Have you ever wondered what would transpire if you called one of those numbers on the bathroom stall "for a good time"?

Major League News

The Milwaukee Brewers finally added some starting pitching, sending young catching prospect Eric Fryer to the Yankees for left-handed starter Chase Wright.  The southpaw had been designated for assignment after the Pinstripes inked Andy Pettitte, making this deal possible.  Wright will compete for the final spot in the starting rotation, a battle that will feature Seth McClung, Chris Narveson, Chase Wright, and perhaps even Mark DiFelice.  Most inside and outside the organization expect McClung to emerge victorious, which would force Wright to begin the season in Nashville.  One would have to believe the Brewers consider Wright a better option than Narveson at this point, perhaps making the former Yankee the first in line to be called up after injuries or ineffectiveness.

In an interview with The Scranton Times-Tribune, Chase Wright expressed excitement and nervousness about joining the Brewers organization.  His former teammates also spoke very highly of the young man.

Beyond his numbers -- career 3.66 ERA in the minors and a 2-0 record in the majors, obviously marred by the four-homer game in Boston -- Wright was an oustanding clubhouse presence, very laid back, easy with a joke, and just as comfortable talking about the low points of his career as he was talking about the high points.

"Great guy," Alan Horne said in a text message exchange. "One of my favorite people."

For Wright, the opportunity with Milwaukee is clearly a better than the murky future would have faced with the Yankees, but the circumstances remain bittersweet.

"There's no hard feelings," he said. "... I was fortunate enough to be with the Yankees as long as I was. Coming out of high school, I was a young kid and I pretty much grew up at the Tampa complex. That’s where it all started right over there. It’s going to be tough.”

River Ave. Blues writes that the Yankees had zero leverage in negotiating a trade for a player who was inevitably going to hit waivers ten days after designating Chase for assignment.  The Brewers obviously value Chase highly enough that they were willing to flip a successful prospect to avoid losing the lefty to the risky waiver wire, but Milwaukee did not need to trade anyone.  Doug Melvin and Gord Ash simply could have waited back and attempted to secure Chase for absolutely nothing after he hit waivers.  That left the Yankees with no leverage, which is why Milwaukee did not have to part with a Top 30 prospect.

FanGraphs believes the Brewers gave up too much for Chase Wright, but will give Milwaukee and their exposure to Eric Fryer the benefit of the doubt until proven otherwise.  The post also profiles Wright as a bullpen arm, which is inaccurate.  Gord Ash has already spoken with Chase.  Milwaukee's assistant GM explicitly stated Chase will be treated as a starting pitcher in Milwaukee's organization.  Fryer is too far away from the big leagues and his peripheral stats suggest a fluky 2008 season.  The move definitely favors Milwaukee, in my opinion.

Jeff Sackmann of Brew Crew Ball is concerned with the projected lack of innings from the Brewers' starting rotation.  Even with Chase Wright now on the 40-man roster, the Brewers also lack overall depth in the rotation.  Yesterday's trade was a step in the right direction to rectify the problem, but Yovani Gallardo, Manny Parra, and Seth McClung are a stretch to each guarantee 160 innings.  Sackmann advocates signing the seemingly forgotten about Odalis Perez to a one-year deal.  For the past couple months, I have predicted that Brewers fans would hear Odalis' name connected with the Crew.  That has not happened thus far, however.  The lefty would not require more than $1MM to sign. 

The above scenario would, of course, necessitate a player on the 40-man roster would be designated for assignment.  That honor would likely fall to Hernan Iribarren, but the Racine-native Vinny Rottino could be on the outside looking in, now that Angel Salome will likely take over the starting role in Nashville.  One other player who could get the ax if Doug makes another move is Tony Gwynn Jr.  The center fielder could find himself on the waiver wire in a couple months anyway, as the Brewers can no longer option him to Nashville.

Following the one-year deal signed by Rickie Weeks this week, Tom Haudricourt lists various ways the second baseman provides value to the Brewers.  I appreciate the good-willed gesture by Tom, as he has been quite hard on the young man.  Many of these statistics, however, are cherry-picked.  The Brewers may have a better record with Rickie starting at second than sitting on the bench, but Milwaukee also had a better record in 2007 without Ryan Braun.  That certainly does not mean the Crew would have been better in 2007 without Ryan in the lineup.  With that said, TH does offer up many solid statistics.  Be sure to peruse them at your leisure.

David Pinto at Baseball Musings, however, opines that Rickie Weeks is not as valuable as his OBA suggests.  He makes a fair point.

While we like to think all OBA is created the same, it's not. I'd much rather sign a player with a .300 BA and a .352 OBA than Weeks who comes in at .245/.352. There's a lot to be said for not making outs, but without power, Weeks does very little to advance runners in front of him.

Rickie's one-year deal leaves only Corey Hart unsigned heading into the arbitration season.  In-Between Hops presents some convincing statistic comparables to Corey, suggesting his value may be closer to $3.8MM than many Brewers fans are willing to admit.  While I concede to the value and potential ramifications of these comparisons, the Brewers do have a case due to Corey's .239/.263/.396 performance over the second half of the season.  That is a far cry from Andre Ethier's .335/.409/.583 during the second half.  To break it down even further, Hart hit a miserable .173/.192/.245 in September and October.  The high leverage nature of the pennant race should provide Doug Melvin some fodder if this case makes it to a hearing, which is a distinct possibility at this point.

Razzball identifies numerous pitchers who profile as "injury risks" in 2009.  This is based on their percentage of sliders and curveballs thrown in relation to less stressful pitches, as well as high pitch counts.  Manny Parra is listed as a pitcher who could "easily be on this list but we just felt an unquantifiable good vibe about."  Do not confuse that with a good vibe about his performance.  The article states Parra will have more trouble throwing strikes than battling injuries.  I cannot much argue with that position, considering his 4.10 BB/9 rate last season.

It seems Ben Sheets has lost another suitor.  T.R. Sullivan, the Rangers beat writer for MLB.com, writes that all signs point to Sheets not being with the Texas Rangers in 2009.  Those "positive medical reports" must not be as convincing as Jon Heyman and others originally thought.  This leaves Benny without any real suitors, and it is the first week in February.  The Brewers should take advantage of this lull and offer a one-year deal worth $5MM plus incentives.  That is exactly what Brad Penny signed in Boston.  If Benny does not like the deal, too bad.  He does not appear to be in position to negotiate much at the moment.  The right-hander will sign at some team's price, not his own.

Milwaukee continues to collect and attract new sponsors.  AirTran and the Brewers agreed to a multi-year sponsorship, renaming the all-inclusive seating in right field the AirTran Airways Landing Zone.  Great name.  Rick Schlesinger sure knows what he is doing as vice president of business operations.  

Minor League News

Jonathan Mayo ranks Mat Gamel as the 23rd best prospect in the minors.  He writes that his bat will carry him to the big leagues in the near future.  Mat has an "outstanding hitting approach" and "gets [the] bat through the strike zone well."  Mayo also notes that while Gamel's defense has been below-average at third, the young man has soft hands and a strong arm.

The London Free Press writes about Brewers outfield prospect Adam Stern and his indoor baseball facility for area high school players.  After all, Canada is a bit chilly in the winter.  (h/t Brewerfan)

Other Baseball News

The Colorado Rockies and Oakland A's hooked up for another trade yesterday, sending outfielder Matt Murton to the Rocky Mountains for minor league infielder Corey Wimberley.  Murton provides the Rockies with a much-needed right-handed outfield bat, especially after Matt Holliday's departure earlier this offseason.  Wimberly, however, could develop into a fine player for Oakland.  The 25-year old hit .291 in Double-A last season with a staggering 59 stolen bases.  His plate discipline improved a bit last season, but his value lies in his speed.

Tony Jackson of the LA Times reports the Dodgers and Manny Ramirez have continued talks after the free agent outfielder rejected a one-year, $25MM deal just a day earlier.  The Dodgers also continue to express interest in Randy Wolf.  The left-handed starter is expected to reunite with his former team before the end of the week.

Is it more important to hit home runs or not allow home runs?  Dugout Central does a rather superficial analysis of the query, but determines only one of the eight teams who allowed the most homers in the majors made the playoffs.  Yes, that team was the Milwaukee Brewers.  On the other hand, four of the top eight home run hitting teams made the playoffs.  Because more teams missed the playoffs allowing home runs, however, it is more important to keep the ball in the ballpark.  That logic is a bit confusing, but take it for what it's worth.

Cliff Floyd agreed to a one-year deal worth less than $1MM with the San Diego Padres.  The 36-year old only hit .258 with 11 home runs on the Tampa Bay Rays last season.  Some had thought Cliff might retire this offseason.

If you have ever been up to Cape Cod to watch baseball, you certainly know John Wylde.  He has been the voice of the Cape Cod League for 25 years and has spent countless hours with the young men who play up there over the summer.  Wylde has recently been diagnosed with inoperable cancer, but is still readying his team to play this upcoming season.  Click here to read about his upcoming biography.  I, for one, will certainly be reading about the life of John Wylde.