Does the offense need a dramatic overhaul during the offseason?

[logan82]

Don't underrate Ray Durham and Mike Lamb.

Lamb might be half the solution at 3B. Durham, I am not sure how he would fit in. If he can play somewhere other than at 2B I would keep him. At this point he seems to only be able to play 2-3 times a week.

[kramnoj]

I think Durham coming back depends entirely on how much money he wants. If his role is going to be platoon 2B and PH, I would have a hard time paying him what he is used to getting. Would he settle for making a mil or two and getting part time play? He doesn't have the experience (or defensive ability) of playing other positions, so he wouldn't even be the replacement of Counsell as Veteran Utility Infielder.

 

Some of those who advocate trading Fielder aren't doing so solely because of money. Through September, Prince's poor defense hurt the team more than his bat was helping. He obviously had a great September, but Prince's weight struggles are certainly a concern, and his eating more payroll room has to be a consideration when trying to determine his future value. If Prince could be traded for a solid SP and the team could replace him with a reasonable stopgap, it has to be considered.

[kalle8]

, but Prince's weight struggles are certainly a concern, and his eating more payroll room has to be a consideration when trying to determine his future value

his eating period, btw

[jjfanec]

The Brewers trading Prince would not be trading a guy just because his contract is getting big. I would be trading a guy who could get a good amount back in return. If you can get a high end pitcher for him you have to think about it in my mind. Think about shipping Prince for a good pitcher and then grabbing a guy like Mark Teixeira. To me that is the best case scenario. You shore up the rotation and get a guy who is actually a better fit for our team. Tex is a better overall hitter and a much better defender. Maybe it would not work but I like the possibilities. Obviously, Tex may be out of our price range but he could really help this team, while allowing us to get young pitching.

However, if we dont foresee getting a solid 1B back somehow then I say no to trading Prince.

[Postseason2006]

Regardless of what players may say in an interview, I think many of them are unwilling to change their ways based on the coaching of someone who had very little success as a player in the majors and in some cases (Skaalan - if I'm not mistaken) not even one AB in the majors.

That logic doesn't hold water. The Brewers' hitters didn't have any success when they were listening to Rod Carew, either, and he's an HOFer. The same problems still exist from when he was here, whether it's actual results or the inability to make adjustments.

 

Charlie Lau wasn't much of a major league hitter but was one of the most respected hitting coaches in the '70s and '80s.

 

Carew probably never saw any of these current players. Maybe Wynegar but not Carew.

 

This team needs a complete overhaul in the coaching and attitude department. This is why the easy dismissal of Krembas bothers me because the guy had success with younger players. Instead of getting a coach that could improve the fundamentals such as hitting behind runners, stealing bases, fielding, throwing, etc., believing in the 3 run homer when you can't get two runners on first was detrimental to this team And when they did get guys on, we overswung. Get me a coach and team like the Twins who OVERACHIEVED and hit with guys on and continually did more than we did.

 

I don't want to see Mike Cameron back especially hitting 1st. Didn't Sveum learn from watching the Nedster? Cameron was absolutely atrocious in the postseason just like his career numbers.

[Ennder]

Looking at Cameron's career it does indeed seem like he slows down at the end of the year. If we do end up bringing him back I'd really like to see him sit every other week or so to stay rested.

[SoCal Brew Crew Fan]

I do disagree with those that want to trade Prince. He is not just a power guy, he is a solid hitter. In a lineup short of left handed bats, he provides the strength in the middle of the lineup. He's not a great glove, but at position like 1B he's hardly a disaster ala Braun at 3B circa 2007. His 3 years of arby will be affordable. I think it's more important to find a bat to put behind him to get him better pitches. With Corey and Hall struggling behind him, he was too often pitched around. Hardy hit well behind him, but does not seem the best fit for the 5 hole.

 

I'd rather see us find a better solution at 3B...perhaps a guy that can hit behind Prince.

 

Look at the Phillies. I would take our starting pitching in 2009 without CC & Sheets over theirs (they're at least equivalent). They had a great bullpen, but a big advantage was the meat of that order...Utley, Howard and Burrell (An MVP at the top of the order doesn't hurt either). How would trading Fielder for Matt Cain (I swear this is bf.net's favorite trade idea) help our lineup?

[MNBrew]

Carew probably never saw any of these current players. Maybe Wynegar but not Carew.

 

This team needs a complete overhaul in the coaching and attitude department. This is why the easy dismissal of Krembas bothers me because the guy had success with younger players.

Regardless of the timing, the common thread with the parade of batting coaches every 2-3 years has been the players failing to make adjustments. The question was raised about the coach's credibility when he'd never been a major leaguer. My point was that they also had Carew and his credibility didn't make any difference in the results, either.

 

The advocacy of Kremblas (in general, not just you) is rooted in the same reasons the young Brewers especially were really pleased when Skaalen was named hitting coach -- they all knew him well and liked him when they were in the minors. His teaching helped produce results. Now he's an ineffective teacher? No, they're just too thick-skulled or otherwise too slow at making any meaningful adjustments. That's not the hitting coach's fault. Sveum & Braun both commented in the JS today (articles or blog, I don't recall which) that to get deeper into October, they need much better balance overall from the hitting standpoint, and that they can't be so solely reliant on the HR -- they have to be good at the little things, too (not necessarily just the "smallball" things, either). Agree or not, those are two significant voices in the team's on-field leadership making the blatant point that the makeup of the team needs to change.

 

I think it will be very interesting to see how the managerial & coaching situations unfold over the next few weeks, and then of course the roster after that.