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MNBrew

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Everything posted by MNBrew

  1. MNBrew
    There have been other recent years when the offseason moves make folks think the Cubs will be a force in the division. I still think this year, like most of those, the Cubs will still just turn out to be the Cubs.
  2. MNBrew
    All things being equal, I think on account of Rogers' injury history, Fiers has the more resilient arm and therefore has at least as good of a chance as Rogers of going to the 'pen if it comes down to one of them unless there are more circumstantial details/needs that would dictate a specific move rather than just "someone" moving to the 'pen.
  3. MNBrew
    I think it's been pretty obvious over the past two years that Taylor Green's far preferable over Gamel at 3B & the Brewers would prefer Gamel only playing 1B or the OF, never playing 3B again unless they're in a total pinch w/ no better solutions (or unless they're going so well that they can put Gamel's horrid glove at 3B w/o concern for the defensive results).
  4. MNBrew
    I like that Hart/Texas logic. If that's a viable return, I'd be pleased. That'd also still leave Gomez as a potentially tradeable commodity for whom DM could prioritize a bat in return rather than a pitcher.
  5. MNBrew
    One spot open? Really? No. Try at least 3: - The only seemingly taken spots are Axford, Henderson, Badenhop, & Kintzler. - The rotation has Yo, Estrada, Fiers, Rogers, & Peralta, plus Narveson, Thornburg, & other young guys. ...Narveson may look good now, but way too many variables still exist to say he's a sure thing for the Opening Day roster. ...Thornburg, Fiers, Peralta, Kintzler, Henderson all have options, as do many others who have less MLB time than them. ...Stinson is but one of many guys who could contribute something or could amount to nothing. ...Lots of other things could change the entire picture.
  6. MNBrew
    Guys that beat up women tend not to be too popular on the free agent market. Guys that beat up women and can't find an open hospital to take her -- all the more apropos after spending most of the season not finding the plate often enough (i.e., putrid walk rate) -- aren't coming back to MIL and maybe not to any other MLB team, either. Why? At some point, character flaws can't be ignored, and with respect to K-Rod, to quote great philosopher Forrest Gump, "Stupid is as stupid does."
  7. MNBrew
    Rauch's basic numbers look solid or better. I already knew that. But you missed my main point: I've watched him enough that I'm not sold on him. His stretch as the Twins closer was good. In his Twins time after that, he wasn't anything overly stellar and there was good reason the Twins were not overly reluctant to let him walk as a FA. Heck, even when he was pitching with excellent results (esp. in 2011), lots of folks here would say they didn't trust K-Rod even though the numbers said there wasn't a reason for concern (again, when he was going well, NOT in 2012 when he couldn't get anyone out or hit the side of a barn ... from inside the barn! ... which was painful beyond belief). It's a similar comparison that probably strikes a more familiar chord for Brewers fans. Reilly summarized my point well enough: He's just a guy -- serviceable but nothing terribly special. . . . I'd take him at $2M-ish per year at most, but he's potentially not much better than Kam Loe was for most of his Brewers career (excluding Sept 2012 when whatever was left in the tank was obviously way gone), and for that reason, signing him as a FA wouldn't necessarily hurt & might even help, but it certainly wouldn't have me jumping for joy.
  8. MNBrew
    All in all, for the potential plusses he'd represent, I just can't see Morales as being much more than a lateral move, so why even bother? That's not worth the effort unless spinning his Angels-paid contract off as part of a larger Hart deal that would net us more needed assets. Morales is more of a 4-5-6 hitter, and we don't really have a need or a space for a guy like him with Gamel & Green around, Hart still here, & Morris on the way, plus a full OF and young guys like Gindl, Davis, Davis, & others in the pipeline.
  9. MNBrew
    My gut still agrees with those who've been lobbying for J.P. Howell, and I see some logic in Gorzelanny (SP & RP experience, a bit more initial RP success this year, but an arm that could still start or relieve and thus create options in times of need), too, though Gorzelanny's basic numbers seem to indicate he's average at best when he's going well, which would represent less of an upgrade from Parra/et al. I've seen enough of Rauch (in his Twins stint) that I'm not overly sold on him, and Farnsworth and Frasor aren't necessarily potential "home run" acquisitions on the surface, either. But I could see 1 or 2 of these guys because there are still too many potential bullpen holes to worry about and we need some quality depth, not just 7 passable, MLB-capable, non-disaster types of pitchers for 7 BP spots.
  10. MNBrew
    Those numbers make me like Jeff Bianchi even more and all the more affirm my hope that Alex Gonzalez takes Melvin up on his offer. I hope this just amounts to nothing more than an AAA depth signing.
  11. MNBrew
    I'd guess Melvin threw those names out either because.... - they really are interested in those guys and enough other teams know that it doesn't matter, - they really are interested and, by mentioning several names, perhaps they gain some leverage with the 1-2 they want the most, - they have shown some interest but aren't as committed to that interest, so there's no harm in saying what he said, OR - while they have some interest in those guys, they're really more interested in others, which, by mentioning these guys, doesn't alert the general public to guys they may think they have a better chance of getting (perhaps Howell or Gorzelanny). I'd hope it's the last one b/c if Melvin's putting up a smokescreen, those are still good arms and they maybe, just maybe, wouldn't come at overly inflated prices.
  12. MNBrew
    Sorta ho-hum, but the Twins have a much bigger rotation crisis than the Brewers have (b/c the Brewers mainly lack long-term-proven experience, not necessarily quality or at least some strong potential) and the Twins have to bring in quantity as well as quality while keeping a major eye on payroll. Kevin Correia & Mike Pelfrey, both signed before Christmas, don't amount to plumbing Todd Ritchie-type depths, but these aren't exactly high fliers, either.
  13. MNBrew
    As happens every year, some of the crazy-FA-money teams will do well & look good. And then others will be lousy & look bad. . . I, too, am only jealous about the Shields trade b/c I think he's a difference maker (and I think Hart-for-Shields would've been the basis of a pretty fair trade while still retaining good payroll flexibility). While I'd like to see all our problem spots fixed (bullpen, mainly), Melvin's played it much smarter than some by staying on an even keel and not doing anything too rash just to feel better NOW about the roster (and have a greater chance of buyer's remorse and/or less payroll flexibility over the rest of the offseason & heading into ST). There will be plenty of decent guys available for better prices and you only need to get a 1-2 of them to feel much better about the offseason than some may feel right now. . . . Patience is the necessary virtue & Doug Melvin knows how to play this game. That the right (or any) additional players come to MIL isn't a given, but the team's still improved (mainly by subtraction -- hallelujah! -- but also by adding 'Hopper to the 'pen) without having compromised their prospect pool or payroll.
  14. MNBrew
    Nate, while of course technically it was a possibility all along, to essentially suggest it was a "duh" type of news item seems to ignore the obvious facts & circumstances of the situation.... As with Sheets and other folks, Marcum was somewhere between perplexed & maybe even a bit insulted that the Brewers had NO conversations with him last winter about a contract extension even though he was open to one. . . . It was evident all along that the Brewers were letting him get to FA and he was looking to get to FA. And since FA began this winter, Marcum's only been "connected" to other teams and MIL's only been pursuing other SPs. There was no reason to assume let alone believe that either side was open to a possible reunion until this nugget came out from Marcum himself, which is why it's newsworthy, esp. on a board like this one.
  15. MNBrew
    To me, Bourn's price tag vs. production (i.e., "value") doesn't merit the difference compared w/ Gomez's "value" to the point that it's not even remotely worth considering. I think if it's a matter of spending seriously big money on a bat, it's Hamilton or no one (which would theoretically improve an already-good offense but still NOT address the more glaring need of pitching unless subsequent roster-adjusting trades did so).
  16. MNBrew
    I'd concur on the essence of this: The Brewers HAVE to have a Plan B. I also really like Gonzalez as Plan B. Lack of a good Plan B in 2012 left us with Cesar Izturis & Cody Ransom getting lots of playing time -- especially lots of ABs -- which wasn't a good thing since the NL doesn't have a DH for pathetic shortstops.
  17. MNBrew
    I didn't say he would be. I was just stating what I'd be comfortable with. I don't think you need 3 SS's and I like Green more, especially for his bat and that he also can play 3 IF positions plus corner OF.
  18. MNBrew
    If Gonzalez were to re-sign, I'd be pretty comfortable with a roster of hitters that looks like this: starters: IF: Hart, Weeks, Segura/Gonzalez, Ramirez; OF: Braun, Gomez, Aoki, C: Lucroy reserves: Segura/Gonzalez, Green, Gamel, Schafer, Maldonado And then there are still guys like Bianchi, Gindl, Halton, Morris, Prince, Davis (x2), plus some others I'm probably forgetting as depth in the minors.
  19. MNBrew
    Briggs, how closely are you looking at the Twins? The Twins were really good 3 years ago but putrid the past 2. How is that relevant? The GOOD team of '10 was largely there from what Terry Ryan built. Bill Smith's ineptness as a GM is largely what put them in the tank. Now Terry Ryan's the GM and clearly has a solid plan for how to build the Twins back into contenders. If this were a sell-off, Mauer, Morneau, Willingham, Doumit, & anyone else making big money would be gone. They didn't trade their highest paid players. They traded from strength (top couple Twins prospects are OFs including Aaron Hicks who may be given a chance to be the starting CF) to fill a long-festering need (good pitching). Worley has as much or slightly more MLB experience than Revere. Plus the Twins got another strong young pitcher in the deal. Unlike the Marlins, the Twins want to keep identifiable "core" players and use other assets to shore up weaknesses. Otherwise Joe Mauer would've already had his "welcome to town" press conference in Boston (ignoring, of course, his no-trade clause).
  20. MNBrew
    If Howell or Mike Gonzalez or someone else is a more realistic target for the Brewers, then this still isn't bad except for the angle that teams who lost out on Choate & Burnett will be aiming for more guys like these as their next-best options.
  21. MNBrew
    Probably not blazing new ground here, but word (on mlbtraderumors.com) is the Dodgers are shopping Chris Capuano. He was mostly solid for LA last year (12-12, 3.72 ERA, 198 IP, 188 hits, 162 K, 54 BB) & is entering the 2nd yr. of a 2-yr./$10M contract w/ a 2014 option. He's apparently healthy again, too, w/ 31 & 33 starts the past 2 years. He wouldn't seem to be a major drop off from Ryan Dempster and the price tag would be a whole lot better, leaving plenty of room for filling a few more holes in the BP plus room to spare. I'd imagine if Capuano's available, Melvin's probably already inquired. He may not be the best available option, but he'd fit into the picture pretty logically AND fill a LHP spot some feel is important (albeit not in the BP).
  22. MNBrew
    Did you really have the impression that FA was all Melvin was considering? I think Melvin's proven to be extremely thorough over the years and goes for the players -- perceived as available or not, realistic or not -- that make the most sense which inevitably means that he doesn't limit his options in terms of the modes of acquisition that he considers.
  23. MNBrew
    Yes, I've looked at all of them multiple times. One-time or not, I still don't like what I don't like.... The monochrome stuff is the latest NBA "thing" that seems really dumb or ugly, much like the "everyone have a black alternate" 10-year run -- yuck! Some of the retro ones are alright because they kinda got back to basics. But the Brooklyn ones are so plain that they're very boring.
  24. MNBrew
    Nolasco's K:BB & K:IP ratios are very compelling, but... - He's obviously still very hittable - A 4.49 career ERA & only 1 year out of 7 w/ an ERA under 4.48 (thus obviously his only sub-4 ERA year -- 5 years ago, no less!) - A winning record, amazingly, but so did Braden Looper with fewer K's & less than half the salary ... all tell me the guy's just not worth it. I'd love to be proven wrong -- and I'll gladly root for him if he somehow ends up a Brewer -- but I just don't see it.
  25. MNBrew
    Mike Rivera will come to the rescue like he always does. ... with 3 productive ABs & 33 lousy ones!
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