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Offseason In Review: Milwaukee Brewers

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The Brewers are next in our Offseason In Review series.

Major League Signings

International Signings

  • Elvis Rubio, Estervin Matos

Notable Minor League Signings

Extensions

Trades and Claims

Notable Losses

Summary

In recent years, Doug Melvin's attempts to bolster the Brewers' rotation with free agents have fallen short, and the 2010-11 market didn't offer much front-end pitching anyway.  So Melvin pulled off a near-impossible feat: he traded for a pair of high quality starters, including two years of control for each.  He also hired Ron Roenicke as the team's new manager and extended Weeks one year shy of free agency.  

First Melvin dealt for Marcum, giving up only one player in Lawrie.  Lawrie's bat makes him a top 40 prospect in the eyes of most experts, so the price was significant.  Melvin again showed a willingness to move one of his recent first-round draft picks, as he did with Matt LaPorta in the '08 trade for C.C. Sabathia.  This time, the Brewers got more than a rental.

Greinke

Melvin wasn't done; he aimed to take his rotation from good to great by acquiring Greinke.  As I mentioned in the Royals offseason in review, it was surprising to see the Brewers acquire Greinke without sending a top 50 prospect or equivalent young Major Leaguer.  Sure, the two trades gutted the Brewers' farm system, but I'm a big supporter of trading prospects in the name of winning now.  If you're a team that can't afford to bid on Cliff Lee, this strategy is a strong alternative.  The Brewers have a strong rotation, and the entire group will be back for the 2012 season.

The Brewers' offense ranked fourth in the NL last year, and the only change was swapping out one offensively-challenged shortstop for another.  When Corey Hart returns the team should have enough offense, though in keeping with his "all-in" mindset it'd be great to see Melvin go after Jose Reyes this summer.  Center field was another potential weakness, but the Brewers commendably bought low on Morgan to provide Carlos Gomez with some competition.

Melvin opted not to spend money on the bullpen, instead importing Saito, Mitre, and Green.  The pen could be a weakness, especially if closer John Axford continues to falter.  On the plus side, LaTroy Hawkins is close to returning.  The one questionable trade Melvin made this winter was shipping Villanueva to the Blue Jays for cash.  Unless this trade was unofficially part of the Marcum deal, I don't understand why Melvin would move a decent reliever for cash.

One day before an arbitration hearing, the Brewers agreed to a four-year extension with Weeks.  The Brewers added three free agent years at $10-11MM salaries, plus a 2015 option that vests based on Weeks' health.  On one hand, this is a scary investment for a player coming off his first fully healthy season.  He's endured surgeries on both wrists as well as a thumb and knee.  On the other hand, the Brewers know Weeks' health better than anyone, and if he repeated his 2010 season they wouldn't have been able to sign him for three years and $31MM.

The Brewers are currently one of four NL Central teams sporting an 8-8 record.  My pick for the NL pennant, they'll get a big boost when Greinke and Hart come off the DL.  Hopefully Melvin continues to be aggressive this year, because even with a strong rotation in 2012 the club will likely be without Fielder.

Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.

Quick Hits: Gonzalez, Padres, Rays, Mariners

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Links for Sunday, as Grady Sizemore homers versus the Orioles in his return to the Indians' lineup….

Cafardo’s Latest: Red Sox, Upton, Minaya, Saito

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After extending Adrian Gonzalez this week, the Red Sox have guaranteed nearly $300MM to their two big offseason acquisitions, Gonzalez and Carl Crawford. However, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe, some baseball people feel that Jayson Werth would have made more sense for the Sox than Crawford. One AL GM says he's "not sure that many of us are unhappy they chose Crawford over Werth," adding that Werth seemed to be a better fit for Boston's lefty-heavy lineup. Here are the rest of the highlights from Cafardo's Sunday Notes:

  • The Red Sox may not have even been in on Crawford or Werth this winter if they had re-signed Jason Bay a year earlier. A National League GM calls Bay leaving Boston "one of the worst decisions both by a team and by the player," suggesting that both sides miss each other.
  • According to Cafardo, Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers was willing to deal Justin Upton to the Red Sox in the offseason, but only if he got the Adrian Gonzalez package or Clay Buchholz in return.
  • Several teams have spoken to Omar Minaya about potential job openings. Minaya, who dubs himself a "free agent," says he's still sorting through everything and searching for the best fit, but he could make a decision soon.
  • Cafardo points out that spending time on the disabled list could cost Takashi Saito a good chunk of money this season. Currently on the shelf with a hamstring injury, Saito can earn up to five $100K bonuses based on time spent on the active roster.

Quick Hits: Zito, Rangers, Morgan, Angels

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Links for Thursday night..

Brewers Seek Shortstop Depth

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The Brewers are looking to add a shortstop to the organization to provide depth behind Yuniesky Betancourt and Craig Counsell, assistant GM Gord Ash told Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Ash says the Brewers are “extraordinarily” thin at shortstop in the minors, yet he isn’t optimistic about acquiring depth in a minor trade.

“We’re diligently looking but there’s not a lot available,” he said.

Triple-A shortstop Edwin Maysonet is likely headed to the disabled list and Luis Cruz recently signed with the Rangers despite the Brewers’ insistence that he would be their first choice if they needed a shortstop in the majors.

Zelous Wheeler, a 24-year-old infielder at Triple-A, is likely out for six weeks, and 13-year minor leaguer Anderson Machado is playing in his place. The lower levels of Milwaukee’s system don’t feature legitimate alternatives, so the Brewers are eyeing other organizations’ infielders.

Jeremy Reed Clears Waivers

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WEDNESDAY: Reed cleared waivers and has accepted a Triple-A assignment, tweets Haudricourt.

MONDAY: The Brewers designated outfielder Jeremy Reed for assignment, the team announced today.  Catcher Jonathan Lucroy was reinstated from the DL in a corresponding move, and the team's 40-man roster stands at 39. 

Reed, a former top prospect, turns 30 in June.  He made the Opening Day roster as a pinch-hitter after a strong spring, but was hitless in seven regular season plate appearances.  Talking to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Brewers GM Doug Melvin explained the choice to cut Reed and go with three catchers for the time being.  The GM also noted that Reed has until Wednesday to tell the team whether he'll declare free agency.

The Brewers will have a tough decision to make when Corey Hart returns from the DL, as catchers George Kottaras and Wil Nieves are out of options and Haudricourt says one of them could be on the bubble.

Dodgers Notes: Carroll, Eckstein, Dye

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The Dodgers have only scored 34 runs in their first ten games, but they're 6-4 in the early goings of the 2011 season. Here’s the latest on the club, which just lost its starting shortstop, probably for a month or more…

  • Rafael Furcal’s broken thumb leaves the Dodgers weakened in the middle infield, and they’re preparing to fill the void by playing Jamey Carroll at shortstop and Ivan DeJesus at second base, according to MLBTR's Tim Dierkes (Twitter link).
  • Furcal is not retiring, though he's frustrated by his latest injury.
  • The Dodgers expressed some interest in David Eckstein this offseason, but backed off when they heard he was asking for $2MM, according to Yahoo’s Tim Brown (on Twitter).
  • Recently retired slugger Jermaine Dye tells Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times that the Dodgers showed interest in him this offseason, before they signed Marcus Thames. The Blue Jays and Brewers showed interest after the 2009 season, according to Dye.

Quick Hits: Villanueva, Looper, Red Sox, Wilson

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As the Giants raise their World Series banner with an assist from the Say Hey Kid, here's some news from around the majors…

  • The Brewers received cash, rather than a player to be named later, from the Blue Jays to complete the Carlos Villanueva trade, reports the team (and passed on by MLB.com's Adam McCalvy).
  • The Cubs aren't considering trying to lure Braden Looper out of retirement, reports ESPNChicago.com's Bruce Levine.  Looper retired when he didn't make Chicago's Opening Day roster.  With right-handers Andrew Cashner and Randy Wells on the disabled list, the Cubs have a sudden lack of pitching depth, but the team will turn to internal options like Casey Coleman, who will start on Sunday. 
  • The Red Sox got their first win of the season today, but there's still plenty of talk about Boston's slow start.  SI's Tom Verducci thinks there are legitimate reasons for worry, namely that Josh Beckett, John Lackey and Daisuke Matsuzaka "have to suddenly reverse the downward trends of their careers in their 30s."
  • Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com also questions Boston's pitching, pointing out that barring rebound years from Beckett, Lackey and Matsuzaka, "they’re essentially the same team as the Yankees — terrific offense, deep bullpen, weak back of the rotation."  Rosenthal, however, thinks it is far too early in the season for the Sox and their fans to panic.
  • Jack Wilson asked to be taken out of the Mariners' 7-3 loss to the Rangers on Wednesday, Seattle manager Eric Wedge told reporters today.  Wilson implied that Wedge had removed him from the game, which upset Wedge, tweets Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times.  The Twitter feed of the Brock & Salk radio show on 710 ESPN Seattle reports that Wedge described Wilson's actions as "unspeakable" and wouldn't discuss the veteran infielder's status with the club.
  • Pirates right-hander Tyler Yates has a torn flexor tendon in his throwing elbow, reports Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com.  Yates hasn't pitched since 2009 due to Tommy John surgery, and Langosch reports that this latest injury might convince Yates to retire, a decision he's already considered earlier in his career.
  • The Diamondbacks are looking at Gerrit Cole, Anthony Rendon and Danny Hultzen with the third pick in this June's amateur draft, says Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic.  Sources on other teams think this trio will be the first three players taken in the draft, though perhaps not in that order.  Arizona also has the seventh overall pick, and Piecoro notes that the D-Backs' priority with that pick is to draft a player they can sign.  Vanderbilt's Sonny Grey and high schoolers Dylan Bundy and Taylor Guerrieri are some of the players Piecoro hears connected with this pick.   
  • Doug Davis held another workout today, tweets Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus.  Five or six teams were present, down from the eight clubs that watched Davis throw two weeks ago. 

Minor League Transactions

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There was a slew of minor league transactions from March 30 to April 5, and Matt Eddy of Baseball America has written them up and included info on some noteworthy names. Here's more on those …

  • The Cubs released righty Chris Huseby, an 11th-round draft pick in 2006 who signed for a hefty $1.3MM. Huseby wasn't panning out as a pitcher and saw action in the outfield in recent seasons.
  • The Indians released third baseman Matt Cusick, one of the two players they received from the Yankees in last season's swap for Kerry Wood. The other player – Andrew Shive – had been previously released.
  • The Rockies released reliever Craig Baker, who led the Minors in saves in 2009 with 33. A fourth-round pick 2006, Baker's 2010 was derailed by the injuries that haunted him earlier in his career.
  • The Astros released reliever Bubbie Buzachero, who is among the active career leaders in minor league saves.
  • The Royals released speedy outfielder Hilton Richardson, a seventh-round pick in 2007 who has 77 steals in the minors in 100 attempts. The Braves then signed Richardson.
  • The Dodgers released lefty reliever James Adkins, a sandwich-round pick in 2007 out of Tennessee. The southpaw is the Volunteers' career leader in strikeouts but has struggled with control and against righties in the minors.
  • The Brewers released hard-throwing lefty Evan Frederickson, the 35th overall pick in 2008. Frederickson has been excessively wild in his minors career, never walking fewer than 7.6 batters per nine, according to Eddy.
  • Twins righty Chris Province, acquired from the Red Sox in the Boof Bonser trade in 2009, voluntarily retired. Province surrendered a lot of hits in 2010, but seeing as he posted solid groundball rates for two poor teams, Eddy wonders whether he might have fared better with a better defense behind him.
  • The Padres released catcher Mitch Canham, the 57th overall pick in 2007. The Friars hoped Canham would develop into an offense-first backstop, but he was abused by basestealers, and his production with the bat didn't hold up at other positions.
  • The Giants released righty Craig Whitaker, a supplemental-round pick in 2003. Whitaker, as Eddy notes, is something of a rarity as an unsuccessful power arm drafted by San Francisco. Outfielder Ben Copeland, the Giants' first pick (fourth round) in 2005, was also released.
  • The Rangers released righty Danny Gutierrez, formerly one of their top-10 prospects. Gutierrez had been acquired from the Royals, but his stuff has diminished and was suspended 50 games for amphetamines prior to the 2010 season.
  • The Blue Jays released speedy outfielder Eric Eiland, a second-round pick in 2007. Eiland has been an efficient basestealer but has struggled overall offensively.

Acosta, Merklinger Clear Waivers

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We'll keep track of players who clear waivers right here:

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