An interesting day of movement for the Bucks.

The first part of the day is something along the lines of a free roll. Charlie Bell can be a useful role player. He's high effort and a decent ballhandler. But that's it. He's a good 4th guard. And you have him coming with an albatross of suck in Dan Gadzuric. That's all the Bucks have given up.

Two end of the bench guys? What they got in return. The worst case scenario is that they're interesting. Corey Maggette is a ball stopper with inconsistent defensive effort. He's also a slasher who can attack the basket and generate many opportunities of the free throw variety. The upside? He's the sort of guy who can help a defensive minded team that's sorely missing offense.

The Bucks fit that bill.

And Maggette will be an upgrade over Salmons. He may not be worth the contract. But he will come close. And sometimes for a player? It's all about fit.

And the Bucks flipped the second round pick they got from Golden State. They turned that into Chris Douglas-Roberts. His zany twitter stream aside? I get the sense Skiles would like him. The Comedy Death-Ray's big strength is defense. You know how they say flaky people don't have defensive discipline? Nuts to that. CDR can defend.

Offensively? His game is somewhat similar to Maggette. Attack the basket and draw fouls. You can't hit the three and it kills your offensive efficency as a wing man. But CDR can make a smooth pass. He may only be a rotational guy? But he will bring upside and energy off the bench.

And he'll get more playing time than you think as well. Skiles loves a good defender. And Douglas-Roberts? He's gonna make a fearsome deer. .

Can I do 200 words on a spare parts trade?

Because someone has to discuss this Ray Olmedo and Matt Treanor trade. And that someone will be me.

Ironically, this does have some sort of value for the Brewers. Treanor was going to have to walk away. They had no room for him in Triple-A and George "the Animal" Kottaras looked like he was going to be the stop gap as the back-up catcher. There was no room at the inn for him.

But that being said? The Brewers signed a player to a minor league deal in Luis Cruz who mangled his leg during winter ball. He was the good defense triple A middle infielder glove who we would break the glass to grab in case of emergency. But yeah. That didn't work. So, enter Rainer Olmedo.

To expect anything of any offensive value from Olmedo is naive. His age 27 and age 28 years had Triple A OPS hovering around Jason Kendall territory. His defense is pretty good as a middle infield glove. But you know what? It's okay. It's a warm body that if it all breaks right? He's in Nashville.

An inconsequential trade. But they got something for someone who was going to force an issue for the Brewers and walk away on Thursday. And that's cool. I guess.

Dollar tree middle infielder for the win.

The Bucks made a couple of moves.

Nothing as inherently earth-shaking as the Rockets. And nothing near as funny as the Clippers getting a back-up and an expiring contract for Marcus Camby. But there was some interesting value culled.

The deal with the Sixers can break interesting. In most aspects, it's really a challenge trade in terms of Meek for a #2. I know Skiles is going to like Ivey's inherent Royal Ivey. But the gangsta Primoz Brezec is not going to be around next seaon. And as for the Bucks? They can get both a ninja rebounder like a Kenneth Faried as well as an upside play like an Alexy Shved.

Or a reverse. General Greivous and Latavious Williams? It can only help.

Then again? Meeks could become a killer with a change of scenery. Many people called that pick a sleeper. My first instinct is to like this deal. But it could change quickly.  

Salmons for the expiring contracts of Hakim Warrick and Joe Alexander? It depends. Salmons is a very versatile piece. He can play the two, three, and even the four if you want to run a small ball. His offensive game is a between a three and a four. The only thing is? His defense is average on its best day. Skiles may not use him as much as he should.

But a line-up of Jennings-Ridnour-Salmons-Ilyasova-Bogut? It most definitely seems like it could be worth som running as well as some gunning.

Inglett and Edmonds.

While the dreams of Frank Inglett and Tom Edmonds becoming a modern day Loggins and Messina reside in the ashbin of their Pooh Corner cover? The Brewers have smoothly made some attempts at filling out their roster with excellent skills at low costs.



Joe Inglett has been a solid righty masher (for a middle infielder) who's served time at four positions, even though he really can only defend three. A career line of .298/.351/.407 versus righties is a valuable asset to have. I know he's already in his early 30's, so this may be the exact ceiling of his usage. But here's the deal.

He's Weeks insurance. We know that he's not going to play nearly as much on the roster if Weeks can manage to get himself 500 at-bats. And to get a low cost asset to use mostly at second base as good as Inglett in back up terms? It's not a bad thing, it is most definitely a good thing.



Now, in the Wildcard category? We have Jim Edmonds comeback attempt. The guy spent 2009 in the unwanted bin of Free Agency. One would assume that he demanded to roam Center Field or a multi-year deal and no team really wanted to have to deal with all that. Because his 2008 was great as a Cub, but you know what else?

He was unlucky. For the year, his BAbip was a ridiculously low .249. But even as a Cub, when it seemed as if he was hooked up to a juvenation machine? His BAbip was .257.

But that's not where Edmonds makes his money. Where Edmonds makes his money is as a righty masher. He had a .998 OPS versus righties as a Cub. So yeah. That's where last we left him. Put it simply, if he's useful, all he has to do is slug .500 as a Brewer versus right handed pitchers.

And get 400-450 plate appearances.

But lets be honest. If Corey Hart was actually able to be trusted? I wouldn't be nearly as excited by the signing of a 39 year-old who skipped 2009.

In the throes of a full on blizzard, we say our final goodbyes to one of our favorite tropes...

In 2007, while Curtis Granderson was making a run at 100 extra base hits and hit the funtastic total of 20-20-20-20 for the year we were there every step of the way. It was a good way to follow a player we had the manic indie thrill about and build blog content. And even though we stopped posting daily exploits of the adventures of Grandy? It doesn't mean we had any reason to lose faith in him.

But then? He gets traded to the Yankees. Like Duke, the Viqueens, and the Los Angeles Lakers. I can't get behind a Yankee. I know it's going to make Granderson a better player, and he may actually hit the 100 extra base hit margin. But I can't get behind that.

Sigh.

The Obligatory Doug Melvin is doing it wrong post...

There will be a post upcoming on another site, where I made mention of several things I expected the Brewers to do and things I thought they should do. One of the things I thought was fated would be the fact that J.J. Hardy will get dealt. And it turns out? I was more right than I ever thought.

And yet? This deal is so so wrong. Why? Because I've called Carlos Gomez a Juan Pierre without all that incessant singles hitting. More of you follow my twitter. You know this.

J.J. Hardy is a shortstop that legitimately can hit .280 with 25 homers. I know, he's injury prone. But there have been three halfs of his career where the man was above .830 OPS as a shortstop. There's a real chance that he'll take out a .290/30/100, and it's not going to be for the Brewers.

The problem with Carlos Gomez? There's multiple problems to be perfectly honest. Age isn't one of them. He's still 24. But the power that was supposed to come? It has not. The approach at the plate? Still as raw as it was when Baseball America deigned him to be the Mets #3 prospect. Yeah, it's safe to say that Ken Macha may kill him in cold blood if he has to give him 500 at bats.

I know it's sort of unfair to blame Melvin for this. Hardy's trade value is at its worst. But this reeks of a panic trade. There had to be a Glen Perkins or Phillip Humber they could have got. HE HAS THE THIRD BEST UZR OF THE DECADE, AND HAS ONLY PLAYED IN ROUGHLY HALF OF IT!

I don't know what that is, but it's worth more than Carlos Flipping Gomez.

The LA Dodgers have decided to strike last...

Sick and tired of getting chased after by the Rockies and the Giants after squandering a massive lead in the NL West, the Dodgers have decided to take advantage of two teams in full fire sale mode and infuse their team with just a little more talent.


THEY'RE GOING TO BE A PART OF IT! LOS ANGELES!

The Los Angeles Dodgers now have themselves a whooping stick and on baseman for the clutch scenarios of life as well as a solid innings eater. And if the Dugout has taught me anything? Jim Thome will make everything better. Everything.

Jon Garland? He will knock you down.

Also? Brad Penny and Jose Contreras went to the NL West also rans. Boston fans will forget every other World Series since 2005 and call the NL the Special Olympics.

I tremble in excitement about that.

Okay. I'll say it.

Brewers aren't making the playoffs this year.

I'm going to give you a second to recover. It's as bad of news as the Abraham Washington Show. But here's the thing. Why aren't the Brewers trying to see if they can't get a prospect for their two free agents to be?

Yeah, I'm not saying there's a 5-star prospect coming back. Doesn't have to be. The Brewers could probably take two upper-level arms of a decent vointage and an A-ball prospect with upside for Mike Cameron and Felipe Lopez. Or two if a team interested in a second baseman (looking at you Atlanta) would be so inclined.

Now I'm glad they're willing to trade Bill Hall. And I'm glad somebody seems inclined to take him. But they have pieces. Pieces that bring value back. And this value would be likely better than some lame draft choice.

Dude. Later.

I hear firescottskiles.com isn't a taken domain...

I've been willing to give John Hammond the benefit of the doubt. They've gone younger and cheaper with more flexibility. They've found a way to get me kind of excited for the Bucks as a fun to watch team that would be a lot more entertaining then their record indicated.

That is...until today.



Because when you have someone with at least six illegitimate kids finding a seemingly prodigous ability to rack up fouls as a major character flaw, you have to bend over backwards to make him happy. So you trade two of the most potentially exciting Bucks on the team for the Argentinian 2-Guard answer to Luke Ridnour and Loco Roko.

Carlos Delfino is a tall two who can hit an occasional three who spent last year in Russia because he's the sort of guy who has no glaring skill or weakness to his game. Now he's probably better than Sonny Weems, but for a two year deal with an option for three? Send his ass back to Russia.

And Roko Uric. He's a lead guard. He actually has some savior faire when he has the ball in his hands, and as Skiles wants, he is a good defender. But since he's useless off ball, he can't play the two. And he's also here for two years.

Maybe there's a higher floor for Delfino and Uric, but the upside? Please. Amir or Weems doesn't emerge? We have no issues. They gone.

This trade feels like something Skiles demanded. More of a mistake proof team for two high energy players who could help give this team an identity with less money on the docket for 2010. I know, we're not going to get the superstar in free agency.

But here's the thing, sportsfans, if Scott Skiles is still around by the time Hammond has to consider the option on Delfino? I will make the douchiest move ever.

I will put my basketball fandom on free agency, because clearly the good Dr. John Hammond doesn't know what he's doing.

I'm not unsympathetic to Bill Castro.

I mean, it's not as if a castoff from two organizations that were desperate for any sort of farm talent was going to be a starting pitcher that could stop any sort of bleeding.
It's not as if a team that loses Sabathia and Sheets and replaces that with Braden Looper was going to be a recipe for pitching success.
It's not as if Jeff Suppan's suck wasn't going to keep growing.
It's not as if Chris Capuano brought anything to the table.
It's not as if Manny Parra lost his shit.
It's not as if all the starter issues was going to drain the bullpen of their skills.
It's not as if he's going to get another pitching coach job in the bigs either.

But hey, we live in a world where somebody's got to take the fall for the slump. So Bill Castro's gone.

What does this mean? This probably isn't going to work like the Ned Yost September purge. Billy Hall's been designated for assignment. J.J. Hardy is in AAA. The Mighty Mustache is scrambling. Usually when this happens, it's too little too late.

The Brewers traded for David Weathers...

And as someone who hasn't done much worth a damn before he was 30, I do admire the second and third acts of his career. I admire the fact that he once showed me up. I admire the fact he became good as a Brewer and his return will likely come cheap.

However? Is an 8th inning guy of some renown going to help the Brewers catch the Cubs or the Cardinals? No. The Brewers are 6 games out. And if your starters can't go 7 innings to begin with? You're not going to have them magically get there.

I like the pick-up. But man, the questions the Brewers have are far beyond the purview of a 39 year-old reliever.

We're Two Days Away From the Deadline...

And while some of the big dominoes still have room to fall, we have to discuss where we are, right? Who's won, who's lost, and who's yet to make a stand.

Who's won?

Philadelphia: They've acquired Cliff Lee and a great 4th outfielder in Ben Fransisco and they did not have to give up any of the pieces that stopped them from committing to Roy Halladay. Now I like Carrasco, and Marson has great hitting potential, but they were able to keep Michael Taylor and J.A. Happ as well as Kyle Drabek. It's the piece they needed, and they didn't have to give up anything.

Cleveland: At present, they've infused themselves with seven top ten prospects from three pretty good systems. Jason Knapp is in A-Ball and Jason Donald has pretty well sucked this year, but for a guy that was going to get squeezed out and a guy they couldn't afford? They got a B+ worth of value. And when you add in the two power relievers they got for DeRosa and Scott Barnes, an already good system gets better. They may be waiting for next year, but there's hope in Cleveland.

Who's lost?

San Fransisco: Long term, my gut says they've made a huge terrible mistake. Not to say that the offense they have won't get better because of Ryan Garko and Freddy Sanchez, but come on. Tim Alderson is kicking ass in Double-A and Scott Barnes looks like he's going to be goods. And is it that going to be that big of an upgrade over Travis Ishikawa and Eugenio Velez? No. Brian Sabean is such an idiot.

Somewhere in the Middle?

Seattle: I'd lean toward this being a loss. If you're going to move to a sell, you need to start playing your prospects. I mean, Ryan Langerhans is a bad stopgap. A real bad one. To keep Langerhans and dump Wladimir Balentin for a junkball reliever? Bad sauce.

And cosidering the Mariners catching situation, I would be baffled by dealing Jeff Clement. But Ian Snell was the best player in the deal by far. I mean, Jack Wilson sucks, but the Pirates are paying some salary. And odds are one of the three pitchers the Pirates will get there? But they are bottom third prospects in a bad organization. My money's on Brett Lorin.

And Dan Cortes is bound to find the plate eventually, right?

Pittsburgh: Getting Lastings Milledge? Good. Getting Tim Alderson? Good. The Ian Snell trade? Meh. They have no room for Jeff Clement. And outside of Lorin? There's nobody that interests me. So, B-.

I hate Jarrod Washburn.

I just do. He has not committed injustice toward me in any form or fashion. Even at his worst? He has never been outright awful. He's just overrated. Especially this season.

Suffice it to say? He's in the middle of a contract drive. Luck is on his side. And he is pitching out of his mind. The team that acquires him will not be getting a pitcher who has an under three ERA. They will be getting someone whose ERA will rise. I don't even care that there will be an AL-NL swing, I will be right stunned if he ends the year with an ERA below three. Make it 3.30.

For Milwaukee? Giving up Alcides Escobar for him would be downright stupid. And I like Branden Morrow. He has a chance to have a run of closer dominance for a good 4-6 years. But asking him to start is the wrong thing to do. He doesn't have the third pitch.

So, I would honestly wait. The Deadline's Friday. The Brewers fans have a sparring partner for these next four days. If disaster strikes, stand pat. If they run the table? Let's see if we can't get Balentien and another prospect thrown in. I like Jharmidy DeJesus.

That's a name you know.

Cold Chilling at the Halladay Inn

Let me propose something. Let me propose the premise that J.P. Riccardi is about to outhink himself on the Roy Halladay front. He wants the moon and the stars coming back in return. And rightfully so. You get a pitcher of Halladay's caliber coming back for 2010.

That being said? He's treading dangerous ground. Why? Because he's letting offers pass that many would consider strong hauls for the pitcher. Philly has an offer of J.A. Happ, Michael Taylor, Carlos Carrasco, and Jason Donald. Put this another way.

J.A. Happ is a pitcher who's been strong in a hitters park. Michael Taylor killed pitchers dead in his half-season of AA. Carrasco? He's had to deal with a .330 BABIP and bad luck with homers. And Jason Donald is struggling after coming back from an injury.

It's not a 12 out of 10 in terms of the highway robbery scale, but Michael Taylor's coming quickly and coming strong. Happ would be moving to a pitchers park, which would help offset any changes in talent. Carrasco is having a fluky season of bad luck. And Jason Donald is kind of sucky this year, but that's beside the point.

The point is, Riccardi is not going to get anywhere near a haul that he could get this season if he decides that he's going to wait until next year. The Indians got two players who might be worth a damn for Sabathia. If he's going to wait for someone to blink, he may be sorely mistaken.

And he may lose out on a real chance to help for the future because of it.

The Milwaukee Bucks: 1080p Black and White Basketball.

It seems as if the Milwaukee Bucks are in a deep state of disunity. You have a team that seems to keep grabbing pieces for a seven seconds or less offense. I mean you could get together a five of Sessions/Jennings, Meeks/Weems, Mbah a Moute, Alexander, and Amir Johnson and run another team out of the gym.

John Hammond has brought a lot of interesting pieces together in an effort to restart the Bucks. And this has made the Bucks offseason one that you cannot put a letter grade on by October. There are a lot of pieces, and if we had a digital coach? These pieces would be a spectacular fit. That's the other problem.

Scott Skiles loves Luke Ridnour. It's annoying on so many levels. Scott Skiles will probably start Bruce Bowen and ride Kurt Thomas until he inevitably breaks down. I mean, look at all the pieces the Bulls had that degenerated under the Skiles regime. You've got that whole thing to worry about.

But you know what? We're not done. There's a long time between now and training camp. Some would say we need to waive Weems to get a shot at Sessions. Some would say we need to waive Bowen and trade Ridnour. Some are saying we're going to let Sessions walk. I'll be honest, I want to like this. I'm talking myself into this.

But there's still moves to be made or not made. I'm not going to walk away on this team just yet. But I'm still tentative as to bless this mess.

But we could see a ten game winning streak the moment Scott Skiles gets fired this offseason.

In Doug We Trust...

The news of today, despite the split series with the Reds is a big trade with the Diamondbacks. The Brewers now welcome Felipe Lopez. And this is a trade with no downside until 2013. I love this trade for the Brewers, I want you to love it too.

Here's why this deal is tremendous.

1) The Brewers don't give up a high impact prospect.

I like Cole Gillespie. He has a Mark Kotsayish vibe about him as someone who plays above his tools. But in his first exposure to Triple-A? He's hitting .242. And while Roque Mercedes is killing it in the Florida State League with a closers set of weapons, it's a bullpen guy in class A. You see all sorts of strange happen with relievers who hit double-A for the first time. See: Omar Aguilar.

2) Felipe Lopez is at his best in September and beyond...

Traditionally, Felipe Lopez has been a better second half hitter than a first half hitter. Post All-star break, his OPS is 51 points higher. This moves him from a rich man's Alex Cintron into something worthwhile. But he's shown an ability to get hot in September. Last month of the season? Felipe's gone off for a .299/.362/.438 line. Not to say lock it down by any stretch, but that is most definitely hope we can believe in.

3) The Brewers infield situation gets interesting.

For several reasons. One, Craig Counsell's nigh miraculous .280 start to the season loses the sword of damocles aspect of his final 2007-2008 lines. Two? All of the sudden, the Brewers would have to consider J.J. Hardy available if they're going to go after a starter. Three? The Billy Hall threat level is at noon.

Dumb rumor I just made up. Challege trade with Boston. Billy Hall for Julio Lugo.

Anyway, I love this deal. Blueberry Johnson style.

Halladay...Celebrate.

That's what some lazy punster of a headline writer will say if and when Roy Halladay gets traded. Because his will be the game changer deal of the free agency. So, because we can't trust J.P. Riccardi to make a good decision? I will tell you what teams would be the best fits.

5. Milwaukee

The Brewers have interesting pieces, but with such a dearth of pitching prospects and the double and triple swearing that Alcides Escobar and Mat Gamel are untouchable and the fact that you would just add to an outfield logjam with Corey Hart, I just don't see them developing a package to wrest Halladay.

4. Los Angeles Angels
Best Likely Package: Peter Bourjos, Brandon Wood, and Jose Arrendondo

Why they would be a good fit? Because these are propsects who have a tremendous pedigree. Wood and Arrendondo would be instant big league impact, and Bourjos would be ready for when Wells and or Rios would be gone.
Why would they not? Because for an organization that had such a wide and varied array of super prospects in the middle of the decade? The impact has proven to be minimal.

3. Boston
Best Likely Package: Clay Buchholz, Manny Delacarmen, and Lars Anderson

Why they would they be a good fit? Because the only piece that the Sox truly might miss here is Lars Anderson. If they trusted Buchholz, he'd be a big leaguer right now. And many in Boston like Delacarmen but many also feel his best chance is somewhere else. So despite the division issue, they can make a deal.
Why they would not? The division thing. If the Jays contend in 2010? Halladay will stop them. And rumors out of St. Louis are that no prospect is off the table. And there are some in the Sox have no interest.

2. Philadelphia
Best Likely Package: Carlos Carrasco, Jason Donald, and Michael Taylor

Why would they be a good fit? Jason Donald may have been off to a bad start in Triple-A, but injury explains that. And Carlos Carrasco is rallying in triple-A. That means two instant starters. Michael Taylor causes a bit of a logjam, but they have time to swing a deal if there's a problem.
Why they would not? The Phillies don't have a third prospect with the right mixture of skill and expendability. They could get another catching prospect or a Low-A dude with tools. But they would have to part with a Drabek or a Taylor to get Halladay.

1. St. Louis
Best Likely Package: Brett Wallace, Daryl Jones, Jason Motte, and Jess Todd

Why they would be a good fit? Because Brett Wallace is a professional hitter, and Daryl Jones reminds me a lot of Michael Brantley. Jason Motte is a power arm who should close by 2010. And if he can't? Jess Todd can. I know the story may be apocryphal, but the Cardinals really want Halladay.
Why they would not? Two possibilities. The DeRosa trade may mean a piece that the Jays would want would be going to Cleveland. Two, someone else blows them away with an offer. The Phillies can knock their block off prospect-wise and the Rangers could swing for the fences, damn the owners financial scenario.

So, will we see Halladay get dealt? Yes. Will it make me feel bad? Very likely. But hey, that's how it goes in the Wild Wild West.

Orlando just screwed up...

Vince Carter is not so much of a cancer. But he's happier being the man on a 30 win team. Orlando is in no way shape or form a 30 win team. But is this as bad as the last time the Nets traded a video game cover sort of superstar? No.

Three reasons why.

1) Rafer Alston is the sort of player who needs to start to be effective.

He's not going to oust Devin Harris from the starting role. And he will not be happy by this turn of events. Skip to my Lou needs run to be happy.

2) Courtney Lee is not as good as Vince Carter.

Not to say that Lee isn't going to be good. But Devin Harris was already safely better than Kidd. Lee will merely have to wait a couple of years.

3) Ryan Anderson can shoot the three.

And he's 6'10", even if Hedo does his work somewhere else? There is a chance that Ryan Anderson can bring a B-grade amount of replacement to the Turk. Honestly, there's a decent regard for Anderson and he will do some things.

But Vince Carter doesn't play hero. He doesn't play final piece. The chemistry's going to smash into a wall.

Rod Thorn, man. Freaking stealthy.

UPDATE: HEIR TO BEEF JERKY FORTUNE FLIPPED FOR JARVIS VANARDO CLONE!

It's a small deal, but it's a deal you have to like. Fabricio Oberto is a 34 year-old Argentinean Back-Up Center. Amir Johnson is a 4 who makes big bold plays. His frame and game remind me of the delightful Mississippi State low-post presence that is Jarvis Vanardo. And the Bucks got that for nothing.

Awesome. Simply awesome.

The Bucks now have the Heir to a beef jerky fortune.

Okay, the Argentinean back-up center isn't really a part of the frito-lay family. And in terms of direct value? This is about 30 cents on the dollar for RJ. I mean, Bruce Bowen, Kurt Thomas and Fabricio?

Outside of crippling the Spurs frontcourt depth? They win the deal. Great value for a cheap price. They can get a Chuck Hayes 4 in the draft and refill other picks that way.

But as for the Bucks? This is likely step one. They can make other moves. (Redd/Ridnour for T-Mac?) But if this move allows the Bucks to keep Ramon and Villy? Then it's a win. It doesn't matter if the Bucks go 21-61. They can't keep trying to be a seven seed.

That doesn't help anybody. You need a plan. You can't exist as a seven seed.