Jim Goulart

Ridiculous stance and scare tactics from MLB and MiLB - you're telling us that if the Brewers had to pay another $1,000 or so per month to the kids in Brevard/Appleton/Helena that those ownership groups would somehow suffer? How? Nonsense. Baseball America - MiLB Opposes Players, Supports MLB In Lawsuit

Mexico Box Score Relief appearance #24 (!) of the winter -- 2.1 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 3 K, 1 HR, helped by his defense and bullpen mate Jalisco Bottom of the 3rd Pitching Change: Manny Barreda replaces Amauri Sanit. Japhet Amador strikes out swinging. Marquez Smith called out on strikes. C. J. Retherford homers (4) on a fly ball to left field. Jesus Cota singles on a ground ball to right fielder Cory Aldridge. Gabriel Gutierrez singles on a fly ball to right fielder Cory Aldridge. Jesus Cota to 3rd. Amadeo Zazueta grounds out, second baseman Ramiro Pena to first baseman Joey Meneses. Jalisco Bottom of the 4th Eduardo Arredondo walks. Jose Manuel Rodriguez grounds into a double play, third baseman Oscar Robles to second baseman Ramiro Pena to first baseman Joey Meneses. Eduardo Arredondo out at 2nd. Leo Heras strikes out swinging. Jalisco Bottom of the 5th Japhet Amador singles on a line drive to left fielder Eric Farris. With Marquez Smith batting, wild pitch by Manny Barreda, Japhet Amador to 2nd. Marquez Smith walks. C. J. Retherford singles on a fly ball to center fielder Rico Noel. Japhet Amador out at home on the throw, center fielder Rico Noel to catcher Ali Solis. Marquez Smith to 2nd. Pitching Change: Arturo Barradas replaces Manny Barreda. Jesus Cota pops out to catcher Ali Solis in foul territory. Gabriel Gutierrez grounds out, third baseman Oscar Robles to first baseman Joey Meneses.

Dominican Box Score Elian Herrera, playing second base and batting 3rd (!), was 2-for-5 with two RBI in his team's win. On the other side of the box score, Hector Gomez, playing second base and batting 5th, was 0-for-4 (two K's).

Puerto Rico Box Score SS Yadiel Rivera (still with his Santurce team) was 0-for-3 (one K). OPS is .637 through 84 AB's. FYI - Cubs' Javier Baez debuted and was naturally 0-for-3 with three K's (did add sacrifice fly).

Via Eduardo A. Encina, The Baltimore Sun The Orioles selected Sean Halton from the Milwaukee Brewers in the Triple-A portion of the draft Thursday. Halton, who will report to Triple-A Norfolk, can play first base, both corner outfield spots and slot in at designated hitter. Halton, 27, hit .238 with four home runs and 17 RBIs in 42 major league games with Milwaukee in 2013. He batted .293 with eight homers and 63 RBIs with Triple-A Nashville this past season, and has been on the Orioles' radar since two years ago, when he was scouted while playing winter ball for Licey in the Dominican Republic. "He's a big, strong, right-handed hitter with power, but he's also got a real good on-base percentage," Orioles minor league operations director Kent Qualls said. "We think he'll be a good contributor in Triple-A and, you never know, might help us in the big leagues." *** Good luck to Kentrail Davis with the Angels' organization as well. It is a classy move to expose both players in this manner (minor league Rule 5 phase), but one wonders if the Brewers would have held onto them if not taken. By going the Rule 5 route, the players don't have the stigma of "released" on their resume. That being said, when you combine their departures with Jeremy Hermida's (now officially sold to a Japanese team), yes, as indicated in the post just above, the front office has some work to do. Recruiting bats for Colorado Springs should not be an issue.

Dominican Box Score Hector Gomez, playing third base, was 3-for-4 and a HR shy of a cycle, although his club fell, 6-2. He drove in one. Toros Top of the 2nd Lew Ford flies out to right fielder Jordy Lara. Brian Burgamy grounds out, pitcher Lorenzo Barcelo to first baseman Miguel Tejada. Hector Gomez singles on a ground ball to left fielder Zoilo Almonte. Abraham Almonte strikes out swinging. Toros Top of the 4th Eugenio Velez called out on strikes. Lew Ford grounds out, shortstop Jonathan Villar to first baseman Miguel Tejada. Brian Burgamy singles on a line drive to right fielder Jordy Lara. Hector Gomez triples (2) on a line drive to left fielder Zoilo Almonte. Brian Burgamy scores. Abraham Almonte pops out to shortstop Jonathan Villar. Toros Top of the 7th Pitching Change: Juan Sandoval replaces Lorenzo Barcelo. Brian Burgamy strikes out swinging. Hector Gomez called out on strikes. Abraham Almonte grounds out, second baseman Derek Dietrich to first baseman Miguel Tejada. Toros Top of the 9th Pitching Change: Tony Pena replaces Johan Yan. Lew Ford grounds out, shortstop Jonathan Villar to first baseman Jordy Lara. Brian Burgamy grounds out sharply, shortstop Jonathan Villar to first baseman Jordy Lara. Hector Gomez doubles (4) on a line drive to left fielder Zoilo Almonte. Abraham Almonte pops out sharply to third baseman Diego Goris.

Dominican Box Score 2B Elian Herrera was 0-for-3 as his team mustered only three hits in a 1-0 loss. His teammate Luis Jimenez has been idle for a couple of days, battling a slump, perhaps calling it a winter.

Venezuela Box Score So much for resting Orlando Arcia. The 20-year-old SS was 1-for-3 (sacrifice bunt, intentional walk) in his team's 9-8 ten-inning loss.

Puerto Rico Box Score Staked to an early 8-0 lead, AA RHP Jacob Barnes gave four runs back in the 3rd and only pitched 3.3 innings -- 3.2 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 4 K, GB:FB 4:2 Mayaguez Bottom of the 1st Jesmuel Valentin grounds out, third baseman Angel Sanchez to first baseman Carlos Rivera. T. J. Rivera flies out to center fielder Rusney Castillo. Daniel Ortiz singles on a line drive to right fielder Henry Ramos. Kennys Vargas strikes out swinging. Mayaguez Bottom of the 2nd Luis Figueroa lines out to shortstop Luis Mateo. Randy Ruiz flies out to center fielder Rusney Castillo. Martin Maldonado grounds out, shortstop Luis Mateo to first baseman Carlos Rivera. Mayaguez Bottom of the 3rd Fehlandt Lentini walks. Noel Cuevas singles on a ground ball to right fielder Henry Ramos. Fehlandt Lentini to 2nd. Jesmuel Valentin singles on a line drive to left fielder Juan Silva. Fehlandt Lentini to 3rd. Noel Cuevas to 2nd. T. J. Rivera doubles (8) on a line drive to center fielder Rusney Castillo. Fehlandt Lentini scores. Noel Cuevas scores. Jesmuel Valentin scores. Daniel Ortiz grounds out, second baseman Rey Navarro to first baseman Carlos Rivera. T. J. Rivera to 3rd. Kennys Vargas grounds out, second baseman Rey Navarro to first baseman Carlos Rivera. T. J. Rivera scores. Luis Figueroa strikes out swinging. Mayaguez Bottom of the 4th Randy Ruiz strikes out swinging. Martin Maldonado strikes out swinging. Fehlandt Lentini walks. Pitching Change: Luis Atilano replaces Jacob Barnes. Noel Cuevas grounds into a force out, shortstop Luis Mateo to second baseman Rey Navarro. Fehlandt Lentini out at 2nd. Barnes' team would hold on to defeat Maldonado's, 11-8. If you remember last winter, Maldonado went on an HBP spree, and Wednesday there was this, his second consecutive day plunked -- Mayaguez Bottom of the 6th Kennys Vargas doubles (4) on a line drive to right fielder Henry Ramos. Luis Figueroa flies out to left fielder Juan Silva. Randy Ruiz pops out to first baseman Carlos Rivera. Martin Maldonado hit by pitch. Fehlandt Lentini singles on a ground ball to right fielder Henry Ramos. Kennys Vargas to 3rd. Martin Maldonado to 2nd. Noel Cuevas singles on a fly ball to left fielder Juan Silva. Kennys Vargas scores. Martin Maldonado to 3rd. Fehlandt Lentini to 2nd. Jesmuel Valentin grounds out to first baseman Carlos Rivera. Caguas Top of the 7th Defensive Substitution: Yovan Gonzalez replaces catcher Martin Maldonado, batting 7th, playing catcher. Since he ran the bases and his team was down 10-5 after six innings when pulled, we'll assume Maldy's OK.

Notable Players Available In The Rule 5 Draft In the comments section of that previously linked and highly recommended Baseball America article, BA's Matt Eddy noted this -- "If you had to pick the one player most likely to be selected, who would it be?" I like the following three Rule 5-eligible players because they can fill a role on a 25-man roster: Brewers LHP Jed Bradley - Ordinary strikeout and walk rates overall, but only one qualified starter had a higher GB/FB ratio (2.72) in 2014. Plus he's tough on LH batters (.196, 0 HR, 158 batters faced as starter). Potential swingman or matchup candidate. *** His other two were Astros CF Delino DeShields Jr. and Orioles RHP Mychal Givens.

The Brewer Nation tweeted that Caleb Gindl will be signing a minor league deal with a big league camp invite soon. Let's see if I'm right on this -- Blue Jays.

VIDEO Report: No weather delays, but a start in Huntsville still likely How awkward will it be in Huntsville for the uniforms to read Biloxi? Can't be helped...

Every so often we'll link a reminder to the Brewers site' video page, catch up on those posted in the last week here.

(We believe this to be an accurate list. If we learn otherwise, we'll let you know...) Alphabetical list of the 44 active Brewers' farmhands eligible to be taken in Thursday's Rule 5 draft -- the Brewers can protect (if they choose) up to 38 players at the highest level, meaning they could only be taken in the Major League phase of the Rule 5 draft. If they do protect the maximum, up to six would be eligible to be plucked in the minor league phase of Rule 5, where it is basically a free grab bag, with no restrictions on the choosing team. You may remember that a few years ago the Brewers left 2B Eric Farris protected at the lower level, essentially giving him an opportunity for a fresh start elsewhere. LHP Nick Additon RHP Jacob Barnes RHP Manny Barreda C Parker Berberet LHP Jed Bradley RHP Jaye Chapman RHP Tyler Cravy OF Kentrail Davis RHP Tim Dillard RHP John Ely OF Josh Fellhauer RHP Drew Gagnon C Cameron Garfield RHP Milton Gomez IF Taylor Green OF/1B Sean Halton RHP Seth Harvey OF Jeremy Hermida RHP Kyle Heckathorn RHP Greg Holle LHP Brent Leach 3B Brandon Macias RHP Eric Marzec RHP Casey Medlen RHP Andy Moye C Connor Narron C Rafael Neda RHP Wirfin Obispo IF Pete Orr C Leudi Otano RHP Ariel Pena OF Jose Pena LHP Stephen Peterson 1B Nick Ramirez OF D'Vontrey Richardson RHP Junior Rincon RHP Austin Ross 2B/SS Nick Shaw IF Hainley Statia RHP Chad Thompson RHP Tommy Toledo C Adam Weisenburger RHP Mark Williams C Shawn Zarraga The following players never filed retirement papers formally and remain Brewers property. Technically, they will appear on the Brewers' Rule 5 eligible list to other clubs, although the Brewers may be releasing some of these players shortly. If so, those releases would appear on Baseball America's weekly summary list. LHP Brandol Perez, RHP's Jameson Dunn, Osmel Perez, Matt Miller, Rolando Pascual, INF's Andres Martinez, Michael Marseco, Brent Brewer, OF Ronny Puello, C Carlos Pena

Wrapping up today's report on a high note -- Dominican Box Score Elian Herrera, playing second base, was 1-for-4 as his team fell 5-0. The reason Herrera's club lost was the seven-inning shutout work of LHP Nick Additon, who has only given up one run (unearned) in his 12 innings thus far. Additon had pitched four innings in his prior start. Tuesday -- 7 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K, GB:FB 5:5 Awesome night for the soon-to-be 27-year-old -- Estrellas Top of the 1st Derrick Robinson grounds out, shortstop Pedro Florimon to first baseman Wilkin Castillo. Elian Herrera flies out to left fielder Jimmy Paredes. Junior Lake strikes out swinging. Estrellas Top of the 2nd Jake Fox singles on a ground ball to left fielder Jimmy Paredes. Jordany Valdespin flies out to left fielder Jimmy Paredes. Alfredo Marte pops out to second baseman Jorge Polanco. Blake Lalli strikes out swinging. Estrellas Top of the 3rd Audy Ciriaco singles on a line drive to left fielder Jimmy Paredes. Juan Diaz singles on a line drive to left fielder Jimmy Paredes. Audy Ciriaco to 2nd. Derrick Robinson grounds into a double play, second baseman Jorge Polanco to first baseman Wilkin Castillo. Audy Ciriaco to 3rd. Juan Diaz out at 2nd. Elian Herrera lines out softly to second baseman Jorge Polanco. Estrellas Top of the 4th Junior Lake grounds out, pitcher Nick Additon to first baseman Wilkin Castillo. Jake Fox grounds out, shortstop Pedro Florimon to first baseman Wilkin Castillo. Jordany Valdespin doubles (4) on a fly ball to center fielder Jose Rosario. Alfredo Marte strikes out swinging. Estrellas Top of the 5th Blake Lalli strikes out swinging. Audy Ciriaco flies out to right fielder Brad Glenn. Juan Diaz strikes out swinging. Estrellas Top of the 6th Derrick Robinson flies out to right fielder Brad Glenn. Elian Herrera called out on strikes. Junior Lake flies out to right fielder Brad Glenn in foul territory. Estrellas Top of the 7th Jake Fox pops out to shortstop Pedro Florimon. Jordany Valdespin grounds out, pitcher Nick Additon to first baseman Wilkin Castillo. Alfredo Marte pops out to first baseman Wilkin Castillo.

Dominican Box Score Hunter Morris, as the DH, was 0-for-4 in his club's 11-0 loss. Morris is 5-for-26 with no walks and 10 K's as he shakes off the rust. On a side note involving another 40-man roster LH-hitting AAA first baseman, Happy 28th Birthday, Matt Clark!

Dominican Box Score Hector Gomez, playing third base, tripled and doubled, scoring a run in his team's 5-4 win.

Puerto Rico Box Score Catcher Martin Maldonado was 1-for-4 with an HBP in his team's 4-3 10-inning win (one stolen base against). Maldonado was also caught stealing himself.

Venezuela Box Score SS Orlando Arcia was shifted to the nine-spot in the order, and he had a productive if not loud night -- Sacrifice fly, ground out, walk, sacrifice bunt, double

Mexico Box Score RHP Manny Barreda pitched 22.2 innings for Huntsville after his July 17th acquisition. Barreda has now pitched 22.2 innings in Mexico this winter. Click on his name above to compare the two samples. Yes, we analyze reliever numbers too often in frustratingly small samples. We've tried to spin his Mexico numbers positively when we can, but it was another rough outing Tuesday, retiring just three of the six batters faced -- Jalisco Bottom of the 4th Leo Heras flies out to left fielder Maxwell Leon. Pitching Change: Manny Barreda replaces Hector Daniel Rodriguez. Japhet Amador grounds out, second baseman Ramiro Pena to first baseman Arturo Rodriguez. Marquez Smith walks. C. J. Retherford grounds out, first baseman Arturo Rodriguez to pitcher Manny Barreda. Jalisco Bottom of the 5th Jesus Cota walks. Gabriel Gutierrez grounds out, shortstop Issmael Salas to first baseman Arturo Rodriguez. Jesus Cota to 2nd. Amadeo Zazueta singles on a line drive to left fielder Maxwell Leon. Jesus Cota scores. Pitching Change: Jose Meraz replaces Manny Barreda. Eduardo Arredondo flies out to left fielder Maxwell Leon. Jose Manuel Rodriguez hit by pitch. Amadeo Zazueta to 2nd. Leo Heras strikes out swinging.

McCalvy -- "The Brewers have cleared Jean Segura to play in the Dominican Winter League if he chooses. It would offer Segura an opportunity to work on some mechanical changes related to his balance that were suggested during the season. As of Monday, Ron Roenicke was unsure of Segura's plan."

VIDEO from MLB.com: MLB.com's Tim McMaster and MLBPipeline.com's Bernie Pleskoff break down the Brewers' top-ranked prospect Tyrone Taylor and his quick feet

VIDEO via MLB.com: Doug Melvin from the Winter Meetings VIDEO via MLB.com: Ron Roenicke from the Winter Meetings

AUDIO 12/8 - Asst. GM Gord Ash on 105.7 FM (WSSP)

Winter League related tweets from the Winter Meetings -- McCalvy - #Brewers have let SS prospect Orlando Arcia play deep into winter ball bc "we think playing against the advanced level is good for him," Melvin said Haudricourt - Doug Melvin said Carlos Baerga told him #Brewers prospect Jorge Lopez is best pitcher in Puerto Rican Winter League. 1.73 ERA in 6 starts. Haudricourt - #Brewers GM Doug Melvin on Luis Jimenez: "We hope he turns out to be a good waiver claim like Casey McGehee was." *** Apparently there are trades in winter ball, and two new members of the Brewers' 40-man roster, C Juan Centeno and SS Yadiel Rivera, were traded for each other as part of a six-player deal (tweet).