Send over Sanchez and Molina. You may not know but we have 9 LaPorta’s, they often take the field together (a 9 LaPorta lineup) down in Huntsville to give Gamel and the boys a day off. I am sure for your 2 players we can trade one of our LaPorta’s.

Early candidate for understatement of the month.

LaPorta is talked about like a pretty good hitting prospect who is Pat Burrell clumsy and might not pan out. There are hundreds of guys who fit that description, so why bother?

Lincecum is untouchable and Cain is the next Randy Johnson. So instead the Brewers can get more guys who are pretty good to compete with all the guys like that the Brewers already have for a spot on the 25. Yeah, makes sense. And we have no chance whatsoever to catch the Flubbies. I ain’t buying that and there is also a wild card.

Interesting that Dave Bush was mentioned as a throw in. There was a different discussion elsewhere about what would be given up for Bill Hall and some guy was talking about throwing in McClung.

How about McClung, Bush, Hall and Gillespie for Cain or Lincecum?

I’ll mention that Matt Cain was prominently featured in the discussion about LaPorta over at McC. I just didn’t want to start the discussion by throwing his name out there in case by some miracle Sanchez and Molina was enough.

Despite the fact that he’s only in AA, expectations are pretty high for LaPorta. (I don’t think we’ve done community projections for him, but I’m thinking Corey Hart-type stats, with more home runs but without the speed.) I wouldn’t expect to be able to get him cheaply, certainly without giving up someone you don’t want to give up. (Like Cain.)

I’m assuming LaPorta will reach the majors in 2010, spending next season in AAA. With Price due for free agency in 2012, and assuming LaPorta keeps hitting, I guess I’d be naturally inclined (as Getting Yosted mentioned above) to trade Prince in 2011 or so, and slide LaPorta as first baseman.

Having said that, until our recent hot streak, we haven’t had much luck with starting pitching, and I’d say that Sheets is more likely to go than stay after this season. With Gallardo coming off an injury…someone like Cain (or Lincecum) would be pretty attractive.

Matt Cain is worth about four Matt LaPortas.

digging very deep.

and another adams. pretty soon we’ll turn Helena into the Adams Family.

sonny gray goes to the cubs. sorry.

i can’t navigate my own damn site!

I’ll start by saying I know MIL doesn’t have to trade LaPorta, and if they choose to they will likely want a proven Major League starter (i.e. a Bedard type, but there’s no guys like that currently availiable)

My logic for the deal was simply this: MIL has an embarrassing amount of offensive talent in AA. LaPorta might be the best bat down there, but he also plays two positions the Brewers have young studs at (Prince and Braun). I feel that having Braun play RF and hart CF to accomodate LaPorta would give the Brewers the worst OF defense in baseball, and I think MIL already has some great OF prospects that would provide great offense without giving up defense (Gillespie).

The only real way I see LaPorta in MIL’s future if is the Brewers decide that they can’t lock up Prince and look to trade him in a year or two. I suppose that has a decent chance of happening, but I also feel like MIL would want to do everything in their power to keep Prince, who is the face of the franchise and is one of the best young players in the game.

So, I looked at the Brewers current situation where the big club has two major holes. Catcher, where Kendall is one of the most damaging offensive players at the position, and pitching, where everyone outside of Sheets has either been bad or is just waiting to implode (Suppan and his barely over 1 to 1 K/BB ratio). Bengie Molina is clearly an offensive upgrade over Kendall, one that is probably big enough to be worth about 2 wins.

Starting pitching is obviously a big hole, but with parity being as it is, there aren’t many starters on the trade market, let alone starters that are young and wouldn’t merely be one year rentals.

Jonathan Sanchez is not in the class of a Cain or Lincecum, but he also happens to be one of the best strikeout pitcher in the game. He is 25, left handed, and is currently 5th in the league in K’s per 9 for starters. The pitchers around his level are guys like Unit, Scherzer, Lincecum, Kazmir, Sabathia, Beckett, Peavy, Sabathia, Vazquez, harden, and billingsley.

Sanchez has a career minor league K rate of 11.88 per 9. His control is still a major problem, but when he’s throwing strikes he’s dominant. He is still learning to pitch and will likely only get better every year. Currently, Sanchez has better numbers than every Brewers starter not named Sheets so he can help you guys this year as you make a playoff push. His FIP is currently 3.76, ranking him ahead of Sabathia, Wang, Eveland, Johan, and many more (including all Non Sheets Brewers starters).

LaPorta is a great hitting prospect and I think he will be Pat Burrell oneday (the good years, not the bad ones). Sanchez might not ever be an ace, but his potential is obviously very good and his numbers this year have been good. he also has no injury history whatsoever

When you factor in minor upgrades the Giants throw in like Sosa (BA ranks him as one of the Giants best piching prospects), Yabu (I’m sure you’ve got someone worse in your pen), and Molina (definite offensive upgrade over Kendall) and it’s not that bad a deal. The brewers are loaded with offensive prospects and Sanchez is a young lefty with tremendous stuff that the Brewers would control for 4 more years.

the Brewers do not have to trade LaPorta, but I do think the Brewers will need to make a move to get into the playoffs this year, and right now the only pitchers on the market better than Sanchez would be Blanton and Harden. Maybe you guys are conceding the playoffs this year, but I don’t see why you would considering the talent on this team. The Brewers should be a playoff team this year, perhaps even without making any moves, but it can’t be denied that Sanchez, Molina, and Yabu make the Brewers a better team for 2008.