No Arbitration for anyone.
insert facepalm here.
about 2 years ago
Mykenk
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face-palm'd
Cards Announcers On Gamel's First Career HR, "That’s all they need is another home run hitter".
Interesting decision
and by interesting, I mean WTF ARE YOU THINKING STACHE?!?
"That's not a weird stat. Rickie is a run-scorer," Yost said. "It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter," Yost told reporters. "See, you guys have no concept. He's a run-scorer. So there's nothing weird about it. That's what he does."
I used to like DM...
…about 23 minutes ago.
I am extremely close to jumping on
"A D+ Grade? That must have been a Wittardo grade"- @73_MC
by BrewHaHeather on Dec 1, 2009 9:05 PM CST up reply actions
*sigh* Me too
He’s made good decisions over the years, but his decisions during the past two offseasons have been so poor it’s almost like he’s intentionally submarining the Brewers.
Was Jack Z doing even more behind the scenes that we knew?
Welcome, new joiners!
I had waffled some last year, but the off-season really sealed it for me last year.
I don’t have a category for "washed-up guys who may or may not be dominant big-league closers sometime soon."
~Jeff Sackmann
by Charlie Marlow on Dec 1, 2009 9:59 PM CST up reply actions
Well, I mean, if I offered Lopez arbitration, and he accepted, then we'd totally be stuck with two second basemen. Like, forever! You only need one! What'd we do with the other one????
by Mykenk on Dec 1, 2009 5:28 PM CST up reply actions 1 recs
I’m half-expecting Melvin to say that he doesn’t want the draft picks because 2nd rounders are too expensive for small market teams.
Get a ife broseph
He already said something like that
Basically that Larger market teams can be more agressive in the draft due to how much money is tied up in signing bonus’s. So yeah.. it wa s a pro move.
You can cross-post my upcoming arbitration shenanigans post if you'd like
sadly I can only probably do it tomorrow unless I get a bit of time here, won’t get home till 10:30 and I have to write a 3-page paper due tomorrow. So, priorities.
E: George 4 (5, throw, throw, throw, throw).
I'll write your paper for you.
I have college education in me.
"Since baseball is my favorite sport, it's easy to go out and do what I do." --Patrick Swayze
by baumann on Dec 2, 2009 8:56 AM CST via mobile up reply actions
I may be interested.
Although I’m severely biased, and I’ll argue my opinions to a fault.
I don’t have a category for "washed-up guys who may or may not be dominant big-league closers sometime soon."
~Jeff Sackmann
by Charlie Marlow on Dec 1, 2009 10:01 PM CST up reply actions
Good Move, Doug Melvin.
Boras’ clients coming off career years on affordable contracts always turn down lucrative multi-year deals in order to accept arbitration from small market teams.
Well, not this time!
Lame lame lame
From Melvin:
“You would love to have that depth,” Melvin said Monday in previewing his looming decisions. “But is [Lopez] going to want to be a part-time player? He’s going to want to be an everyday player….”
At which point he would turn down arbitration.
"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!"
Lame
“In some sense, you also ask, are you willing to trade the possibility of [acquiring] a pitcher for Felipe Lopez? That’s the question.”
Or, he could turn down arbitration. Or, you could trade him.
Get a ife broseph
Or you could, you know, trade Felipe Lopez for a pitcher...
E: George 4 (5, throw, throw, throw, throw).
Which would be the most likely scenario
I don’t get it at all
E: George 4 (5, throw, throw, throw, throw).
He could be traded or he could turn down arbitration.
The thing about sovereignty is, you’re sovereign.
"Since baseball is my favorite sport, it's easy to go out and do what I do." --Patrick Swayze
by baumann on Dec 2, 2009 8:58 AM CST via mobile up reply actions
EXACTLY
is that induction fail or deduction fail?
If Lopez doesn’t want to be a part time player,
Then he won’t accept arbitration.
Cards Announcers On Gamel's First Career HR, "That’s all they need is another home run hitter".
But there’s a difference between “doesn’t want to be a part time player” and “won’t be a part time player”. Most players will take a paycheck and a backup role over nothing at all.
I think I would have offered arbitration to Lopez, but Doug Melvin probably knows more about the situation than I do, since he’s actually talked to the player and his agent.
by richardhkirkando on Dec 2, 2009 7:30 AM CST up reply actions
You are assuming
He worked the phone.. which he has shown no indication that he even know how to pick up a phone in the off season.
I’m sorry, but that’s just absurd. A lack of moves in no way indicates that he hasn’t been trying. This isn’t a video game, other teams don’t just automatically accept every trade you propose.
by richardhkirkando on Dec 2, 2009 10:45 AM CST up reply actions
In an e-mail to the Free Press, Milwaukee general manager Doug Melvin said he didn’t contact the Tigers about Hardy because they didn’t have what he sought in return.
The Tigers have Edwin Jackson.
What is DM soughting after?
Taking shallowness to new depths -- FtJ's blog
by Fatter than Joey on Dec 2, 2009 10:57 AM CST up reply actions
Thanks
Saved me the trouble of finding the quote.
I wonder what Moneyball would have been like if Melvin was the subject instead of Beane.
And quotes from Melvin would have been filled with the phrase
“and things like that, so…”
Is it just me or is he ALWAYS saying that to fill gaps in his points?
I don’t have a category for "washed-up guys who may or may not be dominant big-league closers sometime soon."
~Jeff Sackmann
by Charlie Marlow on Dec 2, 2009 1:42 PM CST up reply actions
Well, if it's any consolation
We aren’t the only baseball fans disappointed by their team’s choices on arbitration.
Wow
This tells me that GMs around the league, from markets big and small, are very cautious of the market. They must be expecting it to be even worse than last year.
Cards Announcers On Gamel's First Career HR, "That’s all they need is another home run hitter".
Good point
I wonder how the final numbers league-wide shake out as to which Type A/Bs are offered arby
Get a ife broseph
It's divorce related more than anything else
The team is on the market and history has dictated that the only money spent on the roster is to get warm bodies. Even the tiniest chance of having to pay Wolf $10 million couldn’t be taken. If there are a few more cases, I’d say it’s a trend, but the Dodgers are a special case and shouldn’t be taken as an indicator of general market pressure.
TH blog
they didn’t want to commit money to him or worry about signing and trading him.
Yes, heaven forbid Doug Melvin have to worry about finding a team to take a good 2B on a 1-year, $5 mil deal. He makes it sound like the consideration is that poor Doug would have something extra on his agenda in addition to not calling other teams.
E: George 4 (5, throw, throw, throw, throw).
Doug's going green.
It would have been so much more paperwork…. And I hear they’re running out of trees in Canada.
Cards Announcers On Gamel's First Career HR, "That’s all they need is another home run hitter".
...i.e., Cubs fans.
What begins in fear usually ends in folly.
by Ted Simmons Speed Camp on Dec 1, 2009 8:26 PM CST up reply actions
Holy crap.
DM, you are my least favorite human on Earth right now. Well, except for, you know, evil people.
It could be worse
The Cubs not offering arbitration to Harden comes to mind.
And as for Lopez, while I would have offered him arbitration, the possibility of him deciding he could get more in an arbitration hearing (which would take into greater account his 2009 season than other GMs might) than on the open market isn’t unfounded.
Teams with a tight payroll have to be especially shrewd with their commitments; that’s not Melvin whining, that’s just the reality of thing. Then again, this is the same guy who signed Jeff Suppan, Eric Gagne, David Riske, etc., etc.
As a theoretical exercise, assuming Lopez accepts arbitration, who do the Brewers trade him to? The only reason we picked him up last season was because of a season-ending injury to Weeks, and he’ll have a significantly higher salary next year.
Ryan Braun: He loves it.
You don't think they could trade him for nothing on a 1 year, $5-6ish mil contract?
E: George 4 (5, throw, throw, throw, throw).
Somebody like the pirates would take him
knowing that they get a free draft pick at the end of the year……
Cards Announcers On Gamel's First Career HR, "That’s all they need is another home run hitter".
Very likely
But that assumes there is a team in need of a starting 2B during the window of time between Lopez’s arbitration hearing and the start of the season. Nobody is going to trade for him, even if they only give up peanuts, to sit on the bench. And the Brewers financially can’t afford to wait for an opening to appear due to injury or whatever.
I also agree with you though that its probably a moot point because there’s very little chance Lopez would even accept arbitration, but amongst all the bad moves on Melvin’s record this one doesn’t bother me all that much. It’s a very conservative move, but not necessarily a completely stupid move.
The Dodgers or the Cubs, on the otherhand, are just ridiculous. Even in the “worst case” that they ended up getting Harden/Wolf through arbitration, either one of them would easily be tradeable at any point in the season (not to mention the Dodgers/Cubs can take on the extra payroll like the Brewers can’t)
Ryan Braun: He loves it.
by SRB on Dec 1, 2009 6:48 PM CST up reply actions
(Addendum: Though maybe they could also trade him prior to his arbitration hearing. I’m not sure of the rules on how that would work.)
Ryan Braun: He loves it.
by SRB on Dec 1, 2009 6:50 PM CST up reply actions
"It's a very conservative move, but not necessarily a completely stupid move."
I disagree. I think it’s colossally dumb. And worse than that, it’s small time thinking. There’s being conservative with your resources and then there’s being a fucking idiot who appears to be more concerned about making everyone think he has an impossible job than he is actually finding a way to DO that job. He didn’t offer Lopez or Cameron arbitration because he was afraid, and if this team is operating so close to the threshold of disaster that temporarily having to pay Lopez at a rate of 5 million per year, then things are far worse than they would appear financially.
But I don’t believe that. Instead, I think that were Melvin could have seen an asset (Lopez) and an opportunity, he saw a burden. I understand that he can’t throw contracts around will nilly like the Yankees, but you can’t be a successful GM operating out of fear. And to put an even finer point on it, it’s ok to give 12 million to a useless tool like Suppan? Or 6 million to Looper? But even the possibility of paying Lopez 5 million per year is unthinkable?
Bullshit.
Fuck you, Doug. If you’re too scared to exercise good judgment, then get out.
What begins in fear usually ends in folly.
by Ted Simmons Speed Camp on Dec 1, 2009 8:36 PM CST up reply actions 13 recs
I am intrigued by your ideas
And would like to sign up for your newsletter.
by Rubie Q on Dec 1, 2009 9:33 PM CST via mobile up reply actions
Rec'd
Somehow, in situations like this, you always seem to be the guy who nails it.
That's all I've got for you today, unless you're interested in some Chris Capuano/Tom Haudricourt Fan Fiction.
Absolutely
He even places expletives where I wouldn’t necessarily think to.
I don’t have a category for "washed-up guys who may or may not be dominant big-league closers sometime soon."
~Jeff Sackmann
by Charlie Marlow on Dec 1, 2009 10:08 PM CST up reply actions
He's the Alkaline Trio of BrewCrewBall
Cards Announcers On Gamel's First Career HR, "That’s all they need is another home run hitter".
by tcyoung on Dec 1, 2009 10:11 PM CST up reply actions 1 recs
In regards to expletives, yes.
But if I’m TSSC, I might still take some offense to this. :-)
"Since baseball is my favorite sport, it's easy to go out and do what I do." --Patrick Swayze
by baumann on Dec 2, 2009 9:05 AM CST via mobile up reply actions
"Operating out of fear"?
Good luck finding a GM who will risk going $7-8 million over payroll for a possible supplemental pick. Given the decent available 2B market there’s a moderate chance that Lopez thinks he could get more through arbitration (and then be difficult to trade). I have no problem criticizing Doug Melvin, but this isn’t really the move to do it over.
Ryan Braun: He loves it.
by SRB on Dec 1, 2009 9:51 PM CST up reply actions
Its a horse, I know
But it seems like many moves he’s been making that people are really peeved about you either like, or are ‘meh’ on.
That’s fine, I’m just sayin’.
I don’t have a category for "washed-up guys who may or may not be dominant big-league closers sometime soon."
~Jeff Sackmann
by Charlie Marlow on Dec 1, 2009 10:10 PM CST up reply actions
Ned Yost and Jason Kendall are gone, the Brewers fan-base need a new target to direct their ire at and I guess that’s turned into Doug Melvin.
It’s not like I’m the biggest Melvin fan in the world; I think he’s made some of the most ridiculous signings in all of baseball over the last half decade. But I’ll start attacking him if/when he signs Jarrod Washburn to some huge, absurd contract. Not when he makes a perhaps overly-shrewd but justifiable arbitration decision.
Ryan Braun: He loves it.
No, suppan's still around.
And the decision, however justifiable it may be, is wrong. Felipe Lopez would be an asset to this team next year, if, as you say, he’s hard to trade.
We’re going in with a rookie shortstop and a rookie-ish third baseman, neither of which has proven that they’re capable of handling the rigors of a major league schedule. While I hope they do, I’d much rather have a proven veteran spelling Gamel and Escobar a couple times a week (and Weeks when necessary) than go into a season with no real backup in site (at least at SS).
Sure, Lopez deserves a starting role, but with what our team looks like right now, I’d love to have him getting 4 starts a week at 2nd, Short, and 3rd. Then, he’s there when Weeks gets hurt, or when the rookies are struggling in the dog days they’re not used to.
I know he’d never get used like that, but I’m just putting it out there that had he accepted, we could have found a role for him if he was “untradeable” (spoiler alert: he wouldn’t be)
How would Lopez accepting put the team "over payroll?"
Melvin keeps talking about all this nebulous pitching help he’s going to sign, but until that happens the team isn’t over payroll. If Lopez accepts arbitration in spite of the reasons Melvin himself gave suggesting he wouldn’t, then you trade him, trade one of the other infielders, keep him around as a useful guy for the bench (whether he wants to start or not is immaterial at that point), or if having him on the team is that hard to swallow, cut him in spring and pay him $2 million to go away so you can cry once more to Haudricourt and McCalvy about how difficult it is managing not to lose.
What?
Ok, it puts the team over payroll if they want to signing a starting pitcher other than John Halama – which is rightfully Melvin’s main goal this offseason. By the time Lopez’s arbitration hearing is done with, I would hope that the team would be at payroll with two new starting pitchers and other positional needs filled.
And where are they going to trade Lopez, exactly? You can’t just invent trade partners because it’s convenient. Nobody is going to take on Lopez’s arbitration salary to have him as a bench player, and any team that needs a starting 2B (or maybe SS I guess) is going to sign one from the available pool of free agents who are more desirable than Lopez (none of whom were offered arbitration by their teams either, by the way. It has to do with the market, not Melvin’s stupidity…)
Retaining Lopez as a bench player for $6+ million is ridiculous.
Ryan Braun: He loves it.
by SRB on Dec 2, 2009 1:52 PM CST up reply actions
"Retaining Lopez as a bench player for $6+ million is ridiculous."
eh, 2 of our 4 infield starters are making the league minimum. Having Lopez back them up wouldn’t be a terrible investment.
It would absolutely be a terrible investment, but that’s beside the point. The Brewers need to add pitching, they don’t have the luxury of a $6+ million backup.
Ryan Braun: He loves it.
by SRB on Dec 2, 2009 3:57 PM CST up reply actions
Yes, and do you think the Hoffman signing was a good idea (regardless of whether or not you like watching Hoffman as a player)?
Ryan Braun: He loves it.
by SRB on Dec 2, 2009 6:43 PM CST up reply actions
Not if freeing up all the money you can for whatever starting pitching is out there is so incredibly important you can’t even risk offering arbitration to your free agent most likely to decline it. And probably not even without that consideration.
That’s my point. The Hoffman contract is a dumb move by Melvin because the Brewers don’t have the luxury of overpaying for a closer. Which is exactly why the moderate risk of Lopez accepting arbitration is a risk the Brewers don’t have the luxury of taking.
Ryan Braun: He loves it.
by SRB on Dec 2, 2009 8:57 PM CST up reply actions
Point taken.
Although I still think you and Dougie are being alarmists about Lopez. I’ll bet the Vegas odds were at least 2:1 that he would decline.
I don’t have a category for "washed-up guys who may or may not be dominant big-league closers sometime soon."
~Jeff Sackmann
by Charlie Marlow on Dec 2, 2009 10:02 PM CST up reply actions 1 recs
No, it was not a good idea.
I don’t have a category for "washed-up guys who may or may not be dominant big-league closers sometime soon."
~Jeff Sackmann
by Charlie Marlow on Dec 2, 2009 8:16 PM CST up reply actions
You're operating under the assumption he's not tradeable on that contract.
A lot of teams would take that if they didn’t have to give up anything.
E: George 4 (5, throw, throw, throw, throw).
I’m not sure I believe that, and apparently neither does Melvin. Unless a team is in desperate need of a starting 2B like the Brewers were last season, they’re not going to want to take on his contract even if it’s only $5 million (I think through arbitration it could have gone considerably higher). And for the teams that do need starting 2B right now, there are a number of free agent options more desirable than Lopez.
Ryan Braun: He loves it.
by SRB on Dec 2, 2009 8:54 PM CST up reply actions
Don't forget the possibility that the Brewers trade him prior to the arbitration process beginning
Then it would be up to the receiving team to work through the process.
I don’t have a category for "washed-up guys who may or may not be dominant big-league closers sometime soon."
~Jeff Sackmann
by Charlie Marlow on Dec 2, 2009 10:03 PM CST up reply actions
Wait, I'm confused
You can’t just invent trade partners because it’s convenient
So…unless someone’s got insider information about two teams talking, we aren’t supposed to propose trades that seem like a fit?
By the time Lopez’s arbitration hearing is done with
You do realize that Doug Melvin hasn’t been to an arbitration hearing, right? Even with a significantly better player who is also a Scott Boras client. What makes you think it would have started with Lopez?
I don’t have a category for "washed-up guys who may or may not be dominant big-league closers sometime soon."
~Jeff Sackmann
by Charlie Marlow on Dec 2, 2009 3:57 PM CST up reply actions
He very well might have gone to an arbitration hearing
if he didn’t plan on keeping Lopez around. He wouldn’t really care about hurting Lopez’s feelings. Unless he thought it would somehow affect the Prince negotiations.
Cards Announcers On Gamel's First Career HR, "That’s all they need is another home run hitter".
I doubt very much he would have
They’ll either pick the Brewers number, or Lopez’s number. If he thought they’d pick the Brewers’ number, maybe.
It would be more likely they’d settle somewhere just above the mid-point. Since that’s Melvin’s MO.
I don’t have a category for "washed-up guys who may or may not be dominant big-league closers sometime soon."
~Jeff Sackmann
by Charlie Marlow on Dec 2, 2009 4:15 PM CST up reply actions
There's always that
I don’t have a category for "washed-up guys who may or may not be dominant big-league closers sometime soon."
~Jeff Sackmann
by Charlie Marlow on Dec 2, 2009 8:17 PM CST up reply actions
Huh?
It’s not difficult to estimate how much money the Brewers have to spend given their existing commitments and their likely total payroll.
Nor is it difficult to analyze the free agent/trade market and see that there is a moderate chance Lopez could decide to accept arbitration and be difficult to move (which is what GMs do…)
Talking about theoretically trading Lopez without specifying where exactly that trade would occur, on the other hand, is different.
Ryan Braun: He loves it.
by SRB on Dec 2, 2009 6:47 PM CST up reply actions
We're going in circles
You’re operating under the assumption that Lopez is tradeable. But there are only a limited number of teams, where exactly would he be headed (who are the “a lot of teams” that need a starting 2B and are a fit for Lopez – because I don’t buy that anybody would take him on just as a backup)?
Ryan Braun: He loves it.
by SRB on Dec 2, 2009 9:01 PM CST up reply actions
It does seem to be a haphazard approach
We need both a closer and a utility infielder. We’re willing to overpay on the closer, but not on the utility infielder, even though the chances of said utility infielder being on the team when the season starts are pretty small? (I guess it’s worth saying that I don’t have a ton of faith in Trevor Hoffman. Despite last season’s ERA, he sure seemed awfully hittable at times.)
For Lopez to be on the team, all this would have to happen:
1. He’d have to accept arbitration, which is against everything Scott Boras stands for AND not even in his best interest when he wouldn’t be starting.
2. Even if he did, we wouldn’t be able to trade him. This is possible, given the other 2B out there, but again not likely. I mean, he had an OBP over .400 with the Brewers last season. You think Boras isn’t going to play that up? Plus, it’s a one-year deal at a reasonable price. The only possible downside is that he’d be getting $5 million instead of $3 million.
Shooting from the hip, the odds of both of these coming to pass are, what, 10%? And then, worse comes to worst and he accepts and can’t be traded, what do you have? A guy with OBP skills (which we need), filling a position we need filled. (It’s not like we’d be getting a guy to back up Prince Fielder or something.) Plus, given the question marks we have at 2B, SS, and 3B, I’ve argued before that it would make some sense to have an above-average (offensively) utility infielder on the roster.
I understand why Melvin thinks he made the right move. It doesn’t mean it actually was the right move, though. The only reason I’m not complaining about it more is that it makes it more likely that Heether will be on the team next season Woo-hoo!
"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!"
I think there’s a decent chance Boras takes a look at the market, doesn’t see a lot of opportunity to get Lopez a starting job, and decides to accept arbitration. Lopez had a career year in 2009 but he had two atrocious years in 2007 and 2008. GM’s might be more likely to consider those two preceding seasons than an arbitration committee, which are very good at rewarding the past season and ignoring the previous years, and which Scott Boras is very good at squeezing the last penny out of.
A lot of teams probably wouldn’t mind having Lopez on their team, I wouldn’t mind having Lopez on the team – but after his career season a lot of teams also probably know he’s going to be overvalued in 2010. Unless they need him as a starting player, I don’t see why anyone would want to take on his salary to sit on the bench – the Brewers included.
Ryan Braun: He loves it.
by SRB on Dec 3, 2009 3:06 PM CST up reply actions
Melvin's winter plans are...
to winter with Tiger Woods, on the golf course and off.
by PagsBrewCrew on Dec 2, 2009 10:07 PM CST up reply actions
Smoke, ass, etc
But, really TSSC, spot on.
You always seem to neatly package up what I’m thinking. Whereas I tend to ramble and go off on tangents while making my point.
I don’t have a category for "washed-up guys who may or may not be dominant big-league closers sometime soon."
~Jeff Sackmann
by Charlie Marlow on Dec 1, 2009 10:09 PM CST up reply actions
Also, I assume he would have made more than $5-6ish million through arbitration. He was asking for $5.2 million in 2008 after a season in which he posted a .245/.308/.352 with a .957 fielding percentage, and after going to an arbitration hearing was awarded $4.9 million. He got a $1 million raise for a dreadful season. Coming off a career year both offensively and defensively, he could potentially make quite a bit.
Ryan Braun: He loves it.
by SRB on Dec 1, 2009 7:12 PM CST up reply actions
It doesn't matter who you trade him to, or what you trade him for
You offer arbitration based on the assumption that he declines, in which case you would get a very nice draft pick.
If he does accept it, your plan didn’t work out. But that’s OK. You can still trade him. Ideally, you’d like to get something of worth in return, but that’s very unlikely. You could still trade him for a doorknob and at least break even.
So, basically, you offer arbitration, where the best thing that could happen is he declines, and you get a draft pick. The worst that could happen is that you’re back at square 1. THERE’S NO NEGATIVE
Cards Announcers On Gamel's First Career HR, "That’s all they need is another home run hitter".
"which isn't a hell of a lot"
I disagree. Eric Arnett is essentially a supplemental pick. A supplemental pick is the same as a late first rounder or an early second rounder.
Cards Announcers On Gamel's First Career HR, "That’s all they need is another home run hitter".
Actually
If you’re looking for a comparison, Kyle Heckathorn actually is a supplemental round pick.
That's all I've got for you today, unless you're interested in some Chris Capuano/Tom Haudricourt Fan Fiction.
Right.
My point is, though, you probably wouldn’t be able to get a supplemental draft pick. But even if you get nothing, there’s been no harm done.
Cards Announcers On Gamel's First Career HR, "That’s all they need is another home run hitter".
The harm done is called a "Signing Bonus"
And Doug Melvin can’t afford another mouth to feed.
Applying Simpsons and Star Wars quotes to Brewers discussions since 2009.
That's my "So upset at DM I exude sarcasm" comment.
We know that DM doesn’t feed draft picks. He gives them a fishing pole and a bow, then tells them to find their own food.
Applying Simpsons and Star Wars quotes to Brewers discussions since 2009.
Who do the Brewers trade Lopez to?
I heard the Red Sox asked Pedroia to move to short, and he was all for it.
But I think Doug doesn’t like Theo, or something.
I don’t have a category for "washed-up guys who may or may not be dominant big-league closers sometime soon."
~Jeff Sackmann
by Charlie Marlow on Dec 1, 2009 10:05 PM CST up reply actions
wow doug.
wow
"This one means 'Kill Kirk!!!!'... And also, 'hallelujah'... Depending on the context."
also, in keeping with the Picard theme
"This one means 'Kill Kirk!!!!'... And also, 'hallelujah'... Depending on the context."
by trippingandy on Dec 1, 2009 6:40 PM CST up reply actions 4 recs
This one makes me laugh
every time I see it.
"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!"
FDM
I am now fully on board with FDM.com
What a joke to not offer arby to Lopez. That should have been a slam dunk.
I would have even offered arby to to Cameron. Although that would have been a bigger gamble that he would decline or that you could trade him. It is still a gamble I would have taken because at worse we end up with an outfield of Braun, Gomez and Cameron. Not much is falling in that outfield.
There's two levels of disappointment here.
1) As a fan of this team, I’m severely disappointed with what appears to be an obvious step in the wrong direction.
2) I’m also obligated to write about this crap tomorrow morning, which is going to ruin my mood for most of the day.
Medical science says they don’t know what causes an aneurysm. But I know.
That's all I've got for you today, unless you're interested in some Chris Capuano/Tom Haudricourt Fan Fiction.
Slogan for FDM.com:
“Doug Melvin causes aneurysms.”
"Since baseball is my favorite sport, it's easy to go out and do what I do." --Patrick Swayze
by baumann on Dec 2, 2009 9:12 AM CST via mobile up reply actions
I'm getting continually less optimistic about this upcoming season.
My liquor cabinet has been needing a refill for quite some time. I think now is a good time to start. Maybe I should figure out some sort of system on when to drink what.
Cards Announcers On Gamel's First Career HR, "That’s all they need is another home run hitter".
Seconded
BCB, the preferred above replacement level sarcasm supplier.
by MadJimiBrewha on Dec 2, 2009 12:16 AM CST up reply actions
FDM should have a Doug Melvin drinking game.
No arbitration offers? Drink a shot of bourbon for each arbitration eligible player.
Complaining about the unfairness of baseball? Drink a Natural Light (because in a small-market we can’t afford good beer) for every time he says “small-market” or mentions a team whose payroll is over 100 mil.
Applying Simpsons and Star Wars quotes to Brewers discussions since 2009.
Maybe we'd be able to understand what DM's thinking.
Cards Announcers On Gamel's First Career HR, "That’s all they need is another home run hitter".
We should write a letter to Attanasio he'd listen to us surely
But, really Doug? I don’t get it.
battlekow: Bill is having an oppo-gasm
GM by committee!!!
Lets make it happen.
Be cool, and relax. Take a breath, take ten paces back.
The coolest motherfunker on the planet.
by Dikembe Meiztombo on Dec 1, 2009 11:16 PM CST up reply actions
Seriously though
BCB community letter/petition drafted up and sent to Attanasio expressing our grievances or concerns.
Anyone else get the feeling a little more each passing day that letting Zduriencik go was a mistake?
BCB, the preferred above replacement level sarcasm supplier.
by MadJimiBrewha on Dec 2, 2009 12:25 AM CST up reply actions
Absolutely, and I can remember a post before Z left asking who you'd rather have
Most people then wanted to keep Z over Melvin. I wanted to keep Melvin because I felt that he had proven himself to be very shrewd as a GM and Z was an unknown.
Now, though, Melvin seems like a completely different GM. Not sure why but it saddens me.
And, I was relatively serious about the letter. Why not? It can’t hurt and if anything, it could help. Someone like TSSC who is wonderful with words would be a wonderful candidate (yeah I just nominated you). Someone like Jordan who can articulate the statistical analysis of evaluations would be ideal as well. And, like I said, what do we have to lose?
battlekow: Bill is having an oppo-gasm
TSSC is a lawyer
Technically, I think he could draft a legal petition saying that Melvin is insane and unfit to run the Brewers.
“This whole franchise is out of order!!!”
"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!"
One call, that's all?
"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!"
Come on, Mark..
..Don’t drop the ball, make the call.
Cards Announcers On Gamel's First Career HR, "That’s all they need is another home run hitter".
Queen Amidala: "If this body is not capable of action, I suggest new leadership is needed. I move for a Vote of No Confidence in Chancellor Valorum's leadership."
Got to make my signature true.
Applying Simpsons and Star Wars quotes to Brewers discussions since 2009.
by Yar Nivek on Dec 2, 2009 9:24 AM CST up reply actions 2 recs
I'm just gonna rec all of your Star Wars quotes
becuase they’re just awesome. Do you do Monty Python quotes too?
"A D+ Grade? That must have been a Wittardo grade"- @73_MC
by BrewHaHeather on Dec 2, 2009 12:38 PM CST up reply actions
Not yet. I'll look into it.
But I can do Futurama, Family Guy, and quite a bit of Mel Brooks.
Applying Simpsons and Star Wars quotes to Brewers discussions since 2009.
i just want to know
where all the white women at?
by PagsBrewCrew on Dec 2, 2009 10:16 PM CST up reply actions
Smart teams
http://www.draysbay.com/2009/12/1/1181503/tampa-bay-rays-offer-type-b-free
E: George 4 (5, throw, throw, throw, throw).
I suppose
it might not be as awful at first blush to not bring FeLo back.
The Dodgers didn’t offer arby to Orlando Hudson, who is so good that they named a city after him. Although he only plays second, he and FeLo make about the same money, and Hudson is a better player (IMHO).
I don’t know how many teams needs second basemen, but I’d assume it’s only a handful, and that Hudson would be selected before Lopez.
All that said, we still should have offered him arbitration.
"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!"
Placido Polanco denied arbitration as well
Looking at the list of free agents, I could see Hudson/Polanco/DeRosa and maybe even Adam Kennedy all being targeted before Lopez and his likely salary demands. And that’s not even counting guys on the trading block like Uggla.
But then again, Lopez does have position versatility and the SS market is ugly. I’ll be interested to see who he signs with and for how much given his 2009 campaign.
Ryan Braun: He loves it.
by SRB on Dec 2, 2009 1:11 AM CST up reply actions
Lopez is NOT a versatile defender
He sucks at SS.
Taking shallowness to new depths -- FtJ's blog
by Fatter than Joey on Dec 2, 2009 7:57 AM CST up reply actions
Right, but he can play SS and has for most of his career. Teams desperate for a SS might be willing to consider him.
Ryan Braun: He loves it.
by SRB on Dec 2, 2009 1:53 PM CST up reply actions
Ha ha ha
Melvin will be looking for “middle infield depth” at the winter meetings.
"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!"
I think this tells you where Melvin is coming from
“Things are moving a little bit slow, There have been a few signings, and there will be more movement. I think there’s more of a cautious approach to free agency from most clubs this year. It’s concerns about teams’ payrolls, and maybe concerns about decisions that teams have made in the past about free-agent players. That plays into it, too.”
battlekow: Bill is having an oppo-gasm
In other Arby's news
Brian Shouse got offered Arbys and Zaun got offered Arbys even though the Rays declined his option.
Taking shallowness to new depths -- FtJ's blog
by Fatter than Joey on Dec 2, 2009 7:57 AM CST reply actions
Did we offer him Arbitration last year?
Cards Announcers On Gamel's First Career HR, "That’s all they need is another home run hitter".
Yep
and then Shouse told us to pound sand.
Taking shallowness to new depths -- FtJ's blog
by Fatter than Joey on Dec 2, 2009 9:00 AM CST up reply actions
Here's what I don't get
Say Shouse gets $2 million in arbitration. That’s chump change to a major league franchise, even one with a low payroll. In fact, it’s probably even less impactful than average to a well-run team with a low payroll, because they’re not going to be regularly blowing a lot of their payroll on free agents from year to year anyway, especially not free agents where that extra $2 million is going to be worth spending to bring them in. If you’ve got cheap pieces to fill the roles that other teams spend a couple million to fill, you can afford to risk $2 million on a LOOGY that might yield you a draft pick.
Shouse will likely decline
Taking shallowness to new depths -- FtJ's blog
by Fatter than Joey on Dec 2, 2009 9:06 AM CST up reply actions
Wolf not getting arby
Anyone else get the feeling that Melvin is going to make a hard push for him, resulting in 2 likely scenarios:
1. He gets in a bidding war with someone (quite possibly himself) and ends up signing him do a deal that is most likely 1 year longer than it should be for a couple million more than it should be.
OR
2. He gets in a bidding war with some bigger* market team and throws an offer out there that is big, but not big enough to get it done, leading to the inevitable the system doesn’t work, we need a salary cap because we just can’t compete with the bigger market teams.
*I really hope for the fun of it the bigger market team ends up being a not so big market team like the Reds or someone.
BCB, the preferred above replacement level sarcasm supplier.
I dont think so....
Melvin will bitch a lot though,…
Taking shallowness to new depths -- FtJ's blog
by Fatter than Joey on Dec 2, 2009 9:02 AM CST up reply actions
Say No To Overpaying For Randy Wolf!
He might just be the best #4 on the market!
I don’t have a category for "washed-up guys who may or may not be dominant big-league closers sometime soon."
~Jeff Sackmann
by Charlie Marlow on Dec 2, 2009 10:04 AM CST up reply actions
We've overpaid for #4's who weren't the best on the market before, though.
Overpaying for the best one would be a baby step in the right direction.
Did you see Wolf's 2009 BABIP?
I don’t have a category for "washed-up guys who may or may not be dominant big-league closers sometime soon."
~Jeff Sackmann
by Charlie Marlow on Dec 2, 2009 1:43 PM CST up reply actions
Blue Jays
The Blue Jays offered arb to Scutoro, and then went ahead and said that they doubt he’ll accept. They even went on to say that if he did accept, he’ll play in the outfield.
This is what Melvin should have done. Made it clear to Lopez that he wouldn’t have a starting job if he accepted.
Cards Announcers On Gamel's First Career HR, "That’s all they need is another home run hitter".
I almost typed the Blu Jays
Which makes me wonder. If they ever move to a particularly tech savvy city, or combined with Tampa Bay, would they change their name to the BluRays?
Cards Announcers On Gamel's First Career HR, "That’s all they need is another home run hitter".
I wonder what message this sends
What message does this send to the players that he will now be courting as free agents (this mythical batch of unclaimed bargain starting pitchers somewhere that no one else sees)? Does it make signing with Milwaukee more or less appealing for them and their agents?
I thought the one redeeming quality of the Suppan signing was that it proved that Milwaukee had a wallet, even if it was hard to find. It was an expensive way to prove the club cared at all about free agency, but it was a start.
What does this move do?
The Suppan signing didn't prove anything to other players.
Especially since it limited the amount we were able to offer them. If you want to prove to, say, John Lackey, that you have a wallet, make a big offer to John Lackey. He probably doesn’t care how much we’re paying other players.
Cards Announcers On Gamel's First Career HR, "That’s all they need is another home run hitter".
Lopez
Not only do I think they should’ve offered him arbitration, but I think they should’ve gone as far as resigning him with the intent on giving him the starting 2B job. There’s no guarantee that Weeks is going to come back hitting like he did last season. Last time he had this injury it took him a whole season to recover.
Lopez may not have the speed/range or power that Weeks has, but he sure makes turning a DP look much less “exciting” than Weeks… Lopez doesn’t skip the ball to first every other time.
Plus
he matches Weeks’s main offensive value, getting on base.
"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!"
Except for the fact that his 2009 OBP was more than 30 points better than his previous career best, and that he put up an OBP of .308 over 671 PA in 2007
Ryan Braun: He loves it.
by SRB on Dec 3, 2009 3:01 PM CST up reply actions
Here is Weeks’ OBP over the past five seasons:
2009 – .340 (only 162 PAs)
2008 – .342
2007 – .374
2006 – .363
2005 – .333
Here is Lopez’s OBP over the same time:
2009 – .383
2008 – .343
2007 – .308
2006 – .358 (714 PAs)
2005 – .352
2007 was one of Lopez’s worst hitting seasons in recent history. In addition to his .308 OBP, he only had a .245 BA… sadly that’s almost matches Weeks’ career BA.
In addition, Lopez gives them the flexibility of having a switch-hitter in the lineup.
They've both had very positive OBPs over the last 5 years
However, Lopez is doing it by hitting the baseball. Weeks is doing it by walking. A hit is more productive than a walk, therefore, Lopez’s OBP is more valuable than Weeks’s’s’s.
Cards Announcers On Gamel's First Career HR, "That’s all they need is another home run hitter".
The impact is not nearly as much as you'd think it is
Maybe a run or two on average over the course of a year.
E: George 4 (5, throw, throw, throw, throw).
Really?
I have a hard time believing that. A hit will drive in a runner on 3B and possibly 2B. A walk will only drive in a run if the bases are loaded.
But how many times do batters come to the plate with a runner on third (or second) without the bases loaded?
And then how many times does the batter get a hit in those situations? In his career, Lopez has come up to bat in those situations 909 times. The .022 difference in career batting average between him and Weeks works out to 20 more hits.
Weeks’ higher career OBP means the inning was extended longer, possibly resulting in more runs depending on how the batter behind him performed (a walk with 12- or 1-3 followed by a hit scores two rather than one, etc.). Start chipping away at those 20 more hits and there aren’t many left per year.
If the OBPs are the same, then take the guy with a higher average. But that’s hardly a slam-dunk case here, especially when you consider Weeks has more power.
but in that situation
a hit scores 1 run, 100% of the time. And then Lopez the inning is prolonged, and another hit will still score the second run, 1/3 of the time.
The value of ‘risk’ is higher than that of a walk:
(1 * 1.0) + (1 * 0.333) = a value of 1.333.
A walk still requires a hit in order to score 2 runs, let alone 1.
2 * 0.333 = a value of .667.
In that situation, the value of a hit is twice as high as a walk, because the 1 run is guaranteed to score, and the second run still has the same probability of scoring as a walk.
Cards Announcers On Gamel's First Career HR, "That’s all they need is another home run hitter".
dunno...
maybe it’s something to do with a BABIP+HR thing
If the count is 3-0 and the next pitch is borderline, do you take a swipe at the ball, put it in play and hope for a hit (which will happen ~30% of the time) or take it and hope for a walk. I’ll say (without actually looking up any data to support my supposition) that you can take a walk off a 3-0 through 3-2 count about 70% of the time.
Therefore, the value of taking that pitch is .7 * whatever the run value of the walk is…vs hacking away is .3 * whatever the run value of a hit is. So, that makes ’em a bit more equal.
From a 0-0 count, I’d still take the chance at a hit, rather than hoping to milk a walk.
by PagsBrewCrew on Dec 6, 2009 12:39 PM CST up reply actions
But then you have the risk of a double play in some situations and so on
We’re not talking a lot of opportunities here either way.
I'm saying that the player surely got a hit, or surely walked.
Cards Announcers On Gamel's First Career HR, "That’s all they need is another home run hitter".
TheJay is clearly concerned about the
throw the runner out at home, throw the batter out trying to stretch a double/triple double-play possibility.
Yeah, but that doesn't always happen
Lopez might get a hit, bring in a run, and wind up on base for the next guy 20 more times out of 900, and bring in a few more runs than walking and putting a runner on base. But Weeks having a higher OBP balances that out over the other 75+% of PA, or at least makes it less than a slam dunk that Lopez is better because his batting average is a few ticks higher. Add in the fact Weeks has more power and it’s even closer.
In the small subset where a walk doesn’t bring in a run but a hit does, you want the guy with the higher batting average. Overall, take the guy with the higher OBP.
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