A Swing and A Drive

Braves emerging as dark horse to acquire Lucroy... C Jonathan Lucroy For LHP Kolby Allard 3B Austin Riley RHP Michael Soroka RHP Lucas Sims They have a ton of pitching prospects to choose from.

This is one of those trades that makes perfect sense for both clubs. Anderson Espinoza is only 18 and won't see the Majors for 3-5 years and likely won't make an impact for about 7. He has a high ceiling but not all highly regarded prospects pan out, so the Padres are taking a big risk with him but can afford to take it. Boston's prospects get over-hyped to some extent and they have spent a lot of money on international prospects, who typically have even lower floors than drafted prospects because many sign as 16 year old like Espinoza did. I wouldn't doubt that the Red Sox had their signs on trading for someone like Sonny Gray, but given his struggles and Pomeranz sudden emergence as an all-star caliber pitcher, I think their value is closer to equal now. Unlike someone like Junior Guerra, who's success is more likely to be questioned, Drew Pomeranz was a top 5 draft pick (5th overall-2010) who always had the arm and ceiling of a #2 starter. I think that his success will be sustainable. The Red Sox obviously must agree. Having 2 1/2 years of control of a potential #2 starter is HUGE for a team like Boston, especially with the upcoming weak free agent market for Starting Pitchers. The market for All-Star catchers like Lucroy might not be as fruitful this trading season. I'm sure that this deal gives Brewer fans hope that the Red Sox could be willing to part with a prospect like 2B Yoan Moncada in a Lucroy deal, but I still think they is little to no chance of it happening. The Red Sox have invested much more in Moncada, as they gave him a $31.5 signing bonus, but had to pay a 100% tax on it, so they actually spent $63 to land him. Anderson Espinoza was given a $1.8 million signing bonus as a 16 year old. Huge difference.

I think you are overrating Will Smith's on field trade value. Additionally, I think you are VASTLY overrating Will Smith's Facebook(??!) and name fame value.

Which hypothetical return package do you like best for Jonathan Lucroy and why? Each package includes one position player and 2 pitchers. Package A- Dodgers RHP Brock Stewart http://www.milb.com/player/index.jsp?player_id=592779#/career/R/pitching/2016/ALL 1B Cody Bellinger http://www.milb.com/player/index.jsp?player_id=641355#/career/R/hitting/2016/ALL RHP Chase De Jong http://www.milb.com/player/index.jsp?player_id=641355#/career/R/hitting/2016/ALL Package B- Astros RHP Joe Musgrove http://www.milb.com/player/index.jsp?player_id=605397#/career/R/pitching/2016/ALL 3B J.D. Davis http://www.milb.com/player/index.jsp?player_id=605397#/career/R/pitching/2016/ALL RHP Albert Abreu http://www.milb.com/player/index.jsp?player_id=605397#/career/R/pitching/2016/ALL Package C- Indians RHP Triston McKenzie http://www.milb.com/player/index.jsp?sid=milb&player_id=663474#/career/R/pitching/2016/ALL 1B Bobby Bradley http://www.milb.com/player/index.jsp?sid=milb&player_id=663474#/career/R/pitching/2016/ALL LHP Juan Hillman http://www.milb.com/player/index.jsp?sid=milb&player_id=663474#/career/R/pitching/2016/ALL Package D- Rangers RHP Luis Ortiz http://www.milb.com/player/index.jsp?sid=milb&player_id=663474#/career/R/pitching/2016/ALL OF Leody Taveras http://www.milb.com/player/index.jsp?sid=milb&player_id=663474#/career/R/pitching/2016/ALL RHP Ariel Jurado http://www.milb.com/player/index.jsp?sid=milb&player_id=663474#/career/R/pitching/2016/ALL

When Braun signed his contract extension with the Brewers, he wasn't a husband or father yet, but he must have been comfortable enough with Milwaukee to consider it a future family home. Or perhaps he wanted to cash in his payday before he was caught as a juicer and Milwaukee was the only option. Too bad, so sad. But if the Dodgers (or any team) will take him and his contract, I say so long Ryan. Happy Trails.

I'd love to see a baseball documentary about the difficulties of raising a family as an MLB player. While no one will shed a tear because MLB players can take care of their family financially, it is certainly a difficult way of life to spent time of away from your very young children. Especially a first child, like Ryan's one-year old daughter. It very rarely causes players to walk away from the game, however. (especially players with fat contracts)

We have to remember that this is Sterns first Trading Deadline as a MLB GM. He's got a bevy of solid trade chips. The team is in obvious rebuilding mode. You've got to think he wants to make somewhat of a splash this month. There are reports that Lucroy may not be traded. I'd like to think Sterns is a smart enough baseball guy to realize how much value you lose if you wait until the offseason to move him. He should also take advantage of a hot market for relief pitchers. I think he will move about 3-4 more players from our MLB roster before the end of the month. To me the most logical trade partners for the Brewers seem to be the Rangers and the Dodgers, but I'm sure there will be a surprise team to emerge. Should be interesting.

I like the wishful thinking but I'm curious who you think will be the members of our 5 man starting rotation that is on the brink of leading us back to the playoffs next year?

If the Rangers offered a deep package without Mazara/Brinson/Gallo, would you turn it down if you were Brewers GM? What if the Rangers called and offered this for just Lucroy? RHP Luis Ortiz http://www.milb.com/player/index.jsp?player_id=656814#/career/R/pitching/2016/ALL OF Leody Tavares http://www.milb.com/player/index.jsp?sid=milb&player_id=665750#/career/R/hitting/2016/ALL RHP Ariel Jurado http://www.milb.com/player/index.jsp?sid=milb&player_id=642558#/career/R/pitching/2016/ALL LHP Yohander Mendez http://www.milb.com/player/index.jsp?sid=milb&player_id=622795#/career/R/pitching/2016/ALL RHP Pedro Payano http://www.milb.com/player/index.jsp?sid=milb&player_id=622797#/career/R/pitching/2016/ALL Would you take it?

I'm afraid the Rangers won't be trading Nomar Mazara anytime soon.

I was thinking about starting a thread entitled "Ed Sedar Sucks", because the solution to this problem is simple fundamentals. He is just terrible at being a base coach. If he was coaching 3rd for my softball team, I'd probably pull him from his duties after about 2 innings. There isn't much more that needs to be said, really. Carlos Gomez was an old dog who couldn't learn new tricks (i.e. fundamentals of baserunning), but there is still hope for our young pup Jonathan Villar! SOMEONE on Craig Counsel's coaching staff simply needs to explain to Villar why stealing 3rd with 2 outs is not smart baseball and why. While a player is developing in the minors, a coach should have addressed this issue by benching Villar each time he made the mistake and the problem would have corrected itself by now. Brewer fans are certainly very happy with Jonathan Villars overall play so far and no one is wanting to run him out of town on a rail. They just are frustrated with the lack of simple baseball fundamentals still apparent on the Brewers....that were lacking in a guy like Carlos Gomez, but are instilled in most little leaguers.

I actually felt we could have done a little bit better in a Hill trade. Oh well.

Starting to wonder if the Dodgers go ALL IN and acquire Lucroy and Braun in the same trade?????? Probably unlikely but they do have a need at both positions, IMO. Kershaw is having an MVP season and is in his prime. They have to take advantage of that. Once he and the rest of their rotation gets healthy (McCarthy, Ryu, Brett Anderson, etc), they probably feel like they can over take the division from the Giants, who are without Pence and have back-of-the-rotation issues themselves.

I like Buehler alone better than Verdugo, even factoring in Walkers TJ Surgery recovery. If we are including Jimmy Nelson in a trade, I'd like to get 3 arms back in the deal, rather than just one. I'm also really high on Brock Stewart, as a fresh arm with a #2-3 ceiling and nearly MLB ready. Another arm in their system that would be a nice add-in piece would be RHP Chase De Jong. http://www.milb.com/player/index.jsp?player_id=608328#/career/R/pitching/2016/ALL

I'm pretty certain the Dodgers value Alvarez much higher than De Leon as well and are not likely to trade him.

3 Brewers made the list FYI https://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=29756 7. Orlando Arcia, SS, Milwaukee Brewers Why He'll Succeed: The high-contact approach translates to a top-of-the-order bat to pair with good speed and exceptional defense. Why He Might Fail: If his aggressive approach is exploited by more advanced arms, it could culminate in a glove-dependent profile that doesn’t get on base enough to avoid the bottom third of an order. 45. Josh Hader, LHP, Milwaukee Brewers Why He'll Succeed: Hader has two pitches that can give big-league hitters fits: A mid-90s fastball that has plenty of life, and a slider that is a true swing-and-miss pitch with its tilt and depth. Why He Might Fail: The change is still in the developmental stages, the command and control both leave a lot to be desired, and his mechanics scare the heck out of many. 49. Brett Phillips, CF, Milwaukee Brewers Why He’ll Succeed: If gains in power and approach that he made at Double-A stick around, it turns him into an above-average offensive weapon with an impact arm in center. Why He Might Fail: If his laugh cascades around the rafters of Miller Park, it could touch off a seismic event that dislodges the beer slide and initiates a Rube Goldbergian series of events that drowns Bernie Brewer, knocks the sausage-race Brat unconscious, and leads to a pitchfork-wielding mob chasing him to Sheboygan, where he’s last seen jet skiing off across the dark waters of Lake Michigan.

Brewers-Dodgers trade proposal Brewers get: RHP Jose De Leon http://www.milb.com/player/index.jsp?player_id=592254#/career/R/pitching/2016/ALL 1B Cody Bellinger http://www.milb.com/player/index.jsp?player_id=592254#/career/R/pitching/2016/ALL RHP Brock Stewart http://www.milb.com/player/index.jsp?player_id=592254#/career/R/pitching/2016/ALL RHP Walker Buehler http://www.milb.com/player/index.jsp?sid=milb&player_id=621111#/career/R/pitching/2016/ALL C Austin Barnes http://www.milb.com/player/index.jsp?sid=milb&player_id=605131#/career/R/hitting/2016/ALL Dodgers get: C Jonathan Lucroy RHP Jimmy Nelson Makes sense for both clubs IMHO.

' It says on the MLB site that voting goes through 4PM EST on Friday????????

And what made no sense is that making it decide the WS home team didn't in any way fix the problem that caused the tie. Team could still very easily run out of pitchers again and nothing was put in to fix it. I'm adamantly against having the ASG decide it. Baseball won't have the problems the NFL has in players not showing up because it's not physical. If healthy almost every player will go if asked. So is your solution to have the team with the best record between the AL Champ and the NL Champ have home field advantage? Just curious.

Personally, I love the MLB All-Star game and festivities and have since I was a little kid. Being able to see all the MLB stars in one game is like a dream come true to a youngster. I also love watching the FUTURES GAME and the HR DERBY. As much as it's debated, I even like a few of the controversial aspects of it: 1. I agree with the requirement that all 30 teams have a representative. As a kid, I remember rooting for the Brewer who probably didn't deserve to be there and being excited. 2. I like that the winning league gets awarded home field advantage for the World Series. Up until the 2002 Miller Park Tie All-Star game which I attended, the league simply alternated years of hosting, which I thought was much more silly. This makes it much more interesting than the NBA all-star game, which is a complete joke. The NFL Pro Bowl also has gained very little interest because it's played when the season is over and the top stars bail on the game. The only other solution is to give it to the team with the better regular season record, but I guess I like it the way it is.

Let's play a little guessing game and see who can accurately predict the exact players off the Brewers current (July 3) 25 man roster that will be traded before the trade deadline. Brewers 25 man roster (as of July 3) Pitchers (13) RHP Chase Anderson RHP Jacob Barnes RHP Michael Blazek RHP Blaine Boyer RHP Zach Davies RHP Matt Garza RHP Junior Guerra RHP Jeremy Jeffress RHP Jhan Martinez RHP Jimmy Nelson LHP Will Smith RHP Tyler Thornburg RHP Carlos Torres Catchers (2) C Jonathan Lucroy C Martin Maldonado Infielders (6) 1B Chris Carter UT Jake Elmore 2B Scotter Gennett 3B Aaron Hill UT Hernan Perez SS Jonathan Villar Outfielders (4) OF Ryan Braun OF Keon Broxton OF Ramon Flores OF Kirk Nieuwenhuis Also I'll set a imaginary OVER/UNDER line of 4.5 on number of Brewers from 25 man traded before August 1st deadline. Predict the Over or Under and list players you predict will be traded. Here's my guesses: UNDER (4) C Jonathan Lucroy 3B Aaron Hill LHP Will Smith RHP Matt Garza

I would have traded Will Smith for Chris Paddack in a heartbeat. Dang!

FYI, Rangers RHP Michael Matuella is injured again after a few appearances since coming off Tommy John surgery last summer. He's too much of a risk at this point to be included in a trade IMO.

That wasn't the case through the Month of May in his Starts. He's been a #5 all of June. He was a great #3 borderline #2 the 1st 2 months. FWIW, The Lead Trade Rumor is that the Rangers are Hot on the Matt Moore trade idea. A guy who's last 153IP has netted over a 5ERA with a Fip about 4.7 in that time. He has nothing but (3)Option years remaining in an odd contract, because he'd be under team control another year after buying out on his 1st option? Either way, a #5 is the hot commodity right now for a team 10games in the lead on their division. This might make sense to package Lucroy and Nelson together and see if the Rangers would bite on giving up some blue chippers: C Jonathan Lucroy RHP Jimmy Nelson for 3B Joey Gallo RHP Luis Ortiz RHP Ariel Jurado RHP Pedro Payano or Yohander Medenz

Tigers LHP Daniel Norris with a nice game today BTW 5 IP 8 Hits 2 ER 1 BB 8 K I still feel that he'd make a nice headliner in a Lucroy deal.