I doubt the Red Sox would have traded Crisp for one or even two of surplus starters when we had them all. I think after this season the Brewers will look for Laporta or Gywnn to be the third outfielder. Cameron's contract also significantly less because of the suspension and it was for a stimulant not steroids. Crisp probably would have been a good fit though before Cameron was signed if the asking price was reasonable. I think it's also unlikely that they pick up Cameron's option unless Gywnn proves that he is just a fourth outfileder at best.

I think from Melvin's perspective, a three year contract is worse than a slightly larger one year one. With the shorter contracts, it's easier to not have to worry about an injury hurting your team for a few years.

In addition, the Brewers have several good prospects that could be in the outfield within a year.

Cameron seems to fit what the Brewers are looking for from their players this year, someone who takes a lot of pitches, can run, has decent OBP and can also hit for power.

Also, the numbers Vargas puts up are very misleading.

" Claudio Vargas...has been a very good player for the Brewers"

plus ops's of 77 and 83 the last two years for crisp...in an offensive league and on an offensive team...no thanks.

because he has one of the coolest names in the Major Leagues, but I still think Cameron is better (or comparable) offensively and certainly better defensively. Additionally, the one year contract is much more appealing since it helps clear the outfield for Laporta in a couple of years. Not to mention the fact that Vargas has the trade value of a bag of peanuts...