bklynbrewcrew

Looper won 14 games. That might make Melvin keep him even though it makes no sense whatsoever.

This proves that Melvin should have spoke to the Tigers. We very well may have been able to get Jackson for Hardy and that would have been a good deal for us.

I realize pitching is the biggest need by far but is anyone other than me worried about the offense. Escobar, Gomez, and possibly Kendall means far less runs. If you also assume that McGehee is the starting third baseman instead of Gamel and the huge question mark that Corey Hart has become and I could easily see this team having an average at best NL lineup instead of top 3 like we were last year.

Harang doesnt throw hard but he does miss bats. The guy does strike out a good amount of hitters which is exactly what we need. Washburn and Davis are better versions of Suppan and Looper which is not good enough for us to contend especially since our offense looks to be much weaker than it was before.

Davis and Washburn equals the Brewers not contending once again next year. If these are the best pitchers the Brewers will add to the rotation we will be worse than last year due to the fact that the lineup as of today looks appreciably weaker. I would really hope that the plans for the offseason were not to use the Cameron money for Davis and Washburn.

Give me Blanco and one of the kids. I want no part of Kendall.

I would make that trade and I agree with Nate about the possibility of Hart being non tendered.

I would far rather have Harang than Gomez. As of this moment Gomez isnt even a major league offensive player while Harang is a quality innings eater.

That was a fantastic interview. Spivey really seems like a great guy.

Just to make matters worse I was told that Melvin was offered Harang for Hardy but didnt want to trade JJ within the division.

Bobby Valentine would have been the perfect manager for this team. He is a great in game manager and loves young players. Hopefully he doesnt get the job in Washington so we can have another shot at him when Macha gets caught in another "zim zam" and cant find his way out.

Sounds to me like another potential "zim zam" for Macha.

This organization cannot afford to empty out the system once again for a rental even if its someone as good as Halladay. I would hate to put everything into a playoff run in 2010 and leave the following few years without any chance of winning.

I expect Melvin to sign at least one of Davis and Washburn and if that happens color me unimpressed. Ive had enough with a staff full of soft tossers with no upside but that is what Melvin likes and thats what I expect. After this first move of the offseason I am really frightened by what is coming next.

I havent checked the list of available free agents but I doubt that Hart is worth 5 mil or so to us. Free agents like Abreu and Dunn were way undervalued last offseason and we may be able to upgrade from Hart for 5 mil or so. Corey has become a very average outfielder and Im not sure we should spend good money on him.

I could even see Hart being non tendered at this point. After this Hardy trade we may really need to face the possible reality that we will need to completely rebuild again.

Gamel has far more upside than Happ but I would happily trade McGehee for him.

The reason why I say this kills our offense is very simple. By replacing Hardy and cameron with Escobar and Gomez we have given up a ton of slugging as well as the ability to get on base. Im sorry I cant get excited about a CF who gets on base around a .300 clip and a shortstop who very well may do the same. Gomez and Escobar both have very little power as well so the fact is we are a far weaker offense today than we were before this deal was made. With the dearth of quality shortstops out there I find it hard to believe that the best we could do is a player that has no power or no ability to get on base. Yes speed is nice and I do appreciate that Gomez plays a quality CF but the fact remains that he has yet to show any ability whatsoever to draw walks and have an OBP high enough to offset his lack of power. I realize that Hardy had a bad year last year but he has proven over the previous two seasons that he is a quality offensive player at a premium position. Gomez has yet to prove in any way that he is even a decent offensive player. Its November 6th that this trade was made and its as if Melvin had to move JJ immediately. We are desperate for starting pitching and Melvin just traded a good asset for a player that as of now is not a major league quality hitter. Maybe Gomez will prove me wrong and learn to walk and hit for a high average but he has not shown this ability in the major leagues or minors for that matter. Physical tools are great and all but give me a player that has a solid minor league resume at the very least for a player in Hardy that is young and is one year removed from having an all star season. This trade is the very definition of selling low.

This is easily Melvins worst trade as Brewers GM. In one trade he has turned the teams biggest strength (offense) into a major question mark at best.

The Brewers must have really soured on Lorenzo Cain if they think Gomez is the CF of the future.

Maybe we now sign Lackey to a huge deal but even that is a major risk considering Lackey has had arm problems and has tons of tread on the tires. I thought Melvin was supposed to be a statistical GM. There is nothing in Gomez' career numbers to suggest he will be even avaerage offensively.

Bruce, Gomez has not shown any ability to hit major league pitching whatsoever and he rarely walks as well. Its nice that he plays great defense but adding him to the bottom of the lineup with Escobar, most likely Kendall and the pitchers spot means we will most likely have an awful lineup once you get past the 5 hole. Is it possible that Gomez gets better; yes it is but banking on a player that has never hit well wo do just that is not a formula for success. How many runs have we lost replacing Hardy and Cameron with Gomez and Escobar. I think we have just turned an above average NL offense into a pedestrian one and without top notch pitching we are now a bad team.

When we supplement this move with Davis and Washburn we will really be a bad team.

Our ability to score runs has just taken a huge hit. As of now we have no pitching and a very top heavy offense. Overpaying for free agent picthing which is what Melvin is almost certain to do rarely works out. Melvin was solid for awhile but I think we are in big trouble right now. Obviously its too early to know what the rest of the offseason will hold for us but right now I am extremely underwhelmed.

I fully expect Kendall to be back and I doubt they get anyone better than Hart. The ramifications of this trade are far reaching. Once we trade Gamel we will have most likely cemented ourselves with a bad lineup. With the lack of good shortstops out there I am shocked that the bets Melvin thought he could do was a player without power or OBP ability. Speed is worthless when you have trouble reaching base and have a manager that doesnt want to run. Yes the defense is a plus but at what cost to our lineup?