Matt Breen

Why are you adding both Anderson and jeffrees? Just adding Anderson should net that package I don't know if Anderson really has much value right now. 5.13 ERA. He's never been that good to begin with, and this year he's been serving up taters at an alarming rate. And it's not like he's oozing with tools - he's got fringy stuff that relies on pinpoint control to be successful.

Any information on Harrison's injury? I read he was out 4-6 weeks. http://www.cbssports.com/fantasy/baseball/news/brewers-monte-harrison-out-4-6-weeks/

I keep waiting for Lopez to have a good game, but nada.

Yeah, I saw him drop. I just can't believe some of these guys aren't willing to do school one more year to solidify themselves as a first rounder. Nigel Hayes wasn't stupid - he saw the writing on the wall. He was - at best - a 2nd round pick. Go back to school, work your butt off, try and work your way into the 1st round. It's worth several million dollars if you can do that. Especially for a guy like Stone, who is obviously talented. Might have been really bad advice as well.

That's just awful. Two years in a row - gotta feel bad for the kid.

Hill is someone who could really end up just about anywhere that a team is in playoff contention. Veteran guy, playing solid, can handle a couple of positions well, getting on base at a .350 clip. That's the kind of player that many teams would like to have - some as a starter (or part time starter) and some as a versatile reserve.

Expect McClanahan to sign after Ray's contract gets figured out, which should be in the next few days. Curious if this is coming from a source, or your opinion? Trying to temper expectations... haha. Thanks for sharing the awesome info!

Expect McClanahan to sign after Ray's contract gets figured out, which should be in the next few days.

But if he was on the Cubs he'd be going to the All-Star game.

Does Paul Molitor hitting .341 at age 39 mean Braun will do well at 34? No, it doesn't. It only means that some players will continue to hit well. Probably the best hitter of the last 20 years is Albert Pujols. Age 30: 1.011 OPS 31: .906 32: .859 33: .767 34: .790 35: .787 36: .708 (current season) Great players decline at some point. Pujols decline doesn't mean Braun will next year or whenever - it just means it happens to players - even great players. Perhaps there are indications that Braun (or anyone) will age well (or won't age well). That would be interesting to know. But I know there have been studies showing that players, taken as a whole, peak, stay steady, and then decline at a specific age. You might then take in account body type, injuries, type of player (such as a guy who relies on speed or power or whatever), and other variables and draw some conclusions. Ryan is hitting great right now, and I hope he keeps hitting great. But I expect some decline as the years go along. I don't think anyone thinks he's just going to fall off a cliff, but to have him decline gradually is probably what would be expected. And we have to remember, a declining Ryan Braun is (hopefully) still a much better hitter most other hitters.

Tim Dillard. 9 runs in 2 innings. I love the guy, but maybe it's time to move on...

The A's played a lot like the Brewers - several minor mistakes that cost them. They don't show up as errors, but all the same, their play cost them some runs.

Wow. Thornburg got lucky there.

A couple of notes about the Red Sox: 1. They really need a starting pitcher more than anything, so they may use their prospects to try and land a major starter. The problem is that there probably aren't any great starters available. Guys like Tehran and Odorizzi are good, but not great. So unless someone like Greinke or Sale hits the market, I don't know if they would pay for 'good' with regard to starting pitching. But in the end, Boston has scored the most runs in all of baseball, so they may stand pat position wise and go for the pitching upgrade. 2. Moncada has only played 2B in his career - reports I've read say he isn't anything special. With Pedroia under contract through 2021, you have to wonder if he could be made available just because of the question of 'where to play him'. I've never seen the guy, so maybe he'll play at 3B or LF. Just a thought. 3. If Milwaukee is looking to move Braun, taking a salary back, like Ramirez, is a way to improve the return. Not that I want Hanley, but it is a way to significantly improve what we are getting back. Of course, Boston would have to fill their 1B slot - but if they had a plan for that, it would potentially work. Braun would be a great DH for them - he'd do great at Fenway. Sandoval could become the 1B next season if he returns. A Braun/Lucroy package for Moncada/Espinoza/Hanley would be an interesting starting point. There would probably be some other parts to this, players as well as money, but it's a starting point and you get the idea. Get a big bat and a big arm back from Boston. Maybe add in a nugget or two for us. Michael Chavis, for example, is interesting.

We just make too many mistakes. Passed balls, base running idiocy, etc., etc. So many times it doesn't seem like we are playing smart baseball. Maybe I'm wrong - perhaps this is the norm. At times people ask what is the next thing that we find out is undervalued in baseball (like OBP or defense or whatever). In some ways, I want to say playing smart baseball. It's about all the little things - hitting cutoff men properly (and the cut off man being the right position), knowing how to actually lay down a bunt, knowing when to go from 2nd to 3rd on a ground ball, etc., etc. I realize that there will be mistakes, there will be errors. That's part of the game. But if you can eliminate a bunch of the mental things - perhaps that is worth a lot more than we realize. And in the end - it's a 'free' thing - something that doesn't cost money. Perhaps all this stuff is really emphasized. And it's just people being people. Some are good at the mental parts of things - such as playing baseball - others aren't that good. Rambling done. Thanks.

He is not sharp - although the home plate ump is squeezing him a little. Just not getting the borderline calls.

Hill should have had that.

Man, three straight strikeouts on pitches that were balls. Two of the batters were on full counts. And with two on base. Just frustrating.

Thanks for posting this! The pitching staff also *allowed* 301 homers, and had a 6.70 ERA. Gary Cavallo allowed a staggering 40 homers in only 116 innings, to go along with a 9.16 ERA, and STILL somehow posted a 7-5 record. Is Gary Cavallo the father of Taylor Jungmann?

Thanks for sharing. That was a nice piece.

The 1974 Sacramento Solons, the Brewers AAA club that year, hit 305 HRs in 144 games. Gorman Thomas hit 51 - and didn't lead the team. Bill McNulty had 55. In addition to the two 50+ guys, three players, including Sixto Lezcano, hit 30+. And three other players hit between 17-28 HR. The Solons stadium featured a 40-foot-high fence that was just 233 feet away in left field. McNulty would be out of baseball a year later. Earlier in his career he had gotten two cups of coffee with Oakland, going a total of 1 for 37. Dude hit .037 in his career. At least he got that one hit. I just wanted to share that info. I thought it was cool.

He just got called up today, so I'll take credit for making it happen

Who would you suggest? On the hitting side who do you promote from WI to BC beside Allemand if Neuhaus ever returns? It's not like there's anyone in BC from a position player perspective who's AA worthy at this time, and I have hard time sending players back a level they've already succeeded at. The hitters in AA all belong there for the entire year, and Nashville is filled with veteran depth like usual. Which pitchers do you move and where? I wouldn't want any of the young pitchers in WI promoted, let them work on command at a level where they can have success. Who in BC is promotion worthy other than Ventura, and I'd rather he spend all season in A+. Perrin and Ponce should pitch there the rest of the year. Now that Hader was bumped I don't see anyone in AA who's promotion worthy either. I would consider the following moves: - Coulter to AA. Just want to kick start the guy. You can move Taylor to CF with Phillips getting the promotion. - Garrett Cooper to AAA. Andy Wilkens and Will Middlebrooks are filler. Just let one of those guys go and let Cooper play full-time at 1B. - Devin Williams to A+. He did well there last year, so let's keep him moving. I thought he'd be at BC this year. - Blake Allemand to A+ - not sure if there is space for him, but if there is, up he goes. - Nate Orf to AAA - not sure if there is space for him, but if there is, up he goes. - Brett Phillips to AAA - Since last year, he's got almost 500 plate appearances at AA. That's essentially a full season. He's got a .276 BA, .355 OBP, .457 SLG and an .811 OPS. That includes 134K and 47BB. Those are solid numbers for a CF to produce. I'd say bump him up and face the next level of competition. The strikeouts this year are concerning, but I don't want them to be the only reason he's held back. He can easily play instead of guys like Eric Young Jr. These moves are all really done without thinking about

Just a note about the mid-season Top 25 poll. As of this time, I'm going to wait until the trade deadline to do the next poll. I think there are too many potential trades involving Milwaukee - it's best to let the dust settle and wait and see what happens. We'll plan on doing the voting the first week of August, and get the mid-season poll up shortly thereafter. It's a little later than I prefer, but it's better than doing the thing in middle of trading season, which I expect Milwaukee to be involved.

Regarding players and pensions/benefits, they get lifetime health insurance by just appearing in a major league game. They don't get a pension, however, until they have 43 days of service. Once they reach 43 days of service, they get a $34,000 annual pension (that they can start collecting at age 62) that can increase up to over $100,000 based on how long they spend in the league. Here's a great article about Junior Guerra that talks about this very thing: http://www.brewcrewball.com/2016/5/23/11743884/for-fringe-big-leaguers-43-days-of-service-time-is-an-important-threshold You wonder why some guys might stick things out in the minors for so long? It might be simply to reach that 43 day threshold. A guy like Nevin Ashley - who was with the Brewers last fall - get in 27 days of ML service. He'll be 32 in August, but he's got to be praying to get a call up at some point - just get in 16 more days of service - it'll be a huge thing for his retirement because it's not like he's raking it money as a minor leaguer.