DHonks

+1 And Wily Peralta won't complain. this isn't the MILB phantom injuries. An MLB player is supposed to have an injury. It's supposed to be legit. And why won't he complain?

Does 4 games out of the wild card and being a competent pitching staff away from being decent justify holding him down? I know how the system operates, but it just plain irritates me when teams (like the TWINS) deliberately hold guys down to prevent the clock from starting. Play the kid if he's ready to go. Yikes, I hope you're not suggesting bringing him up to chase a wild card... Hader hasn't even made it to triple a yet, settle down.. We don't need to rush guys up here wait...chase a wild card? Do you realize that the wild card gets a team in the playoffs? I'm not sure you do. Think Cardinals 2011, or any number of teams. I don't care one bit about winning a division. I want to be in the playoffs. Teams can't win a World Series unless they're in the playoffs. I will chase division titles and Wild Cards every opportunity I get, because that's how a team can win a World Series. Do I want Hader in the rotation now? No. Do I want him in the bullpen? No. But come August 1st (or barring injuries), I may.

Because it doesn't make sense to modify the development plan for Hader by bringing him up to help a bullpen that doesn't need help, in a losing season, and start his clock for no good reason. sometimes I wonder if Randy Johnson would have been as amazing if people had decided he needed to wait in the minors until he learned control, or to avoid starting his arbitration clock.

We know it's not pot. Even if it were, that could land him a lifetime ban in the minors. Good luck to this kid.

How much do you want to bet? Do you have Stearns' number? And does he have to retire before he will tell us what he would have done? Only downside to taking Joc straight up is the fact you would be putting all of your eggs in one basket. Not the most common occurrence in trades. So we might have to call it Braun for Joc + Lottery Tickets. No I don't, but I assume neither do you. I would never trade Braun--a top 10 OF--for that little. We have very different views...that's abundantly clear. I view us as being surprisingly competitive now, you have said not for at least 3 years. You think a talented CF prospect is worth an affordable bona-fide MLB superstar with an affordable contract, I think that's disappointing as that's what JJ Hardy netted us. My Braun asking price is the Gomez-to-Astros package + another stud prospect. If they want any cash, then add another prospect. I see Braun as our starting LF on our next playoff team, out-performing his salary, unless someone blows away our GM with a Herschel Walker trade.

How much do you want to bet?

I've wanted to see Wily in the bullpen for a couple years. Not long term, but to learn how to finally attack hitters and finish them. Use his fastballs to attack, and finally turn his slider into a strikeout pitch. This is how the Cardinals seem to find many of their starters.

Yes. I love acquiring affordable young hard-throwing lefties that were considered future aces until experiencing elbow problems. His elbow issues are behind him. He should get better as the year goes on. He should be on path to dominate next year. I don't think he'd be with us in 2020 on a new contract, but I could see us swapping him for a boatload of talent in 2018 or 19. He'd be just a piece...Braun currently would need several other prospects

Teams rarely claim players optioned with 3+ years in MLB. It's sort of a gentlemen's agreement

MrTPlush, as usual we disagree. What human being doesn't care about their legacy? Ryan Braun has always come across as a genuine individual. He's done one thing wrong in his entire career. Yo and KRod did far worse, and yet Braun is the pariah? Braun has been a hard worker. I think the Brewers love having Braun's work ethic, production, and desire to win in their lineup. I've been told he's not a vocal leader--never has been--but that doesn't mean he doesn't care. He's had a great career. His best seasons have been after the 1 failed test.

Kino field is far superior to High Corbett, and it has great practice facilities. I'd consider it. I also would rather more to North Scottsdale or the Deer Valley area of North Phoenix for spring training, but could accept Tucson. I just wouldn't go to any spring training games in Tucson.

One target I'd love to have if it could be creative would be Matt Moore. We obviously wouldn't trade with the Rays, as they have no interest in Braun, but perhaps our trade target could meet the needs of the Rays, allowing us to acquire Moore. Given past success and affordable contract with team control (through as long as 2019), I'd love to acquire him. If we're not contending in 2018, he could be the top lefty on the market

To me, we can't trade Braun for 1 or 2 guys. Braun is part of the present and future. If a team wants him, the bidding starts with what we got for Gomez, and should go much higher. I have no problem sending along some money if it adds a 5th or 6th stud prospect. But I also like the idea of an all-star LF that doesn't need development time for when our team is ready to contend again. Braun is close to a sure-thing. Prospects are not.

I don't agree with Mr. Allen. I'm generally not a fan of wasting valuable resources by paying Braun to be an all-star for another team. What's the opportunity cost of trading away Braun with cash? I only trade some cash if it's getting us a 5th/6th stud prospect. What hitters of his caliber have been traded? Ken Griffey, Jr., Miguel Cabrera, Gary Sheffield, mike Piazza, ARod?

Critical or not it is the same outcome. No one is going to want a crippled Braun who cannot stay on the field. Not all of his missed time is due to his back. There are many more reasons he is missing time. Except for all the teams listed in the MLB Trade Rumors article. Someone will trade for him. It's simply a matter of how much they are willing to give up in order to get a guy with his injury history. how are minor, nagging injuries that every player faces the same as repeatedly declaring him crippled? He's come off of complex injuries that required procedures. He is not a cripple. He's a normal ball-player that is in his 30s, only he's a hell of a lot better than most.

I think some people are overly critical. Braun should be a 120-130 game player this year, which is damn good coming off major back surgery. Why are they complaining about this?

Hasn't Cappy been throwing pretty well? For a long man, he's been coming in, limiting the damage, and racking up the K's. I thought he had a couple bad outings early that skewed things, but then our entire team was bad early on

I wanted to punch my car-radio tonight when I heard Jim Powell and Don Sutton pondering who would take on Ryan Braun with his massive contract and his baggage. I know Jim Powell gets on his high pedestal, but I thought that was foolish of him. As we've stated, Braun is a bargain

1. Who the heck said Villar was one of the top SS in the game? His stats are solid, but not great. I also don't think his defense is anything other than average. If you take into account his near .400 BABIP I am not surprised by what he has done so far one bit. 2. Jean Segura's trade value was that of a worthless player at the time we traded him. Also his production on the field when we trade him was pretty horrendous. When you account for taking on Aaron Hill's salary and then trading a prospect back to them what exactly did Segura net? Anderson? 1. Villar has been one of the best SS in the game in 2016. You said you expected this performance, as it's similar to his 2015 performance. While it likely won't continue this well, he's ranking: 7th in AVG 4th in OBP 14th in SLG 7th in OPS 1st in SB (and CS) 3rd in 2b So thus far he's been clearly a top 7 SS thus far, and likely a top 5 depending. He's been a revelation given that we're accustomed to low-OBP guys that swing at everything. 2. Why was Seggy's trade value so low in your mind? He played solid-to-very good defense, was young enough to potentially improve, and has shown stolen base instincts. His OBP and SLG were weak, but we knew a team in need of affordable middle infield help and speed could see him as an upgrade. Hill was a salary throw-in, but he's been outperforming expectations (especially mine, as I expected him to never suit up for the team), Diaz is a legit low-level prospect, and Anderson has probably been performing to expectations (outside of an initial rough first few starts) as an affordable 4th/5th starter on a non-contending team. I miss Tyler Wagner, but he wasn't a highly-thought of prospect and he allowed us to upgrade our roster both now and--hopefully--in the future.

A couple of things here...first of all, you expected Villar to be one of the top shortstops in all of baseball? I expected him to be a fringe utility/AAAA type with decent defense and OBP skills. This has to be the trade of the off-season thus far! Also, how can you call Segura worthless and Diaz good? That's hilarious...one's in A-ball and may never see AA. The other has been an MLB contributor, even if below league average, for several seasons now. At this point Diaz is unlikely to ever be as good as Segura. However, we're all enamored with the skills and hope that he not only pans out, but becomes a star.

Kodi had made some progress in previous starts. But I could see a brief tuneup in Extended Spring training with coaches watching.

The Atlanta one was shocking, but it made sense from the Braves' standpoint. Turner Field--while free to the team--was value engineered as the Olympic Stadium, then retrofitted for baseball. It did not have the same intended life as a normal park. They Braves were never able to get the city's approval for an entertainment district on nearby vacant land like they desired. Cobb County's plan was built around that feature. Plus the Braves' heat map of ticket sales shows that Cobb County is in the heart of where their tickets are sold.

on a side note, my golf team competed against the Texas school that was the previous record-holder for most expensive high school sports stadium. It was funny, as the coach complained a bit about how all they got out of the stadium was an underground room with a golf simulator for team meetings and practices. After he was done, I pointed out that in my district we have 5 high schools and the only financial support we get is our coaching salaries. We have to raise everything else on our own.

I don't get irked at all. It's the Economics of sports. People get up in arms when cities, states, and the Federal Government help fund (or give tax-deals to) construction projects for museums or businesses. People get angry enough when government spends money on highway beautification (in Arizona I hear lots of people complain about the art along the highways), sculpture parks, or giant blue shirts. One thing I do like with this is that Arlington is looking to the future. Instead of waiting until the park is crumbling, they're thinking of the future. What I don't like is that it sure seems wasteful. Plus it makes me feel old, as I remember this park opening.

Based on what exactly? The success we had with Braun and because Weeks had a high floor? Oops, my mistake. I meant HS hitters than college, followed by pitchers. My reason is that I feel like the floor for a hitter is higher. I feel like if a hitter does well in the minors, he can always be swapped for pitching. I also like the typical approach of the Brewers over the last decade to load up on pitching in rounds 3-10. On a side note, is Jimmy Nelson the best pitcher the Brewers have developed? Sheets was great out of college. Gallardo always was effective. I don't remember a pitcher ever having the Nelson track where we were mostly disappointed with his early performance and wrote him off, then to have him become a stud.