Brewers Management Meets with Lackey's Agent

Brewers management met with the agent of the hottest pitcher in the free agent market, right handed John Lackey. Brewers General Manager Doug Melvin has said he would like to add two starting pitchers this offseason. Since Lackey is a Class A pitcher, acquiring him would mean the Brewers would lose a pick in next year’s draft. However, since the Brewers own the 14th selection, they would still get a first round pick. Securing Lackey would mean the Brewers would have to give up their second round pick.

Brewers Trade JJ Hardy for Carlos Gomez

The Milwaukee Brewers have traded fan favorite J.J. Hardy to the Minnesota Twins for Outfielder Carlos Gomez. I like it, folks.

The Brewers have now made room for Alcides Escobar to become their starter at shortstop. I think it was just a matter of time and there is no better time than the present. Escobar is going to be a stud and he needed to be the 2010 starter. He didn't need Hardy breathing down his neck.

It's no secret the Brewers were shopping Hardy. I think, though, a number of fans were expecting starting pitching in return. The Brewers tried to get pitching, but no team was willing to give up a decent starter in this "pitching starved market".

The Crew did the next best thing and secured a young, quality centerfielder in Carlos Gomez. It's true that Gomez underperfomed at the plate in Minnesota, but his fielding was very strong. He committed only one error in 80+ games. I know that Mike Cameron did a terrific job in centerfield and was a great leader for the Brewers, but Milwaukee was going to have a very difficult time signing Cameron to a deal that it could truly afford.

Sensing that it was going to be difficult to both sign Cameron and Starting pitching, the Brewer Brass made a bold move and signed a young, athletic and cheap centerfielder and saved money that they can now spend on some starting pitching.

There is no question the the Brewers have taken a significant chance on Gomez. He has not been able to prove that he can consistantly hit major league hitting. This is troubling, but it doesn't mean he can't. If you want an example of a young, speedy, athletic and hitting challenged centerfielder, look no further than the Houston Astro's Michael Bourn.

Bourn was your typical "punch and Judy" hitter that couldn't effectively use his speed on the base paths because he couldn't get on first base. That was....Until last season. The Astros coaching staff worked hard with Bourn and he had a solid year, hitting .285, collecting 173 hits and stealing 61 bags.

I'm not saying Carlos Gomez is going to put up the numbers Bourn did in '09, but I do think that he can improve significantly.

This move gives the Milwaukee Brewers roster a lot of flexiblity. Money can now be spent on their very much challenged starting pitching staff.

What do you think, folks?
I

Milwaukee Brewers Erik Bedard in the Spotlight

As the Milwaukee Brewers look to improve their pitching rotation that finished last in the National League in ERA this past season, several free agents could be of interest to their staff. The first is former two-time all-star Mark Mulder. While Mulder hasn’t pitched in the major leagues since 2008 or pitched a full season since 2005, he would be a fairly inexpensive acquisition for the Brewers. If he stays healthy, this could be a big steal for the Brewers. Another plus is that the new pitching coach, Rick Peterson, coached Mulder on the Oakland Athletics when he had his greatest success. Mulder was on of the Oakland A’s “Big Three” and recipient of the Cy Young award. Peterson also helped Mulder earlier this season to prepare for scouts which proves they already have a close relationship.

Another pitcher of interest for the Brewers is Erik Bedard. A powerful left handing starter, Bedard was traded in 2008 to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for five players. Bedard was believed to be one of the league’s best pitchers, but he barely made half of his starts over the next two seasons. Despite this fact, he posted “ace” quality numbers. He’s a great pitcher when healthy, but the issue is making sure he stays healthy.

Milwaukee Brewers Schedule for April

It’s never too early to look ahead to the Brewers Schedule for April 2010. Get your tickets while you still have first dibs! The Brewers’ first two series are against two premiere National League teams who made it to the playoffs. The Brewers will play their home opener on Monday, April 5th against the Colorado Rockies. This series against the Rockies will last until April 7th. This past season, the Rockies entered in the playoffs as the National League wild card and were swept by the Phillies. Then on April 9th-April 11th, the Brewers will host this season’s division clinching St. Louis Cardinals. Incidentally, the St. Louis Cardinals recently hired Mark McGwire as their hitting coach. Remember him from the late 90s? Hopefully with the new pitching staff, the Brewers can make pull together a tighter pitching staff for the 2010 season.

Milwaukee Brewers Pitchers Have a New Coach for 2010

After finishing last in the league with a 5.37 ERA, the Milwaukee Brewers have hired a new pitching coach. Rick Peterson has signed a two year contract with the Brewers as the new pitching coach. Peterson has spent 11 seasons in Major League baseball with both Oakland and the New York Mets. In addition, Peterson has previously worked with Brewers’ manager Ken Macha and bench coach Willie Randolph.

The Brewers have also asked bullpen coach Stan Kyles to return and are currently working out a deal with interim coach Chris Bosio. Hopefully these changes will help the Brewers return to the playoffs next season. I can’t wait another 26 years.

Milwaukee Brewers Roster for 2010 Includes Trevor Hoffman

The Milwaukee Brewers roster has a closer for 2010, and his name is Trevor Hoffman. Hoffman agreed to stay a Brewer for another year. Miller Park baseball fans will hear Hell’s Bells once more.

Opening day 2010 is just six months away. The Milwaukee Brewers will face Colorodo on April 5. Speaking of, the Rockies just lost the National League division series to Philadelphia. The Phillies will face the Dodgers for the NLCS crown.

Milwaukee Brewers Update for 2009

There is always next year for Milwaukee Brewers fans and still a few Milwaukee Brewers tickets to be scanned at Miller Park. Unfortunately, this season the Brewers weren’t lucky enough to make it to the playoffs like last year. If you take out the so-so pitching staff, it seems that they had all of their cards in place and fans behind them until the last half of the season. The month of September seemed to be an increasing downfall for the team with only 13 wins of their 27 games played. All things were beautiful until after the All Star break. Last night the Brewers took on the Colorado Rockies again after a 7-5 loss the night prior to that.

One thing Brewers fans have to keep their spirits up as the season comes to an end is the many accomplishments of Prince Fielder. Specifically he was just noted as the only Iron Man left, meaning he is the only major league player to have started all 153 games this season so far. It’s hard to imagine the strength, determination and drive it takes to deal with the aches and pains accumulated throughout a season and never ask for, or need a day off.
Brewer’s first baseman Prince Fielder also should be noted for his great stats and ranking this season. His batting average thus far is .297/.406 OBP which ranks him at 6th in the National League. He also managed to rank 3rd in the National League for scoring 43 home runs. With the Milwaukee Brewers facing two more games against the Rockies it is then the final three games against the Cardinals this weekend, we hope for the best and support the team, and hope for playoff time next season.