HiAndTight

I just don't get it either and I've pointed out the stats plenty of times. The guy is as good, if not better, than Gallardo. I was just reading some preseason fantasy stuff from before last year. Estrada was the only starter in MLB in 2012 to have a k/9 above 9 and a bb/9 below 2. If you went to a k/9 above 8 and bb/9 below 2 the list is Estrada, Sabathia, and Cliff Lee. So are we to ignore that he's going to be 31 and has yet to throw more than 138 innings, and threw just 128 last year, while Gallardo has been a workhorse the last 5 years? I think it's more amazing how there have been three posts where people have said he's as good or better than Yo based on two seasons with 100+IP and none with morr than 138. He's a great pitcher...for the back of the rotation. But I certainly don't think teams would be in a rush to trade for him, so I dont think it's denigrating him to compare the aforementioned trade scenario with the Cordero/Weeks scenario.

Every team including the Brewers is getting an extra $26 million from the national TV deal. That's part of the reason why I couldn't understand why they low-balled Hart. Every year it seems everyone is shocked when the Brewers spend money. There is a whole lot going around MLB right now.

No way he would be getting $20M a year next offseason. There's no way? Wonder what Puig would sign for if he were a FA after one year?

I would guess without looking it up that most people probably had Garza getting a 5 year deal in the 75-90 million dollar range. Say what you will about the Lohse deal last year, and I wasn't a fan because of the draft pick, but the Brewers are adding some pretty legit #2 type pitchers on some very below market deals. And I don't want to be a pessimist, but they're also the types of deals that if the Brewers are bad or have a really poor start can be traded pretty easily to contenders...though they don't seem to like to do this. I'm pretty surprised that a guy like Garza who didn't have a 1st attached to him didn't end up back in Texas, or on another contender like the Yankees(since they've decided the whole luxury tax bill wasn't a big deal).

Not if he's going to sign for 1 year and 13 million dollars....but since that's never going to happen, and he pitched well for the Brewers last year, I don't see how it'd hurt to bring him back on a 1 year 1.5 million dollar deal. You seem to be trying equally hard to make the few poor second half appearances look worse than they were. And with regard to what he did vs what Braun did, obviously the reactions are going to be different. One is a guy you built your franchise around, and another is a guy you've given up very little for(save for the year he accepted arbitration) and who you would give up very little for to bring back. Yo's DUI is likely glossed over in this state because drinking and driving is so socially acceptable. Had Braun did what K-Rod did, I have very little doubt he'd face a pretty ugly reaction with signs calling him a wife beater everywhere he went. Prominent player vs a player well past his prime bouncing around year to year.

I would think the chances Weeks gets traded or DFA'ed before opening day is extremely low. The decision makers love him, they're obviously going to try and contend, and handing Gennett the 2nd base job outright is low, much less without much of a safety net. Weeks, even after last year is still a guy who could post a .800 OPS this year, and Gennett is a guy who I've always really liked, but a guy who had an unsustainable BABIP last year, and doesn't walk, suggesting to me he could see a significant slump in his second year in the league.

I strongly disagree that Segura is even an average SS, defensively. I love statistical analysis as much as (nearly) anyone, but Segura passes the eye test waaay too well on defense for me to be swayed. He may not stick at SS as he hits his late 20s & early 30s, but he's going to be good there for at least 4 or 5 more seasons. I completely agree. He answered any questions about his defensive ability/potential this past year. I don't know how you could conclude that he's not a good defender at SS having watched him, and you're trying WAY too hard in my opinion if you're referencing one year of fangraphs. He's only played Short for a few years after moving from 2nd, and the biggest thing people questioned was his arm strength. Now it's not Simmons-strong, but it's plenty strong to play short and make the tough throws. So I wouldn't trade him for Shelby Miller just because I value having a 23 year old SS at this point given where the Brewers organization is as opposed to a young pitcher for no other reason than the injury risk. With regard to Simmons, he's a fun guy to watch....that's a move I think I'd probably make. He's been able to draw some walks in the minors, and he's got the frame to add more power as he fills out. He COULD be a .260/.310/.450 type guy who plays the best defense in the league.

If Pujols was found to be juicing you can be damn sure the media will go crazy like the Braun and Arod treatment. Yeah, I can't imagine why it wouldn't be at least as big, if not a bigger story than Braun and Arod.

I like BA/MLB but ranking 16-year-old international prospects seems pretty nonsensical to me. Maybe there is a consensus generational-type talent every once in a while, but I don't think spending $2+ million on a 16-year-old (whatever "scouts" grade him) is really netting you a "very good prospect" These players getting $750k-$3m are all relatively interchangeable I think. Maybe the guys at the higher end of that scale are slightly more impressive, but we're not talking a huge difference in baseball money/talent here. I couldn't agree more. It's difficult enough to accurately scout and draft college and high school players, much less 16 year old kids. I'd rather sign 3-4 good young players than spend all our money on one player that BA has rated in the top 5 unless, as you say, they're a unique talent like Miguel Cabrera was.

I wouldn't. Just because I have no use for soft tossing control pitchers as they're much more likely to struggle in the post-season. And it's even worse when you figure in Marcum's injury history. There's no way I'd trade a top 20-25 prospect or top 40 prospect for that matter for a guy with Marcum's stuff again. I hated that trade the first time around and I hate it now.

I'm guessing the Cubs aren't looking at Mat Gamel as a pinch hitting option. I don't think any team picks up a player at this time of the year with designed plans to use him as a pinch hitter. I think it's pretty simple. The guy had a lot of talent, a great swing, showed some offensive ability and he now is a zero risk player that they're not giving up anything for to bring him in and see if he has anything. Not every player takes the normal path to the major leagues. Some guys have bad breaks and don't establish themselves until their in their late 20's. Chris Davis, David Ortiz or players who play a smaller role like Mike Carp..... That said, hate to see him go. I really thought he was going to be a good hitter. He has a beautiful left handed swing and had some athleticism.

You know, at SOME point, you actually have to field a team with SOME home grown players. So while it's REALLY easy to sit back and complain that we didn't trade Mat Gamel and Taylor Green when they had value, it's just ridiculous. I'm not sure how much value Taylor Green really ever had in a trade however. Does Melvin also get blamed for not foresee Gamel's freak knee injuries?

God these lists are depressing.... Here's hoping that the Brewers get lucky and Nelson, Thornburg, Peralta, Hellweg and Devin Williams all stay healthy and improve their control and or any other question marks moving forward. We all know how likely that is.

I think the problem is we all had higher expectations for what we'd get for Prince, and when it ended up being Hudson as the main piece, I think that kinda blows up the bufferfly effect that would have had us holding onto Lawrie(a trade that I despised with or without Greinke) as well as Cain, Escobar, Odorizzi, etc... I don't know how much blame I can put on Melvin however for the 1st base position after Hart, Gamel and Green went down for the year, or not signing Liriano after coming off a year in which he had a 5.43 ERA and a nearly 1.50 Whip. He's certainly the type of guy I'd like to see the Brewers look at, guys who have a big arm and some modicum of success in his past, but you're right, this is all 20/20 hindsight. Liriano wasn't exactly a prized FA, and Mike Carp is the definition of 20/20 hindsight. He'd been a AAAA type player who had a productive 230 AB's this year.

I have to imagine the Dodgers are going to slow down in the spending. I don't see them taking on ARam's 20 million and giving up a good pitching prospect. They had an opening day payroll of 240 million dollars this year which as of next year would cost them almost 300 million dollars. I realize they got this enormous TV deal worth over 7 billion, but over 3 billion of that goes back into the revenue sharing. Edit-At least when it comes to taking on bad contracts. I could still see them making a run at a guy like Cano, but not taking on Weeks and Aram...

I actually love a guy who can run and catch in center, who can hit 25 HR's while playing exceptional defense. And he will regress? From what? He's improved each of the last 5 seasons, though granted, he was pretty bad the first couple. And I couldn't care less about the strikeouts. Dude just put up an 8 WAR season. I can't tell you off the top of my head how many of those the Brewers have had in their history, but I'd venture a guess that it's fewer than 10. So if you mean he'll regress from having one of the best all around seasons in Brewers history, sure...I have no doubt he will. The argument for trading Gomez is hardly, "he strikes out...someone will bite." Uhh..yeah, I'd hope someone would bite on what should be a Gold Glove CF'er who just had a 25/40, .843 OPS season at 27 years of age and has a VERY team friendly deal for the next 3 years. Trading Aoki IMO shouldn't have ANY impact on trading Gomez IMO. You still just have Aoki for next year in that event. If you trade Gomez it's because you can get back a huge haul for him. I'm perfectly comfortable with the Brewers moving forward with Schafer IF you get back at least an elite prospect and a couple solid prospects back for Gomez. But framing it as though we should move him just to move him and hoping someone will "bite," as though he's got negative value is absolutely absurd to me. Even if he regresses back to what he did last year, he's still a very valuable player. He might be the funnest guy I've seen play for the Brewers. He's learned how to control his energy on the field, nobody looks like they're having more fun, and he strikes me as a guy who keeps it light in the clubhouse.

You need to look at the bigger sample instead of just picking and choosing what to look at. I was looking at their career lines. I am not saying Aoki might not be of some value in a trade but it looks like Choo is head and shoulders a better hitter. .288/.389/.465/.854 .287/.355/.399/.754 Absolutely. I'm on the other side of the Aoki argument as most, but to compare him to Choo is not a remotely valid comparison. Choo's a prototypical leadoff hitter. Aoki however is a ideal 4th OF'er, and depending on how your team is built, could be a very useful starter. Choo is a very good leadoff hitter for virtually any team in the league. Offensively the two aren't even close. And the deal for Shoo was a lot more than just Bauer and Gregorious.

No, actually often times it costs a LOT to "wait and see." I think it's just as easy to turn around and say it's foolish to diminish him because he struggled the final two months of the season. This is a 23 year old kid who played more games at SS in this season than he had in his entire minor league career, he's a plus defender at SS, a 5-tool player who played winter ball and just wore down AND was dealing with an injury. I don't think ANYONE expected him to continue to hit .330 or hit 25 HR's this early on in his career and with so little experience. But it doesn't take a great scout to watch players and actually use more than their month by month OPS to evaluate players in some cases. Segura played great defense most of this year, he hit the ball and he hit the ball hard, he has great speed, very good bat speed, a strong arm....there has to be SOME modicum of common sense projection, otherwise what? You only sign the guy after he's put up huge numbers and is established? In any event, the insinuation that those of us who wanted the Brewers to look at an extension with him(as they did) did so only because of his stats through two months expecting him to maintain those numbers is kinda ridiculous. Bottom line, I like the kid, I think he's going to be good, and I think having him under team control for another 6-7 years is in the Brewers best interest provided he is amenable to a reasonable extension. I think it makes a whole lot more sense than the post that's ALREADY talking about trading him as he gets into arbitration years.

Clear to you I guess. To me, why list a cost associated with a five year contract if he was really talking about a six year contract? Because club options aren't guaranteed and you generally don't add in the value of the club option when talking about the terms of the deal. If we signed Segura to a 5/30 extension with an option year for 14 million for example, it's not reported as a 6 year 44 million dollar deal. And it's not a 6 year contract, it's a 5 year contract in which he gives the Brewers the RIGHT to buy out what would have been his first year of free agency.

Agreed...it's be highly unlikely. It'd take Segura and Gomez repeating their performances(which I do think is possible) along with just about everything else going well, AND I think it'd take some highly unexpected and major contributor to come in next year. Something like Jimmy Nelson pitching like Peralta did this year and Peralta having a Ubaldo Jimenez type breakout year. And even then I think the Dodgers, Nationals and Cardinals are or will be SO much better that I just don't see us doing anything even if we did somehow make it into the WC spot. Plus the Braves are almost a lock IMO to at least get to the playoffs. I feel like we're almost in the exact same position as last year where we're looking at some of these guys really doing well down the stretch and hoping they'll be able to duplicate that success next year, but we'll also have our other guys who didn't have a good year bounce back. Last year Fiers, Rogers, Peralta, this year Davis, Gennett, Thornburg....

That was the hope many had going into this year. Then they signed Lohse. And that worked out about as well as you could have hoped for and it left us where? Now I understand Hart, Aram, Braun, Weeks and Yo for a number of reasons didn't perform nearly as well as expected, but it's just pointless IMO to spend any money on this team in free agency. If we HAD to pick one guy on the list that is intriguing, Tim Hudson is the first one that jumps out at me simply because I think he's the type of guy that you could get cheaper and on a shorter deal(maybe 2 years 16 million) and if he pitches like he normally does the first few months, you could turn around and trade him...if we're not winning. But seriously, just....give up on this patchwork crap already. I have no doubt we'll draw 3 million fans if we have a fun and exciting young team, so I'm fine with cutting the payroll down as far as possible while we rebuild. But Mark A doesn't seem to share such an opinion...which I'm grateful for in a small market, a owner who doesn't want to throw in the towel, but I just see the Brewers heading into Bucks territory. A middling team that's not really getting that's stuck in neutral.

A five year deal only gets him to the end of arbitration years. If the Brewers are going to do a deal now, they should be looking at least at six years with a team option for the seventh year - this is the point where the Brewers have the leverage. If you do a five year deal and later want to add years, then Segura has all the leverage as he already has enough money set aside if he gets a career-ending injury. If you don't have enough confidence that he is going to last 6-7 years, then you might as well just continue with him being year to year under your control. Well he mentioned pretty clearly in there, "if he sacrificed one year of free agency with a club option." 5 years+club option-6 years.

I think if the Dodgers put Billingsley for Weeks on the table, the Brewers would jump at that one in a heartbeat. If he comes back to the type of pitcher he has been, you have a good solid pitcher(one who's slightly better than Gallardo IMO when healthy) and you have a team option for 2015 if, like many others, he comes back from Tommy John strong. And again, if he had a hot first half, then you could turn him into a nice prospect at the trade deadline if we were out of it....that trade is almost all upside IMO. Which is why I can't imagine the Dodgers would do it.

That's about where I see Aram at this point as well. I think if you treat him almost like a catcher(day game off after a night game usually, etc...) I think he can still put up a .285/.360/.500 line. And I know RBI's as a stat are so overrated, BUT he is a guy who like Carlos Lee always seems to be able to get the ball in the air with a guy on 3rd and less than 2 outs. A stabilizing force in the lineup. Now I'd prefer to see him just gone and his salary and not worry about what we might be able to get at the trade deadline next year, either at the bequest of Mark A or at Melvin's direction, the Brewers have never really shown themselves to be a team that is willing to stripe down and rebuild. I think that's the obvious path right now, but since it's unlikely to happen, I'm happy to go into next season with Ramirez at 3rd, taking a cautious approach and if the season goes as I expect it will, then at the trade deadline, he may very well have some value to a team like the Yankees or Angels or whomever. It's impossible to guess at this point where teams will be injury wise and who will be in contention.

Yeah that starting pitching that's recorded 11 shutouts in the last 57 games is really awful. Finally, we agree on something Briggs. Really? You don't think we're lacking in starting pitching because we've had some good/great starts from Peralta, Gallardo threw a good game, we've pieced together some good games over 57 games? Our "ace," has an ERA near 5.00, Lohse is a good pitcher, though in his mid 30's. Peralta is a very exciting prospect, but hardly a lock. I don't care how many shutouts we throw over some arbitrary number of games(though I believe we were the last team to shut a team out this year in all of MLB) I care about how consistently good they are, and that we have a dominant top of the rotation so we can contend with the top teams. Name 3-4 teams in the NL who's got a worse rotation than us? I think the entire NL East is better(yes, even the Marlins with Fernandez, Turner, Evoldi and others), we're better than the Cubs I suppose. The Dodgers, D-backs, are clearly better. So MAYBE the Rockies, the Cubs and the Padres? Yeah, the starting pitching is still a HUGE concern. Edit-Oh, and Mike Fiers is saying hi right now to Tom Gorzalanny and several other Brewers spot starters! In fact, I'd guess just based off memory that you could say at least 3, maybe 4 of those shutouts were not a result of starting pitching as much as the BP. There were several times we had a reliever "start," and then Kintzler, K-Rod, Henderson, Axford and a very effective BP combined. We'll need Yo to bounce back, Peralta to be consistent and good #4/5 pitchers.