Steve Drumwright

I wonder if there would be a spare Rays outfielder coming to the Brewers in this deal. They already have Dickerson, Kiermaier, Span, Souza, Smith. Adding Santana and Phillips to this mix creates a Brewers-esque jam.

Braun should never see right field ever again. So horrible out there. I say Yelich gets a shot in right (I know he hasn't played there in the bigs), with Braun rotating between left and first. Broxton is the fourth outfielder. Perez sees spot time in right. Maybe sign a backup outfielder who plays right since you likely need a fifth outfielder. A way out-of-the-box thought: Erceg in right? Played some short in college, so he is athletic enough. Has a good arm. But limited time in Triple-A would be the holdup. That would also keep him from getting stuck behind Shaw at third.

The window has opened earlier than expected, which is why Stearns got Yelich and Cain. The Brewers would be fine entering the season with the pitching they have, figuring Nelson comes back around June 1. Then, if needed, you can go out and get someone at the trade deadline. As far as other prospects, I still hold out some hope for Nathan Kirby, but that is just me.

Braun at 2B has been dismissed as a ruse by Counsell. Braun got those who believed this, hook, line and sinker.

Jon Heyman just tweeted that the Darvish decision could come this week, with Cubs the favorite and other teams still involved.

This. Braun signed his 5/105 deal prior to 2016, right? He needs to be worth what? 13 wins over those 5 years to have it be an even deal? He's at 4.8 fWAR and 4.7 bWAR with three years to go. I don't think it's crazy that he ends up around 10 WAR total over the life of the contract. That makes it an unwise deal in the end, but not so unwise as to be horrible. And there's probably something to be gained from having Braun around for some people. I wouldn't count myself as one of them, and I do think the deal is subpar. But it's not so bad as to be completely underwater at this point, and not so bad as to be a franchise-killing albatross. I don't think last year is the real Braun, nor do I think 2016 is legitimate to expect, but if he's a 2-win player for the next three years (and he is still a guy who can hit, I think), I think it's probably a C-level deal for the Brewers. Maybe the franchise can't afford C-level deals, but the reality is you're going to have them. Braun signed the extension in April 2011 -- before his PED issues came to light following his MVP season. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2011/04/brewers-extend-ryan-braun-through-2020.html The extension kicked in starting in 2016.

Flip Aguilar for something, likely a lower-level lottery ticket prospect. His value is as a backup first baseman and pinch-hitter.

How I see the starts currently being divvied up (doesn't include spot starts by guys like Perez): C: Pina 1B: Braun, Thames 2B: Sogard, Villar 3B: Shaw SS: Arcia LF: Yelich, Braun CF: Cain, Phillips, Broxton RF: Santana, Phillips Counsell loves to play the matchup game and this roster currently gives him tons of flexibility and options.

Five years seems too much for Cain -- three would have been ideal, four palatable. I do like the idea of frontloading the deal, if that is what happens. Also like the reported trade protection declining as the contract progresses -- total no-trade this season, going down each year. There are already questions about Cain's durability. While Cain is much better at putting the bat on the ball and not striking out, Yelich wasn't terrific at not striking out: Santana in 2017: One strikeout every 3.41 PAs Yelich in 2017: One strikeout every 5.07 PAs Cain in 2017: One strikeout ever 6.45 PAs Cain and Yelich were just over .360 OBP (Santana .371). Obviously major upgrade from Broxton, so that is where the extra offense will come from.

What a trade! Yelich is entering his age-26 season and the Brewers will have five seasons of control. You can't get that very often, so yes, the prospect haul had to sting a bit to get a player of this caliber. Brinson: 20-20 potential, maybe a question on durability (122 games was his high in the minors), good defender Diaz: Hit-first shortstop-second baseman who reportedly had some maturity issues this season Harrison: Had a breakthrough year in 2017, but is he just the next Glenn Braggs? Or better? Or worse? Yamamoto: Clearly blossomed with a superb 2017 Which one of these players hurts the most to lose? I would say Brinson at the moment, but Harrison is not too far behind. The Crew still has outfield depth in the minors. Don't forget about Corey Ray (yes, he struggled in his first full season in the minors after maybe being pushed a bit), with Tristen Lutz and Trent Clark-Grisham still coming. The Yelich trade erases any urgency for these guys. I have wondered if Braun would ever go play first. This would be the time, even if Santana was traded. Thames would platoon with Braun, giving Braun he requisite day off each week and being a top bat off the bench. Yelich will be solid but not spectacular in center. He has good range, but probably won't be pulling them back like Gomez and Broxton have. Yelich, Cain, Phillips and Broxton are all versatile enough to play any outfield spot (maybe not right field for Cain). The defense would be much improved. Santana had his issues and Braun had some lapses, but I don't see that happening with these four out there. If Santana stays? Even more of a reason for Braun to go to first and the offense is dynamic.

Of course, that sent me to a Google search, trying to find something. These probably aren't them, but they are similar: http://www.millcreeklittleleague.com/home.php

Honestly, it looks like it could be a high school or youth sports team logo. Simple and somewhat crude. Or even a summer baseball league, like legion. Anything like that from around your area?

I've cut the cord, with a bit of mixed reaction. I already had Netflix and Hulu, the latter of which provides a lot of the network TV shows a day later through its regular service. So if you just want day-late TV (again, for most shows), it is a pretty solid option. Most of the local TV stations stream their news, so that checks that off. What you miss is other live TV, particularly sports. I have signed up for Hulu's streaming TV service (https://www.hulu.com/live-tv), which is basically only available on your laptop or phone (the regular Hulu service still functions as it did previously; for me, it is on my PS4). PS4 won't offer the Hulu Live TV service because it directly competes with PlayStation Vue. The only/biggest flaw I have is streaming live, especially sports. Now, this could be because of my wi-fi, which is good otherwise, or because I try to throw something to my TV through Chromecast. But if I keep it to my laptop-only, it functions pretty well. I have added HBO and Showtime and Hulu has all of the significant sports channels, including BTN. What it doesn't have in MLB Network and NFL Network. For me, Hulu Live TV was the best price and channel selection combo.

Cameron was a much better player than Cain is.

This is a world of instant reaction. Everyone wants it, but it doesn't always happen. HH19 is providing inside information from a business that sometimes takes its sweet time. There is no deadline. Spring training begins in 3 weeks, the regular season another 6 weeks after that.

Maybe it's Stearns. Lol

Lol. You have sources like HH?

I'm not a big fan of getting Cain. What, minimum 3-year deal?

Two things: 1) Craig Mish said the Brewers' offer was the first serious one the Marlins received for Yelich. So if 25 other teams have shown interest (at various levels, I'm sure), you likely want to let the more serious suitors have a chance to submit a serious offer. Pieces are often discussed by teams so the two parties know who is available and at what price -- and also who the selling team wants to get rid of. And maybe the Brewers' pieces aren't the ones the Marlins desire most. 2) Attanasio is not waiting for On Deck to make a move. All that was said by Haudricourt was he likes to make a splash at On Deck. It ramps up excitement.

Total flyer here: Colorado Springs moves to Wichita. Wichita becomes Royals affiliate. Omaha becomes Brewers affiliate.

Hope the price was high. Lol

Well I guess I look at it as Santana would likely be dealt for pitching. For argument's sake, let's say it is for Danny Salazar. So the Brewers are trading Santana, Brinson, Ortiz and Diaz for Yelich and Salazar. At this point, and given the age and contract status of the players involved, I think the Brewers would be getting the two best players for the next 4-5 years in the deal. Yelich is better than Brinson and Santana. Salazar is probably Ortiz's ceiling as well. Ortiz is the SP prospect I would most like to deal and while losing Diaz would be tough, you have Dubon and then Hiura to potentially fill that void. Not to mention the (small) possibility of a Villar turnaround. I think the Brewers make this type of deal if this is what it costs. Santana for Salazar, straight up? That's not happening. Crew would have to add pieces to make this happen. And then you are talking about trading at least four prospects for Yelich and Salazar, which would seem to indicate an all-in mentality, which goes against what Stearns has preached. I agree that Ortiz appears to be the weak link among top prospect pitchers, so I wouldn't be crushed to see him go.

Yelich already a good hitter (.290/.369/.432 career slash line) with 20-20 probability. But would you do Brinson, Ortiz and Diaz, as has been suggested, for four years of Yelich? And then do you deal Santana? I guess I am conflicted.

When the Braves inquired about getting Yelich, the Marlins reportedly said any deal started with Ronald Acuna. I think Brinson could be somewhat equivalent to Yelich, so this deal wouldn't make much sense by itself. But that is the thing: You can't take any singular transaction and isolate it. You have to see what other moves the Crew makes before analyzing.

What if they’ve been planning to go over the tax threshold all along in 2019? They’ve been behind the pace of the other big market teams for a while and I feel like they could. They might still be able to make a play at another big piece after Darvish next offseason. They’d have to win the bidding but I could see them being in it. I'm not saying the Cubs aren't planning on going over the threshold, I'm saying the price of doing business for them is going to be very expensive for them. Schwarber and Baez (plus a couple more) will be in the first year of arbitration, while Hendricks and Russell with be in second year of arb. Now, these pieces will be attractive to other teams if they decide to trade them, depending on needs that arise.