Round ‘em Up: Wednesday

Three wins in a row!  It’s funny how momentum can change for a team once they return home.  Carlos Villanueva upped the quality start streak to four games.  Manny Parra looks to continue that tonight.  That would mean, of course, that Ned has to let him pitch through the sixth inning.  Heaven forbid…

I hope you all like Dan Wiersema’s recap of yesterday’s game against the Dodgers.  Dan is now an official contributor to BrewersNation.  I had some reservations about opening my site to another blogger, but the time commitment proved too much for me.  Dan is a great writer, and I’m excited to have him working on BrewersNation with me.  His addition will help keep a constant flow of information and posts heading your way.  No more dead-time when I cannot make it to the computer for a couple days.  Anyway, let’s take a look at the news for today.

Post of the Day

SI.com follows the young Milwaukee Brewers on their recent road trip.  It captures many behind-the-scenes moments that fans normally are unaware of.  I did not realize that J.J. Hardy is such a good ping-pong player.  I also do not understand why the first picture I see when reading the article has Bob Uecker standing in the background with very short shorts.  Questionable choice in photography right there.

• In a surprise move by Ned Yost, Eric Gagne returned to the closer’s role last night.  It certainly wasn’t pretty, but he got Juan Pierre to pop out to short to end the game.  Jim Powell has an interview with Gagne after the game.  The relief and happiness in Eric’s voice is evident.
• In that same vein, David Pinto from Baseball Musings believes that Eric Gagne must have been tipping his pitches.  Nobody has offered any concrete evidence for this, but Yost’s comments do seem to imply that Gagne was doing just that.
• Michael Hunt from the Milwaukee JS says that hitting is contagious.  I was not aware.  I wonder if winning is too…  Perhaps not hitting worth a darn is contagious?
• Chris Capuano is going to have his second Tommy John surgery.  Unfortunately, I do not see Cappy being able to come off of this surgery and be anything other than a situational lefty.  His velocity will most likely decrease, and it was not overpowering to begin with.  Then again, it would be impressive if Cappy can bounce back at all.  Tommy John is not a pleasant surgery.  Good luck, Chris!
• Speaking of surgery, Yovani Gallardo had a very successful operation Tuesday morning.  Here’s to hoping that Milwaukee does not rush Yo back to the mound.  He needs to be 100% next season after Ben Sheets has most likely moved on to another team.
• The Milwaukee Brewers’ farm system and Brevard County will be getting a very welcome addition tomorrow night.  Jeremy Jeffress has served his 50-game suspension for marijuana use and is scheduled to pitch Thursday night for Brevard County.  I suspect that Jeremy will be out on that mound with something to prove to everyone.  He will have a fantastic season, as he will try to silent all of his critics and doubters.  Unfortunately, all that adrenaline will be difficult to harness tomorrow night.  He may struggle with his command tomorrow, but Jeremy will have a great season.
• The Baseball Analysts examine NL players that are trying to avoid the sophomore jinx.  Ryan Braun is the first on the list.  He’s been heating up lately at the plate, to the tune of six extra-base hits in the past three games.  His walk rate has dropped to 4.9%, which is so bad it’s almost stupid.  Plate discipline is something Ryan needs to work on very hard.
• In one of the most interesting posts of the day, The Brew Town Beat suggests that the Brewers should offer Tony Gwynn Jr. to San Diego for Greg Maddux.  It is a very intriguing idea, as Greg would presumably waive his no-trade clause for Milwaukee to work with his brother, Mike Maddux.  With that said, the Brewers pitching staff may be coming around at the right time.  Doug Melvin is not one to fix something that isn’t broken.  That, and the Brewers would need to ask for more than Maddux for Tony Gwynn Jr.  The young center fielder has more value than Maddux because of his upside.  As of right now, I would say no to the trade.  If Greg is struggling in the best pitcher’s park in the majors, how will he do at Miller Park?
• Gabe Gross scored another game winning run last night for the Tampa Bay Rays.  Dan pointed out to me that it is very uncommon for a player to get mobbed heroically by two separate teams in a single season.  I do not know how often that has happened in the past 10 years or so, but my guess is not many.
• Eric Farris, the number one rated second baseman in the minors for Milwaukee, made his debut for West Virginia on Tuesday.  He spent time in extended Spring Training rehabbing a tweaked left hamstring.  I am extremely interested as to how Eric will perform this season in West Virginia.  The Brewers do not have many intriguing internal options at second base.  I would not be surprised to see Jack Z draft a second baseman in the first few rounds.
• Speaking of the draft, John Sickels touches on some of the best high school hitters that will be available in this years draft.
• This is not Brewers related, but The Hardball Times examines what makes a curveball effective.  The graphs really help elucidate why a good curveball is almost impossible to hit.
• Jim Edmonds is almost certainly going to sign with the Chicago Cubs in the coming days.  Cubs fans really, really do not like this move.  I cannot understand why.  His sub-.200 batting average helps the Milwaukee Brewers a lot.  I like this move for the Brewers Cubs.

Gross traded to Tampa

UPDATE 04-23-08 6:00pm - Here’s what Baseball America has to say about Josh Butler (courtesy Tom Haudricourt and the Milwaukee JS):

“Butler reached high Class A in his first full pro season, continuing to show filthy stuff even after a sprained thumb cost him three weeks starting in mid-July. The 47^th overall pick in 2006, he had his pro debut cut short by biceps tendonitis. His arm strength returned last season, and he has one of the best repertoires among Tampa Bay pitching prospects.

“Butler owns a 92-95 mph fastball with outstanding movement, including late sinking action. He has an overhand curveball with tight spin and hard, sharp slider. His changeup continues to show improvement though he tends to abandon the pitch too readily.

“The Rays like Butler’s competitive streak and his work ethic. He simply needs innings against better competition so he can become more consistent with his changeup and his release. Tampa Bay has worked with him to incorporate his legs more in his delivery. He’ll open the season back in high Class A and should move up to Double-A at some point in 2008.”

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Doug Melvin decided to alleviate some of the congestion in the outfield yesterday by shipping Gabe Gross to Tampa Bay for RHP Josh Butler.

I like this move a lot from Doug. He may not have gotten a sure thing in return for Gross, but it is much better than attempting to have him clear waivers. That almost certainly wouldn’t have happened. Getting a power arm for someone that we could have gotten nothing for is a plus.

Gabe has shown flashes of power and production with the Milwaukee Brewers, but it has been few and far between. He’s performed well the past couple of games, but he is only hitting .179/.303/.205 in 48 plate appearances. I think it is safe to call that “very bad.” Gabe has a chance in Tampa to prove that he can produce, as he should get ample playing time now that Cliff Floyd is hurt. This is a good pick-up by the Rays.

The Brewers received Tampa’s second-round draft pick in the 2006 First Player Draft. Josh Butler has struggled out of the gates this year, posting a 6.35 ERA in three starts. Don’t let that turn you off though. Josh has a fastball that runs about 93-95 mph and a very hard breaking 12-6 curveball. He has a lot of movement on his fastball, and he even has a decent change. His ground-out to air-out ratio is fantastic as well, as he has posted a 2.23 GO/AO ratio so far. Doug Melvin did a very nice job getting a quality, high-upside arm for Gabe Gross. Time can only tell if it works out for the Brewers, but the organization has done wonders for pitchers in recent years. Perhaps Butler can challenge for a spot in the bullpen a couple years down the road. I’ll keep an eye on him in the coming weeks.

Round ‘em Up: Wednesday

Alright, is anyone else sick of extra-inning games yet?  I know it’s great because we have won the majority of them, but this is getting a little ridiculous.  It is exhausting our bullpen…not to mention my attention span.  Here’s to a victory today in 8 1/2 innings.

• Obviously the big news today is that Gabe Gross got traded yesterday to the Tampa Bay rays for Josh Butler.  Gross simply had no space on the team anymore.  I’ll take a look at the trade in a little more depth later today.  Tony Gwynn Jr. got called up to fill the spot on the roster.
• I certainly did not see this coming:  Eli from MLB Rumors is reporting that the Brewers organization is trying to get Eric Gagne out of the closer’s role.  That would presumably put David Riske next in line.  I just don’t see this happening quite yet.  Ned Yost is prone to giving about ten second chances.  Not to mention Gagne’s blown save yesterday was not his fault.  You can ask Rickie Weeks about that if you wish.
• Now that Gabe Gross has been traded, many people believe that the dominoes have started to fall and Derrick Turnbow will be on his way out.  I do not quite see this happening as quickly as many people believe, but I do agree with a couple articles that have been posted today.

  One from Dugout Central and the other from Between the Green Pillars both agree that Derrick’s time in Milwaukee has passed.  I admit that his stuff is absolutely nasty, but he cannot control it to save his life.  Yost does not trust him in close games anymore.  Turnbow has been vocal about his displeasure about this, but I wonder if he complained after blowing another game Monday night.  Turnbow can still deliver, but he may need a change of scenery.  Perhaps another trade is in order down the road?  Until then, Derrick will find himself in mostly mop-up situations.

• Milwaukee Brewers fans have now been dubbed the Unluckiest Fans in Major League Baseball.  I disagree.  I love the Crew.
• Has Eric Gagne been less effective because he has pitched so much in the past week?  The Hardball Times takes a look at how effective relief pitchers are after they pitch more than one day in a row.  Gagne pitched four days earlier in the week, and it is no wonder his stuff was not all that solid.  Perhaps Yost would have been better served to rest Gagne on the fourth day…
• Matt LaPorta is SportsBubbler’s Prospect of the Week.  I think I’ve decided to run that feature on Sundays myself.
• Albert Pujols is getting a bit impatient.  He struck out against Guillermo Mota after being up 3-0 in the count.  After the count was 3-1, Albert swung at two low pitches and struck out.  He knew they were low.  He just did not want to walk.  Understandable, I suppose, but you have to take your walks when you get them Sir Albert.

Round ‘em Up: Thursday

Your Milwaukee Brewers fell out of first place last night with a loss to the Cincinnati Reds. Let’s hope that Carlos Villanueva can pitch a gem today and get the Crew a series win before heading out of town. Plus, maybe the Pittsburgh Pirates can actually beat the Chicago Cubs in extras today because we all know it will go to extras for the third game in a row.

• Here are the starting lineups for today. I’m not one to normally criticize Yost’s lineups, but I agree with Tom Haudricourt on this one. Are we really going to have Gabe Gross start ahead of Gabe Kapler simply because the stats say he should? The theoretical stats, that is. Because if you looked at the actual stats, you would see that Gross is hitting .091 and Kapler is hitting .412. You’re right though, Ned. Gabe makes much more since here.
• I had a sneaking hunch that Tony Gwynn Jr. was going to be put on the DL. His “tight hamstring” seemed to be a little more than that. Today, Tony was put on the 15-day DL. Who got called up? Triple-A center fielder, Hernan Iribarren. Hernan has been fairly impressive in Nashville thus far. I thought that Laynce Nix was going to be called up, but I remembered that he would be out of options then. He’d have to clear waivers after Tony came back.In addition to Tony getting put on the DL, Yovani Gallardo will join the team today. He will not be taken off the 15-day DL yet, but it will be nice to have Yo back in the clubhouse. Perhaps he will be the one to personally tell Dave Bush that he may be heading to the bullpen. Probably not, but I would like that.
• Between the Green Pillars takes a look at Eric Gagne. Gagne may have blown the save, but he did not throw the ball poorly. As of right now, I’m sticking with my stance that he will be just fine in the closer’s role. But I do have the right to change my mind and be seething mad at Eric if he blows a save during today’s game.
• Prince Fielder will be wearing #42 to honor Jackie Robinson. Wouldn’t it be better if anyone on the Brewers could wear it if they wanted to?
• The Hardball Times says that Mat Gamel is one of the minor league hitters to watch in 2008. It is a very good analysis of his swing and his improvement in the last three years. It even has video of his swings from 2006 and 2007 for you to compare and analyze. I like it.
• The Sports Bubbler takes a look at Rickie Weeks and how he obviously makes the team immensely better when he is right. Nothing groundbreaking, but give it a look anyway.
• Continuing with the Sports Bubbler, they continue their look at prospects in Milwaukee’s system that have something to prove. Today’s category is defense. Who needs to improve their glove to improve their stock as a prospect? Obviously Mat Gamel and Brent Brewer fall into that category right away. They also add Matt LaPorta to that list. I’m not sure if I necessarily agree with that, as Matt has been okay in left field. He does not need to be a Gold Glover with that bat he has. He just needs to be average. I think he is on track to hit that benchmark this season.

Sheets to start Opening Day

Ben Sheets says it never gets old.  Yesterday, Ned Yost named Sheets the Opening Day starter for Milwaukee’s game against the Chicago Cubs next week.  This was perhaps one of the worst kept secrets the Brewers have.

One secret Yost is keeping very close to his chest is his starting rotation behind Sheets and Jeff Suppan.  Nobody knows who is going to make up the other three spots, but it should become clear within the next few days.  Yost also said that he may have the fourth starter be someone who can handle the home opener.  I don’t know why, but I got the feeling that Ned meant Dave Bush when he said that.

Later in the article, Doug Melvin notes that he’s not looking to trade an outfielder now.  That is, until Mike Cameron gets back in the starting lineup after his suspension.  That does imply that he will be looking to move an outfielder (probably Gabe Gross) in May or June.

What would you like to see the Brewers do?  You all play GM a bit.

JS Notes: Capuano, Weeks, Katin

Sorry this will be so short this morning, but I have to run.  Perhaps I’ll have time later today to get you a full-out Round ‘em Up.  Here are some Journal Sentinel goodies for you:

• The Brewers wiped the floor with Seattle yesterday, beating them 17-3.  Chris Capuano left the game in the fourth inning because of soreness in his elbow.  It’s beginning to look more and more like Cappy will either start the year in Triple-A or on the DL.  Either way, it seems clear that Chris Capuano will not be in the starting rotation on Opening Day.

  Brendan Katin had a huge day against the Mariners.  Katin, a former teammate of Ryan Braun at Miami, went 3-6 with a home run and six RBI.  Not a bad day for a player who had not played in a Spring Training game yet in ‘08.  I wouldn’t get too excited about Katin though, he’s not played above Double-A and he’s 25 years old.  He has zero plate discipline and strikes out too much, even for a Brewer.

  Corey Hart seems to have found his stroke.  He finished the day 2-4 with two RBI and two runs scored.  Perhaps he’s finding his swing just in time for Opening Day.  Don’t even say “See? I told you so.”  Rickie Weeks is still struggling way too much and is on the shelf with hyper-extended fingers.

• In the other game, Milwaukee tied the Chicago White Sox after 10 innings.  Neither team was able to break the 4-4 tie, so the game was just called.

  Mike Cameron and Gabe Gross supplied all the offense on a home run a piece.  Cameron hit a three-run shot that tied the game up in the 5th, and it was a pitcher’s duel after that.

  Carlos Villanueva got knocked around for the first time this spring.  He gave up four runs, only three earned, in five innings of work.  Guillermo Mota pitched two scoreless innings to follow that to continue his nice spring.

• The last article I have for you is about Rickie Weeks and how he is pressing too much.  Surprised?  I didn’t think so.  The interesting information in the article is that Doug Melvin said that Milwaukee will most likely not make a trade this spring if things do not heat up.  He said that people are looking internally to fix their problems.  They don’t want to give up the prospects, which is always difficult to do.

Round ‘em Up: The Sunday Edition

You thought I forgot about you all this morning, didn’t you?  Of course not.  Here are some links for you to get your Brewers fix:

• Adam McCalvy was quite the busy man last night.  He has several tidbits of news concerning the Brewers.  First, the Brewers added three names to the list of first cuts.  Catcher Andy Bouchie, LF Matt LaPorta, and RHP Tim Dillard have been sent to the minor league camp to get more regular work in.  The Brewers optioned Dillard to Triple-A Nashville, while LaPorta and Bouchie made their way to the general minor league camp.

  Yovani Gallardo threw against live batters again yesterday.  He said that everything is good and healthy, and he is slated to pitching in a minor league game in about a week or so.  There is relatively zero chance that Yovani will be ready for Opening Day, but he should be back in action in the middle of April.  Mike Maddux said that he’s going to have the same Spring Training program as everyone else.  He just will start a little later than everyone else.

  Adam talks about Rickie Weeks‘ and Corey Hart’s struggles.  Ned Yost thinks that they’ll be fine come March 31.  What else is he going to say?  Of course he thinks they will be fine.  Jim Skaalen takes a little different angle.  He says that he’s not concerned right now, but if they are still struggling in a week, he’ll start to get worried.  Corey and Rickie will start getting to the park earlier and take extra practice.  It’s good to know someone is at least a little worried.  Tom Haudricourt and Anthony Witrado add Prince Fielder to that list of players struggling.

  Ned Yost is getting really worked up about the looming pitching situation.  He repeatedly says that he does not want to send anyone down to Triple-A because he believes they are all big league pitchers.  Nothing really new in this article, as Ned says experience will matter…but it’s not the only thing that matters.  Nothing like being vague, right?  Well, a pitcher will be traded before too long, I think.  That will help ease Ned’s mind.

• Mike Bauman from MLB.com writes an article about the Brewers and their porous defense.  Everyone in the Brewers organization is utterly convinced that the defense will be better this season.  Not may be better, but will be better.

  I do agree that the Brewers defense will improve this season, but yesterday’s game against the Royals did not ease my mind too much.  Rickie Weeks committed his fourth error of the spring.  J.J. Hardy committed an error.  Big ole Prince Fielder did too.  That’s not what I would call solid fielding.  The amazing thing is that Manny Parra was still able to only give up one run in those five innings.  In one inning, he actually had to get five outs because of errors by the defense.

• John Lackey on the Los Angeles Angels will be sidelined for a month because of a strained right triceps muscle.  The Angels’ rotation is losing a pitcher by the day, it seems.  The Brewers do not want to trade a pitcher inside the division, so perhaps the Angels could be a good fit for Claudio Vargas or Chris Capuano.  As Opening Day gets closer, more and more teams are experiencing starting pitching troubles.  The Texas Rangers could be a potential trading partner as well, especially with their wealth of young catching prospects.
• Since Rocco Baldelli has been unable to get over his chronic fatigue, the Rays are on the lookout for a starting outfielder.  Ken Rosenthal speculated a couple days earlier that Gabe Gross could be on the list of potential replacements.  One thing is clear though, the Rays do not want to look to the free agent market to find their man.  Expect Doug Melvin’s phone to at least get a jingle or two from the Rays.
• Eric Gagne, Derrick Turnbow, and Salomon Torres threw in a Triple-A game yesterday because the fight for the starting rotation is taking pitching opportunities from the relievers.  Gagne gave up a home run, but that was the extent of the damage in his outing.  Turnbow pitched very well again yesterday, retiring the side on 11 pitches.  Torres struck out the first two batters he faced, but was later pulled when he reached his 20-pitch limit.  Yost and Maddux are still bringing Salomon along slowly, and he should pitch in a game sometime this week.

Gross homers in the 10th to beat Cubs

The Milwaukee Brewers played their first extra innings game of the ‘08 season, beating the Chicago Cubs in the 10th inning.  Milwaukee will face Chicago again on Opening Day, on March 31.  Let’s break down what happened today.

Batting

Today was a big day for the Brewers outfielders.  Tony Gwynn Jr. hit his first home run as a major league player today, blasting a two-run shot off of Sean Gallagher.  Gwynn also had a triple in the first inning, so it is nice to see Tony swinging the bat well to start off the spring.

In addition to Gwynn, Mike Cameron also hit a home run off Gallagher, belting one to lead off the 5th inning.  Gabe Gross broke the tie in the 10th inning after putting one out of the park, and Gabe Kapler hit a two-run double to break open the game in the 10th.  It is very good to see the potential “fill-ins” for Cameron for the first 25-games of the season playing well and swinging the bat well.

J.J. Hardy had an RBI-single in the 7th, and Brad Nelson kept up his hot hitting today, going 1-2 with a walk, a run, and an RBI.

LaPorta Watch: Matt didn’t make it on the field today, but should be in the lineup tomorrow.

Pitching

Claudio Vargas started the game with two solid innings, but gave up three runs in the third inning.  He seems to be throwing the ball fairly well, but he still has his moments where he cannot seem to get an out.

Seth McClung, Brian Shouse, and Luis Pena all pitched a scoreless inning to help the Brewers pull out a win.  Luis did make it interesting, however, in the top of the 10th.  He loaded the bases, but was able to escape without any damage.

Records: Milwaukee (3-2); Chicago (2-3)

On Tap

Milwaukee will take on the Texas Rangers tomorrow.  Dave Bush and Manny Parra are scheduled to pitch for the Crew, and Prince Fielder should be back in the lineup after taking a day off today.

A’s get revenge, win 11-4

Oakland evened up the two-day series against Milwaukee today, winning 11-4.  Jack Cust started off the scoring for the A’s in the first with a grand slam off Dave Bush.  The pitchers struggled overall today.

Batting:

It is difficult to say that the Crew had a bad day at the plate, as they managed to post 12 hits.  Prince Fielder went 2-3.  Hardy went 3-3 with three singles, and Corey Hart finished the day 2-3 with a two-RBI triple off Alan Embree.   Gabe Gross hit his first home run of Spring Training today, belting a solo shot in the 7th.

Rickie Weeks had a rough day at the plate, going 0-3 with three strikeouts.  That is not the ideal line for a leadoff man, to say the least.  I do know that Ricky was focused on taking pitches, but striking out three times is unacceptable at the top of the order.

Pitching:

Dave Bush, Eric Gagne, and Derrick Turnbow all struggled today for the Brewers.  Bush gave up a first inning grand slam to Jack Cust, after letting the first the batters get on base.  He was able to right the ship in the second inning and get through unscathed.  Gagne, in his much hyped debut, could simply not keep the ball down today.  Even all three of his outs were fly-outs.  After his outing, Gagne said that he felt tired and began to overstride in his mechanics.  I’m a little concerned that Gagne felt tired after a simple bullpen session today…perhaps something to keep an eye on.  Turnbow gave up a two-run homer to Bobby Crosby and walked someone in one inning of work.  Mitch Stetter also struggled mightily in the 8th inning, giving up three hits and allowing one run.

On a side note, I do not like the excuse “it’s only Spring Training, so I’m not worried.”  That seems to be a double standard.  If players perform well in Spring Training, fans and managers get excited and sing a player’s praises, yet when a player struggles, everyone is quick to say that it’s too early to make judgments.  While there is admittedly some truth to that statement, there needs to be some consistency.  If we are going to judge a player for playing well and praise him for that, the exact opposite should happen in Spring Training.

Manny Parra had an average outing today.  He pitched two innings of one-run ball, with a walk and a strikeout.  Manny did only give up one hit, but it was Jack Cust’s second home run of the day.  A little concerning is the fact that 4 of Manny’s outs were fly-ball outs.  That will not work in Miller Park.

Tomorrow:

Ben Sheets and David Riske are scheduled to pitch tomorrow for Milwaukee, as they will face the Colorado Rockies at 2:05pm central time.

Experience on the Bench

There is not enough to make a “Daily Dose” of Tom Haudricourt’s news today, so I’ll stick with just a normal posting on this one.  Unless Tom is going to do a story on every pitcher, this position-by-position story should be the last.  Today, the focus turns to the massive amounts of experience on the bench.

Ned Yost mentions that there will not be too much playing time for players on the bench, which may frustrate some of the veterans.  I think they will be fine though.  As veteran players, they know their role and what they were brought in for.  Plus, it is inevitable that injuries and massive slumps will occur.  The bench players will get their playing time.

The main candidates for the bench positions are: SS Craig Counsell, INF Abraham Nunez, 2B Joe Dillon, OF Gabe Kapler, OF Tony Gwynn Jr., OF Gabe Gross, and catchers Eric Munson, Mike Rivera, and Vinny Rottino.

While all three outfielders will make the Opening Day roster because of Mike Cameron’s 25-game suspension, there will be one left out come May.  There are two possibilities, Tony Gwynn Jr. could be sent down to the minors again to get regular playing time, or Gabe Gross could be traded.  I don’t see any way that Kapler will not make the team.  Melvin talked him into coming out of retirement explicitly to be a veteran presence off the bench.

It is too early to tell, but if I had to guess, this will be the Brewers bench: Counsell, Dillon, Kapler, Gwynn Jr., Munson.

Gross rumor not dead

As soon as Tom Haudricourt writes a piece saying the Gabe Gross-to-San Diego rumors were a non-story, Ken Rosenthal reports that the Padres are eyeing Gross, in fact.

The most interesting tidbit of information in this article is the fact that Gabe Gross is out of minor league options.  I must have overlooked something because I did not make that connection on the 40-man roster.  With Kapler and Gwynn Jr. fighting hard for major league spots, Gross could be the odd man out.  Last season, Gross showed glimpses that he has the ability to play every day for a major league team, but it will not be for Milwaukee.  With Braun, Hart, and Cameron in the outfield now, and LaPorta waiting in the wings, Gross seems to be out of a spot.

Perhaps packaging Claudio Vargas and Gross together could net the Brewers a nice prospect or two.  This sort of trade will most likely not happen until the end of Spring Training, however, as Doug Melvin most likely wants to wait and see how Yovani Gallardo’s rehab is coming along before unloading a starter.

Gross rumors silenced

Doug Melvin said today that he has not even talked to Padres GM Kevin Towers, much less about Gabe Gross.  This should put to rest the rumor about Gross heading to the Padres in a deal before Opening Day.

Then again, Melvin rarely talks about his deals before they get done, so who knows?

Gross to Padres?

Tim Dierkes from MLB Trade Rumors mentions a trade rumor that I have heard nothing of this off-season.  He speculates that the Padres may offer a trade for Gabe Gross to fill their corner outfielder spot, especially since Matt Murton seems to be out of the picture.

Dierkes argues that Milwaukee has a surplus in the outfield, so this trade could make a certain amount of sense for the Crew.  I personally do not see this trade happening because Gross is one of the main candidates to man center field while Mike Cameron is unavailable.  That is, unless San Diego decides to get very generous with their trade package.

Gabe hit .235/.329/.437 for the Brewers last season, with 7 HR and 24 RBI in 183 at-bats.  These pedestrian numbers do not reflect how well Gabe played down the stretch last season, however.  He has shown that with regular playing time, he has the ability to get the job done.