Left-handed bat challenge, part 2

[Invader3K]

I actually really like the idea of Griffey Jr in right. I feel like there is always room to add a hall of fame player. I think our high rate of afro american players might be in assistance when trying to get a guy like him. Hart would then move to CF.

Griffey is done. He was a Hall of Fame player with the emphasis on was.

You don't think some AL team wouldn't bring him back on a one year deal? I think he still has a little bit left in the tank...not much, but enough to help a team out. That said, he wouldn't fit the Brewers at all and has supposedly said in the past that he doesn't enjoy being in Milwaukee.

[PilprinBuddha]

Hardy to Minnesota would need to include.....

 

Spann alone

 

or

 

Young and a pitcher

 

If you think Kubel can play good enough Defense, I'd pursue him - But not for Hardy...most likely.

[jjfanec]

Hardy to Minnesota would need to include.....

Spann alone

or

Young and a pitcher

If you think Kubel can play good enough Defense, I'd pursue him - But not for Hardy...most likely.

Are you saying that it would be Hardy for Span straight up? If so, no way do you make that deal. Span had a good year last year but his minors numbers do not match what he did last year. He may well follow up last year with another good year, but trading Hardy for him alone does not make since to me because JJ is a top-end SS. He was 4th in all of baseball in OPS. Span had a very nice OPS last year, but I am worried that he had a fluke influx of power considering his OPS in 06 and 07 were under .700 and he had never hit more than 3 home runs in a year.

[yoshii8]

Hardy to Minnesota would need to include.....

 

Spann alone

 

or

 

Young and a pitcher

 

If you think Kubel can play good enough Defense, I'd pursue him - But not for Hardy...most likely.

I think you are undervaluing Hardy a bit. Before last season, where he was very good, Span's highest season in the minor leagues was a .746 OPS. If we traded Hardy, I would hope that the headliner was one of there young aces instead of Span or Young.

[Gobias Industries]

What about trading JJ Hardy for Delmon Young.

Young can't even play LF. He rates as the worst in the league.

 

We're really lucky the Rays drafted this guy. He'll probably be out of the league in 5 years barring an offensive turnaround.

[PilprinBuddha]

Would I trade Spann for Hardy straight up? No, but it might take that to pry him from the Twins.

 

I like Kubel, but it would mean moving Hart to CF or trading him.

[TooLiveBrew]

What's the point in overpaying for Spann and creating a hole at SS? Our OF is already set if that's the alternative.

 

 

You don't think some AL team wouldn't bring him back on a one year deal?

 

He'd be a decent fit for a bad or middling AL team as DH, or as a bench player on a good team. He's not really suited for CF/OF anymore though. Maybe LF.

[endaround]

Its like USS Mariner posters are here determining Hardy's value. No Hardy for Jose Lopez is not going to happen....

[logan82]

What's the point in overpaying for Spann and creating a hole at SS? Our OF is already set if that's the alternative.

But Span is left handed and Escobar can play SS.

[yoshii8]

If we could get Griffey here as a 4th outfielder, playing a couple of times a week for a cheap contract would you? I would love it, and think that it could be a possiblity. In 07' he batted 277/.372/.496 w/ 30 hr's, and last year he fell of bit at .249/.353.424 w/ 18 hr's. I bet if we offered him a couple days a week to start and a chance to play on a playoff contender he might take it.

[yoshii8]

I still would like to see a LH bench bat or two pursued by the Brewers, and I believe there are some cheap options that might still be available. Edmonds and Griffey Jr. are my two favorite choices.

 

Jim Edmonds

 

Negatives - Might be a disruption in the clubhouse, and is quite injury prone, and his D has slipped considerably

 

Positvies - LH bat that kills righties (.883 OPS), could be our 4th outfielder and main PH and play a lot in OF against righties, has World Series ring, and knows Cards and Cubs very well.

 

Ken Griffey Jr

 

Negatives - not good defensively, might not accept reserve role.

 

Postives - good clubhouse presence (especially for Prince), LH bat that hits righties very well, could thrive as 4th OF and PH if he accepts role. Had an .868 OPS in 07'.

 

Other veteran LH bats to consider:

Eric Hinske can play LF, RF, 1B, 3B, hits righties well.

Brad Wilkerson can play all 3 of positions, but has been terrible at the plate the last few years.

Cliff Floyd - I love his bat but, can only realistically play LF and not well.

Garret Anderson- Has only played LF for the last couple of years, and didn't hit righties all that well last season. Probably will cost too much.

[Teatoe993]

Hot Stove mentioned last night that Hinske might be heading to Japan. I'd look into him if I was Melvin. He did alright in Tampa in a part time role. And he's serviceable (at best?) on the diamond at many positions including 3B in which we currently have a black hole. He'd be fairly inexpensive too.

 

Oh yeah, and he's a local boy too.

[JohnBriggs12]

I totally agree with Teatoe99. Why not go after Hinske? He can spell Hart. He could also spell Cameron with Hart moving over to CF. He gives you protection against Gamel needing more ML time too.

[Ennder]

I'd love to sign Edmonds, he would be above average defensively in the corners and is still probably average in CF. He still hits righties fine, he knows the pitching in the division already so no playing 'catch up' there.

[3Putt]

I'm with you Ennder. I was hoping for an Edmonds trade last year but better late than never. It would finally solidify 3B defensively and give us a veteran who can perform in the clutch.

[yoshii8]

I'm with you Ennder. I was hoping for an Edmonds trade last year but better late than never. It would finally solidify 3B defensively and give us a veteran who can perform in the clutch.

Jim Edmonds plays in the outfield, are you thinking of somebody else?

[Invader3K]

Sounds like he may be thinking of Scott Rolen.

[logan82]

All those former Cardinals seem all the same.

[3Putt]

Ah, logan's right. I was thinking of Rolen. Edmonds wouldn't be a bad pickup either.

[sheetskout]

Man, Carl Crawford would fit this team well.

[endaround]

How? The Brewers already have a speedy RFer who is better than Crawford, who costs less and the Brewers don't have to give up talent to get.

[Milltownhooker]

Sign Hinkse & Durham(back-up/Weeks insurance).

 

Look into trading Hart for SP. If Hart traded then go after Abreu or Dunn. With Hinkse already on board the risk of not landing Abreu or Dunn are diminished. Of course if Dunn or Abreu are added I'd like to see Braun moved to RF.

[TooLiveBrew]

Interesting post by Chris Neault at The Disabled List Informer on Eric Chavez. "Eric Chavez "Wowing" in the Cage':

 

 

The decline of Eric Chavez over the past three seasons has been sharp, to say the least.

The culprit(s)? To start, he had previously had the labrum in his right shoulder repaired in September 2007, disc surgery in his lower back, as well as a left shoulder labrum repair.

His most recent surgery last August was to his right shoulder to clean out the right shoulder joint and to repair a torn labrum (again) that was hindering his ability to move the shoulder in a pain-free manner. The surgery actually was fairly extensive, including a repair to the anterior labrum, a SLAP (a large, front-to-back tear) repair, and a Biceps tenodesis (same surgery that Smoltz and Schilling had). It is no wonder why his production tailed off so quickly, and so profoundly.

The 2006 through 2008 seasons saw Chavez hit a total of 39 HR (22 of which were in '06), while his slugging percentage and OPS numbers did a nosedive. In addition, his plate discipline and effectiveness worsened, as his K rates increased and his BB/K ratio dwindled. The perennial Gold Glove third baseman and usual 30 HR/90 RBI contributor seemed to be on the downside of his career.

However, this recent surgery has taken quite well. Drs. John Frazier and Thomas Peatman performed the surgery, and they were pleased with the results . There is some optimism that Chavez can resume playing at a high level and being a productive force in the middle of the A's lineup in '09.

When asked about how Chavez has been looking in the batting cage, A's manager Bob Geren said , "Everyone I've talked to says he looks incredible, I mean, really, really good. Better than anyone expected."

While this is certainly encouraging news, Chavez has not had an overly productive season since 2005. He is now 31 years old, so a return to form is not out of the question, but expectations should still be tempered. It is unlikely that he returns to the 30 HR mark, but if he stays healthy, he should be able to hit just around 20 HR. Another positive note is that the A's lineup will be stronger this season with the addition of Matt Holliday and Jason Giambi. Perhaps Chavez will see some better pitches this year and see his stats rise as a result.

I have always been a big fan of Eric Chavez - the way he plays, the outstanding defense, and the fact that his teammates admire him as a leader and great clubhouse presence. I've always had a way of gravitating towards blue collar players like him. That being said, lets be realistic with expectations:

.260-.270 average, 20 HR, 75 RBI - basically, a hybrid of his '05 and '06 seasons.

 

 

While the hometown oohs & aahs should certainly be tempered, Chavez would be a big upgrade over Mike Lamb if he can return to 2005/06 form. And since nothing is a guarantee, the asking price should be held down a bit... but I guess it is still Billy Beane.

 

 

EDIT: For reference's sake, '2005/06 form' in terms of rates would be appx. .340/.450/.790 OPS overall & appx. .350/.475/.825 v. RHP

[chansen]

I was looking into the option in the past and have come to this conclusion:

 

I don't think they will get another LH bat because they signed Chris Duffy and Trot Nixon (both LH) to Minor League Contracts in the hopes of being the next Gabe Kapler.

The FA market is not really promising for the Brewers in the outfield department besides Dunn.

 

Like I said in a previous post, if they sign Fielder to the 2 year contract for 19M, and there current payroll is 76M (assumed Fielder would get 7 in arb.) that bumps the payroll to 78M for 2009. 81M was last year's starting payroll, so i see us now having between 4-6M to spend.

 

To be honest, Nixon and Duffy could produce similar numbers for far less $$$ than some current FA. Although I do like the idea of signing Edmonds and giving him a shot to play, I don't really see it happening. If it did, we could trade Cameron to a contender at the deadline and free up some money.

 

Trot Nixon had a poor 2008 season but in previous years before that he had obp of .357, .373, and .342.

[yoshii8]

I don't think we would have to get rid of Cameron to get Edmonds enough AB's. I really think that his best fit would be a spot starter for Cameron/Hart against tough RHP's, 4th OF, top PH role, however I question if he would actually accept that role. It also would be a very important acquisition because of his ability to step in incase one of Hart/Braun/Cameron get injured, and replace them w/out a big dropoff.

 

I'm not really excited about leaving our 5th outfielder/backup CF role to Gwynn Jr or Chris Duffy.