MNBrew

Steve Woodard's MLB debut when he outdueled Roger Clemens for a 1-0 win. He gave up a leadoff double to Otix Nixon, then only gave up 1 bb the rest of the way, went 8IP with 12 k's. That game really sticks out to me, first game of a double header vs the Blue Jays that day. Ditto. The other game of that DH, they turned a triple play & capped off the sweep. Within the next couple years, I saw 'em turned a triple play (vs. Cubs?) in the home opener but they lost that one. Molitor hitting for the cycle AND stealing home in the same game at MN against Kevin Tapani & the Twins. Games in which Everett Stull walked everyone in creation and in which the Brewers needed 14 walks to beat Houston about 6 years ago. Scott Karl hitting a HR down the RF line in County Stadium. Kirby Puckett's 6-hit game & stealing a grand slam from Robin Yount - glove over the wall. Got Puckett's autograph on my glove after the game. (Saw another Puckett 6-hit game at MN vs. Texas, too). Carl Yastrzemski's last games at MIL. The Orioles clinch the '83 AL East at County Stadium (it actually really stunk b/c we'd been in the lead through mid-season 'til a series vs. Oakland (I think) started the derailing). Visiting SPs: Tom Seaver (White Sox), Gaylord Perry (Mariners), and several other all-time greats I don't recall off the top of my head. Wish I'd seen Nolan Ryan in person. The Brewers wearing Pilots throwbacks at MN (2000?). Gorman Thomas' last game before being traded (RC Cola white batting helmet giveaway day commemorating being '82 AL Champs) & his first home game when he rejoined the Brewers. Bill Wegman playing in his last game -- in RF to end the game! Not a Brewers game, but the most memorable game otherwise: 1991 World Series, Game 7. A game for the ages. Jack Morris pitches 10 shutout innings. Twins won.

I'd highly doubt Melvin would've held off on possibly trading K-Rod if the Giants had a decent offer on the table. There's enough leakage out there that I take these reports to mean the Giants just lost interest, which is a different issue entirely than pulling an offer. I'm guessing that while mutual interest was high, there never was an actual offer. And if that's right, there's nothing at all to fault Melvin for in this situation. I'd think Melvin would've loved to move K-Rod even if it only netted salary relief and organizational filler.

Isn't it obvious that all Roenicke's saying is that they all believe in Gamel's ability, but also that Gamel just doesn't have enough of a major league track record yet to know that you can count him as the automatic RF for next year? Isn't Roenicke just saying that while they like him, it's not like he's an All-Star coming back from an injury, and therefore he still has something to prove? Really, isn't it that simple? Gamel was justly lauded for his improved attitude & work ethic coming into spring training. His play at 1B wasn't flawless but it was improving, and he was still getting on track at the plate. To me, the net is that the knee injury just means Gamel's going into 2013 with the same stuff to prove production-wise as he did going into 2012 -- with the very possible twist of another new position (RF) to get acclimated to.

Amen! To your other point about Hart -- his home-grown status & his desire to stay here -- I don't see the home-grown thing as holding much sway in terms of an extension. But I've been impressed with his play at 1B, and if he's in the range of 3/$30M, that's reasonable money to pay for that production to an upper-end 1B. . . . Of course, the hard thing with a guy like Hart is that his hot stretches make you love him but his droughts at the plate can be painful & seemingly endless. At least, however, his defense at 1B is much more of an asset than it had become in RF (even though it's not like he was inept out there -- not a Gold Glover but hardly a black hole, either).

This oft-repeated suggestion by many that Melvin & Co. don't have a plan is absurd. Folks may disagree with the FO's choice of approach, but that's entirely different than lacking a plan. I love the potential of young players, but as someone else just suggested, with Hart at 1B & hopefully Segura manning SS, the only major lineup question mark is RF (and I think it's still worth giving Gamel a shot at RF). The rotation has Yo & a bunch of youth (which is why I like a lower-risk 1-year Marcum deal if he's healthy) but that's nonetheless a talented AND capable bunch. That leaves the rest of the RPs after Axford. McClendon & Henderson, plus Estrada if the rotation's sufficiently loaded otherwise, are among the cheap guys who could legitimately vie for spots... And as we've often seen Melvin's words proven true, the bullpen is the easiest part of your team to turn over annually. . . . That's a solid plan: a solid major league roster AND loads of strong young talent coming up at all levels. That's a recipe for becoming the Detroit Red Wings of the past 20 years. The payroll is not ridiculous. I totally agree that while there are potentially some concerns, this isn't a crappy team next year as long as they fix the bullpen, and in fact it's one that has as good a chance as any of contending to win the NL Central. And being a competitive team in contention takes care of continuing to bring folks through the turnstiles.... As such, I can't at all buy into the logic of trading Hart or Ramirez (who are producing solidly for their ages & relatively reasonable contracts -- Lord knows, guys on the FA market would get paid much more than these two are (thinking Ramirez's AAV, not year-by-year salary) with mostly safe certainty that you couldn't guarantee any better production) right now OR the idea of blowing most of this team up and playing every young player on the planet outside of Braun's & Lucroy's positions (Hello, Seattle Mariners!). Two years ago, the Reds won the division and were seen as a team to beat for several years. Last year several guys underproduced and they weren't serious contenders at all by crunch time. While they added Mat Latos & worked to improve the weaker spots some over the winter, sure enough, they're really strong again this year. . . . The Brewers of '12 potentially mirror the Reds of '11, so it's hardly a given that the Brewers are doomed to being a 2nd-division team for the foreseeable future. I, for one, believe they indeed have nearly as good of a chance going forward as any other good team in the division. While we don't have Greinke any more (not that he couldn't re-sign, however unlikely), this is still a team that could contend AND is in a position of strength in terms of not having any major gaping position holes across its prospects.

I don't think Melvin wondered why his phone didn't ring. He knows why it didn't ring--the Brewers don't have any more decent pieces to trade for this year. Do you think another manager wants KRod, Wolf, Izturis, Ransom, or anyone else who doesn't have a future with the team? Marcum, due to his injury, could not be traded. Once Melvin traded Greinke and Kottaras and didn't have anything left other teams wanted. I give Melvin's trades a 7.5 out of 10 Total ditto. When all we were hoping to move was roster dung, and everyone knows how bad or injured all those types are, how is that possibly Melvin's fault? They're not trading Braun, Weeks, Axford, Gallardo, Lucroy, Fiers, or anything else we truly want to keep. All K-Rod had to do was get more outs than baserunners or at least runs to be tradeable, but he couldn't even do that! It's become pretty obvious Melvin doesn't say "I need to be bowled over" on the Loes, K-Rods, Wolfs, etc. He says it on the Greinkes, Fielders, and those types -- the franchise player types.

Greinke is a unique enough of a person, and at the same time such a serious baseball junkie, that the chance of him re-signing is something I think actually has a much better chance of happening than of CC or Prince re-signing. How slim the odds actually are, only Greinke knows. I just hope the Angels fall flat so that some lustre will come off that rose and keep the Brewers in play a bit more.

When I actually paid attention to Harper's basic stats over the weekend, I wasn't impressed after all the hype. How in the world was what he did in the 1st half remotely All-Star worthy? I get it that he has huge potential and he's hardly overwhelmed in his 1st stint in the bigs. But he's also hardly overwhelming at this point. ROY for a guy hitting .261 w/ 9 HRs, only 29 RBIs in 80 games, a .338 OBP & a .768 OPS? Let's separate hype from performance. On that count, Fiers has been at least as good if not quite better. ....Of course, it's what the numbers look like at season's end that matters. It'll be interesting to see how this pans out.

What's more sad is that their moveable assets are seemingly far more worthwhile than ours. Going into this year, it would've been pretty tough to imagine that.

I'm kinda thinking K-Rosene isn't truly this bad in general, but beyond any doubt he is this bad right now. If there's any chance of there being truth to that.... I wonder if some team would still take a flyer on him just on the hope that a change of scenery might make enough of a difference. Two pluses if a deal is made: 1. Salary relief (even if only partial) 2. K-Rosene can't blow any more games for us

As others have said, I'd rather have Greinke, too. But -- assuming he's been more just unlucky & not fading/failing -- I'd take Lee and that contract because we need an ace-caliber starter and getting Lee when the Phillies are hoping to move him would be a shrewd & sneaky way to accomplish that. Making any deal favorable in terms of players vs. cash -- or both -- is of course essential. And having Lee/Gallardo/Estrada/Fiers leading off the '13 rotation makes it much easier to pay Wolf's buyout and either let Marcum go OR, at the very least, negotiate from a point of good leverage with him. Side note: If Marcum re-signed and other young studs also made a strong push for the rotation, wouldn't the bullpen look a whole lot better if Estrada were among those out there rather than a Livan or a K-Rod or a Veras out there?

At this rate, it's gotta be getting really close to zero reason. He's become far more deserving of the nickname "K-Rosene" than "Kerosene Bill" Castro was during his days here in our 'pen.

If his health proves sufficiently favorable, I'm all for bringing Marcum back. I think Narveson's return isn't something we plan on. If it happens and he proves he can be successful, then it's a bonus.

Now a Giant.

It sure seems Yo could move a guy or two off the plate, maybe knock someone down, when he's getting hit hard on a night like tonight.

Sure, Yo sucked tonight, but he, like most everyone, just has games like this every so often. If the Brewers' hitters could string more than two hits together, maybe it becomes a different ballgame tonight. In other words, the offense's continued ineptitude just made Yo's off-ness tonight more glaring. Trade Yo? Really, Nate? So we can have an Estrada-led rotation next year along w/ all the young guys (Fiers, Thornburg, ????, plus maybe Narveson if he's healthy)? In a word, no.

Maybe Bianchi, like Green, is getting sent down in order to get more ABs b/c Izturis, like Ishikawa, is better suited to getting 2-5 ABs per week. Just maybe this isn't the only move about to happen and over the next 3-4 weeks the various moves to be made will make a lot more sense in their totality than they do to some folks on this board. DM has likely forgotten more about baseball than most of us will ever know, and he still likely knows tons more than we do in spite of that. I trust the guy quite highly. I'll bet my bottom dollar that DM & the front office have a plan that sees the big picture that accounts not just for issues right now but also over the next couple years. But like any high-level poker player, he doesn't just blab his every strategy to the media just to appease his doubters. The fact that he's pretty darn highly respected across baseball tells me far more than the issues folks have with him here which seem to range anywhere from moderate mistrust to downright derision.

Beautifully said!

...And then I'll turn around & contradict myself because I'd give serious consideration to that idea someone floated of Aoki & Maldonado as the core of a trade for a good pitcher from TB. Maldonado might net us Davis, who at this point is only pitching in relief. On the other hand, Maldonado's got better potential than GK, so it's not that I'm in favor of moving MM just to do so. But MM just may be one chip we can afford to move & who's also appealing for his very low cost factor.

Turbo, I couldn't agree more. Kottaras has done mostly nothing since both he & Lucroy were the only good-hitting Brewers back in April. I like what Kottaras COULD do off the bench much better than Ishikawa (in an ideal world, they're both gone). But Ishikawa's clearly got a much better body of work over the course of the season, GK9's April notwithstanding -- which scares me!

Big fan of getting someone to give us something for Nyjer!

If we got Olt, I still think I'd rather see Hart traded than Ramirez. I think Hart would net more than Ramirez b/c he's not a rental and is relatively reasonable in the salary dept.

Mass, is that the only Marlins deal? Or was Jamie McAndrew acquired from them? Well, now for some reason Joel Adamson comes to mind re: the Marlins, too.

Yeah. But in the Brewers' case... - Weeks is already on-hand & - 2-3 current Nashville pitchers are already in the system. So I'm positing it may take only 2 "outside" additions, and those are potentially only a quality reliever & a garden-variety decent (non-windmill-bat & non-iron-glove) SS.

AMEN!!!! Melvin's seemingly inevitable moves here are as crucial as the Greinke situation. Why? Because it's the GM's job to improve the team's personnel situation. Doing nothing would be a completely unacceptable course of action. Besides any ramifications on the Greinke situation, I'm glad Attanasio was at tonight's game b/c it just may ensure the necessary BP moves get made. I await news on the BP no less anxiously and with almost a greater sense of urgency -- b/c Greinke deal or not, this BP has to be improved.