AJAY

I forgot how sweet those Lyle Overbay doubles are. Ohhhhhhhhhhhh !!!!!!!

Adam McCalvy's article suggests that Suppan's interest is sincere. There are some interesting quotes from Suppan's agent. milwaukee.brewers.mlb.com...p&c_id=mil

Matt Kinney stinks.

Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports is reporting that the offer is between 36 and 40 million over 4 years. This is along the lines of what we expected. msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/6295756

More from the original FOX Sports article . . . Left-hander Barry Zito wasn't the only free-agent pitcher that Mets' executives visited in southern California. The Mets, perhaps lining up an alternative if Zito signs with another club, also met with free-agent right-hander Jeff Suppan, major-league sources tell FOXSports.com. Suppan, 31, is the most accomplished starting pitcher after Zito remaining on the market. Mets' officials met with Zito and his agent Scott Boras, on Tuesday night, then spoke with Suppan and his agent, Scott Leventhal, on Wednesday morning before returning to New York. Jeff Suppan looks to cash in after helping the Cardinals win the World Series. (Andrew Gombert / Getty Images) Suppan also visited in California with Brewers owner Mark Attanasio and other team officials, sources said. He is believed to have received two four-year offers, one from the Brewers and one from an unidentified club. The Giants and Pirates also remain interested in signing Suppan. The Pirates, however, are not expected to be competitive if Suppan's price rises to his desired level, which one interested general manager says is $44 million over four years.

This CNNSI article seems to suggest that the bidding for Suppan will intensify and more teams may jump in to the mix once Barry Zito is off the market. sportsillustrated.cnn.com...index.html

I am surprised the Brewers are still in the decision making phase. I was under the impression that they had already decided they were going after Suppan. I am a little concerned about the delay just because I think you have to be aggressive and make the guy feel really wanted. I know it's a lot of money, but I hope they move quickly one way or the other.

In your opinion, do you agree with this goal? I know they say that pitching and defense win championships, but how much offense can you sacrifice?

I wasn't able to see the game live, but I did DVR it and watch a few segments when I got home. As much as I love the Brewers, I just couldn't get into it. I ended up skipping through most of it. There was nothing at stake for the Brewers, and there were no memorable moments either (i.e. like a dramatic walkoff HR or something). Watching the Cardinals stumble into the postseason with their 79th loss didn't make for great TV either. The Brewers pretty much put the game out of hand in the first inning and there wasn't much suspense. Overall, I just think it was really poor choice to air this particular game. I really don't know what they were thinking. I think I am looking more forward to the Bill Hall pink-bat walkoff game and also the Prince and Rickie HR game. I would much rather watch broadcasts from Miller Park too. It's more fun seeing the home fans having fun in a park where you have more memories and attachment to. Anyway, I hope you all at least enjoyed the broadcast. Sorry if I sound like a downer.

As I recall, DeJean was a pretty good pitcher for the Brewers except for that last season when he imploded as a closer. I think he was miscast in that closer's role and was probably better off as a setup man. Anyway, that was many years ago. Who knows what he has got left.

Someone on the ESPN Brewers message board pointed out that Mike DeJean is having talks with Milwaukee. From the Rocky Mountain News . . . The Rockies are moving forward in contract talks with left-handed reliever Tom Martin. "I met with (agent) Mike Maas and I'm looking for him to get back" after talking with Martin, O'Dowd said. O'Dowd also said he is interested in re-signing Mike DeJean, who is coming off surgery, "But we won't know until the middle of January when he throws off a mound." DeJean, however, indicated his agent met with Milwaukee officials on Tuesday. Remember this classic moment? http://graphics.jsonline.com/graphics/sports/brew/img/jul02/royster724.jpg

Assuming those reports on RealGM are legit, the Brewers are going to have to increase their offer if they really want him. Suppan would probably be better off going to the Mets and being in a pitcher's park with a contending team instead of coming here. There is no incentive to come to Milwaukee based on those figures.

I am naturally worried about the price tag, and I also find it interesting that the Cardinals are not making an effort to keep him. Having said that, it would be really nice to add another solid starter. Suppan also brings veteran postseason experience. I agree that this seems like the type of guy who would solidify the rotation. Part of me also would like to steal away some players from our division rivals, especially guys who always give us trouble.

This was a little note in the USA Today . . . Free agent starter Jeff Suppan has at least one offer on the table, but agent Scott Leventhal said they are still talking with the San Francisco Giants, Pittsburgh Pirates, Kansas City Royals, Colorado Rockies, Milwaukee Brewers and New York Mets. I don't know how much Suppan would cost, but it would be awesome if we never had to face him again. That would be good for about 4-5 wins alone.

I don't really understand this. Isn't Barmes a shortstop? test.denverpost.com/rockies/ci_4822447 Updated thread title --1992casey

If the Red Sox talks with that Japanese pitcher break down, I am going to predict that the Red Sox throw all that money at Clemens and he ends up in Boston.

From the Minneapolis Star Tribune . . . The Twins were expected to offer Cirillo a contract Thursday night, according to agent Ken Felder. Felder didn't disclose details, but the deal is expected to be for around $1 million and probably include incentives. The Brewers and Reds also are expected to make offers. "I think a decision would likely come before the holidays," Felder said. Cirillo, 37, batted .319 with three homers and 23 RBI in 112 games with Milwaukee last season. The Twins would use Cirillo, a career .299 hitter at the Metrodome, primarily as a backup at third base, first base and designated hitter. "I'm not going to get into specifics," Twins General Manager Terry Ryan said. "We're looking for a little righthanded production around the infield." Cirillo has spent eight of his 13 major league seasons with the Brewers and is comfortable with them. On the other hand, the Brewers have signed Craig Counsell and Tony Graffanino accepted the club's salary arbitration offer, making Cirillo worried about playing time. (I had also read on the Brewers site that Doug Melvin would only guarantee him the money and not the playing time. Melvin sounded kind of blunt. I just didn't get a good vibe out of it)

In this free agent market, that will probably earn him a five-year deal worth almost 50 million dollars.

Another website is speculating that the Brewers may also get a reliever like Ryan Madson thrown into the deal. It's pretty interesting reading. story.scout.com/a.z?s=228&p=2&c=598368

From RotoWorld . . . The White Sox have been trying to upgrade behind A.J. Pierzynski, with multiple reports suggesting they were trying for Brewers backup Damian Miller

A couple of articles are suggesting that John Lieber is overweight and that the Phillies were not happy with his conditioning. I hope Doug Melvin knows about this. www.courierpostonline.com...002/SPORTS

From Philly.com . . . Pressed close to the wall, Pat Gillick and Ruben Amaro are huddled with Brewers GM Doug Melvin and assistant GM Gord Ash... There is no doubt that the Brewers are ready to deal. They are dangling two outfielders, Kevin Mench and Geoff Jenkins. They are looking for pitching in return. There have been indications that, if the Phillies can pick up another starter elsewhere, Jon Lieber could be available. A few hours later, though, Melvin is frustrated. Teams keep telling him that they are on hold to see if another deal comes through and then will get back to the Brewers. While things can always change quickly, Melvin is becoming resigned to going home without making a move. "I'm not even wasting my time meeting with teams," he grumbled. "I just call to see if we have anything to talk about. Teams we've been talking to, one in particular, say they have to do other things first."

A San Diego newspaper is speculating that the Padres might be interested in Kevin Mench. It's been well known that they are looking for a new leftfielder. Last offseason, the Padres showed trade interest in left fielder Kevin Mench, a right-handed slugger who was with the Rangers when Padres Vice President of Scouting and Development Grady Fuson worked for Texas. Of late, the Brewers have been fielding offers for Mench. Just for discussion's sake, which Padres player would you want in return?

It's possible that Melvin really wants to dump Turnbow but is just holding out for a better offer. But if Melvin really believes Turnbow is worth keeping, then I would be worried. Not only has Turnbow lost it, but the money can be better used elsewhere. I personally think Turnbow stunk even when he was saving 36 out of 39 games a few years ago. He was ALWAYS in trouble and was lucky to get out of all those jams. He just doesn't have enough clean 1-2-3 innings for a closer or setup man.

The Phillies website article is also interesting . . . . The persistent speculation -- which continued for a second day -- revolved around a two-pronged attack. First, the Phils would trade center fielder Aaron Rowand back to the White Sox with right-handers Ryan Madson or Gavin Floyd for righty Freddy Garcia, lefty Mark Buehrle or righty Javier Vazquez. Even a separate White Sox-rumored acquisition of righty Ervin Santana and third baseman Chone Figgins (for Garcia and third baseman Joe Crede) would still leave the White Sox with excess to trade. Secondly, having landed a pitcher, the Phillies would ship righty Jon Lieber to the Brewers for some combination of outfielders Kevin Mench and Geoff Jenkins and right-handed relievers Jose Capellan and Derrick Turnbow. Following up, the deals appear to be held up for a variety of reasons. There has been hesitation on the Brewers' part as to whether to include either reliever. A baseball source said Milwaukee loves Turnbow's stuff and thinks he can return to his 2005 form, and the club also likes Capellan's durability. Also, the White Sox, one American League scout said, are enjoying their position of having pitching to deal, and may wait until the market shakes out before making a move. This has frustrated Milwaukee GM Doug Melvin, who is believed to have a number of potential deals in place, but has been told that any swaps with his club are contingent upon the completion of other deals. That said, Melvin and Brewers assistant GM Gord Ash were spotted in the lobby of the Dolphin Hotel chatting with Gillick and members of the Phillies, but Melvin dismissed talk of the deal as "an Internet rumor." According to Melvin, he asked the Phillies if they had interest in Jenkins and/or Mench, and he was told no. Another scout speculated that the Phillies' reluctance to deal Rowand was also complicating things. A high-ranking Phillies official denied the report's validity. The understandable problem from the Phillies' perspective is that they don't want to trade Lieber or Rowand without first adding a starter, especially given the market.