strawbossisevil

Rafael Furcal might be a possibility if the Dodgers fall out of the hunt by July. I don't think JJ Hardy will be back, according to Haurdicourt, that bridge has been burned.

Looks like I did. He is projected to an ERA in the mid 3s next season. Even with his addition, that doesn't change the fact that the Brewers have a better top of the rotation IMO. I would compare the A's to the Cincinnati Reds, they are deep, but they do not have an equivalent to Greinke.

I'm surprised by the Red Sox. Clay Bucholtz, despite the gaudy ERA numbers last season put up an xFIP of 4.20 (FIP 3.61). He benefited from a low BABIP, a high strand rate, a homerun rate three times lower than his career average, and all that while only striking out 6.22 per 9, while walking 3.47 per 9. Jon Lester is legit. FIP 3.13, xFIP 3.29. His numbers are all where they should be. Outside of those two, however, the Red Sox rotation is full of guys who pitched with ERAs in the mid 4s (or worse). I don't think that the Red Sox rotation is better than the Brewers at this point. The other team I think we are better than is the As (especially if you take them out of the Coliseum) : Trevor Cahill (ERA in 2010 - 2.97) had a FIP of 4.19, xFIP 4.11 last season. Most projections have him as a guy with an ERA in the high 3s this upcoming season. He only K'd 5.82/9 last season. Gio Gonzalez (ERA in 2010 - 3.23) had a FIP of 3.78, xFIP 4.18 last season. Most projections also have him as a guy with an ERA in the high 3s this upcoming season. He walked over 4 batters per 9 last season, but benefited greatly by cutting his HR/9 in half. Dallas Braden (ERA in 2010 - 3.50) had a FIP of 3.80, xFIP 4.41. He also doesn't strike out many batters (5.28/9) Vin Mazzaro (ERA in 2010 - 4.27) had a FIP of 5.13, xFIP 4.72. Ben Sheets (ERA in 2010 - 4.53) had a FIP of 4.71, xFIP 4.44. If you look at the numbers from last season, I think we are actually pretty close to the Rays (although I would take Price over Greinke). I would have the Brewers as 5th overall, with the As and Red Sox behind us, and the Cardinals in front of us.

After looking at that list...yuck. Not a single appealing option. I'd be tempted to give Luis Cruz a chance in Spring Training to earn some playing time, especially the way he has been absolutely raking in Winter ball. Given the chance, his numbers might not be all that different from any of those listed options. Part of the problems with the calculations being made is that none of those guys are spring chickens. The odds are that their defensive range is likely to go down from last season. I wouldn't be opposed to signing a Punto or Counsell though. I think our best option for improvement at SS will be later in the season at the trade deadline. Next offseason there may be a host of solid SS available in FA (assuming they don't sign a deal during the course of this season). Rollins, Reyes, Bartlett, Hardy, Infante, Furcal (possibly), Scutaro. Some of these might become available at the deadline this season.

To be fair, his agent also said he thought it was unlikely that the deal was going to happen just a few hours earlier. So...who knows how much the agent actually knows about what is happening behind the scenes in this deal.

What seems to add some credence to this rumor is that two individual sports writers have scooped essentially the same deal (with the later being more likely). Add to that the fact that both of the writers have a solid amount of credibility, and I think that it is indeed something that will happen (barring physicals). But I guess we'll find out in the next couple of days.

The Brewers should have the money available to sign Greinke to an extension (making use of some of the money saved by not having Fielder). This rotation rocks! Greinke Gallardo Marcum Wolf Naverson/Capuano/Rogers Loosing Odorizzi is difficult to swallow, I really liked the guy. But with the above rotation we will be a top 3 team in the NL (behind only Philly and possibly SF). This is a team that will be able to compete for it all in 2011. A top 5 offense paired with a top 5 pitching rotation. This is exciting, even if it came at a high cost.

Yes. When you sink your phone to your computer, it backs up of all of your apps. So you can delete/re-add them on your phone whenever you'd like.

I have the 16gb Iphone, and it is just fine. I usually have about a dozen or so games on there at a time. It really depends how much media you want to put on the phone. I have about 6 GB of music and don't need any video media on my phone, so the 16gb was more than enough. That said, some of the new games that are designed for the new high resolution display (such as Infinity Blade), are close to a GB apiece.

Also, if you use Google Voice, you don't have to pay for texts. Paying for text messages should be a thing of the past.

I have the Iphone 4 and absolutely love it. The $15 per month data plan will be just fine if you are mostly interested in email, google voice, calendar, maps, sports scores, the occasional google search. That's what I use it for, and I always have tons of data left over at the end of the month. If you want to stream video and audio in your car, such as Pandora/Netflix, you will probably need the higher one. The nice thing with At&t is that they let you switch between the two levels without forcing you to redo your plan. So, if the $15 plan isn't enough, one can move up to the $30. Or if the $30 is too much, one can move down to the $15 plan without changing the contract. As others have pointed out, Apple is more stringent about what they allow on their device, but that also means a smoother and more secure product. After comparing my Iphone with my friends EVO, it is pretty clear that the Iphone is the more solidly built phone, less cheap parts etc. As long as you don't drop it and smash the glass (not a problem for me as I have it in a case), the Iphone is more likely to last for 2+ years. That's just the feeling I got when comparing them side by side. EVO felt like it was more cheaply made. As far as At&t's service. I live just north of Milwaukee, and I've never had a problem with my phone cutting out. I think that is a bigger issue in cities such as New York. Actually, I've been far happier with At&t's service than I was with my previous Sprint phone (although, that was in a different city (Orlando), so I can't speak to Sprint's service here in Milwaukee).

If it is us versus the Cubs for Garza, I hope the Brewers pony up and beat the Cubs offer. This reminds me too much of the offseason where the Cubs added Lilly (a pitcher I liked and wanted for the Brewers), while the Brewers settled for Suppan. Getting Garza for ourselves means that the Cubs pitching will be worse (unless it leads to them making an offer for Greinke or Lee). Also, I think too many on here think too little of Garza. He has had an ERA below 4 every year for the last 4 years. That is a very, very good #2 pitcher, if not a low end #1. Adding him along with Gallardo, Marcum, and Wolf would give the Brewers a starting rotation that would be amongst the top in the National League.

If the Brewers get Garza and keep Fielder, they would have to be the preseason favorites to win the division.

Considering he had a 3.91 ERA in 2009, this isn't a bad signing at all. He could end up being a decent middle of the rotation starter...or a #5. But two years at $4 M per isn't too bad of a deal for Pittsburgh to find out.

It would be if he was dependent on his fastball, then yes it would be a problem. For a pitcher who throws 95 and works off of his fastball, losing a few MPH could be critical, since that is almost certainly the pitch he depends on to make outs. Marcum isn't that type of pitcher, however. He is a breaking ball artist who depends mostly on offspeed. He isn't very dependant on his fastball to make outs. So losing a MPH or so would not necessarily be as huge a deal as someone who relies heavily on their fastball.

Look at their stats, Cain put up far better numbers than Jennings at both the AAA level, and the MLB level. Jennings slugged below .400 last year at AAA. There is reason for the Ray's apprehension to hand him the starting LF spot, he hasn't been very good over the past year. Starting Jennings in LF next year would be the equivalent of starting Alcides Escobar in LF. Cain has at least shown the ability to hit at AAA and, in a small sample, in the Majors.

Adding to the idea that the Rays aren't content with Jennings in left: From NBC Sports: "He’s [Jennings] undoubtedly in the long-term plans of the organization, but Mooney writes that Friedman has “left field” written on his to-do list as he heads to the winter meetings next week."

We are desperate for pitching....time will tell if this was worth it. I hope I'm proven wrong. And I don't believe he'll be our ace over Yovani either. Yo's younger, more durable, and throws about 5-6 MPH harder. The same could be said about Parra...ok, maybe not the durable part. But there is more to a pitcher than being young and throwing hard.

Cain>Jennings. Compare their AAA/MLB numbers from last season. Also Zobrist has the athletic ability to be moved to another position, if needed.

He did just fine when he pitched for the Brewers (in a small sample, I know), but when pitching for us he was no longer being required to throw certain pitches.

Garza has two years of arby left. So we'd have him through 2012. Edit: Oops, didn't realize he was a Super 2. Would like this deal even more getting three years of Garza.

But end, part of the reason for said BB/9 rate is because he was intentionally working on his secondary pitches. I think he is closer than you give him credit for, and he may even be in the running for #5 starter this season.

Exactly. And with Garza, Gallardo, and Marcum at the front end of the rotation, our pitching should easily be top 5 in the NL. Add that on top of a top ranked offense, and we are potentially looking at a great season.

Agreed on not wanting Crawford, he'll be too pricey. But Tampa seems to be interested in cutting costs and Garza would seem like a perfect candidate to be traded by them. Add on top of the fact that they just lost Crawford, and Cain is a player with a similar skill set (steals, high average, defense etc). It seems like a good match. We might have to add another significant player to the deal (perhaps Gamel...1B option now that Tampa has lost Peña), but I think the needs line up for a Cain for Garza trade. Our rotation would be exceptional with the addition of Garza. And if we can get extensions for both Garza and Marcum, extending them a year or two into their FA years, it would be even more awesome as it would allow us to add our top pitching prospects (Rogers, Odorrizi etc.) without a great deal of pressure being placed on them to carry the team.

I wonder if Cain would be a good fit with Tampa Bay (having just lost Crawford). Maybe Cain + for Garza? How about this rotation:GallardoMarcumGarzaWolfCapuano/Rogers