While I am thoroughly enjoying the Phillies-Yankees World Series, I cannot help but wish for the season to be over. Saying Brewers news on the blogosphere has been slow is an understatement.
I am ready for the trade winds to begin gusting a bit more fervently.
Major League News
Buster Olney opines that Milwaukee may non-tender J.J. Hardy. His argument relies on the fact that many shortstops with better and more consistent track records could be had for less than $7M near the end of the winter. First of all, Hardy will see a modest raise, at best. His 2010 salary should be nowhere near $7M. Secondly, Orlando Cabrera, Miguel Tejada, and Marco Scutaro are the other starting shortstops on the free agent market. If Hardy rebounds like many (including myself) believe, he will be cheaper and more productive than any of the three.
J.J. Hardy will not be non-tendered. His trade value will be higher than a throw-in type player.
Al's Ramblings provides one of the more plausible and intriguing trade possibilities I have seen. Corey Hart for Kelly Johnson and Kenshin Kawakami. Johnson is a versatile player with some pop from the left side. If the Braves do not non-tender him this winter, he could be a steal for the Crew. Kawakami is unexciting as a pitcher, but is rather inexpensive at under $7M per year through 2011. Think a cheaper Jarrod Washburn with fewer fly balls and a better heater. Kawakami would not be atop my list of trade targets, but Milwaukee could do much worse.
Be sure to check out The Junkball Blues and Radio's latest article concerning luck and the Milwaukee Brewers. It helps outline how the "three true outcomes" augments a player's offensive performance. The article also illustrates how consistent Mike Cameron has been throughout his previous three years and how inept Jason Kendall was at the plate in 2009.
The Milwaukee Brewers unveiled their 2010 Spring Training schedule. If you plan on traveling down to Arizona this March, be sure to schedule your trip around a home game at Maryvale.
The most important nugget of information concerning Spring Training is that pitchers and catchers report on February 20. Only 109 days until pitchers and catchers!
Beyond the Box Score graphically depicts the amount of negative WAR (Wins Above Replacement) each team fielded throughout the season. Milwaukee had the fourth best offensive numbers, but only the Padres and Nationals possessed more pitchers with negative WAR. That succinctly summarizes the Brewers' 2009 season rather well, does it not?
View From Bernie's Chalet asks why Milwaukee should not target Ben Sheets this offseason. Targeting the right-hander does make sense, but just do not expect Benny to jump at the chance to return to Milwaukee. The fans burned that bridge long ago.
Eli Greenspan from MLB Daily Dish notes that Johnny Damon is expected to talk with the Brewers this offseason. That, of course, assumes that Mike Cameron would not be offered arbitration. I am not exactly positive that I can adequately put into words how much I do not desire to see Johnny Damon in a Brewers uniform. Not to mention the price tag will be exorbitant.
Milwaukee may have struggled this season and missed the postseason for the 26th time in 27 years, but the city remains one of the safest and friendliest of the 40 largest metropolitan areas in the U.S. according to Forbes Magazine. I did not realize that Indianapolis was such a "dangerous" place, at least by the metrics utilized by Forbes.
Minor League News
Lorenzo Cain continues to compile the walks, while Zach Braddock picked up his second save with another scoreless outing. Omar Aguilar struggled with his command once again. The hard-throwing righty surrendered a run on two walks and a hit.
Over the weekend, Tom Haudricourt tweeted that he talked to a scout who raved about Jonathan Lucroy:
I talked to a
scout who recently saw Brewers catching prospect Jonathan Lucroy in Az
Fall League and said he's "getting closer" to majors.
Project Prospect ranks Mat Gamel as the sixth-best third base prospect in baseball. Gamel's blurb notes that he struggles with contact, which was undeniably true in 2009. His strikeout numbers before this season, however, were only in the 19-21% range. Unless his arm-bar during his swing (the reason he has struggled against inside pitches) has developed in the past season, I suspect to see a rejuvenated Mat Gamel in Spring Training next season.
Brewerfan.net reflects on the Brewers' 2009 draft class and notes that Milwaukee is stocking up on power pitchers. The article also mentions that the impact bats are few and far between in this class, with only Kentrail Davis and D'Vontrey Richardson showing much this season -- and only in the instructional leagues.
Baseball America ranks the players with the best tools in the 2009 draft. It is behind their pay wall, but I will save you the trouble. The Milwaukee Brewers did not select a single player that ranks in the Top 5 in any "tool." Despite that, I believe the Brewers had a nice draft this season. The organization drafted a well-rounded group with some serious upside in the higher rounds. They also opened the wallet to land Scooter Gennett and Del Howell in the later rounds.
Speaking of opening up the wallets, the Milwaukee Brewers spent the 12th highest amount of money in the 2009 draft. The Washington Nationals and Seattle Mariners ranked #1 and #2, as expected.
Other Baseball News
The Phillies fought off the Yankees to force a Game 6, but the talk of the blogosphere has been focused on the spat between pitchers Brett Myers and Cole Hamels. Following Game 3, Hamels said:
“I can’t wait for it to end. It’s been mentally draining. At year end, you just can’t wait for a fresh start.”
Myers apparently taunted Hamels following the Game 5 win saying, "What are you doing here? I thought you quit.” Hamels quickly responded with a nice expletive, and the two needed to be separated.
I understand both sides of the coin, but Hamels was being undeniably selfish when putting his struggles ahead of his teammates. I suspect Brad Lidge does not want the ride to end, despite his struggles this season.
The Global Post has a fine video profiling Miguel Angel Sano, a Domincan shortstop who Minnesota shelled out $3M+ for this autumn, and the plight of Dominican players as they vie to get signed by major league organizations.
Clay Zavada of the Arizona Diamondbacks and his trademark handle-bar mustache took home the "Mustached American of the Year" award this week. Congratulations, Clay.
The Seattle Mariners boast three players who took home Fielding Bible Awards for their defensive play at their respective positions. With Jack Wilson, Franklin Gutierrez, and Ichiro Suzuki roaming the field behind Seattle pitchers, the Pacific Northwest may become a popular pitcher's destination this winter. Jarrod Washburn has already voiced his desire to return.
Kelly Thesier says Chone Figgins could net as much as a five-year, $50M deal this offseason. $10M per year is certainly possible, but a five-year commitment with this economy might be pressing it just a bit. I had a three-year, $32M deal in my mind.
The Chicago Cubs are reportedly nearing a contract extension with left-hander John Grabow.
BC Approved Music Video of the Day
Kalai -- She