Matt Breen

With the trade deadline past, voting is now open for our mid-season prospect poll. Lots of movement is anticipated as seven players have been traded or graduated from our previous top 25. Here's the list of players NOT eligible anymore: #3 Woodruff - graduated #4 Phillip - traded #5 Ortiz - traded #6 Peralta - graduated #10 T. Williams - graduated #18 Medeiros - traded #21 Carmona - traded Thanks to everyone for participating.

Interesting move. Schoop will fill 2nd base through 2019 - keep the spot warm for Hiura. But not sure about 2018. Arcia seems to still be the SS. I'm guessing there will just be a lot of rotating for Moose, Shaw and Schoop. Keep guys fresh - that sort of thing. Plus Schoop can be deployed vs lefties - giving Moose or Shaw a day to sit. Sad to see Carmona go. Thought he was a really interesting prospect. I liked Ortiz as well, but had doubts about his long term conditioning. Still, he's a quality arm.

This thread is locked. He made a mistake posting it. Move on.

Not a major deal, but it does shore up the Indians outfield a bit. Tigers get AA infielder Willi Castro, who was ranked #8 on Cleveland's MLB Pipeline Top 30 list. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2018/07/indians-to-acquire-leonys-martin.html

Pham isn't a 'Cardinal Way' kind of player. He isn't afraid to speak his mind or criticize the organization - amongst other things. His sub-par season is a perfect excuse for the Cardinals to get rid of him. I'm sure Dexter Fowler would be gone too if they could find a taker for his big contract.

I think the Pirates are betting on themselves. They have a good, young club and a solid farm system.

Final: Pensacola 6, Biloxi 3 Wahoos Plate Five Early to Take Down Shuckers 6-3 Coulter Homers On His Birthday For Shuckers By Garrett Greene / Biloxi Shuckers (BENTON REED) Biloxi Box Score Blah game. Jon Perrin was roughed up for six runs in four innings, while Shucker batters struck out an unsightly 16 times. That lead to a 6-3 lose vs. Pensacola. At the plate, the Shuckers highlights included a birthday home run from Clint Coulter in the 9th. Happy birthday, Clint. Thanks. Richie Shaffer, who just joined the Brewer organization a couple of weeks ago, also homered for Biloxi. Batting Richie Shaffer: 1-4, HR Luis Aviles, Jr.: 2-4, 2B Clint Coulter: 1-1, HR, BB Trent Grisham: 0-2, 2BB Pitching Jon Perrin: 4.0 IP, 10 hits, 6 ER, 0BB, 6K, Lose Danny Reynolds: 2.0 IP, 1 hit, 0 ER, 1BB, 3K Miguel Sanchez: 2.0 IP, 2 hits, 0 ER, 0BB, 4K Notes Corey Ray wore the Golden Sombrero again. This is the third time this season he has struck out four times in a game. Biloxi Game Log Not much excitement for Biloxi - but here's Clint Coulter's birthday home run. Biloxi Top of the 9th Luis Aviles Jr. grounds out softly, shortstop Taylor Featherston to first baseman Gavin LaValley. Clint Coulter homers (6) on a fly ball to left field. Corey Ray strikes out swinging. Offensive Substitution: Pinch-hitter Gabriel Noriega replaces Miguel Sanchez. Gabriel Noriega flies out to left fielder TJ Friedl Jr.

No, I don't think it was worth it. Austin is almost 27 years old and has been uninspiring in several call ups over the last few years. He has struck out 53 times (vs 8 walks) in 132 plate appearances this season. That's a 40%+ K rate. He's got a little pop, but nothing that screams special. Perhaps if given an extended chance he'll come around. Wouldn't be the first guy that just needed an opportunity. Rijo is a teenage arm from Venezuela. Good numbers, but no special tools. He's not ranked in the MLB Top 30. So he's just a flyer. Not a great return for $8M. But who would have thought Lynn would perform so poorly.

In case anyone was pining for Lance Lynn, he's now a Yankee: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2018/07/twins-yankees-tyler-austin-trade.html Twins get first baseman/outfielder Tyler Austin and right-hander Luis Rijo.

Thanks JohnBriggs, I appreciate you sharing your memories. Not a lot of us on the board have those experiences, so it's nice to hear about them, as they are part of Milwaukee's baseball history.

We've talked about Realmuto for a while - and essentially he's going to cost as much as Yelich did. I put out there Hiura, Ortiz, Woodruff and Payton Henry. And that might not be enough - but I think it's in the ballpark. Jacob Nottingham would be an obvious give back as well. Of course, the Marlins have to be willing to play along. They have a monopoly on all-star catchers on the market - and can extract maximum compensation. And a desperate team - like the Nationals may be - might be willing to pay a very high price.

Final: Biloxi 4, Pensacola 3 Nip and Tuck: Shuckers Edge Wahoos 4-3 Ortiz Hurls Six, Erceg Records Three Hits In Third Straight Win By Garrett Greene / Biloxi Shuckers (Michael Krebs) Biloxi Box Score Luis Ortiz had one of his best outings of the year on Sunday in a 4-3 victory over Pensacola. The big right hander went six innings, surrounding just two hits and one run. He struck out four and did not walk any batters. Shucker pitchers held Pensacola to just four hits on the day. Shucker bats pushed across four runs on the day, lead by Lucas Erceg's three hits. Keston Hiura added a pair of hits, and Troy Stokes, Jr. had a hit and a walk. Biloxi managed the win despite three errors. Batting Keston Hiura: 2-5 Troy Stokes, Jr.: 1-3, BB, 2 SB Lucas Erceg: 3-4, SB Pitching Luis Ortiz: 6.0 IP, 2 hits, 1 ER, 0BB, 4K, Win Brad Kuntz: 0.1 IP, 0 hits, 0 ER, 3BB, 1K Jon Olczak: 2.0 IP, 2 hits, 1 ER, 2BB, 2K Danny Reynolds: 0.2 IP, 0 hits, 0 ER, 0BB, 0K, Save Notes With two hits, Hiura has pushed his batting average to .302 at AA. Biloxi Game Log

Fiers is having a really nice season. I would totally grab him if the price is right.

This is not a 10-week rental. It's a 14-week rental. The World Series goes though the end of October. I liked Medeiros. Thought he was an interesting arm. At worst, he appears to have a future as a LOOGY, and there's nothing wrong with that. But a deal is done, Kodi is gone, and Soria is a Brewer. Let's just win games and move on.

Final: Jackson 9, Biloxi 5 Five-Run Fifth Sends Generals Past Shuckers Erceg Homers, Ray Records Three Hits By Garrett Greene / Biloxi Shuckers (Michael Krebs) Biloxi Box Score The Shuckers took an early lead on Thursday due to the hitting of Corey Ray, Keston Hiura and Lucas Erceg, but the pitching staff could not deliver, surrounding 14 hits and nine runs on the day. Biloxi lost to Jackson 9-5. Ray would notch three hits, Hiura a hit and 2 walks, while Erceg would hit a home run. Tyler Heineman would get a pair of hits. On the mound, Thomas Jankins was batted around (six earned runs in 4.1 inning) as was Danny Reynolds (five hits and two runs allowed in just one inning). Batting Corey Ray: 3-5, 2B Keston Hiura: 1-2, 2B, 2BB Lucas Erceg: 1-4, HR Tyler Heideman: 2-4, 2B Pitching Thomas Jankins: 4.1 IP, 8 hits, 6 ER, 1BB, 4K, Lose Danny Reynolds: 1.0 IP, 5 hits, 2 ER, 0BB, 0K Brad Kuntz: 2.2 IP, 1 hit, 0 ER, 0BB, 3K Notes Tyler Heineman has quietly put up a nice season at Biloxi. The 27-year old catcher has hit .282 while walking more than he has struck out (27BB vs 25K). Biloxi Game Log Nice way to open the game. Ray, Hiura and Erceg put up a 3-spot. Biloxi Top of the 1st Corey Ray singles on a sharp line drive to right fielder Daniel Robertson. Troy Stokes Jr. strikes out swinging. Keston Hiura doubles (14) on a sharp fly ball to center fielder Ben DeLuzio. Corey Ray scores. Lucas Erceg homers (12) on a fly ball to right field. Keston Hiura scores. Tyler Heineman reaches on a fielding error by first baseman Rudy Flores. Trent Grisham called out on strikes. Gabriel Noriega strikes out swinging.

Astros get former Brewer Martin Maldonado from the Angels. No word on the return, but it shouldn't be anything big as Maldonado is a FA after this season. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2018/07/astros-to-acquire-martin-maldonado.html

I can honestly say I've never heard of Mark Cridland.

Rockies get right handed reliever Seunghwan Oh from Toronto for a bag of minor leaguers - 1B Chad Spanberger and OF Forrest Wall, plus a player to be named later (reports are that it is 1B/OF Sean Bouchard). This is a kind of an under-the-radar move. Oh is having a great year after struggling in 2017. He is controlled through 2019 through a team option. Spanberger and Bouchard, both 22, are lottery tickets - both college players in A ball. According to MLB Pipeline, Spanberger was ranked as the Rockies #24 prospect, but he doesn't crack the Blue Jays top 30. Bouchard wasn't ranked in the top 30 in either system. Wall, age 22, is a former #1 pick (35th overall) who's progressed slowly through the Rockies system. He started 2018 at A+ ball, and has moved up to AA. Originally a 2B, he is now a centerfielder. He make decent contact, doesn't have much power. He is now ranked #23 in the Blue Jays system. The price for Oh, who is a good player and controlled through next year, wasn't too high. I could see the team adding another reliable arm - especially if Burnes gets shifted to the rotation.

Padres have a loaded farm system. Those young guys are going to start emerging, and I'm guessing (just my guess) they liked the idea of a veteran innings-eater (who doesn't make a ton of money) to anchor their rotation for the next few years as the team becomes competitive. I'm guessing the team seen how the Astros, Phillies and Cubs emerged out of long rebuilds with a talented - but young - roster. In each case, these clubs have added a quality arm or two in the process to help anchor the rotation as they emerge from the rebuild (Lester and Arrieta were free agents, the Astros pulled Dallas Keuchel out of their butts, and later added Verlander to top things off). These clubs went from having a bad record to a good one in very short time frames. Their improvements weren't really incremental - but a big jump from around 70 games to 85-90 in one year (or at least on pace for that for the Phillies this year). I'm guessing the Padres think they have it in them to do that. PS - I'm not saying this is a great idea. I asked that same question, and I figured I'd share what I came up with. PS2 - Other teams have gone through this without adding a big arm - including Milwaukee and Atlanta. But Milwaukee wanted to add one - the stars just didn't align.

Final: Jackson 3, Biloxi 0 Biloxi Box Score Biloxi bats were silenced by the Jackson Generals staff on Wednesday. The Shuckers managed only four hits, two by Corey Ray, in a 3-0 lose. They struck out 12 times and didn't manage any walks. The Shuckers pitchers did well enough to win, but some bad sloppy play (hit batsman, two errors, passed ball) lead to three runs on only one hit in the 5th inning. Batting Corey Ray: 2-4, 2B Keston Hiura: 1-4 Gabriel Noriega: 1-3 Pitching Kodi Medeiros: 5.0 IP, 3 hits, 3 ER, 1BB, 4K, Lose Josh Uhen: 1.0 IP, 0 hits, 0 ER, 1BB, 0K Miguel Sanchez: 2.0 IP, 2 hits, 0 ER, 0BB, 3K Notes Biloxi remains in second place in the Southern League South Division, behind Pensacola. Biloxi Game Log Only scoring of the game was the bottom of the 5th. Ugly inning for Biloxi. Jackson Bottom of the 5th Alberto Rosario grounds out, first baseman Gabriel Noriega to pitcher Kodi Medeiros. Jose Vinicio hit by pitch. Joel Payamps hits a sacrifice bunt. Jose Vinicio scores. Joel Payamps to 2nd. Throwing error by second baseman Keston Hiura. Ben DeLuzio doubles (8) on a ground ball to left fielder Troy Stokes Jr. Joel Payamps scores. With Daniel Robertson batting, Ben DeLuzio steals (21) 3rd base. With Daniel Robertson batting, wild pitch by Kodi Medeiros, Ben DeLuzio scores. Daniel Robertson grounds out, shortstop Luis Aviles Jr. to first baseman Gabriel Noriega. Josh Prince flies out sharply to center fielder Corey Ray.

It would be very interesting to see what these reports would look like had the scout viewed these guys a month later. Mid June was when all 3 were really scuffling along... Otherwise, apparently there is nobody in the southern league capable of playing at the mlb level as an everyday player. They have Erceg as #105 on their Mid-Season Top 125. Hiura: #25 Peralta: #41 Burnes: #46 Erceg: #105 Dubon: #108 https://2080baseball.com/2018/07/2018-top-125-midseason-prospect-rankings/

Brewers won 86 games last year and are on pace to win 90 this year. Payroll is in good shape. We've built up the farm system so that we can have a sustainable product for a good chunk of years. I'd say they CC and Stearns have all the rope they want at this time.

Happ be a solid get for Milwaukee. We lack a left-handed starter after Suter. I guess we'll just have to see what happens. Reports have things down to NY and Milwaukee. https://nypost.com/2018/07/25/yankees-are-one-of-the-two-front-runners-for-j-a-happ/

Morosi reporting that the Padres are willing to part with one or two of Francisco Mejia (recently acquired from the Indians), Luis Urias and Cal Quantrill in a deal for Archer. https://www.mlb.com/news/chris-archer-trade-rumors-value-is-rising/c-287336084 Mejia is ranked #15, Urias #29 and Quantrill #32 in MLB Pipeline's Top 100.

I looked at Yelich's road splits from 2015-17 and saw a guy who hit .307 with an .867 OPS. He hit 30 HR on on 873 ABs during that time frame, so I figured he was good for about 25 in Milwaukee. Plus, you hope at this age - 26 - he keeps improving. The results: The HR pace isn't exactly there (it's close), but the BA and OPS is right on target: .308 BA and an .876 OPS. I think he's been dinged up a bit this season, and that has affected him a little, but we are seeing the kind of hitter he is. I fully expect him to bash 25 HR and hit .300 annually over the next few years. And I think there's the potential to see him get better - but I'm happy at what he has shown thus far.