What We Learned: Rumors fly but no trades yet

Brewers News & Notes

• Trade rumors were flying yesterday, though there was very few transactions that actually took place. Here is a roundup of yesterday's rumors:
  • One of the big points of focus for GM David Stearns at these meetings is the acquisition of a center fielder. Kyle looked at some of the options that the Brewers have for acquiring one.
  • Meanwhile, the interest on catcher Jonathan Lucroy is high, but the Brewers motivation to trade him is not. Derek reported that while teams are interested in the catcher and the Brewers are listening, depth in the system is dampening motivation for a deal.
  • While Lucroy may be harder to move, one player that could go sooner rather than later is Jean Segura. Derek recapped a couple of rumors around the two players, noting that Segura could go with Orlando Arcia getting closer to being major-league ready.
  • One player that the Brewers may be more motivated to move is first baseman Adam Lind. Travis noted that the Mariners were making a push to try to acquire Lind.
  • Another potential target for teams is starting pitcher Wily Peralta. Last week a report came out that the Diamondbacks were interested in him, and Derek followed that report out with one that the Diamondbacks are trying to acquire a young starter after signing Zack Greinke.
• One move that did happen in the Brewers organization is the loss of two players. The Dodgers claimed outfielder Daniel Fields, and the Marlins claimed RHP Mike Strong. The Brewers 40-man roster is now at 35.
• The Brewers also finalized their coaching staff yesterday with the addition of Biloxi Shuckers manager Carlos Subero as their first base coach, as well as Jason Lane as an assistant coach.
• Another international target that the Brewers could go after is Japanese third baseman Nobuhiro Matsuda. Kyle notes that Matsuda is a free agent and could be acquired without going through the posting system.
• While some may argue that baseball players are overpaid, the revenue numbers suggest that they actually might be underpaid. Nicholas Zettel of Disciples of Uecker looked at payroll numbers and noted that salaries have not kept pace with revenue.

Minor League Update

• Three of the bigger prospect rankings came out over the last week, each with different opinions on the value of players in the Brewers minor league system. Travis put these rankings together to form a composite ranking of the top ten Brewers prospects.
• The Arizona Fall League unveiled its top prospects team, and two Brewers (Yadiel Rivera and Josh Hader) made the list.
• Brewers prospect David Denson was at the Winter Meetings yesterday to receive a Minor League Baseball Presidential Citation, an award given for exemplary service in minor league baseball. Denson came out as the first openly gay player in an MLB organization earlier this year.

Around Baseball

• The Cardinals acquired second baseman Jedd Gyorko from the Padres for center fielder Jon Jay.
• Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant has filed a grievance against the Cubs for being held in the minors long enough to delay his first year of free agency by one day.
• The Cubs signed Trevor Cahill to a one-year deal worth $4.25 million.
• The big trade of the day yesterday was the Dodgers acquisition of Reds closer Aroldis Chapman for two prospects. However, the trade may be canceled after reports came out that Chapman was involved in a domestic violence incident with his girlfriend.
• The Rockies signed two relievers to two year contracts. Jason Motte received a $10 million deal, and Chad Qualls got a $6 million contract.