Bnowell4evr

In 2011 the only trades the Brewers made toward the deadline were for K-Rod and JHJ. We don't have a disposable prospect like LaPorta so I don't see any high profile trades this year either.

I definitely see the Brewers buying to bolster our offense. Whether that's through FA (Morales) or through the trade market is the question. Going by previous experience and how weak our minor league system (we don't want to give up much) I see us targeting a bunch of aging vets in the last year of the deal. I'm thinking we trade for players on losing teams that won't receive a qualifying offer so the teams they belong to will be happy to receive anything for their troubles. After a little searching I've come up with a couple ideas. 1. 1B/3B Eric Chavez - Chavez is on a 1 year contract and The D'Backs are 21-33 in dead last in the NL West. Obviously Chavez won't be commanding anywhere near a qualifying offer so the D'Backs would be wise to get anything of value for him. The good thing about Chavez is that he's versatile and his LH bat could spell either Reynolds or Ramirez. Chavez can't hit LHP worth a lick but is hitting .286/.355/.536/.891 vs RHP on the year. 2. OF Bobby Abreu - A blast from the past returned after a year of retirement on a year 1 contract with the Mets. He's worked his way up from the minors to the bench and now into a platoon role. He's been very productive so far while showing the patience that set him apart in the 2000's. Currently he has a .314/.405/.514/.919 line vs RHP so he would be a very nice insurance plan for Khris Davis if he should ever regress to his pre hot streak self. I can't imagine he'd cost much at all with the Mets being 24-28. Going off trades from the past you could probably get them both for a deal similar to the Edmonds for Dickerson or Hairston for Komatsu trades we made. Obviously both these guys come with their risks but the rewards for how little we have to give up is intriguing (to me at least). C Lucroy 1B Reynolds / Chavez 2B Gennett / Weeks SS Segura 3B Ramirez / Chavez LF Davis / Abreu CF Gomez RF Braun C Maldonado 1B/3B Chavez 2B Weeks OF Abreu SS/CF Herrera

David DeJesus is another guy on the Rays that I'm interested in.

So what are you trying to say? That we need to trade Braun during the season we started out 21-10? And Favre is spelt F-A-V-R-E.

Caleb Gindl just tied Khris Davis current walk total in 105 fewer at bats. Davis' patience is so bad he's starting to make Yuni look like Joey Votto.

I still don't get why you're comparing Lucroy who played all of 21 games in AAA to Schafer who had over 700 PA's in AAA before making the everyday roster. Schafer is more comparable to Mat Gamel and Brad Nelson who had a ton of PA's in AAA but just couldn't hit in the pros (aka AAAA guys). You asked me why I respect Gindl's numbers in the minors but dismiss Schafers? It's because Gindl has hit in the majors to a respectable .340 OBP and .779 OPS. And were you really bringing up 9 AB's Prince Fielder had from 2006 to prove your point? I should just ignore you for that.

I hope Gindl's stay on the roster is permanent and LF becomes a platoon once Braun returns.

Thanks for correcting me there. I remember Lucroy starting that year in AA and getting the call to the majors shortly there after.

No, I had no idea that he was now playing in the majors and that we were not in fact watching the Nashville Sounds. A thousand pardons...... No kidding it's not the minors anymore. However I think it's rather asinine to take what amounts to one season or partial playing time in which he had a .252 BABIP. I think that's a bit more reasonable than jumping to the conclusion that he can't hit. And again, we're talking about a plus defensive player on your bench. Not sure about you, but I temper my expectations based upon these things. I don't expect Schafer to give you a .950 OPS. I do expect him to hit ~.270/.330 over the course of an average season when his BABIP returns to the norm. You do also realize that Lucroy's 1st year in the big leagues when he got ~300 PA's, he had an very poor year at the plate. He had an OPS of .630 and his .253 and that was with a .287 BABIP. Guess we'd have chalked him up as a bust, huh? What about the type of roster in which you have one OF'er in Braun who has one serious injury that could at some point end his season if it gets worse(his thumb) or at least limit his time...oh, and by the way, that same player is out due to another injury right now. And of course in this scenario there is no chance that Gomez could ever get injured, right? There has to be some logic and the ability to anticipate. If we went your route and Gomez did get hurt, now you're starting Herrera in CF and your backup is who? Gindl? Ok, so now not only have you labeled Schafer, a guy who's hit at every level save for the major leagues in very limited playing time in which he had an unusually low BABIP, you're also anointing Davis a platoon player? So we're going to go with his limited PT this year as opposed to his limited PT last year when he had hit .297/.369/.549/.918 vs right handers in 103 PA's. Now this year his first 72 PA's make him a platoon player? He's raking against them? Sure, in 25 at bats, he's "raking." You're arguing against a young, talented player like Schafer who CAN hit, is an outstanding defensive CF'er and defensive OF'er in general. But a guy who has fewer at bats than games played and is limited to 1st base is someone we can't do without? There are three things that you absolutely MUST have on the bench. 1-A good defensive backup catcher. Check. 2-A 4th OF'er who can play CF. Check. 3-A backup SS who ideally can play multiple IF positions. Check. So if you want to bring up a bat...you neglect to mention which player you think is worthy of being promoted, but setting that aside, lets assume we do have this guy down in AAA who'd be an upgrade over Davis or whoever. You still have to cover all the spots on the field and your ONLY options for both CF and SS shouldn't be the same person, nor should they be a guy who is a poor hitter and fielder(Herrera). But given just how quickly you give up on players or make these definitive statements(Schafer can't hit, all he can do is play D and pinch run, Davis needs to platoon, etc..) do you ever consider sample sizes at all? This team is winning with GREAT pitching. You want to start to totally screw with the defensive side of that and just throw anyone out there at key positions like SS or CF in the hopes that you MIGHT get a better bat, good luck. I don't think it's going to turn out very well. LOL Holy captain overreaction Couple points 1. Lucroy jumped from AA to the pros. That comparison is so ridiculous I don't even know what to say. 2. If Schafer could hit .270/.330 I wouldn't have a single problem with him. Every respectable publication has him slated for a .240/290 line tho. 3. My idea was to replace Bianchi with Gindl because we already have Herrera to backup at SS/CF. Herrera is already on the roster and would just stay here when Schafer was eligible to return off the DL. 4. Maldonado and Herrera take out all 3 of your bench needs allowing you to carry 3 possible platoons (1B/2B/LF). 5. Khris Davis has a K-BB ratio of 31-1 and lines of .203/.236/.377/.613 vs RHP and .375/.375/.583/.958 vs LHP. That is the definition of a platoon player. Sure he could turn it around but he's looked overmatched at the plate striking out 7 out of his last 10 times. Why continue to hurt a guys confidence when he's obviously pressing? 6. Caleb Gindl is hitting .322/.394/.525/.919 vs RHP in AAA and the next 5 starters are all right handed. 7. Braun is hurt. So in the meantime while were beaten up with injuries would you rather start Bianchi and Herrera at SS and RF or Herrera and Gindl at SS and RF? Thats what my point is about. Going forward if Khris Davis proves he can hit RHP at a non Yuni level then you can swap Gindl back out with Schafer.

I want absolutely no part of getting rid of not only Bianchi from our bench, but also Schafer. I love having Schafer on the bench. He's almost the ideal 4th OF'er. He's can play all 3 OF positions very, very well, is a left handed bat and can hit for a high average. I think these moves would only weaken our bench. I'd rather see Weeks and Overbay as the guys who are sent packing in order to upgrade our bench. Schafer can hit for a high average? You realize he's not playing in the minors and his career average in 400 ABs is .219 right? Yes he plays good defense but do you want to have your entire bench being a bunch of all defense no hit guys? Because that's what you pretty much got going with Maldonado/Bianchi and Schafer. At least with Herrera he replaces two of those all defense no stick guys so you can swap one out with a hitter. I like Schafer but I don't consider him anything more than a 5th OF who plays good defense and can pinch run. Not exactly the type of guy I need to have on the roster when I would play Gomez every day that he is capable of playing. With Braun aching and Davis looking like a platoon guy with massive splits I think its obvious what kind of bat needs to be brought up. And whats up with the hate from Overbay in this thread? I hope by sending Overbay packing you mean its from signing Morales because Overbay is not the problem. He's raking against RHP and that's all we need from him. I'm with you guys on Weeks and how he needs to get going though. I still think he's gonna pick up the slack against LHP since he's only had 29 AB's and the majority of them were against elite lefties. He'll face more pitchers like Travis Wood and his numbers will start to look a lot more respectable. Just don't stick him in there against a tough righty because we all know what will happen then...

With Lyle Overbay starting to heat up against RHP we have exactly what we were hoping for in a 1st base platoon. I don't see the need to use any extra resources besides cash (Morales) to improve our current situation. Now don't get me wrong if the White Sox fall out of the race and want to give up Adam Dunn for an OF and a reliever prospect I'd be all ears. I just wouldn't go overboard trying to fix a situation that is producing fine at the moment. I think LF is a far bigger concern but that's for another thread.

With Davis struggling and Gindl scuffling in AAA I think a LH OF bat to possibly platoon with Davis is our number 1 need. I think you can replace Bianchi with Herrera who can play SS/3B/CF which allows you to swap out Schafer for a better bat.

I like Roache as he absolutely raked LHP a year ago but he struggled mightily against the RHP. If he wants to be anything more than the weak side of a platoon he better improve on his .228/.293/.420/.713 line against righties.

I got an off the wall idea - What do you guys think about signing Kendry Morales *after* the draft when he no longer has a comp pick attached to him? We'd have to survive up until then with our current slop but he'd give us a boost for the stretch run without giving up any prospects. Have to figure he wouldn't sign for much at that point since he would be more worried about getting a guaranteed job.

Every team is utilizing platoons these days. Is Billy Beane not doing his job because he uses 3 or 4 platoons in his lineup? http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article/mlb/anthony-castrovince-platooning-and-position-sharing-in-mlb-here-to-stay?ymd=20140131&content_id=67311170&vkey=news_mlb

Hope you're right and we make a last minute Nyjer Morgan esque trade.

I think I'd rather see Irving Falu make the team over Bianchi.

Career split numbers for guys in their decline don't tell you the real story. Look at what Reynolds hit a year ago against RHP -.218/.298/.386/.684 He needs a platoon partner and even an awful option like Juan Francisco or Lyle Overbay is an improvement.

I'm all for it if he can play SS. If not he doesn't really fit in (especially at that price).

That's what I'm hoping for as well. I'd consider Hellweg as I don't think he's ever gonna get his control figured out.

Are people completely forgetting the numbers he put up with the Brewers last year before being traded? He was pretty awesome, and while he's not likely to be that good again, I doubt he's as bad as the 4.5 ERA he put up in Baltimore. Somewhere in between is going to be pretty good, especially for a guy that can step right into the closers role if need be. I don't condone abuse obviously, but charges were dropped, so we don't necessarily know everything. Though I'm sure he did something wrong, we don't know and are jumping to conclusions that aren't necessarily fair. And the season before, he put up a 4.38 ERA over a full season. Like TheCrew07 noted, his velocity has long since ceased being an edge for him, & his mechanics aren't strong. You just have no idea what you're going to get from him. You can say the same thing for every reliever out there.

Smoak hit .260/.361/.477/.839 vs RHP and only .192/.274/.274/.548 vs LHP a year ago. He's a better platoon option than both Francisco and Overbay but you would still need to keep Reynolds around. You could probably hit Smoak in the 5-6 hole against RHP which you shouldn't do with Francisco or Overbay. I'm interested (just as I am with Ike Davis) as long as it doesn't require Thornburg and Nelson.

Agree completely. Wish the team would've wiped their hands of him. Oh the irony of the people boo'ing Braun for lying and cheering KRod. What about people who boo both? I honestly don't care what type of person they are as long as they help the team win. They don't affect my life other than the 3 hours I watch so I would prefer we have the best players possible. And the price isn't that bad. Not too long ago we gave David Riske $4.25M a year.

That's something I can get behind.

Marmol signs with the Marlins. We can all breath normally again.