Thursday's Frosty Mug

Some things to read while filling up.

Dale Sveum's offseason adventure might be drawing to a close this morning. The Cubs have reportedly offered their managerial job to him, although he has yet to accept (FanShot). Rumor has it he's waiting to hear back from the Red Sox, but their ownership has derailed their search by requesting a manager with major league experience. Jack Moore more or less summed up my feelings:

Maybe the Brewers will miss Sveum, but I just can't think of much tangible impact the guy had on the organization. Felt he was just "there."

The Hall of Very Good talked to Darryl Hamilton about Sveum, his former teammate.

Elsewhere in managerial notes, as expected Ron Roenicke finished second in the voting for NL Manager of the Year (FanShot). Roenicke received three first place votes but was ranked second on 25 ballots.

If this week is any indication, this offseason's biggest Brewer stories might involve contract extensions, not trades or free agent signings. MLB Trade Rumors reports the Brewers are discussing the possibility of extending Shaun Marcum, Zack Greinke and possibly John Axford this winter.

Ron Roenicke and Mark Attanasio both met with reporters at the Pfister yesterday to discuss this week's changes to the Brewer roster and the work that remains to be done. Attanasio seemed to imply that Casey McGehee will be back, while Roenicke stressed the important roles Craig Counsell and Mark Kotsay played on last year's team. The Official Site has video of Attanasio's comments.

Beyond that, there's not much going on. Let's move on to the Prince Fielder notes:

• Grant Brisbee of Baseball Nation predicts Fielder will get seven years and $161 million from the Rangers.
• Howie Magner's gut still predicts Fielder will end up in Seattle.
  

Elsewhere in free agency, the Brewers met yesterday with agent Barry Meister, who represents Clint Barmes. Chris Cwik of FanGraphs says Barmes is "Mr. Popular" this winter.

Jon Heyman reports that interest is also starting to pick up for Francisco Rodriguez. Heyman rates him behind Ryan Madson and Heath Bell, but ahead of Francisco Cordero.

Meanwhile, the trade market will probably heat up at some point. Nick Prill of The Brewers Bar has a look at the pros and cons that could come from the Brewers trading Randy Wolf.

So what do you think will happen this winter? Vince from Miller Park Drunk has a set of predictions for you to consider.

Who knew assigning a nickname was this hard? A second attempt to give away the moniker "Interrobang" at NotGraphs proved unsuccessful, so Dayn Perry needs your help deciding what to do next. Perry also has a picture of Bob Uecker's plaque at the Wisconsin Meat Industry Hall of Fame.

Everyone else is talking about this, so I guess I might as well mention it: Chad Harbach, Wisconsin native and author of The Art Of Fielding, wrote a piece for Grantland about Game 6 of the NLCS (FanShot). Some people really seemed to enjoy it, but I bailed after two paragraphs. Your results may vary.

In Arizona, 2011 first round pick Jed Bradley wrapped up his AFL season yesterday. He allowed two runs on four hits, walking one and striking out three in Peoria's 4-3 win over Scottsdale, and you can read more about the performance in today's Winter League Notes.

Bradley finished AFL play with a 6.48 ERA over five outings (two starts), walking four and striking out eight in 8.1 innings. Here's what Adam Foster of Project Prospect had to say about him:

I'm impressed with Jed Bradley's FB movement, command and ability to keep the ball done (sic) in the zone.

Early exit for Jed Bradley. He was sharp but hittable tonight. He's not going to overpower guys, but he'll pick some apart.

Elsewhere in the minors:

• John Steinmiller is still in Arizona witnessing the final days of the AFL. Yesterday he interviewed Zelous Wheeler and shot these videos of Jed Bradley and Brandon Kintzler in action.
• Not pictured: Kentrail Davis had a double and a triple and scored two of Peoria's four runs yesterday.
• Seedlings to Stars has a post on Scooter Gennett, who will likely finish second in the AFL batting race.
• @Mass_Haas found a pretty impressive video of outs Helena pitcher Alex Jones recorded in 2011.
• This morning I failed miserably at the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers' Spot the Difference challenge. Maybe you'll do better?
  

Elsewhere in Arizona: Manny Parra threw a bullpen session yesterday. John Steinmiller has video of that, too.

Our player-by-player look at the 2011 Brewers continued yesterday with this profile of LaTroy Hawkins. As you can probably tell I'm well behind schedule today, but we'll have another profile later this afternoon.

Around baseball:

Astros: Removed catcher Carlos Corporan from their 40 man roster. He will be a free agent.
Blue Jays: Claimed pitcher Cole Kimball off waivers from the Nationals.
Cardinals: Named former assistant hitting coach Mike Aldrete their new bench coach and Chris Maloney their first base coach.
Diamondbacks: Signed infielder Rusty Ryal to a minor league deal.
Giants: Signed outfielder Gregor Blanco to a minor league deal.
Phillies: Are expected to re-sign catcher Brian Schneider.
Twins: Re-signed pitcher Phil Dumatrait to a minor league deal.

Today in former Brewers: Mark Kotsay's new deal with the Padres is official. Here's what he had to say about his time in Milwaukee:

"We had a special club," Kotsay said of the Brewers. "But at this point, all signs pointed to coming back to San Diego. It's tied to multiple things -- my family is here and it gives me a chance to be part of an organization that's growing."

Today in baseball economics: The Dodgers spent $104.1 million on player salaries last season, but that number is expected to dip below $100 million this season.

It's funny because it's true: Grant Brisbee of Baseball Nation found a Youtube video that serves as an excellent metaphor for a lot of the internet's baseball chatter.

This, however, isn't funny. Juan Francisco of the Reds became the latest victim of crime in Venezuela as he was robbed at gunpoint by men dressed as police yesterday.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going back to following beat writers.

Drink up.