monty57

What's happening this year? Is Miggy going to be the DH? Is Miggy a worse fielder than Fielder? My understanding all along was that Fielder was adamant about not being a DH. I doubt that he would be happy about becoming the DH next year. I think it's more likely that the Tigers try to swing a trade involving one of these guys before next season (2013) starts. By "next year," I meant 2012. They're paying Delmon Young $5.375MM to play LF, and Ordonez $10MM to play right so Cabrera probably won't play in the OF. It's possible Cabrera replaces Inge at 3B, but they would have a really bad defense if that happens. I'd have to think that some combo or Fielder and Cabrera will have to DH. I guess it comes down to what was more important for Fielder... getting a $214MM deal to play DH in Detroit or taking a 5 or 6 year deal to play 1B for the Nationals. Maybe playing 1B wasn't worth $100MM.

I know people will think I'm nuts but I really think we need to trade these guys, or at least one of them to replenish the minors. This is the sword on which we're balancing this offseason. We could trade Greinke, Marcum, Wolf, K-Rod, Hart, etc and get a boatload of talent back, making us weaker this season, but a stronger team for the foreseeable future. However, we're not trading anyone, and instead we added talent (and payroll) to "go for it" this year, potentially losing a lot of talent at the end of the season, which will be hard to bounce back from. One thing that can help ease this pain is to extend Greinke and/or Marcum, but adding Ramirez to a back-loaded deal may have prevented us from doing this. I hope we still have enough payroll to extend Greinke, as I doubt we can extend both. If we can extend Greinke and if some of our young pitchers can fill in the 3-5 slots in the rotation, we could still be a decent team going forward. If either of these "ifs" don't work out, then we could be back where we were a few seasons ago, signing expensive FA pitchers who often don't pan out.

Makes sense that only an AL team would be willing to go nine years on Prince, and it will be interesting to see if he's a DH next year. A defense with Fielder at 1B and Cabrera at 3B would be brutal. All-in-all, I'm happy for Prince. He stayed healthy and productive, and he got the deal he wanted. I wish the Brewers could have gotten more for him than a draft pick, but he helped us get a division title, so I guess it's worth it. Let the Gamel era begin.

Oh, the little things that get missed when you report something without any factual evidence just so you can "scoop" the competition. Great job ESPN.

I believe that this would be the best possible result for the Brewers, as it is the first unprotected pick, a.k.a. the best pick any team could have received from losing a Type A free agent.

I could see a 2 year extension, but I couldn't see the Brewers signing Marcum long-term. It appears that they are a ways apart on the one-year deal to avoid arbitration, so maybe Marcum thinks he's worth more than the Brewers do. I'd like to sign Greinke to a 4-5 year extension at the right price. It doesn't make sense to overpay for him, but I like that we're using our exclusive negotiating rights to at least attempt an extension. It would be nice having him and Gallardo as the 1-2 starters while we work in the guys from the minor leagues. I don't think we'll extend both of them, and all things being equal, there's no doubt I'd rather extend Greinke if it's an either/or situation.

I don't know the details, but it sounds like the new CBA adds more bite to the luxury tax, which is a big reason teams like the Yankees and Red Sox are not big players this offseason. I hope this new CBA helps "even the playing field" for mid market teams like the Brewers, although it will hurt them when they lose players like Marcum and don't even get draft picks. While Mortensen was a 1st rounder (sandwich), it certainly appears that Colorado "won" this trade due in large part to the Red Sox needing to free up cash. Scutaro is a decent player, and the Rox didn't have to pay much for him.

It looks like the Rays got him for $7.25M

Finally, I see people justifying a move that they like for any number of reasons from Hart is a bad RF to Gamel is unproven instead of being objective about the situation. If Mat performs, there's absolutely no reason to sit him. If he hits well against lefties there is no reason to sit him. In fact I would argue there is very little reason to sit him or any first time everyday player at all. I don't recall Melvin talking about a backup plan for any other young player who's come along? Sitting a player down can be a positive, however it can also be tremendously negative depending on the circumstance and the coaching that goes with it. This is all pretty basic sports psychology, but the most important aspect in sports is confidence, and if the organization and coaching staff aren't doing everything they can to instill and build confidence in their players, especially the inexperienced players, then they are doing the player an incredible disservice. Yes production matters but so does the learning curve and how can anyone say definitively in January what Gamel is going to need in June when he's never been given an everyday opportunity? First off, let me say that I agree with your post. However, for sake of arguement, let's say Melvin/Roenicke sit down with Mat and say "You're our guy, and we want to make sure you're 100% for the season, so we're going to give you a day off every other week or so to keep you fresh. We'll try to make sure it's against a tough lefty." I would think that if things are done correctly there should be no ill will. I will hold judgement until I see how it is handled, as I am worried that Melvin may have the best intentions, but he's opening a can of worms which Roenicke could mishandle badly. As far as who the backup is, I mentioned that unless they're going to use a utility IF or slap-hitting OF, it really has to be either Hart or Braun. While you feel that it's best for the long-term plan to use Braun, I think it's best for the long-term plan to let Braun focus on LF for now. If you're going to screw around with someone and make them learn an additional position, do it with the guy who is less important to the team, which in this case is Hart.

nate82: I believe Fielder wants to play for a team that has a chance to compete...Again it is about winning and the stats for Prince Is this something Fielder has stated, or are is that your personal belief? I haven't followed this that closely, but I don't remember Prince ever saying that the most important thing was going to a contender, or even that putting up the best stats was important. I've pretty much heard that he wanted to get the most money he can over a long-term contract and he wanted to continue to play 1B. If going to a contender and putting up big stats are the most important things, then he should lower his monetary demands and sign with the Yankees ASAP. They need a DH, they win, and in that stadium he could hit 60 HR a year. Personally, I believe that if Baltimore or Seattle offered him 10 years / $200+M today, he'd be an Oriole/Mariner no later than tomorrow. That said, I believe that after the trade, the Mariners are out of the running, and I only saw the Orioles name on a list on MLB TV. I have no idea if they're serious contenders for Prince's services. Secondly Boras really isn't choking at all. The market is rather dry for big time free agents as neither Boston, both New York teams, both Chicago teams, and the Dodgers are not spending this off season for different reasons. If Boston, or one of the New York teams had room for Prince he would actually have been signed already and if the ownership situation with the Dodgers would have been resolved before the off season Prince would be a Dodger already especially after the Angels got Pujols. Boras is paid very well to act in his clients' best interest. Part of his job is knowing the market in which he acts. Therefore, Boras should have known that the 1B market was going to be tough this year long before it got to this point. With this in mind, acting in his client's best interest could very well have been to either accept the Brewers' offer, or to have worked out a deal with the Brewers a year or two ago which would have bought out one year of free agency, giving Prince some insurance through the contract and putting him back on the market in presumably a better market next year. Instead, he instructed Prince to decline all offers and go year-to-year until free agency. He made the bed, and he's now laying in it.

His splits suggest he's not much of a switch hitter though. To expand: (three year splits) as RHB: 69 AB, .275 avg / .367 OBP / .478 SLG / .845 OPS as LHB: 244 AB, .221 avg / .298 OBP / .430 SLG / .728 OPS Not a huge sample as a RHB, but I'd guess he was brought on mainly as a PH vs LHP who could also act as a utility IF (he played 1 game at 1B, 10 at 2B, 8 at 3B and 75 as PH last season). This allows the Brewers to send Green to AAA to play everyday to be fresh in case Ramirez or Weeks gets injured, and to preserve service time.

It just seems that this process could have been handled much faster. I mean, he tested positive in October and we won't get a verdict until February? Why wasn't this whole thing done much sooner? If he does wind up being suspended, it would have given the Brewers much more time to figure out what to do and prep themsevles, etc. I don't understand why it needs to take this long. His defense team needs time to prepare their defense. Any "speeding up" of the process due to the leak would simply hurt Braun's chance of successfully defending himself. I'm sure everyone involved wants to get this over with ASAP, but there is still a process.

I think you're right on that. The guys on MLB TV last night said the Tigers and Yankees were looking for someone less expensive to fill their holes, and they mentioned Pena. I'd guess the Yankees will sign him.

Conrad is a switch-hitter, just to clarify. I actually thought he was a lefty & had to check. Thanks. I thought he was a righty, and didn't check :-)

With the possible exception of Lucroy (who's probably close to his ceiling) I just don't see emerging players on the Brewer roster unless Gomez suddenly blossoms. Gamel? He won't match Fielder's odd-year production (1.013 OPS in 2007, 1.014 in 2009, .981 in 2011), but he could come close to Fielder's even-year production (.830 in 2006, .879 in 2008, .872 in 2010). Fielder is a very good player, but if Gamel can put up a low-.800 OPS and play average 1B defense, we should be okay. Edit: I had to run, so I wanted to come back and add to that I certainly don't think that Gamel will match Fielder's offensive production, but I expect more out of him than a lot of people seem to expect. Our biggest test will of course come in the first 50 games if Braun is suspended. We will shift gears on offense, with two decent OBP guys (Aoki & Morgan) setting the table for three All Star-caliber hitters (Hart, Ramirez, Weeks) and a bottom of the order which should produce better than last year's bottom of the order (Gamel, Lucory, Gonzalez). With Braun in there, I like our lineup, which will miss Prince, but should still score a lot of runs. Disclaimer that injuries can always waylay even the best laid plans.

The Orioles were on the list of "potential suitors" yesterday on MLB TV. Prince was also apparently seen in Arlington recently, but that may have been before Yu was signed. They were also saying that Detroit and the Yankees were more likely to go for a cheaper option like Pena or Damon. Just my opinion, but I think the price tag will come down just enough for Washington to "get back in" and sign him.

The market for Pena opened up a bit with Martinez going down in Detroit and the Yankees now looking for a DH. Neither team may have enough payroll flexibility (at least that they want to spend) to get in the Fielder race, so Pena could be the "cheap" option. Either way, I prefer Gamel at league minimum to an expensive Pena. I may even prefer Gamel to Pena if they were paid the same, but I guess we'll have to give Gamel a shot to see if that holds true. Now that Aoki's signed, strengthening our bullpen is probably the only move we have left this offseason, so if (big if) we were to trade K-Rod before the season starts, it would only be because we're over budget and need salary relief, which surprisingly doesn't seem to be the case. In that case, we wouldn't bring on other big contracts like Thornton or Pena, and I would like to see him traded for a young high-upside pitcher (maybe even a reliever who hasn't become a "proven closer" but could help the bullpen this year) and/or a young position player at a position where we do not already have a long-term option, such as SS.

Unless something unexpected happens, I think the backup SS/2B job is going to Izturis. I expect the backup 3B / RH bat off the bench will be Conrad with Green going to AAA. It's possible we pick up an $800k vet RH corner OF if Braun is suspended, but as PEM mentioned above, that will probably go to Schafer or Gindl, making it all the more likely the RH Conrad will be on the roster. Ramirez won't get many days off, so it's not a problem that his backup is RH. If Ramirez gets hurt, Green would likely be called up to play everyday or platoon with Conrad. Really I think we're pretty much set other than deciding on Green/Conrad, deciding who will make up the bullpen (possibly picking up a LOOGY), and waiting to see what happens with Braun.

More than that, I would rather just have Gamel play every day at 1B. Amen. I really, really, really, really want Gamel to do well this season. It seems to be about the only way people will once again believe that it is possible for an "unproven player" to start for the Brewers.

Does this mean that one of Schafer / Gindl is going to break camp with the team if Braun is suspended? That would be a pretty lefty-heavy OF, and I don't think Hart would see much time at 1B until Braun's back. I guess this means the first thing that needs to be addressed is the Braun situation. I think I remember seeing that a decision would be made by Jan 22-23, so we're close. If he's not suspended, then our OF is set. Then all that's left is shoring up the bullpen and deciding if Conrad or Green will be the backup 3B. Since we'll have a lot of LH bats, and this is basically the 25th man, I hope Green plays everyday at AAA and is the first call-up if Ramirez or Weeks goes down.

Time for an apology now? No, I will still attest that a team shouldn't post a bid without any intention of pursuing the player. I said Melvin normally bends over backwards to make sure players don't feel slighted, so I thought his comments seemed very out of character for him, and I was therefore surprised at his comments. Obviously, his "we'll see if we're interested in pursuing Aoki" comment was a smokescreen, and they had all intentions of at least "pursuing" him, which is good, because I feel the Brewers just added a talented player to a relatively inexpensive contract with only two guaranteed years. We're obviously a better team with Braun in the lineup, but at least now we should have two guys at the top of the order (Aoki & Morgan) for the first 50 games who can get on base at a decent clip in front of Hart, Ramirez & Weeks. This also allows Gamel to "get his feet wet" in the 6 or 7 spot instead of adding pressure by putting him in the 5 hole, where he would be expected (at least by the public & the media) to drive in a lot of runs.

C'mon now, you nitpicked my post. I've mentioned several times that I don't want Roenicke to use this as an opportunity to sit Gamel too often, but when Gamel sits, someone has to play 1B. With Aoki now signed, we have five talented OF, so it makes sense that one of our OF play 1B when Gamel gets a day off. Here is a quote from Melvin: "Probably not on a regular basis, but [Hart] could fill in a few games here and there," Melvin said. "He played [first] in the Minor Leagues. I don't necessarily consider it being where he's playing there a lot, but if Corey feels comfortable doing it, it's something we would take a look at in Spring Training. I want to make sure Corey feels comfortable about doing it, too, because if he doesn't, I'm not going to force the issue on him." I'm perfectly fine with Hart getting "a few games here & there" at 1B. I am worried that Roenicke will decide that he has to pull Gamel every game in the 6th or 7th inning "for defensive reasons," or that he decides to sit Gamel 2-3 days a week, but that doesn't sound like Melvin's plan. If that does happen, I'll be upset. Either way, I don't see Hart getting any time at 1B for the first 50 games of the season if Braun is suspended. That will give us some time to see how Aoki and Gamel are doing with regular PT against RHP & LHP. By then, a lot can happen.

But you have to throw in the fact that Gamel will need some days off, and they might as well be against LHP. To me, it's a question of whether Roenicke will sit Gamel just enough to keep him fresh, or whether he will use the Hart-to-1B situation as a reason to sit Gamel on the bench on a regular basis.

The most dominant aspect of this team relative to the rest of the NL is it's late inning relief and it comes at a price tag that is very reasonable. There's no reason to trade K-Rod unless they are out of it or unless someone is willing to give up a young middle of the rotation starter. How about a promising, young reliever and a high-ceiling AA prospect? Or a good, young near-MLB-ready SS? K-Rod at $8MM opens up a lot of options not available with K-Rod at $14MM. I really like the Brewers' late inning relief with K-Rod & Axford. However, without inside knowledge of the Brewers' finances, I can't say whether or not they can afford their current obligations without the owners dipping into their own pockets, which they might not want to do. Or, as you mentioned, now that K-Rod is on a seemingly good contract, some team in need of a "proven closer" might be willing to give up good, young talent. Melvin would then have to decide whether a potential extra win or two this season is worth that good, young talent.

Hart's career numbers also include the year-and-a-half where he lost the ability to recognize a low-and-away slider, so RHP's had an easy out pitch against him. Something has clicked since then, and Hart is a much better player, and even with that dreadful 1.5 years on his resume, he's still at .793 OPS vs RHP which isn't bad. Hart's not a superstar, and he's not paid like one. He is a good player, and will play a big part in this year's Brewers team. I think it'd be good for the Brewers to trade him prior to his contract expiring, whether that's mid-season this year, or next offseason, but that's because he's good enough that someone would trade for him, and we should have some decent prospects ready in RF soon, making him somewhat expendable for the Brewers. As to his getting some time at 1B this season, someone is going to have to be our backup 1B, as Gamel is not going to play everyday. It would make sense for that player to bat RH (since Gamel's LH), which pretty much brings it to Hart, Braun, Ramirez, or someone yet to be acquired. Ramirez's backup could be LH Green, so it doesn't make sense to sit Gamel against a LHP only to play Green. That leaves Braun or Hart, and the MVP is not the guy you mess around with. Therefore, as the roster is currently built, I have no problem with Hart occasionally getting some PT at 1B.