Around MLB '12-'13 (offseason signings, trades, rumors, ect)

[ReasonablySober]

If Weeks has a season somewhere in the middle of his '10-'11 seasons, we're ahead of St. Louis for the WC spot. It isn't just the bullpen.

ETA: Or tied. Or whatever, Weeks took a **** on this season and what you do in April and May matters.

[ReasonablySober]

Stark basically says Braun doesn't have a shot at the MVP.

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/83752 ... p-race-mlb

[A Diddy2231]

I'm loving this run the Pirates are currently on. Feel bad for Pirates fans..but it's fun to watch the trainwreck

[coolhandluke121]

IMO Weeks is getting paid enough to be a hell of a lot better than a .730 OPS hitter, especially in a hitter's park and especially considering how bad he's been on defense. He's not in Bill Hall territory anymore, but he's been a real stinker this year.

[BUCKnation]

Stark basically says Braun doesn't have a shot at the MVP.

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/83752 ... p-race-mlb

Other than avg, Braun is killing every MVP candidate in other categories. His OBP, a much better stat, is right there with them. Im may be a homer, but you cant look at the stats and tell me Braun doesnt deserve it.

[Kerb Hohl]

IMO Weeks is getting paid enough to be a hell of a lot better than a .730 OPS hitter, especially in a hitter's park and especially considering how bad he's been on defense. He's not in Bill Hall territory anymore, but he's been a real stinker this year.

I think something may have been very wrong early in the year. Mental, phsical, I don't know. Whether that's the case or not, he seems to be figuring it out. I realize he's streaky and is going to have a downturn soon, but if he's close to his former self from this point forward, I'm fine with it. I recall that you weren't a fan of that Aramis signing, be patient (though I realize we weathered through a brutal, brutal 3 month stretch of Weeks)

If he's still going through slumps or just a .730 guy, then yeah, sell him off or don't bring him back.

[Bernman]

I don't recall who specifically it was that purported they'd prefer the higher draft pick over continuing to win back in July/August. It was a small contingent. I'm not going to sift through the old game threads to point fingers (outside of this board, Sparky was one of them). I remarked about that attitude because it was just so notably absurd.

Much of this board was rooting for the team to lose well before the trade deadline too for the Brewers to be sellers. I don't think I openly rooted for them to lose, but when they were hugged right up against the trade deadline and they had dug a big hole to make the playoffs unlikely at that point, even for a talented team, I rooted against them for a couple games. It would have been bad to get caught in no man's land to where they couldn't have justified being buyers or sellers. But I think rooting for the Brewers to win in June and most of July, overcoming their uncharacteristic bullpen woes, would have been the long-sighted thing to do. With almost 20 games left we'd already be in a wild card spot, from winning even a minority fraction of those slew of games where the bullpen was at fault. Not to mention games afterward that could have been won with Greinke and another reliever from the trade deadline. We'd be in pole position to go to the playoffs and be contenders there. You don't give that up for a draft pick, or even little Jean Segura and co. The Brewers can use the added revenue and consistent success to draw more talent to the team through free agency. This isn't the NBA. The Bucks have never acquired anybody of the ilk of Aramis Ramirez through free agency. I doubt under Kohl they'll ever reach the level of success the Brewers have right now. And even if they do, they have to contend with the coldness issue the Brewers don't really have to playing in summer.

I'm loving this run the Pirates are currently on. Feel bad for Pirates fans..but it's fun to watch the trainwreck

It's hilarious that people believe in them every year they get off to a hot start. Some Brewers' fans when listing how tough the schedule supposedly is down the stretch the last two years, noted the Pirates' series' to strengthen their argument. Oh noes!, we have to face a bunch of phonies who we've owned for a long time...we're doomed now. The Pirates are improving their talent level. That's apparent to see between McCutcheon, Walker, Alvarez, etc. But a large part of their recent hot starts have always come down to players over-achieving their career norms and winning close games. The Brewers have been fundamentally superior to the Pirates all season. They were just the opposite case in that individuals under-achieved and they lost a ton of close games.

[ReasonablySober]

Pirates are officially tied with Milwaukee.

[Bernman]

IMO Weeks is getting paid enough to be a hell of a lot better than a .730 OPS hitter, especially in a hitter's park and especially considering how bad he's been on defense. He's not in Bill Hall territory anymore, but he's been a real stinker this year.

I think something may have been very wrong early in the year. Mental, phsical, I don't know. Whether that's the case or not, he seems to be figuring it out. I realize he's streaky and is going to have a downturn soon, but if he's close to his former self from this point forward, I'm fine with it. I recall that you weren't a fan of that Aramis signing, be patient (though I realize we weathered through a brutal, brutal 3 month stretch of Weeks)

If he's still going through slumps or just a .730 guy, then yeah, sell him off or don't bring him back.

I agree with you. At the end of the day, Weeks' slump was a part of the team's struggles, but a very, very, small part. We were still constantly in position to win games before the bullpen would ultimately blow them. And since that Weeks' numbers have rebounded to the point where he's not that far off career norms. He's average to above average for a starting 2nd baseman. Axford on the other hand, his bounceback has still only improved his ERA to twice his previous career average. Frankie is in the same boat. They have still been so far below the norm of relievers in their respective roles. There is no comparison.

I think Weeks' problems were either physical or psychological stemming from his physical ankle issue last season. Whatever it is, he's back, and now would be a bad time to unload him. He projects to have a better season than this next year.

BTW, I think the bullpen's problems were mental as a group, possibly stemming from that last preseason game against the D-Backs where Parra couldn't get anyone out. That was the last prep for the regular season. It set a bad tone. When you have nobody in the top 140 in ERA in your bullpen the first half of a season, that's statistically anomalous, so one player probably effects the other to cause it. The Packers' defense developed the tendency to choke at the end of every close game starting in 2008, and ended on the last regular season game of the '10 season where Cutler served up that INT to Peprah. Since then, the defense has had it struggles, namely the '11 season, but when they needed to make plays in games they were leading late, they were made unlike before.

[trwi7]

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/10-degrees ... -race.html

Jeff Passan being the bitch that he is.

[chuckleslove]

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/10-degrees--shameful-that-sub--500-phillies-still-contenders-in-wild-card-race.html

Jeff Passan being the bitch that he is.

Maybe it is just me but using terms like "LOLMets" is more befitting of a blog than an actual journalist.

[Turk Nowitzki]

In another edition of How Dumb Can You Possibly Be, Yunel Escobar gets a 3 game suspension for writing a gay slur on his eye black. You can't make this stuff up.

[NeedsMoreCheese]

Orioles beat the Mariners in 18 innings

[NeedsMoreCheese]

http://espn.go.com/mlb/blog/_/name/star ... s-att-park

Braun has 1 more home run at Miller Park this season than all of the Giants combined at AT&T Park

[LUKE23]

Astros had the bases loaded 4 times with one out and got one run. Bums.

[WEFFPIM]

The Brewers are now second in the NL Wild Card chase.

Think about that.

[neiLz]

Technically Third

[ReasonablySober]

Cubs just tied it up against the Cards in the 9th.

GO CUBS, BITCHES.

/killsself

[jr lucosa]

Neither team scored in the 10th, on to the 11th

[jr lucosa]

I LOVE YOU DeJESUS!!!!!!!!

Cubs win