HiAndTight

I can't possibly disagree with you more about Schafer. He absolutely could fill the role in CF next year IMO, and I think he's played very well when given a chance. I like everything he does. His defense is only a step below Gomez' and I think he can be a guy who hits .280/350. I don't see why he can't be a 3 WAR player. And in fact, Melvin and RR brought Schafer in after signing Gomez to ensure him that they felt he was a big part of their future. So I don't see any need to get a CF prospect in return. Especially when you're talking about trading away a talent like Gomez. You get back the most talented players you can and hopefully a couple of them are elite arms. But again, the point is, I don't think the Brewers can be a 90 win team in the next couple years so if they can trade Gomez and get a couple top 20 prospects....I could care less if one is a CF'er. I'd be just as happy with Logan in Center and then trading Aoki and playing Kentrail or Khris Davis in his spot. The whole point afterall would be that we're rebuilding.

I think you might be underestimating our management team... Yes, they signed a closer who's gone un-scored upon in 15 of his 16 outings and is likely to bring back at least something of value in a trade come the deadline. Our management team hit it out of the park on this one...something nobody has done vs K-Rod.

I believe it was after his second or third major league game. Segura is no where near the level of players you mention and probably never will be. I think he'll be good but not good enough that a team like the Brewers should lock him up long term. This isn't meant to be an "told you so," type post because I agreed at the time that he wasn't on the level of Tulo or Longo, but it's incredible how this thread has evolved. Someone at the bottom of page one suggested he MIGHT end up being a 10-15 HR a year hitter. I posted this expecting him to fall off and he just hasn't. He's playing like Derek Jeter mentally at short, making the smart plays, ie, the little hidden ball trick on the pick off, the great tag, the bare handed throw and then the relay to try and catch Schafer(I believe it was) at 1st base...and other than the hidden ball trick where he alertly picked the ball up, knowing his was blocking the umps view, those are all plays from ONE game vs the Braves. He just continues to exceed expectations to the point where it makes sense to wait until after this season to work on a long term deal with him because I just don't see how he can play worse. He's having a better 1st full year than Braun did when you look at all aspects of his game.

I can't fathom Segura's agent thinking they're going to sign a contract that "dwarfs," Andrus when one player has less than half a year of service time and the other was entering arbitration and is already a 2 time AS, was the runner up for ROY at the age of 20, and was set to make more money in the following season than Segura will likely make over the next 3+ years. Plus, the deal is more like a 4 year 62.5 million dollar deal as the way it's structured is pretty unique. WE can't compare players who have 4.000 years of service time to a player who has less than .070 years of service time. My guess is even if Segura ends the season with a batting average of .295 and falls off considerably the offer will still be on the table. However if he finishes the season with 30 HR's, 30 SB's and hits .310+, his agents will likely have added 5-6 million guaranteed money and 2-3 million a year to any option years that would be added. Or perhaps they're hangup is the number of FA years that the Brewers want control over. Hard to say, but if you want to cite a similar players situation, use Salvador Perez, Evan Longoria, Tulo, Braun....not someone who came into the league at 20, has 4 years in, is a multiple time AS and has been the leadoff hitter and defensive whiz on a two time World Series team. Though frankly, I still believe that the Rangers end up trading Andrus well before his opt out years come up as Profar is just too good to not start at SS. Much like I think Hardy may be pushed out by Machado very soon. I think Machado and Profar are two players who will end up as equally impactful, talented players during their careers.

With all the talk of being sellers at the trade deadline, and it's pretty obvious we're going to be unless Johnny Nelson and Johnny Hellweg can both come up and pitch like Peralta did last year while Peralta can also pitch like he did last year, Weeks gets hot, Braun and Hart get healthy and produce as they have, and Ramirez has his typical second half surge AND our bullpen continues to pitch well while Lohse continues to round into form, we're going to end up with a top 10 pick next year. And while Gomez has been my favorite Brewer to watch and along with Weeks my favorite Brewer during the last couple of years based on how they've played, he's signed to an extremely team friendly contract, even if he were to revert back to his 2012 numbers over the next 3 1/2 years and one of the best contracts in baseball outside of players still under the 6 years of team control if he continues to play like he has. So I think if everything goes well, the earliest the Brewers look like they could be contenders again is 3-4 years down the road...right when Gomez' contract is coming up. He's been the most valuable player in baseball thus far this season, and I believe he could legitimately bring back 3-4 prospects and two elite prospects. A team like the D-backs who aren't a big market team, but have loaded up on pitching talent could be the ideal match. With Skaggs, Bradley as the #7/#23 overall prospects in baseball, and Davidson close to the big leagues at 3rd base and a potential long term answer there, a guy like Adam Eaton, Chris Owings, an OF and SS both ranked in the top 100 overall, the D-backs certainly have the prospects to make the deal. In this particular scenario the Brewers could also offer up a guy like Henderson, Axford or K-Rod to help them with their BP which isn't exactly a strength at this point. But they're YOUNG, talented they have 5 top 100 prospects, plus a couple of other intriguing prospects like Zeke Spruill, a potential #2/3 starter down the road. They have a young, talented staff, they have some very nice pieces offensively and if they were to offer Skaggs, Davidson, Owings a talented SS hitting .360 with some speed, power, and a very good defender at SS and then a 4th piece for Gomez, Axford and hell, maybe we eat a big chunk of Aram's deal since Prado's struggling a bit at 3rd right now(plus he can move over to 2nd where they've struggled with injuries). Arizona is just an example, a contender that struggles a little bit to score runs right now and could use a big upgrade in CF(offensively, they've got a great defender out there) and at the back of their BP and the Brewers in return could put together a rotation that in 3-4 years could include fireballers Peralta, Skaggs, Hellweg, Nelson, Pena. Schafer IMO is going to be a very good CF'er and going around the horn we'd have our future 3rd basemen, another potential starter in Spruill, Owings still have Lucroy, Braun, Segura(who could move to 2nd with Owings or Owings could play 2nd), and hopefully it'd give all the young players in our system a chance to develop so that we could once again look at a team that has the talent to WIN in the playoffs, not just a team that we're hoping can win 81 games. Carlos Gomez might really be this good. Everyone knows he's really this talented, but the question is if he's actually going to be able to be consistent. He's the last guy I'd like to see traded, but without this team going anywhere, It'd REALLY be nice to trade a guy at the height of his value and give our rebuilding project a kick. And honestly, even if he is a perennial 25 HR/40 SB 315/.350/.500 GG CF'er over the next 4 years, I think it'd almost be a waste when we just don't have the talent to surround him with.

I like the idea of getting Perez and Grimm into the Brewers system simply because I think the more Peralta, Hellweg, Pena, Jungman, Nelson type pitchers you have, guys with #1/#2 upsides, the better chance you have of getting a couple to actually develop. Peralta despite his struggles has actually been encouraging because his change has been looking better and his stuff is just so nasty. But if we're going to trade Gallardo, I'd prefer getting guys who haven't struggled at AAA regardless of their upside. Grimm is at best a #2 with his fastball being a potential plus pitch hitting 94-95 and another potential plus change. Perez clearly has great upside, but again, too many question marks. Olt has been terrible this year....there is very little certainty with pitching prospects, but I'd like a little more probability than these guys provide.

A leadoff hitter who hits .300/.375-ish, has great speed and plays very good defense in the OF is not a "so-so," bat. Aoki is one of those players IMO that you can't just look at his WAR to determine his value as a player. He's a fantastic leadoff hitter and defensive RF'er. Not the prototypical arm for a RF're, but it's good and VERY accurate and Aoki does a LOT of things that don't show up in the box score. However Gallardo IMO is a player that we should look to trade soon. I believe his performance is going to decrease over the next couple of years, but right now he's pitching VERY well. Still, for Profar? It's not going to happen. It's like people expect every 19-20 year old top prospect to come up, switch positions and perform like Machado, Trout or Harper. The Rangers know what they have in Profar and I think they have a pretty good idea of what it takes to win a WS and I doubt they're going to trade a guy who's legitimately a #3-ish SP'er and one of the best leadoff hitters, but one who they would control for just one more season for the top prospect in baseball. Profar has shown he can do absolutely everything in baseball. He projects to be a GG caliber defender, a guy who draws a lot of walks and hits for a high OBP, and one who could develop into a 15-20 HR a year player unless they're getting back another ace to pair with Yu. Perhaps a deal with Tampa Bay for a guy like Price would be more realistic. I remember suggesting that the Brewers deal Greinke for Profar and we throw in K-Rod or Axford last year if the Rangers would be desperate enough to take that deal and there were about 10 posters who blasted me and thought that we would have been giving up way too much when in fact that would have been a steal(though I'm plenty happy with Hellwegg+Pena and Segura instead, getting a potential 10 year AS caliber SS, plus two potential, POTENTIAL frontline pitchers). It seems as though people are still underestimating Profar. And actually, that 15-20 HR projection for him might even be low. He could develop into a 30 HR a year type guy on top of everything else. 19 years old in 126 games played he; 14 HR's roughly a 12 pct BB rate and a 14 pct K rate, .280/.370/.450-ish line as a 19 year old in AA with a projectable body at 6'1 165 and an absolute cannon at short and great range. If you wanted to create a perfect SS, Profar would be pretty close. He should fill out and add 20 pounds(added power) and just continue to mature. Compare that to Segura who was in rookie ball for the most part at age 19 and I think what he's done thus far is pretty impressive and the Rangers are wise to keep him on the proverbial, "no trade," list unless they can get a David Price type pitcher at the very least, and Gallardo and Aoki doesn't equal David Price as much as I like the two.

This is the correct answer. Segura may not be as good as Ryan Braun, but he is equally as valuable at this point due to how cheap he is going to be and how long we have him under control. No number of unproven prospects would make me want to part with him. He is proven and he's going to be very good the next six years. You do realize that Braun's best major league season doesn't even approach Trout's rookie season? That Trout is no a rookie? He is not a prospect? That he's a once in a generation type player who has a 4.2 WAR and is YOUNGER than Segura? And Segura might not be as good as Ryan Braun. He might be as good as Ryan Braun. I don't know. But I do know that based on what Mike Trout has shown thus far, he IS better than Braun AND Segura and younger than both. So while I love the kid, he's not "proven." Posting a 10.4 WAR as a 21 year old rookie and coming back after struggling and leading the league again the next year in WAR is a lot more "proven," than 70-some games of Segura. I don't want to be put in a position to argue against Segura here because it's just incredible to hit on a player like we did with Segura, but saying you wouldn't trade him for Trout, "or any number of unproven prospects," is silly. What if the Pirates came and offered us Cole, Tallion, Marte, and Josh Bell? Obviously that's a ridiculous suggestion as the Pirates would NEVER make such an asinine trade, but just blindly saying, "you can't trade a guy 3 months into his first true big league career for prospects because they're unproven," is absurd.

"Lowballed?" It's tough to "lowball," a guy who's played a couple weeks in the big leagues if you are indeed correct and it was a couple months ago. I thought it was about a month ago. There have been two players signed to contracts before one year of service time, Longoria and then Perez I believe from KC. Braun was 1.001.... I remember suggesting a Segura extension about two months ago before it had come up on here and everyone thought it was crazy and there were of course the obvious, "small sample size," comments. That said, I don't know where you're getting the part that I put in bold. There is just absolutely no basis for that. Again, we're not yet 3 months into the season. While I wanted the Brewers to lock him up long term 2 months ago, you were suggesting they do so after a couple weeks in the majors in which he was playing well at the age of 23. So where do you get this notion that the BREWERS are the ones who should be expected to "overpay?" That's just ridiculous IMO. Segura could be having a career year. I don't know, maybe he gets better. He could get hurt. He could add weight and end up as a second basemen. Of the two sides that's going to give here it's GOING to be Segura's side. That's kinda the point. He signs for 8 years and 40 million and never has to worry about money again and then still has a chance for the big time payday. Also, when you "guess," it was for 30 million...for what period of time? I just don't see how you possibly come out of this and try to assign ANY blame whatsoever to the Brewers for lowballing anyone or waiting too long. It's ridiculous. And again, I started a thread about this very topic in April so I agree they should have signed him. But the other side has to be willing to sign it, and the last thing Segura's agent said was they were trying to determine his value. Yes, lowballed. I said before we even knew what we had in Segura that a long term extension in the 40+ million range would be sufficient and might get it done should his agent decide "not" to wait. What's funny is that the Brewers also knew what they had in Segura and was basically reading my mind. The question is was there offer high enough? I have my doubts. By the way to answer your "overpay" question, it's really simple. When you offer a player who plays a premium position a long term deal with hardly any service time (pre-arby), you better be serious about it. No matter what, technically it will be considered an overpay, because of how little service time he has and compared to money committed, but a talent like Segura which I knew from his first AB how good he truly was, you better make the offer so good he doesn't want to even think about it. That didn't happen. I'm skeptical in how the Brewers handled this, and I believe if there offer was serious he would be signed right now. That's my opinion and nothing more. So just to make sure I have this straight; 1-Before we even knew how good Segura was, you thought we should sign this guy who had played a handful of games above AA and only a year at SS to a long term deal; 2-You somehow have knowledge of what the Brewers offered(and again, you continue to throw out this number 30 million dollars....without any hint as to how that contract would be structured. 30 million dollars to buy out 5 years of free agency? 30 million dollars guaranteed while he's under team control and then 2-3 years of team options? (which in whatever the hesitation is right now in the Segura camp is almost certainly where the hesitance comes from and by the way, they have hardly said no). 3-When you say, " When you offer a player who plays a premium position a long term deal with hardly any service time (pre-arby), you better be serious about it." AGAIN, who are you to say they weren't? Not to mention, you act as if this is standard baseball protocol. This has happened two times EVER. Longoria was signed about a week or two into his big league career and the OTHER, Salvador Perez they signed to an 8 year deal with 5 years and 17.5 million dollars guaranteed and 3 option years for the TEAM. I'd like to re-iterate, I was on here a couple weeks into the season arguing FOR a Segura extension if he was willing, but you're making all these assumptions, and you're trying to use past contracts to make your case and they simply do not exist. You continue to throw out 30 million dollars without even a hint as to how that contract would be structured, and then you throw out this notion that now they'll have to pay him 60 million dollars. You DO realize we signed Braun further along into his career than Segura's at, correct? And he was coming off an absolutely historic offensive season. AND that Segura's camp has in no way shut down contract talks? And that we have until the 2019 season to find another SS in the event that we DON'T get a couple of Segura's FA years? With ALMOST no information out there other than they're talking THIS early, which again, would be only the third time it's EVER happened, and if you look at the previous two, 30 million guaranteed with team options(assuming it was for the 8 years each signed for) it's STILL higher. So in order to say the Brewers bungled this is to basically just say you have no confidence in the Brewers whatsoever in dealing with and signing young players, which frankly is NOT supported by their recent history. And with all due respect, I have to roll my eyes when you claim that you could tell from his first AB with the Brewers that he was worth this type of historic contract. There were a LOT of questions. Would he be able to hit big league pitching after being rushed through the minors and moving from 2nd to SS? How good would he be? Again, I started a thread a couple weeks into April about locking him up long term and that was after he showed he has all the tools to play. He didn't show that in his first showing in Milwaukee. Not by a longshot. My guess is the Brewers still end up extending him since I haven't read comments from either side that would suggest he's "priced himself out of Milwaukee." Though again, it's difficult to even discuss extension perimeters when you fail to mention anything other than just a dollar amount. I would assume the Brewers approached Segura and NEGOTIATED...Segura's agent likely wants fewer FA years in the deal and that he still has 5.5 years in Milwaukee gives me confidence the Brewers will get something done. One last thing, using this logic, you'd have been all for locking up Willy Peralta and Mike Fiers last year after their dazzling starts to their big year careers. I doubt Segura's going to be a 8 WAR SS year in and year out as he's on pace to do right now. He'll go through struggles and the Brewers still hold the cards. So in MY opinion, there just isn't ANY evidence that the Brewers have handled this poorly. We're not just talking about a guy still in his pre-arby years, but in his FIRST arby year. A little patience here and a little perspective might help here.

Given what we've seen from Segura, Hellweg and Pena, I would have guessed the Angels would have laughed at the idea of a couple months of Greinke for those three. That said, Trout is a freak. Both teams are likely just happy to hang onto each player for themselves....though all things considered, I think it's more likely we're able to sign Segura and buy out a couple FA years than the Angels will Trout.

"Lowballed?" It's tough to "lowball," a guy who's played a couple weeks in the big leagues if you are indeed correct and it was a couple months ago. I thought it was about a month ago. There have been two players signed to contracts before one year of service time, Longoria and then Perez I believe from KC. Braun was 1.001.... I remember suggesting a Segura extension about two months ago before it had come up on here and everyone thought it was crazy and there were of course the obvious, "small sample size," comments. That said, I don't know where you're getting the part that I put in bold. There is just absolutely no basis for that. Again, we're not yet 3 months into the season. While I wanted the Brewers to lock him up long term 2 months ago, you were suggesting they do so after a couple weeks in the majors in which he was playing well at the age of 23. So where do you get this notion that the BREWERS are the ones who should be expected to "overpay?" That's just ridiculous IMO. Segura could be having a career year. I don't know, maybe he gets better. He could get hurt. He could add weight and end up as a second basemen. Of the two sides that's going to give here it's GOING to be Segura's side. That's kinda the point. He signs for 8 years and 40 million and never has to worry about money again and then still has a chance for the big time payday. Also, when you "guess," it was for 30 million...for what period of time? I just don't see how you possibly come out of this and try to assign ANY blame whatsoever to the Brewers for lowballing anyone or waiting too long. It's ridiculous. And again, I started a thread about this very topic in April so I agree they should have signed him. But the other side has to be willing to sign it, and the last thing Segura's agent said was they were trying to determine his value.

I never understood why people were so against it for the price until I was reminded of his latest domestic violence issue. I just liked it because there was that clear upside that he could bounce back and be worth something in a trade. Kenny Lofton was never signed for much before the season, but contenders always wanted him near the trade deadline. Frankly, I'd be looking at K-Rod, Ax, Henderson, Gomez, Aoki and then the obvious ones with Aram, and any other aging vets(including Lohse to any contender that may need pitching at the deadline). Basically if you're not going to be part of the team in 3-4 years(the quickest I believe we can be a legit contender again) then you should be traded for someone who will. I hate putting Gomez on that list, but the return for him given his contract and his huge breakout would be HUGE...

I think you need to look at Miguel Cabrera's age and contract before saying this. I did. And went back and looked again. 30 years old. $21 million a year. Age 31 season in 2014, age 32 season in 2015. Free agent in 2016. He's one of the all-time greatest hitters. A twice in a generation hitter (Pujols). A 8-10 WAR guy. Absolutely I'd take on that contract for 2 full seasons and do everything I could to build a World Series contender around Braun & Cabrera Actually, no, he isn't a 8-10 WAR a year guy. That was Mike Trout last year, the 21 year old rookie superstar CF'er. He's in fact never had a 7 WAR season. Jean Segura 3.5 WAR 72 games into his age 23 season. So yeah, Miggy's a HOF'er, a great player. But why in building a team would you rather have a couple years of him, AND you know you won't be able to extend him like we likely will Segura for the long term so it's likely something like 8 years 55 million of Segura who's on pace to put up a higher WAR than Cabrera EVER has by a significant margin or 41 million dollars for a guy that's going to likely demand a contract that pays him 25+ million dollars into his 40's when his deal is up. I get the appeal of having a guy who's career numbers are eye popping and he's coming off a triple crown, but in practical terms, give me the youth. The players I'd consider; Pitchers Matt Harvey Matt Moore Gerrit Cole (Shelby Miller is good, but just below my criteria) Offensive players Jurickson Profar-I think he ends up actually having some 8+ WAR seasons. Mike Trout-We all know how talented he is. Bryce Harper-I think some of the shine has unfairly been lost on him. Buster Posey-Just great player. Lot of great players. So again, while I understand the admiration of Cabrera, I can't fathom the Brewers in the situation, no way would I give up a 23 year old on pace to have a better year according to WAR than he's ever had(though I don't think he'll keep up the pace, nor do I think WAR is the ultimate stat). -I forgot Machado. He's obviously on the list IMO.

K-Rod's looking like a great signing. He's the type of asset that the Brewers of the 90's used to deal around the deadline for a couple prospects. A Bob Wickman type deal that netted us Sexson and Marcus Scutaro(though he ended up being placed on waivers several times before getting his career going). 2 million dollars and while he's certainly benefited by good luck, he's currently spotting a .68 ERA, his walks and HR's are down, and one would have to think a team like Cincy, Detroit or any number of teams would be interested. Axford is another prime candidate as he's been absolutely dominant since the 2nd week of the season and I believe it's been about 17 outings now without allowing a run. Pieces like these aren't going to get you Profar in return, but it's certainly possible a team would part with lower level prospects that the Brewers might get lucky on. There are a LOT of players right now that the Brewers have that they could deal, but these two would seem to be atop the list of most likely.

Nice to see Jungman bounce back...even if it's not the most impressive line with only 2 K's and a poor GB ratio, he shut them down for 6 innings. Throwing in the low 90's as well. Still holding out hope he can turn into a better version of an Estrada type pitcher and that Bradley can develop. Nelson's surge takes a little of the sting off their slow starts.

In any event, Gennett really should be playing 3rd and short right now in AAA. There is no prospect there that HAS to get those at bats and if nothing else, Gennett can be a very good utility player. Though I do still believe he's a everyday starter on a good team in the big leagues. Gennett can be a very good utility IF? I don't think so, and neither does the organization. If they did, they would have been doing this a long time ago. Truth is, he's just now becoming a decent defensive 2B. He does not have the range, arm, or athletitic ability to be a really good defensive SS. Maybe 3B, I don't know. No real need for a Utility IF who can't play SS. Look, I like Scooter. I really do. Watched him play a ton of games as a Timber Rattler, and you could tell he would moe through the system. I'm just really struggling to find a place for a guy who plays avg defense at one position, has no power, and doesn't walk much. That skill set rarely translates to success in MLB. Some of those IF singles and other hits he's getting now will be outs at the MLB level. You have to hit a ton of singles to have any sort of decent OPS. Since when do backup SS's have to be "really good," at SS? Eck certainly wasn't, yet he was a productive player for a period of time. And with pretty constant questioning of how the Brewers handle their prospects, I wouldn't think the "well, they must agree it's a bad idea because they haven't done it yet," argument. I wouldn't profess to know what the organization thinks of Scooter Gennett other than Melvin has praised him as he's obviously been brought up with more frequency. I just don't know how you can make the decision that the Brewers don't believe a consistent .300 hitter at every level in the minors who has shown SOME power and certainly the ability to add more CAN'T be a good utility fielder. Perhaps they believe he can be a great one they just view him as their future 2nd basemen? I don't know and I wouldn't presume to speak FOR the team. And his athletic skills are really underestimated. He obviously isn't going to be Ozzie Smith at short, but with Jean Segura there, wouldn't really have to be. Same at 3rd. He's got a stronger arm than he's given credit for, and I think he has better range from what I've seen than he's given credit for. I'm not talking about moving him like Lawrie moved from 2nd to 3rd, Braun to LF....I'm talking about him getting a few starts around the horn. At how many levels does the guy have to prove to himself before we stop banging the drums that he can't be an everyday player? Hit hits the ball, has good gap power, and is capable of being a .300 player as well as a good everyday defender at 2nd. Not every prospect is going to fit into the prototypical sabermetric profile or be an elite player. Bottom line; .303/.343/.415 OPS of .757 as he's played a full year at every level and has been remarkably consistent at each level. Why the search, in an organization lacking almost accross the board in potential everyday big league bats, why are we so quick to dismiss him because he's not Rickie Weeks(which really is what you're getting at with the lack of walks and power. Not every player is going to walk 12 pct of the time and hit for power. Some guys are going to consistently make contact, draw few walks and their OB is obviously going to be driven by their BA. I think Gennett will get better and walk more consistently, but he'll never be Weeks in that regard...nor does he HAVE to be. I love the new information that has been readily available to us the last 15 years as much as anyone else, but man, people use it as their bible. Game's still played on the field. That's a GENERAL statement rather than all directed towards you. Afterall, the minors is for DEVELOPING players, and Scooter is developing just fine. And he's taking off in AAA at the age of 23.

My response would be... "Who Cares?". I would think he's in AZ getting into shape. And Warning Track Power's response would probably be, "I care since I asked the question." My personal response would be a LOT of people care since there is a thread about it.

So we're just making wild assumptions? The third year IS a negative value? The Brewers would HAVE to pay X amount of dollars? Now negative since you already seem to have it worked out? Plus how much positive value does he add in year one and two? THIS I think is comical. I mean, who suggested the Brewers would take on 20 million dollars in this trade? By that logic, Lohse' value $ wise is 13 million over 3 years? I don't even know where to begin with this line of thinking. Yeah, because it's really hard to imagine a team like the Dodgers spending money to bring in a guy like Lohse after losing Billingsley for the year and having their starting pitching depth depleted, or the Red Sox atop the standings when they may not have thought they would be willing to sign him. The Angels aren't having any issues with their rotation! There are a number of teams that I could envision being more than happy to take Lohse and his salary and I REALLY doubt he signs anywhere near 3/33 if he doesn't have the 1st round pick tied to him. He's also 34, not 38. 3 years and 33 million for a pitcher who since the start of 2011 has been an extremely dependable, 3.00-ish type pitcher? Teams are willing to take on money on the backend if they believe adding a player could get them to the post-season. And again, the money was not the reason Kyle Lohse didn't sign according to most reports, it was the loss of a 1st round pick and the pool money. And as I said in my first post, I doubt the organization would make such a trade, I was simple asking a rhetorical question about what type of prospects they could get. I think Lohse has continued to pitch better than teams thought he would, especially in Milwaukee, however I don't buy this team as a playoff team, regardless of the fact that they were just really hot or that they have Aram and Hart coming back. I simply brought it up to speculate as to his value, what teams may or may not want him, and where we may be at the end of July, not to make absolute statements where they cannot be made.

I think basic common sense dictates that pitchers who are preforming well are in higher demand in season than out of season, and if a team has a chance to make the playoffs and Lohse continues to look like a 3.00-ish ERA pitcher, there would be teams interested. Teams were wary of his value coming from St Louis as many a free agent pitcher has gone from pitching well in St Louis to struggling after that. Lohse isn't doing that. He's excelling again.

Gennett gets base hits. He has at every single level he's played as a professional. It's really that simple. He's been a .300 hitter at each stop and he's off to yet another great start in AAA. You can only wait so long for Weeks to be the superstar his ability suggests. It comes down to more than end of the year numbers. HOW you got to those numbers matters. A mid 700 OPS with average defense at 2nd base who doesn't hit .160 for 3 months and then hit great the second half of the year absolutely does have value in the big leagues. And we're talking about a 2nd basemen. Since when is it a per-requisite for him to be a power hitter? Plenty of hitters make an impact without hitting for power in the major leagues.

I can't fathom "benching Weeks to send him a message," is going to do a bit of good. Baseball's a sport you can't "try harder," at. You can't dig in like you can in football and put more into it. In fact, Weeks is probably trying too hard right now. And his work ethic has never been his problem. I WOULD say that if he's still struggling and by some act of God Yuni B is still performing like he is when Hart comes back, Weeks starts to lose a few AB's, but I even find that unlikely. In any event, Gennett really should be playing 3rd and short right now in AAA. There is no prospect there that HAS to get those at bats and if nothing else, Gennett can be a very good utility player. Though I do still believe he's a everyday starter on a good team in the big leagues.

Yeah, I always forget that Carpenter came up with Halladay. I find it illogical to say a guys stuff is good enough to be a #1 but he lacks the command(when talking about a young prospect or 23 year old big leaguer). It's a very rare pitcher that comes up at 23 and has a 98 MPH fastball, can command his off-speed pitches and is well polished. I think as long as Peralta stays healthy, he's got a solid chance to be a #1, Most guys in that category don't end up becoming aces, but you're always looking for the ones who can round it out and become one.

Melodramatic much? I was discussing why he gets a #2 or 3 upside label instead of #1. No idea where you got the magical "AAAA" label. I used Halladay as an example because he displayed better command as a minor leaguer than Peralta has so far. The only time in the minors that Halladay was close to Peralta's BB/9 rate was when Roy was a 20 & 21-yo at AAA (Peralta was at A & A+ at those ages). Sure, Wily could turn the corner & really harness his mechanics, but he's a long shot to do that, hence why he doesn't get the #1 upside label. And fwiw I am a big Peralta fan. I love his repertoire, and look forward to watching his starts more than anyone not named Gallardo. His stuff is absolutely good enough for a #1, I don't think there's much question about that. Yeah, AND when he was in the big leagues and had walk rates of 4.8 and 5.6 when he was 22 and 23...the same age Peralta is right now. And I think your last line contradicts your argument that his "ceiling," is a #2/#3. If his stuff is good enough to be an ace, that's his ceiling. I'm also curious why he's a "long shot to harness his mechanics?" The word ace is thrown around too much, but the Brewers have a couple guys in the minor league system with the CEILINGS of a #1 or #2. Unlikely we'll ever see it as with most pitchers. I don't believe in 3-4 years well see Peralta and Nelson leading a 96 win team, but they certainly have that upside. To be able to throw a 98 MPH pitch by you, get ground balls, and then have a put away pitch like a slider makes you a potential ace.

Not on the 40-man roster, so September would be the absolute earliest, when rosters expand, since he'll need to be added this offseason. I doubt if the Brewers are contending for a playoff spot and they think Nelson could provide a big lift out of the pen that they couldn't find a spot on the 40 man for him. Rogers might end up on the 60 man the longer this goes, Lalli could lose his 40 man spot, etc..etc... Obvious options if Nelson is that overwhelming that he could give the Brewers a big boost the last 2 months of the season.