In case you hadn't heard, Bill Hall officially wants out of Milwaukee.

There are a few gems in there by Hall's agent Terry Bross, like the way he glosses over the big contract that Hall received. He does make some very good points. Hall has been a good citizen, he's done everything he's been asked to do by management and he isn't nearly as bad as is current numbers.

The most telling quote in the whole thing comes when Bross rhetorically asks:

"If you were the Brewers, why wouldn't you move him? I would think it would be in both Billy's best interests and the team's best interests."

The problem here isn't that it wouldn't make sense to move him. The Brewers have Joe Dillon to cover the right hand portion of a platoon at third and Mat Gamel could be available in a total pinch later this year if Russel Branyan can't carry his wieght long term. Obviously the team could use some pitching help in return for Hall.

Complicating matters is the fact that Hall's production, especially the defense and hitting against RHP, is so bad at the moment that the remaining 20.5 million owed to him (including this year and the buyout of the 2011 option) makes him virtually untradeable. The Brewers would almost certainly have to pick up a large portion of the contract and/or accept far less than fair value in return for Hall. As bad as he has been in some areas of his game, there is plenty of reason to think that he can get better, if given time. However, given the noticeable flaws and the presence of Branyan, it doesn't make sense to play him more than against lefties and the occasional right hander.

In the end, Hall is asking the Brewers to give him up for less than he is worth and probably fork over some cash to do that because he can't play well enough to justify playing him everyday given some modest alternatives. I understand that Hall is unhappy and feels that he is unjustly being singled out, but he accepted the contract offer and platooning him is what makes the most sense for the team at the moment.

The team can look to trade Hall, and it probably would have been a good idea to do so regardless of the request. What they should not do is make a bad deal because they feel pressured to move him. We probably won't have to worry about him making a stink that drags the team down if he isn't moved fast enough, which gives the team some time to wait and see if the right offer comes along or Hall can play his way out of the funk. There isn't a ton of urgency here, but it does raise another issue to deal with in a very uneven season to this point.