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Brewers Not Interested In Brian Roberts
According to Ken Rosenthal today:
Here's a deal that makes sense: Brian Roberts for Rickie Weeks. The Brewers, who recently had two scouts watching the Orioles, are interested in Roberts, but it remains to be seen whether they are ready to give up on Weeks.
Brewers GM Doug Melvin denies the report, stating that his scouts "were watching the Orioles as part of their normal assignments." The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel's Tom Haudricourt has mentioned before that Melvin has always been frank and honest with him, and this is no exception. Melvin even revealed that the Orioles tried to get the Brewers involved during the spring as competition for the Cubs.
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You just have to wonder when the Brewers are gonna give up on Weeks already. It is what it is, the guy has been a collosal bust. Every year is suppose to be the year and every year he battles the Mendoza line and still cant field a lick. Move on already, Weeks is never going to live up to all the hype.
Posted by: forlife61 | June 09, 2008 at 01:21 PM
Brian's back!
Posted by: Playwright | June 09, 2008 at 01:22 PM
Weeks has too much talent to give up on yet. The average is bad (half because of Ks, half because of a low BABIP) but everything else is really solid. He's maintaining a good walk rate, showing nice power and stealing at a 75% clip. His fielding (atleast using HT's numbers) is getting much better; middle of the pack in RZR, 2nd to Utley in balls out of zone and the errors are low. I'm thinking Melvin is too smart to sell him off on a rental.
HT Fielding: http://www.hardballtimes.com/thtstats/main/index.php?view=fielding&linesToDisplay=50&orderBy=zone_rating&direction=DESC&qual_filter=1&season_filter%5B%5D=2008&league_filter%5B%5D=2&pos_filter%5B%5D=4&Submit=Submit
Posted by: Not Joe Morgan | June 09, 2008 at 01:33 PM
I don't see how this trade isn't really a wash, unless they are trying to get these guys into a new environment. Roberts and Weeks are very similar players, with Roberts stealing more bases and Weeks being 5 years younger. Similar OBP, higher average for Roberts (better for driving in runs and lengthening innings) and a higher K rate for Weeks (not good for a speed guy). They hit for similar power, though Roberts drives a hell of a lot more doubles than Weeks.
I guess the main issue is whether Roberts would be willing to move and would do a team-friendly deal for a team he has never played for.
Posted by: AA | June 09, 2008 at 01:44 PM
Roberts is an All Star. Similar OB%? I guess you mean career because Roberts is at .363 while Weeks sits at .325.
Also looks like Weeks is hurt again: 'Weeks (knee) will return to Milwaukee to be examined by team doctors, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.'
Posted by: XD23 | June 09, 2008 at 01:50 PM
I agree that Weeks has under achieved but getting older won't help. This is clearly a move to "win now" and the Brewers need more than an upgrade at second base if they want to catch the Cubs.
Posted by: SSBear | June 09, 2008 at 02:47 PM
Cmon Rosenthal! Weeks is poised for a breakout season, theres no way he'll keep hitting like this!
Posted by: ballerwhiteboy | June 09, 2008 at 03:18 PM
i might be a bit partial because i'm from cleveland. however, i really think that brian roberts would be a perfect fit for the indians. he can bat leadoff and allow the indians to move grady to the 3 hole. the lineup would look like this:
roberts
francisco
sizemore
garko
martinez
hafner
peralta
blake
gutierrez
maybe they could even get a reliever like bradford thrown in? what are your thoughts?
Posted by: thenextgm08 | June 09, 2008 at 03:31 PM
thenextgm08...when posting a possible trade...u got to let us know whos going to which team..so u say Roberts to CLE ..who would CLE send to BAL?
Posted by: Larsen101 | June 09, 2008 at 03:38 PM
their OBPs are similar, but that's about it.
roberts has more power (though it's more doubles than HRs), better defense, a longer track record of production, and is generally a lot healthier (and thus more reliable). plus he strikes out less. and he's done it on a crappier team.
the only thing weeks has over roberts is age. while it's an important point, i don't think it overcomes the rest.
Posted by: greg | June 09, 2008 at 03:42 PM
i really dont know what cleveland would have to give up... or what the asking price would be. 2 weeks ago i would have said we could give up adam miller, or a jeremy sowers and toss in an outfield prospect but our pitching has taken a hit with the loss of westbrook and the injury to carmona. i would think someone like trevor crowe, chuck lofgren and another prospect could do it. i know i put gutierrez in that lineup above, but i can see his name being dangled in trade talks as well.
Posted by: thenextgm08 | June 09, 2008 at 03:46 PM
"Roberts is an All Star. Similar OB%? I guess you mean career because Roberts is at .363 while Weeks sits at .325."
Career. Weeks had a terrible average last year, but an excellent OBP. Looked a bit like Rickey Henderson toward the end of his career with those numbers (no, I am not comparing the two). Honestly, Weeks needs a new hitting coach who can work with him on being more patient.
"roberts has more power (though it's more doubles than HRs)"
Doubles are just as important as Home Runs. Just ask people like Garret Anderson and Paul Molitor.
"and is generally a lot healthier"
Well, Roberts has had his own issues with injuries.
Posted by: AA | June 09, 2008 at 03:51 PM
"Cmon Rosenthal! Weeks is poised for a breakout season, theres no way he'll keep hitting like this!"
People have been saying the same thing for 3 years now. Yes he will keep hitting like this ( like he has the past 3 years) and yes he will continue to get hurt ( like he is now) and yes, he will continue to be unable to field his position well.
Posted by: forlife61 | June 09, 2008 at 06:10 PM
I would have said moving Weeks to the White Sox for a Lance Broadway or Charlie Hager would have made sense two or three weeks ago, but Sexy Alexei seems to be their long term solution. I do think the Brewers should move him though, he seems to be a player that needs a change.
With all this Ellis stuff going on, would the A's be a suitable partner? I know his brother was just drafted by them, but it's just a thought.
Posted by: Bigsether | June 09, 2008 at 06:40 PM
well Weeks was just put on the DL today..."The Brewers placed second baseman Rickie Weeks on the 15-day disabled list on Monday, retroactive to Saturday, with a sprained left knee." thats from mlb.com
Posted by: Larsen101 | June 09, 2008 at 07:28 PM
Weeks is on the DL but it is not totally his fault. It's not like he jumped through a window ala Hunter Pence he took a hard slide and get injured spinning a DP. What do you want him to do?
Also Weeks sees a ton of pitches and a lot of people think that is part of the problem, he is working the count too much trying to be a prototypical leadoff hitter. Personally I think he should see, hit, swing and he would be better off than overthinking.
There is no way in hell Roberts has more power than Weeks it is that simple. Every coach on the Brewers will tell you that Weeks has more potential and long ball power than Prince. When Weeks hits one it stays hit. To go along with that he is hitting the ball well this year it is just not finding holes. It happens to everybody. I am not making excuses but sample sized be damned if you saw these games like I do, he is making plays on the field and crushing some balls. Sure he has areas to work on as most do, but he is definitely not someone that the Brewers are looking to dump, at all. With his current contract situation he is still very valuable to any team.
Posted by: goox21 | June 09, 2008 at 10:40 PM
Like it or not, Weeks is a all-hype no performance 2B thus far. He could have a breakout year someday. Or not. But it's not due to a lack of chances. Yes he is 5 years younger than Roberts and has more cheap years, but if you assume the worst, what would you rather have? A cheap young 2B who never lives up to his potential? Or a proven 2B leadoff All-Star for at least 1.5 seasons?
Posted by: basemonkey | June 09, 2008 at 11:53 PM
Brian Roberts isn't really worth getting excited over. Lifetime OBP 365, meh, nice but not OMG nice. He steals bases and is average defensively. Power is down dramatically since he went off the juice. I don't see the reason for overpaying for this guy.
The Indians need a slugger if they want to still make a run in 2008. Personally, I think they should bag it and shoot for 2009, but since the division is weak and the Tigers are toast, I'm game.
Junior? Adam Dunn?
Posted by: Johnny Rotten | June 10, 2008 at 04:49 AM
I think the Orioles continue to overvalue Brian Roberts and teams just aren't banging down the door to deal with McPhail/Angelos. There must be some whispers right now that a smallish, 30 year old player who plays a physically demanding player may have already peaked. The lack of power is concerning considering his recent (partial) admission to using performance enhancers in the past. Could he be wearing down? Then add in the issue of being Angelos' pet, as well as McPhail's hand-wringing, protracted dealings with the Cubs...and you could see why a GM won't be eager to enter this derby. Oriole fans can stay optimistic but I can't see the value of Roberts rising, rather it seems like the opposite would be true. Maybe the Indians or White Sox. The Sox have no speed and the Indians have to be disappointed in their offense this year. That would allow them to move Sizemore down the lineup where he can drive in more runs.
Posted by: crunchy1 | June 10, 2008 at 07:00 AM
Make that physically demanding "position".
Posted by: crunchy1 | June 10, 2008 at 07:04 AM
As always, I seem to need to remind responders that Roberts' value is at least two high draft choices. Is Weeks worth a #1 and a sandwich #1? I don't think so.
Roberts is much better than "average defensively," as Johnny Rotten suggests. His power is fine for a 2nd baseman, and has diminished not because he went off steroids, but because of the devastating arm injury he suffered several years ago.
Roberts would improve any team in baseball, even those few with better second basemen, who could shuffle positions--Utley to third, for example.
Though I don't thin the Cubs ever offered Ceda, Veal, Cedeno & Gallagher for Roberts, I would still not take that trade over the two high draft choices Roberts can bring. Gallagher's looking like a mid-rotation starter, which they figured. Cedeno's looking like a good utility guy. Ceda's looking iffy. Veal, we'll see.
Posted by: Playwright | June 10, 2008 at 07:44 AM
i agree with the comment (in response to mine) that 2Bs are valuable power as well. and you'll note that, while people are saying his power is down, that's just HRs. his slugging is 2nd highest in his career (453) this year, on pace for 45 doubles and 10 HRs, and 12 triples (which would be a career best).
as far as injuries...
"Well, Roberts has had his own issues with injuries."
come on, not even comparable with weeks. first, weeks has only played 100 games once (96/95/118 the last three years). roberts has never played below 100 since becoming a starter, and was 159/143/138/156 the past 4 years. roberts has missed a few games, weeks hasn't ever played more than 2/3 of a season.
is roberts a savior? no. but roberts is actual value who is actually performing. weeks is in the middle of his fourth "look at that potential, if only he could stay healthy!" season.
Posted by: greg | June 10, 2008 at 07:54 AM
Think greg has decent perspective. I really hesitate to get into this debate after the Roberts to Cubs thing, and it appears the same Chicago fans are (for reasons I cannot fathom) continuing to follow the story around like lost little puppies. What is Roberts' value? Do the O's overvalue him? Do Crunchy and some of the Cubs fans on this site undervalue him? It really doesn't seem to matter, as Melvin made it pretty clear that there's no fire around this smoke. I DO think that the Brewers would make for a very interesting trade partner with Baltimore, but Roberts doesn't appear to be the best fit. What about Sherrill? Unless the Crew is loving Gagne and the rest of that 'pen. Walker and Bradford are other BP arms the Brewers may be scouting. Likewise, they could be looking at some of the SP's that could be wrested away from the O's: Guthrie, Cabrera, and Burres come to mind as possibilities. With a plethora of excellent prospects at unfortunate positions (LaPorta and Gamel, for instance), I'm sure that the O's would listen.
Posted by: milehigh78 | June 10, 2008 at 04:50 PM
Actually, I do like the White Sox too...so I'm interested about the White Sox picking him up if the price isn't exhorbitant. The Cubs end of this is dead. The've got to be pretty happy they didn't make the deal at this point.
The Brewers suggestions are kind of funny...are you drunk Milehigh? LaPorta and Gamel for guys like Burress and Sherrill? As a Cubs fan I hope the Brewers make that sort of deal. Nothing like seeing your main competitor and trade top prospects for mediocre pitching.
Posted by: crunchy1 | June 10, 2008 at 06:47 PM
Even as a Brewers fan, I agree with crunchy, milehigh you have no idea what you are talking about. You are talking about the 2 best prospects on the brewers, not to mention 2 of the best in the NL, for a 31 year old suprise closer, and an unproven starter. The orioles might get lucky if they gave up Daniel Cabrera and got one of the brewers prospects (not named matt laporta, mat gamel, or alcides escobar)
Posted by: glover28 | June 11, 2008 at 06:09 PM
LOVER28-LOL, Cabrera might net one of the Brewers top prospects.You can't be serious!I think some of these people don't watch baseball.
Posted by: OUTL@W]EC[ | June 12, 2008 at 10:14 PM
I just wanted to say, I am so glad the Cubs did not give up anything for Brian Roberts. MacFail fails again.
Posted by: Cubs World Champs please B4 I die | June 13, 2008 at 09:01 AM