The Combined 'We're Trading Greinke' Thread (part 1)

[TheCrew07]

Holland's peripherals are very middle of the road, though admittedly he's never been a favorite of mine. The 2 pitchers I always coveted from the Rangers were Feliz and Perez. Not that Perez has put up awe inspiring peripherals, but he's got such an electric arm and he's also a LHP which I tend to gravitate towards. I listened to Holland's first rehab start last night and he wasn't particularly inspiring either, I understand it was it was first start back, but I've never had a reason to take to him. He could certainly improve with age but I think Perez has the much higher upside.

 

Given the choice I'll almost always choose the younger player with higher upside, especially given the Brewer's system where have plenty of pitchers in that middle ground but very few who legitimately project to be top of the rotation starters. If we were the Rays or Giants then I might feel differently as recently they've usually had one of the top pitching prospects in baseball in their organization so I'd be comfortable looking for a mid rotation type starter.

 

Holland could very well turn out to be a sub 4 ERA pitcher on a yearly basis, he's certainly more talented than a Dave Bush for example and is a LHP, I just don't like the idea of targeting him because he has MLB experience when there are higher upside prospects that might also be available. I was probably too harsh towards him given he's not one of my personal targets, certainly a pitcher sporting a mid 3 ERA which we could control for 4ish years would be a decent return for Greinke. Given the players in Texas organization he's just way down the list of players I would be looking to acquire. Given some time to further reflect I might be okay with Holland, i just see him as more of a low to mid 4 ERA type of guy long-term.

 

edit. My theory on this stuff which I skirted around was that I'm looking to trade equal physical talent... if we give up Greinke I'd like someone back as equally physically gifted. He may not ever perform at the level of Grienke or a different player we could have had, but I want a high ceiling player coming back.

[chuckiehacks]

I'm not getting my hopes up for Profar. Maybe under the old system, but with the new CBA, Grienke is truly a rental for whomever we trade him to. Texas just gets 2 months worth of starts. No picks, and given the way free agency has gone the last few years, no real edge in re-signing him.

 

To me, that doesn't equal Profar or Olt.

[RockCoCougars]

I'd take Holland back as a throw in, but that's about it. He is what he is, and that's a middle or back end of the rotation guy. He'd step in perfectly for Randy Wolf. He'd be cheap at first, but the contract gets a little dicey toward the end. All and all, it'd be better than tossing a contract at a similar guy on the free agent market.

 

Once again, I will add the disclaimer that I'm not trading Greinke unless he won't sign an extension, the Brewers are more than 5 back in four weeks or so, and I'm blown away by a deal. Like I said, I'm not settling, I'd rather just things play out after the season. One thing that hasn't been talked about much is that even if it gets to the off season with Greinke still in the fold and unsigned, other teams may balk at signing him to a huge deal and giving up a pick.

 

I'm thinking that I'd do Feliz/Grimm/Holland if it gets to that point. In this scenario, I'd give them K-Rod as well if they were so inclined. I still think that you hold out for Profar though, even though I was against it about 7 pages on this ago.

[nate82]

 

For example, reliable sources had SF offering Cain for Hart after his break out season... then those same sources had the Braves wanting to trade for Hart later.

 

 

What reliable sources had the Giants offering Cain for Hart and why do you keep on repeating this blatantly false rumor as truth? The Giants were never connected with Hart and offering Cain you are mixing Fielder up with Hart. The Giants have never ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever have been connected with Hart and offering Cain. The only reliable sources that had the Giants interested in Hart was for Sanchez. Cain was never even discussed as a possible trade with the Brewers for Hart. I still do not know where you got this rumor from but it is not real. The only part of this statement that is true is the sources have the Braves wanting to trade for Hart and the Giants being interested in Hart the rest is false.

[Oldcity]

Yeah, I definitely remember the rumors as Cain for Fielder and Hart for Sanchez.

 

I don't really understand why Martin Perez is rated so highly. He hasn't dominated, or really even done well, at any level above A ball. In 84.1 innings, he has just 49 ks and 38 BBs this year at AAA. Why would the Brewers take him as a centerpiece?

 

Leonys Martin is another guy from Texas I like that might not have been mentioned here. They're truly stacked.

 

I'm totally fine with packaging more with Greinke to increase the return--someone like Axford, K-Rod, Morgan or Aoki.

[paul253]

Paul just curious what moves could have Melvin Pulled off that year?

 

Ok thanks for the clarification. I wasn't talking about that one year. I meant that had he found a way to develop pitching or to make impact free agent signings or trades to acquire pitching for more than a year or two the team could have been playoff contenders every season instead of just the one season he manages to trade the farm for an established ace. As much as I appreciate how much better of a GM he is than Bando and Taylor, he still has yet to develop a homegrown impact pitcher other than Yo Gallardo. That leads to paniced Free Agent signings (Wolf, Suppan, Davis, Looper), trades for arms to insert into the rotation (Bush, Capuano, Ohka, Vargas, McClung) and break the bank trades to get aces (Sabathia, Greinke, Marcum). The few legitimate pitching prospects he has gotten in trades (De La Rosa, Jackson, Cappellan) have all been flops and he has tended to take his major trade chips (Sexson, Lee, Overbay) and go for quantity over quality. Then when a homegrown pitcher does emerge (Fiers) he is passed over for guy who really has no long term future with the team. While the pitching situation has certainly improved, guys like Jungmann, Bradley, Nelson and Peralta are far from sure things.

 

So again, while I appreciate the fact that he has brought us two playoff appearance and helped transform Milwaukee into somewhat of a baseball town, he is certainly not without his faults. And while we all talk about which prospects we'd like to get for Greinke, Marcum, and KRod, I'd say its far from certain he'll actually shoot for prospects. His trade history suggests he won't.

[HiAndTight]

I'm not getting my hopes up for Profar. Maybe under the old system, but with the new CBA, Grienke is truly a rental for whomever we trade him to. Texas just gets 2 months worth of starts. No picks, and given the way free agency has gone the last few years, no real edge in re-signing him.

 

To me, that doesn't equal Profar or Olt.

 

 

Again, disagree on Olt as they have Beltre long term, Young, they could use Profar and Andrus at 3rd....ie, they're loaded with 3rd base options.

 

Profar though, as I've always maintained is just simply out of our league for any player we'd consider trading.

 

 

I've ACTUALLY come around though on trading Gallardo. Not for Profar straight up obviously, and he'd be a bad fit with a park like Arrlington(though he'd still be a very good pitcher). But if we're going to be as bad as it looks like for the next 3 or so seasons, that takes us to the end of Gallardo's contract.

 

Just imagine the return you could get for Gallardo. If we could swing a Gallardo for Profar+Perez who, as Crew07 hasn't put up the numbers, but has great stuff, that may be something I'd consider.

 

 

But back to Greinke, it's funny, when people said I was underestimating his trade value when I didn't think we could get Profar for him, now there are those who don't think we could get Olt. I guess it's all a matter of perspective.

 

You also have to look at HOW realistic a teams chances are of winning a World Series simply because of the addition of Greinke. I think the Rangers have about a 30 pct chance right now, higher than anyone else. BUT the Yankees can hit the ball, and if the Rangers don't care about his Yankee stadium experiances, he could really help slow that offense down.

[RockCoCougars]

I don't really want Olt. I don't think that he's a sure thing by any means. Sure, he's tearing up the Texas League, but guys have been doing that forever. He looks to strike out a ton, and at that level, that tells me that there are holes in his swing. With Ramirez under contract for a few more years, I don't see a spot for him in the near term anyway. The Brewers need a shortstop and you can never have enough pitching. Better that then to build a Greinke trade around a guy who could very easily turn out to be the next Matt LaPorta

[monty57]

I'll let Greinke walk and take the two picks if Texas comes with something like Holland, Perez or Grimm and some low minors guy. If I'm 'overvaluing' Greinke, tough. I'd argue that Greinke is probably a top 5 SP in baseball this year, and if Texas wants to win a title, he'd be the best guy out there. If they want to keep their prospect base together for 2014 and beyond, too bad. In that case, you move on- you don't take their scraps.

 

Bottom line, there is no rule that Greinke must be traded. I want to extend him, but even if he won't bite on that, you don't simply take the 'best' offer. Don't trade quality for quantity, this isn't 2002 with about 6 holes all over the field. The Brewers have all the leverage unless they come off like desperate 'sellers'. Let teams come to you and if they make a bad offer laugh and hang up on them. Tell them to go big or go home.

 

Theoretically, I would take the best deal that is better than the perceived value of the two comp picks plus the value of getting 15 or so more starts from Greinke minus the cost to sign them and the cost to pay Greinke for the remainder of the year. If you cannot find a deal better than this, then hold Greinke and take the picks. However, if Greinke is not traded, fans will see him "leaving for nothing," and will not like it. I don't know how much effect this would have on future ticket sales.

 

Really, what Melvin has to do is find one GM/owner who has playoff fever and dreams of riding down Main Street during the ticker tape parade, and get that GM/owner to overpay. Nothing is completely out of the question when someone thinks a move will win them the World Series.

[brewmann04]

oh i agree he did make he share of mistake but also happy to see playoff baseball again was a long wait from 82

[rickh150]

Profar for Greinke and K-Rod and 10 million cash (contracts covered). Here's why it could work.

1. Greinke would help them more than any other player in baseball. He's pitching that well. His ERA is under 2 without the bad start in Wrigley. Darvish, Greinke, Oswalt= Wow!

2. K-Rod is pitching his best of this season right now. He struck guys out on 96 and 95 mph in Chicago. Huge surprise.

3. The Rangers bullpen came up short last year against the Cardinals. Bullpen depth hurt big time in the extra innings. They were inches away from a title only to have an unproven bullpen lose it to Berkman, Freese, and a few other Cardinal bench pieces.

3. Harrison, Lewis, Ogando, Feliz, and Holland are all banged up.

4. Andrus is hitting .300, has a .348 career OBP, steals a bunch, is only in his 4th season, and should still improve. He is home-grown, produces regularly, and is a fan favorite. It would be tougher for management to trade him down the road, especially after playing so well on playoff teams.

5. Most importantly, Melvin shouldn't underestimate the Rangers want to win this year. They came soooooooooo close last year. I argue that they want to win it all more than even we did last year, a year when we traded away a top 10 talent for two years of Marcum. A Cy Young winner, a proven veteran closer in the bullpen as a set-up man, and a boatload of cash could make this a possibility, especially for a team like TX set at SS. No where else could the Rangers get two better pieces to their puzzle for this season. Look at what K-Rod and Greinke did for us last season in the 2nd half. This could happen.

[NievesNoNO]

Yeah, I don't see Texas parting with Profar but speculating is entertaining at least. I probably like Holland more than most so I'd be OK with getting him back. He's young, throws hard, and is under control through 2018 with the team options. I think he compares quite well with Gallardo.

 

I've been a Melvin supporter/defender but I could really see him pulling something along the lines of Matt Harrison, Ogando, and Moreland... and yes, then he would lose my support.

[TooLiveBrew]

I'll let Greinke walk and take the two picks if Texas comes with something like Holland, Perez or Grimm and some low minors guy.

While I think objectively I agree, here are the Brewers' compensatory & supplemental 1st rd. picks from the last 4 seasons --

 

2009: Kentrail Davis (1s, for Sabathia), Kyle Heckathorn (1s, for Shouse), Max Walla (NYY 2d, for Sabathia)

2010: None

2011: Jed Bradley (for the Dylan Covey non-sign from '10)

2012: Victor Roach (DET 1st, for Fielder), Mitch Haniger (1s, for Fielder)

 

In this case, you might toss out the Bradley pick since it wasn't from letting a player walk. But my larger point is that the Brewers haven't yet done very well 'letting [Player X] walk for comp picks'. That's more about identifying talent for draft day than it is about operational strategy, but I think too often as fans we just assume good value will come from comp picks. So far, the '09 picks have been completely disappointing. Hopefully Roach & Haniger fare better.

[endaround]

The new draft rules change things. Getting more 1st round picks means more money for the Brewers to go over slot on their 1st round pick.

[PrinceEatMeat]

I'll let Greinke walk and take the two picks if Texas comes with something like Holland, Perez or Grimm and some low minors guy.

While I think objectively I agree, here are the Brewers' compensatory & supplemental 1st rd. picks from the last 4 seasons --

 

2009: Kentrail Davis (1s, for Sabathia), Kyle Heckathorn (1s, for Shouse), Max Walla (NYY 2d, for Sabathia)

2010: None

2011: Jed Bradley (for the Dylan Covey non-sign from '10)

2012: Victor Roach (DET 1st, for Fielder), Mitch Haniger (1s, for Fielder)

 

In this case, you might toss out the Bradley pick since it wasn't from letting a player walk. But my larger point is that the Brewers haven't yet done very well 'letting [Player X] walk for comp picks'. That's more about identifying talent for draft day than it is about operational strategy, but I think too often as fans we just assume good value will come from comp picks. So far, the '09 picks have been completely disappointing. Hopefully Roach & Haniger fare better.

 

The main argument for not just letting him walk is that we can get more major league ready prospects by trading him. If we just take draft picks, they likely won't help for 3-4 years, and that doesn't help us compete in the next few years.

[JackNicholson1974]

The Brewers need to compete while they have one of the top 3-5 offensive position player in the game in his prime. The number one way to do that is to resign Zack Grienke. If they cannot do that they then need to trade Greinke for MLB ready talent. So if this profar kid is MLB ready, that would fill that hole. Keeping Greinke and taking picks late in the first round or in the 30s is not gpoing to do anything for this team competing in the next 3-4 years in ryan braun's prime.

[Eye Black]

keithlaw ‏@keithlaw

For three months of Greinke & no picks? I say crazy talk. RT @RyanTopp: Mike Olt straight up for Zack Greinke. Crazy talk or fairish value?

 

It surprises me that Keith Law and some others think Olt would be a stretch in a potential Greinke deal. Mike Olt is 16 months OLDER than Brett Lawrie. Olt has also struck out in 25% of his AA plate appearances this season. I would still be supportive of the Brewers acquiring Olt for Greinke, but I think it would be the Rangers who would be foolish to say Olt is untouchable when trading him would bring back a #1/#2 caliber pitcher for a WS run.

 

Edits listed in Green. Changed K% per AB's to the K% per PA's.

[RockCoCougars]

keithlaw ‏@keithlaw

For three months of Greinke & no picks? I say crazy talk. RT @RyanTopp: Mike Olt straight up for Zack Greinke. Crazy talk or fairish value?

 

It surprises me that Keith Law and some others think Olt would be a stretch in a potential Greinke deal. Mike Olt is 16 months OLDER than Brett Lawrie. Olt has also struck out in 29% of his AA at-bats this season. I would still be supportive of the Brewers acquiring Olt for Greinke, but I think it would be the Rangers who would be foolish to say Olt is untouchable when trading him would bring back a #1/#2 caliber pitcher for a WS run.

 

Keith Law is a clown. He overvalues prospects big time. A bird in the hand is better than two in the bush. We are not talking about some run of the mill player here, we are talking about one of the elite arms in the game. Say what you want about it being only 12-15 starts... you could also be talking 6 or 7 post season games. I'm assuming that anyone trading for Greinke has bigger aspirations than solely making the playoffs.

[NievesNoNO]

Keith Law is a clown. He overvalues prospects big time. A bird in the hand is better than two in the bush. We are not talking about some run of the mill player here, we are talking about one of the elite arms in the game. Say what you want about it being only 12-15 starts... you could also be talking 6 or 7 post season games. I'm assuming that anyone trading for Greinke has bigger aspirations than solely making the playoffs.

 

 

I can't speak to whether Law is a clown or not but I will say I think it's gotten to the point where prospects are being over valued. You can't (or shouldn't IMO) always live for tomorrow. Sometimes you just say it's time to take a shot at winning the whole thing. I mean that's the goal, right? The Brewers need to hold out for elite level talent in return. Greinke can and will make a difference to the team that gets him. His value will be magnified in the playoffs.

[adambr2]

The Brewers need to compete while they have one of the top 3-5 offensive position player in the game in his prime. The number one way to do that is to resign Zack Grienke. If they cannot do that they then need to trade Greinke for MLB ready talent. So if this profar kid is MLB ready, that would fill that hole. Keeping Greinke and taking picks late in the first round or in the 30s is not gpoing to do anything for this team competing in the next 3-4 years in ryan braun's prime.

 

Why do they need to be MLB ready?

 

Looking at the outlook of this team realistically, unless Melvin has a pretty amazing offseason, this team is probably not going to be in position to contend again until at least 2014, maybe 2015. I'd rather have someone 1-2 years away who has superstar upside than someone MLB ready who has the upside of being a solid MLB starter.

[adambr2]

The Brewers need to compete while they have one of the top 3-5 offensive position player in the game in his prime. The number one way to do that is to resign Zack Grienke. If they cannot do that they then need to trade Greinke for MLB ready talent. So if this profar kid is MLB ready, that would fill that hole. Keeping Greinke and taking picks late in the first round or in the 30s is not gpoing to do anything for this team competing in the next 3-4 years in ryan braun's prime.

 

Why do they need to be MLB ready?

 

Looking at the outlook of this team realistically, unless Melvin has a pretty amazing offseason, this team is probably not going to be in position to contend again until at least 2014, maybe 2015. I'd rather have someone 1-2 years away who has superstar upside than someone MLB ready who has the upside of being a solid MLB starter.

[MNBrew]

I totally agree w/ NievesNoNo above, and for that reason I'm being completely serious when I say they should offer him a Cain contract and not even think twice. Sign him, period.

 

Otherwise, how long will it take to bring along some young pitcher to the point where he performs like Greinke can? Combining this organization's track record, plus the sheer odds, I'd say 10-15 years.

 

So why wait & hope? With Greinke & Gallardo as a 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation for years to come, and plenty of legit SP prospects in the pipeline, the Brewers should never be terribly far from contending if they develop well & play their chips right.....(and avoid a slew of injuries).

[NievesNoNO]

I too would much rather pony up to keep him. Pay Greinke and Gallardo and hope to fill out the rest of the rotation with our young guys on the cheap. The thing about investing in premium talent during prime years is that the value of that player never really goes down should they need to move him in the future. If they are able to extend him I'm cool with overpaying as long as there are 0 no trade clauses. The Brewers need to hold the leverage with being able to move players.

[HiAndTight]

I don't really want Olt. I don't think that he's a sure thing by any means. Sure, he's tearing up the Texas League, but guys have been doing that forever. He looks to strike out a ton, and at that level, that tells me that there are holes in his swing. With Ramirez under contract for a few more years, I don't see a spot for him in the near term anyway. The Brewers need a shortstop and you can never have enough pitching. Better that then to build a Greinke trade around a guy who could very easily turn out to be the next Matt LaPorta

 

 

Lets say you could take back Orodzzi and Escobar. That an adequate trade you'd make?

 

Not the Escobar that's hitting .290/.330 playing great D and the Odorizzi tearing it up in AAA, the caliber of players they were when we had them?

 

That's my dilemma. Do the Braves give up Simmons and Teheran a pitcher who the shine has come off quite a bit? Because I'm having trouble finding many SS's right now that are available on teams that are good enough that Grienke could put them over the top. Frankly the O's trading Machado would be like the Brewers trading Braun simply because we got off to a hot start making no mention of the fact that they're also in a division that it'd likely take Greinke and Hamels to win. So logically you should write them off.

 

 

Here are the best SS prospects and the teams they play on.

Texas Obviously. We've beaten this one to death. I think the Rangers are just simply not going to trade Profar. I just think he's too good.

 

Cincinnati Reds

Billy Hamilton? I think he's probably the 3rd best SS. Perfect fit...teams and positional strength...if this was 1992 and not 2012 and we were still in the AL, but do the Reds really want a guy who could steal 150 bases a year and hit .270/.340...and I don't know that he's a long term SS or not. That would play into it.

 

Zach Cozart? I have to admit, watching him range over behind second and go into the hole so effortlessly reminded me of Hardy this past weekend. He just looked like a SS who is going to be a GOOD SS for a long time, and Hardy spoiled us. Even when he struggled at his worst he was an asset and I think we now realize that. 9.1 WAR the two years before we had Escobar nipping at his heals and we sent him down. Even that year he had a 1.5 WAR and put up a line of .230/.300 with plus defense. Who the hell wouldn't jump at that right now?

Cozart is hitting about .250/.300/.401 thus far and has a 1.5 WAR. I really think he's a Hardy type player.

 

But again, the Reds aren't going to trade within the division and I really doubt they're going to trade their current starting SS that kinda brings their IF together and bump a Billy Hamilton up.

 

So very unlikely to the Reds.

 

But are you alright with getting just Hamilton for Greinke? I'm not. I'd want at least Daniel Corcino or their first rounder last year Robert Stephenson.

 

Minnesota-Miguel Sano? He's not a SS anymore and he's not even close to being on a team that's got a chance to win.

Cleveland-Francisco Lindor They're a team in contention and Greinke could certainly give them a big boost. Though I still think with Grienke the Tigers end up passing them up, and in the process they lose an elite young SS who at just 18 is performing well at A+ ball. But they're in it, and they have the one position we covet. And he's one of the best on this list.

 

Boston-Xander Bogaerts is a very good SS prospect and Boston is the exact type of team that needs Greinke. They're in a brutal division with possibly 5 teams that could win the NLC. But again, he alone? Jose Iglesias is a better defender, but has been brutal offensively in AAA. Either case we need something coming back. I'd want Daniel Bart at the very least. Still not loving that trade.

 

Atlanta-Another great fit.

Tyler Pastornicky is theguy with the lower ceiling. Andrelton Simmons is the real price out of the two. One has a chance to be a 2.5-3.0 WAR type offensive player while Simmons can be an electric defender and be a .300 hitter. I think he's a 4.5 WAR type player.

 

 

Beyond that, the Rays have a couple good SS, but seriously...what do they need Greinke for? If we're prying away a minor leaguer from them, it's for Corey Hart and it's going to have to include more than just him even. Maybe Kottaras+Hart+K-Rod+5-6 million for Hak-Ju Lee+a B- pitching prsopect? I don't know.

 

 

I think Atlanta and Boston are the two teams that NEED Greinke the most to get INTO the playoffs, Texas is desperate for a WS, and if they're desperate enough to give up Profar, turn off the lights because it's over, it's him. But I don't think it will be.

 

So I'm looking at Atlanta, THEN try and hope Baltimore or Cleveland to delude themselves into thinking they've got a legit playoff team and that they can actually win something, praying Texas is happy with Andrus and thinks that Greinke pushes what's already the best team in the game over the top and trades arguably the top prospect in the game of baseball because of the heartbreak of the last two years.

 

 

So we start with Texas IMO, move onto Baltimore, then onto Cleveland, all of whom are likely to say no, then we go to the Atlanta's, Boston's, and Cincinnati in that order. But with Taylor Green, Gamel, Gennett, a Slew of OF'ers, pretty good looking at catcher, I think we need to target a young SS who can project to be a star and make him the focus of the sell. Then just pitching, pitching, pitching.

 

We have some impact bats on this team that'll be around for a while. We should focus heavily on the DR/LA market and hope to be a 65 win team the next two years netting us top 5 picks, hopefully then we'll get a couple of our young pitchers up, shoot for 80-85 wins, build the farm system completely, no trades unless it's for other prospects and we could have a quick 5 year turnaround in which we've still got some great pieces and we're ready to compete.

 

That would include Braun, Lucroy, Thornburg and Weeks.

The rest should be on the market.

 

Gallardo for a kings ransom, but we will struggle most of his contract in Milwaukee.

Greinke-obviously

Hart-Good trade value

Kottaras-Great for a team that's lost it's starting pitcher

Marcum once eh's healthy again;

Axford once his value goes back up. This year if he can get on a hot streak.

K-Rod

Wolf-He's pitching better, if he can pick it up enough to dump him for a C+ prospect, do it.

Talk D'Vo into coming back pronto.

Veras-See what you can get from them.

 

Take the payroll down as far as possible, save them money for the future, start building up a reserve if need be in order to sign a couple FA's when the time comes or extend our studs.

See what you have in guys like Fiers, Estrada, Burgos, Peralta, Rogers next year in the rotation, as well as guys like Manzanillo, Wooten, Henderson, and just keep developing from within.

 

 

Don't sell a potential poor mans Pedroia for a rental because you're only 6 games back. If you get 2-3 games within, fine, but not until then.

 

 

 

This is a waving of the white flag, and it's premature, but the thing is, if Weeks gets going, Aram keeps hitting, Braun is Braun, Lucroy hits, Gomez keeps having good AB's(he's hit into a LOT of hard outs this year and simply looks different than before), Morgan continues his hot streak, Hart keeps it up, all of which should happen, we could easily get back into this in a 2 week period.

[HiAndTight]

I totally agree w/ NievesNoNo above, and for that reason I'm being completely serious when I say they should offer him a Cain contract and not even think twice. Sign him, period.

 

Otherwise, how long will it take to bring along some young pitcher to the point where he performs like Greinke can? Combining this organization's track record, plus the sheer odds, I'd say 10-15 years.

 

So why wait & hope? With Greinke & Gallardo as a 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation for years to come, and plenty of legit SP prospects in the pipeline, the Brewers should never be terribly far from contending if they develop well & play their chips right.....(and avoid a slew of injuries).

 

 

 

I think everyone's with you and see's that we have enough young pitching..we've seen some of it, Thornburg was impressive in his jump until the back to back to back HR's, Fiers has been a revelation, and we have some solid players still in the system.