So, what IS the plan for next year?

by baumann on Sep 21, 2008 7:19 PM CDT Comment 36 comments

Regardless of how this season ends up, there's a lot of work to do, a lot of things to think about for next year. Are we really going to go into the 2009 season with Gallardo, Parra, Bush, Suppan, McClung/Villanueva as the rotation. I don't feel completely comfortable with any of those guys. Bush probably comes the closest for me because I have reasonable expectations of him: 200 IP of league average ball, and he's pretty much proved that he can do that by now. Gallardo: great star potential, but if he takes some time to get back to form, we might be off to a slow start. I'm very happy the team move Parra to the bullpen for the rest of the year, but he's had some health concerns in the past and this has been his biggest workload. Suppan and McClung -- do I need to explain? Villanueva is probably the next Aaron Heilman, and that's fine.

What I've been thinking, and based on what's been bandied about, is that the Brewers are going to give Jack Z a lot of picks in 2009, and the team is pretty good at producing above-average-to-all-star caliber hitters, but pitching is always tricky, unless you are the Braves in the 1990s and early '00s.

My question is, who/what do we put our faith in? The health of our pitchers and the ability of some of them to take big steps forward? Jack Z in that we trade guys like Prince and/or JJ for starting pitching and hope that Z will have us restocked in short order? (In the latter option we'd also be having faith in Gamel and Escobar to step up in regular roles, probably.) I dunno.

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Sat: George 2 (37, missed catch, fielding) Fri: George (35, throw) Tues: George (34, throw)

by Jordan M on Sep 21, 2008 7:33 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

i would love it but

The Royals have said they are willing to part with anyone aside from Zack Greinke, Gil Meche, and Joakim Soria.

via MLBTR.

Greinke is one of my favs. So is Lincecum. I’d be happy with either.

by baumann on Sep 21, 2008 9:30 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

An even more troubling question:

Who is our starting 3B next season? I don’t think there’s any chance they move Hardy, Hall seems to have finally become permanently terrible, and the free agent pool is positively ugly.

Ryan Braun: He loves it.

by SRB on Sep 21, 2008 7:55 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Russell Branyan?

A J-Dill/Branyan platoon would get an .800+ OPS and decent defense. That’s if they can trade Hall to somebody, otherwise he’s a decent option for a platoon candidate.

Sat: George 2 (37, missed catch, fielding) Fri: George (35, throw) Tues: George (34, throw)

by Jordan M on Sep 21, 2008 8:02 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

As long as Counsell isn't involved!

A Branyan/Hall platoon would be pretty effective if they managed to maintain their career splits, but that seems to be a big ‘if’ the way they finished the season.

Ryan Braun: He loves it.

by SRB on Sep 21, 2008 8:14 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Let's make Counsell the manager!

He’s old enough that we might be able to fool people into thinking he was on the ’82 team. It just crazy enough to work

Can't pitch Gagne in rain. He’s like the B-2 bomber of baseball.--TheJay

by verno329 on Sep 21, 2008 8:21 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

His dad worked in the Brewers front office in ’82. Does that count?

by morineko on Sep 21, 2008 10:02 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

agreed, mostly

the FA pool is bleak, for sure. i don’t want to touch or even think about Hank Blalock. we could go after Casey Blake, and on a 2-year deal, we could do worse, but given the weak market for 3B, Blake will probably net way more than we are will to spend (hopefully). and he’ll be 36 next year.

why do you think there is no chance to move Hardy to 3B? i think that, if they don’t trade JJ, the best move might be to have him play 3B and start Escobar at SS.

i don’t mind Branyan in a platoon with someone. preferably Dillon. eat Bill Hall’s salary.

by baumann on Sep 21, 2008 9:34 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Kouzmanoff

there is a lot of chatter about moving him. Would take something decent to trade for him though.

by ol Pete on Sep 21, 2008 10:05 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Plus when we face the Padres, there’d be no one to rob Hardy of a hit

We've got uniforms and everything, it's really great!

by drezdn on Sep 21, 2008 10:56 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Its fuzzy now, but he must have robbed more than one hit

Put him next to Hardy and stick Escobar at second, heretical I know, and that would be a nice infield. If Prince is put on a treadmill every day in the off-season, that would be a plus.

by ol Pete on Sep 21, 2008 11:12 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Joe Crede is a free agent

He missed a year with back surgery and has had problems this year after the ASB. That might create a situation where the team could take a flyer on him.

by ol Pete on Sep 22, 2008 10:51 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

We were looking at him last year, too.

But he hasn’t ever played for the Rangers, right?

Tararreling our way to the finish line.

by MooseHaas on Sep 22, 2008 1:26 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Observation of a Cub fan

Well, the Brewers would be wise to focus on rebuilding a pitching staff. That means in my view you should put Prince Fielder on the block and peddle him to the highest bidder. Maybe you can net Matt Cain for Fielder. Then that gives you a rotation of Cain, Gallardo, Parra and two question marks. If it were up to me I’d move Ryan Braun to 1st base and either trade the disappointing Rickie Weeks or move him to the outfield. Mike Cameron? I’d let him walk. The bullpen? Lots and lots of work to do there. So yeah, I’d say the Brewers have to approach the offseason in serious rebuiding mode.

Not sure I see the logic of moving the underrated JJ Hardy off shortstop. He’s a strength at that position. Move this Escobar kid to 2nd base or trade him for things you really need.

by MDBNIU on Sep 22, 2008 10:52 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I just cannot see a National League team trading for Fatso

Now I could see JJ to San Fran for Cain they need a Short Stop who is not as old as me

If you trade Prince my guess is it will have to be to a AL team where they can hide his glove at DH lol

If Loving CC is wrong I do not want to be right

by WSB Chris on Sep 22, 2008 11:00 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I don't know how you trade J.J. Hardy

To me Hardy is a remarkably good baseball player and should be a cornerstone to anything the Brewers do. Prince Fielder has a lot of value because he is a monster left handed run producer and cheap for the time being. If San Francisco ponied up Matt Cain for Fielder then I make that trade in a nanosecond if I am the Brewers.

by MDBNIU on Sep 22, 2008 11:02 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

SF aint so stupid these days

They’ll ask for more than just Prince. His stock is lower now because everybody sees how much of a liability he is on D. I think JJ is might be more valuable than Prince these days, because he plays a premium position with +D. Cain would be a tremendous get, but Prince and JJ is too high a price (can we throw weeks and hall into the package? Please?).

I wonder, would the package we sent for CC have been enough to net us Ryan Zimmerman? His gold glove might’ve made all our pitchers look better, for many years to come.

by balldeagle on Sep 22, 2008 1:34 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

No way.

Why so much hate for Prince Fielder???

I don’t know where this Fielder/Cain trade idea started (it seems to be everywhere now), but I still maintain that is not a balanced trade.

You guys do realize Prince is a 24-year-old Ryan Howard, right?

Ryan Braun: He loves it.

by SRB on Sep 22, 2008 1:49 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

It was a rumor a while back and resurfaced in a SF newspaper.

by ol Pete on Sep 22, 2008 1:55 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

There will be interested in Fielder

Monster left handed run production and he remains cheap. Imagine that big mofo playing in the New Yankee Stadium with the carryover short porch in right field. Or replacing Mark Texiera with the Angels when he leaves for Baltimore or one of the New York teams.

Matt Cain is an exceptional young pitcher who has been victim of an awful San Francisco team that past two seasons. He would be a huge step forward in the Milwaukee rebuilding campaign this offseason. But what am I doing helping you guys. I hope you keep the fat bastard and he eats his way out of the league. And if he’s a vegetarian then he’s running through the Culver’s drive thru window eight times a day ordering biggie fries and an XL banana sundae.

by MDBNIU on Sep 23, 2008 12:06 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Not sure I see the logic of moving the underrated JJ Hardy off shortstop. He’s a strength at that position. Move this Escobar kid to 2nd base or trade him for things you really need.

And he’d be a league average bat at third with above average defense. Which is a plus over sub-league average bat and sub average defense. Escobar becomes a shortstop with elite defense and incredibly low expectations and need for a good bat.

I mean, I like JJ, but how underrated do you think he is? His OPS is .837. He’s a good baseball player. He’s not a cornerstone of an MLB franchise.

by HRF on Sep 23, 2008 7:05 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I will shit a brick if they trade Hardy.

Either move him to third or second as either one will be a huge upgrade over what we have and what our other options are.

by warwick5s on Sep 22, 2008 11:28 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I will shit a brick if they trade Hardy.

Are you available for birthday parties?

"I will agree that the attitude [at BCB] is ridiculous and they have done so much to instigate animosity and then block us from responding. Real mature!"

by roguejim on Sep 22, 2008 3:53 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Hopefully it involves not having Jason Kendall play at all.

by HRF on Sep 23, 2008 7:06 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

no chance for that.

he starts both games of a double header when we have 4 catchers on the roster. he’ll play. or should i say, he’ll “play”.

though, maybe with Nedskie out of the picture, someone else will get to start 1-2 times per week.

by baumann on Sep 23, 2008 10:29 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I know. But hope is all that’s left. Hope for a competent manager.

by HRF on Sep 23, 2008 10:41 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Manager

I just pray to God they don’t bring Sveum back. I don’t think I can take the lunacy of hitting guys like Bill Hall with a .275 OBP (no idea what it really is) in the two-hole, the need to be bunting constantly, or decisions like sitting down Rickie Weeks once he finally starts hitting (.835 OPS in the second half).

He is everything I can’t stand about bad managers.

by badgermaniac on Sep 25, 2008 9:28 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I bet it comes down to Paul Molitor or Craig Counsell for new manager

by MDBNIU on Sep 25, 2008 11:16 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Player-Manager?

Half a league, half a league, half a league onward, all in the valley of death rode the Brewer's bullpen.

by nuclearbrewer on Sep 25, 2008 11:20 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I vote

Molitor

September 15: Not a bad little Monday

by molitorfan on Sep 25, 2008 11:20 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Boo.

I have an unreasonable dislike of Bill Hall.

by Ted Simmons Speed Camp on Sep 27, 2008 7:55 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Fine

then I am buying a Bill Hall jersey to spite you.

September 15: Not a bad little Monday

by molitorfan on Sep 27, 2008 3:53 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Must be hard to watch right now then.

Is there any question that he’s coming back if the Brewers make the playoffs?

I have an unreasonable dislike of Bill Hall.

by Ted Simmons Speed Camp on Sep 27, 2008 7:56 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

????

No idea. I don’t think it is a given…at least it shouldn’t be.

If he does, I think he is going to cost them a fair amount next year.

by badgermaniac on Sep 27, 2008 9:16 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I know sentiment will be strong after today, but did anyone catch this...

Prince: “Dale told us he doesn’t care if we swing at balls in the dirt.”

Yikes.

by badgermaniac on Sep 28, 2008 5:11 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Corey Hart listened well

Situational Signature (8th/9th inning only): pleasenotkendallpleasenotkendallpleasenotkendallpleasenotkendall
--NoahJ

by PagsBrewCrew on Sep 29, 2008 3:23 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

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