MNBrew

I think most teams have a couple Jeff Bianchis on their roster already, so while there are scenarios where he could easily be claimed (he may go to a team that has roster space, an injury situation, or a purely crappy roster of middle IFs), it's not like he's a guy in overly high demand. Plus he'll be out of MLB camp for a while playing in the WBC, which doesn't help his odds, I wouldn't think.

I totally agree . . . I REALLY don't think we need another backup 1B. Middle IF? Sure. I'm in favor of an Alex Gonzalez return. But I really don't want Overbay. I'd rather see Sean Halton factored into the mix in addition to Taylor Green & Hunter Morris.

Right, but that's assuming you have adequate in-house or cheap options, of course. Some of those years, I can't totally blame the Brewers for what they did because their internal options were not good at all (or at least not nearly MLB-ready) at some of those positions at the time.

Jurrjens to the Orioles, MLB contract, $1.5M guaranteed & possibly up to $4M w/ incentives. http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2013/01/orioles-agree-to-sign-jair-jurrjens.html So much for that idea (which I'd kinda liked).

I like 'em. I remember they were a huge deal in that September promotion back in 2011. I called the store at MP to see what they cost & it was beyond obscene for an authentic one. I think I'll have to wait 'til they're on mlb.com or something similar, then catch the right sale/promotion deal. Of course, if I strike it rich or win Powerball or something, I won't have to wait for a sale. . . .

I like this signing, though I'd still prefer Gonzalez (with no 2nd thoughts about bidding adieu to Miguel De Los Santos as he's DFA'd to clear 40-man space for Gonzo).

This is just unnecessary stickling and has nothing to do with your point or this thread, but I always like to point out that Nolan Ryan never won a single Cy Young award. Brain cramp. Sorry. That should read "...and pitched even more no-hitters and remained a dominant pitcher."

He was doing fine 'til he went 0-for-his-last-12, dropping his BA from the .270s to the .240s given he had so few ABs that early in the season. We have to remember that or we'll look at his stats and say, "Whoa, he wasn't very good."

My hope is for Alex Gonzalez to sign as a reserve IF, not the starting SS, which means if something were to happen to Segura, we'd be very well covered.

Isn't it the deal that George only earns 1/6 of his contract since he was released prior to that certain date in late spring training? It's a one-year contract & I'm thinking those are not guaranteed.

I'm still hoping for Alex Gonzalez to sign on, and w/ an $80M-ish payroll, there's still room for the right "why not"-priced veteran SP, too.

Pujols was an absolutely golden, grade-A prospect from Day One. Morris is a nice prospect but put up his only truly promising season last year in AA.

Some will debate the degree of this, but I think it's been established that Gamel's an acceptable MLB 1B (granted, with limited MLB experience) and now there's actually a chance for him to get everyday PT again. Gamel might eventually prove that others deserve a shot, too, but I like the idea that he's rather obviously the Plan A. I like Morris and am very excited about his potential, too, but short of a Gamel injury and Green totally fumbling his chance, too, I still think it'd take Gamel & Green totally stinking AND Morris totally raking for Morris to get any real chance for an MLB chance this spring with Hart out.

Small point, JB12, but Bobby Grich was a 2B, not a SS, for the vast majority of his career (1,765 GP at 2B, 159 at SS). And the year he was an All-Star at SS was '72, which of course was before Yount was drafted.

If our best backup SS option is Bianchi or Donnie Murphy, then we're potentially in a deep mess if Segura struggles. I think having Gonzalez around is a very wise move, esp. from the standpoint of QUALITY DEPTH, which, as we learned at the SS position last year, you can never have enough of! If Segura's so fragile that he can't handle the presence/pressure of a veteran backup, that's pretty darn shaky makeup and could possibly indicate future "high maintenance" tendencies. But I haven't heard any of those sorts of rumbles. To me, if Segura's good enough, he'll earn the spot and also work hard to earn it back if he gets sat down for a couple games.

If Escobar proves healthy & effective, this would be the pitching parallel of the Gabe Kapler signing a few years ago. As I recall, there were times in the past when the Brewers were working hard to make a trade for every one of Toronto's "big 3" young guns. Well, it took quite a while, but we finally got one!

Gonzalez is your RH power guy, your late-signing veteran & clubhouse guy, and addresses SS coverage w/ a far better glove than Bianchi. He's also not a $4M/yr. guy (like last year) at this point, maybe only half that, so it's no wonder he has the standing offer from Doug Melvin. It's also conceivable that since Green has at least one if not two options (since he wasn't added to the 40-man 'til late 2011 and never off the 25-man 'til optioned at the end of ST last year, thus using only his 1st option), Bianchi could stick even if Gonzalez signed.

He's criticizing your silly comparison to murder when it comes to what was/was not in the rules. Thank you, dlk9s. And please note, remfire, that I'm not remotely asserting that steroid use was right in any way, shape, or form. Remfire, I also suggest you read the Stark & Schoenfield columns for which I posted links. Whether or not they deserve plaques is a matter of opinion and one on which we disagree. . . . Amphetamines were illegal (were those the "greenies," or were those something else, too?). Cocaine is a stimulant that was certainly illegal in the '70s & '80s. Gaylord Perry's doctoring the ball was shameless and done ON the field AND he was CAUGHT. Arguably none of those things are any lesser offenses than steroids or PEDs of the recent era, and that same "character/etc." clause the writers use to justify the exclusions of the accused/suspected/guilty existed in those times, too -- it's been there for over 60 years, according to Stark's article.

Some of your logic is flawed and your points are incorrect. Steroids are not a banned substance -- available under restricted circumstances, but not banned. Murder is illegal, period, so by what logic can you say it wasn't illegal in baseball? If the writers are going to be so self-righteous about PEDs, then they need to go figure out who's in that needs to be kicked out. Otherwise it's highly selective and subjective moralities being applied. To fail to apply the same standards consistently undermines ALL credibility and validity. But if the HOF is a museum of the best baseball players and best baseball accomplishments, then they should all be in, steroids or PEDs or not, and let their transgressions be told as part of the story. Jayson Stark (http://espn.go.com/mlb/hof13/story/_/id/8826383/what-mlb-hall-fame-be) hit the nail on the head today, as did David Schoenfield (http://espn.go.com/blog/sweetspot/post/_/id/31831/gaylord-perry-cheaters-and-the-hall) last week.

I'm not convinced Donnie Murphy's any better a player for the bench than Jeff Bianchi. Given those options, I still hope Alex Gonzalez re-signs because he wouldn't be overly expensive (compared to the contract he'd sign to be a starting SS), he's got tons more experience, he's got an incredible glove, and he's a better hitter. I think he'd be easily passable enough at 3B & 2B, and Taylor Green's also plenty capable at 2B & 3B. I like a season-opening bench of... Schafer (OF, obviously) Gamel (corner IF & corner OF) Green (3B, 2B, 1B, & corner OF in a pinch) Gonzalez (SS & other IF spots) Maldonado ©

I'd agree but only to the extended thought (of your last sentence) . . . "no plans of holding on to him unless they could land other & better options via FA or trade." You have to add guys any way you can but also hopefully continue to up the talent quotient at the MLB level (well, all levels, actually). In essence, Badenhop, Gorzelanny, & Gonzalez bumped a few more high-end young guys to more likely slotting at AAA to begin with, which then bumps a very fringe guy like Arcenio Leon off the 40-man. Hopefully we'll at least be able to keep him in our system.

I don't feel exactly too bad for any Scott Boras client who's been promised the moon by that mercenary of an agent! It's one thing to inflate a guy's value to other teams, but another thing to sell the player on it. But he keeps attracting players under the premise (perceived as such from the outside, anyway) that he'll get 'em maximum money, yet seems so focused on the dough that you wonder just how realistically he represents the best interests of the player, too. Then again, it only takes one team or one unique circumstance to create the opportunity . . . Last year, Victor Martinez pulls up injured and there went Fielder to Detroit.

On the surface, I'd totally agree that Gorzelanny's not a "sexy" signing. However.... jmeks23, I don't see how you can look at Gorzelanny's stats from last year and not see him as a significant improvement over most '12 Brewers relievers. Granted, every reliever can be a total crapshoot. But 19 of his 44 outings were also for multiple-innings. What more did the guy need to do in '12 to prove he's likely a major BP upgrade?

I'm less sure about Piazza and maybe Biggio (though I believe he was a far better hitter than Barry Larkin, yet also with stellar intangibles). I'd put most if not all Splitter's list in plus McGwire, too, and Sosa if he's eligible, too. Steroids, shmeroids. I hope you call caught this great Jan. 2nd SweetSpot blog post by David Schoenfield: http://espn.go.com/blog/sweetspot/post/_/id/31831/gaylord-perry-cheaters-and-the-hall . . . pointing out what I've been saying for years, that Gaylord Perry's just as much of a cheater, and steroids are just the latest PED or "method" for competitive advantage, which to me says all the "holier than thou" posturing re: steroids blatantly & totally fallibly ignores every other previous sin except gambling (remember, after all, that cocaine's an upper, too, so why is that ignored in the cases of Stargell, Molitor, etc.?). The HOF's so seriously tainted that it couldn't really ever be made "pure." I'm not saying any steroid users were right -- not at all. But I'd say vote based on the numbers and let the lens of time tell the tale. The BBWA needs to stick to baseball, not defining or imposing certain individual moralities while ignoring lots of others. . . . Jack Morris a HOF'er? That's a viable BBWA issue to tackle. Bonds was one of the greatest before any steroid use was suspected. Will A-Rod be blackballed, too, because he was found out. . . . like Braun's deal, confidential info that was ALWAYS supposed to be private forever? Steroid use -- or suspected use -- or any other method of competitive advantage -- just plain aren't as black-and-white as some would want us to think they are.

Your subject line is a bit misleading based on what you wrote... Worst part of '12 team = BP Offseason moves = 1) signed 2 proven relievers as FA, 2) traded for 1 proven reliever (for seemingly nothing), & 3) let 5 horrid '12 relievers/culprits go (Loe, Hernandez, K-Rod, Veras, Parra, all but 1 of whom are unsigned) Sure looks like good work to me! Headlines? No. But the right moves. And Doug Melvin's proven he's usually quite good at finding good (or, at minimum, strategically targeted) players late .... and there are still 6 weeks to spring training and tons of viable (if not a little tainted here & there) talent left, so there's plenty of time. One question, though. Are you that eager for any kind of signing that you'd really want K-Rod back? Regardless of the potential of his arm, his character's a serious issue and I don't think the Brewers -- and maybe most teams, even -- would touch him w/ a 10-ft. pole given his latest incident w/ the law.