splitterpfj

The Dodgers are looking at shoving Jeff Kent to 1B, can Loney play OF, or will he be out of there?

I think people need to remember, the winter meetings are still a couple of weeks out. Right now is the time when the biggest names fall, a lot of bad contracts are being handed out and a lot of headlines are being written....this is not the time when the Brewers have traditionally made changes. It's silly to think that this organization does not have a plan, or to think that they don't realize they need to improve the roster. Doug Melvin knows what he's doing, there is simply no reason to doubt that. Would you want Gary Sheffield here, signed for three more seasons at huge money? He's 38, and coming off a significant injury...and he cost the Tigers three young arms....I would be very angry if the Brewers had made that move. Would you want Soriano signed here for the next 200 years, at elite money, with a no-trade clause? Absolutely not, that was a horrible, horrible contract. How about Jamie Walker for 11.5 million? You can't be serious. The best way for this team to add talent right now is through trades, as it has been for the last several off-seasons. The plan is to build from within as much as possible, that is a necessity, and the Brewers are not alone. If the Brewers do not make a significant move this winter, I will be upset. If the Brewers make a really stupid move, trying to like like tough guys, I will be much more upset. When A-Rod, Manny, Hampton and Neagle all got those ridiculous contracts, the sky was clearly falling, the big spenders were going to bury everyone. What, exactly did Texas get out of the A-Rod signing? They stayed right down there in last place, then moved him when they realized they had made an enormous mistake. What about Hampton and Neagle in Colorado? Where's the dynasty? Those were two of the worst contracts ever. Manny is the only one who has won a World Series since those deals, and you'll notice the Sox actually placed him on waivers a couple of years ago, and have entertained trade offers for him constantly over the last few seasons. Almost every time, the huge, eye-popping contracts prove to be a mistake, I expect this batch to be no different. Ask me how I feel in three weeks.

CJ, I've been thinking about this, I think you may be right. I have no idea what the brass in Toronto thinks of Hardy, but if they're high on him at all, I see definite potential for a deal here.

Carlos is a solid hitter, and the Brewers could use him, but I'm glad Milwaukee's not the team giving him what he's about to get. Houston would be a good fit for Carlos, small field for his weakish D, short porch in left for his swing. His agent read the market correctly, Milwaukee took their shot, he's gone. It would amuse me to no end if Pettitte and Clemens both retired now.

LA Times reports the Dodgers have offered 120M over seven years.

www.rotoworld.com/content/Headlines.aspx?sport=MLB

I didn't pick Oakland because I thought Frank Thomas was locked in there. Well, Detroit got Sheffield, and now this, looks like I'm out. mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20061116&content_id=1741929&vkey=hotstove2006&fext=.jsp

With the current price for pitching, I would imagine most of the teams would want Davis. The question is, do they want them enough to offer a decent deal for him, and do the Brewers have enough arms to afford to move him. I don't think the Brewers can afford to part with Davis, they don't have the depth yet. Depending on how things go for the Brewers, (and of course Davis' performance) I could imagine him being dealt midseason.

Gomes is coming off a fairly significant shoulder injury, I don't know when he's projected to be at full strength.

My guess is, the Rockies would center the deal around young arms, and take Clark in the deal as a stop-gap for CF next season. Whoa....my 1000th post, I didn't realize.....Brian, I want my oven mitt!

My first thought is that was poorly worded and misleading. I think they meant to say Jennings may be traded, and the Rockies may deal for Clark, not that they may deal Jennings for Clark. If I'm wrong, I'll be very happy in this case.

I had wondered if the Brewers might field some offers for Davis this winter. They don't really have the depth to part with him just yet (unless you want two rookies in the rotation), but with pitching being so pricey at the moment, I could see getting a decent return for him if they can somehow fill a spot first. I had thought a lower level free agent would be the answer, but maybe those guys are all priced too high for their worth in this market. Still, Rodrigo Lopez? That's not what I wanted to hear. I think he may bounce back somewhat, but looking at his awful numbers from last year, a bad season in '07 would be a significant improvement for him.

Hey stat guys....somebody run some numbers for me... What are some realistic projections for the Brewers if they sign Roberts or Pierre? C Miller 1B Fielder 2B Weeks 3B Koskie SS Hardy LF Hall CF either of the two RF Hart There's not a terrible player in that mix, but SO many maybes. The only guy truly in his prime is Hall, and I would say Pierre if he's the one we get. It could collapse, but it does have some potential. Show me some numbers, what could realistically be expected from that group?

It's obvious that the team is turning things over to the kids they'd been waiting on. Hall and Hart can handle two OF spots, but I'm not in love with any of the current options for the third spot, so pursuing a veteran OF makes a lot of sense to me. I would prefer to see a slugging OF, as opposed to a speedy CF type, I think Weeks can handle the leadoff spot, and I'm not sure we've got enough power in the lineup to absorb a no power guy in the OF. Obviously, the team has already considered the personnel they have, and also the players who are available this winter, I think they're telling us there isn't a corner OF available to them, but they may have a shot at a leadoff guy out there, so Hall plays left, and they flat out count on improvement from their golden boys....Fielder, Hardy, Hart and Weeks are going to have to step up the way Bill Hall did. The plan was to win with these guys, they are here now, so put up or shut up. It's not my favorite idea, I would prefer to see Hall remain in the infield, or at least play CF, but it may be the best option available too. I'm not thrilled with giving Roberts a third year on his deal, and if we land Pierre, I wouldn't bat him leadoff, I'd hit him second, but I trust Doug Melvin, if a little guy is the best available option, then he is. With the exception of Ryan Braun, the hotshots are all here now, and all have their roles clearly defined, Bill Hall is a bonus, there's no way the team thought he'd be what he is now. It looks like the weight is going to be placed squarely on the shoulders of the kids the team has been waiting for, and with them, it's time to sink or swim.

Wow, Prior, Wood and Drew....this could be the most expensive DL ever by June.

One side note on Pierre...the Cubs made an aggressive attempt to sign Rafael Furcal last year...I wonder why that was?

I could live with Mench for Lopez, but that's only because I don't see a place for Mench on this team, it's not an endorsement of Lopez.

To answer your question, toolivebrew, I wouldn't trade Davis unless we added another starting pitcher first. I also don't think the Red Sox will be looking to add a starting pitcher through trade, they should have a rotation of Schilling, Matsuzaka, Papelbon, Wakefield and Beckett. I would make a deal like the one you suggest, if there is a team we match up with, and if we add a replacement for Davis in the rotation.

I could imagine Crisp bouncing back, he got hurt in Boston and he was "replacing Johnny Damon."

As tough as it is for teams to fill the catcher position, I'm sure someone will step up. The Braves are after pitching, I wouldn't be at all surprised to see this player move before Christmas.

This makes me wonder how much a team could get for a proven MLB starter right now.

This is a player that has topped 500 ABs once in his career. Yes, he has the physical ability for sure, but counting on him to be more than a 120 game player for you is a major gamble. I could see Drew getting more per year than he had been getting, or at least getting an additional year at the same money per, but I don't want to see it happen here. This screams "Hammonds Lite" to me. Physical skills mean nothing if they're on the DL.

There's no way I want to see a long-term deal with a player who's hurt this often. That's worse than giving the extra year to Carlos.

I've heard Nomar tell the story, he said he had agreed to sign, then Mr Bando called back and offered $50,000 less....he says he never even called back, he figured if they'd have really wanted him, they'd have done the deal.

Fine with me, I hope the Astros and Cubs get into a bidding war, one of them can have him if they'll clearly overpay. To those who wanted the Brewers to give Carlos Lee whatever he wanted, and who now want them to pursue Pat Burrell, this just in.... "The danger when you enter into a contract of that magnitude is that you're probably signing a guy at his peak time," an American League executive said. "Your emotions are high and he's coming off a great year, and you say, 'We're not going to move him anyway. Let's give him a no-trade.' Three years later, you have Pat Burrell."