Rocco Baldelli...

[razzzorsharp]

He is a free agent after this season and could be available cheap (with good reason giving his injury issues). Anyone think there is a chance the Brewers go this route and a cheap veteren type (not Cameron for money issues) that could play all three positions (Kapler)? He is still only 27 so he could be another Hamiltion type project.

[dadofandrew]

If you realize he's going to be healthy for about 40 games and pay him accordingly, he'd be fine. Somehow, I doubt many would like that, however.

[razzzorsharp]

He would be a nice option off the bench for running as well.

[JimH5]

He's an intriguing guy.

 

I'd like to get some further insight into his health. He dispelled rumors that's he's got Muscular Dystrophy, but there's something that's been keeping him off the field so much.

 

He's a talent, and seems to be worth a one-year deal.

[dadofandrew]

Unless Kapler goes elsewhere, I'd just as soon the other OF reserve be LH as well.

[twobrewers]

How bad is Nelson is the outfield?

 

He would make a lot of sense as our 4th OF. With Cameron, Braun and Hart the 4th OF won't play too much anyways, but Nelson would be a great pinch hitter and could back-up Prince at 1B better than Rivera.

[dadofandrew]

Nelson can't play CF, so he would not be the 4th OF (which is semantics, I realize), but as long as Kapler returns, he doesn't need to. Considering that 5th OF is unlikely to play much at all other than PHing and an occasional start in LF or RF once every couple weeks. Nelson is cheap and hits LH, so he's got a couple things going for him. It's also nice he can play 1B.

 

He's also got the build that could make him popular if he's able to hit at all. I don't see him ever being more than a reserve, but I suppose anything is possible.

[DHonks]

If Nelson can be a 25th man capable of playing 3b in a pinch, 1b, LF, and RF, I'd love to have his bat and eye.

 

I'd consider him and Rottino for bench spots at this point, and I'd love to have Kapler back. With Hall and Rivera, that would cover 4 backups, leaving 1 possible slot for Counsell or another SS-capable backup

[MNBrew]

How bad is Nelson is the outfield? He would make a lot of sense as our 4th OF.

If you changed that to "5th OF" I could possibly buy the logic. Nelson as a 4th OF over Kapler = delusional. Kapler is a role player, knows it, enjoys it, knows how to thrive, and does thrive. Why should we be looking elsewhere? The guy's shoulder, at least in theory, should be fine.

 

Oh, and I think Baldelli could be a very attractive option, granted with risks attached but probably quite affordable because of that.

[endaround]

Because Kapler's BABIP will fall back to its normal .300 and he'll return to being a mediocre hitter

[ILuvDaBush]

What about a Kendall-type deal? One year guaranteed with incentives, and a vesting option for a second year would be worth the risk.

[dadofandrew]

4th OF's should be mediocre, if they're better than that, they want to play everyday.

[ILuvDaBush]

He couldn't beat out Gabe Gross for playing time. He's not going to beat out Hart or Braun.

[MNBrew]

Baldelli came back to play in only 28 games toward the end of the year after only appearing in 35 games the year before. No one's suggesting he'd beat out Hart or Braun, and Gross already had a pretty clearly defined role in TB. The question is if you consider him either for CF (with a solid Plan B ready to go) or a backup OF spot.

 

I like ILDB's Kendall-type deal idea and hope maybe we'd catch lightning in a bottle or create a situation/role in which he could gradually regain his form.

[piccione88]

Now that Cameron may be traded for Cabrera, I think Baldelli makes more sense than ever. Melky has a 727 career OPS vs righties, and a 648 career OPS vs lefties, so he seems like a good candidate to be platooned. Baldelli has been very good against lefties his entire career with a line of 296/347/494. Obviously with Baldelli the main thing is health, I think despite his disease he could handle the right handed side of a platoon, and be one of the better 4th outfielders in the game. If Baldelli comes back totally healthy, he is also most likely a better option than Melky against right handers as well.

[JohnBriggs12]

I think they'd like then 5th OF to be a minimum wage guy. The 3 likely candidates are all lefthanded, Nelson, Iribarren and Gwynn. Assuming Cabrera is the CF, it would make sense for the 4th OF be righthanded as Cabrera is a stronger hitter from the left side and you may want to do platooning with him.

 

piccione88 hit many key points. If Baldelli ever returns to complete health, he has tremendous ability.

[southpaw121505]

I wouldnt mind taking a chance on him depending on the price, he would be a nice fit as a 4th with the potential to even take the everyday job if healthy. But, when saying "if healthy" when referring to Rocco Baldelli almost feels like it should be in blue.

[Ennder]

If this article is true I like the idea a lot more than before!

 

http://www.abc6.com/sports/36277274.html

 

BALDELLI MISSED MUCH OF LAST SEASON, AND WHEN HE DID PLAY, HE WAS LIMITED BECAUSE OF EXTREME FATIQUE. DOCTORS THOUGHT IT WAS MITOCHONDRIAL DISORDER WHICH CAN BE FATAL.

THE BALDELLI FAMILY TOLD ME TONIGHT THAT THE CLEVELAND CLINIC DIAGNOSED HIS CONDITION AS CHANNEL-OPATHY, A NON-PROGRESSIVE, HIGHLY TREATABLE DISEASE.

 

Sorry about the caps, that is how the article was written so not sure I believe it.

[fondybrewfan]

If this article is true I like the idea a lot more than before!

 

http://www.abc6.com/sports/36277274.html

 

BALDELLI MISSED MUCH OF LAST SEASON, AND WHEN HE DID PLAY, HE WAS LIMITED BECAUSE OF EXTREME FATIQUE. DOCTORS THOUGHT IT WAS MITOCHONDRIAL DISORDER WHICH CAN BE FATAL.

THE BALDELLI FAMILY TOLD ME TONIGHT THAT THE CLEVELAND CLINIC DIAGNOSED HIS CONDITION AS CHANNEL-OPATHY, A NON-PROGRESSIVE, HIGHLY TREATABLE DISEASE.

 

Sorry about the caps, that is how the article was written so not sure I believe it.

This has also been confirmed by other sources as well. I wouldn't mind looking at him, he wouldn't be that expensive would he?

[Invader3K]

Might be able to get him on the cheap. I hope Melvin at least looks into it...doesn't seem like he'd be a worse option than a lot of others out there. The big hangup seems to be whether or not he'll be able to be an everyday player or not at this point.

[BrewCrewForever]

I hope Nelson has a place on the roster, I like what I saw from him in September. If he can play the corner spots I say he could be the 4th OF.

[MNBrew]

Nelson should be a better hitter than Gabe Gross, for example, but Nelson as our 4th OF would give me nightmares. He's still really a 1B. He's played enough to get by as a corner OF but he's a 5th/6th OF and burly utility guy and pinch hitter more than a 4th OF. I'd take Gabe Kapler over Nelson to be the 4th OF every day of the week & twice on Sundays.

 

I actually like Nelson a lot for what he showed at AAA this year and what he could become . . . and if Fielder turns into a deal for serious pitching, then maybe that means he's the starting 1B, at which I think he'd become at least respectable and serviceable.

[Tbadder]

Because of the what the medical people are saying now, I'd definitely try to sign him. I'd give him a two year deal even. It's risky business for sure, but I got a feeling this is gonna be one of those feel good stories eventually. Of course the Brewer medical people would have to check him out thoroughly and the contract would be incentive laden. I'd just make sure it was more incentive laden than any other team's offer.

[Invader3K]

Sounds good to me, Tbadder. He's only, what? 27 or 28, I believe. He was regarded at one point as one of the best young players in all of baseball...seems like it would be a potential low risk/high reward type situation.

[aracko]

Id love to have the guy but I think if we are going to add a bat to the outfield it would have to be a left handed bat. That way we could have 4 OFs with the lefty rotating around to keep the others fresh.

 

Garrett Anderson or even Jim Edmonds in my mind would be great bats to add to the team.