Matt Breen

Great hit by Rizzo. Can't really blame smith on that one.

Rock and BA acting like Elmore's error was the most difficult play ever. Gotta make plays like that.

Braun, Lucroy and Carter strikeout consecutively to Joe Nathan. And with runners at 2nd and 3rd. That was a terrible sequence - watching pitches right down the middle and swinging at junks. Just sad.

Our not-quite-as-talented train wrecks for your train wreck. I love it. Sign me up.

Over the last few years, good relievers traded at the deadline have typically fetched - at best - back end of the Top 100 type prospects. Red Sox got Eduardo Rodriguez for Miller in 2014. And Soria fetched Jake Thompson (as well as Corey Knebel) the same year. Neither of these guys was a Top 100 player going into the season, but both were trending upwards at the time of the deal and pointing to bigger things (both would be ranked in the Top 100 the next year). The big difference is that many of these relievers, such as Miller, were heading to free agency, so they were only rentals. Our guys have more control. So I'm guessing that our big three relievers (Jeffress, Smith and Thornburg) would get something similar (they don't have the track record of a Miller or Soria, but have multiple years of control). I would expect a back end of the Top 100 prospect list for any of them, or perhaps a player who's trending in that direction. And it's wouldn't be surprising to see an extra player added to the deal - depending on the quality of the headlining prospect. Also, teams have historically been reluctant to give up high end prospects for relievers. I think it's just kind of hard to give up a really good looking prospect for a part time guy. So I won't be surprised if any of our relievers are dealt for multiple lower level guys - guys who haven't broken out and gotten a lot of recognition yet - but have really good potential (I think of Marcos Diplan and Isan Diaz - two guys we got in A ball who could emerge as Top 100 guys in the next year or so).

Isan Diaz is in the Top 10 in the Midwest with HR (#1), RBI (#1), Walks (#9), OPS (#10), SLG% (#4) and Doubles (#7). On the flip side, he is also #5 in strikeouts. His .266 BA and .345 OBP are solid, but nothing great. But when put into perspective - Diaz struggled quite a bit the first couple of months - he's rebounded nicely and only seems to be trending upward. Diaz's power has been pretty sweet, especially considering the Midwest League isn't a great hitters league. Only 14 players have an OPS over .800. Let's just hope Isan can keep up the stellar play.

Diaz making a play as a top 3 or 4 spot in our next Top 25. Kid is on fire.

I love beating the Cubs.

Kirk must have read our recent CF thread where we all agreed he's strictly a back up. Nice game, Kirk.

The play Contreras on the play at the plate was great. He's going to be a good player.

I'm pretty sure he was safe.

Mejia seems like the type of guy to target for someone like Smith - that borderline Top 100 type guy - not perfect by any means, but with obvious talent. Even if he fails as a starter, he could easily become exactly like Smith - a quality lefty out of the pen.

Boston's Michael Kopech, who some have mentioned as a possible target in a Lucroy deal, threw 105 last week in a game. Two radar guns recorded the pitch at the same speed, so it wasn't a fluke. http://www.baseballamerica.com/minors/kopech-hits-105-mph-against-wilmington I have read that the Sox don't want to deal Kopech after giving up Anderson, but who can believe what.

There will be pitchforks Yep. No one wants to see Boyer go. He's an icon.

Of these five, Flores is the only guy I can imagine with any 'upside' - and that's questionable after watching him 1/2 year. Elmore, Wilkens, Nieuwenhuis, Middlebrooks - these guys are filler - nothing more. I'm thinking Wilkens is only here because of the chance that Carter could be dealt. This gives the team a little time to evaluate him. Same with Middlebrooks. The team probably sees him as no more as a stop gap if Carter is dealt, as well as an occasional starter at 3B. Elmore, i just don't get. Oh well, guys like that come and go. Flores was, at least coming into the season, an interesting bat. He wasn't too old, didn't have a track record in the majors. The value in finding out what he can (and can't) do.

Which of these two Cleveland trade options would you take in exchange for Lucroy: Option 1: Zimmer or Frazier, plus Sheffield Option 2: Sheffield, Clevinger, Mejia and McKenzie Can't pick neither, can't start swapping out guys or adding players. It's just the two options above.

If Braun was a free agent after this season, I don't know if someone would pay him $19M a year ($4M deferred) for four years. Someone probably would, but I don't think it's any sort of slam dunk.

Braun's contract isn't bad - it's just large. Some teams can afford that, some cannot. And some teams just don't need him, or they'd rather spend their money in other ways. Add in his injury history, age the contract runs through, and many teams would probably pass on adding him. It does only take one team to claim him, but I don't know if anyone will. But that's just a guess. No one knows until it really happens (or not).

Then you run into the problem of teams blocking a trade. We all know the Brewers won't just salary dump him so I imagine a team would claim him just so another team couldn't. This would be a fascinating situation. If a team claimed Braun, would the Brewers just let him go? My initial reaction is 'no'. And the team has said things about not being willing to deal braun just to save salary. But that sentiment probably should be taken with a grain of salt. Of course they'll say that. They don't want to suppress his trade value. But given the chance to get out of his contract - roughly about $80M - would the team just be willing to let him walk? You could argue that the money saved (which was really only $15M annually due to deferred cash) could be used to fill other holes in the team. Just a thought.

Kirk He-Who-Cannon-Be-Spelled is a back up OF. He plays all the positions decently, he takes his share of walks, has a little pop. That said, he just doesn't hit enough. He can't keep up to high heat (hence all his strikeouts). That isn't going to change. He is what he is. There's nothing wrong with a guy like Kirk N. as a 4th or 5th OF, but you don't want him playing everyday. As we've seen, his weaknesses will just get exposed more and more - and you end up with a guy hitting below the Mendoza line. Regarding Wren, he screams backup OF due to his complete lack of power. That doesn't mean he can't help, so I'd be amenable to giving him playing time in Milwaukee. Now is the time for a guy like that to get some reps, get some experience, then if he shows he's competent, you have a quality back up. Regarding Reed, I'm a sucker for OBP. I love all the walks. But he still doesn't hit that well. I've seen some video of him - not a lot - but from that and from what I've read, he (like Wren) is probably more of a backup - guy who can get on base, but not much power, can play all the OF positions, etc. Critiques of Reed seem to agree that he has a little long of a swing. He doesn't get a ton of loft, and lacks elite bat speed. If he was popping 20 HR or 40 doubles, you can live with a mediocre BA due to the walks, but if you're not getting many XBH, you're kind of a one trick pony. Still, I could see just letting Reed go out and play OF on a regular basis in the Big Leagues. Unlike Wren, who I see as pretty much a known quantity, I could see Reed becoming a more complete player. I envisioned him as a .280 BA, .360 OBP, 10-12 HR guy playing a good RF. To me, that's a really valuable player. And I think it's still possible, but he's got to grow as a hitter. I'm not sure if bringing him to Milwaukee is the best place for that, but he has sort of stagnated at Colorado Springs. In the end, he just may not be that good - and what he is may just be a back up OF. If he can hit .250, take his walks, and play a decent OF, there's nothing wrong with that. It's a back up, but one that's cheap and solid. I guess now is potentially the time to let guys like Wren and/or Reed get some regular time in Milwaukee. The options - Kirk N. and Flores - are uninspiring. If they fail, then so be it. At least you find out. I'd rather experiment now than in 2 or 3 years.

Carter won't be a FA until after the 2018 season if they decide to go that route. According to Sportrac, it is actually after the 2017 season: http://www.spotrac.com/mlb/milwaukee-brewers/chris-carter/ I believe Carter is a 4 year arby guy, so he is controlled through 2018. Baseball Reference has him at 3.159 years of experience coming into 2016. That means he misses free agency by (I think) 13 service days (I believe a full year is 172). Also, when we signed him, it was noted we could control him through 2018. http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/cartech02.shtml

Another thing about Braun is that with his contract, he could be a guy that goes through waivers in August. If that happens that might make him even more valuable since he would be one of the few quality bats on the market. Of course, there has to be a team who needs him.

We've said this before, but Cleveland makes so much sense for Lucroy. I know Cleveland doesn't deal their young talent, but it just makes so much sense right now. If they could get Luc and a reliever from us, it really solidifies them through 2017 - and at a reasonable price. I'd start with Frazier and a pitcher, such as Aiken, Sheffield, Clevinger or McKenzie. Catcher Francisco Mejia is an interesting prospect as well. I like Frazier better than Bradley or Zimmer, but that is just me. It just works so well for Cleveland. They have a need in the bullpen, and Luc would be a huge upgrade at catcher. They are not a perfect team with issues at 3B, plus lack of OF depth. However, if Brantley can come back (a big question) that would really help out the situation (Chisenhall could then get more time at 3B). Luc would just solidify their offense so much - perfect for them. Also, it's been said he's not a 'big city' type guy - meaning he probably would fit well with Cleveland - not a high profile/pressure place, the team doesn't seem to have a bunch of divas. I think Luc would slide in well both on the field and in the clubhouse.

Joey Gallo has hit 143 HR in 1602 ABs in the minors - and he's still only 22. Those are extraordinary numbers. Khris Davis hit 69 HRs at roughly 1/2 that pace - and from ages of 21-25. There is no comparison between him and Gallo. Gallo has a power tool is the best in the minor leagues. That's something that makes him special. I realize there's a big concern about Gallo's hit tool - a concern that may negate his impressive power. But if he is part of a return for Lucroy, I'm okay with that. Power like that is very, very rare. I'll take the risk that it develops. If it does, you have someone really special.

Awesome story.