Warning Track Power

Typical Yankee garbage...while the Weeks connection may be true, this article loses credibility to me when it mentions Aramis Ramirez. Who plays 3B if Ramirez is dealt?

If he pitches like he did in 2008-2012 why would he sign for only $13m per. Let's assume Yo pitches like he did from 2008 - 2012 in 2014 & 2015. He would have a similar line to 2008-2012: 3.63 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 9.3 K/9 & 112 ERA+ Garza's previous 4 seasons before signing his 4 year $52 million ($13AAV) at 30 : 3.71 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 7.9 K/9 & 107 ERA+ Yo also becomes a FA at 30. Add the QO to Yo and I have to imagine Yo may go through what Jimenez and Santana went through which may open him to an extension at ~$13 million AAV. I don't see the problem with extending him if he shows he is still the pitcher he was prior to the first half of 2013 in 2014.

We seem to have a consensus on no...however if he pitches like the Yo of 2008 - 2012 in 2014, doesn't that make him worth extending? I think TC07 is the only who addressed this by saying he would rather get rid of a player too early than too late. Extending Yo at $13m for 3 or 4 seasons, provided he shows in 2014 and 2015, that the first part of 2013 was an aberration, doesn't seem at all to be a bad move to me especially considering the lack of stud arms in the Brewers system. What am I missing?

While trying to determine who the real Yovani Gallardo is right now, the 2008 -2012 version or the 2013 version, I got to thinking if the Brewers could extend him right now, would they and should they. My thinking about this is that the best and cheapest time to extend Yo would be this year prior to him pitching like he did in the 2008-2012 seasons. Of course there is the risk that comes along with that. Yo may end up being the pitcher he was for his first 19 starts in 2013 (4.85 ERA, 1.46 WHIP) or he may end up being the pitcher he was in his final 12 starts (3.21 ERA with a 1.22 WHIP). Yo is currently signed for this season for $11.25 million with a team option for next season at $13 million, so 2 years $24.25 million. He would hit FA right before his age 30 season. I doubt he would take less than the $13 million he would make in 2015, so the real question is would you extend Gallardo at the Garza contract AAV of $13 million per year at 4 years $52 million or 3 year $39 million? I know his peripheral stats show his declining fastball speed and inability to consistently get his curve over for a strike and that is a substantial risk for the Brewers to make an investment if this proves true moving forward. However, could it have been his WBC participation, his mother dying and his drunken driving arrest early in the season that weighed on him and caused this blip? I don't know. Keeping in mind that after 2015 Lohse, Weeks, Ramirez salaries are all off of the books and the Brewers don't have that Gerrit Cole-type prospect coming, I might be inclined to entertain a contract like this for Yo. Garza, Nelson, Thornburg are the only ones who are currently in the system that look like solid candidates for the rotation post-2015, with Hellweg, Jungmann and Bradley still possibilities. An extension would never be cheaper than today. I don't know what the answer is but it's worth discussing.

What about Scott Van Slyke of the Dodgers? he has always hit in the minors but has never really been given a shot at the MLB level. http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=vansly001sco With the Dodgers having concerns about Alex Guerrero's ability to play 2B, they are considering starting Dee Gordon at 2B. Maybe we can get them interested in Rickie (even though I prefer to keep him) if Van Slyke can play 1B long term.

This is why I wish the Brewers would think out of the box and deal Aramis now for a potential long term solution at 3B like Middlebrooks.

Check your PM Turbo...

Gotta say...I am glad "T Plush" is gone. I like characters in baseball but it felt very forced at times and that was two and half years ago.

Amen. I know Weeks has struggled for 1 1/2 of the past two seasons but if this were the return, I would rather play Rickie and see if he can recapture any of his previous abilities.

As I mentioned previously, given the scarcity of quality SS in not only our system, but MLB in general, I would extend Segura at the Simmons level. Nothing about his past performances makes me believe he is closer to the 2013 post-All Star Game Segura (.241/.268/.315 1 HR 13 RBI 17 SB) than the pre-All Star Game (.325/.363/.487 11 HR 36 RBI 27 SB). In MiLB, Segura slashed a .313/.367/.439. Even if Segura is only the sum of the two halves, i.e. his final 2013 numbers, than the Brewers should be praying Segura takes their extension offer. Solid D, speed and a hard worker at a difficult position to fill? Oh and let's not forget he still has the potential to be an outstanding bat. These are the risks that a small market team like the Brewers have to take in my opinion. Extend Segura today.

Absolutely fantastic post Stache. Yount is and always will be the Milwaukee Brewers. Great person too. While I am among those to believe that Molitor was the best hitter in Brewers history, Yount has no comparison in terms of overall player. Thanks for posting this.

Looking at the projections of a just a few sites and we see the following projections: ESPN: .273/.347/.503 30 HR 98 RBI MLB: .293/.358/.509 27 HR 92 RBI ZIPS: .300/.367/.540 33 HR 116 RBI 162G AVG: .312/.374/.564 36 HR 117 RBI I am sure there are a ton of other projections out there but I just grabbed the low hanging fruit. I think we all recognize that for the Brewers to have a shot of contending in 2014, we need Ryan Braun to be close to the Ryan Braun he was prior to the suspension. If I were to say which projection I think is closest, I think I would go with MLB. I am guessing his 2014 is similar to what his 2010 season was .304/.365/.501 25 HR 103 RBI. I think he will still be the hitter for average he was before, but I think his HR numbers sag. I expect his power to trend a little downward from the 33 & 41 he put up in 2011 & 2012 to somewhere between 25 - 30. I think his RBI total will continue to be high given the opportunities to drive in whoever is in the #1 and #2 spots be it Segura/Gomez/Scooter/Weeks. What are your expectations?

Exactly TLB. Which is why I am a little nervous about 2014 when so much is riding on the development of players like Davis & Scooter, whom the scouts have never raved about.

I see a lot of talk about this guy, and he sure appears to have a lot of fans on this site, but I see no reason to be all excited about him... Like Gamel, he has a lot of hype, but never seems to be able to get things together. I hope I am wrong, but I have no faith that he will be of any help to this team ever again. I agree Turbo. I like Taylor Green a lot and HOPE he could become a true super utility at 1B, 3B & 2B. Hoping isn't reality though and Green is already in his age 27 season with a whopping 154 MLB PAs to his name. While he certainly has put up the statistics in MiLB, I just have no reason to believe at this time that he will be a significant part of our team. I hope I am wrong though as he may be a better long term option at 2B than Scooter.

If Cruz has a good 2014, the Orioles can give him the qualifying offer again. If he accepts the offer, they get him for another season for roughly $15 million - making it a two year $23 million deal. If he rejects the offer, the Orioles get a comp pick - better than this year's 2nd round pick. If Cruz has a poor or mediocre 2014, they can cut ties. It's a risk for Baltimore, but there's an okay chance they get back the draft pick - or get Cruz for another year. Is the bolded part true? If so, then I can see bringing Cruz in for one year with the cost of a 2nd round pick as they get Cruz at a discount and possibly get a better pick next year if he rejects the QO. If it isn't true, then the Orioles wasted a high pick on a guy they have for one season. If I am an Oriole fan and I am willing to sign an FA with a QO, I want it to be a guy who could possibly provide value for 3 - 4 years, not 1 year. I would have preferred Morales or Santana on a multiple year deal than Cruz on a 1 year deal.

Is it just me or does this move seem incredibly shortsighted on the Oriole's part? Giving up a second round pick for one year of Cruz seems stupid to me.

Exactly...nice professionalism shown by Montero. Your job from October to February is to work out and stay in shape. How hard is that? Sorry I have no sympathy for athletes that get paid ridiculously high salaries and pull this kind of thing, especially given his suspension. Imagine the venom we would have for Ryan Braun if he had shown up 40 pounds overweight yesterday.

This is one of the reasons why I would absolutely be out there engaging other clubs on trades if that deal could net you a potential long term solution at 3B. If Stephen Drew re-signs in Boston, is Will Middlebrooks available? Nick Franklin and Brad Miller are apparently available in Seattle...can either of them play 3B? Is Nick Delmonico a legitimate long term solution at 3B after Aramis leaves? To me, even if the deal had to include Aramis, I would be willing to get younger at the position as I feel he is close to breaking down for good. While not necessarily punting on 2014, an Aramis deal that would net us a potential long term solution at 3B is the kind of forward thinking I would like the Brewers FO to consider.

I think Lucroy would do just fine in the cleanup spot. While not necessarily bringing the 30 HR potential, Lucroy at cleanup would bring almost exactly what Ramirez can bring at this stage of their careers .285 20-25 HR. The only issue is when Ramirez is hurt or needs a day. That backup 3B (Bianchi, Green, ?) should move to #8 and it really shortens the lineup.

While I don't agree with everything Stache wrote here, I have to say that I am leaning towards doing an extension with Segura immediately for the exact reason highlighted. If we are to assume that Segura isn't the first half or the second half, but rather is the sum of his 2013 season, he would be worth a Simmons-extension immediately. I believe that he is the .290/.330/.420 player he slashed last season, with 10-15 HR, 40+ SB potential annually. If he is that player and playing the position he plays, that extension should be doable for the Brewers now. However, adding in the D, which I also believe is where Segura's true value will come this season and next, and the Brewers may end up having to either pay the Elvis Andrus contract (8 years $118 million) or trading Segura near the end of arbitration. Interesting to note that Baseball Reference has Andrelton Simmons as Jean Segura's #1 Similar Batter and that Segura's and Andrus' 162 Game Average while not identical, are quite similar: Segura: .287/.326/.403 10 HR 53 RBI 43 SB Andrus: .274/.339/.348 4 HR 56 RBI 35 SB

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article/mlb/move-to-first-base-a-career-reboot-for-jesus-montero?ymd=20140220&content_id=68008184&vkey=news_mlb So now the Mariners are moving Jesus Montero to 1B...That makes it Smoak/Hart/Morrison/Montero to play one position. Interesting.

Could be a good indicator of what Segura could cost in terms of a contract extension.

Yup...I have often wondered if the Brewers could have matched what Texas gave to Detroit, would they have?

I like Garza at 4 years $52 million ($13 AAV) immensely more than Bailey at 6 years $105 million ($17.5 AAV). I guess I will see four years from now if I feel the same way.

@Southpaw: I don't think anyone hates Bianchi. I very much like him as the utility guy. I think where people like me are getting frustrated is the fact that people seem to want to eat Weeks deal and outright release him when his production at worst has yet to be even approached by Bianchi. Cutting or trading Weeks to make room for Bianchi to be part of the RH platoon is a terrible decision.