Some things to read while trying out new adventures with cheese.

Easily the biggest news of the day: the JS, USA Today and The Official Site are all reporting that the Brewers are still in the hunt for CC Sabathia following a recent meeting with his representatives. Two-Fisted Slopper likes the deal if it has an opt-out clause, and UmpBump thinks the Brewers need to go all in. Meanwhile, there's varying reports on whether or not Sabathia said he wants to be a Dodger and the likelihood he'll get an offer from the Giants.

Meanwhile, Ben Sheets is in Vegas looking for work as well. He's already met with the Yankees and Rangers. Rumor has it the Yankees are ready to offer him a two-year deal, but the Rangers are still trying to figure out if they can afford him.

Yesterday I noted that the Brewers had been mentioned as a team that might be interested in trading for Adrian Beltre, and I said there were worse options out there. One of those options is giving significant playing time to Mike Lamb, who re-signed yesterday. Ken Rosenthal speculated that the Brewers may be willing to trade Bill Hall now that Lamb is back, but Hall is one of Sabathia's 1000 best friends.

If you're curious how Hall moves to his left defensively, or really how any major leaguer moves in any direction in pursuit of any type of hit, Baseball Musings has uploaded defensive charts for the 2008 season.

On prospects: Baseball Prospectus has ranked their top 11 Brewer prospects, with Alcides Escobar coming in at #1. Meanwhile, Ken Rosenthal says the Brewers are not willing to trade Escobar for available closers Bobby Jenks or J.J. Putz.

FanFoodie is a new blog devoted to profiling and uncovering the secrets of great ballpark food. Be sure to check out their story on Secret Stadium Sauce.

Even on minimal sleep, I can see the transition from Secret Stadium Sauce to the Hot Stove...

Blue Jays: Could be in the group of teams looking to sign Rafael Furcal.
Cardinals: Were not in the group of teams looking to sign A.J. Burnett after all.
Dodgers: Have signed Mark Loretta and may be close to re-signing Casey Blake. Also may consider non-tendering Takashi Saito amidst lingering concerns about his elbow.
Giants: Reportedly offered Derrick Turnbow a minor league deal, but he's looking for something guaranteed.
Mariners: Signed Chris Shelton to a minor league deal.
Mets: Are reportedly close to signing Francisco Rodriguez to a three year deal.
Tigers: Signed Adam Everett to a one year, $1 million deal. May also be interested in trading for J.J. Putz.

I'm no fan of Scott Boras, but I don't think this one is his fault: Corey Patterson has dumped Boras and picked out new representation. I'm sure that's what was keeping the .205/.238/.344 hitting outfielder from getting work.

Also, remember Matt Childers? Yes, TheJay, I know you do...anyone else? Beerleaguer is reporting the former Brewer, who spent 2008 in the Phillies organization, is headed to Japan.

Oh, and today is a Woot-off day. This could be your last chance to buy cheap electronic junk before Christmas. Shop accordingly.

Drink up.

Some things to read while protecting your mate from unwanted advances.

So you've probably heard that CC Sabathia, Ben Sheets and Brian Shouse all declined arbitration over the weekend. In fact, of the 24 free agents offered arbitration, 22 declined. Bleeding Blue and Teal thinks the Mariners should target Shouse, but as noted below, the Mariners appear to be targeting the entire Brewers organization.

Bleeding Blue and Teal also has the Brewers as a potential 2009 destination for 3B Adrian Beltre. There are worse options out there.

How's your fastball? The Junkball Blues takes a look at the fastball of Ben Sheets, CC Sabathia, Seth McClung and a host of other Brewers.

Here's today's Sabathia Smorgasbord:

• You've likely heard this one, as Jon Heyman and several other outlets are reporting the Brewers are expected to upgrade their offer to Sabathia, perhaps to include a sixth season.
• Could the Red Sox be a player? MLB Trade Rumors says team officials will meet with Sabathia. Ian Browne of MLB.com downplayed the possibility anything could happen.
• Bill Hall says 5 years/$100 million might be enough to keep Sabathia around.
• Dayn Perry says Mark Teixiera will be a much less risky signing for his eventual team.

FanGraphs thinks the Brewers got a pretty good deal on Jorge Julio, based on his projections for 2009.

We've been talking for months about the possibility of Mike Cameron moving to New York, but I don't know if we've ever discussed the possibility that he could be a Met.

Are you craving more minor league discussion? John Sickels is getting ready to release his list of the top 20 Brewer prospects. Click the link to go discuss your favorite prospects.

Speaking of prospects, TheJay has continued the series over at Recondite Baseball by making leaderboards for errors in AA, giving me the opportunity to point out that Chris Errecart (1B), Mike Bell (2B), Mat Gamel (3B) and Cole Gillespie (OF) were all among the leaders.

So, with the Winter Meetings almost over, the next deadline is Friday, when teams could non-tender players for 2009. MLB Trade Rumors has a list of candidates, including Chris Capuano. Elsewhere on the hot stove:

Angels: Francisco Rodriguez, Mark Teixiera and Jon Garland all declined arbitration, but Darren Oliver accepted.
Astros: Signed Matt Kata to a minor league deal.
Athletics: The team reportedly offered Rafael Furcal a four year deal, but will move on to other targets now that he's rejected it.
Blue Jays: A.J. Burnett declined arbitration. Joe DelGrippo says his mechanics make him a high injury risk.
Braves: Team officials sound pretty optimistic about John Smoltz's chances to return in 2009 after watching him throw off a mound this weekend. They're also aggressively pursuing Raul Ibanez at the winter meetings.
Cardinals: May still be in the running for Jake Peavy after all. They're also showing interest in A.J. Burnett.
Cubs: Signed former Brewer C Mark Johnson and two others to minor league deals.
D-Backs: Brandon Lyon declined arbitration and is likely headed elsewhere. With him and Adam Dunn gone, the team might have money to re-sign Randy Johnson after all.
Dodgers: Manny Ramirez, Derek Lowe and Casey Blake all declined arbitration. Also, Joe Torre downplayed a rumor that Andy Pettitte could come to LA.
Giants: Are downplaying their interest in several big-ticket free agents, but especially Manny Ramirez.
Indians: Signed Tomo Ohka to a minor league deal.
Mariners: The team has to be hoping one of the jilted suitors for Pirates SS Jack Wilson will turn their attention to Yuniesky Betancourt. Also, Raul Ibanez declined arbitration.
Mets: Oliver Perez declined arbitration.
Rangers: The team may be looking to trim payroll, which I guess makes them a less likely suitor for Ben Sheets. Also, Milton Bradley declined arbitration.
Red Sox: Jason Varitek declined arbitration.
Reds: Re-signed Mike Lincoln to a two-year deal. Also, they may or may not have reached a deal to trade Homer Bailey to the White Sox for Jermaine Dye, depending on which source you believe, and David Weathers accepted arbitration.
Rockies: Brian Fuentes declined arbitration.
Tigers: Have reportedly reached a deal to acquire C Gerald Laird from the Rangers. They could also be looking to sign Kerry Wood.

Obviously, we're still a while away from knowing which players made the Hall of Fame on the BBWAA ballot, but Dugout Central is reporting Joe Torre, Dick Allen and Ron Santo will be elected by the Veterans' Committee. UPDATE: THEY'RE WRONG. Meanwhile, Dan Plesac, one of three former Brewers on the BBWAA ballot, has accepted a job with the new MLB Network. He'll get to play in their new mini stadium.

I'm still somewhat behind the curve on defensive metrics, although I'm trying to learn. If you're also learning, you should probably check out Dave Cameron's post on the goals and limitations of defensive stats.

We'll always have enough Tigers, Lions, Bears and Wildcats, so I for one applaud the voters for renaming the Winston-Salem baseball team The Dash.

In what can only be considered good news for the game, baseball continues to become more of a global sport. Just this offseason, the Pirates have signed players from South Africa and India, and the Rays are opening an academy in Brazil.

Meanwhile, if you're looking for a job that pays next to nothing a little closer to home, the Brewers are hiring interns.

Oh, and this doesn't work. Trust a voice of experience.

Drink up.

Some things to read while watching out for giant inflatable bears.

If you're wondering where today's Winter League Update went, there isn't one. Everyone was off yesterday. The Update will be back tomorrow.

There are 74 more days until pitchers and catchers report, but only four more to vote in the BCB Reader Survey. Please take a moment to do so, if you haven't already.

As noted below, the Brewers offered arbitration to CC Sabathia, Ben Sheets and Brian Shouse yesterday, but declined to offer it to Eric Gagne. If Sabathia or Sheets sign with another team, the Brewers get one of thier draft picks (either in the bottom half of the first round or the top of the second), and a pick between the first and second rounds. If Shouse signs with another team, the Brewers just get a pick between the first and second rounds. Gagne is free to sign with anyone, no compensation required.

Also, as noted in the FanShots, the Brewers signed former Braves 1B Scott Thorman to a minor league deal and invited him to spring training. Barring some sort of emergency, he likely won't appear above AAA in 2009.

Are you craving more CC Sabathia links? Rob Neyer wonders if Sabathia's weight and the New York media's tendencies to make fun of overweight athletes might make the Yankees a bad fit for the 290 lb lefty. Meanwhile, Peter Gammons is suggesting the Angels may court him by taking him to Del Taco.

Now, a moment to focus on Jason Kendall's defense. Beyond the Box Score says he saved 4.86 runs this season by blocking pitches, the third most in all of baseball. Kendall's actual block percentage is lower than a handful of other catchers, but Kendall saved more runs based on increased opportunity.

Via Rattler Radio, I noticed that MILB.com has started their Top 50 prospects list, and Jeremy Jeffress is #44. There's a joke here about being high on Jeffress, but I'll pass. Prospects 31-40 are due out today.

This year's Hall of Fame voters will see the smallest ballot ever, with only 23 players eligible for induction. Among ten first time candidates are former Brewers Jesse Orosco, Dan Plesac and Greg Vaughn.

Lots of arbitration news, and some other stuff on the hot stove today:

Angels: Offered arbitration to Francisco Rodriguez, Mark Teixiera, Darren Oliver and Jon Garland, but not Garret Anderson.
Astros: Signed Mike Hampton to a one year deal.
Blue Jays: Offered arbitration to A.J. Burnett but not Gregg Zaun.
Braves: Declined to offer arbitration to John Smoltz.
Cardinals: Declined to offer arbitration to Russ Springer, Braden Looper and Jason Isringhausen.
Cubs: Declined to offer arbitration to Kerry Wood.
D-Backs: Offered arbitration to Orlando Hudson, Juan Cruz and Brandon Lyon, but not to Adam Dunn or Randy Johnson.
Dodgers: Offered arbitration to Manny Ramirez, Derek Lowe and Casey Blake but declined to offer it to Joe Beimel, Greg Maddux, Brad Penny and Jeff Kent.
Giants: Declined to offer arbitration to Rich Aurilia.
Marlins: Declined to offer arbitration to Luis Gonzalez, Paul Lo Duca and Arthur Rhodes. They may also be looking to trade Matt Treanor.
Mets: Offered arbitration to Oliver Perez but not Luis Ayala or Moises Alou. They also signed C Rene Rivera.
Padres: Declined to offer arbitration to Trevor Hoffman.
Phillies: Declined to offer arbitration to Pat Burrell and Jamie Moyer. They also expressed interest in Mark Loretta.
Rangers: Offered arbitration to Milton Bradley.
Reds: Offered arbitration to David Weathers and extended an offer to Arthur Rhodes.
Rockies: Offered arbitration to Brian Fuentes.
Royals: Offered arbitration to Mark Grudzielanek.
Tigers: Declined to offer arbitration to Edgar Renteria.
Twins: Offered arbitration to Dennys Reyes.
White Sox: Offered arbitration to Orlando Cabrera, but not to Ken Griffey, Toby Hall or Juan Uribe.
Yankees: Declined to offer arbitration to all eight of their free agents, including Andy Pettitte, Bobby Abreu, Jason Giambi and Chad Moeller.

If you want to check my work or see all this information nicely color coded, Amazin' Avenue has you covered.

Also, the Hanshin Tigers have reportedly agreed to a deal with Kevin Mench.

On a sad note, Blue Jays owner Ted Rogers has passed away. He was 75.

Fire Brand of the American League recently interviewed Peter Gammons, and of course they asked him what he thinks of blogs. His response is moderately incoherent and rambles off onto a tangent, but I think it's possible he likes blogs...maybe?

Oh, and it took Kirbir and I, working together, an hour and a half to beat this game yesterday. Can you do better? I never would have gotten out of the bathroom without her.

Drink up.

Here are some things to read while waiting for Monday's Mug.

So you may have heard that Ken Macha is the new manager of the Milwaukee Brewers. Reaction from around the web:

• In-Between Hops has some stats showing Macha's tendencies. The Cliff's Notes version: don't expect a lot of base stealing, pinch hitting or sac bunts. I'm ok with most of that. My question, though, is whether those stats are a function of Macha's management style or the environment in which he worked in Oakland.
• Two-Fisted Slopper also uses the numbers to develop an expectation of what's to come.
• The JS Blog has audio from the press conference.
• If you like knowing what was said at press conferences but don't actually like to listen to things, Al also chronicled it for you.
• Ken Rosenthal notes some problems Macha had with his veteran players in Oakland. The Brewers downplay it in this link.
• View From Bernie's Chalet likes the contrast between Macha and Ned Yost.
• The Brew Town Beat likes the move as well, but raises some questions about Macha's relationships and his aversion to small ball.

So now, the next question: what about Mike Maddux? Baseball Musings is reporting that Mike Maddux and Rick Peterson are both considering the jobs in Milwaukee and Texas, and the only question is who ends up where.

We're probably going to hear a bunch of stories like this for a while: "So, now that the Mariners have a GM that used to work for the Brewers, does that mean they'll trade for (Brewer)?" Today's name in the blank is J.J. Hardy. I'm not sure the Mariners could offer anything in return that would be interesting enough for me to be happy about the trade.

Of course, there is still a hole at third base. Beyond the Box Score says Russell Branyan was the 20th best third baseman in 2008, generating 11 runs with his bat and saving 2 in the field. Bill Hall doesn't crack the top 25.

Eric Seidman of FanGraphs has been compiling a list of his favorite highlights from this season. His #1 highlight is CC Sabathia. I think an awful lot of us agree.

Sabathia was not one of the five Brewers who filed for free agency yesterday, on the first day of fifteen when it's allowed. I've always felt like filing that early creates the feeling that you can't wait to run out the door. If you haven't read it yet, the five Brewers who did file yesterday were Eric Gagne, Gabe Kapler, Mike Lamb, Ben Sheets and Brian Shouse. Here are some other players that filed for free agency yesterday:

Angels: Mark Teixiera, Garret Anderson, Jon Garland
Braves: Will Ohman, Greg Norton, Julian Tavarez
Cardinals: Braden Looper, Cesar Izturis, Felipe Lopez, Jason LaRue, Ron Villone, Russ Springer
Dodgers: Manny Ramirez, Joe Beimel, Casey Blake, Derek Lowe, Greg Maddux
Marlins: Paul Lo Duca
Mets: Oliver Perez, Damion Easley, Matt Wise
Nationals: Chad Cordero, Ryan Wagner, Pete Orr
Padres: Trevor Hoffman
Reds: Jeremy Affeldt, Mike Lincoln
Twins: Eddie Guardado, Nick Punto, Dennys Reyes

UPDATE: Cubs Ryan Dempster, Jim Edmonds, Chad Fox and Bob Howry filed too.

Also, the White Sox declined Ken Griffey's option and the Tigers declined theirs on Edgar Renteria, so they're free agents too.

One trade has already been made: the Royals acquired 1B Mike Jacobs from the Marlins for RP Leo Nunez. Jacobs has above average power but a sub-.300 OBP.

Finally, how many players that can't handle the glove are in the Brewers' farm system? TheJay noted today that Brendan Katin posted a .926 fielding percentage in AAA this season, in the outfield. How is that possible?

Drink up.