Showing posts with label carroll. Show all posts
Showing posts with label carroll. Show all posts

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Free Agent Updates

So, two of my three predictions for Brewers Free Agency have already been wrong.

Jamey Carroll signed a two year deal with the Twins. (I'm also pretty upset about the Pirates picking up Barmes, I would have liked him too. Can't we just once sign somebody for defense?)

More recently, Jonathan Broxton signed a one year deal with the Royals. I would have liked that one.

In more bullpen type news apparently the Brewers have been in contact with the agent for Takashi Saito, who though old, did a pretty fine job for the Brewers last year. The Brewers need to sign at least one reliever this offseason, maybe a lefty too. Mitch Stetter was refused his assignment to AAA and has now left the organization.

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Top Free Agents

Hey everyone.

Recently the awesome blog MLBTradeRumors.com did an article outlining their Top 50 free agents of the 2012 off season and offered their opinion on where these players will land.

The Brewers were involved in a total of two. The first obviously being Fielder (ranked 2nd), who is predicted to head over to Seattle. The next being Jose Reyes (ranked 3rd overall), who is predicted to sign with Milwaukee.


^^Link to the Full Article^^

As much as I would love for Milwaukee to sign a player like Reyes (and by like him, I mean an awesome player), I just don't think it's going to happen. Work that Melvin has interest in bring back the perpetual disapointment Betancourt has really made me feel like that will happen, probably for something like 1 year, $2-$3 million.

However I do think we will make a signing (or two or three even) someway farther down the list.

If a shortstop other than Betancourt is to be signed I think it is much more likely it is much more likely to be somebody like Jamey Carroll, or perhaps Rafael Furcal. Personally, I'm most intrigued by Carroll, a guy with a career OBP of over .345.

Beyond that, do to the mass exodus of almost everyone from our bullpen, I see a signing there happening. K-Rod, Hawkins, and Saito are all free agents, and all three played a fairly central role to the team, especially down the stretch. Now, with what is likely to be a decrease in offensive production (though I do think it will be less than some people fear) I really feel like GM Doug Melvin will sign some depth.

I predict a resigning of either Hawkins or Saito, almost for sure. There is some possibility of bringing back both, but I'm not sure you want to risk of two old men anchoring your late innings group. There could be somebody like Frank Francisco, who's put a decent string of years together, most recently with the Blue Jays. Also, Melvin has shown before that he's willing to take a chance on a reliever, and Jonathan Broxton could be that man here. I really doubt somebody offers him a closers roll after two poor, and one injury riddled seasons. However a nice incentive laden deal could probably get him. If Broxton returns to even close to his 2009 form he would be a bargain.

So, my free agent predictions for the Brewers will be Jamey Carroll, Latroy Hawkins, and Jonathan Broxton.