Results tagged ‘ Doug Melvin ’

With Workouts Officially Underway, Hot Stove Officially Shut Off

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Today at Brewers camp in Phoenix, Arizona, general manager Doug Melvin commented on the state of the roster as it stands today.

“We’re not looking at anybody else,” said Melvin.

Of course, Melvin is like any other GM worth his salt and will always answer the phone. However, when he said that they’re done shopping is important as well. Melvin was asked about the continued dot-connecting between the Brewers and free agent starting pitcher Kyle Lohse. Melvin stated that he hasn’t had any conversations with agent Scott Boras about Lohse but believes that Boras has contacted Brewers principle owner Mark Attanasio directly.

You stay classy, Scott Boras.

Regardless, it appears that Melvin, Ron Roenicke, and the powers the be are content to choose a 25-man roster from those players already under contract with the organization.

So, to the Hot Stove which helps keep us from freezing to death each and every November, December, and January…

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Doug Melvin Issued Statement on Braun, Biogenesis

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Earlier tonight, Brewers general manager Doug Melvin released the following statement:

“Like everyone else, we first learned of this report from the Yahoo! story this evening. At this point, we are not aware of any other details. We understand that Major League Baseball is going through a review process and to that end, we would defer any additional comment to its officials.”

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Not much there, but not much should have been expected. The club was not privy to Braun’s defense in his appeal and therefore wouldn’t have been aware that Braun’s legal team used Biogenesis operator Tony Bosch as a consultant in preparing Braun’s case.

Brewers By the (Jersey) Numbers – #71 Johnny Hellweg

BBtJN Logo

With apologies to Dayton Buller who was assigned #72, we took the day off in the “Brewers By the (Jersey) Numbers” series because while Buller was at Triple-A last year, he’s really not under consideration for the big league roster and not on the 40-man roster.

That being said, we’re back today as we sit 71 days away from Opening Day. Today’s profile subject is the second of the three pieces received when Doug Melvin traded Zack Greinke away last summer. We’ve already profiled Ariel Pena, and now we take a look at…

Johnny Hellweg.

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Let’s get the first thing out of the way right away. John David Hellweg is listed at 6’9″ and 210 pounds. He’s incredibly tall and quite lanky as a result. For the sake of comparison, 2012 Brewers Kameron Loe is 6’8″ and Jose Veras is 6’6″ but they are listed at 245 and 240 pounds respectively.

The height is an asset in some ways, but can be a hindrance in replicating one’s delivery. That can lead to inconsistency in release point as a result of altered mechanics. That being said, Hellweg certainly is not lacking in the ability to replicate his velocity. It’s that big fastball that will be Hellweg’s ticket to the big leagues so long as he can control it.

The ultimate decision with Hellweg though is what role he will fill in his career. He was largely ineffective as a relief pitcher at times and much better in the rotation. This is an unusual split but not unheard of. If I had to guess, in Hellweg’s case short outings allow him to dial up the heat even farther and as he possibly overthrows his mechanics breakdown leading to wildness and resultant ineffectiveness. And when he knows he has to maintain his stamina and go longer in games, he might wind up being more disciplined. Now that’s not based on seeing Hellweg pitch in person but it’s something that has proven true before with other pitchers in the past.

What isn’t a guess is that when Hellweg moved from the bullpen to the rotation, his career took major strides forward.

In his first three seasons in the minor leagues following his selection in the 46th round of the 2007 First-Year Player Draft, Hellweg started only three games total, all in his first season of pro ball. The results weren’t what you would have hoped for a future star. In other words, ERAs just under 4.00 are just fine when you’re starting at the big league level but when you’re relieving or closing in Rookie ball and Low A, you don’t expect much in the way of a big league career.

But a huge fastball keeps you on the stove top even if you occasionally must move to the back burner.

The native of Ann Arbor, Michigan saw his fortunes turn and his stock begin to rise however once he began to start. In 2011, Hellweg’s first 13 appearances were out of the bullpen. Only five of them were scoreless outings and in three of those he allowed no walks, which is probably more telling. He had only four appearances out of the those first 13 in which he allowed no walks. Once the decision was made to move him to the rotation, he flourished.

He made 15 starts the rest of the way in 2011, and as his stamina increased so too did his innings pitched. Only two of his first seven starts reached 5.0 IP but then six of his final eight did. Hellweg had five scoreless starts and nine more with one or two runs allowed. Oh, and Hellweg did make one more relief appearance along the way. He pitched one-third of an inning and allowed six earned runs on five hits and two walks. It was a full commitment to starting after that.

Now then, as for 2012, Hellweg was a starter for the majority of the season as he pitched for both the Arkansas Travelers (Double-A affiliate of the Angels) and the Huntsville Stars. He made 23 starts in 2012 before the Brewers shifted him to the bullpen to limit his innings somewhat. As a starter Hellweg posted a 3.33 ERA over 129.2 IP. He allowed 111 hits and 69 walks against 98 strikeouts. As a relief pitcher, for the record, Hellweg threw 10.0 regular season innings (2.70 ERA) and 13.0 in the AFL (2.77 ERA). A reminder though was that all of his relief appearances came after a full season of starting and honing his skills in that fashion. That certainly could be a factor in his much better relief numbers in 2012.

I do have to mention that I thought it curious that they then sent him to the Arizona Fall League, albeit as a relief pitcher, where he made an additional nine appearances and threw 13.0 additional innings.The talk was that while Hellweg was going to the AFL as a reliever, he was still viewed as a starting pitcher by the Brewers.

But how committed to that idea are they really? I ask because there was talk from Doug Melvin that Hellweg would be considered for a bullpen role in 2013 with the big league club should he perform well in Spring Training. That might simply be a case of dangling the carrot in front of the horse’s nose, but it seems like an odd declaration to me for a player who clearly has performed better as the first man on the bump. Certainly a situation to watch come February the 12th.

Hellweg

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Miss anyone along the way? Catch up on the Brewers By the (Jersey) Numbers profiles to this point:

Details on Gonzalez’ Contract Incentives

Adam McCalvy just posted a blog where he broke down the incentives available on top of the $2.25 million guaranteed in new Brewers reliever Mike Gonzalez’ contract.

McCalvy explains that there are up to $400,000 in bonuses, that figure according to the Associated Press.

Gonzalez can earn $50,000 if he finishes 25 games, another $75,000 for finishing a total of 30 games, an additional $75,000 if he finishes 35 games, $100,000 if he finishes 40 games and another 100 grand should he finish 50 games in 2013.

These incentives are clearly designed to compensate Gonzalez should he have to close games for any reason.

I make a full post today though to discuss the implications thereof.

To me, it would seem to indicate that should injury befall John Axford, Brewers GM Doug Melvin would be expecting field manager Ron Roenicke to turn to Gonzalez to close games. He is the most experienced secondary option in the bullpen to be sure (he has 56 career Saves) but at this point in his career he is also cover-your-eyes awful against right-handed hitting. Obviously in the closer’s role, you face plenty of hitters from both sides. One would think that having Gonzalez close wouldn’t be the best choice long-term choice.

Hopefully that isn’t a bridge we ever come to though.

If The Season Started Tomorrow…

It’s the final day of 2012.

This was a year which saw the Milwaukee Brewers attempt (unsuccessfully) to defend a division championship for the first time since 1983. It was the first time that the Brewers featured their very own defending league Most Valuable Player since 1990. They entered the season with an intact rotation which used the fewest different arms (6) to make all 162 starts. Arguably the league’s most fearsome bullpen back-end was returning as well with only a couple of key veterans taking jobs elsewhere. And sure, Prince Fielder followed the money to Detroit but this was going to be Mat Gamel’s breakout year and Aramis Ramirez would pick up most of the slack…at least once May rolled around, he would.

Alas, we all know how things turned out in 2012 so I shan’t recap the trials, tribulations, trade, and triumphs that resulted in 83 victories a year after winning a franchise-record 96 games.

No, for this column we look forward. We look forward to 2013. We look forward to P&C. We look much too far forward to Opening Day with this set of projections.

If the season started tomorrow, the following things would be true:

  • I’d be extremely happy that I wouldn’t have to still be counting down to Opening Day (91 days as of this writing).
  • I’d be extremely cold while tailgating outside of Miller Park for a few hours on my wife’s birthday.
  • I’d have failed miserably in posting my season preview “Brewers By the Jersey Numbers” articles.

But really, I’m posting today to take a look at how the current roster stacks up and what I think a 25-man roster would look like when the games started counting.

dougmelvinI gotta tell you all that I would normally not make this projection for quite some time but with Doug Melvin’s declaration that they were “coming to the end” of acquiring free agents (or however he exactly worded it), chances are the majority of options at the team’s disposal today are going to be the same options they are presented with in 43 days when Pitchers and Catchers officially report.

Of course, and it should go without needing to be said, a ton can change between now and then anyway despite appearances. Somebody could be traded. Somebody could be signed as a veteran backup where currently only inexperience resides. Somebody could injure themselves in a pickup basketball game. Et cetera. But if we accounted for every “if” that we could, nobody would ever project anything. That’s simply not much fun.

Assuming everyone is through rehab successfully, here is how my 25-man roster would look if the season started tomorrow. (Players listed alphabetically within their position group.)

Starting Pitchers (5)

  • Marco Estrada
  • Mike Fiers
  • Yovani Gallardo
  • Chris Narveson*
  • Mark Rogers

Gallardo

I know what you’re thinking. “Free Wily Peralta!” I agree that he’s likely one of the best five options available to fill a spot in the rotation but based on the necessary evil of depth maintenance and with respect to the rules on minor league options, this just feels like the rotation that will head north from Arizona. Gallardo is a lock. Estrada was mentioned more than once this off-season as having an advantage in the competition. (He also isn’t hurt by the fact that his manager really likes his pitching.) Fiers did more than enough throughout most the season to be given a shot from the get. After adding two left-handed relievers to the bullpen, sticking Narveson in there doesn’t make sense anymore (if it ever did). Rogers is out of options and I really want to see him get a shot to contribute as a starting pitcher. He won’t make it through waivers to Nashville. Peralta has options remaining and that’s what this should come down to. Don’t doubt for a minute though that if Fiers struggles for a few starts early and it appears that the end of 2012 was due to being “figured out” more so than simply fatigue, he’ll be optioned down to Nashville in favor of the young Dominican.

Tyler Thornburg will get a look this spring but I feel like they don’t want to mess with him as a reliever this year at all. They’ll give him a full season starting in Triple-A. Hopefully with the regular and steady work he was used to, he’ll be able to avoid the arm fatigue that slowed his development in 2012. Hiram Burgos, just added to the 40-man roster, should also pitch in games in big league camp to start the spring, but after skyrocketing through the system this year, he’ll be in Nashville’s rotation when camp breaks.

Relief Pitchers (7)

  • John Axford (Closer)
  • Burke Badenhop
  • Mike Gonzalez*
  • Tom Gorzelanny*
  • Jim Henderson
  • Brandon Kintzler
  • Michael Olmsted

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One open spot for competition. Many feel that the aforementioned Peralta should be in the rotation and that either Narveson or Rogers will become the default long reliever as a effect. For me, the final spot in the ‘pen will come down to one of the recent high-ceiling additions which Melvin and his staff have picked up this off-season. If I had my druthers, Michael Olmsted gets first crack at it. Spring Training performance might dictate that he isn’t ready for the jump over Triple-A, and this might be specifically adjusted in March, but based on minor league numbers, projectability, and stuff, Olmsted appears to be at the top of the influx of opportunity-seekers. Olmsted is already on the 40-man roster too, something that would come into play should someone like a Jairo Asencio continue to impress.

Last year’s swingman Josh Stinson has an option remaining so he’ll head to the minors. Likewise Miguel De Los Santos. One other note, as of this posting the Mike Gonzalez deal still hadn’t been made official. When it is, someone must come off the 40-man roster. I think that will be Fautino De Los Santos. So, if he’s even still with the organization, he’ll be tucked away in the minors to begin the year.

Catchers (2)

  • Jonathan Lucroy
  • Martin Maldonado

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Need there be a lengthy explanation? How’s this: no other catchers on the 40-man; these two played very well all year (when healthy); next best options coming to camp are Blake Lalli and Dayton Buller. Next!

Infielders (7)

  • Jeff Bianchi
  • Mat Gamel**
  • Corey Hart
  • Donnie Murphy
  • Aramis Ramirez
  • Jean Segura
  • Rickie Weeks

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A “traditional” roster usually consists of six infielders and five outfielders. I’ve split this roster differently for a couple of reasons though. First, Mat Gamel and Jeff Bianchi are both out of minor league options. Bianchi performed okay last year in his first big league action, but really what the Brewers will be holding onto is depth at shortstop. Sure, they wouldn’t have to add Donnie Murphy to the 40-man roster at all and could just stash him in the minors to begin the year but he is the superior defender to Bianchi and can more capably cover defensively at the hot corner. Furthermore, the team has made no secret of the designs to have Gamel play in the corner outfield spots this spring along with Corey Hart’s obvious ability to fill in should an emergency arise.

Taylor Green will once again be the victim of circumstance, but he is more valuable to the organization playing everyday anyway even if that’s at Nashville. He can stay ready at the plate and be called upon if an injury creates a need.

Outfielders (4)

  • Norichika Aoki**
  • Ryan Braun
  • Carlos Gomez
  • Logan Schafer**

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To elaborate a bit on my point from above, Logan Schafer can play all three defensive outfield positions very well. He can take over for any of the regulars when they need a day off and can be utilized in double-switches late in games. It’d be the same way that the Brewers played the majority of 2012 defensively once Hart moved to first base. Assuming that day’s starting outfield was Braun-Gomez-Aoki, Nyjer Morgan was the only “true” outfielder remaining on the roster. Schafer can do more than Morgan could defensively and still brings at least as much at the plate from the same left side.

For the record, if the Brewers did decide to carry five outfielders, I’d guess that Murphy would begin the season in the minors for depth and the extra outfielder would be Caleb Gindl. This seven IFs and four OFs configuration can work, though, with the proper personnel. The Brewers would have that group in 2013 should they choose to go that route. I would.

Opening Day Lineup

  1. Rickie Weeks
  2. Norichika Aoki
  3. Ryan Braun
  4. Aramis Ramirez
  5. Corey Hart
  6. Jonathan Lucroy
  7. Carlos Gomez
  8. Jean Segura
  9. Yovani Gallardo

On Opening Day I foresee manager Ron Roenicke looking to do a couple of things with his lineup. I think he’d like to have Weeks back up near the top and despite how Aoki performed so well while leading off in 2012 I think he’ll play the same card he did once he moved Weeks down the lineup last year to justify the order I have listed. You may recall that on days when Carlos Gomez started in center, Aoki batted second because Aoki handled the bat better to move the leadoff hitter over should he reach base. When Morgan started in center Roenicke felt that Aoki’s patience resulted in a better chance to get on base for the rest of the lineup. As we know, despite typically low batting averages, Weeks gets on base. His .350 career OBP is 99 points higher than his career batting average and only .005 lower than what Aoki did in his rookie season. What’s more, despite the struggles Weeks had for a majority of 2012, he still managed to walk 74 times (and reached based 13 more times after being hit by a pitch).

That being the situation near the top, I think it affords Roenicke the opportunity to begin with Gomez further down the order where he won’t hurt the Brewers early on in the season should he regress from last year’s breakout. If Gomez proves that 2012 is the baseline going forward then Roenicke will have a good problem with which to deal.

Segura is still young, still growing into his skills and performed well enough in the oft-dreaded “spot before the pitcher” that he could flourish there to begin the year. His winter league numbers are also encouraging regardless of the competition level. If he can develop more patience, he’ll be contributing plenty out of the 8th spot all season.

* - Throws left-handed
** - Bats left-handed

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So that’s how I see things shaking out if the season started tomorrow.

And you?

Brewers Sign Another Veteran Reliever

Mike Gonzalez

The overhaul of the Brewers bullpen continues.

Following their signing of Tom Gorzelanny last week, the Milwaukee Brewers were thought to possibly have acquired the only left-handed relief pitcher that they would carry to begin the 2013 season. This was an inaccurate thought.

The Brewers were connected to Gonzalez (6’2″, 215 lbs) this off-season, even as specifically as Doug Melvin mentioning the veteran relief pitcher by name, but have shown interest in the past as well. Before he signed a free agent contract with the Baltimore Orioles prior to the 2010 season, the Brewers had chased Gonzalez a bit at the 2009 Winter Meetings.

This could be a significant acquisition for the Brewers on a couple of levels. Not only does it provide manager Ron Roenicke with a LOOGy option out of the bullpen, but it allows him to use Gorzelanny differently as well. You don’t have to necessarily save Gorzelanny for a specific late-inning matchup because a tough left-handed hitter is looming down the batting order. Gonzalez can handle that situation late. Conversely, if there’s a high-leverage situation earlier in the game that needs the touch of a lefty out of the ‘pen, Roenicke wouldn’t have to burn Gorzelanny before he’d prefer to.

Obviously as with any signing, the money and year(s) will factor into how “good” the signing is, but from a production standpoint I like this signing a lot by the Brewers.

Gonzalez will have to be utilized properly though by Roenicke to make the most out of whatever Gonzalez is being paid.

Gonzalez vs. LHH: .179/.257/.269, 67 AB, 12 hits, 3 doubles, 1 home run, 23 strikeouts, 7 walks
Gonzalez vs. RHH: .297/.378/.484, 64 AB, 19 hits, 7 doubles, 1 triple, 1 home run, 16 strikeouts, 9 walks

Those are splits worth adhering to strictly.

A veteran of parts of 10 seasons in the big leagues, Gonzalez enters 2013 at age 34. The Brewers will be his sixth team following the Pirates, Braves, Orioles, Rangers, and Nationals. He owns a career 17-21 record, along with a 2.94 ERA, a 144 ERA+, a 10.3 K/9 ratio, and a 2.51 K/BB ratio.

Of note, the Brewers 40-man roster is full so once the Gonzalez deal becomes official, a corresponding roster move must be made. That isn’t expected to take place until after the first of the year though because the Brewers offices are technically closed for the rest of 2012.

***UPDATE (1:13pm): Ken Rosenthal tweeted that the deal is for just one year. That’s great to hear!***

***UPDATE 2 (1:20pm): ESPN’s Jim Bowden tweets the base contract value.***

I know he’s 34, but he also made $6 million in each of the last two seasons. If Bowden is right and it’s $2.25 million base (with incentives), and that’s after “beating out” the Cincinnati Reds and Washington Nationals for Gonzalez’ services…that’s quite a good deal financially.

Hot Stove Report: Brewers Made Offer to Dempster

Doug Melvin spoke to Tom Haudricourt this morning after free agent pitcher Shaun Marcum said on the radio yesterday that he’d be open to returning to Milwaukee.

(You can read about that part of the conversation on Haudricourt’s blog.)

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Photo courtesy of John F. Rhodes – taken during the fourth inning of a MLB baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles in Arlington, Texas on Monday, August 20, 2012.

I’m posting a new blog today to expound on an additional point revealed by Melvin. He confirmed that he had made an offer to free agent pitcher Ryan Dempster but that based on reports and that he hasn’t heard back from Dempster’s agent since, it appears to Melvin that Dempster won’t be coming to Milwaukee.

In the blog post, Haudricourt says that Melvin confirmed it was a two-year offer, but on Twitter, the Brewers beat writer appeared less certain about the terms:

I asked a source and he told me that the offer to Dempster was officially for two guaranteed years with a club option for a third year. The guaranteed dollars, however, were not competitive to what Dempster reportedly turned down from Boston (2yr/$25 million) and Kansas City (2yr/$26 million) last week.

I suppose the thought process would be that a third year option (with appropriate buyout price) might allow for a lower AAV over the guaranteed two years if nobody else stepped up to offer a guaranteed third year. While there has been no indication the Boston has gone to a third guaranteed year, it could be what got the two sides to the point of being “close” which I first saw reported this morning by FOXSports.com’s Ken Rosenthal.

So, to summarize, it looks like Ryan Dempster will not be donning a Brewers uniform to begin the 2013 season.

***UPDATE: Ryan Dempster is reportedly in agreement (again via Ken Rosenthal) on a two-year deal with the Red Sox for $26.5 million.***

Knowing what I know about the offer, that’s not a shock, but it’s also something I’m more than comfortable with. The Brewers have a budget in mind, made Dempster an offer that they felt was palatable based on that budget and their expectations for the following two seasons, and weren’t going to put themselves in a position where they felt that they were doing a disservice to the long-term view of this franchise.

They may not have gotten their man, but in forgoing increasing their offer to guarantee a third year to a player who they felt wouldn’t properly fulfill that obligation they feel they will still come out ahead in the long run. I don’t disagree with that philosophy at all.

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Update on J.P. Howell:

To update on the most recent Hot Stove Report focusing on J.P. Howell, I was also told that the Brewers have made no further advancement on Howell at this time. I wasn’t told why and they certainly still could. Just wanted to pass that along.

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See Previous Hot Stove Reports:

Hot Stove Report: Brewers Focusing In

jphowellThe Winter Meetings came and went with the Milwaukee Brewers not exactly making headlines. No agreements were made during the week though the meetings were hardly without action by Doug Melvin, Gord Ash, and their contingent.

It was reported last week Wednesday that Doug Melvin had met with Greg Genske, representative of several free agents this off-season. While Melvin confirmed the meeting, he wouldn’t state the nature of the discussions.

I learned last night that the Brewers have begun to “kick the tires”, to use the phrase, on one of Genske’s charges. By that I mean that they’ve looked into the player a bit more closely as of late. That player is free agent left-handed relief pitcher J.P. Howell.

Howell, 29, threw 50.1 IP in 2012, posting a 3.04 ERA while limiting left-handed hitters to a .200 AVG (17-for-85). He has made 101 appearances over the past two years as a member of the Tampa Bay Rays.

No offer has been made. It didn’t even sound like any terms had been discussed. The Brewers aren’t the only team interested in Howell. It was reported some time in the last few days (the specific tweeter escapes me) that Howell was being looked at by the Washington Nationals since they had lost Sean Burnett to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, California, PST. The Nationals “involvement” on Howell was confirmed to me last night as well.

Also of note, after the talk at the Winter Meetings about how the Brewers “would listen” on offers for Corey Hart, I was told that there aren’t any trade talks about any Brewer past the early stages. That does not mean that there are any in the early stages, just that none are advanced past that point if any are underway at all.

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See Previous Hot Stove Reports:

Winter Meetings Recap Day 4: Much Ado About…Something

2012-Winter-Meetings-logo

Whilst at the Winter Meetings, the Milwaukee Brewers didn’t actually acquire a single player. They lost one in the Rule V Draft Thursday morning but that was the extent of player transactions which were completed completely within the four-day span in Nashville.

The Brewers signed one player to a MiLB contract but according to Gord Ash, that was actually accomplished “this past weekend” prior to the Winter Meetings. It came together both because the Brewers provide a lot of opportunity with its currently thin bullpen and because the player lives in Nashville and decided that if it was necessary for him to pitch in Triple-A in 2013, it may as well be at home with the Brewers affiliate Nashville Sounds.

As for the official four day conference, the Brewers made no moves. But no one should take that to mean that they got nothing accomplished.

Described as “busy” but just with nothing done yet, the Doug Melvin’s contingent made and received calls, met with agents, reviewed players, discussed terms for potential contract offers, and generally conducted a fair about of business.

Going home empty-handed when several players the Brewers reportedly targeted and/or were a fit for what the Brewers need went off the board has left some fans with a bad taste in their mouths. Before resigning yourself to believing that, as one fan put it to me, the Brewers “won’t get anyone worth a damn  this winter”, I implore you to think about what was done over the last week.

Yes, the Brewers want a left-handed reliever. Ron Roenicke has said he doesn’t need a lefty just to have a lefty, but more than one person fashioned their desire as a “focus”. Would you really have wanted Melvin to commit three years to any reliever (how’d David Riske work out for us again?) or pay a glorified LOOGy an average salary around $5 million? As I said yesterday, discretion has proven the better part of valor on more than one occasion throughout history.

Another example of the best laid plans not always working out: The Brewers were tied to Jason Grilli early on in the week with Doug Melvin telling reporters that he had talked to Grilli’s agent about the free agent right-handed relief pitcher. I reported that the Brewers were discussing terms of an offer to present. Ron Roenicke stated that the team is definitely interested in him. Then Grilli narrows his options down to a handful of teams, excluding the Brewers, and Melvin turned on his heel and said that they hadn’t talked to Grilli’s agent all week. Some fans take that at face value and think that the Brewers didn’t do anything regarding Grilli, but that simply isn’t the case. What they did do just didn’t work out. (I plan on analyzing this situation further depending on how busy the news wire is over the next few days, so keep an eye out for that.)

Bottom line about the Winter Meetings though is that while not much may have gotten done as the market awaits the outcomes of several situations (Zack Greinke, Josh Hamilton, the rumored multi-team deal involving Justin Upton, Asdrubal Cabrera, et al) plenty still went on.

Speaking of Hamilton, I’d be remiss if I didn’t pass along a tweet from ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick. It was posted right around the time when people began talking about the rumored contract discussions surrounding Hamilton being about 3-4 years and averaging somewhere between $20-$25 million annually. Here’s the tweet:

So yes, the rumor that refuses to go away is still very much around. With this, coupled with the talk about the Brewers being willing to “listen” on Corey Hart to free up money if necessary, and grouped with Gord Ash’s comments from early in the week about how the only problem with bringing Hamilton to Milwaukee is money…

Yeah, well, ’tis the season for speculation, reasoned or otherwise.

Final piece of news to pass along is that the Brewers’ projected starting shortstop at Double-A Huntsville, Hector Gomez, was injured seriously enough in a winter league game that he could miss significant time in 2013.

This could lead to the Brewers ramping up a search for a minor league shortstop. They’re already looking for an upgrade at backup shortstop with the parent club.

So again, there’s plenty for Melvin and the Brewers to accomplish between now and February 12th but there’s also plenty of time right now for it all to happen.

Enjoy the holiday season and stay tuned as we’ll bring you all the news that breaks surrounding the team.

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Read all about the Winter Meetings here!

Winter Meetings Day 3 Recap: Swing and a Miss, Strike 2!

What a busy day at the Winter Meetings in Nashville, Tennessee.

Busy, but not all that productive for the Milwaukee Brewers.

After expressing their interest in Sean Burnett, Jason Grilli, Randy Choate, Ryan Dempster, and others this week, the Brewers have lost out on a couple of those names.

Burnett is reportedly going to the Angels on a two-year deal worth “just south of” $9.5 million total.

Mike DiGiovanna has since confirmed the cost for Burnett, which is higher than I was told the Brewers wanted to offer.

Jason Grilli tweeted that he was headed to the Winter Meetings for a “full day” (which isn’t over yet) and his agent Gary Sheffield reportedly told Nick Cafardo that he was closing in on a deal. While I’ve been told that Sheffield isn’t as close as he made it seem, it could still come together quickly. Also, Doug Melvin now tells the media that he hasn’t spoken directly to Sheffield this week despite telling those same reporters on Monday that they had talked about Grilli.

CBSSports.com’s Jon Heyman tweeted about why the market for Grilli might be bigger than the Brewers had anticipated when discussing the offer idea I mentioned yesterday.

Not that it’s not understandable to a degree, but Melvin seems to change his story to keep himself from looking bad if his advances are rebuffed by free agents. Manager Ron Roenicke confirmed the team’s interest in Grilli as well, but not in the $5-$7 million AAV range. If you press me to remember specific examples I’ll try, but it’s just a feeling that has been in my head for a while. This new Grilli talk feels no different to me.

For what it’s worth on Grilli, this came in just prior to my posting this early evening recap and I doubt that the Brewers are in play despite being so earlier this week:

Randy Choate, reportedly on the Brewers radar as a left-handed reliever agreed to a (are you sitting down) reported three-year deal with the St. Louis Cardinals.

It’s becoming quite apparent that the market for relief pitching is inflated right now. Melvin may be better of simply biding his time until cheaper options start to sign their deals once the market is set.

The latest on the Ryan Dempster situation is that he still wants three years and the Brewers still don’t want to go over two years. That’s not a secret anymore, but either discuss compromises or simply move on at some point.

More on the Brewers starting pitching desires come from Danny Knobler:

Would the Brewers be willing to trade Hart? They’d listen. Hart isn’t signed past next season and the long-term future at the position is something which the Brewers need to make a decision about. Plus Hart could always ask for way more money than the Brewers want to pay him and he could leave town anyway for no return. Now, should they trade Hart and reinsert Mat Gamel as the team’s every day first baseman? That would depend on what the Brewers would get back beyond the $9.5 million or so in salary relief.

In minor league news, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal/Sentinel passed along that the Brewers have resigned shortstop Hainley Statia to a minor league deal.

Also as I reported earlier, the Brewers signed someone new to the organization in right-handed relief pitcher Chris Jakubauskas:

Doug Melvin did tell the media that he is keeping an eye on a specific player as it relates to the Rule V Draft tomorrow but he doubts the player will reach them with the 16th pick of said draft.

Finally, Gord Ash was a guest on a Toronto-based radio program broadcasting from Nashville. He confirmed the team’s mutual interest in Josh Hamilton and laid out some reasons that Hamilton was drawn to the Brewers but said that it simply comes down to a matter of dollars and Milwaukee’s not having enough of them given the way the market appears to have been shaping up for the free agent former AL MVP.

***UPDATE: Adam McCalvy indicated that Doug Melvin said he met with the agent who happens to be the representative of free agents J.P Howell and Edwin Jackson but wouldn’t divulge what was discussed.***

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