Jump to content
Brewer Fanatic

MNBrew

Verified Member
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    3,109

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Profiles

Forums

Blogs

Events

News

2026 Milwaukee Brewers Top Prospects Ranking

Milwaukee Brewers Videos

2022 Milwaukee Brewers Draft Picks

Milwaukee Brewers Free Agent & Trade Rumors, Notes, & Tidbits

Guides & Resources

2023 Milwaukee Brewers Draft Picks

2024 Milwaukee Brewers Draft Picks

The Milwaukee Brewers Players Project

2025 Milwaukee Brewers Draft Pick Tracker

2026 Milwaukee Brewers Draft Tracker: Picks & Bonuses

Store

Downloads

Gallery

Everything posted by MNBrew

  1. MNBrew
    There was ample talk up here in "Twins Territory" (their marketing slogan) that including Morlan in the Young/Garza/Bartlett trade was a move the Twins would end up really regretting. On the surface it looks like that promise is still there and definitely worth a $25K Rule 5 look-see to be sure.
  2. MNBrew
    Any single prospect for Fielder, a proven MLB 50-HR & multiple 100-RBI stud, would be significant underpayment. Years of control might be the prevailing issue in your mind, endaround, but I think there's a much bigger picture than that and it's rooted in the combination of youth and proven talent.
  3. MNBrew
    Totally agree. At 5, though, that high-end quality still doesn't spread past at most 5 teams, and at least 1 is guaranteed to be the Yankees in most any year. Most of the rest of the guys out there I'd be very cautious at best about, whether in terms of interest, dollars, years, or a combination of all of those things.
  4. MNBrew
    I agree, it's way strong at the top. I just don't agree with it being deep in sure-fire quality after those top few names.
  5. MNBrew
    Way, way, way too early. We all have concerns. Anyone can make a trade. But it takes a smart GM to make the right trade and/or NOT make the wrong trades. It also takes a 2nd GM willing to do the dance. It also takes the right FA and the right contract offer and an agent willing to make the right deal for his player to make a good FA signing. I still go for the Cameron trade for pitching (Hughes, Kennedy) in return. I hang onto Bill Hall on account of his Lasik surgery. Hope for a rebound and sell high if a good deal comes along that's worth doing. While many things won't happen, we're really only 1 month into the FA offseason and still have 2+ months 'til ST. That's about 70% of the offseason to go and little significant player movement yet throughout all of MLB on account of the slow-moving market of the highest billed FAs.
  6. MNBrew
    Deep in quantity, end, but not deep in the type of quality you'd spend big FA bucks on. I'd take Sheets back and would gladly take Randy Johnson, even at a slightly inflated price. I'd take Penny, too, if the deal and his health condition are right enough to make a deal justify the level of risk involved. I've typed it elsewhere, but I'll repeat it here: I'd give serious consideration to a package of Putz, Morrow, and another strong young pitcher for Fielder. Might not have to add much on the Brewers' side, especially if they took on Bedard in lieu of a 3rd younger pitcher (salary coverage plan addressed by split responsibility with more contract burden based on the degree to which he performs).
  7. MNBrew
    The guy wasn't saying it'd be a 1-for-1. He said the Brewers are looking for pitching and the Mariners are looking for power. Each side has what the other needs. It might have the makings of a match. Putz might be expendable. The Brewers might be willing to move Fielder if all the planets line up right in the deal. Maybe they'd be involved. The guy also mentioned Brad Nelson. It was clearly speculation but more grounded than some of the wild ideas getting tossed at us from Vegas right now. Plenty of kick-butt pitching from Seattle for Fielder & maybe something more seems to have some decent logic to it, although it also has some holes. Personally, I could see this more than some of the other favorite names tossed out on this site. But who really knows?
  8. MNBrew
    Hart is an All-Star and potential frequent All-Star. Johnson's a nice 2B with some traits the Brewers could use but nothing All-Star-worthy. Season-ending slump notwithstanding, to suggest that they're equals or that the Brewers would have to give up someone in addition to Hart to get just Johnson seems incredibly bizarre and outright screwy to me, and reminds me it's a good thing it's Doug Melvin making these decisions and not most of us on this board.
  9. MNBrew
    Johnson's a proven winner of a pitcher. Even at 44 and with a balky back, he pitched 184 innings last year, 11-10, 3.91 ERA, 173 K and only 44 BB. Signing Johnson would be a definite upgrade. If Sabathia were still to re-sign, then you just let Sheets go and take the picks. Or you end up with Johnson and 4 picks. And isn't Johnson only a Type B FA, not a Type A? So Johnson + net of 3 picks. That's still a plus deal.
  10. MNBrew
    The Brewers could certainly make worse moves than Jenks. He's solid but not perfect. But that could be a pretty good move if they give up something sane in return. With the Brewers needing to build their bullpen, dealing Villanueva would be a further step in undoing what they're trying to build, so that doesn't make sense. Plus CV's quite valuable. He's proven himself as both a starter and reliever even though his success as a starter was in '07 and his '08 rotation time didn't go so well. I could see Cameron as the main piece going back to the Sox in a deal like this. Cameron's going to contribute more day-in and day-out than Jenks, although he has his drawbacks. Melvin also said Cameron rates out as the 6th best statistical CF. Is Jenks the 6th best closer? Maybe the Brewers would have to eat a bit of Cameron's contract on a one-for-one deal, or else they'd need to pony up with someone else unless you could actually get Kenny Williams to take on Billy Hall in the deal, too, in which case you might have to throw in much more cash. Or maybe that would mean the Brewers would have to take on some of the White Sox' salary sludge if they have any.
  11. MNBrew
    Young's also not a CF. In essence...Trade Hardy & Cameron for Young & Kennedy? Sounds good but who plays CF? I'd assume the Brewers get a little more in return than they give up in both deals. Young's value is obviously down a bit.
  12. MNBrew
    30 years ago our pitching coach was known as "Kerosene Bill" Castro. If Julio or any other guy just bombs, it's easy: Castro will simply say, "I told him, 'Do as I say, not as I did,' but he got it backwards."
  13. MNBrew
    Weeks went to Lake Brantley HS in Altamonte Springs, FL. Lopez went to Lyman HS in Longwood. They're about 5 miles apart and a 10-15 minute (non-rush-hour) drive north of downtown Orlando. For 10+ years my parents lived halfway between the two schools. Anyway, that explains the Weeks-Lopez connection, and Prince has hung out with them plenty in the Orlando area since the Brewers drafted him.
  14. MNBrew
    If it were Pena and not Dillard, I'd do that deal in a minute. I'm not sure Teahan's the best answer. On the other hand, I like a whole lot what this deal entails on a few levels, both for us and for KC.
  15. MNBrew
    Bias means a leaning or preference, but the inability to be objective is not always implied. Please don't insinuate a value judgement that I did not make.
  16. MNBrew
    BC, you make good points. And regardless of how sound, there will always be an element here that disagrees with you because the OPS bias is very strong. That's not putting down others, just noting the difference in perspective. I agree with you, the Brewers need table-setters whose strengths lie in a good BA, good OBP, good contact & low Ks, speed, and the discipline to utilize those skills optimally. Lots of HRs from someone like put in the table-setter role often come at the expense of those traditional table-setter skills. Some folks on this site simply are stuck on the idea that power = better offense, perhaps because of the extent to which it boosts OPS, and therefore the lack of power = automatically lesser offensive player regardless. I also agree with you about Cameron/Roberts. He's quite productive when he hits the ball, but for the offense to balance out, something has to give and I see him as an expensive chip who well could be replaced by your traditional table-setter. . . . I don't think the Brewers need MORE power. I'm not suggesting they need less power, either. It's that they need players whose skills should improve those areas in which the Brewers were most weak. And those improvements may just need to come at the expense of a little power. They have to come from somewhere.
  17. MNBrew
    This has to be from the same guy who "first comment-ed" to an earlier JSOnline blog posting that he heard from a reliable source that the Brewers were on the verge of sending Cameron, Hall or Hardy, and Villanueva to the Twins for Denard Span, Kevin Slowey, and a prospect.
  18. MNBrew
    I think I'd consider this, too. Including Prince might get us a 4th decent piece back in the deal, too, and Boston's got the resources to contend with Boras' inevitable salary expectations for Fielder. The Brewers have options for 1B. None are as potent as Fielder, but most stand to have some degree of respectability.
  19. MNBrew
    Lowell vs. Cameron: - Similar bats, I think favoring Lowell (assuming he's healthy). - Fairly similar salary. - Probably better odds of finding a LH-hitting OF that meets the Brewers' stated needs than a LH-hitting 3B out on the market (figuring it's more prudent to count on Gamel starting the year in AAA after his elbow issues). - Lowell a better fielder at 3B than Hall/Branyan. Hall couldn't hit after last June when about all he faced was lefties. I believe Hall has proved that he can't really be counted on anymore and would benefit more by a change of scenery. My plan: 1. Trade for Lowell. Dump salary of Hall (preferably, or Suppan, I suppose). Red Sox can afford a $6M very versatile backup IF. Or take one of Boston's decent young pitchers in exchange for taking on all of Lowell's '09 & '10 salary. 2. Re-sign Branyan as reserve corner IF. Insurance for Lowell's health. LH power bat. Respectable D at 3B. Can start for prolonged periods if healthy. 3. Sign Punto as reserve middle IF and potential starting IF #5 (real PT threat to Weeks if needed, too). Solid D. Significant starting experience at 3B, SS, & 2B. 4. Trade Cameron to Yankees for something decent -- Cabrera & Hughes would do nicely & possibly be realistic given how much they're interested in Cameron. Don't touch Cano on account of his obscene future salaries. Get the Yankees to take Suppan (or Hall if the Red Sox take Suppan for Lowell). They'd pay $10M for a #4 or #5 starter most years anyway.
  20. MNBrew
    I think if Lowell's healthy enough, he totally wastes a Hall/Branyan platoon. The only way a Hall/Branyan comes close is if they're both healthy and produce at their career-best levels. I wouldn't bet on that. Acquiring Lowell would enable the Brewers to move Cameron for other assets. Plus they could probably dump some salary on Boston (Suppan? Hall?) to get Lowell. Assuming Lowell's healthy (not a sure thing, of course), his production stands to be greater than Cameron's with a better BA, comparable if not better OBP, and the equivalent of ~80 fewer Ks. Lowell's also a better defender at 3B than Hall or Branyan. Makes me wonder what the down side is. Granted, the whole thing could turn out entirely differently with the injury variable. But if no other earth-shattering deals come up, I'd go for it even if it meant Gamel spent some time on the pines in Milwaukee. More likely Gamel starts at AAA and proves his elbow's healthy and he's found his mojo again. If everything goes optimally, then the Brewers are in a position to deal from a depth of quality assets.
  21. MNBrew
    I'm still not convinced Teahan is much more than a slightly better and lefty version of Bill Hall. Better BA, unspectacular OBP, unspectacular power/RBI numbers, more triples, slightly more favorable K rate. Of course, it wouldn't take much to represent an upgrade from the '08-ending 3B situation. Would Teahan be an upgrade? Yeah. Would he make much of a difference? Hard to say but I'm not convinced. However, I don't have any better suggestions. I'm still totally mystified about what they should do for 3B if they don't move Hardy or Escobar there. Maybe the Cardinals would want Jeff Suppan back with Bill Hall for Troy Glaus. (that would be in blue, not for desirability but for its seeming unlikelihood) That wouldn't address the LH bat issue but would save a few pennies.
  22. MNBrew
    Of course that's not what he meant. But you can't surmise that Melvin shares your view on Span. Span's '08, while exceeding projections, was still legit. The guy was a #1 pick for a reason. Torii Hunter (another Twins #1 pick) was nothing very special in the minors or early in his big league career. Then he finally started putting it seriously together. Span's career could go plenty of directions. Right now neither you nor I -- nor anyone -- can know how Span will actually turn out. Is he finally fulfilling the potential he's been known to have for years? Or will he amount to a one-hit wonder? I acknowledge you might end up correct. But no one will know for sure for a couple years unless he gets hurt significantly or becomes a perennial All-Star candidate starting next year. The price to acquire Span right now would not be cheap. I doubt the Twins would agree with you.
  23. MNBrew
    I was a huge Scott Karl fan back in the day. I never knew why he totally lost it, but I remember the results getting ugly quickly when he did. Too bad. A couple Scott Karl memories: - a great spring training day in the JS with an article talking about how the up-and-coming Karl had some of the same attributes as Greg Maddux; same day was a great article about Darryl Hamilton and how he just played the game smartly and had lots of promise -- he was another of my dearest favorites in those days - I own a game-worn road #42 with Karl's autograph. Bought it at the Brewers' Clubhouse in Brookfield Square. Last Brewer to regularly wear #42. Since it was autographed, I figured I could splurge the $200 it cost at the time. The first and only other jersey I ever bought was Darryl Hamilton's. - I remember going bonkers when Karl hit the homer on the road, then I just happened to be at his next home game when he hit #2. Hooked right around the RF pole. Thanks, Splitter. Cool interview.
  24. MNBrew
    1. "better" is subjective. It depends on what you place value. By some folks' thinking, he may be a better hitter. Apparently just not by yours if you're advocating OPS. Power isn't everything, & it largely props up Cameron's OPS. Typical #1-2 hitters aren't typically 25-HR hitters. If you're advocating OBP, Span's OBP last year was better than Cameron's has ever been. So how is he an inferior hitter? 2. the balance in the lineup things has been mentioned by Brewers' brass. I'm not saying I'm necessarily right, but I do believe Doug Melvin to know what he's talking about better than any of us.
  25. MNBrew
    Frankly, I'm not suggesting Span is better offensively Cameron. I'm simply saying I think he'd fit the Brewers' offense needs profile better than Cameron does. Cameron is a power hitter who's rather characteristic of the Brewers' all-or-nothing, free-swinging, high K-ing, RH-heavy lineup. Span is a contact hitting, top-of-the-order/leadoff type of hitter. It's an apples-to-oranges comparison. I'm simply taking the leap that Span might well bring more balance to the Brewers' offense than Cameron does. The Brewers essentially have defined that as one of their off-season needs.
×
×
  • Create New...