Get a good deal, Billy!

The Brewers and Rays both really need closer/setup help, so it makes sense. The Brewers might match up better for Street than the Rays actually, as while I don’t know much about the Brewers system (other than we all wanted to do Street for LaPorta, but can’t anylonger), the Rays system has a lot of pitching and a bunch of dissapointing or injured offensive players.

He’s their best hitting prospect, and one of the best in the minors. He’s absolutely exploded this year.

I have a hunch that Murton isn’t starting because he’s going to be flipped in another deal, and the A’s are lukewarm on him. That explains Emil Brown starting over him.

If the A’s think Murton isn’t very good, and think that he’d pull an 0-20 if he starting 6 straight games, then they’d rather just sit him and flip him to another team in a week, than risk watching his value go down in the starting lineup by playing every day.

Milwaukee Brewers Top 20 Prospects for 2008

All grades are EXTREMELY PRELIMINARY and subject to change.

Matt LaPorta, OF, Grade B+ (great bat, glove??)

Manny Parra, LHP, Grade B+ (a really good prospect who needs more attention)

Mat Gamel, 3B, Grade B

Jeremy Jeffress, RHP, Grade B (assumes he stops smoking dope)

Jonathan Lucroy, C, Grade B-

Taylor Green, 3B, Grade B-

Cole Gillespie, OF, Grade C+

Alicides Escobar, SS, Grade C+ (overrated by lots of people IMHO)

Caleb Gindl, OF, Grade C+ (very promising, want more data)

Angel Salome, C, Grade C+

Michael Brantley, OF, Grade C+ (a personal favorite I admit)

Lorenzo Cain, OF, Grade C+

Zach Braddock, LHP, Grade C+

Robert Bryson, RHP, Grade C+

Hernan Iribarren, 2B, Grade C+

Brent Brewer, SS, Grade C (yes I know all about his tools. He is so damn raw that I don’t believe in him yet.)

R.J. Seidel, RHP, Grade C

Zack Jackson, LHP, Grade C

Cody Scarpetta, RHP, Grade C

Dan Merklinger, LHP, Grade C
Others Grade Cs who are interchangeable with those above include Chris Cody, Chris Errecart, Eric Farris, Darren Ford, Steve Hammond, Robert Hinton, Brendan Katin, Brad Nelson, Lou Palmisano, Mark Rogers and Vinny Rottino.
Again, don’t get all pissy about exact placement on this list. The grades are more important than someone being ranked 15th instead of 13th.

This system has been thinned out by promotions and trades, but I suspect they will recharge quickly.

I think there’s almost no way Street is on this team in three weeks.

He thinks that the Brewers wouldn’t trade Gamel, but didn’t say tha Melvin deemed him untouchable. I’d imagine that Gamel would be the A’s top target far and away.

Hey guys, I’m a big Brewer fan and regular poster over at Brew Crew Ball. As far as Street is concerned, the Brewers desperately need a closer.

Here’s what’s going on in Milwaukee. We overhauled our bullpen in the offseason by signing Eric Gagné to a one year, $10m deal (which has proved to be… unsuccessful thusfar), bringing in Guillermo Mota from the Mets for estranged catcher Johnny Estrada (also, an unsuccessful pick-up), signed ex-Royal David Riske to a three-year deal (has been very dependable, but not extraordinary), and traded for Saloman Torres from the Pirates (who has been arguable the acquisition of the year outside of Sabathia for this team).

We don’t have a solution for the 8th inning right now, and the Cubs have 4.0 games on us after tonight. That being said, the Brewers have stated they are going for it this year by picking up Sabathia and would look into other options. I believe Street, if I’m not mistaken, has about $3.3M due this year and then is signed through ‘09, correct? He could be a closer that would hopefully be as successful as Francisco Cordero was when we traded away Carlos Lee.

Reading what you guys have been talking about, it’s a definite fact that you won’t get both Alcides Escobar and Mat Gamel. Also, I would not expect to see the Brewers parting ways with ex-first rounder Jeremy Jeffries. I would be really, really hard-pressed if you guys even got one of them for Street. The Brewers already dealt top prospect Matt LaPorta to the Indians for Sabathia, and losing two of the top three prospects just won’t be something general manager Doug Melvin will be interested in (a man who has built the majority of the team through the draft).

However, that being said, there is a ton of talent in the Brewers farm system, arguably the most in the majors. Guys like OF Lorenzo Cain (.280 – .290 hitter, some pop in his bat, good prospect), or C Angel Salome from our AA Huntsville team (10 AA All Star’s this year from that team) could be key parts to a possible A’s-Brewers swap, Gillespie is another guy we could throw in. Take any one of the guys from below the top three (Jeffries, Gamel, and Escobar), all of whom have really high ceilings, and this trade could happen.

The Brewers matchup really well with a lot of teams because of their depth of prospects. Just because a guy is #7 or #10 on the Brewers’ prospect charts doesn’t mean they’re a stereotypical #7 or #10. There is incredible talent being developed, and Milwaukee has always been one of the top drafting teams in the past few years (J.J. Hardy, Rickie Weeks, Prince Fielder, Ryan Braun, Yovani Gallardo, Manny Parra, Ben Sheets, Bill Hall, Corey Hart come to mind).

Prince Semien Fielder!

For Street, Murton and one (or two) of the young prospects he got from the Phils.

You put Prince on first, Thomas/Sweeney DH, Cust in left, Ryan in right, platoon center with Brown and Davis, Ellis on second, Crosby at short and keep Hannihan on 3rd (and pray like hell Chavvy heals faster, pussycat, faster and In truly believe (with a lucky break or two here and there; like Tampa Bay and Yanks lose a few, except when they’re playing the Halos) the A’s will make it to the post-season.

Prince Fielder. (Okay, it’s a pipe dream but Billy has pulled more than a few trick rabbits out of his green ‘n gold cap.)