MNBrew

Ditto. This really isn't pretty -- for the 3rd time in 3 starts since coming off the DL. Good luck in FA, Shaun.

Whew!

Following on Gameday. Does Kintzler have any command at all? Also, both the ball 4's so far in the 12th were right on the edge of the zone, not off it, according to Gameday, however correct that is...

I think the thing to look at is that next year's opening day is going to basically be the team that's played so well to finish this year out. Marcum probably won't be back and I would hope most of the bullpen won't either but the starting 8 should be the same with Bianchi or Segura at short. It wouldn't surprise me to see the Brewers have both Bianchi & Gonzalez on the roster & Segura gaining a bit more experience at AAA. Whether b/c of injury or lousy performance, neither Bianchi nor Gonzalez would break the bank to dump/demote/whatever with just cause IF Segura forced the Brewers by his stellar play to bring him up. I'm not saying that's the best solution, but it sure would be one way to have some legit SS depth that we didn't have the first 4 months of this season -- and the utliity middle IF spot sufficiently addressed as well, leaving room for Gamel &/or Green as the corner IF/OF reserve w/o infringing on an OF 4-some of Braun, Gomez, Aoki, & Schafer (all this assuming Hart's still at 1B).

OOOH! I REALLY like how this was worded, so I'll second this motion. I'm not normally the vindictive sort, but . . . even if the rest of the season were to go totally down the toilet, I'd still be thrilled with this idea. I call the question and submit my "aye" vote.

Sure there is: If there are MORE than 3 guys they want to protect this winter AND see a bit of in the majors this fall, then IMO Hernandez is a very logical guy to dump in order to create an additional 40-man spot. I don't think Livan Hernandez does us any good when he's pitching in a game, so there's no reason to keep him.

I don't trust him greatly, but K-Rod's been good lately when it's not the 9th. Hernandez just plain hasn't been very good and he doesn't really eat innings, either -- at least not w/ effective pitching -- so I'd love to see him gone. Hernandez stinks in the clutch and he stinks when it's not clutch-time. Bring up a young arm we'll need to add to the 40-man anyway.

This was part of the headline story of Haudricourt's Sunday baseball notebook this past weekend in the JournalSentinel: http://www.jsonline.com/sports/brewers/coreys-heart-in-brew-city-op6jul6-167445795.html

The thing is, they're totally capable of this. The question, as always, is if they actually can follow one short good stretch with another because that's how it would have to start. They've had an almost uncanny knack this year of not doing so, and they've been way too good at having a little lousy streak follow the first little lousy streak. Here's hoping some good wins start to build some confidence, and then that confidence starts to produce some of the results they've been capable of all year.

There's decent reasoning behind all those, but 6 of those (Hand, Sanchez, Kintzler, Stetter, Dillard, Quintero) aren't on the 40-man, so I'd be very surprised if it's more of them than the 2 open 40-man spots. Of course, though, there are still 4 more days before the Aug 31 waiver/trading deadline, so things could still change.

The bouncing to the 'pen you refer to was mostly last year, though not a whole lot -- a few fill-in starts each for Greinke (basketball injury) & Narveson (glove repair gone wrong) -- and two Narveson starts' worth at the very beginning of this year. Basically, after the 1st 2 weeks, Estrada's been in the rotation all year except during the baserunning-caused DL stint. So yes, he's gone back & forth a couple times in nearly 2 full seasons. But it's hardly like the changes in his role have been random or capricious. I generally agree w/ your other points (as I do most of the time) and feel we're probably a stronger team w/ Estrada in the 'pen provided there are at least 5 other solid rotation guys. I just don't think the chinks in Estrada's armor are due to this fairly minimal bouncing.

I like your analysis & tend to agree for the most part. I've long been a Balfour fan -- watched him come up w/ the Twins -- and sure wish we'd never traded him for Seth McClung, so I'd love to have him back. With how putrid the 'pen has been this year, signing a Balfour & re-signing K-Rod to deals like you suggest (throw a few incentives in there as appropriate) might be all the moves they'd need -- esp if Estrada ends up back in the 'pen. . . . That said, though, so little change to a bullpen that was SO bad does seem a bit counterintuitive.

Warning: potentially heretical remarks forthcoming... You know, it's kinda funny (or scary) that it's been hitting me this way, but with K-Rod having 6 straight hitless innings in a row, it gets me wondering again if he couldn't be a bullpen possibility for next year. Goodness knows he probably won't cost any team more than half (if that) of his $8M '12 salary, which, if he's indeed turned the corner (again like he did last year when we got him), isn't ridiculous dough for a quality late-inning non-closing reliever. On the flip side, of course, Frankie's 2012 has been disastrous enough that it could also make total sense that his ship has sailed in terms of any future with the Brewers goes. The emotional angle surely favors the latter -- justly so. But I just wonder if there's any merit to the former, too. At least this winter, it would seem a safe bet that there wouldn't be any team willing to give even 2 seconds' consideration to signing him to be their closer. Alright, rip away....

I'd also hope for Marcum's return, & thus: Yo, Marcum, Fiers, Rogers, & Estrada... ...with the hope that someone else good is acquired/signed to bump Estrada to the 'pen (for his & the bullpen's sake). Narveson's a wild card in there, perhaps, but I'd seriously doubt he's anywhere near the Milwaukee rotation on Opening Day 2013. I think an Edwin Jackson type guy is a reasonable possibility, kinda this year's equivalent of Randy Wolf 3 winters ago -- not stellar but probably pretty solid -- but there are so many pending FAs, most with some question marks in their track record if they happen to be considered remotely "affordable," that I just can't get very interested in August about who the winter's FAs are (beyond Greinke, of course). I really like that the Brewers are still kinda in the driver's seat on Marcum. The rest of the season, he's auditioning for the 2013 Brewers as much as he is for the other 29 teams. If he pitches well & they Q.O. him, then we either get Marcum back OR an extra high draft pick (right?). For lack of Greinke returning (admittedly I'm one who firmly believes that would be an awesome move, however unlikely), a healthy Marcum's a very solid & positive option.

On the point of Gamel vs. Ishikawa, Gamel's out of options, so unless he's traded or not fully recovered from his injury, I'd think he & his much higher ceiling have a far greater chance of being on this team next year than Ishikawa. Ishikawa's done a half-decent job given what they've asked him to do, but he's not essential if Gamel & he would be filling the same bench role (obvious caveat is that if enough injuries in the right positions created a way for both to logically make the roster).

1. If Gonzalez has a chance to sign elsewhere to be the starter coming off his ACL surgery, more power to him. 2. My premise was that if we re-signed him, it wouldn't be by picking up his option, but rather declining it and coming up with an incentive-laden deal. 3. I'd rather have Gonzalez & Segura (in whatever order) at the top of our depth chart at SS, then followed by Bianchi/etc., than Segura immediately followed by Ransom & then Bianchi/etc. It may not be a great possibility, but I'd still go for Gonzo on a 1-yr deal to see if it can happen.

Interesting thread topic on the heels of an email exchange last night: Me: "Tom, it's one thing when it's a regular who makes other contributions, but Cody Ransom's contributed about zero offense & one of the crappiest K ratios of any Brewer I can recall. Is there a reason they keep him around and don't let someone like Jeff Bianchi get his ABs? I wouldn't think Bianchi's got a higher ceiling than "possible role player," but we see what we have in Ransom & it's usually pretty ugly." Tom Haudricourt: "I was thinking the same thing. I'm not covering tomorrow but I emailed Todd Rosiak to suggest he ask Roenicke about that. TH" So that was kinda cool... ...The answer from Roenicke being a focus on defense at 3 positions (& presumably hitting w/ a little pop in the relatively rare circumstances lately when he actually puts a ball in play) isn't a total surprise given that Ishikawa's only IF position is 1B. But Ransom's offense being SO unproductive w/ that K rate (meaning LOTS of totally useless ABs) makes me wonder if Bianchi really is so shaky in the field anywhere other than SS that they won't let him play 2B & 3B at all. I sure hope Taylor Green's on next year's roster and, if he's not starting (I realize what various possibilities would have to play out for him to start), I sure hope he's the backup corner IF & 2B (given 2B was his original position), which, if Ransom's on the team, would significantly limit the amount of playing time he'd get anywhere besides SS. . . . But w/ Gonzalez coming off his injury and Segura, while promising, still needing to continue earning his stripes, I'd much rather re-sign Gonzalez for added depth and "Segura insurance" (like having a Plan A & A' at SS) and have Green backing up 2B & 3B than have Ransom anywhere near this team next year.

Whoa, Corey Hart actually hit the ball -- and at a time when it REALLY mattered (relatively speaking since the season's toast).

Thoughts: - I agree w/ faede that a reasonable & forward-thinking plan indeed is readily evident, as well as that a teardown not only isn't necessary but probably not something they need to do or even ought to consider. It's easy to chop down a mature tree in 30 minutes but it takes 30 years to grow another one of comparable size..... - Putting that in baseball terms, you can strip down a team quickly by selling off, but there's no guarantee that enough of the young guys will pan out. Due to this down-spiraling season ("Your 2012 Milwaukee Brewers: One step forward & two steps back!"), this board has been rife with suggested plans to sell of everything of value short of Braun, Lucroy/Maldonado, & now Segura. That is a plan I don't want anything to do with. Why? Memories of the early Yost years are still too fresh: Sexson, Sheets, & wait for the prospects to arrive. I don't see that drastic amount back-stepping as sensible, let alone needed. - There are ample reasons to consider both keeping and dealing Hart & Ramirez. But as someone said, the key is ultimately identifying your cornerstones/keepers and managing the gradual turnover of the rest of the roster (see: Atlanta Braves, 1991-2005 or so). Doug Melvin has proven pretty adept at making the needed moves at the needed times. No GM is flawless, but Melvin's got a strong track record and a knack for making outside-the-box moves that don't often come out as lemons. So I could see him pulling off a move or two that no one would've seen coming. Soooo, thinking in terms of the position players (where we have a combo of solid talent and some depth).... C: Lucroy & Maldonado. Set. 1B: Hart working out well; Gamel returning in '13; Morris on the horizon; Aramis Ramirez or Taylor Green also options. 2B: Weeks. Set. Gennett a decent prospect; Taylor Green not a ridiculous option here at all SS: Seemingly set for now w/ Segura; could use legit depth (would a healthy Alex Gonzalez possibly re-sign to be a backup?) 3B: Ramirez producing & playing well; Green also very viable LF: Braun. Set. CF: Gomez &/or Aoki. Schafer? RF: Gomez &/or Aoki. Schafer? Gindl? Heck, Gamel's also a very real possibility, too, if Hart's still at 1B. There are plenty of ways to go. The nice thing is that there's decent depth most of the way around. The thing will be to see which combination of players the Brewers go with. So how would I go if I were Melvin? .... - IF they intend to keep Hart & Ramirez through 2013 & possibly beyond . . . Trading Weeks isn't seen as likely, and doing so likely would amount to selling low. But even though Melvin really likes Rickie, he's also a very possible DM "outside the box" trade since a) he'd still be worth quite a lot, I'd think; b) Taylor Green's natural position is 2B & he's blocked at least temporarily at 1B & 3B; and c) Gennett gives them depth & an option past Green & the utility IF types. - Since he's not as bad as he's generally been much of this year, I wonder if Melvin doesn't make a move before Sept. 1 to move Nyjer to a contender. That would net an asset & open a roster spot for Schafer (most likely) or possibly Gindl or even eventually Khris Davis. - If I could get someone to take K-Rod & part of his salary before season's end, I do it ASAP and run away before they change their mind.

Of course you haven't seen anything from them. They're not killer power hitters, Green's old gotten a couple cups of coffee in the bigs (playing-time-wise), Schafer only got a small cup of coffee last September, and Gindl hasn't sniffed the bigs yet. And none of them are having the year this year in AAA like they did last year. But that doesn't mean it can't happen. TH mention when Green was sent down that the Brewers are still high on him (2x minor league POY with a nasty hammate injury separating the 2x), obviously Gamel has done nothing but hit well in the minors, and Schafer & Gindl have a lot going for them. Maybe none of them are future All-Stars. But Jeff Cirillo (to cite one example) was never an All-Star but he was a good hitter, a great fielder, and the type of guy who usually helped & never hurt the team . . . and I'd like to think Green and/or Gamel have at least Cirillo-type potential. Certainly Cirillo came up with far less fan recognition at the time than Green & Gamel have.

I don't think this is a stellar move, but I don't hate it either. Either way, it's hardly a stupid move. If you know who you want as your "veteran/role player" guy for the next year, and he's already a guy on your roster, and he wants to return as well, you might as well lock him up rather than chase late-winter leftovers. I'd rather lock in with a known commodity like Kotsay -- just as the Brewers often did with Counsell, though for what reason in most of those years remains a greater mystery to me than Kotsay -- than be left to pick from different versions of Cesar Izturis (except the OF equivalents). So what if Kotsay's OPS is around or just over .700? Kotsay's more of a "good AB, good contact" guy. Besides, what reserve/PH non-big-time power hitters routinely have a >.800 OPS? If you've got someone like that, you're probably either a) watching George Kottaras hit in April, or b) finding ways to make that guy a starter.

Whew!

Roenicke's completely correct that he has no other options. Personnel moves are Melvin's call, not his. You can't fault Roenicke for only having one reasonably trustworthy arm in the bullpen. If K-Rod flat-out sucks, which he does, he deserves Mike McClendon treatment and McClendon deserves chances to pitch. Or Stetter or . . . . well, just about anyone but K-Rod. As I said before, K-Rod should only be allowed to face more than 3 batters if the Brewers are winning or losing by 8 or more runs, and he shouldn't be allowed in games after the 6th inning if the run differential is 3 or less.

What I don't see is why they don't just DFA/release K-Rod & bring up another functional arm from Nashville. Roenicke needs some more options that don't have a >50% chance of blowing up on him. If we give up a run late, it's the pitching that looks like the culprit. But it's the hitters who had plenty of chances to do something with guys on base and hardly could do anything After Aoki's 2-run 2B in the 5th, could they put an extra-base hit together with a single to score a run? In that bandbox of a ballpark, they've hit no HRs in 2 games . . . And tonight, heck, they swung at everything and missed most of the time. . . . Whatever Gomez was doing well before, he's not doing it now. Hart w/ 0 hits, 5 Ks, & 2 GIDPs in 2 games. Braun's gotten a couple hits the past 2 nights but hardly looks on track & locked in.

Henderson was lost that 2nd inning, but who was left? K-Rod, Axford, & McClendon. What did you want Roenicke to do? I'm not sure what else might've worked any better, but at least Henderson had been getting more outs than giving up runs. K-Rod & Axford, well, no thanks, and McClendon must have the plague or something.