Brewers Rumors

Odds & Ends: Rangers, Pirates, Dye, Schoeneweis

By Luke Adams 2 | April 1, 2010 at 9:53pm CDT

A few Thursday evening links….

Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News writes that, with all their spring acquisitions, the Rangers have potentially turned their bench from a weakness into a strength.
Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (via Twitter) hears that the Pirates are engaged in "very minor" trade talks with the Rays. Kovacevic says that right-hander Virgil Vasquez could be involved.
Anthony Witrado of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel speaks to Brewers GM Doug Melvin, who does not deny that the team has or had interest in Jermaine Dye.
Scott Schoeneweis has earned the final spot in the Red Sox bullpen, reports Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe. Schoeneweis signed with Boston on a minor league deal, and will earn $500K for making the big league roster.
Despite not spending a single dollar on a major league free agent this year, the Marlins' use of revenue sharing money has satisfied league officials, according to Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post.

Brewers Showed Interest In Jermaine Dye

By Tim Dierkes | April 1, 2010 at 4:23pm CDT

The Brewers made a run at free agent outfielder Jermaine Dye within the last week, report Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports, but the talks reached an impasse for unknown reasons.

The FOX writers say the Brewers are unhappy with Corey Hart, and might've tried trading him if they'd signed Dye. Brewers GM Doug Melvin indicated to WSSP 1250 a few days ago that Hart doesn't have right field locked up. Jim Edmonds is in the mix to start Opening Day. Rosenthal and Morosi say Melvin discussed Hart with the Nationals. Hart is under team control for two more years, but his salary climbed to $4.8MM when he won his arbitration hearing in February. The 28-year-old recovered some OBP last year but saw his SLG slip to a career-worst .418.

Hart's glovework has been below-average the last few years in right field, so maybe the Brewers felt that they wouldn't lose much defensively by going with Edmonds and/or Dye. MLBTR tried to help Dye find a job with this post a few days ago.

Odds & Ends: Paxton, Darvish, D’Backs

By Tim Dierkes | April 1, 2010 at 1:57pm CDT

Links for Thursday…

Rays infielder Elliot Johnson is the latest out of options player to hit the waiver wire, reports Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times.
Lefty James Paxton signed with the American Association's Grand Prairie AirHogs in advance of re-entering the draft, reports Baseball America's J.J. Cooper. Cooper says the AirHogs' schedule should allow for three weeks of playing time for Paxton before the draft. The Blue Jays drafted the Scott Boras client 37th overall as an A.J. Burnett compensation pick, but were not able to sign him. Paxton was involved in some drama with the NCAA and eventually decided to withdraw from the University of Kentucky.
Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker passes along a clarification from Yu Darvish, who says his recent comments did not refer to moving to MLB.
Forced to make a pick, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports takes the White Sox as his World Series champions.
Rosenthal says that with Brandon Webb's return date uncertain, the Diamondbacks are trying to trade for a starter.
Aaron Gleeman suggests the Twins' new stat guy might have a hard time having his voice heard.
WEEI's Alex Speier notes that a Josh Beckett extension would give the Red Sox four pitchers with contracts of at least four years, more than any other team. Still, Jon Lester's contract is quite team-friendly.
The Red Sox are positioned as long-term contenders, writes Tony Massarotti of the Boston Globe.
Baseball Prospectus' Jeff Euston looks at the concept of contract renewals for zero-to-three players. Tom Tango responds, saying "the inequity in the front-end helps to drive the salaries on the back-end in free agency."
Charley Walters of the St. Paul Pioneer Press feels that Ben Revere would be the most expendable Twins' prospect if they are to go after Padres closer Heath Bell.
Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel tweets that the Brewers released outfielder Tike Redman.

Odds & Ends: Offenses, Ben Snyder, Kelly Johnson

By Tim Dierkes | March 31, 2010 at 1:45pm CDT

Action-packed links for Wednesday…

NL offense rankings are up at RotoAuthority, courtesy of CHONE projections and the Baseball Musings lineup analysis tool. The Rockies are on top and the Padres bring up the rear, but plenty will change as the season unfolds.
Two closers were named in recent days, and our Twitter account @CloserNews passed along the info instantly to allow you to make the winning fantasy pickups.
The Rangers are attempting to work out a trade with the Giants that will allow them to retain Rule 5 lefty Ben Snyder, tweets Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Snyder already cleared waivers, reports MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. Sullivan also notes that Matt Treanor chose not to exercise his out clause; he's headed to Triple A.
WEEI's Rob Bradford writes that although the Rangers are scouting Mike Lowell today and they're more interested in him than any other club, a deal is unlikely now and the Rangers would want the Red Sox to pay almost all of his salary. Bradford also notes that earlier this offseason, the Rangers expressed interest in Jed Lowrie.
Free agent Kevin Millar hopes to continue his playing career, he explained on ESPN's Waddle & Silvy show.
Diamondbacks second baseman Kelly Johnson strongly considered offers from the Blue Jays, Pirates, and Indians, reports Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic.
The A's feel that out of options players Eric Patterson and Jake Fox would not clear waivers, so they're likely to send Landon Powell and Adam Rosales down (Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reporting).
Baseball America's Matt Eddy offers analysis and predictions for seven out of options pitchers.
The Orioles are looking for a suitor for catcher Chad Moeller, who is "shocked and disappointed" about not making the team according to Dan Connolly and Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltmore Sun. Peter Schmuck feels that Moeller was a better choice than Craig Tatum.
Jeff Suppan explained to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy that he's not dealing with a phantom neck injury, despite the convenient timing.
Though they could've saved $750K, the Nationals chose not to cut Scott Olsen according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson.
Dave Cameron of FanGraphs knows the Mariners, and he analyzes the organization's health in this article.

Brewers Release Mike Burns

By Tim Dierkes | March 31, 2010 at 11:21am CDT

The Brewers released righty Mike Burns, tweets Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Burns, 31, posted a 5.75 ERA, 6.8 K/9, and 3.0 BB/9 in 51.6 innings last year, allowing ten home runs. The journeyman had a shoulder problem at season's end, says Haudricourt.

What’s Next For Jeff Suppan?

By Tim Dierkes | March 30, 2010 at 11:35am CDT

11:35am: MLB.com's Adam McCalvy tweets that Suppan is throwing a simulated game today, as he's been dealing with a stiff neck.

8:13am: The Brewers have three pitchers up for their fifth starter job: Jeff Suppan, Manny Parra, and Chris Narveson. Though all three are in line to throw today, manager Ken Macha was evasive when asked about Suppan's schedule (Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reporting). Macha also supplied a vague answer when asked if a roster move should be expected today.

A month ago, Suppan made our list of five overpaid veterans who could be released. The Brewers would have to assume his remaining $14.5MM, which doesn't strike Haudricourt as likely. The Brewers may choose to keep Suppan, Parra, and Narveson, but since Parra and Narveson are out of options, Carlos Villanueva would have to be demoted.

A trade could clear the logjam, though Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports wrote Saturday that the Brewers have not discussed Parra with other clubs.

Odds & Ends: Gaudin, Mets, Cain, Parra

By Zachary Links | March 28, 2010 at 10:11pm CDT

Links for Sunday evening..

A's assistant GM David Forst told Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle that the team did not sign Chad Gaudin as a result of Michael Wuertz's injury. Forst says that the team has been looking to add bullpen depth all spring, which was their reason for acquiring Edwar Ramirez and Jason Jennings.
The Mets will likely wait until the last possible moment to outright pitcher Pat Misch with the hope of stowing him in Triple-A, writes Marty Noble of MLB.com.
Andrew Baggarly of the Mercury News writes that it will be interesting to see where the Giants' rotation stands in 2012. San Francisco will have roughly $35MM committed to Matt Cain and Barry ZIto for that season with Tim Lincecum once again eligible for arbitration.
Dave Cameron of U.S.S. Mariner (via Twitter) wants Seattle to land Manny Parra, though he can't imagine the Brewers parting with him. This morning, Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reported that Parra could be an available option for the M's.
Toronto GM Alex Anthopoulos released Joey Gathright because he didn't think it was fair to send him to the minors, writes Jordan Bastian of MLB.com.
The Indians are expected to make their remaining roster decisions by Thursday, tweets Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com. The Tribe is looking to nail down their final starter, two bullpen spots, and utility players.

Cafardo’s Latest: Fielder, Pedro, Gagne, Santos

By Luke Adams 2 | March 28, 2010 at 9:37am CDT

In his latest column, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe ranks baseball's managers, from first (Bobby Cox) to 30th (rookie skipper Brad Mills). He also shares a few hot stove notes:

Contracts like the eight-year pacts signed by Mark Teixeira and Joe Mauer may indicate what it'll take for the Brewers to lock up Prince Fielder long-term. Milwaukee "would like to seal the deal right now," avoiding the drama that will only increase as Fielder approaches free agency.
Cafardo wonders if Pedro Martinez could end up pitching for the Dodgers at some point this season.
Alex Gonzalez said "forget it" this winter when the Red Sox asked him to wait until they had dealt with Jason Bay. Gonzalez adds: "I was going to get a starting job, and in this market, I'm glad I didn't wait."
Eric Gagne believes he can still succeed at the big league level, but he may have trouble catching on anywhere this late in the spring.
Sergio Santos would have plenty of teams interested in him if he doesn't break camp with the White Sox. Santos, a former first-round pick as a shortstop, is out of options and competing for a spot in Chicago's bullpen.

Rosenthal’s Latest: D’Backs, Robertson, Pirates

By Mike Axisa | March 27, 2010 at 9:32am CDT

Some notes from Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com…

The Diamondbacks continue to pursue a number three or four starter in the wake of Brandon Webb's setback. A club official acknowledged that such a pickup was possible, but “I don’t think any team will be willing to give up that kind of pitcher at the start of the season.”
Rosenthal says the team has infield depth to use in a trade, and reiterated that they'd love to move Chris Snyder and the $11.25MM left on his contract. The Rangers and Red Sox are said to be looking for infielders, and the Mariners could join them following Jack Hannahan's injury.
The Tigers are shopping Nate Robertson, but Arizona doesn't consider him enough of an upgrade. Zach Duke and Paul Maholm are not available.
The best available starter may be Chad Gaudin, who was released by the Yankees on Thursday.
The Brewers considered a Jeff Suppan for Snyder trade, but didn't want to take on Snyder's 2011 salary. Suppan will earn $12.5MM this season, the final one on his contract.
The Cubs do not expect to make a trade for a reliever before Opening Day, but they've scouted Jason Frasor and Scott Downs, plus Luke Gregerson of the Padres.
Nick Green has an out clause in his minor league contract, but the Dodgers may add him to the roster to serve as the backup shortstop.

Odds & Ends: Braun, Reds, Marlins, Washburn

By Luke Adams 2 | March 26, 2010 at 9:33pm CDT

A few more Friday links for your browsing pleasure…

Speaking to Tim Allen of 1250 WSSP in Milwaukee (via SportsRadioInterviews.com), Ryan Braun said he has no regrets about signing an eight-year $45MM deal with the Brewers in 2008.
The Reds haven't been very involved in trade discussions during the spring, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
MLB.com's Joe Frisaro (Twitter link) thinks the Marlins will fill out their bullpen via a waiver claim or trade.
Larry Stone of The Seattle Times would like to see the Mariners get something done with Jarrod Washburn.
Cristian Guzman is making a case to be the Nationals' starting shortstop, writes MLB.com's Bill Ladson. If the Nats named Guzman the starter, Ian Desmond would start the season at Triple-A so he could play every day.
In his latest mailbag, Scott Merkin of MLB.com answers questions about the futures of A.J. Pierzynski and Jermaine Dye. He also gives his opinion on which player would be the ideal big-name trade target for the White Sox.

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