strawbossisevil

I definitely think the Red Sox have approached this offseason with a lot more smarts than the Yankees. Signing Baldelli, Penny, Smoltz, and now Saito to very cheap deals. Like twobrewers said, not only could this stack their team if those players are healthy, but all the one year contracts makes it possible that in a year they could stack their minor league system as well. Instead of dishing out three huge deals like the Yankees, the Red Sox used their smarts to buy low. I think many of these moves were absolutely brilliant by Epstein. While he may have more resources than the Brewers, at least I think we can at least admit that he seems to be using his resources very resourcefully.

I think it has more to do with the fact that Nelson's numbers may have been deflated for quite some time due to his hand injury. He had a few seasons where it appeared that he was not capable of performing fulling to what he was capable of because of that injury (which appears now to be healed).

Interesting deal MNBrew, unfortunately I don't see the Yankees taking Suppan on top of giving up Swisher. Plus, I think it is in the best interests of the team to keep Fielder for one more season, hopefully see if he can put up a bigger season than last year where he came down to earth a little bit. Next offseason, I would trade Fielder for a solid young pitcher who we can slot in our rotation right away. As far as our prospects, here is how I see things playing out for us. I think Gamel will be up about half way through this next season and will be starting at 3B. I also think that starting in 2010, we'll have Salome, Escobar, and Cain making their way permanently to the majors. Next offseason, we then unload both Fielder and Hardy for pitching. Fielder could almost certainly bring in a solid young #2. Hardy could probably bring in a #2/#3 SP as well. Add to that fact that we have Jeffress who may be ready by the middle of the year, and suddenly our starting pitching is a very, very big strength. Add to the fact, that we would see an upgrade defensively going from Hardy to Escobar, going from Hart to Cain in center, and going from Fielder to Swisher at 1B. Now on top of that, removing the salaries of Fielder and Hardy for pre-arby pitchers, and going from Kendell to pre-arby Salome would free up money to pursue needs in the bullpen, or anywhere else they are needed (possibly 2B). Here would be the rotation and line up then in 2010: 1. Gallardo 2. SP from Fielder Trade (#2 type pitcher) 3. Parra 4. SP from Hardy Trade (#2/#3 type pitcher) 5. Suppan/Bush (either trade Bush, or move one to the bullpen) 6. Jeffress (middle to end of the year as an injury replacement - or full time in 2011) 1. Weeks (or replacement) 2. Gamel 3. Braun 4. Swisher 5. Hart 6. Cain 7. Salome 8. Escobar The good that I see about this team, especially with the pitching staff is their youth. Aside from Suppan/Bush, all of our pitchers will be high ceiling, pre-arby players. Our rotation could be tops in the division consistently for years to come. The lineup will take some maturing. I don't expect our prospects to come up and rake like Ryan Braun. I don't think they will be black holes either though. Our offense will probably be slightly below average for a season or two, but I would expect it to improve rapidly, probably hitting their stride in 2011. The lineup also will be very affordable, Hart will be in his first year of arby, Braun will be making only 1 million, Weeks may be getting arby in the 4-5 million range, and Swisher will be making only around 6 million. Our starting lineup may actually only make around $20 million total, with our starting rotation making around $26 million or so (most of which would be Dave Bush and Jeff Suppan who both would be in their last years as a Brewer). Our most expensive position player would actually be Bill Hall, who would return to his super sub role, unless we can find a way to trade him. But even with him considered, the total amount of payroll between the offense and the starting pitching comes in at around $55 million. The bullpen would include Riske at 4.5 million, Carlos V at around 1-2 million, and McClung around 2 million or so. Assuming Stetter continues to play well, he'll be our Loogy for the MLB minimum. The pen would probably also include one of Bush or Suppan unless one of them is traded (if they are traded, it would free up quite a bit more money). So for about half of the pen, we would only be paying (Suppan and Bush's numbers are included in the SP numbers above) about 9 million or so. Leaving us with about twenty million to fill in the rest of the pen and or add a free agent (2B?). Edit: As for 2011, I see Green (possibly replacing Weeks), and Lucroy arriving to the bigs. I also think we'll see Lawrie move to 3B and make a rapid accent through the minors. So that when it comes time for Swisher to move on to FA in 2012, Gamel can move over to first where he would be very good defensively, and Lawrie can slide into the 3B spot.

Sorry nate, I don't buy it. Swisher is a 25 HR guy who is capable of putting up an OBP of .360 or so. While I think a lot of Cain, I think he is a great prospect, I don't think it is fair to expect him to step in and right away put up those kind of numbers. Plus having a number of solid players is not a bad thing, as they can either be traded, or like sbrylski said, he can slide in for Fielder if Fielder gets traded for pitching at some point.

Wow, Swisher would go a long ways in solving a lot of our offensive issues. As far as power production, he is just as good as Cameron, but he walks at a higher rate than Cameron and would fit perfectly in the #2 slot of our lineup. Also he is a switch hitter, which would be a start in addressing the lack of lefty bats in the lineup. Add on top of that, that he would be essentially half price on Cameron, freeing up funds for adding another starter. And that just adds to the intrigue. He would be a step down from Cameron defensively, but when you consider the fact that we only control Cameron for one more year, adding Swisher adds much more long term talent at a very reasonable price.

I wonder if a sign and trade could be worked out with Sheets. It is pretty clear the only team that would probably have interest in Sheets on a one or two year deal is probably the Yankees (or the Brewers). With the Yankees we only get their 4th round pick (and the compensation pick after round one). What if, instead, the Brewers offered to sign him to a two year deal with the intention of trading him for an expendable player that fills a need for our team? Perhaps a Sheets for Beltre deal (just one option out of many). In that way we´d help whatever team out there dodge the draft picks, while still getting a needed piece to the puzzle ourselves (be it prospect, or everyday player). Since the issue seems to be losing the draft pick we could help a team out while getting production that could help our team immediately. If we were able to make a trade for Beltre, I imagine he´d be a type A FA in a year too, so there is that benefit as well. Just trying to think outside the box a bit on this one.

My opinion on it all is this, is Weeks probably below average for a 2B? Or at the very most average? Yes. Could that be improved on? Yes, but at what cost. Our team currently has holes that are worse then our 2B situation at 3B and at SP. The combination of Lamb and Hall are bad at the plate and in the field (Hall´s a decent fielder but he is on the short side of the platoon). At SP we currently have McClung as our #5, which is definitely not ideal. I don´t know why we should spend the precious funds that we have left on an area that while it would provide some improvement, would still leave rather large holes at key spots, simply because the money wouldn´t be there to patch them up. Add on top of it that Rickie is entering into his "prime", and I think there is reason enough to believe that he might actually improve, at least at the plate, if not in the field.

How, in any way, is Suppan a number 6? The guy has pitched two seasons for the Brewers, one with an ERA in the mid 4s, and the other where he struggled with injuries and ended with an ERA in the high 4s. The guy hasn't had a season with the Brewers where his ERA has been over 5. If you look at the numbers instead of merely ranting, you'll see that Suppan has been an average #4 pitcher or a very good #5. We all don't like Suppan not because he doesn't belong in the rotation, but because of his bloated contract.

Left handed pitcher. A few years ago, back in college I hit 83 on the gun. Fastball, curveball, change up. My fastball tailed in towards righties and away from lefties and was my most consistent pitch. Curveball was inconsistent, but great when I threw it down in the zone. Up in the zone it would hang. Change up was a work in progress. That was three years ago, and I haven't been gunned since. So I can't tell you what it is at today, probably not quite the same, but who knows.

Wouldn't you eventually run out of hair?

Problem is, he wants at least a two year deal. So pretending like he would accept a one year deal isn't being honest about the situation.

Right but no one is going to sign him if he is injured and costs two draft picks. We would have to offer him arbitration too, despite his being injured. The risk is most certainly there.

Agreed Invader, we can dream about signing one of those two, but I don't think its being realistic.

I didn't say it was just on insurance. I said that was ONE of the benefits of adding him. On top of that is that we would be receiving a Dave Bush level starter for a reasonable contract. His contract would not be the albatross that Suppan's is. I think it would fall into the 6-7 million a range, or about half what Suppan is making right now.

There is a big difference between this and a Suppan signing. 1. Looper is a better pitcher. 2. Looper will be signed to a cheaper contract. 3. Looper will not be signed for four years. Looper may actually be a decent value depending on how much he costs. Suppan many agreed from the day he signed would be overpaid in the last two years of the deal. Comparing signing Looper for a reasonable contract while the market is down, to signing Suppan to a bloated contract when the market was at its peak is comparing apples to oranges IMO. And just so you know, baseball reference points out that he will be 34 this season, and not 35 like you claim.

Going into the season with only five starters wouldn't be a good plan either TheCrew07. If McClung is the 6th starter, we are somewhat protected from an injury to anyone but Gallardo. And two or three wins could be the difference between being in the hunt for a playoff spot and being an also ran. If we can get Looper at a good value for the production he would bring (due in large part to the deflated market), I don't see how it would be a bad move. If all it brings, at the very least, is a #3/#4 pitcher and the extra body on the depth chart. What it really comes down to is how much Looper will make over how many years. If he is around 5-7 million over two years, that's a good deal for a middle of the rotation starter. If its 8 million over three years, it may not be a wise financial move, especially since this year is his age 34 season.

How do we know that a 1/2 will be available to us next year though? Next year the market could be on a rebound and a number of bigger market teams with bigger wallets could take sign the 1/2 who are available. Also, a number of the "1/2" starters could get contracts from their current teams before or during the current season. On top of that the 1/2 types would have to want to come to Milwaukee, which has been a problem that Milwaukee has had recently as well. This offseason the only 1/2 that I see in the Brewer's price range is Johnson, and he is there because he is older and unlikely to require a long term contract. This is how every off-season goes, people always saying, "just wait until the next one" because so and so will be available, then they are either signed by a big wallet club or don't want to come to Milwaukee.

Looper is entering his age 34 season, he is no spring chicken. For that reason I don't see him getting much of a raise over the 5.5 million that he was at. I also don't see him getting any longer than two seasons for the same reason. And as far as comparing him to Suppan, you made the comparison, saying we'd be adding another Suppan like contract. The only problem with that thinking is that Looper is better than Suppan and will be much cheaper. He'll probably come at a fair price in this current market, unlike Suppan who we got in a ridiculous market with a bloated contract.

In the current market, I seriously doubt that Looper makes $24 million over 3 years. I think he'll be somewhere in the area of two years for $6 million per. Looper also should be a better pitcher than Suppan.

It carries significant risk. We would have Sheets for a minimum of two years. In his thirties. Chances that he gets seriously injured or has his performance slip significantly are significant. I wouldn't call it likely, but it is significant. Add on top of that the fact that if we did sign him, the prospects we would draft would be two years later than they would be at this time, meaning they would likely take longer to get to the majors and help our team. Add on top of that the fact that signing someone like Johnson or Looper is going to likely be much cheaper, saving money for other players this year and next year. The logic is not invalid, you are just more willing to 1) take on a higher amount of risk 2) wait longer for prospects to reach the majors and 3) pay more for a single player. Logic does not favor one point of view over the other IMO.

Today it's only going to get up to 70 degrees here in Torreon, Mexico. But thankfully we'll get out of this cold spell and back up into the 80s in a week or so. I may have to actually wear my jacket today, booo.

Look, I'm not saying that it wouldn't be better for the Brewers to sign a guy who could fit into the #1/#2 spot on our team. But who is actually affordable that would fit into that role? Lowe is going to be too expensive for us and has benefited from his stadium quite a bit, just not worth the money he'll cost us. So he's out. I've been hoping for Randy Johnson on a one year deal, but he has stated he wants to play out West, so signing him could happen but it isn't exactly likely. Odalis Perez isn't an answer because he actually had worse numbers than Looper and would be more expensive. Sheets doesn't seem to want to come back to the Brewers, so he is likely out. Penny likely still has problems with his arm (thus the reason he wasn't offered arby) so he won't likely be that #1 or #2 we need. What does that leave us? Who could we sign to an affordable deal that will be that #1 or #2? I will still hope for Johnson, but if we can't get him Looper seems as good an option as any. I would also hope that the Brewers take a flier on Mulder if he could come cheaply. He'll be very cheap, but also has the potential to be a top of the rotation guy.

Depends, FTJ, if he gets injured we get nothing at all. He has a history of injuries, I am not sure I'd be willing to take that gamble. Plus, no where have I seen that Sheets would accept a one year deal. I've heard two years minimum.

As stated earlier, we have no idea how much he would sign for. My guess would be around 5 or 6 million per year. If we can get him for two years, I do not see how this would be a bad signing. I see him as being a guy who should have an ERA in the mid 4s. Giving us a rotation of the following. 1. Gallardo 3.50 ERA 2. Parra 4.25 ERA 3. Bush 4.50 ERA 4. Looper 4.50 ERA 5. Suppan 4.75 ERA That right there is not a bad rotation. It is about league average. Our offense should improve from the previous year as we have a lot of our players entering their prime. I would expect improvements from Weeks, Fielder, Braun, Hart, and Hall for next season. Hardy should remain about the same. We'll have Cameron for an entire season which is nice too. We stayed in the playoff chase last season with a rotation of: 1. Sheets 2. Parra 3. Bush 4. Suppan 5. McClung I think that Looper would be better than McClung and could go more innings, which would lead to a more rested bullpen. Gallardo may not be quite as good as Sheets, but Looper should be a nice step up from McClung so it balances out. If our offense takes a small step up from last season, I don't see how this isn't a team that couldn't compete for a Wild Card spot. Also, Steve, Suppan is no 6. The guy has not had an ERA over 5 as a Brewer. If you look around the league he would be at least a 5, if not a 4. McClung is probably an average 5 if you look at the average numbers coming out of the 5 spot of the rotation of the average club.

I get what Brian and others mean about people having indefensible posts. If people want to do that go to ESPN or the Brewers webpage. The problem in my mind is when people begin to make such posts anyway because a vent thread isn't present. At least if there is a vent thread they hopefully get funneled into one place. Also, I could be wrong, but isn't the whole point of a fan forum supposed to be discussion? To just post things and not expect discussion seems to be counter productive to what a fan forum is all about. That's why I never understood the type that posted in said vent thread. If people aren't here for discussion what's the point? I could personally do without the vent thread, I just hope that the illogical vents don't end up taking over other perfectly fine threads, as has happened recently this offseason.