SoCalBrewfan

The new white flag trade...

Antonelli is interesting, but I don't think he's a SS, is he? (Then again, neither is Betancourt.)

Fiers is older, but has pitched very well; he's one of those minor leaguers we tend to get attached to and root for as he has seemingly come from nowhere, but he'll need to prove himself at every step. He wasn't, for example, in the BA top 30, though that was before the Grienke and Marcum deals, and he might have cracked the top 30 after that. I think Gee is a decent comp, in the sense of a righty starter without flashy stuff but with good K rate and overall results. (When I see Gee, I want his first name to be "wendell," not based on your namesake Turk, but on the REM song.) Fiers has had a decent HR rate as well, but that might be a mirage as he's not an extreme groundball guy, and has played in places like Brevard. I think HRs are a potential issue for Gee? Some have compared him to Dave Bush, who was a serviceable pitcher for us for several years, but a higher-profile guy in the draft etc.

Hey, Turk, Thanks for visiting and being a friendly and thoughful visitor. A couple thoughts on your post: First, Melvin is notoriously hard to read in his public pronouncements, even deceptive maybe. That said, Gamel would be a big surprise as a PTBNL. He was basically only up to be a dh for the interleague games, and then I think they kept him in the hope that he could complement McGehee in a semi-platoon at 3b. But Gamel was moved off 3b to be a full-time 1b earlier, and hadn't played third all year, so that was more a roll of the dice than a carefully thought through plan. Supposedly he'll play 3b a bit more in AAA now, but he's really not a good fit there, and his throwing problems were never really resolved. Defensively he's a Brewer through and through... The widespread assumption here is that Gamel is part of the team's plans going forward, as a potential successor to Prince if/when he leaves this offseason, and the move to 1b in AAA was consistent with that assumption. I doubt that has changed, but again Melvin can surprise everyone. (This deal is a great example.) Second, we definitely shouldn't rule out the PTBNLs being decent prospects. In the Sabathia deal, the Indians had the choice between Taylor Green and Michael Brantley as the PTBNL, and some have felt that the latter was the best piece the Tribe got in that deal. (Some have debated Green v. Brantley ever since.) While this deal is not the same stature, I think it's similar in the sense that it came early in the trading season, and in both cases the team wanted some time to get a better look at the prospects. McClendon is a good guess as the guy Alderson mentioned, and he's not a bad pitcher...not a power reliever by any stretch, but a smart pitcher. Mitch Stetter is a serviceable lefty who is rehabbing in the AZL and has had some major league success.

We have one guy we're deciding on who has been in the big leagues, has been reasonably successful in the big leagues, he would have a role for us right away and we could decide on him shortly Leaving off Kintzler or Parra who are on the DL, that sounds to me like McClendon (which would make me a bit sad) or Herrera (which would make me less sad). Maybe the Mets are looking for a battle-tested second lefty in the pen? That's a role...Herrera throws with his left hand....career ERA under 4. C'mon, Mets, pull the trigger on Danny H. (I could also see the Brewers being ready to cut bait on Parra I suppose...)

Why tick off Boras by refusing to use Rodriguez as a closer if there is even the slightest chance they sign Fielder? Boras is his new agent, and wasn't around for his previous contract. It is very possible, even probable, that Boras would make more money if Rodriguez hits free agency this offseason. I think the risk of Rodriguez accepting arbitration is small for the same reason...Boras clients tend to end up on the open market so as to have maximum leverage. For Rodriguez, this might be his last chance to cash in and he'll be looking for the usual free-agent closer overpay. It's quite possible that everyone (team, agent, player) is already on the same page here, but they will not be broadcasting that. And of course things can change...

Much to my surprise, LAA is only a game out in the West and three or so out in the WC, so they won't be sellers, and they don't really need pitching as much as they could use a bat or two. (Or a catcher, though I don't know if Scoscia would ever sit Mathis, and while we're at it I don't know if they'd have the guts to bench Wells who is their next-worst hitter but leads the team in salary and is second in HR.) They have a healthy surplus of IF though, with Aybar, Izturis, and Callaspo for the left side...all of those guys have been regular players this year with over 300 PA so far, and any one of them would be a step up for us, but I think they like to have all of them in heavy rotation (plus Kendrick). For that matter, Andrew Romine is their AAA shortstop and would be better than what we have; not a great hitter but he gets on base and plays D, still only 23 or so. Hanley's contract is pretty epic, and I don't know what's up with him this year.

Yeah, the level of 'analysis' is somewhere between amusing and appalling. Brewers deal Jungmann and Thornburg for a new closer! Maybe you expect that from fans but the professionals ought to have a bit more of a clue. But this does upend the normal paradigm...the famous guy with the big contract closing in the big city is just not as good as the guy making $442K in Milwaukee. The Brewers add quality depth for close to free because New York can't afford the contract mistake they made and are desperate for salary relief.

I'd guess an OF from the Schafer / Haydel / KeDavis / Komatsu / Richardson group and a RHP like Miller / Ross / Siedel / Burgos.

So you realize what happened here, right? The Brewers added talent from a New York team, at very little cost, because the New York team couldn't handle the financials. If $5M is coming in, the Brewers are only on the hook for the option or buyout, and they are one of the few teams that can use K-Rod in the 7th with a straight face. It doesn't even add much to the bottom line for this year, and they should be able to take on more salary for an infielder. There is of course a risk, either that circumstances evolve that they end up vesting the option, or that they tick off the player by avoiding the option, but Roenicke probably has previous history with K-Rod from LAA, doesn't he? (Or do I have my timing wrong?) They have to have a pretty good hunch that they can keep him happy even as they manipulate his usage to avoid vesting that crazy option. They may have even preemptively talked to Boras, who knows? Now, a shortstop, please?

My buddy is at the Nashville vs Albuquerque game and Green is getting random high fives in the dugout. He did steal his first base of the year... Would be happy to see him in Milwaukee though.

I should promise never to think about these things before the draft. I was a Scott Moore guy. A Chris Nelson guy. Travis Snider or Hank Conger. If I start liking a guy, the Brewers Will Not draft him. (Mostly that seems to have been for the best...but I liked Tulo, for whatever that's worth.) Lawrie was the only exception that I can remember...but I've promised myself not to get too wrapped up in this, because it will not go the way I think it should. But now you guys get me all wrapped up all over again...dang it. Mumble grumble Lindor Baez Gray. Sigh.

but now, you can just go grab a Kotsay. That should be a euphemism for something unpleasant. Like after eating from this certain restaurant in Seattle; after about an hour I'd invariably need to go grab a Kotsay.

I looked at the line up and didn't want to complain (no idea why) It's called learned helplessness. Though I am pleased as punch at the results from Marcum thus far...Marcum himself could be batting second and I'd feel like we have a chance to win.

Is gameday accurate here? It reports that Carlos Gomez did not swing at a two-strike slider low and away, and indeed drew a walk. Somebody please fix my internet?

Somehow I thought Delwyn Young was not loved in our clubhouse: http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/51349487.html

I hope so, Invader. I truly do. (And I wasn't picking on you, just using your quote as the starting point for a mild Macha vent.) How they resolve the 1b / 3b / rf situation is the big test for the management team this offseason...I just can't shake the sense of foreboding I feel about the coming decision. It seems obvious that one or more bats will be dealt for arms, but the devil is in the details. But perhaps I'm still stung by the team shipping off Cirillo, Valentin, and Vina to solve another pitching problem, and ending up with the likes of Jamey Wright, John Snyder, and Jimmy Wayne Haynes.

I think that is what we get next season. Except that Gamel didn't make the most of his one start, and Macha always likes to say the players make out the lineup. So we won't see Gamel again for quite a while...

599 is JUST as impressive as 600 Well to paraphrase Nigel Tufnel.. 600, it's one louder, isn't it?

It's not just age relative to league, though that's obviously a huge, huge factor for prospects. The Pioneer League has also historically been a high-offense environment, so you need to discount the offense a bit...a college hitter thus has two caveats to be considered. Pitchers, on the other hand, often struggle there. Thus, for example, a 4.40 era by Odorizzi at age 19 was actually very promising, particularly with his peripherals. Will Inman in Helena was even better at the same age, suggesting that you might want to look at more than just stats for pitchers anyway.

So apparently the guy from the predraft workout showed up in Helena? Zowie.

Well, Axford was a Yankee farmhand and they dumped him, so if it helps you sleep better, just pretend we traded Romanski for Axford. (Though I've also wondered why Romanski was let go so quickly.)

There's Feliz, Wainwright, Odalis Perez fairly recently...that should be enough to show that the Braves will give up all-star grade pitching talent in the right deal. They traded Millwood when he was far from done, though that was partly financially motivated and he was obviously not a prospect at the time. Joey Devine (Kotsay deal) was really spectacular with the As for a season but then he got hurt. From the Hudson trade with Oakland, Dan Meyer also got hurt but eventually came back and pitched well in relief for Florida last year, and Juan Cruz (though not originally a Brave) has been pretty valuable too, though not for the team the Braves traded him to. Jeff Locke is a pretty decent LHP who just was promoted to AA with the Pirates after coming over in the Nate McLouth deal...though the other pitcher in that deal (Charlie Morton) has stunk after a reasonably promising season in '09. That said, trading for pitching prospects is inherently risky, whether you're trading with the Braves or anyone else. Like TLB, I don't like assuming that any team has a mystical ability to trade players at just the right time. Pitchers are just volatile, and sometimes the team that trades for a young pitcher gives up before he gets established (see de la Rosa as a good example).

If the brewers really think Nelson's upside is Jeff Suppan why would they take him in the 2nd round? A second round pick who would throw 2400 major league innings with an ERA+ of 97? I'd take it. Remember that Suppan was a better than average starter for a good number of years...most 2nd rounders are far less productive. Suppan himself was a 2nd round pick of course...he was easily the second best guy from that round that year (behind Rolen), and would have been in the top half of first rounders. A large fraction of 2nd rounders never even sniff the majors...

There's a changeup...caught me looking.