Brewers Bench

[TooLiveBrew]

FWIW, Buster Olney just tweeted that the Brewers are looking for IFs capable of filling in for Weeks or Gonzalez if one goes down at any point. They must not be confident in Izturis anymore. Not sure who is all out there though that would be a better option.

That's very good to hear. I'd like to imagine Melvin will investigate organizations like the Braves (Simmons/Pastornicky), who have multiple near-MLB ready prospects, and look for a longer-term solution at SS. But, since it's Melvin, I'll just wait to hear what fringe veterans he's been asking around about.

[monty57]

They must not be confident in Izturis anymore.

 

They must have actually watched him play :-)

 

Seriously, I think they knew he couldn't hit, but it seems he's played pretty poor defense so far this spring, so it doesn't surprise me that they'd be shopping.

 

...capable of filling in for Weeks or Gonzalez

 

I would hope that if Weeks (or Ramirez) were to go down Green would get full time duty, but it wouldn't surprise me to see them pick up a 45-year-old who would play over a rookie. They do need a capable backup SS, but it seems everyone not based in Atlanta is shopping for a backup SS.

[TooLiveBrew]

What I think makes things even trickier for Melvin is the handedness of Weeks & Gonzalez. Not only is there not a huge crop of viable backup MLB middle infielders, now he might feel compelled to narrow the field down to guys who are lefties or switch hitters.

[PrinceEatMeat]

There's really no one out there free agent wise, so I'd guess that Melvin is looking at players in competitions for roster spots on other teams. Not sure which teams have any sort of competition for utility IFs going on though.

[PrinceEatMeat]

Quote from ESPN Insider...

 

The Milwaukee Brewers are apparently not fully satisfied with their depth at the middle infield positions and are looking for help there, tweets ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney.

 

On the free agent market resides the likes of Aaron Miles, Felipe Lopez and Julio Lugo, as well as veteran Miguel Tejada. The Brewers are more likely to find such assistance via trade, and there are always mid-to-late March deals as clubs sift through their rosters and trade non-roster invitees, players out of options and depth they can spare.

 

The Brewers' starting second baseman is Rickie Weeks and at shortstop is Alex Gonzalez. Clearly, GM Doug Melvin isn't confident in Cesar Izturis as a regular if one of the starters gets injured.

[PrinceEatMeat]

MLBTR picked up on this, and threw out some names that could be trade options. Any of these guys interest anyone?

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2012/03/brewers-seek-middle-infielder.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

[trwi7]

Lillibridge and Andino would interest me.

[PrinceEatMeat]

Yeah, I was gonna say the same thing. I was checking out all of their stats and career history, and it seems like those 2 would be the best options of the bunch. Andino has the most experience at SS.

[3and2Fastball]

It is Doug Melvin we're talking about. I expect to see Miguel Tejada and his .596 OPS in 2011 (.692 OPS in 2010) given a $1 million contract shortly. Roenicke & Melvin will talk about about his veteran grittiness and tout the value of having a former MVP come off the bench. Aaron Miles fits the Melvin mode as well. Miles can actually get on base though, so they might pass on him for Felipe Lopez

[3and2Fastball]

Elliot Johnson, Chris Nelson, Eric Young Jr., Emmanuel Burriss, Luis Valbuena, Donnie Murphy, and Brent Lillibridge are all just completely brutal at getting on base. AAAA talent at best and that is being generous. (Young Jr at least was a legit MLB player but he's 39-40 years old now and cannot play SS)

 

Miles at least has a .320 on-base percentage in his career. But he's 35 and has only played a handful of games at SS in the last 3 years

 

Andino has actually shown an improvement at the plate, is only 27 years old and makes the most sense (.327 OBP in 2011)

[TooLiveBrew]

Well MLBTR linked to the wrong EY. They're discussing his son, EY Jr., but linked to his dad's B-Ref. page. Here is Jr.'s B-Ref. page, but he's never recorded any playing time at SS, either in the majors or minors.

 

Whoever the Brewers would pursue to basically not be Izturis would have to be someone who could realistically man SS. I don't think that's any one of Miles, Lopez, EY Jr., Burriss, or Murphy.

[3and2Fastball]

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bal-orioles-infielder-robert-andino-eager-to-play-any-role-necessary-20120220,0,1336339.story

 

That is a good article about Andino and explains why he is likely not available as he is a real part of the Orioles plans. Melvin would probably need to overpay to get him. Andino has a chance to start at 2B for Baltimore if Brian Roberts' concussion syndromes continue. And Andino is under team control through 2015.

 

It might take Taylor Green or Manny Parra to get him, and that is even if Baltimore wants to trade him....

[3and2Fastball]

Well MLBTR linked to the wrong EY. They're discussing his son, EY Jr., but linked to his dad's B-Ref. page. Here is Jr.'s B-Ref. page, but he's never recorded any playing time at SS, either in the majors or minors.

.

 

Ha! Thanks. I was wondering why that link didn't make sense.

 

Yes it really needs to be someone who can play SS, that is the key especially with Gonzalez likely needing days off here and there. The Brewers have Taylor Green in case Weeks goes down yet again (although Melvin & Roenicke might get panic stricken about giving lots of starts to such a young player...)

[PrinceEatMeat]

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bal-orioles-infielder-robert-andino-eager-to-play-any-role-necessary-20120220,0,1336339.story

 

That is a good article about Andino and explains why he is likely not available as he is a real part of the Orioles plans. Melvin would probably need to overpay to get him. Andino has a chance to start at 2B for Baltimore if Brian Roberts' concussion syndromes continue. And Andino is under team control through 2015.

 

It might take Taylor Green or Manny Parra to get him, and that is even if Baltimore wants to trade him....

 

Taylor Green for Andino? yeah right. Don't think Melvin's that desperate. He was mentioned as a player who would possibly be released, but obviously that's not gonna happen now. Melvin is probably looking at possible cuts and guys he could maybe trade a low-level minor leaguer for, ie the Morgan trade last spring.

[3and2Fastball]

Taylor Green for Andino? yeah right. .

 

I personally would value Taylor Green much higher than Andino, despite Andino having proven he can hit MLB pitching. What I'm saying is that Baltimore is likely not very inclined to move Andino

[monty57]

ie the Morgan trade last spring.

 

That's what I was thinking as well. If Melvin wants to replace Izturis and the list of guys likely to be cut is no better than Izturis, Melvin will ship off one of his low-level minor leaguers in trade that won't even make ESPN's crawl. Hopefully it turns out to be as good as the Morgan trade.

[PrinceEatMeat]

Taylor Green for Andino? yeah right. .

 

I personally would value Taylor Green much higher than Andino, despite Andino having proven he can hit MLB pitching. What I'm saying is that Baltimore is likely not very inclined to move Andino

 

Exactly, I'd value Green incredibly higher, which is why I laughed about it. Melvin isn't giving up anyone of value for a backup IF.

[djoctagone]

take xavier nady off the list. he signed a minor league deal with the nationals last week.

[JohnBriggs12]

I like Green too, but his trade value isn't all that high. Let's face it, once they signed Ramirez, Green became officially blocked for at least 2 more seasons. Think other teams don't know this? His only chance to see regular playing time is for an injury to Ramirez or Weeks or in case Gamel falls flat at 1B. Then there is Scooter looming a year or two down the road too.

 

I don't think an Andino for Green deal is all that one sided. Andino is still young enough that he could be a stop gap type starter for a year or two after Gonzalez. None of the guys listed is a premier defensive option (Lillebridge sure isn't), but of the group, Andino makes the most sense.

[MNBrew]

Three thoughts keep coming back to mind over spring training, especially in recent days, and re-reading this thread:

 

1. They must be wanting Green to play everyday in AAA because you really hear much more about the competition between Ishikawa & Conrad for a reserve IF spot. I like Green a lot and figured he'd done everything already to have a spot pretty well clinched. I at least thought Green was in the mix, and he's hitting just fine, too -- way better than Conrad -- but maybe they don't want to waste him getting 3-4 AB/week, half as a PH, over a few months at this stage of his still-promising career. . . . I'm also thinking they'd have him in mind for regular duty in case of injury to Weeks, Ramirez, or maybe even Gamel. Lord knows, I think it's a bad sign if Conrad or Ishikawa is getting major PT in the bigs unless somehow -- miraculously -- there's a major lightning-in-a-bottle thing going on.

 

2. Izturis' spring takes me back 3 months wishing big-time they'd just committed to Hairston for 2 years or made an aggressive push to sign Nick Punto for the middle IF reserve job. The Hairston thing especially boggles because they gave more than one 2-yr. deal to Counsell with far less offensive punch and defensive versatility than Hairston -- Melvin being the guilty GM each time, no less! . . . . I think any deal they might make for a reserve SS would be something Morgan-esque in scope & notoriety: nothing glaring but full of reasonable promise to pan out looking rather shrewd & savvy.

 

3. It seems pretty apparent, short of injury or other transactions, that the bullpen will be these 7: Axford, K-Rod, Veras, Loe, Estrada, Parra, Dillard. McClendon's shown generally well but having options remaining probably puts him in AAA 'til someone "above" him falters badly enough or gets hurt. Kintzler & Braddock can't get onto or stay on the field at this point, so their AAA tickets are pretty clearly already punched.

[Baldkin]

2. Izturis' spring takes me back 3 months wishing big-time they'd just committed to Hairston for 2 years or made an aggressive push to sign Nick Punto for the middle IF reserve job. The Hairston thing especially boggles because they gave more than one 2-yr. deal to Counsell with far less offensive punch and defensive versatility than Hairston -- Melvin being the guilty GM each time, no less!

 

Hairston signed so early (Dec 6th), that the Brewers weren't sure where their payroll was going to be. This was before K-Rod accepted arby, and had signed his 9M deal.

[Warning Track Power]

Additionally, the Dodgers signed Hairston to a 2 year $6 million deal. While I agree Hairston would be perfect for us right now, I don't think a $3 million year backup would have fit into the Brewers budget for 2012.

[3and2Fastball]

Hairston would be very valuable for us this season, but we don't know if $6 million over 2 years would have gotten him signed here. If we had offered $6 million, the Dodgers might have offered $6.5 million or 7 (i.e. the Dodgers might have been determined to get him)

[MNBrew]

I know when Hairston signed w/LA & that it was early. Melvin wouldn't make a 2-year deal for a reserve IF even though he's done it before, which defies logic -- and all the more so when no promising Brewers SS prospects likely will play above A-ball before late in the upcoming season. Sure, we don't know if we would've outbid the Dodgers. But I think that if Melvin had come aggressively after Hairston w/ a 2-year deal before FA opened, he just might've re-signed before the reserve middle IF market had a chance to develop such grossly bloated salaries. . . . . Or, as I said, if Melvin wanted to stay on the less expensive side, he still could've come aggressively after Nick Punto much earlier since he wasn't in the big-buck part of the middle IF rush in Nov/Dec.

 

The whole problem is that now we're hoping dearly that Cesar Izturis isn't our best/only backup SS option, and my point is just that the present scenario could've been avoided had Melvin been more aggressive &/or proactive re: a backup SS.

 

Hairston wouldn't have added any HR power of consequence to the bench, but he would've been a solid RH bat w/ a ton of (& positive) defensive versatility.

 

I'm not a big fan of Brooks Conrad, perhaps in part because I'd still much rather see Taylor Green on the team. I'm too concerned that Conrad won't be much better than a switch-hitting version of Wes Helms at more defensive positions than our old #18 -- and that only gives Roenicke more reasons to use him more often, which only elevates my fears.

[recte44]

Luis Cruz, in camp with the Dodgers, would be better than Izturis.

 

I really have little to no confidence in Izturis and even less desire to see him on the Opening Day Roster.