fleehaw

I agree with most of what you're saying, the sell-high, buy-low philosophy. Where I disagree with you is the viable replacement to Hardy. Escobar is not a sure thing. Jumping him from AA to the majors might be detrimental to his development (or he could fluorish). The 'wise' thing to do would be to play him everyday at AAA and let his play 'force' you into calling him up as opposed to hoping he'll do alright or learn on the fly. Then, next offseason, you look to deal Hardy among others. Hardy's value might not be as high as this offseason, but he'll still command a nice haul and you'd most likely continue to have very good performance at the SS position throughout. Of course, someone could come at you with an offer that you can't refuse...

Unfortunately, I think we see the same offense as this year. I say, unfortunately, because 3B is a huge black hole. Weeks has also been disappointing, but I think that has some to do with his expectations being so high. There is a guy that I haven't seen mentioned in this thread yet, Blake DeWitt. This well may have dried up considering he's now manning 2B in light of Kent's injury. However, the Dodgers do have a propensity for veterans. And believe it or not, they may have some interest in Bill Hall. Why? Hall can play 3B, SS, 2B and OF. Blake, Ramirez, and Furcal are all free agents. Acquiring Hall could give them flexibility in who they want/are able to resign. DeWitt is young, cheap, appears to play better D at 3B, and he's left handed. His acquisition would make it easier to keep Escobar and Gamel in the minors all year. Hall, some $$$, and a prospect might entice the Dodgers, but I doubt it. I'm usually one for wheelin'-n-dealin', but why all the Hardy trade talk? He's arguably been one of the Brewers best players this year and he's under team control for a couple more seasons. Escobar has yet to taste AAA. Escobar's play in AAA and not his potential should force the Brewers hand at SS. That being said, I could definitely see a Hardy and/or Fielder trade after the '09 season. Turning them into cheap, league ready talent at another position of need.

Hunger Task Force to Donate Money to Eric Gagne For much of the year, Brewers relief pitcher, Eric Gagne, has teamed up with a Milwaukee area law firm to donate over $100,000 to the Hunger Task Force. In a recent turn of events, the Hunger Task Force stated that they would be giving money and supplies to the Gagne family. Executive director, Sherrie Tussler, was quoted as saying, "With the way he's pitched, he's clearly going to be out of a job next year, and could use our help."

Here's a few trade ideas and offseason moves: -Weeks & Nelson to the Royals for David DeJesus (this would be more likely if the Royals sent Bannister to the Yanks for Cabrera as rumored on mlbtraderumors.com). -Resign Sheets to a 4yr/$60M with team option ($16M or $4M buyout). Put incentive clause for option to vest (like IP). -Trade Suppan to the Phillies for Pedro Feliz (Feliz is a good defender and can platoon at 3B w/Branyan. The Phillies can use some pitching and will pick up most/all of his salary). -Pick up Kendall's option (I'd say it's a given at this point). -Decline Cameron's option -Resign Durham to a 1 yr deal if he'll go for it (He and Hall can platoon at 2B). -Sign Hardy to a 3yr/~$20M deal with team option for a 4th year (based off of the deal Reyes got taking into account Hardy's service time. hopefully can move to 2B when Escobar is ready). -Look for an inexpensive SP to compete for a back end of the rotation spot. -Look for a decent reliever (although there would be worse things than a bullpen of Torres, Riske, Villanueva, Shouse, Stetter, Dillard/Pena, & long man). The platoon spots will hopefully be filled soon by Gamel and Hardy (Escobar to SS). I doubt any of these will actually happen, but I think they'd set the Brewers up pretty well to compete year after year.

Beltre is signed thru '09 at about $12M per. Hall is signed thru '10 (08-$4.8, 09-$6.8, '10-$8.4). The Brewers pick up more salary, but get a better player. I believe Beltre plays better 3B than Hall and Beltre's away splits the last few years are quite nice. Seattle would get a slightly younger player in Hall that is signed for less money for longer. Add in the assumption that Beltre won't resign in Seattle and it may be something worth looking into. Hopefully after '09, the Brewers will have an internal option for 3B (Gamel?).

Here's another couple options that I'd go for. Fielder to the Red Sox for Ellsbury & Lowrie (if Lowrie can handle 3B better than Hall). or better yet Fielder to the Angels for Saunders, Willits, Figgins, & Mathis. In either scenario, you then have the option of dealing Hall for something of value. Perhaps to the Twins for Guerrier and a mid range prospect. I agree with other posters that if Fielder turns down a multi-year deal and LaPorta and/or Gamel continue doing what they're doing, then trading Fielder is probably in the best interest of the franchise. After '09 makes the most sense, but I guess it depends what the offers are. Not meaning to hijack the thread, I'm also of the opinion that Sheets will be resigned. Maybe it's wishful thinking, but he seems like a guy that just enjoys playing the game and comes across as indifferent about the money. Also, I don't think you can let a pitcher of his caliber walk without someone waiting in the wings. It'll be interesting to see what happens.

Any chance the Pads would be willing to deal Headley? I realize that they wouldn't give him away and that they're giving him the chance to win the LF job. What about Headley for Gross, Capuano/Bush, & a good prospect? Who would that prospect be? Would the Pads have some interest in a young OF (Ford/Cain) or a guy like Gamel? Is that enough? Headley is only 23 and it wouldn't hurt him to spend this year in AAA playing 3rd base. The Brewers would still have a rotation 6 deep not including Gallardo.

I'll respectfully disagree. All they'll really miss is Braun's bat, but that very easily could be made up with the improvement on defense at 3B and offensive improvement in other places. IMO, the team listed above would be better than the status quo. Which players would you rather have? (my choices in bold) 1 year of Sheets- 4 years of Cain (I'd probably take Cain over Sheets straight up) Hall - Francouer Dillon/Gross - Kearns Braun - LaRoche Munson/Rivera - Laird In addition, all of these players would be under Brewer control for a number of years. End, my mistake, 6 years of Braun. I know this idea is far-fetched and I doubt the Brewers would ever trade Braun any time soon. But hey, it's the slow time of year for baseball so...

I realize there's a 99.99% chance that Braun is playing for the Brewers next year, but if they're serious about upgrading the defense, would people be opposed to dealing him for the 'right' piece? Trading him doesn't make a lot of sense and would make Melvin's job harder to fill the other holes in the roster. But, I'm a little bored waiting for the next deal the Brewers need to make, so here goes. Braun to the Giants for Matt Cain. I think this would trump the Rios for Cain/Lincecum rumor. 5 guaranteed years of Braun for 4 guaranteed years of Matt Cain. Sheets to the Braves for Francoeur & James. It's been rumored on this site and with other potential moves, makes some sense. Bush to the Nats for Austin Kearns. Kearns would be a huge upgrade to the OF defense. With the surplus of SP, Bush could be expendable if the deal makes sense. Hall & Capuano to the Dodgers for LaRoche, Meloan, & Beimel. If the Dodgers lose out on Kuroda, this would make more sense. They've been rumored to be interested in Hall to play 3B, which leads me to believe that Hall>LaRoche (at least for now) in their eyes. Gwynn Jr & Munson/Rivera to the Rangers for Laird. The Rangers were/are interested in Gwynn and they need OF help. Salty is projected to be their starter behind the plate, so it seems to make sense for them. Laird would compete with Kendall behind the plate and is apparently very solid defensively. Lineup: Weeks LaRoche Hart Fielder Kearns Francouer Hardy Kendall/Laird Bench: Dillon, Gross, Kendall/Laird, Counsell, & Rotino SP: Cain, Suppan, Gallardo, Villenueva, & James Bullpen: Vargas (long relief), Beimel & Shouse (lefties), Mota, Turnbow, Torre (MR), Riske (SU), & Gagne. Parra & Meloan are in AAA getting a bit more seasoning, but also provide some depth in case of injury. The OF defense would be incredible and the IF defense would be greatly improved with LaRoche in place of Braun. Cain is pretty much a 5 year younger Sheets. The pitching should be very solid top to bottom. Comments?

Here's an interesting guy that may be able to be had. Actually, since the bullpen is one area where the Twins are the strongest, a few guys might be had if it fills a need for them. Perhaps something like Vargas & Gwynn for Guerrier and a prospect. The Twins trotted out Ponson for their rotation last year. This year, they'll lose Silva but they do have a few gifted, yet relatively unproven young pitchers. With Vargas, you basically know what you're going to get. And while Gwynn won't 'replace' Hunter, he's young, plays good defense, and is a good character guy. Thoughts? With someone more familiar with their system, who could they target as the prospect in the deal?

If Jenkins stays on his current pace, I can totally see the Brewers declining his option and resigning him for a couple years at a discounted price (2yrs/$6-8M total). However, if the Brewers are looking for a new face, David DeJesus should be a prime candidate. Sure, I'd love to nab Carl Crawford first, but I think it'd take much more to get him than DeJesus. That is not to say the Royals won't get fair price for him, but they seem more reasonable to work with than the Rays. DeJesus would play LF. He's got career #s of .290BA/.363OBP. This year he's K'd 59 times and BB'd 45 times in 438 ABs. He seems like the perfect fit between Hart and Braun. His contract is very nice: '08-$2.5m, '09-$3.6M, and '10-$4.7M with an option for '11. Like I mentioned, the Royals aren't going to give him away. So, what do they need? Pitching. I figure it'd take Bush or Capuano (I don't think Vargas would get it done). Something along the lines of Bush/Capuano & Gwynn/Gross for DeJesus, perhaps a bullpen arm like Gobble/Soria/Greinke, and/or some AAA SP depth. A lineup of Hart DeJesus Braun Fielder Hall Hardy Estrada Weeks seems like a good one to me. Here's an option if Jenkins is retained. Vargas to the Braves for Matt Diaz plus ...? Diaz would be the RH platoon-mate for Jenks. He's cheap and has put up good #s as a platoon. This would make Mench expendable and save some money. Thoughts?

Just to pile it on. Where's Shouse in that bullpen? Or Aquino? Surely, these 2 guys are better than Sturtze & Redding.

Just for fun's sake. Since the Marlins have interest in Benitez & the Giants should have some interest in Jenkins & the Brewers could use another lefty in the pen. How about: Giants trade: Benitez & $$ Giants get: Jenkins & $$$$ (& maybe a throw in like Hendrickson) Marlins get: Benitez & $$$$$ Marlins trade: Tankersley or Pinto Brewers trade: Jenkins & $$$$ Brewers get: Tankersley OR Pinto If the Marlins would part with either of those 2, then it could happen, however, I doubt they will.

Operating under the premise that this would be a major salary dump by the Rockies, and they are willing to pick up around $20-$30M of Helton's salary. Apparently, the Rockies were willing to pick up $40M of Helton's salary. I found this figure on mlb4u.com regarding the Angels/Rockies rumors from earlier in the offseason. Rockies trade: Helton & Affeldt & cash Rockies get: Jenkins, Lowell, & a prospect from the Brewers (I'm thinking in the 5-15 Power 50 range for prospects) Boston trades: Crisp & Lowell Boston gets: Helton & Turnbow & cash Brewers trade: Jenkins, Turnbow, & a prospect Brewers get: Crisp & Affeldt Obviously, the proposal has its warts. Boston gets rewarded for eating most of Helton's salary. Youklis slides over to 3rd, Manny in LF, Drew in CF, & Pena/Hinske in RF. Rockies get to dump a sizeable portion of Helton's salary & Jenkins & Lowell come off the books after '07. Lowell could play some 1b, 2b, or backup 3b, and Jenkins most likely would be a backup OF unless Holliday or Hawpe can play CF. The Rockies don't get a whole lot back for Helton, but they do get some financial freedom in '08. The Brewers dump some salary. Crisp can play either CF or LF depending on where Hall will play. Affeldt adds another lefty for the pen. The Brewers make out very nicely in this deal which probably puts this in the 'not a fair trade' category.

While I'll agree it's tough to give up on a guy who has had the success that Turnbow has, however, at this point the bullpen has way too many question marks. It needs stability, not 'if' guys.

Tavarez is a solid, versatile reliever that could be the answer to the Brewers 8th innings. He's a proven player that could lend some stability to the bullpen. I'm not convinced that Turnbow is the answer as primary setup man. Boston is looking for a closer & the salaries are pretty much a wash (except that Turnbow is signed thru '08 & Tavarez has an '08 option). Obviously it doesn't solve the logjam in the bullpen or the OF, but it could open up possibilities of dishing an OF paired with a reliever for a piece of the puzzle. For example: Turnbow to Boston for Tavarez Mench & Wise to the Giants for Correia and a nugget. Salary dump but get a solid 6th man. CV (either one), Capellan, Clark, & cash to the Jays for Rios & Downs. Downs is someone the Brewers should look to acquire. He's a lefty reliever that does well against righties & lefties. He posted a 2.77 ERA (in about 65 relief innnings) & just over a 4 ERA in total. Who knows if that's enough for the Jays? Jenkins & cash to the Padres for a prospect or two. If the Padres would do it, I'd include Aquino or Sarfate to nab Linebrink or Meredith. Like many others, I feel that bullpen has issues that have yet to be resolved.

I'd gladly take one of their bullpen arms. Their bullpen looks pretty formidable. With all of their pitchers Marshall could be one of the odd men out. Who knows what the Cubs will give up to get that 'final piece'. Didn't they give up Nolasco & Pinto for one year of Pierre? That's looking like a nice one for Hendry.

Well, I'm of the opinion that Hall for Santana & Aybar is pretty equal value. But, I've been known to be wrong, so the Brewers can add someone. Hall & Jackson for Santana & Aybar Also, I think most people are of the assumption that Crawford>Badelli. So, let's take Crawford out of the equation. The Rays are apparently asking for 2 good, young pitchers & a SS in return for Badelli. Aybar is a top prospect in the Angels organization & a SS. Villenueva is a good, young pitcher, probably not with the ceiling the Rays are looking for, but good none the less. Add in Capellan (I think Capellan>Aquino) and the Rays got a solid BP guy that could turn into a good closer. I'd go so far as to add another pitching prospect, one in the 20-50 range in Toby's rankings (Garrison, Jones, Bray, Zumalt, Thurman, Thatcher, Hinton...) So let's say, Villenueva, Aybar, Capellan, & Hinton for Badelli I'd still make the deals.

Angels get: Hall Angels trade: Santana & Aybar Devil Rays get: Aybar, Villenueva, & Capellan/Aquino Devil Rays trade: Badelli/Crawford Brewers trade: Hall, Villenueva, & Capellan/Aquino Brewers get: Santana & Badelli/Crawford Melvin would still have Jenkins, Mench, & possibly Clark to deal for bullpen/6th starter help. Thoughts?

The Cubs may have some interest in Clark to play CF until Pie is ready. The Cubs also have depth at SP with the following: Zambrano Prior Hill Marquis Lilly Wood Marmol Marshall So, how about a Clark for Marshall deal? Marshall could battle for the 5th spot or become the long reliever. In addition, he's got options left. I would love to expand this deal to include Murton, but I guess it would depend on what the Cubs would want. I'd imagine a couple of decent prospects might do it (Hurricane & Thurman/Welch/Garrison?)

Just another idea to pass the winter. Minnesota needs a SP & an OF. They are currently trying to resign Rondell White & have been linked to Jennings. Colorado seems agreeable to trading Jennings after he broke off contract talks. They are looking for BP help & like Brady Clark for some reason. The Brewers could use help in the BP & have an OF spot open (kind of). Twins trade: Crain, Kubel, & Slowey/Perkins Twins get: Jennings, Mench, & Hendrickson (throw in) Rockies trade: Jennings Rockies get: Clark, Tbow, & Slowey/Perkins Brewers trade: Clark, Mench, Tbow, & Hendrickson Brewers get: Kubel & Crain The Twins seem down on Kubel, probably due to his injury history. His minor league #s are very good and worthy of the gamble. He hits for avg., decent power, walks alot, doesn't K much. Worse case scenario, Gross & a RHOF platoon in LF while he's in AAA or the DL. Crain would give the crew an 8th inning guy. Also, he & Capellan provide closer insurance in case Cordero leaves after this year. The Twins badly need another arm. Jennings slides in the 2 slot, pushing back Bonzer, Silva, & Garza for a decent rotation. They also get a low K, decent power OF/DH in Mench. They usually don't deal prospects, but this deal does make sense for them. The Rockies were rumored to send Jennings to the Astros for Burke & Lidge, so this deal at least is better than that. They fill a couple of holes, plus get a good pitching prospect. Dish Jenkins & Sarfate to the Giants for Correia (long relief) & a nugget and the bullpen looks pretty good. Thoughts?

"jenks will not be going to sf " Thanks Brian Sabean. P.S. You overpaid for Bonds.

Not a bad idea, and if it didn't cost too much... However, I question whether the A's will be looking to deal any pitching with the loss of Zito. Also, keep in mind he's been pitching in extreme pitching parks (WAS & OAK) and putting up so-so numbers.

On fox sports there is a blurb about the Mets talking to the Royals about Burgos. With the loss of Hernandez & Bradford, apparently the Mets want to bolster their bullpen. The Mets would apparently send Brian Bannister to the Royals. I would ship Turnbow to the Mets for Bannister. I wonder if they have any interest in him.

Sorry, I only had so many characters to work with & wanted to be descriptive (and not misleading).