What we learned this week: November 9, 2013

Free agency for the Brewers is starting to develop.

As of November 5th (well, November 4th at 11 pm CST to be exact), free agency in MLB has begun. So far, we haven't had much to talk about. There haven't been any major signings yet. So far, it's mainly been speculation with some minor moves. The Brewers first minor move came down this week as they claimed Elian Herrera off of waivers from the Dodgers. Herrera spent most of 2013 in the minors with only a few games in Los Angeles, but will provide the Brewers a utility option going into spring training. With experience at six positions and a minor-league option available, there is a lot of flexibility available in this move.

With very little in terms of rumors so far for the Brewers, all we can do is speculate on which players would fit well in Milwaukee and which would not. One of these players is Joe Saunders. Back on Monday, Kyle looked at the case of Saunders and if he would be a fit in Milwaukee. Saunders is coming off of the worst year of his career, but the numbers suggest that part of it was just a matter of luck and that he could rebound. It would be a risk to sign him, and the Brewers budget may not allow it to happen. However, it is a possibility that the Brewers could pursue.

Joe Saunders won't command much for a contract this offseason, but there are other pitchers who will demand much more. In fact, some pitchers will demand a lot more without having the talent to back it up. That was evident when reports came out of Ervin Santana seeking a $100 million contract and Ricky Nolasco wanting $80 million. Noah looked at their cases on Friday, and concluded that as ridiculous as the amounts are, they could end up with something close to it. He also notes that this could mean the end for Gallardo in Milwaukee if pitchers like Santana and Nolasco are commanding deals that high.

Another way that the Brewers could improve their roster is through trades. They don't have a lot, but the right trades could bring in prospects or players that could help the Brewers out. Earlier today, Noah suggested a trade that would help the team out by sending Norichika Aoki to New York for one of their first basemen. It's nothing more than speculation, but they would meet the first step by having matching needs. Could the Mets look into Aoki this offseason? We will have to wait and see.

Many more all-fan giveaways are planned for 2014.

The big news coming out from the Brewers this week was the revelation of their fourteen all-fan giveaway days in 2014. Over the course of the week, they revealed each giveaway, which was a total of eight bobbleheads and six t-shirts. Here are the bobblehead days:

- 4/27: Carlos Gomez (Gold Glove)
- 5/11: Kyle Lohse
- 6/15: Vintage Brewer Bobblehead
- 6/29: Norichika Aoki (Japanese Uniform)
- 7/27: Fan Choice
- 8/10: Chorizo
- 8/24: Jean Segura
- 9/14: Robin Yount

The t-shirts were revealed on Friday, with six different Brewers designs for the Friday t-shirt designs (and, coincidentally, retro designs on what would be "retro Fridays"). You can see the designs of the t-shirts here, along with a recap of all the all-fan giveaway days.

Minor League/International League Notes

- The winter leagues continued, and morineko has the recap of the week from 10/26 to 11/2.
- The Rakuten Golden Eagles (with former Brewer Casey McGehee) won the Nippon Professional Baseball league.
- The Huntsville Stars found their new manager as Dave Clark agreed to take the role. However, a day later, he left the role to become the new third base coach for the Detroit Tigers.
- MLB.com has released its initial projected draft order for the 2013 draft. The Brewers have picks at #12 (round 1), #51 (competitive balance round A), #62 (round 2), #99 (round 3), #130 (round 4), and then every 30th pick (#160, #190, #220...) after that for rounds 5 to 40.

Reviewing the MVBrewers Series

Honorable Mention: Rob Wooten
Lesser Brewer: Burke Badenhop
Lesser Brewer: Francisco Rodriguez
Lesser Brewer: Jimmy Nelson
Lesser Brewer: Donovan Hand

The Collection of Mugs

11/4/2013: "We need to do better."
11/5/2013: Enter Elian
11/6/2013: Minor Managerial Moves
11/7/2013: Silver-free

Test Your Knowledge

The "I've seen that reliever before" Thursday Thinker