts, Lars Anderson, and Felix DoubrontGamel to the White Sox for Eduardo EscobarMcGehee to the Phillies for Matt Rizzotti Resigning:HairstonSaito FA:Broxton 1-year $2.5mFukudome 3-years $24mScutaro 1-year $1.5m 2012 lineupMorgan/Gomez CFHairston 3BWeeks 2BBraun LFFukudome RFAnderson/Rizzotti 1BLucroy CEscobar SSP Bench: Green, Rizzotti/Anderson, Scutaro, Gomez/Morgan, KottarasRotation: Greinke, Gallardo, Wolf, Narveson, FiersBullpen: Axford, Saito, Loe, Braddock, Broxton, Doubront, Rivas

Didn't see this posted here but John Sickels has his 2012 top 20 for the Brewers up. Not sure that I agree with him on Jungmann and Bradley. Was surprised with the grade he gave Green though. http://www.minorleagueball.com/2011/10/17/2496403/milwaukee-brewers-top-20-prospects-for-2012 The top five: [/b]

No, I wanted Cappy back cheap like we could have done. So one Narveson isn't enough in the rotation? Capuano wouldn't have been any better than Narveson I don't see how the Brewers win as many games as they did with 2 #5's in the rotation.