MadThinker88

adambr2, Let's look at it this way, if they had equal control, it would cost more to get Machado than Yelich. Part of that is a result of a top defensive SS/ 3B is worth more than a corner OF. The reduced control brings Machado down to the Yelich cost level or a little lower. The Brewers can hold back on some of their assets if they choose. But, as you pointed out, the O's can continue shopping for the best offer. The O's have many other suitors for Machado. There is only 1 Machado on the market. If the Brewers wanted to have a deal made (sooner than later) they need to make the package as sweet as possible (with an expiration date on the offer) so they can get Machado sooner & have him for more time during 2018.

Allow me to play Orioles mgmt (becuz no one really knows who is calling the shots over there). The only thing really known about Baltimore's asking price during this past off-season for Machado was "reportedly" costing multiple top pitching prospects (that were close to MLB ready) & iron clad agreement that team not turn around & then deal Machado to the Yankees. Its the need for pitching where I believe the Cubs would fall short in trying to put a deal together for Machado. Baltimore also has to deal with other pending higher profile Free Agents in Adam Jones, Zach Britton & Brad Brach. As the Orioles I'm looking for at least a 3 player package in return for Machado. I'm demanding 1 from each the following pairs of young pitchers: Hader/ Burnes & Woodruff/F Peralta to start the trade package. Ortiz does not interest me as he can't stay healthy & has never pitched over 95 IP in any season. After that I likely need more INF help than OF (I have multiple OF options in the upper minors, a couple almost ready) so 1 of Hiura/ Erceg to round out the 3 player package. If your suggesting Hader & Burnes are both untouchable, then I need both Woodruff & F Peralta along with both Erceg & Hiura. Your thoughts adambr2??

No need to look him, I grew up & remember him playing with Rick Manning & others. He was very good with the glove...

Unless they are also counting all the throws around the infield after a K, the warming up each inning, relays from the outfield. The number of throws can increase very fast... Building up his endurance (like during spring training) is not a bad thing. I would rather bring him along slowly to ensure no setbacks/ injury re-occurrence then toss him into the deep end and discover he can't do it (the hard way) and lose him for most of the season...

I agree it would not hurt to ask the Royals. That said I expect their asking price to be much higher then many anticipate as they have started their rebuild. While the Royals have a number of picks in this coming draft (considered 1 of the deepest in years) and arguably on of the worst (or the worst farm system) in the game, they expected/ were planning on 1 more comp pick from Moose signing elsewhere. That didn't happen & he signed a 1 yr deal to come back to KC. KC can't tag him with a QO again & it is doubtful they will get much for him if he is dealt around the deadline. As such, they will look to get as much value as they can with a Sal Perez deal. On the flip side, holding onto Sal for the Royals should help out a patch work pitching staff during the early stages of the rebuild, perhaps accelerating it.

Surgical repairs are not 100% on recovery. Some people are never able to come all the way back to pre-injury/ pre-surgery form. If Hiura & the Brewers EXHAUST all other treatment options, then yes, its time for getting the surgery. Otherwise, surgery should be the last resort..

First 15 games or so.. no errors. since then And you can see why Edwin is the DH 98% of the time....

A couple of interesting tidbits coming into this game. Cleveland is 16-0 when leading after 6 inning this season. Brewers are 14-0. Neither squad has a good record against opponents with .500 or better record at time of play... Corey Kluber has won his last 67 regular season starts when given 4 or more runs in support.

Great news. Now just pray he doesn't leave the game early. I wouldn't be concerned with an early leave. He might not be ready for a full game at 2B yet (like how guys are rotated out early in spring training). Just rather any move be the choice of the team/ player than due to soreness. aggravation of injury..

I tend to track the farm system rankings each off season so I have some info to share. In terms of farm system rankings, there were a handful of rankings that were released after the Yelich/ Brinson trade & the source noted the ranking was updated to reflect the talent move. Baseball Prospectus: 19 overall John Sickels: 14 overall Prospect Digest: 22 overall MiLB.com: 17 overall Bleacher Report (Feb '18 update): 14 overall A couple of other smaller websites had the Brewers farm listed at 13 & 21.

Actually Bieber was in the top 100 for John Sickels (#98) and he was on a few more lists between #101 & #150. Fangraphs has already noted that Bieber is on the short list to get added to their top 100 once they update for graduations during May. Not sure you noticed but Triston McKenzie hasn't pitched yet outside of Extended Spring Training. Word is he might make his debut later this month. I will believe that when I see it. On top of that Bieber made his AAA debut this past week & pitched well. I would be stunned if Bieber got dealt at all, let alone before Triston is back on the mound and proving himself to be healthy. As for Mejia remaining behind the plate as a catcher, I think that is more of question for each organization. Granted teams would prefer to find someone that is good at both but when that isn't possible, teams will lean 1 way or the other. Some clubs (like Cleveland) prefer the D & game calling skills first then the offense/ bat of the player. Other clubs (like NY Yankees) like the offense 1st & at least passable D/ game calling skills (example Gary Sanchez). Now IMHO it seems MKE tends to favor the Offense over Defense from catcher. Lucroy was both when he was healthy & on. Maldonado was D (& he won the 2017 Gold Glove in the AL). Voght is historically more Offense than Defense. Cleveland tried Mejia at 3rd in the AFL (it didn't go well so its been scrapped) & is now trying him in the OF because it is generally felt Mejia can hit/ be functional with the bat in the majors now. Its a matter of finding another spot for him so the bat gets into the lineup. If Gomes or Perez got hurt, then yes Mejia comes up and gets to play at catcher. If an injury happens to a different player (say to Brantley), a little versatility might help Mejia make it to the show & if he hits well, perhaps the bat can help force him to stay in the lineup once people are healthy. Additionally, Mejia also gets moved around more because Cleveland has a 2nd catching prospect in Eric Haase in AAA Columbus & he is closer to the mold of Yan Gomes/ Roberto Perez (good D/ game calling, RH, thump in the stick). Absent Haase, Mejia likely catches 2/3 of the games and goes to the OF on non-catching days to aid the versatility. Note when Haase isn't catching, he is the DH or completely out of the lineup. When both were in AA Akron last season, Mejia was behind the plate a majority of the time (72 games vs 60 games). Before Mejia caught up to Haase last season, he had gotten 87 & 94 games as catcher the previous 2 years.

The way it is set up now, teams have the natural inter-league rival (tends to be 4 games, 2 & 2 setup) & you play the entirety of another division. Most of those teams are 3 game series (2 home series, 2 away series) & 1 team is a 4 game set (2H, 2A). Hence 20 games inter-league. 10 at home and 10 away & the number of series is balanced home/away. When your turn comes against the division of the natural rival (Mke/ Minn, Cin/ Cle, Chicago/Chicago), the game math needs to change to get to 20. The natural rival goes from 4 to 6 games (3H, 3A), 2 others are 4 games set (2H, 2A) and the remaining 2 teams get 3 game series (1H, 1A). This creates the same result of 20 inter-league games, 10 at home & 10 away and the number of series is balance home/away. This year, the Brewers get 6 vs the Twins, 4 vs the Tribe, 4 vs the Royals and 3 game sets at the White Sox & home vs Tigers (to end the season)..

Nelly deserves multiple tributes... I would hope that when the Tribe visits Milwaukee & the Brewers visit Cleveland, something is done as well. ICYMI: Nelson was the 1st base coach in Cleveland when Tribe went to the series in 95. I think he was still a coach during the 97 season/ trip before he became part of the radio booth after the retirement of Herb Score (after the 97 season)..

You raise a good point regarding the weakness of the AL Central this season. The 'weakest' schedule would be 14 games combined vs Royals/ Tigers/ ChiSox. No one got that lucky.. It got me to wondering which of Pitts/ St. Louis/ ChiCubs got the greatest schedule advantage (thinking more than 6 vs Tribe & Twins makes it a tougher road). The Brewers play 10 games between Tribe (4)/ Twins (6). St. Louis gets 6 vs the Royals, 4 vs ChiSox & Twins so 7 total vs Tribe & Twins Pittsburgh gets 6 vs the Tigers (went 5-1), 4 vs ChiSox (all this month) & Twins so 7 total vs Tribe & Twins. ChiCubs gets 6 vs the ChiSox, 4 vs Tribe & Tigers so 7 total vs Tribe & Twins..

Hello everyone. I tried keeping a thread updated the past few years with this info & will try again this year. Again, I will only report on FULL SEASON minor league teams (Low A thru AAA). That way there is a consistent measurement of 4 affiliates for each organization all year. While winning is secondary to developing players in the minors, winning is important in its own right as it develops a culture of success and hopefully, post-season appearances in the minors (which results in more learning opportunities & development of the players). One other point about "winning in the minors": During this past off-season one of the national podcasts (can't recall which one & I failed to save it) interviewed either Mike Hazen or Derek Falvey and while discussing team performance in the minors, the team executive noted that winning in the minors is also important to keep players focused during the 'dog days' of the season. The executive noted that nothing is worse then 2 lower level teams meeting in early August & both are out of playoff contention. The players are generally too far away for a September call up and there is very little at stake. Honestly I never thought of that until it was raised by the executive. For this report I will list all 30 teams. In the future I will narrow the reporting (top 10, bottom 5, noting teams of the division if not already listed) As of end of 5/5/2018 Rank …… Franchise …… .........W …… ..L …… …..Pct 1 …… Houston Astros …….... 69 …… 46 …… 0.6000 2 …… San Francisco Giants …… 66 …… 48 …… 0.5789 3 …… St. Louis Cardinals …… 64 …… 48 …… 0.5714 4 …… Pittsburgh Pirates …… 61 …… 49 …… 0.5545 5 …… Miami Marlins ……... 62 …… 51 …… 0.5487 6 …… Milwaukee Brewers …… 62 …… 52 …… 0.5439 7 …… Toronto Blue Jays …… 56 …… 47 …… 0.5437 8 …… Arizona Dbacks ……... 61 …… 53 …… 0.5351 9 …… Baltimore Orioles …… 59 …… 52 …… 0.5315 10 ….. New York Yankees …… 60 …… 53 …… 0.5310 11 ….. Chicago White Sox …… 61 …… 54 …… 0.5304 12 ….. Oakland Athletics …… 58 …… 52 …… 0.5273 13 ….. Minnesota Twins …… 55 …… 50 …… 0.5238 14 ….. Los Angeles Dodgers …… 58 …… 53 …… 0.5225 15 ….. Cleveland Indians …… 57 …… 53 …… 0.5182 16 ….. San Diego Padres …… 61 …… 57 …… 0.5169 17 ….. Tampa Bay Rays …… 58 …… 55 …… 0.5133 18 ….. Cincinnati Reds ……... 55 …… 54 …… 0.5046 19 ….. Los Angeles Angels …… 56 …… 58 …… 0.4912 20 ….. Seattle Mariners ……... 54 …… 57 …… 0.4865 21 ….. Detroit Tigers ……... 54 …… 58 …… 0.4821 22 ….. Colorado Rockies …… 53 …… 62 …… 0.4609 23 ….. New York Mets ……... 52 …… 61 …… 0.4602 24 ….. Philadelphia Phillies …… 50 …… 60 …… 0.4545 25 ….. Atlanta Braves ……... 51 …… 62 …… 0.4513 26 ….. Washington Nationals …… 49 …… 62 …… 0.4414 27 ….. Kansas City Royals …… 48 …… 64 …… 0.4286 28 ….. Boston Red Sox ……... 44 …… 64 …… 0.4074 29 ….. Chicago Cubs ……... 42 …… 67 …… 0.3853 30 ….. Texas Rangers ……... 40 …… 74 …… 0.3509 Please bear with me as I try to format the columns so the chart is easier to read. -MT88

Oh please Lord, let this be nothing more than a temporary stopgap.....

While its nice both guys are doing well, perhaps in the bigger picture of 2018 & beyond, it would be better that both guys NOT get a bid for the AS game in DC so they can rest & recharge for the 2nd half of the season.

Baltimore was/ is looking to get young controllable starting pitching in any deal of Machado & assurances that the team will not flip him to the Yanks.. That was the cost all off-season & the assurances on not flipping Manny is why the deal was not done. Because he is a FA after the season & he is going to test the FA waters & any team getting him now would be unable to extend a Qualifying Offer to recoup any prospect capital, I would not include Arcia in an offer. Since I think the chance of success is greater with Burnes & Woodruff & Machado is most likely a rental, I would try to craft a package around both F. Peralta & L. Ortiz. It should be noted that the Orioles have to deal with Adam Jones being a FA after the season as well so they might like getting some OF help for beyond this season. I'd even include C. Ray (who has cooled off after a very good start). If the trade package is sweet enough, the Orioles could then spend their own current assets to find a SS to fill in after Machado is gone. So my thoughts are F Peralta, Ortiz & Ray for Machado..

Agreed it is tough but in looking for the silver lining, I would submit that its better to happen now then later (like around the trade deadline or in the heat of a August/ September pennant/ Wild Card race)...

Davey will be missed. While he was in Cleveland he seemed to be the only guy that could communicate/ reach Albert Belle. When I made my only trip to Miller Park in May 2013, I made sure I got there early enough to see Davey in the RF corner, to say Hi, thank you & shake his hand. Rest well Davey...

I can't see why not take a flyer, especially if the cost is a waiver claim or swapping out a piece of "our junk" for him.. I wouldn't give up anything of real value..

I realize its early and the weather hasn't been the best. That said, the Rattlers are off to a 3-10 start & their team OBP% is @ .290 The Team WHIP for the pitchers 1.65 Neither of those are good numbers. I think this is something worth keeping an eye on. If this doesn't improve, I would worry that the Brewer rebuild was curtailed prematurely and any window of contending will be shorter than any of us would like. Does anyone else have any concerns?

deleted..

Who is buried in Grant's tomb? Former President U.S grant & Mrs Grant...

I don't think the Brewers have the money to eat Prado's salary for this year and next. But say they did, as the mock Marlin's representative I'd want something like this: Brewers get: C-J.T. Realmuto, IF-Martin Prado Marlins get: RHP-Luis Ortiz, OF-Corey Ray, RHP-Trey Supak, RHP-Zack Brown I can understand the willingness to part with Ortiz and trying to cash in while Ray appears to have some life/ value again. That said, I can't see the Marlins settling for a pitcher like Ortiz (that has never pitched 100 IP in a single season) and letting the Brewers keep all of Burnes/ Woodruff/ Peralta. Getting a top arm for them is key, one that can be in the majors/ rotation by the end of 2019 (if not sooner)...