The Brewers have agreed to terms with 16-year-old Dominican shortstop Santo Aybar, according to a report on ESPN.com. 

The report, which cited Brewers Latin American Scouting Coordinator Fernando Arango as its source, said the signing would not be official until Aybar passed a Major League Baseball investigation into his age. That's now standard operating procedure for international signings. <p/>

Baseball America rated Aybar the 18th-best Dominican prospect on July 1, the date before teams were free to sign Latin American players. The terms of his signing bonus were not immediately available.

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Just wanted to correct something from several Wednesday articles published after the Brewers claimed catcher George Kottaras from the Boston Red Sox. I wrote in a couple of places that the move left the Brewers with 36 players on the 40-man roster, and while that eventually may prove true, at the moment it is not. Players claimed off release waivers have five days to decide whether to accept the claim and remain on the 40-man roster, or to decline and become a free agent.

As of this writing, Kottaras is still in that grey area. Unless he is sure that another team will offer him a place on its roster, he'll probably accept and join the group of catchers under consideration by the Brewers for 2010.

Thanks to our Jonathan Mayo for asking why Major League Baseball is listing only 35 players on the roster, and to Brewers assistant GM Gord Ash for providing the quick answer. You learn a new roster rule every day.

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Forget what the numbers say. Brewers pitching prospect Mark Rogers is satisfied with his stint in the Arizona Fall League and the end of a long but healthy season. He's also ready for a break.

Speaking Friday on a well-deserved day off, Rogers thought there was a "good chance" that he would get at least an inning of work in Saturday's AFL Championship game. It would offer one last chance to put a positive finish on an up-and-down experience.

Rogers has been pitching -- and struggling -- for the Peoria Javelinas, a team of Brewers, Mariners, White Sox, Tigers and Dodgers prospect in the prestigious AFL. His team is set to face the Phoenix Desert Dogs on Saturday in a 1:35 p.m. CT game that will air on MLB Network. 

"I'm really fortunate to be with a great group of guys," said Rogers, one of eight Brewers prospects on the team. "I'll chalk it up as another great experience in my career." 

It's almost over, and that might not be a bad thing. Rogers, the fifth overall pick in the 2004 First-Year Player Draft, is coming off the longest season of his career after two full years lost entirely to shoulder surgeries. Before this season, Rogers had not pitched in a game since June 2006. 

He made up for lost time by posting a 1.63 ERA in 22 starts and one relief appearance at Class A Brevard County. Working on a strict pitch count, Rogers struck out 67 batters in 64 2/3 innings and touched 98 mph on the radar gun.

His AFL stint hasn't been quite as smooth. Entering Saturday's finale, Rogers had allowed 18 earned runs and 20 hits including three home runs in 10 2/3 innings. He walked nine, versus seven walks.  Opponents were hitting .392 against him. 

"I think I'm seeing a little bit of the fatigue from my first full season in three years, that's for sure" he admitted. "But in the meantime I'm learning a lot. There are some really good hitters down here, and they hit mistakes. You have to be able to pitch. 

"It's definitely going to be something to build on for next Spring Training. The main thing is that I feel good, but at the same time I do feel like it's my first full season in three years. It's a long year. That everyday grind adds up." 

He began preparing for the 2009 season last November, meaning Rogers has now been throwing every day for more than 12 months. He's looking forward to a post-AFL break. This year, he'll take part in the conditioning portion of the Brewers' offseason minicamp and will continue his shoulder exercises, but probably won't start throwing regularly until January.  

"I know I can make it through a full season now with my arm feeling great, and that makes me really excited for next season," said Rogers, who could find himself in Double-A Huntsville this time. "I'm going to come in fresh and ready to go with a lot more experience under my belt. Compare that to last year, when it was a clean slate. This time I have a lot of confidence that I can come into camp and turn some heads."

The Brewers added Rogers to their 40-man roster last year and burned the first of his three Minor League options in March.

"I think he is starting to get things ironed out," Brewers farm director Reid Nichols said. "He has been through a lot to this point. It was pretty exciting to see the mid-90 [mph] fastball come back. Now it's just touch and feel and learning to read hitters. It may take some time because he missed a lot of it. The good news is he is healthy."

Rogers was not the only Brewers pitching prospect who struggled in the AFL.
   
In 2009 the Brewers added Josh Butler to the 40-man roster, another intriguing right-handed pitching prospect who struggled alongside Rogers. After going 9-3 with a 2.97 ERA for four Brewers affiliates and earning a taste of the Majors in September, Butler struggled to an 11.93 ERA in six fall league starts. Opponents hit him at a .429 clip. 

Fellow 40-man roster member Omar Aguilar had a 7.11 ERA in nine relief appearances. Left-hander Zack Braddock was a bright spot before he surrendered six earned runs on four walks and four hits in 1/3 inning of relief work on Thursday, an outing that bumped his ERA from 0.87 to 5.25. Righty Rob Wooten allowed five runs in nine relief innings for a 5.00 ERA. 

The Brewers' hitters in the AFL offered more to feel good about. Catcher Jonathan Lucroy was especially impressive, drawing raves from scouts and the Brewers officials who saw him play, hitting .310 through Thursday with two home runs and 10 RBIs. Outfielder Lorenzo Cain, who on Wednesday was added to the 40-man roster, hit .242 but posted a solid .375 on-base percentage as the Javelinas' leadoff hitter. 

Third baseman Taylor Green was batting .212 entering Saturday's finale but had four of his 11 hits and all six of his RBIs in the Javelinas' last three games. 

"I believe that if you have this experience, it's going to make you better," Rogers said. "It's been a great year for me, and I don't want to look at it as anything else. I look forward to a full season ahead of me without a pitch count where I can just go play."

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Infielder Adam Heether, who was added to Milwaukee's 40-man roster earlier this month and will compete for a job as a backup Brewers infielder next spring, returned home from the Venezuelan Winter League this week after he strained a rib-cage muscle. Brewers assistant general manager Gord Ash called the injury -- an intercostal strain -- "very minor."

The move made sense in part because another Brewers infielder is about to head in the opposite direction. Third base prospect Mat Gamel is getting married on Saturday and is scheduled to travel to Venezuela on the day after Thanksgiving for a stint in winter ball. Gamel will work out with the Caracas team for about five days before debuting in a game sometime in early December.

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The Brewers told John Halama's agent that they will have a scout in the stands for the former big league left-hander's start in the Dominican Republic on Friday night, and Halama hopes to strike a Minor League deal with Milwaukee by early next week. <p/>

The Brewers are seeking starting pitching depth this winter and Halama, 37, wants to reunite with pitching coach Rick Peterson and manager Ken Macha. The trio was together in Oakland in 2003, Macha's first year as A's manager and Peterson's final year as that team's pitching coach.

Halama would also be rejoining Brewers advance scout Chris Bosio, who was a special assignment coach for Seattle during part of Halama's four-year run with the Mariners.

"He really wants to pitch for the Brewers," agent Joe Rosario said. "He would love to reunite with both Macha and Peterson."

Brewers Latin American scouting coordinator Fernando Arango is to attend Halama's start for Aguilas against Licey on Friday night. It's a rematch of Nov. 15, when Halama pitched seven innings and allowed two Licey runs on six hits with five strikeouts and no walks.

In his first six winter league starts, he was 3-2 with a 1.66 ERA and 21 strikeouts versus two walks. Both of Halama's losses came in 1-0 games.

Halama pitched for seven Major League teams in parts of nine seasons from 1998-2006. He's 56-48 with a 4.65 ERA in the Majors, but his career was derailed after a stint with the Orioles in 2006, in part by a contentious divorce.

He began the 2009 season with the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs of the independent Atlantic League and was 8-1 with a 1.96 ERA in 69 innings, drawing the interest of the Braves. At Triple-A Gwinnett, Halama was 4-7 with a 4.48 ERA in 13 starts and three relief appearances, but much of the damage was done in a pair of relief outings July 7 and 12, when Halama relieved rehabbing Braves JoJo Reyes.

As a starter, Halama had a 3.69 ERA last season at Triple-A. He turns 38 on Feb. 22.

"He spent the last two years pitching his butt off to get to where he is now," Rosario said. "He's big league-ready. He just wants an invite to [Spring Training] camp to show that he belongs and he feels like Milwaukee is the way to go."

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From Braves.com beat reporter Mark Bowman's blog:

The Braves see the Brewers as a potential suitor for Derek Lowe.  But contrary to a report on FOXSports.com Thursday, they have never been interested in trading the veteran sinkerballer in exchange for Brewers outfielder Corey Hart.

The report indicated that the Brewers seem reluctant to deal for Lowe because he is owed $45 million over the next three years.  While that is certainly understandable, the Braves have also provided indication that they are not interested in Hart.

In other words, if the Braves end up having to trade Javier Vazquez to the Brewers, there's little reason to believe that Hart would be part of the return package.

Indications are that the Braves don't like Hart's undisciplined offensive approach.  The Brewers outfielder, who could draw a $5 million salary via arbitration this winter, hit .260 with 12 homers and a .753 OPS this past season.

As the Braves continue to explore their options with Lowe, they still think there's a chance that the Angels may be willing to add the veteran sinkerballer to their young rotation.

It appears that instead of getting a Major League-ready outfielder in return, the Braves would be more interested in digging into the Angels farm system.

Bowman has more on Lowe's situation in a story on Braves.com. As Mark notes, Lowe is coming off a season during which he posted a 4.67 ERA -- his career high in the National League -- is owed $45 million over the three seasons and turns 37 next season.

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The Brewers on Thursday announced a number of minor upgrades at Miller Park, which will host its 10th season of baseball in 2010.

In addition to a project announced two weeks ago to improve hitting conditions for players, the team unveiled four more initiatives of note to fans: 

- Work has already begun on renovations to the retail store on the highest seating level at Miller Park. The store is being expanded and redesigned and will feature new merchandise next season. 

- The team is constructing the "Plaza Pavilion" outside Miller Park in the right field corner. The project involves upgrading an existing smoking area into a covered outdoor gathering location with lighting, televisions, furniture, additional fencing and portable food and beverage stands. The area will be open free of charge to all ticketed fans prior to and during Brewers home games. 

- The Brewers are upgrading the Milwaukee Braves Wall of Honor, located on the third base side of the Field Level concourse. It will feature new plaques, artwork, lighting and photo banners.  The Braves Wall of Honor celebrates the National League team that called Milwaukee home from 1953 to 1965. 

- The ballpark parking lots are being renamed to honor the city's legends, just in time for the 40th season of Brewers baseball. Twelve lots around Miller Park will be adorned with names of former Milwaukee Brewers and Braves players, with banners and other artwork notating the new designations. Uniformed members of the Brewers and Braves Walk of Fame are represented, with lots named after Henry Aaron, Cecil Cooper, Rollie Fingers, Jim Gantner, Harvey Kuenn, Eddie Mathews, Paul Molitor, Don Money, Warren Spahn, Gorman Thomas, Bob Uecker and Robin Yount. 

The Uecker Lot will include a special twist for fans.  As a nod to his "front row" series of Miller Lite ads, 10 cars paying cash for general parking at each game will be selected at random to move up to the front row of the Uecker Lot for only $1.  A row of decorated "Uecker's Front Row" parking spaces will await.

The Brewers also are planning improvements to areas not accessible to fans. Both clubhouses are getting an upgrade, and the Brewers baseball operations department will take over part of the right field corner of the Terrace Level in a new "War Room."  New offices and meeting space will be fitted with state-of-the-art technology to enhance the club's scouting and baseball operations efforts.

Here's a new must-bookmark for all Brewers fans: Front office staffers John Steinmiller and Caitlin Moyer launched a blog this week that will offer a glimpse into the happenings at Miller Park. It's a dynamic duo. John is a manager in the Brewers' media relations department (a.k.a. Mike Vassallo's intern) and Caitlin is the team's manager of marketing promotions (a.k.a. The Queen of the Bobbleheads).

You'll find their blog at www.brewers.mlblogs.com. They launched this week with the No. 1 question asked of everybody who has anything to do with baseball.

Just don't have so much fun that you forget about me.

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Jonathan Mayo, who does a great job covering the First-Year Player Draft and the Minor Leagues for MLB.com (and MiLB.com) wrote an interesting piece about key six-year Minor League free agent signings. Brewers officials expend just as much energy scouring the list of six-year free agents as they do the more-publicized big leaguers, often to fill-out the rosters at Triple-A Nashville and Double-A Huntsville.

Every now and then, you find a gem, and Mayo discussed some of the better-known names. There are no Brewers on the list, but pitchers Chris Smith, Chris Narveson and Mike Burns all were acquired as six-year free agents and appeared pretty extensively for the Brewers in 2009.

Can anyone think of any other six-year gems in the Brewers' recent past?

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Thursday is the final day for teams to negotiate exclusively with their own free agents, but Brewers general manager Doug Melvin is not anticipating striking any deals before the market opens in earnest.

"No," he said Wednesday. "I don't think they want to sign, personally. They want to wait until Friday and hope someone picks up the phone and makes them an offer they never thought they would get."

Beginning Friday at 12:01 a.m. ET, free agents are free to field those calls from all 30 teams. Before then, during a 15-day window that follows the World Series, other teams can only express general interest but are technically barred from making any offers.

The Brewers have nine outgoing free agents: Outfielders Mike Cameron, Frank Catalanotto and Corey Patterson, infielders Craig Counsell and Felipe Lopez, catcher Jason Kendall and pitchers Braden Looper, Claudio Vargas and David Weathers. Looper and Weathers hit the market after the Brewers declined their options.

Melvin wouldn't say which of those players he would like to bring back to avoid giving other teams an idea of the Brewers' thinking. He did say this month that the Carlos Gomez acquisition likely closed the door on Cameron, that the Brewers might not be able to afford Kendall unless he takes a serious pay cut and that the team remains committed to Rickie Weeks at second base, making a Lopez return very unlikely.

Counsell seems the most likely incumbent on the Brewers' radar but a report this week said that as many as 12 teams had expressed interest. That's not surprising at all given Counsell's defensive versatility and his outstanding 2009 season at the plate, and it's not out of the realm of possibility that he could field multi-year offers.

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The Brewers added catching depth on Wednesday by claiming onetime Padres prospect George Kottaras off waivers from the Boston Red Sox.

Kottaras, 26 and a left-handed hitter, reportedly asked out of Boston after it became clear that Victor Martinez and Jason Varitek would be back in 2010. Kottaras appeared in 45 games with the Red Sox last season and batted .237 with one home run and 10 RBIs.

He is out of Minor League options, and joins catchers Mike Rivera and Angel Salome on Milwaukee's 40-man roster. The Brewers also plan to give a long Spring Training look to prospect Jonathan Lucroy, whom general manager Doug Melvin mentioned this month as a candidate to jump from Double-A to the Majors in 2010.

Rivera, Salome and Lucroy are all right-handed hitters.

"If we can get better, then we'll try to get better," Melvin said. "We have to have depth. We have Salome and Lucroy, we have Kottaras and we still have Rivera, but we don't have a front-line guy." 

That guy in the past two seasons was Jason Kendall, but Kendall cost $5 million in 2009 and Melvin made it clear to agent Arn Tellem that the Brewers didn't intend to spend that much behind the plate next year.

Rivera is arbitration-eligible for the first time this winter, but Melvin wouldn't say what the Brewers plans are for him next season. The team has until Dec. 12 to decide whether to tender Rivera a 2010 contract.  

Asked for his thoughts about the team's catching situation in general, Melvin said, "It's too early to say what we'll do. We haven't gotten to the Winter Meetings. Free agency hasn't even started yet so we can't really talk to anyone." 

Teams own exclusive negotiating rights with their own free agents for the 15 days following the World Series. They are free to negotiate with all free agents beginning at 12:01 a.m. ET on Friday. 

As recently as three years ago, Kottaras was rated the second-best prospect in San Diego's organization by Baseball America. He was traded from San Diego to Boston late that year to complete the trade that sent pitcher David Wells to the Padres.

In seven Minor League seasons, Kottaras is a .269 hitter with 66 home runs and 289 RBIs. His best year was 2007, when he batted .243 for Boston's Triple-A affiliate with a career-best 22 home runs and 65 RBIs in 107 games.

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Two days before the deadline to protect prospects from next month's Rule 5 Draft, the Brewers added outfielder Lorenzo Cain and right-hander Amaury Rivas -- the team's reigning Minor League pitcher of the year -- to the 40-man roster.

Two others who would have required protection had been previously added. The Brewers gave pitchers John Axford and Josh Butler a taste of the Majors in September, figuring they would need roster protection after the season, anyway. The team also added infielder Adam Heether earlier this month. [That's true, but they didn't have to add Heether to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft. He would have been a six-year free agent.]

Cain, 23, impressed Brewers coaches when he filled-in for some injured outfielders during Spring Training but saw his season derailed by a left knee injury in April. He was limited to 60 games at three levels of Milwaukee's farm system and batted .218 with a .277 on-base percentage.

"When you play with an injury all year it can make you apprehensive, and it did," Brewers farm director Reid Nichols said. "He had doubts on his knee. He was probably playing a step short the whole time and had a little lack of confidence in what he could do physically. That's normal, when you can't go the way you want to go. There's no doubt he's a good player. He just has to get that knee as well as his other one."

Cain is currently making up for lost time in the Arizona Fall League. Through 17 games, he was hitting .242 with a .375 on-base percentage and 14 runs scored as the Peoria Javelinas' leadoff man.

Rivas, who turns 24 on Dec. 20, was 13-7 with a 2.98 ERA at Class A Brevard County in 2009 to win a Robin Yount Award as the organization's top pitcher. He was at Miller Park to accept the award in September.

With Wednesday's additions, the Brewers still have five open spots on their 40-man roster.

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Former All-Star closer Eric Gagne told reporters in his native Canada last week that he wants to return to organized baseball as a starter and that he's open to beginning the year in the Minor Leagues. But his most recent Major League employer doesn't plan to be among the teams considering Gagne as a reclamation project.

"I don't see that," Brewers assistant GM Gord Ash wrote in an e-mail.

Gagne last pitched in the big leagues in 2008 with Milwaukee, compiling a 5.44 ERA in 50 games. He signed for $10 million and was a bust as the Brewers' closer, but returned from a midseason shoulder injury and was actually a solid contributor down the stretch, with a 4.33 ERA in 30 appearances beginning July 3 including a 0.84 ERA in 11 games after Sept. 2. Including two scoreless appearances in the postseason, Gagne didn't allow a run in 12 of his final 13 games. He was extremely popular in the front offices at Miller Park for his charitable contributions. 

That combination of on- and off-field factors prompted the Brewers to give Gagne a shot last spring on a Minor League contract in February. He reported to camp looking to win a roster spot but his bid was derailed by the recurrence of shoulder woes and the Brewers released him on March 8.

After rehab, Gagne signed as a player/coach with the Quebec Capitales in the independent Canadian-American League. In 17 games, all starts, he was 6-6 with a 4.65 ERA and two complete games. The Capitales won the league championship and Gagne, according to a report on Yahoo! Sports, honed the cut fastball he occasionally threw in Milwaukee to compliment his fastball, curveball and change-up. 

Speaking at a charity event on Nov. 12 in Quebec City, Gagne said he wants to make one more bid for the Majors. He said it would be "fun" to return to the Dodgers, for whom Gagne had his most success, including a stretch of 84 consecutive saves from 2002-2004, but he's open to any interested club. 

Gagne turns 34 in January.The Brewers already have some veteran-type arms at Triple-A including Mike Burns, who already signed a Minor League deal to return for 2010. Burns, 31, posted a 5.75 ERA in 15 appearances for the Brewers in 2009 including eight starts. He ended the season with a shoulder injury but avoided surgery.

In terms of Gagne-style reclamations the Brewers may bring back former All-Star left-hander Chris Capuano, who is attempting a comeback from his second career Tommy John surgery. Capuano, also 31, pitched in six games for low-level Brewers affiliates late last season with some success. He's a free agent again this winter.

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The window for teams to exclusively negotiate with their own free agents doesn't expire until Friday, but according to one observer that's not stopping as many as a dozen clubs from showing interest in veteran Brewers infielder Craig Counsell.

ESPN.com's Buster Olney "tweeted" this on Monday without specifying a source: "Craig Counsell has attracted interest from 12 teams. Possible he will leave Milw. for a multi-year deal. Possible fits: NYY, Boston."

It's against Major League rules for teams to negotiate with representatives for players who aren't their own during a 15-day window following the World Series, but there is no rule against team's simply checking in to express general interest.

Counsell would fit almost anywhere based on his proficiency at second base, third base and shortstop. He turned 39 in August but enjoyed his best season since he helped the Arizona Diamondbacks win the 2001 World Series, batting .285 for the Brewers in 2009 with 34 extra-base hits, a .357 on-base percentage and a .408 slugging percentage. Counsell also went 5-for-16 as a pinch-hitter

Brewers general manager Doug Melvin wouldn't say last week which of Milwaukee's nine free agents the team was working to bring back, but Counsell certainly would fit. He could pair with versatile right-handed hitter Adam Heether, who was added last week to the Brewers' 40-man roster, as a left-right pair of reserve infielders in 2010.

Counsell earned $1 million last season on a one-year contract.

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Brewers third baseman Casey McGehee finished fifth in National League Rookie of the Year balloting, the results of which were announced Monday. Not too shabby for a player plucked off waivers who didn't move into Milwaukee's starting lineup until May 19 and played the whole season on a bum knee.

Florida outfielder Chris Coghlan won the award in the NL and Oakland reliever Andrew Bailey won in the American League. Coghlan, who led NL rookies in batting average (.321), runs (84), hits (162), doubles (31), total bases (232), multi-hit games (51) and on-base percentage (.390), was followed by pitchers J.A. Happ of the Phillies and Tommy Hanson of the Braves, outfielder Andrew McCutchen of the Pirates and then McGehee.

McGehee received one first place vote, three second-place votes and four third-place votes from members of the Baseball Writers Association of America for 18 total points, based on a 5-3-1 tabulation system. He was bidding to be the Brewers second rookie winner in three years. Ryan Braun won in 2007, the first Brewer so honors since Pat Listach in 1992.

"I finished right about where I thought I would," McGehee said Monday after seeing the results. "I think you could have made a very strong case for a lot of people, and Coghlan was obviously very deserving. Congratulations to him.

"Now that this is over with, we can finally put 2009 to bed and focus on next year. I'm excited about the chance to improve on this year and help the team get to where it needs to be."

In 116 games, McGehee batted .301 with 16 home runs and led all Major League rookies with 66 RBIs. The Brewers didn't exactly that level of production coming; they claimed McGehee off waivers from the Cubs in October 2008 but entered 2009 Spring Training with Bill Hall as the third baseman and veterans Mike Lamb and Craig Counsell expected to back him up.

McGehee's strong spring in part prompted the Brewers to release Lamb, and when Hall's slump extended into mid-May and Counsell was called to replace injured second baseman Rickie Weeks, manager Ken Macha turned to McGehee at the hot corner.

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't confident. If I got a chance, I thought I would be successful," McGehee said back in September. "I've always believed that, that's for sure. By no means do I feel like I have it figured out, but I knew that if I got a chance to be a part of the team I could be a big contributor."

He was a big contributor despite chronic knee pain that required arthroscopic surgery the week following the regular season finale. McGehee has a lesion in his knee, according to assistant general manager Gord Ash, that causes fragments of bone to break away. He could have had a more intensive surgery to inject healthy cells into the knee to promote re-growth but it was a riskier procedure that could have sidelined McGehee weeks or even months into the 2010 season.

Instead, McGehee opted for what Ash termed a more "intermediate" fix. He's had no complications since the surgery, Ash reported on Monday morning.

McGehee confirmed that positive report, and said he is already a month into his rehab. He is scheduled to be in Milwaukee on Friday for a follow-up visit with Dr. William Raasch, the Brewers' head physician who performed the surgery.

"I feel good, and I would be absolutely shocked if he saw anything he didn't like," McGehee said. "It feels like a normal knee to me again, which is a good sign. It's back to the point now where I'm trying to get the muscles around the knee stronger."

Assuming he doesn't have a setback, McGehee should enter 2010 as Milwaukee's starter at third base, with prospect Mat Gamel waiting in the wings. That doesn't mean McGehee is taking anything for granted.

"As soon as you get comfortable, it comes up and bites you," he said. "You stop working and you get complacent. I'm just trying to come in to play every day, and if I don't be ready to come off the bench. That's how I'm always going to approach it in my career, whether I'm an everyday player or not."

Does he feel he's proven himself as an everyday player?

"I don't know," he said. "There's so much other stuff that goes into it. I feel like I had an OK year, but sometimes people worry about stuff like that, about [decisions] that are really not in their control. The only thing I can control is being in good shape come Spring Training, work hard in the offseason to prepare myself to play, and then it's really out of your hands. It's up to the guys who make the decisions to decide what they're going to do."

Here are the full results:

National League Rookie of the Year balloting
                                                     1st     2nd     3rd     Points
Chris Coghlan, Marlins                     17       6         2         105
J.A. Happ, Phillies                            10      11       11          94
Tommy Hanson, Braves                    2         6        9           37
Andrew McCutchen, Pirates              2         5                     25
Casey McGehee, Brewers                  1        3         4          18
Randy Wells, Cubs                                       1                      3
Garret Jones, Pirates                                              2            2
Everth Cabrera, Padres                                          1            1
Dexter Fowler, Rockies                                           1            1
Gerardo Parra, D-backs                                          1            1
Colby Rasmus, Cardinals                                        1            1

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Baseball's Rookie of the Year Award winners will be unveiled Monday, but Brewers third baseman Casey McGehee won't be sitting next to the phone.

"Hopefully I can be a good trivia question: Who finished second or third behind so-and-so in the 2009 rookie vote?" McGehee said near the end of his breakout season. "I would be happy for anyone who wins. You can make a really good argument for six or seven guys."

The Brewers did their part to make the argument for McGehee in the National League half of the rookie race. During the final homestand, they distributed signs that promoted "MVPrince" on one side and "Casey for Rook-hee of the Year" on the other.

A waiver claim from the Cubs who reported to 2009 Spring Training as a long shot to make the Brewers' roster, McGehee took advantage of incumbent third baseman Bill Hall's continued slump and became the team's most pleasant surprise. He played in only 116 games, but led NL rookies with 66 RBIs, ranked second with a .301 batting average and tied for second with 16 home runs.

McGehee finished strong, batting .337 with five homers and 26 RBIs in September and October to win NL Rookie of the Month. Only the Phillies' Ryan Howard, with 27 RBIs, had more than McGehee.

Still, McGehee doesn't think he'll win when the Baseball Writers' Association of America announces the top rookie on Monday afternoon. The award is decided by a vote of BBWAA members.

"I never set that as something I was worried about or even wanted to think about," he said of the award. "To me, it's just as nice to be mentioned in that category. So that's the thrill of it for me, and I'll look back and be proud that my name was in there.

"But I still feel the same as I have all along. For the most part, it's an award for big-time prospects. It would be awesome if somebody proved me wrong, but by no means do I think that's going to happen."

For McGehee's predictions and some other candidates for the NL rookie honor, check out my story on MLB.com.  And for those of you who want to make your own pick, I attached PDF files that include the NL's rookie pitching and batting departmental leaders.

NL rookie hitting leaders.pdf
NL rookie pitching leaders.pdf

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More than a week removed from the Brewers-Twins trade that sent shortstop J.J. Hardy to Minnesota for center fielder Carlos Gomez, reports continue to emerge about the other offers that Brewers GM Doug Melvin passed up.

The latest comes from FoxSports.com, which suggested in a series of reports that the Pirates offered either catcher Ryan Doumit or closer Matt Capps for Hardy -- the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette had the same Capps rumor -- but that Melvin wanted one of Pittsburgh's left-handed starters: Zach Duke or Paul Maholm. Fox cites a Major League source who said the Pirates rejected that idea.

It would have been a nice haul for Melvin, considering that all 29 of his rival GMs knew full-well that he would trade Hardy this winter. Duke is under contract for two more years and coming off his best big league season with a 4.06 ERA, three complete games (nearly four) in 213 innings. Maholm also has two more years, plus a club option for 2012. He has made at least 29 starts in four straight seasons and has a 4.33 career ERA.

Assuming the Fox report is accurate, Doumit is an interesting name considering that the Brewers are in a transition period behind the plate. Given Melvin's statement last week that he might not be able to spend $5 million on a catcher next season (that was Jason Kendall's salary in 2009) it may have been a cost issue with Doumit. According to FoxSports.com, the 28-year-old is to earn $3.55 million this next season and $5.1 million in 2011, with a $7.25 million club option for '12 and an $8.25 million club option for '13.

Durability is also a big issue. Doumit had a breakthrough season in 2008 (.318 average, 15 homers, 69 RBIs in 116 games) but was limited to 75 games in 2009 because of wrist, back and knee injuries.

Then there's the issue of trading within the division. Reds GM Walt Jocketty told MLB.com that he, too, expressed some interest in Hardy but was told by his good friend Melvin that the Brewers preferred to move the player out of the National League Central.

In the end, Melvin was focused on acquiring a young starting pitcher or a young, defensively-sound center fielder for Hardy. He pulled the trigger for Gomez.

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MLB Network is airing a block of All-Time Games this weekend highlighting high-strikeout games and is featuring one that they have not aired before: Ben Sheets' 18-strikeout performance for the Brewers vs. the Braves in 2004. It's on at 5:30 p.m. CT on Saturday night.

Other games included in the block of All-Time Games this weekend are Ron Guidry's 18 strikeouts for the Yankees against the California Angels in 1978; Ramon Martinez's 18 strikeouts for the Dodgers vs. the Braves in 1990; Roger Clemens' 20 strikeouts for the Red Sox against the Mariners in 1986; David Cone's 19-strikeout game for the Mets vs. the Phillies in 1991; and Randy Johnson's 20 strikeouts for the Diamondbacks against the Reds in 1997.

For everything you need to know about Trenni Kusnierek's employer, check out www.mlbnetwork.com.  And for another update on Sheets, check out the story I filed for MLB.com on Friday.  And, for nostalgia, here's my coverage of Sheets' gem from May 16, 2004.

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The agent for aptly-named Brewers infielder Brent Brewer insists that his client is not mulling a move back to college football.

The website Scout.com reported that Brewer, who was committed to Florida State before the Brewers made him their second-round pick in the 2006 First-Year Player Draft, was scheduled to visit Oklahoma State University this weekend. Another online report said he visited New Mexico State on September.

Not true, according to agent Josh Kusnick.

"He was down at the end of the year and maybe he was thinking about football, but he hasn't gone on any visits and he's definitely not going on any visits," Kusnick said on Friday. "He assuredly is not going to play football. He's focused on going to the big leagues."

Kusnick passed along a text message he said was from Brewer that said, "I [am going to] make it to the League, man. So you better be ready to make some deals happen."

"That's pretty reassuring, isn't it?" Kusnick said.

Brewer, a shortstop, has great raw tools that have yet to translate to professional baseball. He batted .222 at Class-A Brevard County in 2009 with one home run, 29 RBIs and 19 stolen bases. In four seasons in Milwaukee's farm system, he is a .241 hitter with a .308 on-base percentage.

"I know that mentally, Brent was not there at the end of the season and it probably had something to do with football," Brewers farm director Reid Nichols wrote in an e-mail. "He was not outspoken about it, but he had been contemplating trying it. My feeling is that if he isn't with us mentally, he isn't going to be able to help any team. He needs to get his head and heart where he wants to be."

The Brewers gave Brewer at $600,000 signing bonus to lure him away from football in 2006.

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Braden Looper wasted no time in formally filing for free agency, and fellow Brewers right-hander Claudio Vargas was right behind him. 

Both veterans formally filed their paperwork on Friday, meaning all nine of the Brewers' potential free agents at the start of the offseason are officially on the open market. Outfielders Mike Cameron, Frank Catalanotto and Corey Patterson, infielders Craig Counsell and Felipe Lopez, catcher Jason Kendall and reliever David Weathers all filed previously. 

Earlier Friday, the Brewers declined their half of Looper's $6.5 million mutual option, choosing instead to pay a $1 million buyout and free $5.5 million more in payroll flexibility. General manager Doug Melvin left open the possibility of re-opening negotiations with Looper at a later date. 

Melvin may also have interested in bringing back Vargas, who was acquired in a July 31 trade with the Dodgers for Double-A catcher Vinny Rottino. Vargas boosted his stock in a late-relief role with the Brewers, appearing in 28 games with a 1.78 ERA. 

Teams have exclusive negotiating rights with their own free agents for 15 days following the World Series. That window closes Nov. 19.

When Looper and Vargas filed for free agency, the Brewers were left with 33 players on their 40-man roster.

Some quick hits about the Brewers' quest to improve their pitching:

- There remains dialogue between Brewers GM Doug Melvin and the agent for Mark Mulder, the former A's and Cardinals left-hander who has been limited to four starts since 2006 because of injury. The Brewers are intrigued by Mulder as a bounce-back candidate, and he has worked as recently as this past summer with incoming Brewers pitching coach Rick Peterson, so Melvin placed a call after the season to agent Gregg Clifton, who represents Mulder. At some point within the last week, Clifton returned that call, though Melvin wouldn't say much about it.

Mulder would be the ultimate high-risk, high-reward pick-up, and the Brewers would only be interested at the right price. Given that there is ongoing communication, he's a name to watch.

- The Brewers might have been in better position to trade for Tigers right-hander Edwin Jackson before J.J. Hardy went to Minnesota in a trade, but Melvin told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Friday that has been in contact with Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski. The Tigers may be shopping Jackson in a move to manage their own payroll.

- Another potential trade partner is Atlanta, as the pitching-rich Braves field offers for either Derek Lowe or Javier Vazquez. Mark Bowman, our MLB.com Braves reporter, speculates that the Brewers or Angels would make sense for Lowe, though Melvin may be turned off by the three years and $45 million left on the sinkerballer's contract. Lowe was 15-10 with a 4.67 ERA in his first season in Atlanta and has made at least 32 starts in all eight seasons since he converted from relief. Melvin loves durability.

But as Mark points out, there are indications that Brewers would almost certainly favor Vazquez, who is owed $11.5 million in the final year of his contract. He should get some Cy Young Award votes after going 15-10 in 2009 with a 2.87 ERA and a remarkable 238-to-44 strikeouts-to-walks ratio. Melvin loves strike-throwers.

As for what the Braves would seek? Pure speculation here, but they are looking at corner outfielders with power and Corey Hart could fit the bill if the Braves are convinced he can bounce back from a season marred by inconsistency and then an appendectomy. Hart has been involved in trade rumors with the Braves before. Perhaps the Brewers could also dangle one of their third base prospects as a future replacement for Chipper Jones, who has three years remaining on his deal. Melvin has previously resisted trading Mat Gamel, but the emergence of Casey McGehee and Adam Heether in 2009 at least gives the Brewers more options. I hear that Braves scouts are split on Gamel's worth. Taylor Green is also a good prospect despite some recent injury troubles. 

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Here's a roster decision with some irony: The Brewers on Friday cut loose their winningest pitcher from 2009 in order to improve the starting rotation for 2010.

The team on Friday declined right-hander Braden Looper's $6.5 million mutual option. Looper will instead get a $1 million buyout and will join the pool of free agents.

After signing a one-year deal last winter to come to Milwaukee, Looper led the Brewers with 14 wins and tied for the National League lead by making all 34 of his starts, but he also ran up a 5.22 ERA and led the Majors by allowing 39 home runs. By declining the option, Brewers general manager Doug Melvin was left with $5.5 million to allocate elsewhere.

"I talked to Braden and I told him that we wanted to keep our flexibility, but we would still consider him," Melvin said. "You don't know if that will be at a lower [salary] number or a higher one because it depends on the market. That's the risk we take."

In August it seemed a foregone conclusion that the Brewers, who are short on pitching prospects at the top levels of the Minor Leagues, would bring Looper back. But a high-ranking club official indicated during the final week of the season that Looper's future with the team was thrown up for debate as he posted a 6.58 ERA over the season's final month with a .349 opponents' batting average. He did manage to go 5-2 over that span thanks to the Brewers' offense.

In the season's final days, Looper revealed that he pitched the entire season with a sore right knee that would need arthroscopic surgery.

"I tried the best I can to get the ball down because that's my whole game," Looper said. "I don't know [if the knee played a part in pitches staying up]. I know I haven't been a consistent this year. That's the thing that upsets me, I hope that [the knee] didn't cause that."

Looper turned 35 on Oct. 28. The Brewers had until Saturday to decide on his option. Had they exercised it, Looper would have had three days to decide whether to accept.

Looper is a Type B free agent, but it's impossible to imagine the Brewers offering him arbitration, a necessary step to reap a compensatory Draft pick should he sign elsewhere. If Looper were to accept such an offer, he would earn more than the $6.5 million option the team just declined.

Melvin is focused on acquiring help this offseason for a pitching staff that ranked next to last in the National League with a 4.83 ERA and tied the Orioles for the worst starters' ERA in all of Major League Baseball at 5.37. The $5.5 million saved by declining Looper's option will presumably be spent on another arm.

Melvin has made a series of cost-cutting moves in recent days. Last week, he traded J.J. Hardy to the Twins for center fielder Carlos Gomez, who is a first-time arbitration eligible player but will earn far less than Hardy, who made $4.65 million in 2009. That move opened shortstop for rookie Alcides Escobar and meant the Brewers would but pursue departing free agent Mike Cameron, who earned $10 million in 2009.

That same day, Melvin told a Milwaukee radio station that the team was considering using catching prospect Jonathan Lucroy behind the plate in 2010 over another free agent, Jason Kendall, who earned $5 million last season. Melvin met this week with Kendall's agent to inform him that the team would spend less than that at catcher next season.

Some of that savings will have to go to arbitration-eligible players who are getting more expensive, but Melvin may also be freeing payroll to make a play for a free agent arm. He reportedly met this week at the General Managers Meetings with representatives for veterans John Lackey, Randy Wolf and Doug Davis, all of whom will seek multi-year contracts. The Brewers also could make a bid for Tigers right-hander Edwin Jackson, who may be available in a trade as Detroit manages its own payroll.

Say what you will about Looper's secondary numbers, he still won more games in 2009 than all of those pitchers. Davis was 9-14 with a 4.12 ERA for a poor Arizona team and Jackson was 13-9 with a 3.62 ERA for a Tigers team that lost a one-game playoff for the American League Central. Lackey was 11-9 with a 3.83 ERA for the 97-win Angels and Wolf was 11-7 with a 3.23 ERA for the 95-win Dodgers.

"I think Braden had more wins than all of the free agents out there, but the other guys had much lower ERAs," Melvin said. "It shows you the difficulty of predicting what pitchers can do for you. I don't want to downplay the year [Looper] had for us. He hit all of his incentives, so he did what we asked him to do.

"In the end, we felt we wanted to keep the flexibility to maximize the money we do have left."

With Looper out of the mix, the Brewers still have four returning starters in Yovani Gallardo, Dave Bush, Jeff Suppan and Manny Parra. Also under team control are Carlos Villanueva and Seth McClung, both of whom are arbitration-eligible and have made starts over the past three seasons. 

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The Major League Baseball Players Association released a list last night of the 210 players potentially eligible for arbitration this winter. We already knew the eight eligible Brewers -- Dave Bush, Todd Coffey, Jody Gerut, Carlos Gomez, Corey Hart, Seth McClung, Mike Rivera (first time eligible), Carlos Villanueva (first time eligible) and Rickie Weeks -- but I thought it may be helpful to pass along the entire list. Many of these players will become free agents after the Dec. 12 nontender deadline.

The Brewers will face a couple of decisions at that deadline. Do they bring back McClung ($1.6625 million salary in 2009), the versatile right-hander who worked his way back from an elbow injury at the end of last season? Will Gerut ($1.775 million) return based on his strong finish to the 2009 season? If the Brewers do convince free agent catcher Jason Kendall to return at a discount, will they give the backup job to Jonathan Lucroy or bring back Rivera?

We will get into those decisions at a later date. For now, here is the MLBPA list:

List of players potentially eligible for 2010 Salary Arbitration

PLAYER    SERVICE TIME    TEAM    POSITION
1 Aardsma, David 3.082 SEA RP
2 Accardo, Jeremy 3.171 TOR RP
3 Adams, Mike 3.019 SD RP
4 Albers, Matt 2.141 BAL RP
5 Amezaga, Alfredo 5.097 FLA OF
6 Anderson, Brian N. 3.053 BOS OF
7 Atkins, Garrett 5.072 COL 3B
8 Aybar, Erick 3.086 LAA SS
9 Baker, Jeff 3.049 CHC 2B
10 Bale, John R. 4.016 KC RP
11 Balfour, Grant 5.099 TB RP
12 Bannister, Brian 3.158 KC SP
13 Barmes, Clint 4.122 COL 2B
14 Bartlett, Jason 4.086 TB SS
15 Bautista, Jose A. 4.165 TOR OF
16 Bell, Heath 4.099 SD RP
17 Bennett, Jeff 3.012 TB RP
18 Bergmann, Jay 3.064 WAS RP
19 Billingsley, Chad 3.110 LAD SP
20 Blanton, Joe 5.016 PHI SP
21 Bonser, Boof 3.102 MIN RP
22 Bourn, Michael 3.028 HOU OF
23 Boyer, Blaine 3.122 ARI RP
24 Broxton, Jonathan 4.020 LAD RP
25 Bruney, Brian 4.164 NYY RP
26 Bruntlett, Eric 5.102 PHI 2B
27 Buchholz, Taylor 3.140 COL RP
28 Buck, John 5.101 KC C
29 Burnett, Sean 3.085 WAS RP
30 Burton, Jared 2.165 CIN RP
31 Bush, David 5.052 MIL SP
32 Byrdak, Tim 4.150 HOU RP
33 Cabrera, Fernando 3.104 BOS RP
34 Cabrera, Melky 3.148 NYY OF
35 Camp, Shawn 4.170 TOR RP
36 Cantu, Jorge 5.036 FLA 1B
37 Capps, Matt 4.017 PIT RP
38 Carrasco, D.J. 3.141 CWS RP
39 Casilla, Santiago 3.012 OAK RP
40 Cedeno, Ronny 4.029 PIT SS
41 Chavez, Raul A. 5.074 TOR C
42 Choate, Randy 5.073 TB RP
43 Church, Ryan 4.152 ATL OF
44 Coffey, Todd 4.024 MIL RP
45 Colon, Roman 3.133 KC RP
46 Condrey, Clay 4.012 PHI RP
47 Cormier, Lance 4.154 TB RP
48 Correia, Kevin 5.027 SD SP
49 Cotts, Neal 4.081 CHC RP
50 Crain, Jesse 5.039 MIN RP
51 Cust, Jack 4.002 OAK DH
52 Danks, John 3.000 CWS SP
53 Davies, Kyle 4.012 KC SP
54 Davis, Rajai 2.167 OAK OF
55 de la Rosa, Jorge 5.015 COL SP
56 Delcarmen, Manny 3.133 BOS RP
57 Devine, Joe 2.171 OAK RP
58 Diaz, Matt 4.157 ATL OF
59 Dinardo, Lenny 3.157 KC RP
60 Drew, Stephen 3.079 ARI SS
61 Duke, Zach 4.094 PIT SP
62 Durbin, Chad 5.102 PHI RP
63 Ethier, Andre 3.153 LAD OF
64 Feldman, Scott 3.091 TEX SP
65 Feliciano, Pedro 5.059 NYM RP
66 Flores, Jesus 2.158 WAS C
67 Fontenot, Mike 2.139 CHC 3B
68 Francisco, Frank 5.053 TEX RP
69 Francoeur, Jeff 4.088 NYM OF
70 Frasor, Jason 5.134 TOR RP
71 Garko, Ryan 3.091 SF 1B
72 Garza, Matt 2.149 TB SP
73 Gaudin, Chad 4.163 NYY SP
74 German, Esteban 4.069 TEX 2B
75 Gerut, Jody 5.096 MIL OF
76 Gomes, Jonny 4.097 CIN OF
77 Gomez, Carlos 2.141 MIL OF
78 Gordon, Alex 2.162 KC 3B
79 Gorzelanny, Tom 2.160 CHC RP
80 Green, Sean 3.125 NYM RP
81 Grilli, Jason 4.118 TEX RP
82 Gross, Gabe 4.114 TB OF
83 Guerrier, Matt 5.056 MIN RP
84 Guthrie, Jeremy 3.130 BAL SP
85 Gutierrez, Franklin 3.080 SEA OF
86 Guzman, Angel 3.095 CHC RP
87 Hairston, Scott 4.102 OAK OF
88 Hamilton, Josh 3.000 TEX OF
89 Hammel, Jason 2.153 COL SP
90 Hardy, J.J. 4.164 MIN SS
91 Harris, Brendan 3.112 MIN SS
92 Hart, Corey 4.038 MIL OF
93 Heilman, Aaron 5.123 CHC RP
94 Hermida, Jeremy 4.033 BOS OF
95 Hernandez, Felix 4.060 SEA SP
96 Hill, Koyie 3.006 CHC C
97 Howell, J.P. 3.007 TB RP
98 Iannetta, Chris 3.029 COL C
99 Izturis, Maicer 5.038 LAA 2B
100 Jackson, Conor 4.067 ARI OF
101 Jackson, Edwin 4.070 DET SP
102 Jacobs, Mike 4.047 KC DH
103 Janssen, Casey 3.063 TOR RP
104 Jenks, Bobby 4.090 CWS RP
105 Johnson, Josh 4.026 FLA SP
106 Johnson, Kelly 4.127 ATL 2B
107 Karstens, Jeff 2.144 PIT SP
108 Kemp, Matt 3.049 LAD OF
109 Kendrick, Howie 3.091 LAA 2B
110 Kensing, Logan 4.035 WAS RP
111 Keppinger, Jeff 3.052 HOU 3B
112 Kotchman, Casey 4.144 BOS 1B
113 Kouzmanoff, Kevin 3.030 SD 3B
114 Kuo, Hong-Chih 3.114 LAD RP
115 Laird, Gerald 5.077 DET C
116 Langerhans, Ryan 4.062 SEA OF
117 League, Brandon 3.145 TOR RP
118 Lincecum, Tim 2.148 SF SP
119 Lindstrom, Matthew 3.000 FLA RP
120 Liriano, Francisco 3.104 MIN SP
121 Logan, Boone 3.002 ATL RP
122 Loney, James 3.012 LAD 1B
123 Lowe, Mark 3.087 SEA RP
124 Ludwick, Ryan 4.109 STL OF
125 MacDougal, Mike 5.143 WAS RP
126 Maine, John 4.013 NYM SP
127 Marcum, Shaun 3.128 TOR SP
128 Marmol, Carlos 3.084 CHC RP
129 Marshall, Sean 3.088 CHC RP
130 Martin, Russell 3.150 LAD C
131 Masset, Nick 2.146 CIN RP
132 Mathis, Jeff 3.012 LAA C
133 McCarthy, Brandon 4.055 TEX SP
134 McClung, Seth 5.111 MIL RP
135 McGowan, Dustin 3.113 TOR SP
136 Medders, Brandon 3.074 SF RP
137 Meredith, Cla 3.107 BAL RP
138 Miller, Justin 5.070 SF RP
139 Miner, Zach 3.078 DET RP
140 Mitre, Sergio 4.132 NYY SP
141 Montero, Miguel 3.031 ARI C
142 Moylan, Peter 3.061 ATL RP
143 Murton, Matt 3.004 COL OF
144 Napoli, Mike 3.151 LAA C
145 Navarro, Dioner 4.103 TB C
146 Neshek, Pat 3.087 MIN RP
147 Nieves, Wil 3.092 WAS C
148 Nippert, Dustin 2.140 TEX RP
149 Nix, Laynce 4.070 CIN OF
150 Nolasco, Ricky 3.142 FLA SP
151 Nunez, Leo 3.108 FLA RP
152 Ojeda, Augie 4.169 ARI SS
153 Okajima, Hideki 3.000 BOS RP
154 Olsen, Scott 4.101 WAS SP
155 Orr, Pete 3.096 WAS 2B
156 Pagan, Angel 3.144 NYM OF
157 Papelbon, Jon 4.064 BOS RP
158 Paulino, Ronny 3.112 FLA C
159 Pena, Tony 3.076 CWS RP
160 Pence, Hunter 2.156 HOU OF
161 Perez, Rafael 2.157 CLE RP
162 Pinto, Renyel 3.083 FLA RP
163 Qualls, Chad 5.058 ARI RP
164 Quentin, Carlos 3.065 CWS OF
165 Quintero, Humberto 3.141 HOU C
166 Ramirez, Ramon 3.113 BOS RP
167 Ray, Chris 4.098 BAL RP
168 Redding, Tim 5.167 NYM RP
169 Reed, Jeremy 4.016 NYM OF
170 Repko, Jason 3.067 LAD OF
171 Reyes, Anthony 3.027 CLE SP
172 Rivera, Mike 3.081 MIL C
173 Rivera, Saul 3.056 WAS RP
174 Rodriguez, Wandy 4.105 HOU SP
175 Ross, Cody 4.058 FLA OF
176 Ruiz, Carlos 3.069 PHI C
177 Sampson, Chris 3.012 HOU RP
178 Sanchez, Anibal 3.099 FLA SP
179 Sanchez, Jonathan 3.071 SF SP
180 Santiago, Ramon 5.095 DET SS
181 Saunders, Joe 3.013 LAA SP
182 Schumaker, Skip 3.051 STL 2B
183 Scott, Luke 3.144 BAL DH
184 Seay, Bobby 5.118 DET RP
185 Sherrill, George 4.147 LAD RP
186 Shoppach, Kelly 4.021 CLE C
187 Spilborghs, Ryan 3.072 COL OF
188 Street, Huston 5.000 COL RP
189 Sullivan, Cory 4.010 NYM OF
190 Tallet, Brian 4.146 TOR SP
191 Teahen, Mark 4.155 CWS 3B
192 Tejeda, Rob 3.102 KC RP
193 Theriot, Ryan 3.118 CHC SS
194 Uggla, Dan 4.000 FLA 2B
195 Upton, B.J. 3.126 TB OF
196 Veras, Jose 3.014 CLE RP
197 Verlander, Justin 4.002 DET SP
198 Victorino, Shane 4.092 PHI OF
199 Villanueva, Carlos 3.053 MIL RP
200 Waechter, Doug 4.087 KC RP
201 Wang, Chien-Ming 4.159 NYY SP
202 Weaver, Jered 3.129 LAA SP
203 Weeks, Rickie 4.131 MIL 2B
204 Willingham, Josh 4.123 WAS OF
205 Willits, Reggie 3.000 LAA OF
206 Wilson, Brian 2.169 SF RP
207 Wilson, C.J. 4.055 TEX RP
208 Wuertz, Michael 4.139 OAK RP
209 Young, Delmon 3.034 MIN OF
210 Zumaya, Joel 4.000 DET RP

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The historic Cape Cod Baseball League inducted 10 new members to its Hall of Fame including Pie Traynor, who also has a spot in Cooperstown, and a pair of former Brewers.

Here are the entries on that duo from a story in the Cape Cod Times. Thanks to the guys at Brewerfan.net for pointing me to the story:

Bill Schroeder, Hyannis - A slugging catcher, he led Clemson to the 1978 ACC championship and continued his heavy hitting as he sparked the Hyannis Mets to a dominating 31-11 CCBL season. His 15 home runs set single-season records that still stand for the most ever by a Met and most by a Cape League catcher. He was the seventh player to lead the league in two Triple Crown categories - home runs (15) and RBI (38) - and received three post-season honors - All-League catcher, Outstanding Pro Prospect and Most Valuable Player. He was voted the first-team catcher on the CCBL 1970s All-Decade Team. He played eight MLB seasons, the first six with Milwaukee, which drafted him in the eighth round in 1979, and has been an analyst on Brewers telecasts since 1995.

Greg Vaughn, Cotuit - The Sacramento City star led Cotuit to two Cape League championships in his two seasons with the Kettleers. He hit .261 with four home runs and 12 stolen bases in 1984 and returned in 1985 to win league MVP honors by batting .343 with 10 home runs, 29 RBI and 15 stolen bases. He is one of six players to reach double digits in both steals and home runs in a season. Vaughn signed with Milwaukee after being drafted in the first round in 1986. He also played for the Padres, Reds, Devil Rays and Rockies. Vaughn belted 50 home runs in 1998 and was a four-time MLB All-Star.

An enshrinement ceremony is planned for noon ET on Saturday for the 10 new inductees, who bring the Cape's Hall of Fame membership to 98.

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For the second straight season, Ryan Braun will have some hardware to show for his efforts at the plate. 

After batting .320 with 32 home runs and 114 RBIs, Braun became the first Brewer since Paul Molitor more than two decades ago to win a Silver Slugger Award in consecutive years. Since 1980, the awards have been given annually to the best offensive player at each position as selected by the Major League Baseball managers and coaches, and Braun was honored alongside Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp of the Dodgers as the top offensive outfielders in the National League. 

The other NL Silver Sluggers were Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols, Phillies second baseman Chase Utley, Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman, Marlins shortstop Hanley Ramirez and Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano. 

Braun is the third Brewer to take home the award in consecutive seasons. Molitor was the American League's top designated hitter in 1987 and 1988, and Cecil Cooper won the award as the AL first baseman in three straight seasons from 1980-82.

The specially designed Silver Slugger will be presented to each player by a representative of the Hillerich & Bradsby Co., makers of Louisville Slugger, in a ceremony early in the 2010 season. The trophy is three feet tall and bears the engraved name of the winner and his Silver Slugger teammates in his respective league.

Before 2005, the Brewers had been shut out in Silver Slugger balloting since 1990, but now they have a winner in four of the past five seasons. Prince Fielder, who was edged at first base for the second straight year by Pujols, won in 2007. Then-Brewers outfielder Carlos Lee was a Silver Slugger in 2005. 

Braun's numbers were certainly deserving in 2009. With 203 hits, he became the third Brewer ever to lead his league in that category and the first since Molitor led the AL in 1991. Braun also became the eighth player in Major League history with at least 100 runs, 100 RBIs, 200 hits, 30 homers, 20 stolen bases and a .300 average in the same season. 

The numbers keep on coming. Braun has 103 home runs in his first three Major League seasons, sixth-most in baseball history behind two active players -- Pujols (114) and the Yankees' Mark Texeira (107) -- and three Hall of Famers -- Ralph Kiner (114), Eddie Matthews (112), Joe DiMaggio (107). 


Brewers Silver Sluggers
Player                   Year            Position
Cecil Cooper          1980        First Base
Robin Yount           1980        Shortstop
Ben Oglivie            1980         Outfield
Cecil Cooper          1981         First Base
Cecil Cooper          1982         First Base
Robin Yount           1982         Shortstop
Paul Molitor           1987           DH
Paul Molitor           1988           DH
Robin Yount           1989         Outfield
Dave Parker           1990           DH
Carlos Lee              2005         Outfield
Prince Fielder         2007          First Base
Ryan Braun            2008          Outfield
Ryan Braun            2009          Outfield

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[Updated headline on Nov. 13 after talking to Doug Melvin, who said he got a telephone call from Lackey's agent on Wednesday night but did not meet face-to-face with him in Chicago.]

Brewers general manager Doug Melvin may be downplaying his club's chances of landing the top pitcher on this year's free agent market, but don't count Milwaukee out of the John Lackey sweepstakes just yet. 

According to a Major League source, Melvin did speak with Lackey's agent, Steve Hilliard, this week at the General Managers Meetings in Chicago. It was one of a series of sit-downs conversations between Melvin and representatives for the top available free agent arms.

Pitching is the priority this winter for the Brewers, despite the fact they could have all five of their primary starters under contract again in 2010 (the team must decide by Saturday whether to exercise its half of Braden Looper's $6.5 million option).  Milwaukee's starters combined last season for a 5.37 ERA, tying the Orioles for the worst mark of the 30 Major League teams.

Lackey will command top dollar and the Brewers are working on a tight budget, something in the neighborhood of the $80 million payroll with which the team opened 2009. That means Melvin would have to move some other expensive pieces to make room for a pitcher like Lackey.

That process began last week, when Melvin traded J.J. Hardy to the Twins and opened shortstop for rookie Alcides Escobar, who will earn something close to the Major League minimum while Hardy makes upward of $5 million. In return for Hardy the Brewers got center fielder Carlos Gomez, who is arbitration-eligible for the first time but will still come much more cheaply than what the team would have paid to lure back free agent Mike Cameron, who earned $10 million last year.

The Brewers cleared another $3.3 million that day by declining reliever David Weathers' club option, and Melvin has given indications that he also intends to save money at the catcher's position instead of trying to resign Jason Kendall, who cost $5 million last season. Another $5.5 million could be freed if the team chooses to pay a $1 million buyout over exercising Looper's option, though Looper, who led the 2009 Brewers with 14 wins but also posted a 5.22 ERA and allowed a Major League-worst 39 home runs, could always exercise his half of the deal.

Those savings will be offset somewhat by a raise for first baseman Prince Fielder, whose salary jumps from $6.5 million last season to $10.5 million under the terms of a two-year deal struck last December (Fielder also got a $1 million signing bonus in the deal), and by pay raises for some of the Brewers' other arbitration-eligibles. Among them are some key contributors, including starter Dave Bush, set-up man Todd Coffey, right fielder Corey Hart, reliever Carlos Villanueva and second baseman Rickie Weeks.

After the season, Melvin said he would like to add two starters this offseason, either in trades or free agent signings. He also reportedly met in Chicago with the representatives for free agent veterans Randy Wolf and Doug Davis, and reached out earlier this offseason to the agent for left-hander Mark Mulder, who missed all of 2009 following shoulder surgery.

Lackey, 31, has pitched all eight of his Major League seasons for the Angels and is 102-71 with a 3.81 ERA. He missed the start of each of the last two seasons with arm injuries, but nonetheless has made at least 24 starts in all seven of his full Major League seasons.

Lackey and Wolf are both Type A free agents so the Brewers would have to surrender a pick in next year's Draft for either player. Since the Brewers own the 14th selection, their first-round pick is protected and they would have to give up a second-rounder to the Angels (for Lackey) or the Dodgers (for Wolf).

[On a side note, thanks to the reader who pointed out that I misidentified Lackey's agent in a story I filed Wednesday evening. He is represented by Steve Hilliard of Octagon, and I apologize for the error.]

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The Topps Company, in conjunction with Minor League Baseball, unveiled the Triple-A All-Star team on Thursday and Brewers shortstop Alcides Escobar made the cut. Escobar finished among the top base stealers in Triple-A with 42 while hitting .298 with four home runs, 34 RBIs, 24 doubles and six triples for the Nashville Sounds. Escobar was named to the Topps Double-A All-Star team last year.

Next season, he'll have to contend with Major Leaguers for an All-Star bid. When the Brewers traded J.J. Hardy to the Twins last week, it opened the starting gig for Escobar, who will turn 23 on Dec. 16.

"We've got younger players again,"  Brewers general manager Doug Melvin said. "It's a transition that we'll probably have to make continually. It's no different than when we traded Lyle Overbay to make room for Prince Fielder. I told J.J. that when I talked to him on the phone. ... We're trading J.J. to make room for Escobar."

Here is the full Triple-A All-Star squad:

2009 TOPPS/MiLB TRIPLE-A ALL-STAR TEAM

POS        PLAYER            CLUB/LEAGUE                           AFFILIATE
1B           Randy Ruiz         Las Vegas/PCL                     Toronto
2B           Kevin Russo        Scranton-Wilkes Barre/IL      New York-AL
3B           Andy Marte         Columbus/IL                         Cleveland
SS          Alcides Escobar   Nashville/PCL                        Milwaukee
OF          John Bowker        Fresno/PCL                           San Francisco
OF          Jordan Brown       Columbus/IL                         Cleveland
OF          Shelley Duncan    Scranton-Wilkes Barre/IL      New York-AL
C            John Hester          Reno/PCL                             Arizona
DH          Mitch Jones         Albuquerque/PCL                   Los Angeles-NL
P            Lenny DiNardo      Omaha/PCL                          Kansas City

Topps Double-A All-Stars will be announced on November 18.
Topps Class A All-Stars will be announced on November 25.
Topps Short Season/Rookie All-Stars will be announced on December 2.

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Surprise, surprise. Brewers general manager Doug Melvin spent his time at this week's General Managers Meetings in Chicago focused on pitching.

Melvin spoke this week with agent Arn Tellem, who represents free agent left-hander Randy Wolf, and Steve Canter, the agent for free-agent left-hander Doug Davis, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. At some point he also expressed interest in left-hander Jarrod Washburn, Washburn's agent Scott Boras told the newspaper.

According to a Major League source, Melvin also met with Steve Hilliard, who represents righty John Lackey, the top available pitcher. In a chat with the Journal Sentinel before heading home to Milwaukee, Melvin downplayed the Brewers' chances of landing Lackey. 

"It depends what they're asking for," Melvin said. "I don't know if it could fit or not. I might have to make some other moves to make it fit." 

The Brewers may have jumped to the top of the list of teams expected to pursue Lackey last week, when Melvin brought up Lackey's name in a discussion of his plan to bolster a pitching staff that ranked next-to-last in the National League in 2009. 

Melvin said he would have to focus on bounce-back candidates coming off poor- or injury-plagued seasons, and indeed he has already checked in with the agent for Mark Mulder, who missed all of 2009 with shoulder woes. At some point Milwaukee could also check in with former Brewer Ben Sheets, who never pitched in 2009 after undergoing elbow surgery.

But at the same time, Melvin would not rule out a look at the top shelf of free agents. 

"There's one guy that stands out and it's John Lackey," Melvin told reporters on a conference call last Friday. "He's head and shoulders above the others. ... You look at the consistency of pitchers who are out there and John Lackey is a great competitor, but we'll have to take a look at that and see." 

Since Melvin raised Lackey's name without being asked, he was pressed on the matter. Is he a free agent of interest to the Brewers? 

"We'll leave that discussion internally for ourselves," Melvin said. "When you get involved in free agency and you talk about people, then all you're doing is letting people know you're interested and it drives the prices up. So I'm not going to say who we're interested in or who we're not." 

It's a two-way street, said Melvin, who believes most free agents enter the market with a short list of teams they prefer. 

"It's our job to find out if we're on that list of teams," Melvin said.  

If the Brewers are on Lackey's list, then Melvin might have to move some more payroll, as he suggested to the Journal Sentinel on Wednesday. 

Melvin has already said he won't pursue center fielder Mike Cameron, who earned $10 million last year, and has hinted that Jason Kendall's $5 million salary might not fit next year, either. His highest-paid returning players are starter Jeff Suppan (due $12.5 million in 2010, the final year of his four-year contract), first baseman Prince Fielder ($10.5 million), closer Trevor Hoffman ($7.5 million) and reliever David Riske ($4.5 million in the final year of his three-year deal). 

More decisions are coming. The Brewers have until Saturday to exercise their half of starter Braden Looper's $6.5 million mutual option, and pitcher Dave Bush (who made $4 million in 2009), outfielder Corey Hart ($3.25 million) and second baseman Rickie Weeks ($2.45 million) head the list of arbitration-eligible players whose salaries could jump again. 

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The National League Gold Glove Award winners were announced this afternoon, and the Brewers were blanked for the 27th consecutive year. Winners are selected by Major League coaches and managers prior to the conclusion of the regular season. Managers and coaches may not vote for players from their own club and only vote for players in their own league.

Here are the winners with their number of Gold Gloves in parentheses:

P  ADAM WAINWRIGHT, CARDINALS  (1)
C  YADIER MOLINA, CARDINALS  (2)
1B  ADRIAN GONZALEZ, PADRES  (2)
2B  ORLANDO HUDSON, DODGERS  (4)
3B  RYAN ZIMMERMAN, NATIONALS  (1)
SS  JIMMY ROLLINS, PHILLIES  (3)
OF  SHANE VICTORINO, PHILLIES  (2_
OF  MICHAEL BOURN, ASTROS  (1)
OF  MATT KEMP, DODGERS  (1)

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I joined the crowd last night writing about Jason Kendall's uncertain future in Milwaukee after Brewers GM Doug Melvin once again touted prospect Jonathan Lucroy as a candidate to catch at least part-time in 2010.

I wanted to highlight one section of the story, borrowing Melvin's comments on 1250-AM WSSP last Friday. He made some of the same comparisons yesterday in a chat with Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, so I think it's worth passing along:

"Jonathan Lucroy is an advanced player," Melvin told the radio station last week. "We went through the list of players who jumped from Double-A to the big leagues, and there's a pretty large list of them, from Russell Martin to Chris Snyder of the Diamondbacks to [Kurt] Suzuki with Oakland. Jason Kendall did it in his career. Pudge Rodriguez. There are a number of catchers who have jumped from Double-A to the big leagues, and it might be because of need as much as anything."

So I went through some of those players and, Martin certainly fits what could lie ahead for Lucroy. Martin had just turned 23 and had played only 23 games at Triple-A before debuting with the Dodgers in 2006. He batted .282 with 10 home runs and 65 RBIs in 121 games that season.

Snyder also was 23 when the D-backs promoted him in 2004, but unlike Lucroy, who never played an inning over the Class A level before 2009, Snyder had played parts of two seasons at Double-A before his Major League debut. Snyder struggled at the plate in his first full big league season in 2005. Suzuki was also 23 when the A's came calling in 2007 and put up numbers in his final Double-A season extremely similar to Lucroy's output in 2009, but Suzuki played more than two months at Triple-A before his promotion.

Kendall was only 21 when the Pirates made him their Opening Day catcher in 1996 after a season-plus at Double-A. Kendall hit .300 in his first big league seasons, but the Brewers don't necessarily see that kind of output from Lucroy. He profiles more as a Terry Steinbach-type.

Rodriguez had even less experience than Lucroy, with only 50 Double-A games under his belt before the Rangers promoted him as a 19-year-old in 1991.

Lucroy batted .267 at Double-A Huntsville in 2009 with nine home runs, 66 RBIs and a .380 on-base percentage. He walked 78 times versus 66 strikeouts.

"We're probably going to look seriously at Jonathan," Melvin told the radio station. "He can handle a pitching staff. He gets more walks than strikeouts. In fact, Ken Macha called me last week in Arizona and said, 'I'm just calling to see how Lucroy is doing.' And just as he asked me, Lucroy hit a line drive over the left-field fence, so the timing was good. He's getting a lot of praises in Arizona, seriously enough that we are going to consider him a candidate."

Lucroy, who won't turn 23 until June 24, would skew the Brewers even younger. When Melvin traded shortstop J.J. Hardy to Minnesota on Friday he received the team's new starting center fielder in return, and Carlos Gomez won't turn 24 until Dec. 4. The trade also opened the shortstop position for Alcides Escobar, who won't be 23 until Dec. 13.

Those youngsters could play behind projected Opening Day starter Yovani Gallardo, who turns 24 on Feb. 27.

Melvin was in meetings all morning on Tuesday and did not return a call from MLB.com seeking his thoughts about the team's catching situation. Kendall, who formally filed for free agency on the first day to do so last week, also did not return a call.

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According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Dejan Kovacevic, who cited an American League source, the Pirates offered closer Matt Capps to the Brewers for shortstop J.J. Hardy. Instead, Hardy went to the Twins last week for speedy outfielder Carlos Gomez.

Many Brewers fans seem underwhelmed by the return for Hardy given Milwaukee's obvious need for pitching, and this bit of news might not make those fans feel much better. Capps is 26 years old and pretty good; despite a 5.80 ERA in 2009 he had 27 saves, and he has 67 career saves and a 3.61 ERA.

But I'm guessing that GM Doug Melvin had a number of reasons for being unmoved, chief among them that he was set on acquiring a starting pitcher or a center fielder for Hardy. He also sought players who could be under team control for the long haul, and Capps is two years shy of free agency (Gomez, for comparison, is under team control for four more years). Gomez is also much cheaper than Capps, who earned $2.425 million in 2009 and will get a raise in arbitration, giving Melvin more money to spend on starters. A deal with the Pirates also would have kept Hardy in the National League Central, and based on comments last week by Reds GM Walt Jocketty, it appears that Melvin was bent on moving Hardy out of the division.

I also wonder if the bullpen is low on Melvin's list of priorities because he's banking on moving at least one of his '09 starters to the bullpen. That will all shake-out later depending on whether Melvin exercises Braden Looper's 2010 option and whether he trades any of the team's other incumbent starting pitchers (Manny Parra, perhaps?).

Another report in the Boston Globe over the weekend said that the Red Sox offered Minor League right-hander Michael Bowden but the Brewers wanted either starter Clay Buchholz or future closer Daniel Bard. Not so, Melvin told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Tom Haudricourt on Tuesday at the General Managers' Meetings in Chicago.

To me, here is Melvin's key quote from his conference call following the Hardy trade: "In the end, there wasn't anybody who matched the ability of Carlos Gomez. When you can't get pitching back, you try to find something to improve your pitching."

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Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder didn't expect Brewers officials to respond to their concerns about the daytime hitting conditions at Miller Park. They'll be surprised when they return next April.

Crews began a project Tuesday to respond to complaints lodged principally by the Brewers' middle of the order sluggers, who were vocal about how difficult it was to see the baseball on sunny days. Workers removed the ivy that had been growing beyond the center field wall and painted the formerly green batters' eye with glare-resistant black paint. Black mesh will then be installed below the scoreboard to further limit glare.

The project won't eliminate the shadows that contribute to the hitters' woes -- at right is Minnesota's Scott Baker throwing a pitch at Miller Park in June -- but it's a start.  

"I  think it's Step 1," Brewers vice president of communications Tyler Barnes said. "Hopefully, that will make a difference, and we'll see how that goes."

Barnes said that the Brewers looked at a number of different ways to improve hitting conditions at Miller Park but discovered "significant logistical issues" with a number of them.  Braun has said he wants the huge banks of windows that tower over the grandstands to be tinted, lessening the effect of the shadows that creep across the infield during day games. But that project could cost millions and would further cast Miller Park into darkness.

Players also have talked about the lighting at Miller Park during night games. But the Brewers studied the issue and found that the system meets Major League Baseball's standards, so no upgrades are planned for 2010.

Braun was especially adamant in June that something needed to be done, arguing that the combination of glare and shadows constituted a safety hazard.

"We want to talk about it," Braun said then. "We've made it very clear [to club officials] how we feel about it. It's miserable playing day games here. That's why Prince and I continue to talk about it. We've told everybody, and they haven't done anything about it. It gets to the point where nobody enjoys playing day games here. It's good for pitchers, but you can't see the ball. It's, by far, worse than any other park in Major League Baseball."

Barnes said that club officials sought input from certain players during the season, but late in the year Fielder was still skeptical that his concerns would be addressed.

"They've said this and that," he said, "but I'm going to take it as it's never going to change. Sometimes it's like, 'Help me out.'"

Now it appears the team is trying to do just that.

The Brewers will announce a number of other minor Miller Park upgrades next week, Barnes said.



[Thanks to the Brewers' John Steinmiller for the photos.]

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Brewers infielder Craig Counsell and reliever David Weathers were among the 31 players who formally filed for free agency on Monday. 

Brewers general manager Doug Melvin wouldn't say which of his free agents the team would attempt to re-sign, but Counsell is probably one of them. He turned 39 in August but has his best season since he helped the Arizona Diamondbacks win the 2001 World Series, batting .285 in 2009 with 34 extra-base hits, a .357 on-base percentage and a .408 slugging percentage. 

He also went 5-for-16 as a pinch-hitter and started at least 19 games at three infield positions, making him a valuable bench option for Brewers manager Ken Macha. Counsell could pair with versatile right-handed hitter Adam Heether, who was added earlier Monday to the Brewers' 40-man roster, as a solid left-right pair of reserve infielders in 2010.

Asked last week whether he was in talks with any of the Brewers' free agents about a return, Melvin was coy. 

"We've had discussions," he said. "I don't want to say which players we've had discussions with."

Counsell signed a one-year, $1 million contract to return to the Brewers prior to last season. He underwent arthroscopic knee surgery last month but should he 100 percent healthy well ahead of Spring Training. 

Weathers' filing was a formality since the Brewers declined his $3.7 million club option last week. He split the 2009 season between Cincinnati and Milwaukee, going 4-6 with a 3.92 ERA in 68 games. After an Aug. 9 trade to the Brewers, he was 1-3 with a 4.88 ERA while appearing in 25 of the team's final 51 games. The Brewers sent cash to the Reds after the season to complete the trade. 

Weathers is a Type B free agent but the Brewers would have to offer him arbitration in order to reap a compensatory Draft pick should he sign elsewhere. That would be tricky because Weathers earned $3.5 million in 2009 and would almost certainly get a raise in arbitration if he accepted the offer. 

Five other Brewers filed for free agency last week, leaving pitcher Claudio Vargas as the only eligible player yet to submit his paperwork. Fellow pitcher Braden Looper remains in limbo while the Brewers decide whether to exercise their half of his $6.5 million mutual option. The team has until Saturday to do so. 

Monday marked the fifth day of the 15-day period in which eligible players may give notice of their election of free agency. To date, 151 Major League players have filed.

The Brewers added infielder Adam Heether to the 40-man roster on Monday while reinstating second baseman Rickie Weeks and right-handers Mark DiFelice and David Riske from the 60-day disabled list.

Six spots were cleared last week when outfielders Mike Cameron, Frank Catalanotto and Corey Patterson, catcher Jason Kendall and infielder Felipe Lopez elected free agency and the team declined reliever David Weathers' club option, making him a free agent.

The Brewers say their 40-man roster stands at 37. But that figure still includes free agents Craig Counsell, Claudio Vargas and Weathers, who as of Monday morning had not formally filed for free agency. 

[Counsell and Weathers did file later in the day Monday, further reducing the roster to 35 players.]

Heether turns 28 in January and could be a right-handed utility option for the Brewers next season because he can play any infield position and also saw action in left field in 2009. He spent most of the year at Triple-A Nashville, where he batted .293 with 16 home runs, 59 RBIs and an outstanding .400 on-base percentage. He's currently playing for Caracas in the Venezuelan Winter League.

Weeks, DiFelice and Riske will all be returning from injury. Weeks, expected back next year as Milwaukee's leadoff hitter, underwent surgery in early may to repair a tendon sheath in his left wrist and has now had both wrists surgically-repaired.  Riske lost the whole season to Tommy John surgery on his right elbow and will be entering the final season of a three-year contract. DiFelice ended the season on the DL with a shoulder injury but avoided surgery.

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It's awards season in Major League Baseball. Will any Brewers walk the red carpet?

The announcement of American League Gold Glove Award winners on Tuesday kick-starts a two-week run of honors that culminates Nov. 24 with the National League MVP. Here's a rundown, and where the Brewers might fit:

Tuesday, Nov. 10 - AL Gold Gloves
Wednesday, Nov. 11 - NL Gold Gloves
The Brewers haven't had a Rawlings Gold Glove Award winner since Robin Yount won as a shortstop in 1982, but left fielder Ryan Braun figures to win a few before his career is over. Braun certainly made some mistakes in his second season as an outfielder but was charged with only two errors -- his first two in two seasons since a move off third base. Braun rates low in the defensive statistical metrics, but because Gold Gloves almost always go to very good offensive players who happen to play solid defense -- and not necessarily the game's best defensive players -- he's got a chance.

Mike Cameron should also be in the mix after another season running down baseballs in center field. Cameron is a three-time Gold Glover, last in 2006 with the Padres.

I think Fielder deserves a mention here as well, because he made tremendous strides in 2009 while working endlessly with infield coach Willie Randolph. He still doesn't have the reach of, say, Chicago's Derrek Lee or reigning NL Gold Glove first baseman Adrian Gonzalez of the Padres, but Fielder improved dramatically at picking balls out of the dirt this season. Give Fielder credit for wanting to be an all-around player.

Thursday, Nov. 12 - Silver Sluggers
The award, given to a player at each position in each league, was first presented in 1980 and is determined by a vote of baseball's managers and coaches. Winners will be announced at 5 p.m. CT on MLB Network.

Prince Fielder was the last to win a Silver Slugger Award, for his 50-homer season in 2007. Fielder put together an even better year in 2009, batting a career-best .299 with 46 home runs and 141 RBIs while playing all 162 games. He tied Philadelphia's Ryan Howard for the NL RBI crown, but Howard is also a first baseman and will draw notice. So will Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols, who led baseball with 47 homers and a 1.101 OPS.

Braun probably has a better chance to win among NL left fielders. He ranked second to Marlins rookie Chris Coghlan with a .320 batting average, second to the Phillies' Raul Ibanez with 32 RBIs and a .551 slugging percentage and led NL left fielders with 114 RBIs.

Monday, Nov. 16 - Rookie of the Year
Both the AL winner and the NL winner will be announced this day, at 1 p.m. CT. The Brewers pushed hard for third baseman Casey McGehee, who emerged from the waiver wire to be a major contributor to the team in 2009. McGehee started only one of the Brewers' first 38 games, but finished with a .301 average, 16 home runs and 66 RBIs in 116 games. He led all Major League rookies in RBIs, including 27 over the final 31 games.

Unfortunately for McGehee, the NL had a number of impressive rookies in 2009. Florida's Coghlan, Pittsburgh outfielder Andrew McCutchen or utility man Garrett Jones, Philadelphia pitcher J.A. Happ and Atlanta pitcher Tommy Hanson are among them.

Tuesday, Nov. 17 - AL Cy Young Award

Wednesday, Nov. 18 - Manager of the Year
Like the rookie honor, a manager from each league will be honored at 1 p.m. CT. Brewers skipper Ken Macha isn't a candidate after his team went 80-82 and finished third in the NL Central. Macha will have to settle to returning to the manager's office for a second season.

Thursday, Nov.19 - NL Cy Young Award
Pitchers from non-playoff teams who tied for the worst starters' ERA in baseball don't win Cy Youngs, so Brewers right-hander Yovani Gallardo is out. He did have a nice bounce-back year after missing most of 2008 with a knee injury, becoming the fourth Brewers pitcher ever to cross the 200-strikeout plateau. Catcher Jason Kendall predicted that Gallardo will win multiple Cy Young Awards before his career is over.

Monday, Nov. 23 - AL MVP

Tuesday, Nov. 24 - NL MVP
Minus Pujols' season for the ages, Fielder would be a strong candidate to be the Brewers' first league MVP since Yount in 1989. But with Pujols considered the clear frontrunner for the award, Fielder may have to settle for a runner-up finish. Fielder finished third in MVP balloting in 2007. Braun, who finished third in MVP balloting in 2008, will once again place in 2009.

Who are your picks for the major postseason awards? You can post your predictions in the comments.

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Brewers GM Doug Melvin said he had conversations with several clubs before trading J.J. Hardy to the Twins this morning. One of them was Cincinnati, according to our Reds beat reporter Mark Sheldon. From a story he filed today after talking to GM Walt Jocketty:

The Reds are still looking around for a regular shortstop but can cross J.J. Hardy off their list. Hardy, who was dealt from the Brewers to the Twins for center fielder Carlos Gomez, was on the Cincinnati radar.

"We talked to [the Brewers] several times," Jocketty said. "We didn't match up and they didn't want to trade within our division, which was understandable."

Which other teams might have made sense for Hardy? It seemed he was involved in Red Sox rumors for the past two years and that seemed like a great potential fit because Boston also wants a bat. I saw some mention of the Mariners as a possibility, though it appears they are working to extend shortstop Jack Wilson.  The Blue Jays also came up in rumors and the Tigers could be in the hunt for a shortstop, too.

Whichever team inquired, none offered the kind of pitching Melvin was seeking. So he did what he viewed as the next-best thing in acquiring Gomez, a top-flight defender in center field who should presumably benefit Brewers pitchers.

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I thought I would pass along some thoughts from Twins GM Bill Smith about Friday's trade. Thanks to our great Twins reporter Kelly Thesier for passing them along, even if she's a Michigan State girl:

"There are some risks on our end to trade Gomez because he's got some great raw skills. He's still learning to play the game. There is some risk there but we felt it was worthwhile to get a regular, high-quality shortstop like J.J. Hardy that we are going to have for a number of years.

"We're all on board that this guy is a good acquisition for us. It was a good fit. We had one too many outfielders and they had one too many infielders so it's a good fit."

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Was he happy to address two offseason issues with one deal?
"I know we put Gardy [Twins manager Ron Gardenhire] in a tough spot this year and all the players. It's tough when you have five guys who need to play everyday and you can play only four of them including the DH. I tip my cap to Carlos Gomez because when Gardy went to him, I know Gardy tried to get everybody in and keep everybody playing.

"Finally he had to say, 'I'm going to go with a more set lineup.' That put Carlos on the bench and he took to it. He said if it makes us better, if you need me for defense, I'll be ready for defense. One time I know he compared himself to Joe Nathan saying, 'When I come in a game, I'm like a closer.' I tip my cap to Carlos because he always has been team-first and I talked to him this morning. I told him he's going to get a chance to play every day. For that he was happy but  he was sad, he said I've got a lot of good friends in Minnesota. But this was an opportunity for us to take something where we have some depth and fill a hole."

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How much did it affect J.J.'s value that he had the extra year before free agency?
"To give up Calros Gomez, where we are going to give up four years of control, it's important to get somebody that we are going to have for more than a year. It's a positive for us to have J.J. Hardy and the ability to keep him for a couple years. We'll see what happens. We might keep him for a lot longer than that."

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Welcome to Milwaukee, Carlos Gomez. Or rather, welcome back.

Gomez, who made his Major League debut at Miller Park for the Mets on May 13, 2007, was at home in the Dominican capital of Santiago on Friday morning when he got a call he never expected.

"[Twins GM] Bill Smith called me and said, 'I have good news and bad news,'" Gomez said. "I wanted the bad news first and he said, 'I traded you. We needed a shortstop.'"

Gomez had been traded to the Brewers for shortstop J.J. Hardy in a swap of players coming off disappointing seasons.

Then came the good news.

"It's going to be good for you," Smith told Gomez, "because you need to play."

He did not always get that opportunity in Minnesota. After a slow start at the plate in 2009, Gomez split time in center field with Denard Span but he'll face no such logjam in Milwaukee. In making Friday's trade, the Brewers formally cut ties with free agent center fielder Mike Cameron, a veteran who had manned center field and kept peace in the clubhouse for the past two seasons.

Gomez is just as slick defensively and is one of baseball's fastest players but remains raw at the plate. In 348 games over parts of three Major League seasons, he's a .246 hitter with a .292 on-base percentage, 12 home runs, 99 RBIs and 59 stolen bases in 70 tries.

"Coming back to the National League is exciting," said Gomez, who began his career with the Mets. "It means you have a chance to play every day. Even if you don't start, you're probably going to get a chance as a pinch-hitter. In the American League, if you don't start, you don't play.

"But I don't have pinch-hitting in my mind. I want to play every day."

After speaking with Brewers GM Doug Melvin, Gomez felt assured he would get that opportunity.

"I don't want to be a backup player. I'm too young to be a backup," he said. "If Milwaukee wanted me, they know I can play every day. They want me to be an exciting player, but to make more contact, work the count. Get on base.

"It's going to be exciting. I can't wait to start."

Gomez was also excited to meet his new fans in Milwaukee. He plans to take part in the Brewers' Winter Warm-Up event in January.

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On a busy day for the Brewers, the team declined reliever David Weathers' club option and made him a free agent. The option would have paid Weathers' $3.7 million in 2010; instead he gets a $400,000 buyout.

Weathers split the 2009 season between Cincinnati and Milwaukee, going 4-6 with a 3.92 ERA in 68 games. After an Aug. 9 trade to the Brewers, he was 1-3 with a 4.88 ERA while appearing in 25 of the team's final 51 games. The Brewers sent cash to the Reds after the season to complete the trade.

The Brewers have one more option decision looming. Braden Looper's deal includes a mutual option for 2010 that calls for a $6.5 million salary or a $1 million buyout. The Brewers have until Nov. 14 to decide, and general manager Doug Melvin would not tip his hand in a conference call with beat reporters on Friday.

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I just spoke to J.J. Hardy, who was traded to the Twins today in a move he saw coming.

"In the words of Prince Fielder, that's just baseball," Hardy said with a chuckle. "I definitely expected to get traded, but I had no idea where I was going to be traded to. I definitely thought the Twins were a possibility."

The Brewers got speedy outfielder Carlos Gomez in the deal. Hardy didn't see that one coming.

"I definitely thought I was going to get traded for a pitcher," he said. "Still, I wasn't real shocked when I got the call. I think knowing I was going to get traded from the day I got sent down [to the Minors, on Aug. 12] kind of helped me prepare for it. It's been a few months now that I've known I would get traded, so it makes it easier."

He spoke Friday morning with Twins GM Bill Smith and was to take part in a conference call with Minnesota reporters at noon CT.

"I don't know a whole lot about that team, other than what I saw playing them twice a year for the last five years," Hardy said. "That's a good team and it's a good opportunity for me. They have a new stadium. I feel like it's a decent situation for me."

The Twins will have Hardy for at least two more years thanks to the Brewers' well-time demotion in August. Had they sent Hardy to Triple-A Nashville one day later, he would have amassed enough service time to qualify for a full year. Instead, he fell short, and thus will have to wait one extra year -- until after the 2011 season -- to test the free agent market.

"That still hurts a little bit," Hardy said. "But bring traded, that's baseball. I had a good five years in Milwaukee and I wouldn't take anything back. They were the ones who gave me the opportunity to be in the big leagues and show what I can do. There's no hard feelings.

"Milwaukee drafted me as a shortstop when a lot of teams didn't want me as a shortstop. They wanted me as a pitcher. The Brewers were the team that brought me to the big leagues for the first time. So I definitely want to look at everything in a positive way. There are things I could look at in a negative way, but I don't want to do that. That doesn't serve anyone."

Hardy was excited to reunite with Twins star Joe Mauer. They met in Hermosillo, Mexico when Hardy was 15 as part of a junior national team and played together a number of times. Hardy and Mauer were roommates during one tournament in Canada and also played together in Panama.

The Twins will work this winter on signing Mauer to a contract extension.

"I know they're already working on it, and I'm excited about that," Hardy said. "I really like him. We clicked right from the start."

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A few more tidbits about the newest Brewer, 23-year-old speedster Carlos Gomez. The Brewers picked him up today in a trade that sent shortstop J.J. Hardy to the Twins.

This section is from the story I filed about the trade a few minutes ago:

The Twins acquired Gomez as part of the mega-trade that sent pitcher Johan Santana to the Mets in February 2009 and Gomez made 90 starts as Minnesota's leadoff hitter that year. He hit .258 with 59 RBIs, 79 runs scored and 33 steals, enough to enter 2009 as the Twins' center field incumbent.

He lost the starting job after hitting .195 through the season's first month and spent the year in a timeshare agreement with Denard Span. For his career, Gomez has made 101 of his 263 starts in the leadoff spot and is just a .240 hitter with a .279 on-base percentage.

Twins manager Rob Gardenhire loved Gomez's speed and his range in center field but conceded before Game 2 of this year's American League Division Series against the Yankees, when Gomez made a start, that his offensive game was a work in progress. 

"He irritates people," Gardenhire said. "Sometimes me." 

The skipper was asked to expound. 

"We've been trying to get him to calm down and get him to control the situations, and sometimes the situation controls him," Gardenhire said. "There are times when, yes, you're like, 'Go-Go, you have to see what we're trying to do here.' We just had a 25-pitch inning from our pitcher, and he goes up and falls down swinging on the first pitch.

"Those things get you irritated as a manager, because we want him to recognize what we're doing in a game. But he can play, and he's fun to watch. He's very, very talented and has a lot to learn, yes, but like I said, when you see him out there in center field covering all that ground and then some of the offensive things that he can do that other people can't do, that's why the guy is in the big leagues."

So it appears that Brewers hitting coach Dale Sveum will have some work to do if the Brewers are to reign-in Gomez. He's an intriguing addition.

Here's what Brewers GM Doug Melvin had to say about Gomez in the team's announcement of the deal:

"Carlos brings to our club great speed, athleticism and energy at a position that we needed to fill," said Melvin.  "His defense will serve as a key component to us improving our pitching.  At only 24 years of age, Carlos can further develop the offensive aspect of his game and give us a different look to our lineup."

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It didn't take long for the Brewers to make the trade everybody saw coming. 

The ticker tape was still falling in Manhattan on Friday when the Brewers dealt shortstop J.J. Hardy, a staple of trade rumors this year, to the Twins for speedy center fielder Carlos Gomez. The Brewers announced the trade on their official Twitter feed.

The move could have multiple consequences: 

-  It eased the shortstop logjam between Hardy, a former All-Star, and Alcides Escobar, the organization's top prospect, essentially handing the baton to Escobar for 2010.

- It gave the Brewers their center fielder and perhaps their leadoff hitter, making Milwaukee even more unlikely to pursue two of outgoing free agents. Mike Cameron, who manned center field at Miller Park in each of the past two seasons, and Felipe Lopez, who was excellent in the leadoff hole after a July 2009 trade from Arizona, will probably move on. 

[True, at least in terms of the center field half of that paragraph. Brewers GM Doug Melvin said he left a message with Cameron on Friday explaining that the Brewers would not pursue him in free agency. And Melvin reiterated his commitment to second baseman Rickie Weeks, meaning there probably isn't a place for Lopez.]

- It could allow the Brewers to use second baseman Rickie Weeks in a spot other than leadoff. Weeks has always been viewed as a future run-producer, but was forced to the top of the order out of necessity.

[Nope, at least according to Melvin in a conference call on Friday. He said the Brewers will leave Weeks in the leadoff hole and let Gomez develop his hitting skills elsewhere in the order.]

Gomez does not turn 24 until next month but has already played parts of three seasons in the Major Leagues. In 348 games, he's a .246 hitter with a .292 on-base percentage, 12 home runs, 99 RBIs and 59 stolen bases in 70 tries.

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The Brewers and the American Hockey League's Milwaukee Admirals announced the continuation of the "2-Man Advantage" ticket promotion that was introduced for the 2008 season.  The joint ticket opportunity is a part of a partnership established in 2005 that recently was extended through the 20010-11 Admirals season.

For $32, fans get two "Stern & Bow" tickets to one of two Brewers promotion nights at the Bradley Center for an Admirals home game and two Terrace Reserved tickets to one of two select Brewers games at Miller Park in 2010. That's a $30 savings over regular price.

Here are the available dates:

Saturday, Dec. 5, 2009 - Admirals vs. Manitoba 7:30 p.m. (Brewers/Admirals Winter Scarf Night)
-or-
Friday, Feb. 19, 2010 - Admirals vs. Houston 7 p.m. (Brewers/Admirals Cap Night)

-and-

Tuesday, April 27, 2010 - Brewers vs. Pittsburgh, 7:10 p.m.
-or-
Monday, May 10, 2010, - Brewers vs. Atlanta, 7:10 p.m.

These packages are also available at Brewers.com/admirals.  The package will be available through Friday, February 19, 2010.

The Admirals are an affiliate of the NHL's Nashville Predators.

Let the offseason begin.

When the Yankees clinched the World Series on Wednesday night, it kick-started the season after the season for all 30 teams, not to mention the dozens of unattached players looking for new homes. Thursday began a 15-day period for those players to formally file for free agency, during which they may only negotiate with their current team.

The Brewers have seven such players, including two -- center fielder Mike Cameron and catcher Jason Kendall -- who have been fixtures in the starting lineup in the past two seasons. The other players eligible to file are outfielder Frank Catalanotto, infielder Craig Counsell, second baseman Felipe Lopez, outfielder Corey Patterson and pitcher Claudio Vargas.

Two others must wait to learn whether they will join the free agent pool. The Brewers have 10 days after the World Series to decide whether to exercise their half of Braden Looper's $6.5 million mutual option and whether to pick up reliever David Weathers' $3.7 million club option.

Looper, who led the team with 14 wins and tied for the National League with 34 starts but ran up a 5.22 ERA and led the Major Leagues by allowing 39 home runs, is a particularly interesting case. The Brewers would have to pay a $1 million buyout if they declined his option. 

In August it seemed a foregone conclusion that the Brewers, who are short on pitching prospects at the top levels of the Minor Leagues, would bring Looper back. But a high-ranking club official indicated during the final week of the season that Looper's future with the team was now up for debate. He went 5-2 in September/October but posted a 6.58 ERA and a .349 opponents' average. With general manager Doug Melvin intent on bringing in two new starters -- his stated goal last month -- and the Brewers' four other '09 starters under contract for 2010, Looper could conceivably be one of the odd men out. 

If the Brewers decline Weathers' option, they owe him a $400,000 buyout. 

Among the players already eligible for free agency, Cameron, Counsell, Kendall and Vargas are the likely priorities. Lopez was excellent after a July trade from Arizona to Milwaukee -- .with a 320 batting average and a .407 on-base percentage in 297 plate appearances -- but Melvin made it clear that he is committed to Rickie Weeks at second base. If that's the case, it appears the Brewers don't have a spot for Lopez. 

Also on Thursday, the Brewers learned that Cameron, Kendall and Lopez all qualified as Type B players in the Elias Sports Bureau's ranking system and that Looper and Weathers would also rank as Type Bs should they reach free agency.

That system considers a player's last two seasons of statistical output and is used to determine which free agents are eligible for Draft compensation. In order to qualify, a free agent must be offered arbitration by his former team, but decline the offer and then sign elsewhere.

The former club of a Type A free agent receives the player's new team's first- or second-round pick in next year's First-Year Player Draft, depending on where that team finished in the standings, plus a "sandwich pick" between the first- and second rounds.  The former club of a Type B free agent receives only the sandwich pick.
 
Lopez was one spot shy of qualifying as a Type A player. National League second baseman, shortstops and third basemen are grouped together by Elias, and Lopez was the first Type B, with a rating of 71.889. Marlins second baseman Dan Uggla was the final Type A, at 72.350.

For more on the Brewers' free agent-eligibles, see my story on Brewers.com.

Of the players in question, who would you like to see back? Who should the Brewers let go?


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As the Yankees and Phillies get set for Game 6 of the World Series, I wanted to note two stories filed yesterday as part of our World Series coverage that included some thoughts from new Brewers pitching coach Rick Peterson. Jennifer Langosch solicited feedback from around baseball about the Yankees' use of a three-man rotation against the Phillies, and John Schlegel wrote about an issue near but not-so-dear to Brewers fan's hearts: The general shortage of pitching in baseball.

Both stories were buried amid the mountain of coverage from yesterday's workout at Yankee Stadium, so I wanted to call them out to those of you Brewers fans who have been following. Peterson, who continues to work on a side venture -- 3P Sports -- that helps pitchers avoid injuries, had interesting thoughts in both stories.

"The Yankees have a definite need," Peterson told me for the short-rest story. "They don't have a fourth starter. If we were talking about a couple of years ago and [Chien-Ming] Wang was coming off 19 wins, they would go with four starters, I guarantee it. But they don't have a choice right now, because they only have three guys, and they made sure those three had ample rest coming down the stretch."

One of those guys is lefty Andy Pettitte, who was scheduled to start Game 6 as the Yankees tried to clinch.

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Former Brewers All-Star infielder Don Money will return for a second season as manager of the organization's top Minor League affiliate, and he will have a new pitching coach.

The Triple-A Nashville Sounds announced Wednesday that Money would be back along with hitting coach Sandy Guerrero. New to the staff is former Red Sox pitching coach Rich Gale, who replaces Chris Bosio in that role for the Sounds. The Brewers announced last week that Bosio would remain in the organization as the club's advance scout.

The Sounds also said that strength and conditioning coach Tom Reynolds would return. He will work alongside new head athletic trainer Dave Yeager, who was promoted from Double-A Huntsville.

Money, 62, will enter his 13th year as an instructor in the Brewers organization including 12 seasons as a manager. He is 815-849 (.490) at the helm of the Sounds, Double-A Huntsville Stars (2005-2008) and Class A Beloit Snappers (1998-2004). In 2009, the Sounds led the PCL American Conference Northern Division for the majority of the season before finishing second with a 75-69 record, fifth-best in the 16-team Pacific Coast League.

Money finished the 2009 season serving as an extra coach for Brewers manager Ken Macha.

"You want to win your division title every year, of course," he said in the final week of the Brewers' season. "But at the same time, you have to realize that your No. 1 job is to get guys prepared to come up [to the Majors] when they're needed, and that can have an effect on wins and losses. We battled through it, and the team we ran out there in the final week was much different than the one we had early in the season."

Money is best-known in Milwaukee for his 11 seasons as a Brewers infielder. He represented Milwaukee in four All-Star games and became the team's first All-Star starter in 1978. He was the Brewers' club MVP in 1974 and 1977, and in 2005 he was voted into the "Walk of Fame" at Miller Park.

Guerrero guided Sounds batters to a .271 team average in 2009 and will continue in his role in Nashville. Prior to a 2009 promotion, he spent six seasons as Huntsville's hitting coach.

Gale, who pitched for parts of seven seasons in the Major Leagues during a 12-year pro playing career, will serve his first year as a coach in the Brewers organization after spending 2009 as pitching coach for Class A Hagerstown in the Nationals' system.

After his retirement in 1991 season, Gale worked two years at the big league level as the Red Sox pitching coach in before stepping away from the game for 12 years to spend time with his family. He returned to the coaching ranks in 2006 with Class AA Carolina in the Florida Marlins organization before logging two years in the PCL with Triple-A Albuquerque in 2007-08.

Gale was 55-56 with a 4.54 ERA in 195 appearances for Kansas City (1978-81), San Francisco (1982), Cincinnati (1983), and Boston (1984). He was named Sporting News Rookie of the Year in 1978 after going 14-8 with a 3.09 ERA in 31 games (30 starts) for the Royals.

Yeager joins the Sounds for his first year of service at the Triple-A level after spending the last five seasons with Double-A Huntsville. He was recognized as the 2007 Southern League Trainer of the Year in voting by his peers.

Reynolds returns to Nashville for his third season as the Sounds' strength & conditioning coach.

The Sounds open their 2010 home slate on Friday, April 16 at historic Greer Stadium against the division-rival Iowa Cubs. Season ticket packages are currently on sale. Contact the Sounds at 615-690-HITS (4487) or visit www.nashvillesounds.com to order or for further details.

The Brewers typically announce their full Minor League coaching staffs closer to the start of Spring Training.

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Right-hander Josh Butler, one of the Brewers' top pitching prospects, tossed his first scoreless outing in the Arizona Fall League on Tuesday and notched his third win. That ties for the league lead with top 2009 Draft pick Stephen Strasburg.

Butler had allowed 10 earned runs in his first 7 2/3 AFL innings but worked three scoreless frames on Tuesday. He talked to MLB.com after the game about his fall season so far, and you can read that article here.

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Just got an e-mail from stat guru Bill James' publisher and thought I would pass it along. It includes a positive prognostication for Mat Gamel -- if he plays -- but not so much for Rickie Weeks. Another 200-strikeout season for right-hander Yovani Gallardo but only 12 wins, and another struggle for lefty Manny Parra.

They key "if" in these projections is playing time. For example, the release offers projections for Gamel, Weeks and Casey McGehee assuming at least 425 at-bats for each, but it's difficult to envision that scenario. James explains in his quote below.

Here's the text:

In the recently-released Bill James Handbook 2010, baseball guru Bill James projects the 2010 seasons for players on the Milwaukee Brewers -- and predicts a potentially solid year from third baseman Mat Gamel.

"In any season, the vast majority of players play in a manner that seems a natural extension of what they had done before," James says in his new book. "When that happens, our projection should be reasonably accurate."

Although he's been in the projection business for almost twenty years, one thing James has no control over is playing time. "It is always my argument that we have no chance of figuring out, in October 2009, who will get playing time in 2010," James says. "But what we should do is try to answer this question: If this player plays, how will he play?"

With this in mind, here are the five key Milwaukee hitters for 2010, according to the new Bill James Handbook 2010:

Key Brewers Hitters (by OPS)
Player                   At-bats     R     HR    RBI     SB     Avg.    OPS
Ryan Braun             615     112     39    119      17     .315    .972
Prince Fielder          601     103     44    124       3      .286    .967
Mat Gamel              455      65      17     73       3      .277    .817
Rickie Weeks          425      80      16     48      14     .259    .807
Casey McGehee      492      63      15     76       0      .272    .757

Projecting stats for pitchers is very different from projecting offensive stats for hitters. "We used to believe that pitching performance was much, much less predictable than batter performance," James says. "This is probably still true...due to injuries and other factors. Sometimes a pitcher gets hurt, and when that happens our projections for him are knocked into a cocked hat."

Here are the three key Milwaukee pitchers for 2010, according to the new Bill James Handbook 2010:

Key Brewers Pitchers (by ERA)
Player                       IP     W    L     K      SV    ERA
Trevor Hoffman         63     4     3     57     39     2.43
Yovani Gallardo       186    12    8     205     0     3.53
Manny Parra           147     7     9     130     0     4.59

The complete projections for the 2010 Milwaukee Brewers can be found in the Bill James Handbook 2010.

For further information on the Bill James Handbook 2010 go to www.actasports.com.

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Brewers pitching prospect Mark Rogers, who has followed a long road back from injuries, was honored Monday night with a spot in the Arizona Fall League's upcoming Rising Stars showcase game.

The exhibition, set for Saturday at 7:15 p.m. CT in Surprise, Ariz., features current AFL participants selected by scouting and Minor League directors from every organization, along with input from AFL executive director Steve Cobb.

For the first time, the Showcase will also be available to a national television audience. MLB Network will carry a live broadcast of the Rising Stars Game with Diamondbacks announcer Daron Sutton and MLB Network's Tony Clark in the broadcast booth. A live video feed will also be available on MLB.com.

Nationals uber-prospect Stephen Strasburg, the No. 1 overall pick in last June's Draft, is part of the "East Division" squad, and he's in line to start Saturday's showcase after having his pitching schedule shifted this week. Rogers is part of the West Division but he's not scheduled to start. That honor will likely go to Braves prospect Mike Minor.

Rogers last pitched on Halloween, when he allowed a run in one inning of work. In his first five Fall League appearances, only one of them a start, he allowed 10 runs, 10 hits and eight walks versus five strikeouts in 7 1/3 innings. That after a tremendous season at Class A Brevard County, where Rogers posted a 1.63 ERA in 23 games and struck out more than a batter an inning.

Passed-over for the AFL showcase were deserving Brewers prospects Jonathan Lucroy and Zach Braddock. Through his last appearance on Oct. 30, Lucroy, a catcher, was hitting .385 in seven games with two home runs and five RBIs. Braddock, a left-hander, notched his second AFL save on Monday and has a 1.04 ERA through seven appearances.

Click here to see the fill list of prospects picked for the Rising Stars Game.

The Brewers unveiled their schedule of 32 Spring Training games on Monday, a slate capped by a pair of exhibitions against the Tigers at Miller Park on April 2-3.

Ticket information for those games will be released at a later date, the team said, but seats for the 30 games in Arizona go on sale Monday, Dec. 7. That schedule includes a pair of "home" games at Maryvale Baseball Park against the Cubs (March 12 and 31) plus a pair of games against the Cactus League-newcomer Cincinnati Reds, on March 7 at Maryvale and on March 17 in Goodyear, Ariz., where the Reds and Indians share a facility that opened last spring. 

The Brewers' spring opener is March 4 against the Giants in Scottsdale and the Maryvale Baseball Park opener is two days later, when the Giants visit.  

Tickets to Maryvale games are available in four seating areas:  Field Box ($21), Infield Reserved ($16), Outfield Reserved ($13) and Lawn Seating ($8).  Tickets go on sale at Brewers.com and via telephone on Dec. 7, and the Maryvale box office will begin on-site sales Feb. 8. 

Spring Training season tickets are also available and can be obtained by calling the Brewers ticket office at (414) 902-4000.

Brewers pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report for the start of 2010 Spring Training on Feb. 20 and will participate in their first formal workout the next day. Position players are required to report by Feb. 26, and the team's first full-squad workout will take place Feb. 27.

Brewers Spring Training schedule
(Subject to change. All games begin at 1 p.m. Arizona time unless otherwise noted)

Thursday, March 4 at San Francisco Giants in Scottsdale
Friday, March 5 at Oakland Athletics in Phoenix
Saturday, March 6, split-squad vs. San Francisco Giants
Saturday, March 6, split-squad at Colorado Rockies in Tucson 
Sunday, March 7 vs.  Cincinnati Reds
Monday, March 8 vs.  Seattle Mariners
Tuesday, March 9, at Chicago Cubs in Mesa
Wednesday, March 10, at San Diego Padres in Peoria
Thursday, March 11, vs. Oakland Athletics
Friday, March 12, vs.  Chicago Cubs
Saturday, March 13, split-squad vs. Colorado Rockies split-squad
Saturday, March 13, split-squad at Chicago White Sox split-squad in Glendale

DAYLIGHT-SAVINGS TIME BEGINS (not observed in Arizona)

Sunday, March 14, at San Francisco Giants in Scottsdale
Monday, March 15, vs.  Cleveland Indians
Tuesday, March 16, at Kansas City Royals in Surprise
Wednesday, March 17, at Cincinnati Reds  in Goodyear
Thursday, March 18, at Texas Rangers in Surprise (6:05 pm local time, 8:05 pm CT) 
Friday, March 19, vs. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Saturday, March 20, vs.  Kansas City Royals 
Sunday, March 21, vs.  Chicago White Sox
Monday, March 22, vs.  Los Angeles Dodgers
Tuesday, March 23, at Cleveland Indians in Goodyear

Wednesday, March 24  - OFF DAY

Thursday, March 25, at Los Angeles Dodgers in Glendale
Friday, March 26, vs. San Diego Padres
Saturday, March 27, vs. Texas Rangers
Sunday, March 28, at Arizona Diamondbacks in Tucson
Monday, March 29, vs. San Francisco Giants
Tuesday, March 30, at L.A. Angels of Anaheim in Tempe
Wednesday, March 31, vs. Chicago Cubs
Thursday, April 1, vs. Arizona Diamondbacks
Friday, April 2 , vs. Detroit Tigers at Miller Park (7:10 p.m. CT)
Saturday, April 3, vs. Detroit Tigers at Miller Park (1:10 p.m. CT)