Results tagged ‘ Rays ’
Hot Stove Report: Brewers Just Say “Nay”
So on Sunday evening a friend reached out to me to let me know that there was a nebulous trade idea being discussed concerning the Milwaukee Brewers.
I tweeted about it and that I was chasing said rumor so that you all would know that there might be something on the horizon…
I hate to do this to you all on a Sunday night, but a whisper was just sent my way. Chasing, but really feels unlikely.
— The Brewer Nation (@BrewerNation) January 21, 2013
…but also that it didn’t feel like anything was going to happen based on the little that I was told.
Really feels slim. Details aren’t adding up yet. Still working. RT @bigjoewisconsin: @brewernation what is the % of the trade happening?
— The Brewer Nation (@BrewerNation) January 21, 2013
After vetting the information a bit more, I found different things that I had not been told and that changed the situation a little bit.
First, let me make one thing perfectly clear:
As it was explained to me, the Brewers said “no” to this trade idea by way of not even responding to it.
In other words, they weren’t even interested enough to start dialogue with the other team.
Again, there is to be no backlash on the Brewers if you don’t want them to consider moving the player who was targeted by the other team.
Okay then…
The Tampa Bay Rays put together a trade idea targeting Brewers second baseman Rickie Weeks.
The specifics were still a bit fluid as additional names weren’t passed my way and there was more discussion about the amount of salary each team would be moving. The Rays were thought to be sending two MLB players and were looking to acquire Weeks, and two minor leaguers (one pitcher, one hitter).
One more time, no other names were officially included, and the inclusion of Weeks was only confirmed by that the Rays asked to review a copy of Weeks’ contract. Then they formulated a base offer which, I was told, the Brewers did not respond to.
Weeks would make a ton of sense for the Rays. He would fill their often poor second base position, provide offense at the top of their lineup in a group that might be light on power potential overall, and wouldn’t be around after a couple of years at a big dollar amount if they didn’t want him to be. It’s a cost-certain situation that the Rays would get into, and they love those.
So, fellow Brewers and Rickie Weeks fans, worry not at this time. Nothing doing as far as I was told.
That doesn’t means Weeks will never be moved. He could still end up as a Ray one day. We all know that Weeks is a Florida native and resident with ties to the community. For now just be aware that there is a front office out there who is know for taking reasoned, smart chances that wanted to bring Rickie Weeks in.
Other than that, have a great day and look forward to seeing Weeks and a vast majority of his Milwaukee Brewer teammates at Brewers On Deck this Sunday.
Brewers Acquire Relief Help From Rays
The Milwaukee Brewers acquired right-handed reliever Burke Badenhop today from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for outfielder Raul Mondesi Jr. The announcement was made by Executive Vice President and General Manager Doug Melvin.
Badenhop, who turns 30 on February 8, went 3-2 with a 3.03 ERA in 66 relief appearances for the Rays in 2012. He posted a 1.42 ERA over his last 16 appearances (12.2ip, 2er) while holding opponents to a .229 batting average during that period. Badenhop owns a career record of 16-17 with a 4.08 ERA and 2 saves in 217 games, including 10 starts, with Miami (2008-11) and Tampa Bay (2012). He has pitched exclusively in relief for each of the last three seasons.
He relies primarily on two pitches, a sinker which tends to travel between 89 and 91 MPH and a slider which sits at or just above 80 though he’ll throw a standard fastball as well. Being 6’5″ (and listed at 220lbs, for what it’s worth), he gets on top of his sinker pretty well which gives it good movement and induces a majority of ground balls which is never a bad thing at Miller Park. His slider is his strikeout pitch for the handful he tallies.
His best asset on the mound would have to be his control. Badenhop allowed the fourth-fewest walks in baseball among pitchers with at least 60 IP last season.
Badenhop grew up in Ohio and calls himself a “midwest guy”. He was excited about coming to Milwaukee when reached for comment today saying that “It’s nice to be wanted. I’m very pleased.”
Eligible for arbitration, Badenhop made $1,075,000 in salary in 2012. With the move, the Brewers’ 40-man roster stands at 39.
Mondesi Jr., 20, was signed by Milwaukee as a non-drafted free agent on June 23, 2010. He batted .231 with 5 HR and 32 RBI in 68 games at Rookie Helena this season.
MLB Trade Rumors: Corey Hart to Tampa Bay?
By: Big Rygg
This will be quick.
Caught word today of some potential specifics regarding the rumored “seriousness” regarding the Tampa Bay Rays’ interest in acquiring Milwaukee Brewers right-fielder, and 2010 All-Star starter, Corey Hart.
As everyone knows, the Brewers are looking for pitching in return for moving any pieces right now. Well, the Rays are said to be offering that and another piece.
The other piece is said to be a minor-league infielder named Matt Sweeney who currently plays for the Rays Double-A affiliate. The supposed sticking point in negotiations? The name of the pitcher that would be going from Tampa Bay to Milwaukee.
The two names that were given to me were Wade Davis, who is currently in the Tampa Bay rotation, and high-A starting pitcher Matt Moore. What’s more, I was told that the Rays would prefer to move Davis while Milwaukee would choose to have Moore included in the deal.
Davis’ departure would clear space for Tampa Bay’s top pitching prospect to perhaps join the rotation for the balance of the 2010 season in Jeremy Hellickson. Hellickson, of course, starred during the Futures Game played just a couple of days ago.
That being said, the Brewers prefer Moore for a few reasons, to be sure. I have no direct knowledge of the reasons for that preference, but if I were to speculate it would be because of the following things:
- Moore’s service-time clock has not ticked even one-minute yet giving the Brewers a full six-years minimum out of him. Davis, conversely, is pitching in his second big league season already.
- Moore is billed as a hard-throwing, strikeout pitcher. He has amassed 122 strikeouts in 91 innings pitched so far.
- The Brewers might be positioning themselves for another run at the post-season in a few years when much of what’s seen as its best pitching prospects, currently in the lower levels of the minor leagues, might reach the majors together.
That this information is coming down following the reports from credentialed sources as well about the Rays’ increase in interest comes as no surprise to this writer. I have long been saying that it wouldn’t shock me in the least if Corey Hart’s last at-bat tonight in the 2010 All-Star Game is his final at-bat in a Milwaukee Brewers uniform.
The philosophy of Buy Low/Sell High only works on the sales end if you actually pull that proverbial trigger when the value of the player is at its highest.
Corey Hart is the quintessential Sell High candidate for the Milwaukee Brewers in that he is playing quite a bit above his level of play from the past couple of years.
The counter-argument, naturally, is that this is the real Corey Hart so why would you want to move him? What if he turns into an offensive force for another team? My response to that is a simple one: If he brings back a pitcher that helps us win next year or down the road, then the deal works out for both sides and I’m fine with it.
After all, I’d rather play the odds of regression, trend and past-performance and take my chances that Hart won’t stay this hot going forward.
This Milwaukee Brewers team has had offense to spare in recent seasons with its Achilles’ Heel having been a lack of pitching. There is no arguing that point.
It’s high time to flip the script a bit and move a bat to get an arm.
We have to hope that it’s a quality arm but at least we have the unknown to look forward to with that hope instead of the fear based on the past that we’ve seen out of Hart.
It’s a gamble worth taking.
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