colbyjack

Sure, no one has said that Braun is moving to the OF yet, but I think it's pretty clear that Melvin would much rather prefer to get a 3B. However, if the team is mulling Lofton, Catalonotto certainly is possible, and there are obviously ties with Melvin. That reminds me of the ongoing Cat vs. Kapler argument we had way back when...

Thanks for providing this info, as this was the first I have heard of the Winter Warm-Up (I didn't see it displayed prominently on the Brewers site nor did I see it talked about on the MLB forum). I'm even more excited to hear that Gamel and LaPorta will be there.

When Blalock's name was brought up last week or the week before I checked in on a few fan-sites as well as checking around other sites that included some comments from the Rangers about what it would take to acquire Blalock. I read a few places that Blalock was indeed brought up a few times at the Winter Meetings, although it was also noted that the Rangers didn't want to give Blalock away, not wanting to deal him when his value was low. The Brewers are in a similar position with both Chris Capuano and Bill Hall. The Rangers have a huge need for pitching and an outfielder, particularly a CF, missing out on Torii Hunter, Fukudome (supposedly) among a few others. They also were reportedly pursuing LaTroy Hawkins, which could give a potential interest in Derrick Turnbow some credence. I also think Laird would make a ton of sense for the Brewers as a perfect defensive compliment for Jason Kendall as a catcher that can neutralize the opposing running game. The backup catcher on the team has not received much attention, but it is a pretty important role for a team serious about the playoffs, and I guess I don't see Melvin comfortable moving forward with Rivera, Munson and Rottino as his options heading into camp. It does make sense, the proposals above are pretty sound and there is a match to be made.

While I've felt a college closer makes a lot of sense for a while now, that a good observation bjkrautk about Gagne only be signed for one year. With him and the rest of the depth Melvin has acquired, in theory there is less of a need to get such a player up to the big leagues as quickly as there was before. The Rockies are a good example of this. They still have Brian Fuentes and Manny Corpas took over the closers role from him this past year, meaning they can be relatively patient with the 8th overall pick from this last year, Casey Weathers, who is poised to start the '08 season at AA and could be with the Rockies by mid-season.

From today's BA chat (it's only one question despite being subscriber content...I don't think BA would be upset about this): Skelly from Madison asks: Could you provide a little insight as to why Will Inman was rated where he was? I understand he struggled in Double-A, but he was one of the youngest pitchers in Double-A this year. Matt Eddy: Inman locates his fastball exceedingly well. The pitch is true, though, and Inman just doesn't have the secondary stuff to get away with that at higher levels. He's also tired badly in the second half in each of the past two seasons, his fastball dipping into the mid-80s late in 2007. The thinking goes that movement and velocity play best in the big leagues, and Inman projects more as a back-end starter because he rates as below-average in both regards. I remember last year there was a study at BaseballAnalysts (or the Hardball Times, or one of those stat-driven blogs/fan-sites that likes to take a peak at the minors from time to time) that broke down the four quadrants of pitching between strikeouts and groundball/flyouts. Gallardo and Inman both were two of the higher strikeout pitchers in all of the minors, but while Gallardo had one of the better groundball ratios, putting him in the best possible quadrant, Inman was in the quadrant below him and one of the more extreme pitchers with a high strikeout K and oddly high flyball rate that was reminiscent of Yusmeiro Petit. I bring up Petit because he too was a shorter RHP with marginal stuff that also allowed a lot of flyouts while racking up a ton of Ks during his progression to the big leagues. He too has had a few bumps along the road in the upper levels and in the big-leagues, but he's still just 23 years old and still carries some promise.

One trade and a boat-load of draft picks has suddenly taken the Padres organization from the bottom of the heap to the middle of the pack. Although I will say that Inman's prospect status doesn't seem to be the same now as it was a year ago. Being ranked seventh in the Padres seventh now versus third in the Brewers system at this time last year is a big difference. The shorter RHP stigma seems to be wrecking havoc on his once brightly shining star, although he did experience his first tastes of failure for the most part at the AA despite pitching pretty well overall. It's funny now Melvin is being labeled as some as conservative despite making one of the most aggressive trades of the year. Unfortunately the Linebrink playoff push move didn't work, but that subject has been beaten to death, but imagine what the club might be able to do this offseason if they still had those three pieces to work with.

Street's numbers have been incredibly impressive during his first three years in the big-leagues. It's amazing that his career ERA is as high as it is (2.58) considering his career OPS against is only .566 with a career WHIP of 1.02. He quite simply does not allow baserunners of any kind. Which would cause me to give him a pretty good package of talent as long as the A's were looking for a prospect package, as I wouldn't trade any of the team's proven talent such as Yo or Villy, especially if Melvin wasn't willing to trade Weeks for Chad Cordero (as he shouldn't). You have to believe they would be all over Manny Parra and Mat Gamel, even if people's initial reaction would be to not give up that kind of talent. Street is just one of the best young players in the game, and he would be under the team's control for three more years entering his first year of arbitration this offseason. Try to sign him to a 4-year extension, buying him out of one of his free agency years, for probably half to three-quarters the money Coco signed for and the Brewers have one of baseball's best, and youngest, closers.

Sorry Mass, I can't help with any of the recent names supplied. I'll keep digging around though...

I just want to add a comment to coach that no one is questioning Salome's character, work ethic and how great it is that he openly works with the younger players on your team. His value to us is about what he's currently doing in the Brewers system to improve his abilities. Participating with his high school team instead of accepting an assignment to Hawaii, the DR or Venezuela to help further his development, or even working out with his organization mates in Arizona, does seem rather screwy. The Brewers have invested a lot of money in him, and I hope he has the team's confidence and blessing this offseason while doing whatever it is he is doing. I personally don't care if he got busted for steroids or ben gay, I just hope he's doing everything in his power right now to put himself in the best position to be a significant part of the big-league Brewers future.

The Giants nearly moved to the St. Pete area as well IIRC before they got their new stadium built.

Thanks for chiming in on Beckham Pioneers, I have heard and read similar reports on him since he really made an impression with his performance at the Aflac game. The same things seemed to have surrounded Justin Jackson at this time last year, with questions about how well he was going to hit. What do you think about Cole's future, as I read a few comments at BA noting that he may be best in a future closers role. I don't know of anyone that projects high schoolers as big-league closers, so that's not exactly high praise. Do it have anything to do with his reported long arm action or other mechanical issues? PGCC had some comments from Jerry Ford that Cole could be a similar prospect to Rick Porcello from a year ago, which obviously is huge praise. Also, any thoughts on Antonio Jimenez, the catcher from Puerto Rico? I saw he enjoyed a huge jump on PGCC's top prospect list, and his combination of tools and athleticism is extremely appealing. Wish I could have made it to Jupiter to see him among countless others.

This could be good news in regards to draft-pick compensation in relationship to the Chicago White Sox: http://www.suntimes.com/sports/baseball/whitesox/670126,CST-SPT-sox28.article If you don't like following links, the White Sox reportedly are backing off of their pursuit of Aaron Rowand, and may be re-directing their focus for CF on Coco Crisp, meaning less competition for the Brewers to hold onto the White Sox 2nd round pick.

You got me SoCal, I have always been a fan of Sanders, or at least I have the past several years, as he has filled a key corner OF spot for some pretty good teams. Although his career has been oddly consistent in the fact that he has been pretty solid in odd years and not-so-solid in even-numbered years. Check his career numbers if you don't believe me: http://www.baseball-reference.com/s/sandere02.shtml So he has two things going against him for next year: He'll be 40 and it's an even-numbered year. As for him retiring, he did play in KC the past two years, I don't see why he would be opposed to giving it one more shot with a potential playoff team to go out on a high(er) note. Keeping Mench around might be an easier/wiser move though.

Dotel missed quite a bit of time even last season due to injuries. He's already 34, he's never really been considered a legit closer and he hasn't had a full season since 2004. I agree with aracko in that I would want a guy like Dotel to have to fight for the closer's role should he be signed. He could be a very astute pick-up for the right price, but that's a lot to be riding on for a player who would be counted on to serve an incredibly important role on the 2008 team. I sense something in the works for Melvin, as his comments and approach to the bullpen situation just seems a little too lackadasical for it not to be GM-speak.

It does you no good to have extra picks if you use them on guys who never sign. Teams do receive compensation picks for unsigned draft picks through the top three rounds. IIRC, unsigned first, first-round supplemental and second round picks garner a pick right after that selection in the next year's draft. Unsigned third round picks garner a compensatory pick in a supplemental round after the third round. For instance, the highest unsigned player from last year's draft, Joshua Fields, a closer from Georgia and the 5th pick in the second round last year will fetch the Braves in essence the 6th pick in the second round (something I forgot about, at that actually will bump each of the Brewers second round picks down one spot). So, that does give teams a little added negotiating value, but teams would much rather sign their picks than gamble by waiting a year. Plus, the Brewers in particular are known for signing their picks quickly and getting them into the system under the leadership of Jack Z.

Yeah, thanks EDR, I should have worded that differently. I doubt they are going to mess with a Boras client that falls (like Porcello last year), as opposed to dealing one who won't be taken any higher than wherever the Brewers were to select such a player (like LaPorta).

They have not really focussed on any particular position in the past, always taking the best player on their board. Not necessarily true. Sometimes the Brewers seem to align their BPA theory with a team need, such as 2005 when they took Braun (and they were considering Troy Tulowitzki and even asked him if he would slide over to third base) and last year when they took LaPorta as a LF.

The Brewers have avoided Boras clients each and every year. Now that they have extra, early picks to sign, which will require a greater financial commitment to these players, getting involved with Boras clients is the last thing the Brewers will do. If anything I could see a couple of their picks signing quickly for below slot value.

Now with Cordero and Linebrink heading elsewhere, the one thing we can look forward to is something we really haven't had the opportunity to follow, since I know I wasn't online talking about the draft the last time the Brewers had extra, early picks http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif. See some of the similar scenarios that I listed above of teams in recent years that had a plethora of extra, early draft picks to get a sense of the type of haul the Brewers will enjoy next June. Here's how the beginning of the sandwich round could look before the Type B free agents are factored in (not all of those players are going to be offered arbitration, and some will remain with their '07 clubs): 31. Giants (Bonds) 32. Twins (Hunter) 33. Brewers (Cordero) 34. Mets (Glavine) 35. Padres (Barrett) 36. Phillies (Rowand) 37. Yankees (Arod) 38. Brewers (Linebrink) 39. Padres (Bradley) 40. Phillies (Iguchi) This is assuming Pettitte either returns to the Yankees or retires. Arod is likely to return to the Bronx, meaning Linebrink bumps up to #37. I strongly doubt Bonds will be offered arby, bumping both Cordero and Linebrink up a spot a piece at #32 and #36. There's still a chance Rowand returns to Philly, and I wouldn't be completely surprised if the Padres didn't offer Barrett arby, unless they wish to keep him around. Should Rowand remain with the Phillies and Barrett not factor in as well, we could be looking at the number 32 and number 34 selections overall, while also landing consecutive second-rounders from the Reds and White Sox, the seventh and eighth picks of the second round. While it was noted above that the White Sox second rounder would likely be around pick #46, last year's seventh and eighth picks in the second round were 71 and 72 overall. I'm not expecting the sandwich round going quite as deep this year, but the 55-65 range is more likely than #46. We'll know a lot more about who is eligible for compensation when the December 1st arby deadline comes and goes. This is the silver lining, the consolation prize for losing out on two talent players that the Brewers will be put to task to replace. It may not be comforting at this time of year, but man will it be exciting come June (and all spring for that matter). Draft day will be like Christmas day, more than usual. What will be interesting to see is if the Brewers pays slot value for all of these extra picks. I don't expect any team to pay slot value for each and every one of their extra picks, but if they do so, the Brewers are likely looking at an additional $2.5-$2.8 million needed to get these picks in the fold. That ain't chump change, and I think it will speak volumes as to whether or not the team is as cheap when it comes to the draft as some people try to contend. The easy answer of course is to roll some of the money over from the 4-year, $42 million dollar deal they offered Cordero into next year's draft budget http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif.

Some college closer discussion took place in the '08 college resource thread: http://forum.brewerfan.net/viewtopic.php?t=8874 Cole St. Clair is my personal favorite, as I had him rated among the top 10-15 picks entering last spring, and while he missed some time last spring due to injury, he returned later in the season as strong as ever. He has returned to Rice for his senior year, and could soar through the minors as a short reliever. Some teams may opt to develop him as a starter since he does have three good pitches. PGCrosschecker has Ryan Perry ranked among the top 10 prospects at this point in time, with the livest arm available for the '08 draft. Aaron Weatherford is my own personal sleeper to be considered in the first round as a closer. The one catcher most likely to be at one of the Brewers early spots (Kyle Skipworth likely will go very early) is Buster Posey of Florida State, a former Aflac All-American who went to FSU as a SS/closer, so you know he has good overall athleticism and a strong arm.

The deal is reportedly for 4 years, $19M, insane money for a setup man, although I remember thinking Bobby Howry signed for too much, and he looks like a bargain now. Sandwich picks work like this: The worst team to lose a Type A FA gets the first pick in the sandwich round, followed by the second worst team, the third worst team, etc. If a team has mutiple Type A FA lost, the highest rated player garners the higher rating sandwich pick (which really is only a technicality), and those picks are cycled through all of the teams that lose a Type A FA, from worst to first, before teams with multiple FA lost are given another pick. Meaning, if the Brewers lose both Cordero and Linebrink to FA, Cordero would garner the Brewers one of the top picks in the sandwich round, but they would have to wait until all of the other Type FAs team-by-team are awarded before getting another pick and starting the same cycle all over again. After the Type A FA compensation has been figured out, the Type B FAs are awarded in the same fashion. I break it down in the following thread thread as well, with the example of Type A FA compensation to follow: http://forum.brewerfan.net/viewtopic.php?t=8802 31. Twins (Hunter) 32. Brewers (Cordero) 33. Mets (Glavine) 34. Padres (Barrett) 35. Phillies (Rowand) 36. Brewers (Linebrink) 37. Padres (Bradley) 38. Phillies (Iguchi)[/i] This assumes that Arod re-signs with the Yankees and that Andy Pettitte either re-signs with the Yankees or retires. Also, I'm guessing Bonds is not offered arby. If Cordero re-signs with the Brewers, the Brewers would still get the 32nd overall selection (the second pick in the sandwich round) for Linebrink given my reasoning above.

I've noticed in the Estrada and Kendall threads a lot of people wishing and hoping that the Brewers will be able to develop a starting catcher from within their own system. Which brings me to ask, do you still hold out hope that they do so with one of either Palmisano, Salome or Lucroy, or should the organization continue to make this a big priority heading towards the 2008 draft? 2008 isn't a great year for catchers, but with the potential of having a couple of extra, compensatory picks, the Brewers may be able to gamble a little taking a player they like for need. Since they drafted their LF of the future in the first year last year, after taking their 3B of the future in 2005, the catching spot really is the only void the team has been unable to develop a player at. And for some reason, I get a vibe from the Brewers that they would love to boast an entirely homegrown starting lineup.

Yes, thanks a ton for sharing that Rob. Happy Thanksgiving to each and all!

I love it when bad teams make a series of bad deals because they think they're only a few complementary players away from contending. I love it even more when they play in the same division as the Brewers. I would like to go on record in saying that Matsui will reclaim his previous reputation as a bad investment when he leaves Colorado. I'd target both Scott and Burke (Burke as a super-sub) and hope that Toby is on to something with his proposal. The Astros won't start getting better until they re-commit to their farm system and scouting. They've lost way too many early picks in recent years by signing free agents, and then seem to be unable to sign the players they end up drafting with their other early picks. Plus, they are nowhere near the force they once were in Venezuela. But, I don't mind if they don't realize that.

Thanks for the scoop Madtown, but this part stands out to me as odd: Wren has offered Jeff Francoeur and Rafael Soriano for Ben Sheets, which Melvin declined. Both Francoeur and Sheets want long-term extensions. The current offer submitted was Sheets, Bill Hall, and a top Brewers prospect to the Braves for Francoeur, Soriano, Kelly Johnson (who would play OF), Blaine Boyer, and prospect (Melvin should ask for Tommy Hanson). The Brewers declined Francoeur and Soriano for Sheets, but there is an offer that expands the deal to include Hall and a top prospect with Johnson, Boyer and a prospect coming from Atlanta? Hall alone would probably garner a deal close to Johnson, Boyer and a prospect, and the Brewers have to include a top prospect, meaning, if Francoeur and Soriano weren't enough to get Sheets, the rest of the names mentioned don't really seem to sweeten the deal that much more. Although I would argue that Francoeur and Soriano may be close to landing Sheets. I know Francoeur's patience at the plate is questioned, but as several have pointed out in other threads, he did improve dramatically in that area last year, is a stud in RF, has a world of talent and is only 23 years old. My money is on him continuing to improve.