JJHardy7

Would anyone prefer to have Cole Gillespie back? I know most here thought he was a 'throw-in' in the Lopez trade last year, but I was not one of them. I'm not saying he's going to be a stud or anything like that, but Gillespie might have had a role with this team (maybe a small role). I think it would've been nice to have Cole in the organization and if Hart struggles or needs a platoon of some sorts Cole would be a cheap, young option.

That's because they've already had surgery... Braddock, Peralta, Rivas, Rogers. You can add Axford to that list as well...

I'd sign with the Clips or the Nets, but few players think like I do, hence, I see the Knicks, Bulls, or Heat. I have a pure rumor from some die hard UK basketball fans...this is just a pure rumor with zero sources. UK fans are worried that Coach Cal might jump ship and go back to the Nets (that itself sounds very, very crazy). The logic here is that Coach Cal is pretty close with LeBron and has been spotted with some of LeBron's people at LeBron's game. LeBron has been spotted at a few UK games and...is pretty close with John Wall (that piece is pretty well known). The thought here is that the Nets would try to bring in Coach Cal, LeBron, and John Wall. IIRC I think Jay-Z has a small ownership piece of the Nets...and is close with LeBron. I did a quick search and came up with this: http://sports.espn.go.com...parker_robert&id=5192202 Like I said, this is pure rumors from UK fans who I'm sure are worried that Coach Cal might leave (even though he has said he is going to stay). That would be pretty crazy if it all happened...Coach Cal to the Nets is the first thing that has to happen and I have to imagine that might be unlikely.

I think the assertion that his defense is hurting his offense is pretty baseless. Weeks isn't as good a defender as he was showing last season, but imo he's also not bad enough to move off 2B. I believe he's right around average in terms of fielding value, as the mistakes he makes are mitigated to a certain extent by the fact that he can get to a lot more balls than many 2B. Moving him to the OF would cut into his value even more, so I don't get that idea. I agree. I'm also the same person that wanted Braun to try and stick at 3B. The way I see it (and I'm not a metrics guy, but appreciate the value) is that if you take into account the players offense and defense to composite some type of overall metric (which I'm sure exists) you get the true value. Why did I want Braun to try to stick at 3B? If he can put up those numbers and improve his defense, he'd be an absolute stud at 3B. I understand that may not have worked. I get that. I think the same is somewhat true with Weeks. If his bat rakes, he's going to have much more value at 2B for the Brewers than in the OF. I guess that is my main point with this kind of stuff. I think it is much easier to find a corner OF that can slug than find some other positions that can slug. That changes their true value to the team IMO. I still think Weeks can stick at 2B. CF would be interesting, but I don't want Weeks at a corner OF spot just quite yet. I also think this could boil down to his next contract and the such. We had a rather large thread about his value, but if Weeks doesn't want to play OF and the Brewers want him to that thread could be a moot point for the Brewers. I understand the craze on defense lately and all that kind of stuff, but I guess I just don't buy into all the hype quite yet. Ideally you have a team that is awesome at both, but at the same time that isn't realistic. I know the Mariners were praised for all their upgrades on defense and such, but so far that doesn't really seem to matter. I think the key is for any team (especially the Brewers right now) is to figure out where a guy fits the best. Gamel has improved on defense, but has some questions and I've heard/read that Lawrie may have issues too. We need to figure out where these guys fit into the play. Again, I'm not saying Braun should be at 3B or Weeks is at 2B forever...I am saying you have to consider the value they bring to their defensive position.

So...who would you rather have...Yost or Macha?

I would disagree. If he pitches well in the minors all year long and stayed healthy, but isn't called up until September because the Brewers pitching staff miraculously pitches well and stays healthy (yes, I know that is remote), I don't see why someone wouldn't offer a low-end MLB contract. The dollars would still make it low risk. And at this point, Capuano probably cares more about pitching in the majors versus getting the biggest payday and that may end up being someone other the Brewers, especially since in this assumed scenario he pitched well but still didn't get a chance. I really like Chris, but I just don't see why a team is going to pay him what has been suggested here for minor league work and maybe a September appearance. I don't see that happening unless he does it in the majors and does it for more than a few games. There are plenty of veteran pitchers in the minors that pitch well...it is not like Chris is the exception. I guess the way I see it is if Chris pitches well this year in the minors and hopefully a Milwaukee appearance the Brewers will bring him back. That has to be very close to a slam dunk. We all saw how the free agent market worked this past off-season. The only issue I could see is Chris wanting a better opportunity (not money related). The Brewers could offer that opportunity next year and I think that is why Chris is back next year if he pitches well. I will be absolutely shocked if he gets $3 million next year...that would mean the market is completely skewed compared to this past year (which I guess could happen). Is Cappy going to be a starter at the big league level? I'll admit I've followed his stats, but I'm not sure about his pitch count and how that is shaking out. I think that is also something to be answered. If I get the chance in the next few weeks, I'll hopefully catch up with him in Nashville.

IIRC some people weren't all that thrilled with BA when he first arrived and his first year. Now he's grown on most of us. I think it is just something that comes with time. It will kind of stink when we lose him, but it seems like the Brewers have a knack for finding a good candidate. MV, Sutton, and BA are all well above average (or at least were with the Brewers) in my book.

Wow...I'm surprised by this...I really have cheered for him and will continue to cheer for Salome. He has been one of my favorite minor league players. I truly wish him the best. TLB...you have a bunch of great posts in this thread. I echo many of your statements. coach, You don't have to dive into the details at all...but is Salome feeling pressure to succeed and that is getting to him? Again, I know it is a personal matter so no comment is necessary or expected. Again, pass on all the positive vibes to him. When I've seen him in Huntsville and Nashville, he was always a class act.

I hope Bob gets well. I think this really shows how much Bob is loved even though some bf.netters were wondering if Bob was washed up earlier this year... http://forum.brewerfan.net/viewtopic.php?t=21998?page=1

But if you look at the list of salaries that Logan listed, second basemen don't get "hue paydays." Rickie has not had a career that would allow for him to get a contract like Chase Utley. Cano's career OPS is somewhere around .050 higher than Weels'. Brian Roberts signed his contract around the time the Brewers signed Suppan... salaries have come down since then. He's really looking at $6-7MM/year max, given his career numbers and injury history, which is what I was assuming in my contract projections. What if he puts up huge numbers this year and next year though? That is my point. I understand numbers have come down and $6-7mm might be right. My point is if Weeks rakes like we think he can/hope he can...he is going to want to maximize his value. Wouldn't you? You might be dead on in the numbers...I just think if I were him I'd might think of maximizing my value. Remember that Weeks is getting $2.75MM this season and will have another year of arby, which will be based off of this year's salary, before he hits free agency. The Brewers should not be expected to give him FA money for next season, since it's an arby year, not a FA year. It is feasible that Weeks will sign for some sort of discount (not huge, since he's close to FA) in order to get the security of knowing that if he gets hurt, he will get paid. He could seriously hamper his career earnings if what happened last year happens again to him next season and no one is willing to sign him for a decent price after missing an entire year. Or, he could get a career ending injury tomorrow, in which case the Brewers would cut ties with him and he wouldn't make a dollar next season. Or he could put up huge numbers this year and next year, correct? I'm not disagreeing with you at all. Does it make sense for the Brewers? Sure. I just don't know if it makes sense for Rickie depending on what the Brewers would offer. I don't see the need on Rickie's side to quick sign a deal and gain security when he's rather close to free agency. I don't see why it makes sense from his side...unless the Brewers give him a market deal. I don't know why Rickie would be all about a discount. He might be, but why? Again, I'm not disagreeing with the thoughts here...I just don't assume Rickie is looking to jump at a contract today when he's close to free agency. In other words, it might be too late. I don't blame the Brewers for that given Rickie's injury history and such. I just don't know why Rickie would take a discount at this point and time unless he thinks he's injury prone or something. Again, I don't disagree with the thoughts. If I'm Rickie, I might not be willing to take a discount. And at the same time if I am the Brewers I might leverage his injury history...thus not give him market value now.

The same reason many guys do it - long-term job security. Weeks would actually have more reason to sign an extension than many players, considering how often he has been injured. I'm not saying he should or should not, but there are a number of reasons to do so, security being number one. Weeks is a lot closer to free agency than Braun and Yo. Again, Weeks has to want to sign an extension. If he stays healthy and has a great year this year and next, why sign an extension? Also, I do find it interesting that some want an extension...but at somewhat of a discount because of his injury history. You can't have it both ways. If he signs for $6 million and then is hurt during most of the time, what do we do? If I'm Rickie, unless I get a market value deal I'm playing this out. He's made a good amount of money already and probably has 'financial security' if he was smart with his money. He could land a huge payday after next year if he stays healthy. The Brewers probably should've given him an extension last year, but I will admit that might not make sense either given his injury history.

No doubt Walt Jocketty was very impressed by Joe Morgan's strong grasp of baseball economics as demonstrated on ESPN last week, hence this hire. I have defended ESPN in the past, but that Joe Morgan economics thing was terrible. I can stand most of the ESPN guys, but he's awful. I don't even know if he'd get a job with a team (that isn't the Reds)?

Weather wise... as a season ticket holder over the last 4 years I think I've seen no more then 4 games games rained out. As far as moving players around we have non-stop flights to MKE....and Huntsville is a short drive south Oh I agree. I've been to a lot of Sounds games and a few Stars games and I agree with both statements. It works well. The Sounds need a new park though...the stadium is bad...very bad. I'm not sure if Nashville is going to build a new one though. My guess is that it won't come together in time for Milwaukee to decide on their next location. I wonder if players actually prefer living in Nashville to Milwaukee. From what I know, they really enjoy the Nashville area. Some longer tenured Brewers minor leaguers have made their year-round homes in the Nashville area. I don't know if they like living in Nashville better as a whole because I get the feeling that being demoted from a team like Milwaukee and the facilities they have to Nashville...has to be terrible. I know being demoted isn't fun, but the Sounds just don't have the facilities to make it all that enjoyable IMO. I think if all things were equal (i.e. Nashville had at least adequate facilities) players would prefer Nashville? Just a guess...

i'm also thinking that minor-league fans care more about that team's winning percentage than its affiliation with an MLB team, and Nashville would be better off not with the Braves as a parent club, but with any MLB team that has a track record of fielding good AAA teams. I don't know if the winning percentage is a big deal. As long as the team doesn't suck every year, I think that isn't a huge deal. IIRC the Brewers really enjoy being in the city of Nashville (the stadium issue is another matter). I do think being in a place like Nashville makes more sense for logistical purposes. The Brewers don't want to see a lot of AAA games rained/snowed out and also it is a central location. If they need to call someone up, Nashville is a pretty central location to be in all things considered. I would not see the Brewers really ever leaving Nashville...if their stadium was up to par. I fully anticipate the Brewers leaving Nashville after this year unless some type of new stadium deal is struck. I do agree moving any type of minor league team closer to the parent would be ideal in a perfect world. It does take the right environment/location to support minor league baseball.

So...what if we gave him a nice extension last year right before he got hurt? I think there has to be some give and take with both the Brewers and Rickie. If there is no discount for his injuries, that could be a major hurdle to get over. Again, both parties have to agree to it. If Rickie is healthy all year and puts up big numbers, I think the contract talk will take care of itself at some point and time...and that may or may not be in Milwaukee.

I was speaking of the early 2000s team in general, not just the 2000-2001 team. Ray Allen, Robinson, Cassell, Mason, Tim Thomas should have been more than enough to make the NBA Finals in my opinion. That team came very, very, very, very close of making the finals...it is not like it was a huge bust. The main issue was the 76ers had AI and Mutombo. We had Ervin Johnson and Scott Williams (who I love) matching up against Mutombo. And again...how many of those Bucks are making the HOF? I know they don't have a NBA one...but Ray Allen is probably the only guy that has a shot. I loved Big Dog and Sam I Am...they weren't huge jerks or anything IMO. They weren't getting in a ton of trouble of the court...they got in some, but to me they just weren't 'bad'. Ray Allen is/was a class act. I know Big Dog and Sam I Am didn't have the best personalities off the court. I just don't think I hate an ounce of hate for any of those guys. Big Dog got a bad rap asking for the money...a few years later guys were getting $100 million deals. Anyways....what I am saying is these guys weren't that bad. Mason is a different story, but IIRC that was a Karl decision and we all know about the Allen for Payton trade... Anyways...to the Brewers. There isn't a guy that off the field I don't like. A lot goes into what people know or don't know about a guy. I know a bit about a few of the guys, but not enough to say who is 'good and bad' if guys like Big Dog and Sam I Am are 'bad guys'. The Brewers as a whole seem like a great group. If the only thing we whine about is Corey Hart's arbitration...we are in good shape.

Because he wasn't seen as a starter and not used as a bench player much. He only had 5 at bats with the Brewers... http://www.thebaseballcub...rs/C/nelson-cruz-1.shtml IIRC (which I may not) we had Jenkins there and Hart on his way...it's not like we had an elite proven player for the next several years that made Cruz expendable. I was disappointed that we didn't give him more of a shot. I really liked JDLR as well, but he at least was given opportunities on the MLB level and didn't perform well.

Cruz and JDLR were both seen as fairly expendable at the time, hence why neither are no longer with the Brewers. Why was Cruz expendable?

I haven't been the biggest Weeks supporter, but I would be interested in a possible extension. To me, it really boils down to dollars. I don't have any type of insider information, but we need to understand that Rickie may not want to sign an extension for a 'low cost'. I guess I look at it this way...if he stays healthy and breaks out this year he could get paid big-time. Weeks has been in the majors relatively much longer than Braun and now Yo were when they signed their deals. He has to be willing to sign for a 'low cost' now. He's just much closer to potentially getting a big free agent contract than the other two guys were. I also agree that this could tie in to Prince. The plan if we sign Prince (at least my guess) is that a guy like Lawrie would be cheap and talented...exactly what the Brewers will need to surround Braun, Prince, and Yo with given their lack of payroll flexibility if they sign Rickie.

He gets a $1.25 million signing bonus this year. I missed that piece...so if the option is picked up/not voided it is essentially a 6-year deal for $42.5 million, correct?

Isn't the deal really worth $41.25 million? That is if the Brewers pick up the option/Yo doesn't void it...

I think it was Xellence who told us about the story about Matt's big-time attitude problem, snubbing some team auto signing in the minors I chimed in with that. I don't know if X was there first hand...not sure on that one. I was there a few times with my little brother and family asking for LaPorta's autograph in Huntsville and he ignored or just said 'later'. I know there are some autograph hounds out there who will sell and the such, but if anyone has been to a Huntsville or Nashville game there is no competition. I'll admit I still ask for autographs and I collect them and place them all in a case. A guy like Gamel has signed for me a few times and I've talked to him and he's a real cool guy. Same thing with Escobar in Huntsville and Nashville. I'd never sell the autographs unless I was going under financially. I've met a ton of guys during this and they're pretty cool at Huntsville and Nashville because believe it or not...nobody is/was asking for guys like LaPorta, Gamel, Escobar, etc. to sign autographs. The times I've had Gamel sign and talk to him it was just me, my wife, and him in the area. Going back to the trade, I guess we'll see where LaPorta and Gamel line up in the bigs. I love Gamel's game. I think it will play. There is no doubt LaPorta has some strengths...I just think the Brewers traded him at the right time. He can't play OF at an average level. To me, he was always going to be the replacement for Prince (if need be). I don't claim to be an expert random fan scout or anything, but LaPorta's defense in OF was sketchy....to say the least. Again, I wish Matt the best in Cleveland. I was really put off with his attitude. I know it is hard to believe, but in Huntsville or Nashville if you even wanted a guy like Braun to sign something or talk to him...you easily could. LaPorta is the only guy I've known/seen to really ignore fans. Brewers sent down on assignments have been very personable and again...it is not about signing. To me, it is about appreciating the fan base...which are not strong at Huntsville or Nashville, but I digress. In closing, I don't want to lead the thread astray, but what upset me the most is LaPorta's value system. I don't want to break some bf.net rules so I will try to leave that where it is. I just have an issue with someone saying one thing and living the other aspect. Shunning a handful of kids (which I've seen) in Huntsville for autographs is really embarrassing if you ask me...

Not to take this too far off-topic, but the Packers actually pay into the revenue sharing system. They're pretty financially sound and have built up a rather large war chest to help weather the storm if need be. If the salary cap goes away for good, then they may be in trouble long-term. The disadvantage they have is lacking a deep-pocket owner to pay a top free agent a boat load of cash up front. I get what you are saying, but 'long-term' could maybe only be a few years. To keep it on topic, if spending went nuts in terms of discrepancies like MLB, the Packers would be screwed sooner rather than later. I know they have reserves built up, but discrepancy is spending is the biggest issue IMO. This off-season there hasn't been a ton of crazy deals in the NFL because they really don't know what is going to happen. Some MLB teams have spent decent money on specific players even during a down economy. To me, the discrepancy is the issue. The fact is in the NFL you can't have a payroll as small on a percentage basis as the Pirates, Padres, and Marlins. I would be interested to know one thing...if we take all of the MLB payroll and divide that by the MLB teams...what is the 'average' payroll? The reason I ask this is because a cap of some sort would need to start somewhere. I wonder if the 'average' payroll in MLB is bigger than the NFL's cap/payroll....my guess is that it is much lower, but the payroll discrepancies are so out of whack it is going to continue to hurt small market teams over time. And yes...Milwaukee is a small market. Look at the revenue it generates from their TV deal...

83 - 79 I think they'll be in the hunt most of the year, but barring a big trade I just don't know if they have enough offense (outside of Braun and Prince) to get it done. I'm also very worried about the team's ability to stay healthy. They have a few pieces on offense that really have no legit backup in the organization (either due to how productive they are or the simple fact that we lack some depth at AAA at certain positions). I could see this tam having a really good year if everything works out the way it can. If this team stays healthy and some guys reach their potential, they could make a lot of noise.

I think they start out slow, but will eventually get on a roll in later months... 10 - 13 Tiebreaker = 5 HRs + 5 SVs + 3 SBs = 13