Zach Duke Outrighted; Update -- Pirates trade Duke to Arizona for a PTBNL

[logan82]

I think I've mentioned it before, but look at where the Brewers were in 2008 at all levels and just how much really bad luck seemed to hit the team. That Hunstville lineup looked stacked and ready to be up in Milwaukee and destroying pitching by 2010.

Yup, just off a playoff performance with a slew of promising minor leaguers and a stacked AA team. Huntsville 2008, Michael Brantley, Cole Gilespie, Mat Gamel, Alcides Escobar, Omar Aguilar, and Angel Salome to name a few. Since then, no significant contribution from the minor leagues. A couple scrap heap guys in Axford and McGehee. The minors have almost completely failed us.

[monty57]

Huntsville 2008, Michael Brantley, Cole Gilespie, Mat Gamel, Alcides Escobar, Omar Aguilar, and Angel Salome to name a few. Since then, no significant contribution from the minor leagues. A couple scrap heap guys in Axford and McGehee. The minors have almost completely failed us.

 

Well, Brantley (and LaPorta) was dealt for CC (bringing us our one playoff appearance), Gillespie was wasted in a futile attempt at the playoffs in 2009, Escobar is up and has a lot of promise despite a below-expectation 2010 and Gamel still shows a lot of promise if we'd ever give him a chance. Jeffress, Braddock and Rogers showed us this year that they are able to get MLB hitters out, and there is a lot more pitching on the way.

 

We didn't have much at AAA, so we knew there would be little coming from the minors until 2010 at the earliest, and we got a decent showing from rookies in 2010. The Salome situation is unfortunate, but I'm still optimistic on the Brewers' future. This may be over-simplifying things, but our biggest problems have been some high-round pitchers that have had setbacks, but are hopefully getting MLB ready, and a handful of busts in the FA market trying to fill in the MLB rotation since guys like Rogers, Jones and Jeffress weren't ready. I see 2011 as a stepping stone season, where if everything goes right we could be a playoff team, but more likely will be a year where we see some changes this offseason (Fielder, Gamel/McGehee) and see some young pitchers get there shot in the rotation as the season progresses, leading to better years in 2012 and beyond.

[TooLiveBrew]

Per MLBTradeRumors, the DBacks have acquired Duke for a PTBNL.

[LouisEly]

Part of that is moving prospects for pitchers. If we could have gotten something for Salome.....

Good young catching is rarely traded, especially when your ML starter is a 34-year-old Jason Kendall. If the Brewers had started shopping him it would have raised a lot of red flags.

[monty57]

Good young catching is rarely traded

 

I'd say that good young anything is rarely traded. Generally, good young players are only traded (especially by a small or mid-market team) if they are being blocked or if it is absolutely the only way of landing someone in a position of greater need.

 

If things had played out differently this year, meaning mainly if Salome had not had the problems he had this year and Lucroy would not have needed to be rushed to the majors due to injury, then we could be in a much different position than we are. We would have two stud catching prospects and a gaping hole in the starting rotation. I don't think it would raise many flags if one of the two stud catching prospects was shopped around for starting pitching help.

 

Now, if we had suddenly shopped Salome after the Brewers knew of the affliction, but before the news got out that he was going to switch positions, then I think the Brewers would be guilty of withholding some extremely relevant information, and could get in trouble.