Doug Melvin interview on Bill Michaels show this afternoon

[thebruce44]

How can you possibly say Hart is a better defensive 1B than Gamel at this point?

 

Have you ever heard RRR glow about Gamel's ability at 1B anywhere near what he has said about Hart at 1B? IIRC, RRR called Hart a "game changer" at 1B, and didn't Melvin or RRR say that Hart is the leader for the 1B job next year? Isn't that what started this whole Gamel debate?

 

Is this supposed to be in blue? You're going to rely on manager speak, especially from RRR? This is a guy who thinks a good bunter in the two hole is a "game changer."

[monty57]

How many interleague games are there next year vs this year?

 

I believe the number of games will remain the same, but they'll be spread out over the entire season. Previously, they were all bunched together, so you could call someone up for a couple of weeks if you need someone to DH. JJGott's point is valid in that having a good bat on the bench (which is always important) is now a little more important as it will be harder/less convenient to call someone up to DH in interleague games.

[torts]

also, its funny Texas has two AMERICAN league teams now

 

I don't get it. Texas is in America.

 

texan politics, Texas IS America

[RockCoCougars]

also, its funny Texas has two AMERICAN league teams now

 

I don't get it. Texas is in America.

 

texan politics, Texas IS America

 

So Tyler finally got the annexation ratified? Interesting. I wonder how Spain will take to that.

[Roderick]

1)Payroll is not going to be an issue next year, so we can take that out of the argument for trading Hart.

 

I disagree. Payroll is always going to be an issue for every team that doesn't print money like the Yankees. Even if you figure the Brewers are balanced on salaries/revenue next year - if Hart was traded and the Brewers didn't replace that $9.5M of savings in 2013, I feel Mark A. would let Melvin spend that savings in 2014. Which may be the best course of action, depending on the outlook for starting pitching next year.

[monty57]

I disagree. Payroll is always going to be an issue

 

Bingo. No matter what you do in life, money matters. Spend more than you make and you'll end up bankrupt. Spend exactly what you make, and you'll never get ahead. Make more than you spend and you will be in much better shape.

 

Guaranteed contracts in baseball are tough. They can seriously limit teams' financial flexibility and get GM's into bad positions. They're like home loans that eat up a lot of your revenues for an extended period and can be hard to get out from under. Before we get excited about having a little money to spend, I hope Melvin holds back to see what we have in the young guys. We might just find that we can put together a really good team without having to max out payroll and limit our financial flexibility.