Some things to read while pondering the silver lining of the economic situation.

So the NL Cy Young Award will be announced today. Landon Evanson of Bugs & Cranks and Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch both list the argument for CC Sabathia among their points to consider. Goold's post includes a poll, if you're into such things. Baseball Musings has Sabathia third on their imaginary ballot.

Speaking of Sabathia, the JS asked a sports economist at Vanderbilt to estimate how much money Sabathia will get this offseason. The guess: 5 years, $20-25 million. I fully expect the Yankees to have blown that figure out of the water by Friday afternoon, and the Angels and Dodgers could do it as well. Meanwhile, CC is packing up his stuff and waiting to see where he's headed next.

Yesterday, Geovany Soto and Evan Longoria won the NL and AL Rookie of the Year Awards, respectively. As they do annually, the BBWAA did something to lead us to believe they're incapable of handling this task. This year, three writers put Reds SP Edinson Volquez on their ballot despite the fact that he's not a rookie.

The Junkball Blues has six questions about young players on the Brewers and their ability to stop regression in 2009.

Two of those young players, J.J. Hardy and Ryan Braun, made Beyond the Box Score's list of the top 50 players in 2008. Hardy is also the subject of very vague trade mumblings involving the Twins.

Another one of those young players is Corey Hart, who rated slightly below average as a defensive right fielder. The Brewers ranked 18th as a team in right field defense.

Baseball Digest Daily says the Brewers have had the fourth best offseason so far. Apparently acquiring Casey McGehee carries a lot of weight. Hiring Bruce Seid as the new amateur scouting director wasn't mentioned.

So two weeks ago, Rick Peterson was mentioned as a possible candidate for the Brewers' pitching coach vacancy, but later dismissed as an option and the team hired Bill Castro from within. Buried, literally in the last paragraph of this Ken Rosenthal column, is a note that sheds some light on the situation:

It's been a few days, I guess, since we've talked about Gabe Kapler. For those of you who felt Kapler could have been a cheap option to replace Mike Cameron, here's something worth noting: Beyond the Box Score estimates his value for 2009 at $6.69 million. I doubt he'll get that, but $4-5 million wouldn't surprise me at all.

Two other awards to announce today: Chris Cody, who split the season between West Virginia and Brevard County and now is pitching in Hawai'i, has been named the Brewers Organizational Pitcher of the Year. Also, Doug Melvin will receive the Nice Guy Award at the annual Red Smith banquet in January in Appleton.

Speaking of Appleton, Chris Mehring of Rattler Radio is already getting excited about the projected Timber Rattlers roster for 2009.

In hot stove news, two trades went through yesterday. First, the A's acquired Matt Holliday from the Rockies for a package including Huston Street, SP Greg Smith and OF Carlos Gonzalez. The A's are now allowed to ring-rang a dong for Matt Holliday. Meanwhile, the Rockies may be looking to flip Huston Street.

Also, the Marlins traded Scott Olsen and Josh Willingham to the Nationals for infielder Emilio Bonifacio and two young prospects.

Elsewhere on the stove:

Angels: Have reportedly decided not to pursue free agent Francisco Rodriguez.
D-Backs: Are reportedly expressing interest in former Astro (and Brewer) Mark Loretta.
Padres: Reportedly withdrew their offer to Trevor Hoffman.

In other news, the Mariners have scheduled initial interviews with seven candidates for their vacant managerial position. Neither Ned Yost nor Willie Randolph are on the list. That could mean they're not candidates, but Chuckie Hacks wonders if Yost is getting a first round bye since he's worked with Zduriencik before. The same thing is possible for Willie Randolph, who interviewed with the Brewers while Zduriencik was still there.

Oh, and Friday is Make Someone Feel Uncomfortable Day. If you really want to do a good job, you should probably start preparing now.

Drink up.

Welcome back to fun time.

Let's open today with a Sabathia Smorgasbord. MLB Trade Rumors is reporting that the Brewers are expecting a counteroffer from CC Sabathia, once he's received offers from other teams. I was worried that counteroffer had come early when I saw this story claiming the Brewers had offered Sabathia $147 million. Turns out the story was from a newspaper in Australia, and $100 million American is about $147 million Australian.

Buster Olney says the Giants, who still owe about $100 million to Barry Zito, should pursue Sabathia anyway. Dodger Thoughts takes a look at Sabathia's workload. Beyond the Box Score thinks Sabathia is worth $26 million next season.

In the previous link, Beyond the Box Score rates Ben Sheets' value for 2008 at $14 million. He doesn't earn a penny of that by getting hit by pitches, however, as Recondite Baseball notes that Sheets has the tenth most plate appearances of any active pitcher who's never been plunked. It's probably a good thing he hasn't: a bruise in the wrong place could sideline Sheets for months.

If you missed the news over the weekend, the Brewers have hired Willie Randolph to serve as bench coach and promoted Bill Castro to pitching coach. I did a two-part profile on 2009 Brewer coaches over the weekend, and have a third post lined up for around noon today. Also, the New York Times notes that Randolph can get out of his deal with the Brewers if he gets the opportunity to manage the Mariners.

It's already time to take a look into the crystal ball for 2009. Beyond the Box Score has "Marcel" leaderboards for 2009. I use the quotes because the Marcels are Tangotiger's prediction tool and he didn't actually sign off on these numbers. With that said, the predictions have Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun tied for third in baseball in home runs, Braun fifth and Fielder tenth in slugging, Braun sixth and Fielder eighth in isolated power, and Fielder and Braun tied for tenth in RAA. On the pitching side, CC Sabathia projects to lead baseball in innings pitched, finish fourth in ERA and second in strikeouts.

Three notes on Mike Cameron today: First, Baseball Musings' Probabilistic Model of Range ranks Brewer centerfielders eighth in all of baseball in 2008, but ranks Cameron slightly below average, at 99.16. The Boston Herald is reporting the Yankees are not optimistic about being able to acquire Mike Cameron. And, in a somewhat related note, Baseball Musings dispels the notion that center fielders can pad their fielding stats by hogging fly balls.

I'm not sure who else they would have given it to, but the Brewers officially announced on Sunday that Mat Gamel is the organization's Minor League Player of the Year.

He wasn't listed in today's Fall/Winter League Update because he hasn't appeared in a game yet, but Mike Rivera is playing for the Santurce Cangrejeros (Kangaroos Crab Hunters) in the Puerto Rican Winter League.

Around the hot stove:

Astros: Reportedly are no longer, or maybe never were, a candidate to trade for Jake Peavy.
Braves: Rumor has it Jake Peavy might reject a trade to Atlanta because the players sent to San Diego would weaken the Braves' shot at winning in 2009.
Cardinals: Are no longer pursuing a trade for Matt Holliday.
Marlins: Could be working on a deal to send Scott Olsen to Atlanta.
Nationals: Chad Cordero is reportedly drawing interest from the Angels, Mets, Rangers and Tigers.
Padres: Could be working on a deal to send Khalil Greene to Baltimore.

Of course, if major league free agents and trades are too rich for your blood, you can always be a player in the minor league free agent market. Al has an All Star team of minor league free agents for you to consider.

Thanks to Kirbir, who nominated this blog for the 2008 Web Log Awards. If you're so inclined, feel free to follow the link and second the nomination of this blog and any other sports blogs you feel deserve it.

Oh, and I'm not usually a fan of blue cheese, but this steak with blue cheese sauce and this spinach blue cheese pasta recipe have made me rethink my opinions.

Drink up.

Some things to read before rediscovering the greatness of the Swedish Chef.

In honor of the Chef, let's open today with a Sabathia Smorgasbord. Jimmy Rollins (via Jon Heyman) thinks Sabathia won't be able to resist the money the Yankees will offer. In-Between Hops sounds like he's trying to convince himself that 4 years, $100 million would be a good idea, either for the team or for Sabathia. And Sabathia's pending payday has led Jake Peavy's agent to see dollar signs as well.

Also worth noting in the Heyman piece above: he cites sources claiming Ken Macha is the frontrunner for the managerial job, which we've heard before, but he also says Bob Brenly's interview did not go well. It's the first time I've heard that.

Once a manager has been hired there's two more vacancies to fill in the front office, as Tony Blengino and Tom McNamara are following Jack Zduriencik to Seattle. Blengino was Zduriencik's top assistant, and McNamara was an East Coast cross-checker.

Also in that link, Tom H. says Taylor Green suffered a broken nose being hit by a bad hop on a ground ball and will require surgery. I'm not sure that's right...if it is, that would mean Taylor Green broke his nose being hit by a pitch AND on a ground ball within about two weeks of each other. At any rate, Taylor Green's fall season is likely over.

MetsBlog has started a conversation about the possibility of trading for Prince Fielder. The post itself isn't anything exceptionally notable, but the comments are a virtual buffet of unintentional comedy. Take this one, for example:

So if you could have either Ryan Braun or Matt Holliday (complete with 89 OPS+ away from home) in left field, which would you take? Beyond the Box Score rates Braun as the third best left fielder in 2008, behind Holliday and Manny Ramirez.

UPDATE: There are some stats out there that I understand just well enough to misuse. Holliday actually has a 89 tOPS+ away from home. That compares his home stats to his away stats. His power diminishes on the road (his slugging drops 100 points), but his OBP stays about the same (just over .400), so his home/road differential isn't as staggering as I thought.

Also, Beyond the Box Score ranks Jason Kendall as the 12th best catcher in baseball, crediting him with 0 runs added as a hitter but 12 saved defensively. Sky Kalkman says he "might just have been the most valuable player to hit like a shlub."

Ever wonder what it's like to be an MLB Executive once the season's over? If so, Paul DePodesta has a story for you.

Only one notable piece of hot stove news today: the Angels have declined their option on Garret Anderson. Not a likely fit as a Brewer, unless he's willing to take a cut in playing time.

I'm really not interested in talking politics in this space, but I did recently find out that Mark Attanasio is a big donor to Democrat candidates.

Oh, and can a sports blog save a marriage? No, probably not.

Drink up.

Some things to read while enjoying pumpkin yogurt.

Still no official news on the managerial front, but as noted in the Fanshots, Tom H. seems to think Ken Macha is the frontrunner. Chuckie Hacks still prefers Bob Brenly, and has the following to say about Macha: If Macha promises to be exactly what he's accused of being here, a manager who works based on statistical evidence, then I'm ready to wholeheartedly endorse him. I can do without "real managing." View From the Bleachers wants to keep Brenly bad enough to consider naming him the heir apparent when Lou Pinella retires.

Also, remember a month or so ago when I asked if Jack Z. might be a better fit to serve as GM of the Brewers than Doug Melvin? Nevermind. It's looking increasingly likely that Jack Z. will hire Ned Yost to manage the Mariners. He says he's looking for winners. I'm less disappointed about him leaving now.

It's been several days since we heard the Brewers were planning on making an offer to CC Sabathia, now we have the first rumor of specifics: The Atlanta Journal Constitution is reporting the offer is expected to be 4 years, $100 million, and that Sabathia is more likely to stay a Brewer if Mike Cameron is also brought back. That would leave the Brewers on the hook for $95 million next season before free agency even begins.

There's still not much word on the market for Ben Sheets. Crawfish Boxes has decided the Astros need another pitcher, but doesn't want that pitcher to be Sheets. If the Brewers are going to keep Cameron and make a legit run at signing Sabathia, there's almost certainly not room for Sheets in Milwaukee. So where will he go?

Maybe having money available for free agents is overrated after all. The Rockies, for example, are using their spare pennies to attempt to re-sign Glendon Rusch.

Also likely available as a free agent: Ray Durham. MLB Trade Rumors says the Brewers will not be eligible for compensation picks if/when Durham signs with another team.

This one is making my head hurt: Jeremy Jeffress, easily the Brewers' top pitching prospect, left a game in the AFL last week complaining of shoulder discomfort. He was pitching a day ahead of schedule so he'd be available to pitch a fall league all-star game. He was diagnosed with shoulder fatigue, even though he never actually saw a doctor, and now, as noted in this FanShot, it's being reported he could return to action in the AFL. Are they trying to kill this guy? I love fall baseball as much as (actually, probably more than) the next guy, but seriously, there is nothing in the AFL worth risking the health of a stud prospect over. Shut him down.

Here are some notes from the hot stove today:

• Matt Holliday may be available. Be sure to consult the home/road splits (110 OPS+ at home, 89 away) before you even consider it.
• At least one team has been eliminated from the Jake Peavy sweepstakes, as he has reportedly told the Padres he'll reject a trade to the Rangers.
• John Smoltz is reportedly considering going into the season unsigned and making a midseason return.

Here's something to spark another debate on the merits of bringing Mike Cameron back: Kerry Whisnant says players with high strikeout rates are, on average, more productive. I tend to think the argument should be flipped, that more productive players are more likely to get away with having a high strikeout rate, but I suppose a case can be made for both sides.

This dugout will look awfully familiar: the coaching staff of the 2009 Washington Nationals will feature both Marquis Grissom and Pat Listach.

Oh, and the folks over at Fire Joe Morgan may be getting their wish.

Drink up.

Here are some lyrics from the "Weird" Al Yankovic song, Albuquerque: "You got any ability to play like a winning team in September?"
"No! We're out of ability to play like a winning team in September!"

Sunday's Win Probability Graph
Sunday's BR Box Score

Saturday's Win Probability Graph
Saturday's BR Box Score

Friday's Win Probability Graph
BR Box Score

I have a handful of links today, but nothing more entertaining than Tyler Maas' day in the life of Craig Counsell. So I'll lead with that.

So on Friday I started a conversation about general managers. I noted that Doug Melvin seems to be losing some ground among fans and Jack Zduriencik is still being called a GM of the future. I expected some discussion but a general consensus towards keeping Melvin around for next season. What I got instead was a poll showing 60% of readers think Jack Z should be GM next season. I'm surprised.

This is never good: the 2008 Brewers are being compared to the final scenes in Animal House.

Ray Durham hasn't played since straining his hamstring Friday. I haven't seen any reports on the seriousness of the injury. Rickie Weeks went 3-for-4 in his place on Saturday, but went 0-for-4 with 3 K's yesterday. Weeks is still hitting .310/.431/.548 in September.

Crawfish Boxes took a look at the long-term ramifications of Ben Sheets' most recent injury.

Statistically Speaking ranked CC Sabathia 3rd on his NL Cy Young ballot.

Jon Heyman is playing World Series matchmaker. Once he's done combining every possible big-market matchup, he notes that a Twins-Brewers WS would be pretty cool too.

The Brewers have fallen all the way to 15th in Phil Rogers' power rankings and 16th in the Whisnant Rankings.

On injuries:

Matt Holliday missed action over the weekend with a stiff back but could play again tomorrow.
Blue Jays SP Shaun Marcum will need Tommy John surgery and is out for the rest of 2008 and all of 2009.
Hideki Matsui has been shut down for the season and will have knee surgery today.
Marlins SP Anibal Sanchez left Friday's start with a leg injury.
Angels SP Joe Saunders will miss his scheduled start tomorrow with a kidney stone.

While we're on the topic of injuries, what are your expectations for an injured player on a non-contending team? Dusty Baker and Hal McCoy are making an issue of the fact that Ryan Freel and Norris Hopper haven't been seen around the Reds clubhouse since injuries ended their seasons. Should it be an issue?

Looking for a "buy low" candidate pitcher for 2009? Are you desperate enough to consider Russ Ortiz? Apparently he's eying a 2009 comeback.

Or, you could buy really low and trade for Adam Kennedy, due $3.3 million next season and hitting .269/.303/.343 in 2008. He's upset because he's not getting to play everyday in St. Louis. I can't imagine why.

Oh, and here's an exchange between Gabe Gross and Abraham Lincoln. Classic.

Drink up.

So a few weeks ago I moved into a new place. This is the first place I've ever lived where my garbage goes out to the curb and not into a dumpster. I think a key part of growing up is remembering to take the garbage out on time. I'm 1-for-3 in the new place, and forgot it again this morning. Just FYI - when my fiancee comes home and asks why the garbage didn't go out, I'm blaming you.

Win Expectancy Graph
BR Box Score

I probably don't need to tell you about the excitement of yesterday, which was certainly better than a normal Tuesday. Reviews of the Sabathia deal continue to pour in, including the long awaited BTF Transaction Oracle, which projects CC for 101 innings over 14 starts the rest of the way, with a 3.48 ERA.

Dayn Perry says the trade makes the Brewers the odds-on favorite to win the wild card, but still leaves the Cubs as favorites to win the division.

Regardless of what it will mean for the standings, Adam Charles of Bugs and Cranks would like to share a George Webb cheeseburger with CC.

Ryan Braun will participate in Monday's Home Run Derby. In-Between Hops took a look at the numbers and debunked the myth that being in the Derby "screws up your swing."

On injuries:

Erik Bedard won't pitch again until after the All-Star break.
Eric Byrnes' hamstrings aren't recovering and may need surgery which would mean the end of his season.
Ryan Church has returned to the DL for the third time with symptoms related to concussions.
Rangers RP Eric Hurley has been placed on the DL with a sore hamstring.
White Sox closer Bobby Jenks still has pain when he throws off a mound, and is headed to the DL.
Rangers SP Vicente Padilla will miss his start today with a neck strain and sore thumb.
Marlins C Matt Treanor aggravated an abdominal injury and may be headed for the DL.

Of course the biggest non-Brewer story of the day, as noted in the Fanshots, is the Cubs' acquisition of Rich Harden. Drawing much less attention: the Braves signed Julian Tavarez.

Have I used this joke before? I don't remember. Even if I have, having the Rockies in town gives me an excuse to ring-rang-a-dong for Matt Holliday.

Even 3 months later, Ben Sheets' performance on April 6 against the Giants is tied for the fifth best game score of the season. A more surprising fact, though: Hiroki Kuroda has outperformed him twice in 2008.

The Reds are delaying radio broadcasts of their games so the audio matches up with the video on their TV broadcasts. I haven't done it in years, but I grew up listening to the radio broadcast while watching the Brewers on TV, and don't ever recall having a lag problem. Is it a problem now?

Oh, and it's pretty much never a good idea to intentionally walk home the tying run in the bottom of the 9th.

Drink up.

I don't think I've ever been this disappointed with a split of a road series.

Monday's Win Expectancy Graph
Monday's BR Box Score
Monday's BDD Recaps

Sunday's Win Expectancy Graph
Sunday's BR Box Score
Sunday's BDD Recaps

Saturday's Win Expectancy Graph
Saturday's BR Box Score
Saturday's BDD Recaps

Friday's Win Expectancy Graph
Friday's BR Box Score
Friday's BDD Recaps

Wow, after four days away, where do I even start? As reported in the fanposts, today the Brewers will announce they've signed Julian Tavarez. Also, while it won't be "announced," it will be strongly implied that the Brewer organization's desperation for reliable bullpen arms has reached a very dangerous stage.

Russell Branyan is back and sharing time at third with Bill Hall. Hall is unhappy, and understandably so, with the loss of playing time to the one guy in all of baseball who strikes out more than he does. Some guy named Eli completely destroyed his credibility by suggesting the Brewers may be ready to DFA Hall. Marty over at Fire Ned Yost is upset by the decision, and is now refusing to spend money on the team until Melvin is fired. Seriously? I was way more upset by the Tavarez move.

Jason Kendall batted eighth yesterday, in an attempt to "shake up the lineup." I know stat guys will say all lineup tinkering is relatively irrelevant, but this one seems especially small.

Remember that error thar J.J. Hardy committed on Friday? Apparently it attempted to destroy Washington.

Phil Rogers puts the Brewers at #22 in most recent power rankings, with the following comment:

In ESPN's most recent power rankings, the Brewers are also #22, with this comment:

It's close, but in this case I'm going to give the "one sentence or less analysis" challenge to Rogers, for actually analyzing something beyond home runs.

This makes his strategic decisions even more puzzling: Apparently Ned Yost has read The Book. I'm still going to guess he doesn't read blogs, but Mariners manager John McLaren does.

It's been five days, but I'm still confused and strangely fascinated by Babes Love Baseball's "sabermetric" analysis of Ryan Braun.

On injuries:

Rockies SS Clint Barmes is on the DL with a sprained MCL.
Fausto Carmona is out around 4 weeks with a strained hip.
Marlins OF Brett Carroll has a severely separated shoulder, partially torn ligaments and a swollen face. He'll be out a while.
Mets OF Ryan Church is still dizzy after getting his second concussion of the season last week.
Rockies OF Brad Hawpe is on the DL with a sore hamstring.
Felix Hernandez missed his start Saturday with soreness in his leg.
Matt Holliday was placed on the DL, also with a sore hamstring.
Andruw Jones will have the surgery he's been delaying on his knee and miss 4-6 weeks.
Padres P Chris Young, who suffered a broken nose via line drive, has other fractures in his face as well and will not be allowed to resume baseball activities for at least 2 weeks.

How do you react when your team is severely underperforming and is consistently painful to watch? Ichiro says you should try a beer from Papua New Guinea. U.S.S. Mariner is on the case.

When you find yourself complaining about the tough start Rickie Weeks is having, consider Reds leadoff hitter Corey Patterson, and his wafer-thin .242 OBP. In a move that has to be at least partially related, Jay Bruce will debut Tuesday.

On the flip side, Lyle Overbay set a Jays franchise record by reaching base in 12 straight plate appearances.

Oh, and Jamie Moyer has finally proven that all 30 MLB teams are capable of swinging and missing at 60 MPH pitches.

Drink up.