monty57

This is certainly good news from the Brewers' perspective. I'd guess Madson's deal gave the Brewers some leverage, but I agree with others that there are probably some incentives in the deal. Just a thought, but it's possible that the Brewers have a trade in the works, and K-Rod was willing to sign this deal so the Brewers could trade him to a team which would use him as a closer. Why trade him? Because the Brewers are way over budget and still have some roster holes to fill, plus they'd probably be able to get a decent return for K-Rod on a 1 year/$8MM contract.

I'm guessing this means the plan for Green is AAA at least to start the year. I'd like to see that, because if Green makes the roster, I don't see him getting much if any playing time, as Izturis will likely be the backup SS/2B. However, the only other options for his spot right now are Bianchi, Wheeler and Farris. It's possible they put Bianchi on the roster as the "second utility IF" who never plays, allowing for Green to play everyday in AAA, so he's ready to step in if Ramirez/Weeks gets hurt. As far as backup 1B, as the roster is currently set, Hart seems like the logical choice, since Kottaras and Green are both LH. Personally, I'd still pursue Johnny Gomes and let him be the backup 1B / backup corner OF, but unless another move happens, Hart's probably the best choice. If this is used to give Gamel a day off here & there while allowing for Gomez/Aoki to get a little PT, then I'm fine with it. However, once the can of worms is opened, I could see Roenicke running with it, playing Hart at 1B on a regular basis with Gomez in CF and Morgan/Aoki in RF. At the very least, I'd guess this would be a regular "late inning defensive move."

The ESPN crawl yesterday said that the Yankees were "looking for a DH" after their latest trade. I could still see them swooping in with a big contract. Fielder wants to play 1B, but if it's 5 years from the Nats to play 1B or 10 years from the Yankees to DH, I'd guess he'll be a DH for the Yankees.

Only one group is benefiting and it's the owners. Albert Pujols and some other players are doing okay. I get your point about the tax-payer funded stadium, but if the populace was really upset, they wouldn't be supporting the team the way they are.

Prince is a very good hitter, and the Brewers will miss him. That said, Fangraphs has him ranked (from 2006-2011): -the 7th best 1B (33rd "all positions") in terms of WAR -the 5th best 1B (12th "all positions") in terms of wOBA -the 5th best 1B (10th "all positions") in terms of wRC+ -the 5th best 1B (10th "all positions") in terms of OPS ...and he wants one of the biggest contracts in professional sports history. It's probably very good for baseball that GMs around the league are not biting on his "demands," or we would see a lot of 10 year / $200M+ deals going forward.

http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york/mets/post/_/id/37487/f-mart-to-the-houston-astros Kelbysdaddy's right. It's the Astros.

Does anyone know why 2010 is missing from his stats? An injury could possibly explain why he hit poorly in 2011.

I'd be surprised if he got more than 6 years from anyone and I think 5 years is more realistic. $150-170 million tops and $170 is quite generous. 5 years $150 would be $30MM / year, and I doubt any team is going there. Wasn't the Brewers' extension offer prior to this past season supposed to be 5 years / $100M? If you take out the $15M or so he made in 2011, that leaves around 4 years / $85M, or around $21M per year. It will be interesting to see how the contract he gets compares to that.

The Brewers can certainly use SS depth in the minors. I think Izturis will be the Brewers' backup SS, but Bianchi could fight it out with Maysonet for the AAA job.

I'm fine with players getting paid a lot of money, but the Brewers' best strategy should (in my humble opinion) be to lock up key young players while they're still in the pre-arby stage (a la Braun), and Boras won't do that. Therefore, if there is an appearance that Boras is getting some egg on his face, it may in some small way help the Brewers in the future. Maybe the "next Prince Fielder" will decide to take the extension rather than play for free agency.

I think the Ramirez signing took the Brewers out of any chance of signing Fielder, even on a short-term deal. They back-end loaded Ramirez's deal, because we're already around $100M this year. I don't think there's any way of trading Ramirez at $16M in 2014, and I doubt we could pay for Ramirez, Braun, Weeks, Yo and Prince. Maybe if all of our minor league SP pan out, but I think that's asking a lot. If Prince said he'd come back to the Brewers on one-year, $15MM deal, I don't know if we'd have the money to pay him (although I'd bet Melvin would call everyone to see if he could trade Hart, Marcum or Wolf to make room).

back to the Brewers' bench..I'd consider Scott just as I'd consider Aoki--primarily for 50 games in LF, 5 more when Braun has a hamstring strain or oblique issue, 10-15 games in RF, 3-6 games at DH, and then perhaps a few starts at 1b (Aoki would be CF, not 1b). I'd prefer Gomes. He destroys LHP and should be much less expensive then either Scott or Aoki. IIRC, he made $1M last year, while Scott made $6.4M and Aoki would probably be $2.5M for multiple years + the posting fee. Gomes could platoon with Gindl/Schafer for the first 50 games, and then be our RH bat off the bench for the rest of the year, with Gindl/Schafer going back to play everyday in AAA.

Well whatever happened, he went from 4/44 to 1/8, that's a pretty significant dropoff. This certainly should knock Boras down a peg. I hope that other players look at this and think that maybe taking an extension in pre-arby/arby years is better than holding out for free agency. That'd help the Brewers out going forward. As others have said, this is a very good move for the Reds. They should be much improved this season.

To me playing 1B is the NL equivalent of the DH. Playing 1B is basically playing 3B without having to make long, accurate throws, but adding the need to be able to scoop the ball/accept throws and hold runners. It's probably the easiest position to play, but there is skill required, especially to play at the major league level. It's pretty frustrating for the rest of the infield if they're making plays and the 1B continually fails to scoop throws. I think some players are better suited to jump from position to position without it effecting their play, while others have problems. Craig Counsell could probably play every position on the field in the same game, while Robin Yount had a hard time playing left field, so he got moved to center, which is supposed to be more difficult. Yount would probably be seen as the superior defender to Counsell, but Counsell was more "adaptable." To Al's original point about Gomes, I think he's a great option if he fits in thebudget. He destroys LHP, so he could be platooned with Gindl/Schafer in LF while Braun's out and be our RH bench player the rest of the year, allowing Gindl/Schafer to go back to the minors to play everyday. As Al mentioned, if he has the ability to play 1B it would just add to his value to the team, as he could allow Gamel to sit vs tough lefties.

You're acting like flying from Japan to AZ for free to interview for a job is the worst thing in the world. People do this sort of thing all the time, not to mention a professional baseball player who has played internationally several times in the past. If there was any intention of signing him, I'd agree. If the Brewers had no intention of even pursuing negotiations, regardless of the outcome of the tryout, then they should have just not submitted a bid or at the very least should have just told him not to bother wasting his time coming over. It is a very long flight, even moreso if it's pointless. And him uprooting his whole life? What about all the American's who move overseas for work at much less pay than a baseball player. But they move for a job they have. They don't have an employer say "fly to Japan" and then once you get there they say "we're not going to pursue employing you, go back to America and see if you can get your old job back." Aoki has no other option for employment in the U.S. other than the team which posted the accepted bid, which in this case is the Brewers. I may be wrong, and Melvin may have every intention in the world of signing him, but if they aren't even going to negotiate with him, it doesn't seem like they had much interest in him from the get-go. I'm guessing the timeline was something like this. Melvin learns of Braun's positive test. Melvin places a bid. Ramirez signs pinning the payroll. Aoki has a workout that is good but not eye-popping. Melvin and Co. not certain Aoki is worth all that much to the Brewers, especially in their current budget. While not ideal, I think Melvin can decline to sign this guy without seeming like a total chain yanker. That may well be the case. I don't know when the bids needed to be posted relative to the Ramirez signing. Maybe Aoki was just a "Plan B" in case everything else fell through. Either way, I'd be somewhat upset if I were him, and the one chance he had to play in the U.S. in 2012 (because of Japan's goofy system) ended in the team which posted the accepted bid not even being willing to step to the negotiating table. I'm sure he will be fine and I doubt there is any bad blood. If the Brewers don't sign him, he'll make a couple of million playing in Japan, and will then become a free agent and sign with whomever he desires next year. Melvin will continue to GM the Brewers, and most people won't think twice about this if Aoki isn't signed. However this works out, everyone will be A-OK. I'm just looking at things as a matter of principle. Treat people the way you'd want to be treated, and don't jerk them around for your own benefit. That should apply in professional baseball just as much as it should apply anywhere else in life. Just because it happens doesn't make it right. Melvin has a history of seemingly bending over backwards to make sure players don't feel jilted, so I could very well be misinterpreting everything. I'm sure he's not a bad person. This is all just my opinion, and doesn't really have that much to do with baseball, so I'll stop griping :-)

If Braun is suspended and we do not sign Aoki, then Schafer or Gindl would be our LF for the first 50 games, possibly platooned with a veteran $800k RH bat. Once Braun returns, then I agree that Schafer / Gindl should be sent back to AAA to play everyday, and the veteran $800k RH bat would remain as our 5th OF / RH bat off the bench.

I also don't think "feelings" or potential using Aoki even entered into the equation. We all know how cut throat this business is. Just because others may do it doesn't make it less of a bad move, especially coming from a GM who has went out of his way on occasions to be "player friendly" (i.e. asking Edmonds if it was okay to trade him). Why screw a person over just to do it? I could very well be reading too much into Melvin's quotes, but it sounds like he's not too interested in even pursuing discussions with Aoki, and it doesn't sound like the trip to AZ made any difference. This just seems very out of character for Melvin.

Pretty sure it's just the birther thing. I don't think that should keep a team from signing a player if they feel the player would benefit the team. Scott "speaks his mind" more than most athletes, but athletes are people, and are therefore going to have differing opinions on politics. It's may be smart for those in the entertainment industry to keep quiet about their politics as you could alienate half your fan base, but I don't think athletes (of any political affiliation) should be blacklisted for expressing their opinions. Well and the in your face racism Any links? I knew about the "I've carried a gun for 10 years" quotes, and that he's spoke out against Obama, but your post makes me wonder if I missed something. I searched for a while, and couldn't find anything remotely racist. Basically, I found that he's religious, carries a gun and doesn't like the current President. Regardless, I don't know that Luke Scott is the answer for this team, as he's left-handed (we already have a LH dominant bench) and more importantly made $6.4MM last year. I doubt he'll sign an $800k contract or accept an NRI invite.

As for Aoki, it seems doubtful that he will make more money over here than he makes over there, so unless he really wants to play in MLB, it doesn't make sense for him either. I don't know if it's the case with Aoki, but for a lot of players it's about playing against the best competition and proving they can succeed at the top level.

Melvin said he and his staff have not yet decided whether to pursue signing Aoki. "We're still in internal discussions," said Melvin, who was getting ready to return to Milwaukee. "We'll discuss it over the next few days to see if he's a fit for us." The Brewers won the right to negotiate with Aoki by posting a winning bid of $2.5 million with the Yakult Swallows, for whom he has played in Japan. The Brewers held an 11 a.m. workout at their Maryvale training facility to get their first in-person look at Aoki, who did fielding and throwing drills from center field, took batting practice and ran the bases. This just isn't the type of thing to do to a person. If you didn't think you were going to "pursue signing Aoki," then don't post a bid. Aoki made the tough decision to uproot his whole life and play in America, and now there's a good chance he'll have to wait a year just because Melvin decided on a whim to post an offer he probably wasn't going to act on. To throw a little salt on the wound, they made him fly all the way to Arizona for a tryout, which apparently won't factor much into the ultimate decision. There's nothing Aoki can do about it, because that's the way the system's set up, but not a good way to treat a person.

The Brewers need a decent RH bat off the bench, and would probably like Green to get everyday playing time in AAA to make sure last year was for real and to be ready to step in if someone gets hurt. I'd guess Conrad will be the backup 1B/3B and possibly even RH part of a platoon in LF with Schafer/Gindl/Aoki if Braun is suspended. He would also be the top pinch hitter vs LHP. He could potentially be a very useful player, and the minor league deal offers little risk.

You have no choice but to create a competitive situation for our first base spot. Why? When did we suddenly believe that prospects cannot succeed and we need to sign aging vets to block all of them? If this becomes the mantra of the franchise, then we are doomed, as we have to have pre-arby players making significant contributions in order to succeed. Maybe even noted head case Luke Scott. Really if Scott were not a head case everyone would probably love him as an option. So if someone is a gun owner and does not like Obama he's a "head case?"

The Padres will use Cashner out of the bullpen, Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweets. I don't know why you would trade your top prospect for a promising young starter and then stick him in the bullpen. Which means that, in all likelihood, Prince Fielder will not be wearing a Cubs uniform in the near future. And Boras will not be able to use the Cubs as leverage in negotiations. The few teams still in talks with Prince's team are probably pretty happy about this trade.

i think i read that pat the bat had retired From an ESPN article dated November 10, 2011: SAN FRANCISCO -- Pat Burrell's baseball career is likely over because of a troublesome right foot that hasn't healed and limited him this year for the Giants. While Burrell said late in the season that he would contemplate retirement if he couldn't return to full strength, he now says that's probably the direction he is headed this winter -- though he has yet to make a final decision. "I have not decided yet, but I don't think I can play anymore," Burrell said. "It hurts me to say that."

I'm not sure why Pujols and wife figured that he deserved a ten year deal. That's a tad preposterous even if you believe that he is 31 going on 32 (I don't). We will see how good this deal looks after year five. Because they knew they would get it. The market is simply supply and demand, and they knew that some team would step up to the table and offer them what they wanted. Why settle for a five-year deal when your last sentence is probably correct. After five years, he wouldn't get a $20MM+ / year deal, so take it now when you can get it and put all of the risk onto the team signing you. Why are the Cardinals the bad guys here? I don't think anyone is a "bad guy" for negotiating in their best interest. The Pujols family knew they'd get a better offer, which the Cardinals knew they wouldn't be able to match. They tried offering a shorter deal for more annual money, which Mrs. Pujols found insulting (probably too strong a term from her, but oh well) and they then increased the offer to ten years with a lower yearly average. Their best offer wasn't up to the ridiculously rich Angels' offer, so Albert will play in Anaheim next year. Fans often operate on emotions, but it's better for teams and players/agents to try to keep the emotions out of the business side of the game.