Rumors for Milwaukee Brewers
Milwaukee Brewers expected to ramp trade talks for Prince Fielder this winter?
Posted by: | Comments
Clubs that have spoken with the Milwaukee Brewers expect the team to ramp up their trade talks for first baseman Prince Fielder this winter, according to Jayson Stark of ESPN. However, the Brewers understand that it’s going to be a tough market with the huge supply of free-agent first baseman available.
Here’s the list of expected first basemen to be available after the 2010 season:
- Left-handed hitters (like Prince): Adam Dunn, Carlos Pena, Adam LaRoche, Aubrey Huff, Lyle Overbay, Russell Branyan.
- Right-handed hitters: Paul Konerko, Derrek Lee, Jorge Cantu.
- Switch-hitter: Lance Berkman.
One exec close to Stark said the Brewers were “shocked” that there wasn’t more interest in Fielder before the trade deadline in July. It’s understandable given that the Brewers were asking for two young “front-end” starters in return. The same exec said “they definitely would have [moved him] if they got the right package.”
Florida Marlins sign catcher Mike Rivera
Posted by: | Comments
According to MLB.com’s transaction page, the Florida Marlins signed catcher Mike Rivera and assigned him to Triple-A New Orleans.
The Marlins have been speaking about adding a catcher this week with manager Edwin Rodriguez saying the team was in the process of adding one.
Rivera, 33, last played with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2009 when he went .228/.326/.342 with 2 home runs and 14 RBIs in 41 games. The seven-year veteran has played with the Detroit Tigers, San Diego Padres as well as the Brewers.
Jim Edmonds leaning towards retirement after the season
Posted by: | Comments
After 17 Major League seasons, outfielder Jim Edmonds may retire after the 2010 season, according to MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy.
“I’m leaning toward shutting it down and being a family man again,” Edmonds said. “I’ve made my mark. I’ve done as much as I can do as an everyday player.”
Edmonds was placed on the 15-day disabled list by the Cincinnati Reds last week with a strained oblique.
The veteran outfielder was acquired by the Reds from the Milwaukee Brewers earlier in August. While he does have a shot at making a post season run, he says he misses Milwaukee, and called his time with the Brewers, “the best part of my year.”
Edmonds, 40, is hitting .272/.337/.481 with 9 home runs and 21 RBIs in 82 games with the Brewers and Reds this season.
Milwaukee Brewers to upgrade starting pitching for 2011?
Posted by: | Comments
Milwaukee Brewers’ owner Mark Attansio acknowledges that his team needs help in the starting pitching department, and Tom Haudricout of the Journal Sentinel says he’s determined to fix it by Opening Day 2011.
“We know we’ve got a problem, which is starting pitching,” Attanasio said. “We, as an organization, need to face that reality and address it, as opposed to shrink from it or excuse it.
“Our offense is so good, if we were just average in pitching, we’d be a contender. We’re near the bottom of the league in almost every pitching category.
The team tried to address it before the July 31st trading deadline this year, when Corey Hart was almost traded to the San Francisco Giants for Jonathan Sanchez and/or Madison Bumgarner. The deal never happened, but the two teams were believed to be negotiating for some time.
The team does not have any pitching prospects that will hit the big leagues any time soon, so a trade may be the ultimate answer.
“It’s pretty obvious we have some holes in our starting pitching and we don’t have anybody coming up,” Attanasio said. “I think free agency is not the perfect answer. That leaves the potential to trade one of our position players for pitching.
The biggest trading chip the Brewers have is first baseman Prince Fielder. However, the market for the power hitting first baseman may not be as strong as the Brewers are hoping. There will be a surplus of free agent first baseman come this winter, so the team may be better off waiting until next July to move him. Should the Brewers find someway to squeeze out the money, they could go for the likes of Ted Lilly, Kevin Millwood or Bronson Arroyo. Somebody like Cliff Lee could change the franchise around, but it’s unlikely the team will want to go to a bidding war for the biggest free agent of the winter.
Brewers Trevor Hoffman is available
Posted by: | Comments
Teams have only two days left to acquire that last player that they need before the deadline. Players acquired after the deadline can only help the team reach the playoffs as they will be ineligible for the playoffs. Recently, we have heard that the White Sox, Reds and Phillies were looking to upgrade their respective bullpens. At this time of the year though, every playoff team is looking for a new arm either for the rotation or for the bullpen.
The Blue Jays have many bullpen arms that intrigue other clubs. The problem is Jason Frasor, Scott Downs, Kevin Gregg and Shawn Camp did not clear waivers. So unless the claiming team is a contending team that needs bullpen help, they won’t be able to acquire any of these arms.
Here is an idea. Why not go after a future Hall of Famer who has cleared waivers and can be traded to any team. Why not go after one of the greatest closers in the history of the game. The Chicago Tribune is reporting that the Brewers Trevor Hoffman, has cleared waivers and is available. The problem is no one is calling Brewers GM Doug Melvin’s phone.
Hoffman this year has been up-and-down with more downs than ups. He sports a 6.21 ERA. One thing interested clubs should look at is in his last 10 outings, he has not given up a run in 8 of those appearances (9 innings, 4 runs).
Hoffman is making $7.5mm this season and has a limited no-trade clause to 25 teams. Hoffman does have a career ERA of 2.87.
Here’s the latest from The Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo:
Cafardo says Manny Ramirez could make the Chicago White Sox a playoff team, but it will come down to the Los Angeles Dodgers deciding to trade him or keep him by the Tuesday deadline. If they trade him, he could be facing the Boston Red Sox next Friday.
Cincinnati Reds manager Dusty Baker hopes he does not have to take part in the managerial free agency frenzy that is expected this winter. “I was out there a few years back working for ESPN and there were seven openings and I didn’t get one of them,’’ said Baker. “I love it right where I am and we’re in the middle of trying to work something out to stay. I love the organization, love working with Walt [Jocketty, the general manager], I love my team. I feel like we’ve built this team together, and it’s been a challenge at times, but it’s paying off for us.’’
Red Sox tried to get right-handed pitcher Justin Masterson back at the trade deadline. Masterson was traded by the Red Sox to the Indians in last year’s deal for Victor Martinez.
There will be a market for free-agent-to-be Victor Martinez this winter, and the Detroit Tigers could be an excellent fit. The Red Sox and Martinez have had preliminary conversation about a contract extension, but nothing of substance. Read More→
Join PRO Rumors on ESPN 1420am with The Sports Animals
Posted by: | Comments
Join PRO Rumors on ESPN 1420 AM Honolulu, Hawaii tonight at 8:35pm PST (5:35pm Hawaii Time) with The Sports Animals Chris Hart and Gary Dickman. You can listen live at http://www.espn1420am.com
Milwaukee Brewers RHP Yovani Gallardo robbed at gunpoint
Posted by: | Comments
The Milwaukee Brewers have confirmed that right-handed pitcher Yovani Gallardo and one of the team’s clubhouse attendants, Alex Sanchez, were robbed at gunpoint, according to Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. The robbery was first reported by WTMJ Radio, the Brewers’ flagship station.
The incident occurred in the parking lot of Jalisco’s Supermarket around 2:30 am CT on Friday. Gallardo and Sanchez handed jewelry and money to the robber. Sanchez was struck in the head with the butt of the gun.
Sanchez is the umpire’s room attendant and occasionally travels with the Brewers on the road.
Los Angeles Dodgers place Hiroki Kuroda on waivers
Posted by: | Comments
Maybe Dodgers GM Ned Colletti has finally realized that 2010 wasn’t the Dodgers year. Even after the trade deadline, Colletti continued to look for ways to upgrade the team. Which for the fans of a big market team is what you expect from the GM. But there comes a time when you have to say this year wasn’t our year and move on. Part of that moving on process is putting certain players on waivers to gauge other teams interest and try and get a return for that player if your able to make a trade. According to Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com, the Dodgers did just that today and put Hiroki Kuroda on waivers. One executive told Rosenthal that the Yankees if given the opportunity would claim Kuroda. It is unknown if the Dodgers plan to keep Kuroda on waivers or if they will pull him back. Kuroda is set to start tomorrow night in Milwaukee against the Brewers which could be his last start as a Dodger if he is claimed and traded. Kuroda currently sports a 3.48 ERA but has a very deceiving 8-11 record which can be partly attributed to the Dodgers poor offensive effort as of late. Kuroda is also scheduled to make $2.7mm for the rest of the year.
The Yankees would love to pick up a talented pitcher like Kuroda as they recently decided to move Javier Vazquez to the bullpen due to his decrease in velocity and overall poor pitching. As well as the uncertainty of Andy Pettitte and his return from the DL. Every contender would love to have a player like Kuroda. The question is will the Dodgers pull Kuroda back or let him go through waivers and see who he lands with.
Milwaukee Brewers need to lower expectations in order to trade Prince Fielder
Posted by: | Comments
Milwaukee Brewers’ first baseman Prince Fielder is coming up to his final year of arbitration eligibility in 2011, and he’s expected to earn around $16 million. Before he becomes a free agent, the Brewers may trade him since they cannot afford the $200 million contract that Fielder and agent Scott Boras reportedly want.
Ken Rosethal of FOXSports says that the Brewers may have a hard time this winter trying to move Fielder since there will be many available players at first base:
- Left-handed hitters (like Prince): Adam Dunn, Carlos Pena, Adam LaRoche, Aubrey Huff, Lyle Overbay, Russell Branyan.
- Right-handed hitters: Paul Konerko, Derrek Lee, Jorge Cantu.
- Switch-hitter: Lance Berkman.
Rosenthal says the Brewers should have pushed harder to trade Fielder before this year’s July 31st trade deadline, but there was no obvious market for him. The team may have to wait until next July if they want to find any serious suitors. Any trade with two months left in his contract wouldn’t fetch much of a bounty.
The Brewers are in desparate need for pitching. They tried to acquire pitchers Madison Bumgarner and/or Jonathan Sanchez from the San Francisco Giants in July in exchange for outfielder Corey Hart, but the Giants were unwilling to part with either of those young pitchers.
Milwaukee could second baseman Rickie Weeks. Weeks who recently chose Greg Genske as his new agent is eligible for free agency after the 2011 season. The Brewers have Brett Lawrie in Double-A who could replace Weeks. The Brewers also have outfielder Lorenzo Cain as a trading chip to get pitching. Read More→
