colbyjack

Great call battlekow. As I noted previously, I'm a little surprised that the Indians haven't tried Lofgren in the bullpen since he has somewhat struggled in the upper levels the past few seasons, especially given the Indians bullpen woes. A change of scenery might be exactly what this guy needs, and you could still make a case for him being groomed as a starter. Plus, if the team is creative enough, they could use Lofgren in a pinch hitting role a la Brooks Kieschnick. After 'kow brought up Lofgren's name last night, I dug up a few of his old scouting reports from BA's prospect handbooks the past few years. One point that was noted more than once was how his delivery may be better suited in a bullpen role in shorter stints. He has been more successful getting LH batters out, which leads credence to his potential role as a specialist. Lofgren also receives high marks for his character and work ethic. I really like this pickup, as the Rule 5 always is a low-risk, potentially high reward method to find productive big-leaguers. If it doesn't work out, it doesn't hurt one bit, and even if he doesn't make the big-league roster, teams have shown ways to be creative to keep players like this around in the minors.

I too like Lofgren battlekow, or any potential LH option out of the bullpen. What happened to Lofgren's status as a prospect though? He went from #2 after the 2007 season to unranked (among the top 30) after the '08 season. He's been hanging out in AA and AAA the past few years, so it's not that hard to imagine him making an impact as a specialist if he's given the chance. He definitely was better vs. LH batters last year than RH ones. Is it a case of the Indians not wanting to give up on him as a starter and Lofgren needing a change of scenery? I really liked him coming out of HS, although more as a LH slugging corner OF than as a pitcher. I remember having a conversation about how the Indians should have tried to develop him as a two-way star similar to how the Red Sox handled Casey Kelly last summer.

Overall our pitching staff is much better than it was 24 hours ago. Absolutely. I know it's easy to get caught up on the money involved since it directly correlates to who else the team can or can't sign, but the team did get better today. I didn't even expect the Brewers to address their bullpen this offseason, figuring they would go into 2010 with what they had. I agree that it seems as though someone may be the odd person out, or that Coffey might even be trade to take advantage of his value at this point in time. Even if he isn't, I like how the 'pen currently stacks up with Hoffman, Coffey and Hawkins late, Villanueva as a swing man, Vargas in a diverse role and Stetter as the lefty specialist. Smith, Dillard, Narveson, Axford, Aguilar, Wooten and Braddock are all going to provide valuable AA/AAA depth, and 1-2 of them might even sneak onto the opening day roster. I wouldn't be surprised to see Melvin try to find a lefty specialist in tomorrow's Rule 5 draft. Pretty exciting day overall.

Fuentes led the AL in saves last year. His other numbers and ratios may have been down, but he's still a good to great pitcher/closer. Plus, I know that you know that just because I linked one player to another that doesn't mean they are going to follow a similar career path and suddenly have a drop-off in production just because the guy I compared him to did the year before. Toss out my comparison. Gonzalez is dang good, and we should be excited if the Brewers find a way to add him into the fold. I still don't think it's very realistic.

Are we talking about the same Mike Gonzalez? He was one of the best relievers in baseball last season w/ a 2.41 ERA in 74.1 innings and a 90/33 k/bb ratio. I would definitely forfeit a 2nd round pick for that. Me too. I agree, I don't think some people are appreciating just how good Gonzalez has been. And not just last year either, take a peak at some of his recent seasons. He really has been light's out. As a lefty that gets out LH and RH hitters almost equally well, he's a lot like Brian Fuentes, a high priced, high profile FA from a year ago. Again teams dont give up picks for Class B free agents. Only the bottom 15 teams for Class A free agents give up picks. It seems like you're confusing the two classifications against themselves. Gonzalez IS a type A FA, which means the Brewers would give up their second round pick to sign him (as you noted, their first-round pick is protected because they were among the 15 worse teams in baseball last year).

I really didn't expect the Brewers to be active at all pursuing relievers this offseason, especially after they re-signed Hoffman so quickly. Gonzalez would be particularly exciting, who has been quite good for several years now, despite the fact that he would cost a second-round pick. Since money seems to be so tight and the team has yet to acquire one or two starters as they seem to be intent on adding, I would be surprised if either Gonzalez or Gregg (or any other notable FA reliever) ended up signing with the Brewers.

Please visit the Trade Rumors forum to discuss all of these possibilities.

I know he's not that popular here after the last season and a half, but he hasn't been that bad. That's the tricky part with Hart, as he, like Hardy, have a pretty good chance to bounce back next season, and both are still young and relatively cheap. Unfortunately Hart's arbitration situation and his inconsistent productivity has made him a target to be traded, especially with the team looking to open as much payroll as possible to improve their pitching. I think it is one of Doug Melvin's more difficult situations. If he stands pat and Hart continues his up and down ways next year as he has done the past two, he will draw more criticism. If he trades Hart and he explodes he again will draw more criticism (unless the player that comes in return also has a big year). Plus, I hate seeing players dealt when their value is low. The Brewers already did that once this offseason. Of course Maine has some upside as well, but as RockCoCougars also noted, pitchers with a history of shoulder problems don't have the greatest track record of success. If the Brewers do trade Hart I think Gamel makes the most sense to take his spot in RF. Keep Braun in LF, no need trying to get cute in trying to figure out which one of the two is a better fit at which corner OF spot. Gamel has some speed and a strong arm that could make him average out there, but both he and Braun will earn their paychecks for what they do at the plate.

Hawpe is an interesting idea. The Rockies lineup is definitely LH heavy, and they have already been rumored to be possibly shopping him. As JB noted, they may do a straight-up swap just for the money saved. That of course means the Brewers would be taking on more payroll, which doesn't seem likely if the team ends up signing Randy Wolf, but Hawpe's LH bat would look nice in the Brewers lineup.

Santa is real! That's good. For as much as TH ripped the guy in the JS thread for saying what he did about Wolf, it does look as though that initial prediction is going to come true. I'm pretty happy about this. Wolf was the one free agent that I liked that made the most sense for the Brewers, especially when the Dodgers declined arbitration. Since I also was pretty happy with Gregg Zaun, another free agent that I felt made a ton of sense for the Brewers, I'm liking their moves so far.

I have been informed that Zach has been invited to participate in MLB's Baseball Player Development workshop in Washington DC early in 2010. I'm sure Mass or someone else will post the details to this once they come available, but this is the event in which young prospects on the cusp of becoming big-leaguers attend to learn how to properly speak to the media, how to tip in restaurants and hotels, which fork to use at a fancy restaurant to dip into the shrimp cocktail, etc. It's not that surprising since many felt Braddock may have made his MLB debut late last season had he stayed healthy, but it is another reason to be excited about his possible debut in 2010. I was also told that he has been invited to the big-league camp in spring training. Yet another sign that his MLB debut is not that far away. As far as his development as a starter vs. a reliever, he hasn't been able to stay healthy when used in longer stints, but he has committed himself to conditioning, and his arm problems from a year ago were largely felt to have to do with nerve damage (short explanation) rather than structural damage. The Brewers haven't really done this with any other pitchers recently, maybe Carlos Villanueva, but I would kind of like to see him continued to be groomed as a short-inning reliever, and once he proves himself to be healthy, re-investigate the possibility of moving him back to the starting rotation. I know the Astros, Cardinals and Twins have been known to handle their young pitchers like this, although those pitchers were groomed almost exclusively as starter in the minors. I don't really care at this point how he is developed, I just want to see him pitching regularly and without any further set-backs, as his talent is evident. I was a little surprised to see that he didn't get more mention from BA's top prospect list from the AFL, although they only went 10 deep (and Lucroy only got an honorable mention).

MLB Trade Rumors notes that Zaun may sign by the end of the day, and he himself has said that it will come down to the Brewers, Mariners, Rays or Rockies.

I really like Meche as an option. The Royals shut him down over the last month or so of the season, and he is expected to return in full health. He costs $12M each of the next two years, but as you noted yoshii8, he was good the two years prior to last year, and good enough the year prior to those two years. Meche is appealing as the Royals may take a mid-tier prospect package if the Brewers would be willing to take on most to all of his salary. They may even be able to add Suppan if the Royals are willing to take on the last year of his contract, basically washing out what Meche makes in 2011. I don't think DeJesus fits, financially or positionally. If he could play CF I may have a different opinion, but then again the team did just acquire Gomez, but I just don't see him fitting unless Corey Hart was also moved (which I'm not necessarily opposed to).

I have already started a running list of the free agent draft pick compensation at 5 Tool Talk for those interested: 2010 Free Agent Draft Pick Compensation

Yeah, it's amazing what a team can do if it marshals its resources, unlike the Brewers who refuse to be even a little creative. I don't think it's fair to compare this situation to the one the Brewers faced not offering Cameron and Lopez arbitration. Relievers are always in demand via free agency, and we've already seen two of the better ones snatched up. Timing will help the Braves, as I'm sure Gonzalez and Soriano have recognized these moves so close to when they have to make a decision and both are more likely to decline the Braves' arbitration offers. Had the Brewers acquired Carlos Gomez now as opposed to several weeks ago, after offering Cameron arbitration, that might have had a different effect on Cameron's decision to accept or decline, but I'm not going to blame that sequence on Melvin. I doubt that the timing was strategized that intently by the Braves.

Well, the Braves will save whatever money they don't have to pay the 20th pick in the draft. pingman already touched on this, but this may be a stroke of genius for the Braves, swapping Gonzalez and Soriano for Wagner and Saito, possibly for a net of an extra first-round pick (depending on who signs Gonzalez and Soriano of course) and two sandwich picks for what likely will be a lot less money. Also in the Braves credibility corner, their professional scouting department has a knack for finding players that may be due for a big year (Jaret Wright always comes to mind, but he's not the only one). As pingman also noted, Wagner was good down the stretch, and reports were out that his velocity showed promising signs of a rebound. This is a modest savings that may allow them to go out and get a big bat via free agency too. Add onto that possibility if they're able to trade some of Lowe's money.

I had a 2 degrees below last night and it was good, not great, which is what I have come to expect from New Belgium beers. Top 5: 1. Lakefront. Riverwest Stein is my staple, Pumpkin is an amazing seasonal, and Bridge Burner (their 20th anniversary ale, 22oz. bottles) is an amazing specialty. The IPA is among my favorites, and I just wish their Big Easy Mai Bock could come closer to stacking up with Sprecher's and Capital's. They've made some stinkers, but they get huge bonus points for their awesome owners, staff, facilities, tour and of course having Bernie's old chalet and slide in their possession. They personify Milwaukee. 2. Capital. Their tour and facilities are different from Lakefront's, but they are a lot of fun. I don't think I have ever had a beer of theirs that I didn't like. The Amber is a classic, while I look forward to their annual release of their Mai Bock and Blonde Dopplebock seasonals. 3. Odell. They're a little too snobby about their brews, but man are they good. The IPA, 90 Schilling and Levity Amber Ale are very good year-round products, and their Isolation Ale is one of my favorite seasonals of all-time. I hope their new facilities leads to greater distribution. 4. Sprecher. Sprecher was the brewery that opened my eyes to good tasting beers, not to mention pouring such beers into a glass as opposed to drinking from the bottle (wha???). Their Mai Bock remains my favorite seasonal of any brewery, and their Amber is an all-time classic. 5. Bells. This is kind of a "what have you done for me lately" award, since the first time I have had their beer came earlier this year. They make two great beers that would rank very high on my individual beer list, the Oberon and Octoberfest. Leinie's has a great facility and a decent product line, not to mention a nice getaway as they're only 5 minutes away from the in-laws, but they are a macro micro that I have a hard time classifying as a craft brewery. I also give New Glarus a lot of respect for trying a lot of new things and not being afraid to fall of their face in the process, but they have never made a beer that I can latch onto. One a related side-note, my first roommate in college was the son of one of the original co-owners/founders, so I got to try a lot of complimentary, prototype Uff-Das.

Here are some handy links to access for discussions on some of the top prospects for the 2010 draft, as well as links to last year's discussions: Recent 2010 Draft Discussion 2010 Draft Order 2009 Draft Resource 2009 Draft Review 2009 Draft Review Discussion Official Draft Pick Selection/Signing Thread 2009 Draft Pick Discussion, Rounds 1-5 2009 Draft Pick Discussion, Rounds 6-20 2009 Draft Pick Discussion, Rounds 21-50 2009 General Draft Discussion 2009 Draft Resource Thread 2009 Draft Review-BaseballWebTV Miller Park Pre-Draft Workout As noted elsewhere, most to all of my scouting information on 2010 Draft eligibles can now be found over at 5 Tool Talk.

1. Kentrail Davis (OF-MIL) Just needs a winning organization I think Davis' struggles at Tennessee this past spring due to the cruddy season they had is a little overblown. I've seen Davis play quite a bit over the years, and laying off of outside breaking stuff has been a consistent problem for him. I'm confident he can correct it, as Matt LaPorta had the same problem before he made some significant adjustments at the plate prior to his senior year, but to place the blame of his swing on the Volunteers 2009 season is a big stretch for me. That said I really like this past year's draft. I think it's their best effort since 2005. Here's the order I have them ranked in my personal P50, not necessarily the order that I like them (as Hall and Gennett could skyrocket up this list once we have a chance to follow their play): 1. Arnett 2. Davis 3. Heckathorn 4. Richardson 5. Howell 6. Prince 7. Walla 8. Hall 9. Garfield 10. Gennett Roberts is the one that I think will be a sleeper to follow on most everyone's list next spring to see if his early success was legit.

BA has their top 10 prospect list from the AFL. No Brewers, but Jonathan Lucroy did make the "stock rising" category: Jonathan Lucroy, c, Brewers: Lucroy has made steady progress with his hitting and fielding since signing as a third-round pick in 2007. He was one of the more impressive all-around catchers in the AFL, showing improved footwork and quick pop times-as low as 1.8 seconds on occasion. A disciplined hitter who works both gaps well with a solid swing, Lucroy gets on base at an above-average clip, and he should become more dangerous as he gets stronger and grows into more power.

I think Mass may be saying the same thing I am, as my point from before isn't about whether or not you like Wolf, but that players should get the money while they can. Time usually is the best negotiating tool, but I'm not so sure this year.

I think it's clear that the team has nearly zero payroll flexibility to be able to make such moves and address their pitching needs. I don't like the thought that we're losing both Cameron and Lopez with zero draft pick compensation, but the way the market appears to be going, they both may have been crazy not to accept arby. As already noted, that kind of arbitration pits them in court, with two figures to choose from, if the two sides can't agree somewhere in the middle. I believe endaround pointed out earlier that Lopez could very well have commanded $8 million via arby. His agent his Scott Boras, and you have to believe he would have advised Lopez to accept if he didn't think he would get many takers on the open market, at least not for that kind of money. And I'm sure Melvin did his homework to gauge other teams' interest. Again, it sucks not to get any compensation, but with the way the offseason has been going already, I think it's pretty clear a lot of teams are dealing with some pretty serious payroll limitations.

I have my doubts Wolf signs so early in the "hot stove" season, though. Why not? Free agency has been open for two weeks, and the Winter Meetings start this coming weekend. Most thought it was a lock he would be offered arbitration, by the Dodgers of all teams. Players may be wise to get as much money for as many years as early as they can this offseason. If we've learned one thing by some of the early trades and arbitration decisions, it looks as though teams may wait the players out more than usual to get some real bargains in January and February. I hope it happens. In my mind, Wolf makes the most sense of any free agent pitcher out there.

Mythology was one of my favorite classes. I didn't have the same professor that Baldkin had, as the dude I had was pretty factual and talked about the historical aspect of classical mythology. There was even an AV supplement in which you had to go to once a week to watch slides and identify classical heroes and gods over the course of art history. The class has a lot of memorization, but if you have even a decent memory, it's actually quite easy. Also, he gave extra credit to people that would draw pictures or write poems or other things that were based on the things we learned. Egyptian mythology in my mind was a little harder to grasp, because it wasn't so clear-cut and factual. I also took Norse mythology at UWM, of which that professor really challenged you to think outside of the box. I can see why some people wouldn't like it though, as it is a little more fantasy-esque. Like drezdn noted, if you would like to discover how much of an impact the Greeks had on Western Civilization, and dig hearing crazy stories about Zeus turning into different animals to seduce women, the class is for you.

This part from that link makes me wonder if the writer is just guessing: Milwaukee is looking for a center fielder, but would prefer someone who excels against left-handed pitching. Pagan fares better against right-handers, as is the case with many switch hitters. I would think the Brewers would prefer a CF that would hit RHPs better than LHPs given Gomez' presence. At Invader noted, I don't think the Brewers would really be looking for a CF anyway with both Gomez and Gerut on the roster.