Jim Goulart

Rotoworld likes (as they should) the Marlins' signing of reliever Jesus Sanchez. While an under the radar move, this could prove to be a very savvy signing for the Marlins. The 26-year-old right-hander posted an excellent 2.83 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 50/18 K/BB ratio over 70 innings at Triple-A Nashville in the hard-hitting PCL in 2013. He should be a candidate to earn a spot in the Marlins bullpen. Also, kind words from Voice of the Sounds Jeff Hem.

Friday's Winter activity -- Venezuela Box Score Sixteen appearances under his belt, the last six scoreless, 27-year-old RHP Arcenio Leon is turning in a fine winter. He pitched well enough Friday that he extended to three scoreless -- La Guaira Bottom of the 4th Pitching Change: Arcenio Leon replaces Virgil Vasquez. Rene Reyes flies out to center fielder Ender Inciarte. Ehire Adrianza grounds out, second baseman Jose Flores to first baseman Ernesto Mejia. Miguel Rojas grounds out, shortstop Freddy Galvis to first baseman Ernesto Mejia. La Guaira Bottom of the 5th Rafael Ortega singles on a line drive to center fielder Ender Inciarte. Jamie Romak pops out to pitcher Arcenio Leon. Salvador Perez grounds out, pitcher Arcenio Leon to first baseman Ernesto Mejia. Rafael Ortega to 2nd. Alex Cabrera grounds out, shortstop Freddy Galvis to first baseman Ernesto Mejia. La Guaira Bottom of the 6th Hector Sanchez strikes out swinging. C. J. Retherford hit by pitch. Rene Reyes grounds out, second baseman Jose Flores to first baseman Ernesto Mejia. C. Retherford to 2nd. Ehire Adrianza grounds out, shortstop Freddy Galvis to first baseman Ernesto Mejia *** Puerto Rico Box Score Martin Maldonado, batting 7th as the DH in the second game of a doubleheader, was 0-for-2 (struck out swinging, lined to first). Maldy now 1-for-9 with five K's. *** Dominican Box Score Juan Francisco, batting cleanup and playing third base (error #8 in 28 games), had a positive game at the plate, 2-for-4 with an RBI. Teammate RHP Alfredo Figaro allowed six hits in three innings, but only one ER (two overall). It was his 3rd winter outing. As per his 2013, no walks to hurt his cause -- Gigantes Bottom of the 3rd Pitching Change: Alfredo Figaro replaces Pedro Figueroa. Omir Santos grounds out, pitcher Alfredo Figaro to first baseman Yamaico Navarro. Jonathan Diaz reaches on a fielding error by third baseman Juan Francisco. Alexi Casilla singles on a ground ball to right fielder Alex Hassan. Jonathan Diaz to 3rd. Leury Garcia singles on a ground ball to left fielder Jordany Valdespin. Jonathan Diaz scores. Alexi Casilla to 2nd. Wilson Betemit singles on a line drive to center fielder Julio Borbon. Alexi Casilla scores. Leury Garcia to 2nd. Moises Sierra singles on a line drive to left fielder Jordany Valdespin. Leury Garcia to 3rd. Wilson Betemit to 2nd. Oscar Tejeda grounds into a double play, second baseman Anderson Hernandez to shortstop Carlos Triunfel to first baseman Yamaico Navarro. Moises Sierra out at 2nd. Gigantes Bottom of the 4th Francisco Peguero grounds out, third baseman Juan Francisco to first baseman Yamaico Navarro. Hanser Alberto pops out to catcher Christian Bethancourt in foul territory. Omir Santos flies out to right fielder Alex Hassan. Gigantes Bottom of the 5th Jonathan Diaz grounds out, shortstop Carlos Triunfel to first baseman Yamaico Navarro. Alexi Casilla singles on a ground ball to left fielder Jordany Valdespin. Offensive Substitution: Pinch-runner Maikel Franco replaces Alexi Casilla. Offensive Substitution: Pinch-hitter Ronny Gil replaces Leury Garcia. Ronny Gil grounds into a force out, second baseman Anderson Hernandez to shortstop Carlos Triunfel. Maikel Franco out at 2nd. Ronny Gil to 1st. Wilson Betemit singles on a ground ball. Ronny Gil out at 2nd, hit by batted ball, first baseman Yamaico Navarro unassisted. *** Dominican Box Score Elian Herrera, playing LF, was 1-for-4 with a double and sacrifice bunt (one K). *** Dominican Box Score The 2011 big league Colorado Rockie (two games), SS Hector Gomez was 1-for-3 with a caught stealing (now 0-for-2 in that category).

A bit of trivia -- Only once before today's trade (LHP Luis Ortega for RHP Burke Badenhop) in his Brewers tenure has Doug Melvin traded for a minor leaguer who had not yet seen full-season ball, and the player he acquired has managed to carve out a productive major league career. 03/30/2004 -- He was traded by the San Francisco Giants with RHP Glenn Woolard to the Brewers for RHP Leo Estrella and LHP Wayne Franklin. His name? RHP Carlos Villanueva

Baseball America on LHP Luis Ortega

The Brewers can still pick up somebody in Rule 5, it's as long as you're under a full 40-man, yesterday's limit has no implication. Nice insights on Badenhop here from Adam. Baseball America on Ortega The ultimate nit-pick -- it isn't and never has been "Rule V". No Super Bowl Roman numerals ever associated with the draft formally. Please don't take it personal .

Jaymes at Disciples of Uecker with some Luis Ortega info (Badenhop trade), as limited as it is, does provide some linked insights. The Brewers now have three Ortega's in their system: newcomer Luis from the Dominican Republic, 2013 Maryvale RHP Jorge out of Venezuela, and their 2012 6th round pick Angel, the 2013 Helena Brewers SS from Puerto Rico. Guessing they're not related . There are three Davis', all OF's -- big leaguer Khris, AAA Kentrail, and rookie baller Johnny. There are three Gomez' -- Carlos, Double-A SS Hector, and Maryvale RHP Milton. There are four Diaz boys -- 2013 8th round OF Brandon, veteran backstop Robinzon, and Dominican Summer League RHP's Miguel and Victor. But, as you may have predicted, the Williams family leads the way with five -- 2013 23rd round middle infielder Eric, and four pitchers, LHP Alan, and RHP's Mark, Taylor, and Devin.

Prior to today's trade of Burke Badenhop to Boston, this was the last trade bewteen the Red Sox and Brewers, over 15 years ago: 07/31/98 -- Brewers acquired RHP Joe Hudson in exchange for INF Eddy Diaz Hudson only appeared in one big league game for the Crew -- he allowed six runs, all earned, in 1/3 of an inning -- yikes! From a Brewers perspective, now it's the Marlins by far, who have had the longest trade drought with the Crew, as you'll be able to see as each club is tracked in the post at the top of this thread. Prior to today, the Red Sox had the 2nd longest gap.

For PCL teams, the miles add up It boggles my mind that when the American Association folded in '97, that another league of sorts made up of the mideast / central states couldn't be formed. Among 30 MLB teams, you could easily make the case for a 10-10-10 or 10-8-12 split among three AAA leagues. You could even mix in the rare "interleague" games. What a travel nightmare the PCL is, just don't think that can be understated.

One team I've always thought would be a good match for Gomez would be Seattle. They have a lot of young pitching prospects but are struggling big time on offense. We generally have a pretty strong offense but our pitching ranks are nearly bare. Flipping Gomez for Walker or Hultzen + makes all the sense in the world for both teams. "Maybe Seattle would make a trade like that and maybe not. If i was the Brewers GM, nobody on the roster would be untouchable, that obviously includes Gomez. If he doesn't get traded though which is most likely, i'm not going to bash Melvin unless someone comes up with concrete details of players Doug was really offered and then turned down. I simply can't join in the camp of some on message boards who get mad if certain players aren't traded even if those people have no clear details of who was offered for that player or if reported rumors ending up proving to be factually accurate." *** Obviously this thread is morphing from the originally proposed deal, but regarding Gomez for young controllable pitching, an almost exact match would be Minnesota dealing Denard Span and his three years of control to the Nationals for 6'9" RHP Alex Meyer. Baseball America: Nationals Get Their Man In Span Yes, perhaps Gomez has a bit more value now, but it's close. Now as it turns out, Meyer is looking like a true stud -- Alex Meyer Lends AFL A Powerful Arm So when you're trading for a single young pitcher, you had better be sure. So far, so good for Meyer, can't wait to see if/how he progresses once on the big stage.

No Brewers took part in winter league action Thursday.

got a link to that information? Haudricourt at the JS blog

Wednesday's Winter League action -- Puerto Rico Box Score RHP Hiram Burgos made a very strong scoreless three-inning start (one H, one BB, four K's). Only one run allowed in seven innings over four appearances for Burgos thus far. Burgos may be a bit of a forgotten man in fans' discussions of big league-capable pieces, but when he's healthy and on, he's proven to be tantalizingly interesting. Ponce Top of the 1st Reymond Fuentes strikes out swinging. Ivan De Jesus called out on strikes. Rubi Silva strikes out swinging. Ponce Top of the 2nd Jordan Lennerton grounds out, third baseman Chris Curley to first baseman Kennys Vargas. Henry Ramos grounds out to first baseman Kennys Vargas. Christian Colon singles on a line drive to left fielder Daniel Ortiz. With Jonathan Mota batting, Christian Colon steals (3) 2nd base. Jonathan Mota walks. Kevin Torres flies out to center fielder Michael Taylor. Ponce Top of the 3rd Jesmuel Valentin strikes out swinging. Reymond Fuentes grounds out, second baseman Eddie Rosario to first baseman Kennys Vargas. Ivan De Jesus lines out to shortstop Luis Figueroa. *** Venezuela Box Score RHP Mike Fiers made his second appearance, tossing a perfect 9th in his club's 8-2 win. Aragua Bottom of the 9th Pitching Change: Mike Fiers replaces Jonathan Ortiz. Guillermo Quiroz flies out to left fielder Daniel Mayora. Jose Martinez grounds out, second baseman Hernan Perez to first baseman Jesus Aguilar. Ronny Cedeno grounds out, third baseman Alex Gonzalez to first baseman Jesus Aguilar. *** Mexico Box Score The Brewers finally have a Mexican League representative, as native son catcher Rafael Neda (.488 2013 OPS in 143 Brevard AB's) made his debut. Entering the game in the 5th inning, Neda finished 0-for-3 (two K's). *** Dominican Box Score SS Hector Gomez (.261, one BB in 69 AB's) singled and drove in a run in four AB's. *** Dominican Box Score Switch-hitting 40-man roster waiver claim Elian Herrera, leading off and playing LF here, singled in four AB's, scored a run, added a sacrifice bunt. Finally, isn't this in a way a good thing that's happening (below)? Front office reality check? Juan Francisco, playing third base and batting cleanup, was 0-for-4 with two K's. Down to .276 after 105 AB's, Francisco has now fanned 36 times. He is 4-for-his-last-36 with 17 K's.

Via today's brief note: BILOXI, Miss. — The Biloxi City Council has set up a $1 million budget in advance of any spending for a baseball stadium. David Nichols, city administrator, says no expenditures will be made until a team is purchased and all the documents are signed. The Sun Herald reports the vote was 5-2 Tuesday creating the new capital project to track the expenses of the stadium. The action prepares to combine funding sources of $1 million in general fund money, $15 million in grant money from the state and $21 million in bond money to build the stadium. Councilman Robert Deming III said the city has to be ready for the opening of the baseball season in 2015 and faces penalties if the deadline isn't met. *** In other words, we should know relatively soon if the Huntsville franchise is moving.

Adam McCalvy (via Gord Ash) explains Hunter Morris' abbreviated winter season in his 40-man article: Officially, Morris is one of the Brewers' 2014 options for first base, a position that is at the moment unfilled. "It's going to depend what the need is at the time," said assistant general manager Gord Ash, who referred to Morris' Triple-A season as a learning experience. "I think he understood there are adjustments to be made," Ash said. "I think he made good progress defensively. Obviously, he still hit with decent power, but he didn't have some of the peripherals that surrounded that like he did the year before. So it was a good learning experience for him, and I was hopeful that winter ball would allow him to take that next step." But Morris suffered a twisted right knee after three games in the Venezuelan Winter League and was unable to play after Nov. 8. When the issue did not improve, the Brewers brought Morris home to the U.S. for an examination on Tuesday by head team physician William Raasch, who detected no structural damage.

Via Jim Owczarski of OnMilwaukee -- Nelson ready to compete for starting role

Look for updates from the Brewers today Wed. 11/20 (deadline day).

Look for updates from the Brewers today Wed. 11/20 (deadline day).

Winter League Activity - Tuesday 11/19 Dominican Box Score Juan Francisco, batting cleanup and playing first base, singled twice and drove in a run in six at-bats (13-inning game), batting .287 after 101 at-bats (13 walks). That's reasonable. Francisco also did this in his other four at-bats - Juan Francisco strikes out swinging. Juan Francisco strikes out swinging. Juan Francisco strikes out swinging. Juan Francisco strikes out swinging. That's 30 strikeouts in 101 AB's against the equivalent of, let's say to be kind, AAA pitching. Meanwhile, an old friend about to turn 38 has posted a 1.449 OPS after 11 games in Mexico. Russell the Muscle. Same number of walks as Francisco in 65 fewer AB's (36 AB's). If it could only be one or the other, who would you rather see facing right-handed pitching in a platoon/bench role, in person at Miller Park, or all season on TV, in 2014? Please, Brewers, please. Newest Brewer Elian Herrera had a big game, 4-for-6 (all singles, two K's). He played LF in this one. *** In that same game, RHP Alfredo Figaro was dealing, fanning five in three scoreles innings -- Estrellas Bottom of the 7th Pitching Change: Alfredo Figaro replaces Greg Aquino. Alex Valdez strikes out swinging. Junior Lake singles on a line drive to center fielder Yordany Ramirez. Audy Ciriaco singles on a line drive to center fielder Yordany Ramirez. Junior Lake to 2nd. With Ed Rogers batting, Junior Lake caught stealing 3rd base, catcher Christian Bethancourt to third baseman Juan Francisco, Audy Ciriaco to 2nd. Ed Rogers flies out to left fielder Julio Borbon. Estrellas Bottom of the 8th Jackson Williams strikes out swinging. Offensive Substitution: Pinch-hitter Nelson Perez replaces Brian Barden. Nelson Perez grounds out, shortstop Wilson Valdez to first baseman Yamaico Navarro. Michael Martinez called out on strikes. Estrellas Bottom of the 9th Elian Herrera strikes out swinging. Denis Phipps grounds out, third baseman Juan Francisco to first baseman Yamaico Navarro. Alex Valdez strikes out swinging. *** Dominican Box Score SS Hector Gomez 0-for-3 (two K's), his 5th error in 21 games. *** LHP Zach Kroenke made his first Dominican start Tuesday, the Brewers made him an offer to return in 2014, but thus far, Kroenke did not accept the deal.

Fun article from Adam -- Flying leap twice as nice for Brewers prospects Shackelford, Cravy, Goforth celebrate AFL title year after winning Midwest League

AUDIO - Corey Hart, Free Agent 1B/OF, discusses his health and free agency on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (May not be quite the full interview, but at nearly six minutes, it is the majority...) Also, MLB.com via Adam has a written summary.

VIDEO / PRINT Report -- Cody Scarpetta Encouraged About Comeback This will be the second year back from May 2012 Tommy John surgery for the 6'3" 250 lb. RHP, who turned 25 last August (MiLB player page). Scarpetta is not on the 40-man, and is out of minor league options. He'll be eligible to be taken in Rule 5 next month, but is an unlikely candidate at this point. This is the final year the Brewers control Scarpetta's rights, so if he impresses in 2014, he could be re-added to the 40-man roster next fall, but would then have to make the big league club to stay in spring 2015. The Brewers could also try to persuade Scarpetta to stay with another minor league deal for 2015 next fall if need be, but that's getting way ahead of things at this time.

Monday's Winter League action -- Dominican Box Score Catcher Robinzon Diaz was having his best game in a while, singling in his first two AB's before leaving the game for a pinchrunner after being hit by a pitch in the 4th. *** Light night schedule-wise, Diaz the only Brewer to see the field.

As per this google-translated blog post out of the Dominican, we learn more about Sean Halton's departure after 15 productive games -- Sean Halton said goodbye Licey The whole of the Licey Tigers announced the departure to the United States imported player Sean Halton, with the possibility of return to the team in December. Manny Acta, general manager of the Licey, said Halton gave an example of professionalism, having been playing injured leg and decided to leave the United States for recovery and left open the possibility of returning in December. The player belonging to the Milwaukee Brewers has proved one of the best imports from the Dominican Winter League this season and one of the best of the Tigers in recent years. In 15 games chartered 17 hits in 52 innings, .327, eighth best hitter in the circuit. He hit eight doubles (one behind leader Juan Francisco), a homer, 12 RBI (fourth best), seven runs, five walks, 11 strikeouts, .410 on-base percentage and .948 OPS. http://images2.listindiario.com/image/article/481/680x460/0/2110A496-61D2-4A05-9BAB-CA9974745A44.jpeg *** With Halton indicating he may be back, it would seem whatever's ailing his leg is relatively minor.

Hellweg blazing path to Milwaukee Sluggers Hopkins, Haniger among top prospects for Brewers By Kelsie Heneghan / MiLB.com *** Now, Greg Hopkins played his high school ball less than 40 miles from me in Massachusetts before going on to St. John's, and I'm pulling for the guy, but a .602 OPS as a 24-year-old in High-A shouldn't net you "slugger" bylines, even playing at Space Coast in the FSL. Pretty sure Kelsie is a nice young lady, but MiLB.com (and MLB Advanced Media) can't allow a watering down of their content when stuff like that happens. 20-year-old Renaldo Jenkins would have been a better choice, or give it to Scooter, but beyond that, it's a sobering look at the state of the system, well beyond second base. Did like the Brent Suter love, though July and August were not stellar.

All Brewers activity took place in the Dominican Sunday, and it was relatively quiet -- Dominican Box Score Robinzon Diaz 1-for-5 with two RBI (two K's) - he split time at first base and behind the plate, one baserunner stole third base vs. him. Diaz (.218) now with just two walks in 78 AB's. *** Dominican Box Score Juan Francisco is slumping -- 0-for-4 with two K's, his 7th error (he played third base). Francisco (.284 overall) now 2-for-23 with 11 K's (three BB's) in his last seven games. Side note for prospective employers -- Chris Narveson continues to have a stellar winter as a starting pitcher. *** Dominican Box Score SS Hector Gomez 0-for-4 with an error, his 4th in 20 games this winter. Elian Herrera played second base, was 0-for-4 with an RBI and one K.