Milwaukee Brewers

Yesterday was the first time the Brewers featured a lineup that did not feature either Prince Fielder or Ryan Braun since April 18, 2007. The replacements that year? Damian Miller at 1B and Kevin Mench in LF.

A few things that have bugged me about the commentary on Fielder’s signing

First, the idea that Cecil Fielder had anything to do with Prince signing with Detroit. Prince and his father have had a strained-at-best relationship for many years. Apparently, there have been chats between the two recently, so that is a start. I’m sure Prince will be bombarded with questions about his father, a subject that he has had no interest in talking about. Truthfully, it is his business. If he wants to cut his dad out of his life nobody has any right to argue. 

Second, people calling Prince greedy need to grow up. Would anybody in their right mind leave money on the table in negotiations for their job? Of course not. And blaming Scott Boras for getting the most for his client is equally ridiculous. That is his job! I’m not saying that I completely agree with his negotiation tactics or actions, but that isn’t for me to decide unless I hire him myself. It is understandable that there will be sour grapes from Brewer fans, it sucks to lose a player and clubhouse leader of his caliber. I do find it funny that after he signed with the Tigers I saw a few anti-Fielder posts from Washington Nationals and Texas Rangers fans. They were along the lines of, “he is a fatass and we didn’t need him anyway.” One colossal idiot (or perhaps fangirl), said that Prince Fielder couldn’t replace “the one and only Mitch Moreland”. Really? Moreland is a career .258 hitter with 25 total home runs. I will leave it at that.

Finally, he isn’t a vegetarian anymore and hasn’t been for a while. It is a funny little title for your blog post, but it isn’t true. To be fair, I didn’t realize that he went back to eating meat until recently. Maybe because I could care less what these guys do in their free time if they are producing on the field. 

About the contract itself. Obviously it favors Prince, like 99% of these mega-deals. Players of his size usually experience a big drop-off in production in their early to mid-30’s so it remains to be seen what kind of production the Tigers can expect out of Prince the last few years of his contract. But, they are getting an excellent player who should have 4-6 more prime years left. Also, anyone who has watched Fielder over the years knows that he wants to win above all else and will give 100% on every play. Overall, I think the Tigers are getting a much better deal than the Angels got with Pujols. Pujols is going to be 32 by the time the season starts and it is possible that his offensive drop-off has already begun. He doesn’t move well and is declining defensively as well. By the end of his deal he is going to be 41 years old. I don’t expect him to be playing by then. Honestly, the Cardinals made out like bandits with Pujols. They were able to get him at a bargain for many years and then pay him a couple seasons of big bucks during his prime. Then they let the Angels sign him and pay him mega-bucks through his decline and retirement. Amazing! I’m sure Pujols has a good year or two left in him; the Angels are still getting one of the best hitters in the game, but to even pretend to believe that he is going to be playing anywhere near the level at which he is getting paid in even 3 or 4 years is ridiculous. I’ve said it once, I’ll say it again; the guy can barely move and doesn’t hustle. 

Report: Prince Fielder signs a deal with the Detroit Tigers

They have been a darkhorse in the Fielder negotiations from the start. It seemed as if the national media never really thought that the Tigers were going to pull the trigger. Like the Angels with Pujols, it always seems to be a team other than the few that have all the rumors swirling around them. Good for him, glad he is in the NL. Detroit is only a short hop from the Milwaukee area. I’ve never been to Comerica, but I saw a couple games in a Brewer/Tiger series the last season of Tiger Stadium, it isn’t a bad drive at all.

Some big, big, big news/rumors

First, the Brewers installed their 2011 NL Central Champions banner-thingy today. It is a permanent installation and will probably unveiled at the home opener. Exciting stuff.

Second, news on the Prince Fielder front. It sounds like it is down to 3, perhaps 4, teams. The Washington Nationals, Baltimore Orioles, Texas Rangers, and possibly an unnamed 4th team (Tigers? Dodgers? Mariners?) seem to be the final 4. Having the Nationals and Orioles in a bidding war could be just what Fielder and Boras have been waiting for. They are competing in the same market and neither have been very successful of late, although the Nationals are on the uptick. Personally, I’ve been pulling for the Orioles from the start (other than the Brewers, of course). When I was younger I was a huge Orioles fan because of Cal Ripken Jr. I’ve been to a game at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, it is an awesome stadium and I see Fielder routinely hitting the warehouse in right field. 

Finally, on his radio show this morning, Dan Patrick said he has a source that is leading him to believe that “Ryan Braun may be an innocent man” and “may be exonerated.” He said that his source is “somebody involved in the process.” He says that the situation isn’t as “cut and dried as people would think.” You can check out the podcast of today’s show here. He talks about the Braun situation about 29 minutes into the show. I’ll be honest, I had little hope that Braun would be able to avoid the suspension, and even with this, it is still a long shot. I’ve never listened to Dan Patrick’s current show (until today), but I used to listen to his show on ESPN several years ago and he is a straight shooter. He called it like he saw it and wasn’t one for saying things to get a reaction like a Jim Rome or a Colin Cowherd. Rome and Cowherd are entertaining, to a point, but I’m not sure I would go to them for news. Well, I suppose we will find out shortly.

Rangers interested in Fielder, Casey McGehee (!?!?)

Apparently the Texas Rangers are interested in acquiring either Prince Fielder or Casey McGehee to play 1st base next season. Prince, I understand. McGehee has me a bit confused. He has never really played 1st in the majors before. They would have to give up a player to get him. And he isn’t Prince Fielder.

By all accounts, Texas has the money to go out and sign Prince, if they wanted to. I’m not sure of the status of their farm system, if they have someone coming up that they think can be their future 1st baseman for cheap or not. Also, just because they want Prince and offer him a nice deal doesn’t mean he will take that deal. Word is they are interested in Randy Wolf as well. 

I know that Casey McGehee has went from a big, lovable lug to a player that was as maligned as much as Yuni B in the span of a season, but that doesn’t mean he can’t still play. In this “what have you done for me lately” world, he is known as a horrible 3rd baseman who is a terrible hitter. Fact is, he has played only 3 season in the majors (and not even full seasons) and his first two were pretty darn good. He was brutal at the plate last year, but the previous two season he hit .301 and .285, respectfully, and clubbed a total of 39 home runs. I would take a .290 hitter who hits around 20 home runs any day of the week. Can McGehee be that guy again? Only time will tell, and the only thing I know is that the fans turned on McGehee pretty darn fast, maybe too fast. 

Going to be a slow Brewers news weekend

The Winter Meetings ended last night, without the Brewers making the big splash their fans were hoping to make. I’m can’t say I’m surprised or not at least a bit disappointed. Money issues were said to be the cause of not making that big signing, although I’m not sure they actually had a chance to get any of the people that they were in the market for. First, Jose Reyes was never in the Brewers budget. I don’t think Jimmy Rollins ever wanted to come to Milwaukee; he just used Milwaukee’s interest as leverage against the Phillies, and it worked. I don’t think they had much interest in Rafael Furcal because of his injury history. As for Prince Fielder, the market for him didn’t develop until after Pujols signed and the Brewers don’t really have the cash to get a deal like that done anyways. I don’t see him signing for at least a week. There really is no rush to get things done, and he may as well wait for the best deal. Teams that have interest (rumored) are the Cubs, Mariners, Nationals, Orioles, Rangers (they have done nothing but deny it), Marlins (also have denied it), and Blue Jays. Most of the other big free agents do not meet the Brewers’ rather specific needs. The only other news was the K-Rod arbitration fiasco, and that wasn’t all good news.

The deal with Alex Gonzalez will probably be finalized on Monday, pending his physical over the weekend. There will be no talk with Aramis Ramirez or his agent because they will be on vacation at DisneyWorld. That just brings up the funny image of Ramirez and his agent riding the Teacups together or something. Both sides agree that he will be a good fit for Milwaukee’s needs, and Doug Melvin has said that there is room to negotiate with him, even after the K-Rod debacle.

So, there is light at the end of the tunnel. I’m not going to lie and say I am thrilled by what has transpired, but the team is not significantly better nor is it significantly worse. Assuming they keep K-Rod, the back end of the bullpen is set, the starters are set, they got a new shortstop that is at least a defensive upgrade, and they are in the market for a new 3rd baseman as well. There is a bright side.

Interesting Fielder/K-Rod news

According to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Mark Attanasio was in Dallas doing his annual drop-in at the MLB Winter Meetings to see what GM Doug Melvin was up to. They were having dinner when they got a call from Prince Fielder’s (and K-Rod’s) agent Scott Boras to “update (them) on where he is” concerning the Fielder situation. They decided to meet in person to put. Melvin won’t say whether or not any specifics were discussed, although it is unlikely there were any numbers thrown either way. Boras was just giving the Brewers the opportunity to throw out some numbers so he could shop them to other teams. What Melvin and Attanasio likely did was tell him what they would be willing to do if Fielder seriously was considering returning to Milwaukee. Prince hasn’t given any indication where he would like to play next year, but if the market doesn’t develop to his liking I’m sure Milwaukee would be back in the mix. The meeting does not make it any more or less likely that Prince will be back in Milwaukee. The Brewers are exploring options that make it look like they have no plans on signing Fielder. 

As for K-Rod, he has until tonight to decide if he will accept the offer of arbitration from the Brewers or not. If he accepts, the Brewers are on the hook for his 2012 salary and are pretty much handcuffed with what they can do or not do in free agency. It fills a need, so it wouldn’t be a total disaster. We can rest a bit easier because the indication that the Brewers got from Boras is that he will not accept arbitration. It is not 100%, but that is a good sign.

Where do people get their information?

There are a ton of rumors floating around. The Winter Meetings just started so there has been a flurry of “information”, most of it just hearsay and inference. I just saw a post from a random Mariners fan that Milwaukee, Washington, and Florida are all out of the Prince Fielder running and it is down to Seattle and Baltimore. This could be true, but for the life of me I can’t find any evidence to back up this guy’s claim. I’ve even looked on Yahoo Sports (shudder). Fact is, I can’t find anything in the national sports news that indicates a change in Fielder’s status. As far as I know, Milwaukee and Washington are no more ‘out of the running’ than they were yesterday or a month ago. Who knows how much they were even in the running to begin with, but still, no change. Must be his first winter meetings. Gotta go with the flow, young buck, believe half of what you read and none of what you hear.

Update on Fielder contract talks and Manzanillo’s injuries

ESPN’s Buster Olney reported on twitter today that the Brewers have made it known that they are willing to offer up to 6 years/$120 million, which is an improvement on the 5 years/$100 million they offered him last year. I don’t think that the offer was formal, but it still is news. Olney also mentioned that, because of his relationship with the Brewers, unless someone offers in the $170-200 range the Brewers are still in play. Good news if you want the Crew to resign Prince. I’m on the fence, myself, it would be easier to shore up their pitching with more money to spend.

Also, pitcher Santo Manzanillo has now been reported to have a shoulder sprain, which actually isn’t any different from the separation that was previously reported. He also was bruised up and had some lacerations. His MRI results are being sent to the Brewers in Milwaukee and the team doctor will decide if he needs to come back to Milwaukee for treatment or further tests. No word on whether or not there is any more serious structural damage. Let’s hope there isn’t.

Fielder news and some bad news

None, really. The Cubs, Nationals, and Mariners have all declared interest. Or they are interested in showing interest. Or they are exploring the option of being interested. In other words, no news. The one team that is interested (in theory) that is doing nothing is the Brewers. Doug Melvin is playing the wait and see game, as in, I’m going to wait to throw money around until we know where Fielder is going in a show of respect to Prince’s many fans, who want the Brewers to sign him. But they won’t, and rightfully so. Whoever signs any of the big name guys are taking a huge risk in one way or another. Prince isn’t the greatest defensive first baseman and his body type doesn’t exactly instill a ton (get it?) of confidence that he will not break down during his 6-8 year deal. Granted, he has been VERY durable over the years, much more so than either Albert Pujols or Jose Reyes.

As for Pujols, I wouldn’t touch him with a 10-foot pole. He has been gradually breaking down for the last couple years and he is 4 years older than Prince (if you believe his age). His numbers took a dip this year, but even though it seems his body is breaking down (back, knees) his numbers haven’t suffered much in the past couple years. Look, my thoughts of Pujols are well documented, but he has (operative word) been one of, if not THE, best hitter(s) in baseball for the past several years. I just don’t see him performing for as long as he seems to want his contract to be. He and his agent are talking 9 or 10 years! Any team that signs him for anything more than half of that is going to be very sorry in 4 or 5 years. And someone will. The Cardinals have gotten him at a HUGE discount for the majority of his prime years and now it is time to pay the piper. Not signing him would definitely upset their fans, but that is the smartest thing they could do. We will see over the next few months if they have the balls to say goodbye to Pujols.

Reyes has the body type that you would think would be relatively injury free, but his hamstrings are apparently made out of paper mache. He seems to spend at least a couple weeks a year on the DL for leg problems, which is not ideal given the fact that he is of the base stealing type.

In bad news, Brewers prospect Santo Manzanillo was injured in a car accident down int he Dominican Republic Tuesday morning. He was on his way to the Brewers new Dominican baseball academy when the Hummer he was driving was struck by another truck. The reports out of the Dominican Republic are that he separated his pitching shoulder and he was “banged up a bit ”. He was flown to a hospital and the Brewers are waiting word on his condition. His winter ball team in the DR are the ones doing the reporting. Manzanillo was rated the #11 prospect in the Brewers organization. He split time between Class A Brevard County and Class AA Huntsville last year where he worked out of the bullpen and as a closer. Looking at his stats, he had a good year. He probably wasn’t going to be in the Brewers plans in 2012, but let’s hope things are as minor as his club is making it out to be and he has a full, speedy recovery.

Brewers offer arbitration to Fielder and K-Rod…

…as expected. I’m not completely clear on the new CBA rules when it comes to A-level free agents, but the Brewers will get draft pick compensation if either of these guys sign with other teams (which is expected in both cases). I believe K-Rod was put in a group of 6 free agents where the team losing him (Brewers) will still get compensation in the form of draft picks, but none of them will come directly from his new club, making it him a bit more attractive to other teams. They did not offer arbitration to Yuni B. Fielder and K-Rod are expected to turn down arbitration, where Yuni probably will accept it. What he would make after arbitration is likely much more than he will get on the open market and the Brewers would be on the hook for another year of an overpaid Betancourt. Doug Melvin has been pretty hush-hush about who he is targeting in free agency, but that is normal. Any report has to be taken with a big grain of salt; the Brewers have been known to come out of left field and get deals done.