nate82

Lawrie probably won't be any better than Coghlan at 2B either and Gamel has more value to the Marlins. Getting a cheap player to play with Ramirez is going to be their #1 goal if they can do that in trading Johnson. Also Salome is better than Lucroy at least offensively he is. This year being an injury year I wouldn't be surprised if Salome has a better year next year than Lucroy does offensively. The only aspect that Lucroy is better than Salome at is his defense. I don't think the Marlins would really want Lucroy and they would rather have Salome over Lucroy because of the offensive difference. Salome is still the better prospect over Lucroy it is just that Lucroy is probably a more sure thing than Salome is to stick at catcher. Gamel is going to be the player the Brewers will have to give up along with Salome and a pitcher to get Johnson.

No. Lawrie wouldn't be the player the Marlins would be looking to get they have Coghlan who will be their 2B for the foreseeable future. Gamel makes more sense than Lawrie because Gamel will have more of an impact and will cost just about as much as Lawrie will and Gamel will be up when Ramirez is still with the Marlins. I believe the one I put forward will be rather close to what the Marlins would be looking for. The Marlins would be getting a Left Handed power bat in Gamel to play with Ramirez, Salome a questionable catcher who could be in their starting lineup in 2010 along with Ramirez and Gamel, Scarpetta/Odorizzi both are young arms and would add more depth to their minors, and someone like Dykstra or someone like Brewer who haven't put it together yet but have a high upside if they do. Gamel would be the key to the trade along with Salome everything else would be filler.

No. Washburn is not a #2 right now. He allows way to many fly balls again look at Washburn's stats and tell me he won't be another Looper or a Suppan. Just look at Washburn's fly ball rate and tell me what you will think will happen in the NL central that only has two parks that are pitching friendly and one neutral park. Season Team GB FB LD IFFB IFH BU BUH RS Balls Strikes Pitches 2007 Mariners 232 288 115 41 10 15 4 100 1253 2018 3271 2008 Mariners 187 213 119 27 14 12 3 70 1026 1610 2636 2009 Mariners/Tigers 209 238 109 19 9 14 5 77 1050 1677 2727 The last three years for Washburn. Now compare that to Suppan and Looper. Suppan Season Team GB FB LD IFFB IFH BU BUH RS Balls Strikes Pitches 2007 Brewers 319 245 139 17 15 23 6 116 1257 2071 3328 2008 Brewers 264 191 139 14 14 25 7 98 1119 1708 2827 2009 Brewers 277 186 103 19 15 17 3 75 1112 1628 2740 Looper Season Team GB FB LD IFFB IFH BU BUH RS Balls Strikes Pitches 2007 Cardinals 250 216 127 19 6 10 0 99 1095 1712 2807 2008 Cardinals 323 214 131 14 21 10 1 108 1191 2040 3231 2009 Brewers 314 247 116 23 22 20 4 155 1242 2033 3275 We all know what happened to Suppan and Looper with the HR balls. Now what is going to happen with Washburn if he puts up a FB rate like he did last year in the NL Central? I believe Washburn will give up around as many HR's as Looper and Suppan did this year. So around 25-35 HR's Washburn will give up if he is playing the NL Central. I hope the Twins sign Washburn I really do. Washburn as a #2 is ludicrous.

I'm sorry but Vazquez is nothing like Davis or Washburn. Davis and Washburn are at best right now #4 pitchers and are more along the lines of a #5 pitcher Washburn at best would be a very small upgrade over Suppan I would rather give Narveson a shot over Washburn. Vazquez is completely different from Washburn and Davis it is laughable to put those three in the same group. Vazquez is a strike out pitcher who still can throw his fastball by hitters yet unlike Davis and Washburn who really can't. Both Washburn and Davis would be no better than Suppan and Looper. I don't see why you are even comparing Washburn and Davis to Vazquez it is ludicrous to do so.

Not really. The only one that I have seen so far that is not even close is the one that involves Parra and Cain. The Marlins wouldn't want Parra or Cain they already have players they can substitute for those players and that trade is not even in the ballpark of what the Marlins would be looking for. The trade will either start with Lawrie/Gamel like the Sabathia trade did with Laporta/Gamel. This trade will just take an extra good prospect or two. Look at the Beckett trade for a guide at what the Marlins will be looking at getting for Johnson. Remember Johnson has had TJ surgery already so his value is a little bit lower than that of what Becketts was and remember the Marlins also traded Lowell and at the time he was a rather good and serviceable 3B. I would expect a trade of something like Gamel, Scarpetta/Odorizzi, Salome, and Dykstra/Green/Wooten/Brewer would be close to what the Marlins would get in return for Johnson. The Marlins will get an A prospect, a B prospect, a lower level A/B prospect, along with some high upside prospects that haven't really figured it out yet.

If the Brewers can sign Johnson to a 4-year deal at a decent price it is not a lot. If it is just for two years then yeah it would be a lot. Though losing Scarpetta/Odorizzi, Gamel, and Salome would be a lot to lose I believe Johnson would replace some of the lost value if not all of it. Johnson and Gallardo at the top of the rotation for the next 2 or 4 years would be awesome for the Brewers. Not to mention you would have 2 guys who can be aces for two years with Prince and Braun. If the Brewers lost Scarpetta they could replace him with Odorizzi the only player that is probably not replaceable would be Gamel. If the Brewers made a trade to get Johnson I wouldn't be mad at losing out on a lot of the good prospects the Brewers have.

I think the Marlins are going to handle this like they did with Beckett. I wouldn't be surprised if the Marlins trade Johnson this off season now that they are not able to lock up Johnson. I would guess something like Gamel, Scarpetta/Odorizzi, and Salome would be a starting point. Both Gamel and Salome could be starting at 3B and C for the Marlins next year and Scarpetta/Odorizzi would add more pitching depth in the low minors for the Marlins. I wouldn't be surprised if someone like Dykstra or another player who performed poorly this year would be included in the deal also.

It is time though for a new arena not just for the Bucks but for the Admirals and concerts. The last time I went to a concert at the Bradley Center I was uninspired. The seating is just not that great for a concert setting at all. Unless the performer is directly in the center of the arena it is just a horrible experience. They are definitely going to have to either remodel the Bradley Center rather soon. I believe I read somewhere or watched something where the Bradley Center is starting to show its age and is in dire need to be updated. I have always hated watching basketball games at the Bradley Center it just never feels like a basketball arena feels more like a ice hockey arena than anything else to be honest. I wouldn't mind Potawatomi funding the arena to get a downtown casino it would probably be a better idea than building a new one based on tax payer dollars. Once the Brewers got Miller Park I knew there was just no way that the Bradley Center would be remodeled or a new arena would be built.

Vegas is probably the most likely destination for a team atm for the NBA. Other than that I don't see any other city that will be able to take an NBA team.

I don't see how you could put Cain over Schafer after the year that Schafer put up. Player Name Stat Type Year Bavg Obp Slg OPS G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO HR 2B R RBI SB Lorenzo Cain Minor 2009 .218 .294 .330 624 60 206 21 45 11 0 4 19 3 3 20 50 0.07 0.18 0.35 0.32 0.05 Logan Schafer Minor 2009 .308 .370 .440 810 120 480 80 148 31 7 6 58 17 8 42 56 0.05 0.26 0.67 0.48 0.14 It will be interesting to see where BA put Schafer on the Brewers list. I definitely wouldn't have put either Cain or Schafer in the top 10 but I wouldn't put Cain above Schafer either.

I was going to say look at Yao for size and weight but they have Yao listed at 310 lbs. Which I find hard to believe. Centers in the NBA are like Catchers and Running Backs in the NFL and MLB. They are the players who usually get injured more often than not. Shaq has also said that he takes some games off where he won't play as much or as hard to rest his body. I believe he stated this when he was with the Heat not 100% sure on that though. But when you look at Shaq's career you will notice that he does have some games where it looks as though he was taking a night off. Which to me is a smart idea for a player that big and what they are doing under the basket. It is rare to expect to have a center play every single game of the year. Howard maybe the next exception to this but I believe even Howard has been hit with an injury.

You have to remember that all of this money also goes to stadium upgrades, maintenance, and other things that do not show up on the payroll. Player payroll maybe only 13th in the league but that is ignoring every other expense that the Brewers organization occurs. Ticket prices for the Brewers is cheaper than that of what you have to pay to see a game in New York or Boston or any other city. A lot of people complain when the ticket prices for the Brewers go up a dollar or two. There is no comparison between Milwaukee and a major city in attendance.

If the Dodgers, Yankees, or Red Sox offer Buchholz, Billingsley, or Hughes/Chamberlain I don't see the Brewers even having a shot in getting Halladay. All four players are better than what the Brewers could offer right now with them being all pitchers and somewhat proven ones at that.

The NFL is even worse. Not sure on the NBA and NHL though but I'm willing to bet it is a lot worse than baseball's discrepancy.

1) Maybin is going to be a good CF and if not a CF then he would be an average at best corner OF. His defense would more than make up for his offense in the corner OF spot. I don't see the Marlins moving Maybin out of CF though. I believe the Marlins will get another OF for Uggla if they trade him along with a low level prospect. So that would fill that need. The only other need the Marlins need as of right now is a 1B/3B now McGehee could easily fill in at the 3B spot for the Marlins next year. Add in someone like Cutter Dykstra and I believe you would have a deal with the Marlins for Sanchez anything more than that and the Marlins would be sending another piece over. 2) The Marlins are always looking for lower level prospects either it be pitchers or positional players. When trading and drafting it is best to pick the best available player over filling needs.

Ehhhh the Yankees also have their own internet service where fans can watch and listen to games online that live in New York who can't watch it on MLB's network. For the MLB network to truly be beneficial to the teams the blackout rules would have to go away.

Well that wasn't very classy of the people who voted for the NL Cy Young. Obviously both Wainwright and Carpenter should have won the award.

Cain doesn't make any sense for the Marlins at all. The Marlins already have Mike Stanton and Cameron Maybin both are really good OF prospects. The Marlins also have Jai Miller who is comparable to Gindl. I don't see why the Marlins would want either Cain or Gindl. The Marlins also rely more on their scouting department and will take lower level players if they like them more than what is in the higher levels. McGehee does bring to the table a very affordable contract but McGehee alone probably wouldn't net Sanchez but the other minor league player that would be going with McGehee wouldn't be a major prospect. Someone like Dykstra would be the other piece with McGehee.

I think the Yankees or the Red Sox are going to end up with Halladay. I believe the Yankees will offer Hughes and a C level prospect for Halladay or the Red Sox will give Bard/Buchholtz and a C level prospect for Halladay. If either the Yankees or the Red Sox land Halladay they will more than likely be able to extend him and the Blue Jays will be able to get more in the trade. If the Red Sox are able to get Halladay signed for an extension I wouldn't be surprised if it was Buchholtz and Anderson for Halladay. I wouldn't rule out the Yankess trading Chamberlain plus a prospect to the Jays for Halladay either.

I wouldn't mind either Humberto Sanchez or Clint Everts (from the Nationals). Everts is probably now on track after his Tommy John surgery in 2005 I believe it was. Everts will only be 25 at the start of the season so he is still young yet.

I hope that is suppose to be a Lowe or Vazquez for McClung and not both unless that was suppose to be in blue.

I don't believe the Cards are any better than the Brewers. You can't expect the Cardinals pitching staff to do what they did this year next year again. The Cardinals have 2 good to great pitchers and the rest are average and below average pitchers this is not even considering the Cardinals bullpen which isn't all that good. Will put the Cards and Brewers as the same projected wins. Take for example if the Brewers sign Lackey they have almost the exact rotation as the Cardinals have. You have two starters that can give you around a sub 3.00 ERA and the rest are average to below average. Now the difference between the Brewers and the Cardinals is their offenses. I like the Brewers offense more even without Cameron and Hardy. If the Brewers replace Kendall with anyone with a better OPS than him that is a plus even with Gomez and Escobar replacing Hardy and Cameron. Other than Pujols, Ludwick, and Rasmus I don't see all that much offense out of the Cardinals. There are a lot of question marks concerning the Cardinals offense without Holliday. I just don't believe the Brewers and the Cardinals are all that different nor are the Cubs. The Cubs are another year older and they are not adding much to their payroll this off season. I really believe that it is a toss up between the Brewers, Cardinals, Cubs, and the Reds. It will be whoever can stay healthy and who can be the luckiest to win the NL Central. I see all of the 4 teams being 83-85 win teams all of them have a lot of holes in their rosters I just don't see any team in the NL Central as being a huge favorite in winning the NL Central. If the Cardinals resign Holliday I would put them ahead of the Cubs, Brewers, and the Reds but if the Cardinals do not keep Holliday you have four teams that are very similar.

The only team I expect to rebound would be the Cubs and I am not so sure about the Cardinals. I believe the Cardinals are going to be losing Holliday, Pineiro, and DeRosa. Holliday was a key cog in that offense in St. Louis and without Holliday I am not sure the Cardinals make it to the playoffs they definitely wouldn't have won 90 games. If the Cardinals lose both Holliday and DeRosa that is a lot of offense that they have to fill in. The Cardinals would be back to the offense they had the first half of the season that was dependent mostly on Pujols, Ludwick, and Rasmus. If the Cardinals do not resign Holliday or DeRosa they will be depending on those three once again to carry their team offensively. I don't see the Cardinals having anything more than average offense next year and it will be once again their pitching that will have to carry them. I don't believe Pineiro will have another year where he pitches at a 3.49 ERA. After Carpenter and Wainwright the Cardinals pitching staff is average to below average in pitching both Lohse and Wellemeyer are not that great pitchers. I'm not sure Wainwright will do another 2 ERA season next year it will probably be something around 3.20. The Cubs will probably improve on what they did last year but I'm not sure they are a 90 win team either. They will be losing Harden you can take that as a positive or a negative but they have to replace him with someone. I don't believe Wells will have another good year like he did last year and Lilly might not be ready for spring training. Dempster regressed last year from his career year in 2008. The Cubs are probably going to improve offensively from what they did last year. Will the Cubs be a 90 win team next year? I'm not so sure about that.

So doing a career change is quitting now? Well actually this isn't even a career change it would just be like going from one corporation to the next I believe a lot of people do that in the real world you know they change jobs and all. I believe you are being rather harsh on Brewer here. It is his decision to make if he wants to make a career change at all if it is public or not it doesn't really matter. A lot of people hate it when players don't talk to the press but once a player does actually talks to the press and gives out some information the same people who were complaining about not hearing anything are the ones complaining about hearing about something.

I still say that LRMAM is very comparable to Tayshaun Prince at least defensively LRMAM is very comparable to Prince. Both of them are great defenders and good rebounders for their positions. I'm just hoping LRMAM can become as good as Prince is offensively now that would be something special.