superfly

Is it a crime to get Archer and Cobb both? I wouldnt let the tampa GM off the phone at this point with how he's wheelin and dealin.

There isn't a ton to like about this season, but i'll say one thing. I have a huge man crush on Brad Davison. In three years he will rival Koenig in fans hearts IMO.

To be fair, HH19 does sometimes express opinion, and I suspect that's what this is. This deal makes it harder for the Jays to stay in the race so, if that's true, the Jays may be more willing to sell at the deadline. Did he happen to remember the New York Yankees play in the AL East?

If we sign Cobb drop the hammer and get another big pitcher selling high on Burnes and/or Santana or Phillips/Harrison. No need to go waist high in the cold water and stop, go all the way.

The difference is we do *one hundred and sixty two* games, half of the year. I like acting like a vegetable as much as anyone on the couch but at some point things have to get done. People don't have time to sit 3 hours a day watching these guys stand around and occasionally run to a fly ball like we used to, so anything to shorten the game helps. IMO Granted, that's not taking into account the radio broadcasts which are quite useful in passing time at work and all, but still.

Only way this could be better is to cut it to zero. This whole farce of "gotta go out to the mound" is one of the worst things about baseball, right behind restrapping the gloves after every pitch. Applause to MLB

Hold on while I get my hat out. http://i66.tinypic.com/qxrtz6.jpg

Gatewood might even be a big give considering what they asked for Odorizzi.

Yes, because guys in their 30s never have good years or perform above expectations. Some teams have gotten lots of mileage out of guys in their 30s. Pudge was very good. David Ortiz was written off as “done” several times. Jamie Moyer was—at best— a halfway decent player until his 30s. Luck likely has several solid years left in him, and playing part-time may allow him to thrive. Didn’t we have a good run with washed up catchers in the 90s? Joe Oliver, Brian Harper. Anyone else? Rick Dempsey in 1991. Dave Valle in 1994. They seemed to cycle through a lot of catchers during those Surhoff/Nilsson years. More recently, Jason Kendall, Damian Miller, Eddie Perez and Greg Zaun all fall into that category. Sigh...Gregg Zaun.

-Russell Martin caught 80 games a season ago, is terrible and will be 35. -Joe Mauer? That’s your comp? He’s not a catcher. Lol next. -Grandal? Sign me up! If Luc could be had for cheap for two seasons it’s a no brained because Vogt is a turd defensively. Is Lucroy an ex-Brewer? Yeah I think we all know and have established that but for some that has no effect on why I’d like to see us add Luc. Generalizing people is not a great idea. Oh and of course we need more pitching but we can still upgrade other parts of our team. When the catchers spot becomes a second pitcher hitting by June or it’s a merry go round out there because Vogt bounces every throw, we can revisit this. You made my point. All three are turds, just like Lucroy is. And Mauer was signed as an overpaid Catcher that got shoved to 1B. Lucroy will end up at 1B too.

Suter/Wilkerson/Guerra combined are about 25% of what Odorizzi costs. That's a #5 and two filler arms. Gallardo pushes it to a bit over 50%, but if he emerges as a veteran middle/long relief option (or even a 7th/8th inning option), he's worth every penny. You get what you pay for. Gallardo was one of the worst SP in the league, Guerra was horrific, Wilkerson has no experience and IMO meh, and Suter is a long man. Odorizzi is no stud but he's at least a "starting pitcher" in the majors.

I really feel like there's a TON of "good old gang back together" vibe going on with Lucroy. If his name was somebody else like Russell Martin, Joe Mauer, Yasmani Grandal (similar production guys) I would venture a guess there would be much more lukewarm opinions on the subject. Everyone's entitled to their opinion but IMO paying anything north of 2 mil/yr for Lucroy at this point is a dumb financial decision...PITCHING, PITCHING, PITCHING. I'd rather overpay pitching help with that extra 2-4 million per.

Is this the Padres of a couple years ago all over again?

Jeremy Hellickson has not aged very well for a changeup pitcher, and has struggled to come back from his injury in 2014; 2016 was decent, but 2015 and 2017... not so much. And he's only a year older than Cobb. I'm more concerned about Cobb's inability to stay healthy enough to start 30 games in a season during his physical prime than his pitch types, particularly on a 4-year deal. I'd be OK with Cobb on a 2-year deal, but a four year deal no way. For every Hellickson, there's a Hendricks or an Estrada or a Chase Anderson. There's one guy in the majors who's had success late in his career throwing a fastball as much as Lynn...and that's Bartolo Colon. From 2012 to 2017, the pitchers who threw 70% or more fastballs as a SP include Colon, Lynn, Masterson, Zach McCallister, Jarred Cosart, Juan Nicasio, Tyler Chatwood. Lynn and Colon are the only guys that are any good. Pitching that way simply isn't sustainable. That pitching style is not sustainable, while plenty of guys with great changeups pitch well into their mid 30s. I'm convinced that Bartolo Colon is going to pitch into his 50's. Guy is unreal

If Colorado wants nothing to do with him, I want him nowhere near here. They have Chris freakin ianetta and two guys I've never heard of behind him.

Finallyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy a well played game. Thank the good lord.

Fold up shop for 3-4 years, that's when the so called "Cubs window" that really isn't a window will close.

This is the same as if the Bucks traded for Darko Millicic. Irrelevant signing.

Cain's no trade disappears as the contract goes on AFAIK. I really don't see how we gave up "everyone" either. We traded a flier OF with huge upside/huge bust risk, another OF with huge upside/huge bust risk (and neither fit the Stearns mold for hitting), a 2B who is also high risk/high bust risk with the bat (and doesn't fit the Stearns mold for hitting), and threw a pitcher in there for kicks. All for 4-5 years of a blossoming OF who instantly became the best position player on the entire team. That's giving up the farm? I trust we didn't sign Cain to just sit on our hands. There wouldn't have been a point to creating a logjam in the OF if there wasn't a path out of it. David Stearns isn't Brian Cashman of 5-10 years ago just signing people because "he can" or that Padres GM that wheeled and dealed just because it felt good. He'll sign someone(s) and/or trade for one.

This is absolutely insane.

Welcome back Brandon Jennings. Lol

Arrieta didn't come out of nowhere. When he left the AL East (pssst...Archer) in 2013 his numbers dropped drastically and have been either good or great since. He was good for 1.5 years before he went total ham. Signing him is not my #1 priority unless we go and get Archer or a guy like Clevenger to complement him. It doesn't make sense otherwise. But if we're going "all in" and "win now" as some say we are, my preference is to go in all the way and sign him. Arrieta/Archer/Nelson/Anderson/Davies/Burnes(Woodruff) has us contending for titles, not Wild Card banners. If we don't go that route I agree, absolutely no Arrieta.

"Red flags" is really getting overblown IMO. Did anybody happen to watch him pitch in the postseason the past couple years or were we all too busy admiring our wild card banner in the outfield? Sure, there is risk involved at the back end of the contract, as there is with almost anybody we'd sign over 27-28 years old. Arrieta's "down" season last year was nearly as good as any season Nelson has had in the majors, if not as good. I think there needs to be a bit of perspective as to what we're signing sometimes. Who was the last pitcher Milwaukee had that was even comperable to what Arrieta has accomplished in his career? Gallardo wasn't. Sheets? Even he might be suspect. And that was a decade ago. We haven't had a guy like Arrieta as far back as I can remember, and i'm almost 30 years old. Is it too much to hand out a 5/100 or 6/120 type of contract to Jake Arrieta? It sounds like a ton of payroll, but no, no it really is not. That is what the going market rate is. A healthy Nelson would probably command a large deal too if he were a FA. Would I rather have ponied up 6/140 to try and get Darvish instead? Maybe. But on the other hand the intangibles that Arrieta brings far outweigh the diva mentality Darvish can have. Can anybody place a monetary value on hard work, being a great teammate, and work ethic? That's the main question that needs to be answered at this point with Jake as to whether it's too much money or not. Everybody seems to be all gung ho about great DJ is at tweaking pitchers that come here, why wouldn't he find something to tweak Arrieta as well?

Why? I like the last image I have of him just the way it is...the 150 pitch no hitter.

Seriously, why is it you have to stoop to this level every chance you get. Says a lot about your ability to defend your position when this is all you have. So if someone has a differing opinion they are depressed? Stellar logic there. Fact is, the Cubs were better and just took another pretty big step forward. Saying "yeah, but we have Brent Suter" isn't going to cut it. Make that argument on a neutral board and see how quickly you get blown up. Lol this is all I have? Come on man. Step away from the keyboard every once in awhile. You go one minute from saying that Darvish isn’t realistic for the Brewers and that he will never go there, to jumping off the deep end that he signed with the Cubs. The Brewers will continue on with their plan and not get themselves into financial messes. We all know what we sign up for being a Brewers fan. It includes realizing the downfalls of being in a small market. Just fuels the fire to try to knock off the Cubbies just that much more. Lovable losers, no more. Like I said in a different post, the Brewers are a better team today than they were a year ago and definitely two years ago. If anybody's a bunch of lovable losers with the Cubs off the table it's the Brewers. We're upon the 50th anniversary ourselves of inception and how many World Series titles hang in our rafters? Slightly less than the amount of division titles hanging in the rafters. Sooner or later you gotta pony up. Arrieta wasn't my first choice and carries risk, but you ain't winning if you ain't trying.