Matt Breen

I think the minimum he gets is 5 and $75 million. Probably more like 6 years and $96 million. Some predictions have been north of $100 million. I'm skeptical of that, but remember, it just takes one person to make that kind of offer. I believe the Angels have let the Lackey ship sail - part of the reason for the Kazmir acquisition. Detroit, Washington, Yankees are obvious. There's also Baltimore and Philadelphia to consider. And can you ever dismiss the Red Sox? Especially if they don't think they don't think the will be able to re-up Beckett? Personally, I always loved Lackey. He was a workhorse - went exactly 33 starts for 5 straight years, always getting better. But with his injuries the past couple of years, I'd sit out the bidding, especially if it gets past four years.

Gonna toss Ryan Doumit in as a potential trade option for the brewers. As discussed in some other threads, the Pirates have a top prospect at the position (sanchez, taken 4th last year out of college and on the fast track), plus Jeff Clement (from Seattle). Doumit makes decent money - $3.5M in 2010, $5.1M in 2011, with 2012 and 13 options. As they are in total rebuild mode, shedding the salary is a plus for them. Doumit is a switch hitter - something we could really use. He had an OPS of .813, .858 and .713 over the past three years - with last year troubled by injuries. Doumit will be 29 in april of next year - should be in his prime. He has been injured a lot - nothing related - always something new - broken thumb, fractured bone in the wrist, concussion., etc. When healthy, he hits. He hits pretty well from both sides of the plate - showing more power as a lefty, but slightly better average from the right side. What would it take to get Doumit? His injury last year was a broken bone in his wrist, which no doubt hurt his hitting. But he's supposed to be healthy. An .800+ OPS switch hitting catcher would be pretty awesome in the lineup. It would allow us to leave Lucroy and Salome in the minors at least another year. I don't know much about his defense, but I seem to recall it was average at best. Perhaps that's a wrong perception. Thoughts? Again, I'd be interested in what people thought it would take to get Doumit. And if he'd be a good fit.

Trade for Ryan Doumit - a switch hitter. Move Gamel to RF. Gives us a pretty balanced lineup. Okay, I'm dreaming, but dreaming is free. Escobar ® Doumit (B) Braun ® Prince (L) Weeks or McGehee® Gamel (L) McGehee or Weeks ® Gomez ® Pitcher Maybe Gamel goes 2nd and Doumit 6th. Just balancing the line up out. The switch hitter is nice. BTW, deal Corey Hart for pitching.

Melvin said that they are very seriously considering giving Lucroy the chance to win the catching job next year - talked about in the minor league forum: http://brewersfandemonium...u.com?topic=20147?page=6

I didn't see him last year, but I heard that Dye was brutally bad in the OF. And he's only going to get worse as he gets older. Like someone said - probably a DH. There's going to be lots of those types out there this year.

maybe bring in a decent backup guy - such as greg zaun (if he's non-tendered) - to catch 50-60 games, and let lucroy get 100 starts or so.

I know Nolasco's name has come up in some posts, and to me he looks like the kind of guy to make a play on. He had a bad ERA in 2009 - 5.06. But his peripherals all seem good. 195k vs 44bb in 181 innings. 23 HRs given up isn't great, but it's not horrible either. His WHIP was a 1.25. He got both lefties and righties out at a pretty even rate. His BABIP was .322 - so he probably had a little bad luck. He had a very good 2008 - 3.52 ERA, 200+ innings. So we'd probably be able to get him while he's at less than peak value. I believe he has 2 years left before arbitration - although it could be 3. I don't know for sure. He probably is going to make $4-5 million in 2010, so the Marlins might be looking to move him. I don't know much about Nolasco - injury history, reputation, what he throws, etc. So there may be reasons not to go after him. I know Florida's stadium is pitcher friendly, but his numbers aren't much different at home than on the road. I like the idea of a strike throwing workhorse type - and wonder if he could fit the bill. He'll be 27 next year, so he should be hitting his prime. The obvious issue is that the Marlins don't want salary back - so we'd have to give them someone young in return. I don't know if a package with a second-tier type prospect would do - or if someone like Casey McGehee would need to be dealt (the Marlins could probably use an INF since there's a good chance they'll move Uggla and Cantu with their high salaries). McGehee - with five years left of eligibility - would be an overpay. But maybe we get something else back. Don't know. Just thought I'd throw out the idea - possible packages that could get Nolasco.

If I'm correct, DeRosa had one or two major (I think) knee surgeries that derailed him. I believe he actually was a pretty well thought of shortstop (i'm going by memory, so perhaps I'm wrong on that) coming up with the Braves. I don't know if he ever was fully healthy for several years, plus he struggled at times against righties - and that sort of put him into the utility mold. He certainly is a good story - not becoming a regular until he was 30 or 31.

One of the first things you do in marketing is say 'what's your unique selling proposition' - what makes you different, what sets you apart, etc. With that in mind, he should use his name. It's a commodity. Leverage it, especially while it has value. The product will need to have something beyond his name to ultimately succeed, but it's a selling point for investors and consumers. He's wise to use it, even if it does have a narcissistic edge to it.

I remember watching Morrow on TV a couple of times and being wowed by his arm. Again, it was only twice, but no one the brewers has an arm like Morrow. The main thing, as Colby points out, is that third pitch and his control. If he can get better control of his pitches, he's at worst, an excellent reliever due to his lack of a third pitch. At best, he's a very good starter. I'd take the risk for Hardy. Again, I think at worst we get a quality reliever if he can't develop that third pitch. He could even dominate as a reliever. Personally, I like it. Plus it saves us a good deal of money.

Brewers would do this in a second. The only way I can see this happening is that the Royals are unloading any contracts for the best young talent they can get. Perhaps they think they are at least 3-4 years away from contending (not an outrageous contention), and by that time, Greinke will simply walk. Teams are reluctant to give away young talent - and maybe this really is the best they are able to get. I kind of doubt it, but you never know. Parra, gamel and salome are not sure things, but each has his upside. Gamel could be special, but no guarentees. They could move him to first (let's be honest, Jacobs and Teahen aren't the answer with their .698 and .734 OPS respectively - both could potentially be non-tendered this offseason - and Butler and Gamel would be the 1B/DH). They can flip Hardy to the Red Sox or some other SS needy team for prospects. Still, you think they could get more than this - it's not like Johan Santana, who few teams wanted to trade for because it was only a one year rental (unless you gave him the $150 million or so extension, which precluded most teams from doing the deal). But maybe teams are just hanging on to their young guys. Greinke has about $34 million left on his deal - and three years. Him and Gallardo would be a formidable tandem. All fun to think about - but I think it's all a dream. A nice dream, but a dream nonetheless.

Jorge Says No tosses out the idea of Kenshin Kawakami from the Braves for Corey Hart. http://jorgesaysno.blogsp...ing-would-you-trade.html Don't know much about Kawakami - anyone have any thoughts on him?

I read in the past couple of weeks that there was some minor rumblings that the Mets weren't high on Maine - pretty much for the reasons some have said - his health, some questions of his toughness, etc. His numbers have declined each of the last three years, and there's some disturbing signs (like his 38/55 BB/K rate). That said, the Mets need some power badly. Their top home run hitter had 12 last year. Yes - 12 HR. Jeff Francoeur played well for them, so he's probably their RF (but he's no guarantee of success). But Hart might work if they can't sign anyone. The options are guys like Daniel Murphy and Fernando Tatis, which isn't inspiring. The free agent market will be tough - unless they lay out some major bucks for Bay or Holiday, better options might be Abreu or a rehabbing guy like Xavier Nady. Hart could always be moved to 1B, but the Mets probably have better options than him. Perhaps something like would work simply because the Mets are desperate to rework the team, and will move pieces they are not thrilled with for someone who might be better.

$8 million is a lot for Trevor, but he was delivered the goods this past season, so let's ride that horse one more time. Plus - and I can't stress how important this is - Hoffman wanted to be back, the club loved the professionalism, the attitude he brought to the staff, and positive influence he had. Those are small things, but you can't stress enough that Trevor wanted to be here.

The Brewers need to first determine if Gamel is really and truly a third baseman. There are still many doubts. If not, then determine if he could be a corner OF. If not, then trade him - assuming they aren't going to trade Prince - because if he's not a 3B or a corner OF, he's a first baseman. personally, I think Gamel should be tried at RF. He's got a strong arm, but I don't know how he'd look in the OF. I'd really like another lefthanded bat in the lineup every day. Yes, he might struggle. But he also looks like he can be exceptional given time and patience.

sweet, X. Nice stat.

Ricciardi, like every GM, has his hits and misses. He's added some decent young talent, but missed on some high picks as well (again, what GM hasn't). But eight years is a pretty good timeframe to develop young talent, and I just don't think he's done what he needed (which was develop from with the farm system). His biggest mistake trying to play with the big boys (Boston and NY). The big contracts just killed him. And while Toronto's budgets weren't small, they weren't in the same league as the Yankees and Red Sox. He couldn't afford too many big mistakes - and he had them (BJ Ryan, Wells' contract, Rios). I also think he fell into the trap many teams fall into - paying top dollar for very good (or even just good) players. In a smaller market, top dollar needs to go to top players. Guys like Wells and Rios were very good players - not great players. Paying these guys top dollar - $15-18 million - just ended up hamstringing the club. It's a lesson all franchises need to heed. For teams like the Yankees they can absorb these kinds of mistakes, but teams like Toronto (and Milwaukee) get stung badly by them. Every big contract is a risk, but you better be darn sure the guy you're paying top dollar to is worth it (and will be worth it for the length of the contract). It's why guys like Carlos Lee and Alfonso Soriano - while still good players - will increasingly be seen as untradeable albatrosses as their play diminishes at the plate and in the field. It's why the Brewers need to be very sure with any big moves they do in free agency.

This game was the best I'd ever been to - and I was at the 5th game of the World Series back in '82. The electricity, the excitement. It was unbelievable. I got to go with my 10 year old son, and we still have the blue and gold confetti they dropped. It's a great memory. The best part was that our friends - who are Cub fans - gave us the tickets. They said, "This means way more to you than us." So not all Cub fans are jerks!

louis, nice list. Sure we can all quibble here and there, but you got things pretty solid.

Your blog is fine. Keep up the hard work. Time and experience will give you a voice and a style. Don't try to hard to write for a bunch of geeks like us - just write. The more you write, the better you'll get, the more you'll find out if that's what really makes you happy. At this point, I'd focus on the 'what am i interested in' angle. If you like what you're writing about, the passion and insigh will, hopefully, come out. Mostly, just write, and have fun. Patience is so important for a writer. So enjoy what you're doing.

Pirates didn't get enough, me thinks. They give up one of their best players, signed to a reasonable contract, having a decent season, for three minor leaguers, only two of which were listed in the top 10 by BA and John Sickels. None of these guys is considered a sure thing. Nobody was offering anything better? Did the Pirates even shop around? Mclouth isn't the greatest thing in the world, but he's a good player - certainly an asset for any teams. Perhaps they guys they got are better than I perceive, but it looks like they were shortchanged. And they might feel like they are selling high on Mclouth, which might be true.

If it's not a busy game, I don't have a problem with people moving around within sections, but on the whole, I stay in the seat I bought. Last game I was at I watched a man and a woman move three times when people arrived with tickets to those seats. The game was a sellout, so these people each time moved around, causing a lot of people, each time, to get up while they hunted down another pair of seats. If you're going to do it - be polite. In our first game this year, a group of guys came down and snagged the seats in front of us when the people left. A guy about 6"4' sat right in front of my son, who is nine. Real nice one there. It's just kind of rude doing stuff like that.

i love jenkins, but that bus has left the station. If Nelson was looking terrible, perhaps, but at this point, go with the younger guy with upside. We have to go with Duffy or Gwynn as the fifth OF,so we have a back up CF, but for the other OF, let's give the young guy a chance.

It does sound a little strange - i live with someone with an Anxiety Disorder (there are several versions of it) - and they never have to get their blood tested for 'anxiety' or whatever. One thought I had, however, is that Willis is being treated for Anxiety Disorder - possibly drugs (a common one is Zoloft), combined with therapy. While most anxiety drugs don't affect things that require blood tests, there are side effects that often force a person to take second or third drugs to counter the negative effects. Example: a person could take an anti-anxiety drug, which, while it helps their anxiety, gives them an irregular heartbeat. They are then given another drug to counter the irregular heartbeat. Perhaps that drug, or the combination of the two (or three or whatever), requires him to have blood tests to monitor some other potential issue. Maybe something like this is what's happening. No matter, I hope he's okay. He seemed like a fun guy, and knowing someone who struggles with this, it's got to be killing him. I just hope he can rebound.

Roberts is one of the top 5-6 2B in the league - average, obp, steals And a switch hitter. I can't say much about his fielding, as i don't see him often. four years is probably much, but he should be good for a couple of years. He's certainly not a Suppan - Suppan was always nothing more than an average (at best) pitcher. Roberts has played at an above average level for three of the last four years. Again, those end years are probably no bargain, but they have an all-star caliber player and are keeping him. bully to them.