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Two Milwaukee websites are reporting the Milwaukee Brewers have tentatively reached an agreement with the Kansas City Royals to acquire right-handed pitcher Zack Greinke. The trade is pending a physical by Greinke and could be announced on Monday.

Earlier in the offseason, it was thought the Brewers didn’t have the proper pieces to complete a trade for the former AL Cy Young Award winner. In fact, the Brewers traded their top prospect, Brett Lawrie, to the Blue Jays for starter Shawn Marcum.

In turn, the Brewers will send shortstop Alcides Escobar, centerfielder Lorenzo Cain and pitchers Jeremy Jeffress and Jake Odorizzi to the Royals. Escobar was thought to be the shortstop of the future, which led to the trade of J.J. Hardy to the Twins last offseason for centerfielder Carlos Gomez. Gomez was splitting time in center with Cain this season, who was also mentioned in trade talks with the Atlanta Braves.

Jeremy Jeffress has been a top pitching prospect for the Brewers for several years, but he has had problems with substance abuse and has twice been suspended for marijuana use. Jake Odorizzi was ranked as the organization’s top-rated pitching prospect, but he’s never pitched above low Single-A ball for the Brewers.

Greinke would pair with Yovani Gallardo to form a very formidable one-two punch for the Brewers. Along with the recently acquired Marcum and a returning Randy Wolf, the Brewers would suddenly have four very capable starting pitchers. Are they the equal of the Four Aces in Philly? Of course not, but the Brewers would certainly have the pitching ammunition to compete with the Cardinals and Reds for the Central Division title in 2011.

If nothing else, give Brewers GM Doug Melvin credit for being a man of his word. His stated goal during the past two years has been to improve the pitching. He only brought in one quality starter last winter, but with Marcum and possibly Greinke this year, he has turned the Brewers into a very balanced team.

To read more by Jesse Motiff, click here.

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After two thrilling wins in San Francisco, the World Series shifted to Arlington, Texas, on Saturday night. The Rangers finally showed some signs of life and won game three in front of their home crowd. Tonight, the Rangers will look to even the series with Tommy Hunter on the mound. The Giants will send Madison Bumgarner to the bump and are seeking a commanding three games to one lead.

The big pregame news is Giants outfielder Pat Burrell isn’t starting. Instead, Nate Schierholtz will start in his place.

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Game One of the NLCS featuring the San Francisco Giants and Philadelphia Phillies is set to begin in less than an hour. Tim Lincecum will lead the Giants against Roy Halladay and the Phillies in one of the most anticipated games in recent Playoff memory.

The Phillies enter the series as the prohibited favorite, but anyone underestimating the Giants and their pitching staff is making a mistake. Even with Halladay throwing only the second no-hitter in postseason history in the NLDS, the Giants starting staff was every bit as dominant as the Phillies’ staff.

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Game Two between the San Francisco Giants and the Atlanta Braves is set to begin in less than an hour. The Giants are coming off of a big win last night in Game One, led by a dominant Tim Lincecum. The two-time Cy Young Award winner struck out 14 Braves hitters to give the Giants a 1-0 victory. Tonight, the Giants send Matt Cain to the mound. He’ll face another great young pitcher, Tommy Hanson. In case you haven’t seen it, here are the starting lineups for tonight:

If you’d like to do some reading prior to or during the game, check out this piece I wrote earlier today. I take a look at the possibility of the Giants trading for Milwaukee Brewer first baseman Prince Fielder this winter. 

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Rumors of Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Prince Fielder being traded to the San Francisco Giants are nothing new. In fact, Fielder to the Giants has been talked about in both Milwaukee and San Francisco for a couple years now. However, the time for talk is over. The Brewers and Giants need to come together this winter and make a deal for the All-Star slugger.

Fielder, who is coming off a down year in which he hit only 32 home runs and drove in 83 runs, is arbitration eligible this winter before hitting the free agency market after the 2011 season. Most insiders feel he will get anywhere between $15-17 million in arbitration this winter. 

The Giants have been searching for a big bat in the middle of their lineup since Barry Bonds’ departure after the 2007 season, and Fielder would more than fill that void. In 2010, Giant hitters had a line of .257/.321/.408. Fielder, even in his down year, had a line of .261/.401/.471. He has a career on-base percentage of .385 and has slugged .535 in his five full seasons in the Majors. 

The long-standing concern for Fielder has been his durability. Critics will always voice their doubts for Fielder’s long-term health given his size, but he has more than proven his value to a club for an entire season. Since becoming the Brewers’ full-time starter at first base in 2006, he has missed a grand total of 13 games. Injuries should be of no more concern for Fielder than they are for any other big-league player. 

In return for the 26-year-old, the Brewers would want some of the Giants deep pitching. GM Doug Melvin tried to stabilize the rotation after the 2009 season by inking Randy Wolf and Doug Davis to free agent deals, but the Brewers still had little improvement over their 2009 performances. Only the Diamondbacks and Pirates finished with a worse team ERA than the Brewers’ 4.59. 

Wolf got off to an awful start, while Davis spent the majority of the season on the DL. Even team ace Yovani Gallardo struggled through a prolonged slump for six weeks in July and August. 

If anything was shown by the Giants in Game 1 of the NLDS last night, it was that Tim Lincecum can put a team on his shoulders and carry them in the Playoffs through the early rounds. However, if the Giants want to take the next step to an elite-level team and compete against a team like the Phillies, they need that big bat in the middle of the lineup. Fielder, even in a down year like 2010, would be a significant upgrade over Aubrey Huff.

What makes now even more of the right time to go after Fielder is the asking price by the Brewers. When rumors of Fielder to the Giants first surfaced in 2008, many thought Matt Cain would be the one heading to Milwaukee. While Melvin would now jump at the chance to get Cain, that ship has long-ago sailed away. 

Speculation earlier this summer had the Giants sending Jonathan Sanchez, Madison Bumgarner, and a prospect to Milwaukee. If that package would still be available, Melvin should personally drive Fielder to San Francisco. He might as well pack up the Golden Gate Bridge as well, since he’d already be robbing the Giants’ organization.

The more likely scenario would now see either Sanchez or Bumgarner be dealt to Milwaukee along with a mid-level prospect. Even if Brewer fans would be unhappy with that return, Melvin should still jump at the offer. Sanchez still has two more years until he reaches free agency, while Bumgarner would be under team control until after the 2015 season. 

Either lefty would fit in quite well to the below average Brewers’ rotation and give the team three quality pitchers to depend upon. Melvin could then go after a free agent this winter, and the Brewers could suddenly have a very good rotation heading into the 2011 season.

GM Brian Sabean and even some Giant fans may be hesitant to take on Fielder’s large waistline and contract, but they shouldn’t be. Even though the organization already has committed contracts in the neighborhood of $77 million for 2011, Fielder could very well be the final piece to a championship puzzle. 

The rotation would still be well above average and teams would be forced to deal with a motivated Fielder going into a contract season. If you are inclined to look at trends, he is also slated to have a big season in 2011. In odd number seasons, Fielder has a career batting average of .293. In 2007, he hit a career-high 50 home runs, and he led the league with 141 RBI in 2009. 

If Sabean or the fan base need any other convincing for taking a chance on Fielder, they need only look at the Giants history in San Francisco. 2011 will mark the 53rd season in the city for the team, and they have yet to win a World Series while on the West Coast. I don’t know of any fan that wouldn’t trade away a quality pitcher in order to have a very good shot at immortality. Of course, knowing Sabean, the obvious isn’t always the logical choice. 

To read more by Jesse Motiff, click here. 

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37-48.

11.5 games out of first place.

Those are the numbers Brewer fans were forced to endure this morning when opening their papers or looking online to see the current position of their favorite team.

After a 15-2 loss to the San Francisco Giants, it’s clear that the Brewers won’t be sniffing the playoffs in 2010.

The problems for the Brewers start with their payroll. Of the team’s $90-plus million in player contracts for 2010, over $23 million of that is owed to players no longer with the team. It’s virtually impossible for a mid-market team to compete for the playoffs when a quarter of their payroll is dead money.

Brewers’ management called in all their major scouts to Milwaukee in order to determine if the team would be buyers or sellers in this year’s trade market. As optimistic as GM Doug Melvin and owner Mark Attanasio may like to be, there’s no doubt the Brewers need to come up with a new plan for success.

That means they must begin trading off some of their valued trading chips.

In fact, any player not named Braun, Gallardo, Escobar or Lucroy should be available via trade if the price is right. 

Ryan Braun’s name has been mentioned by some Giants’ beat writers as a trade target, but he has a full no-trade clause until after the 2011 season. Besides, the Giants wouldn’t liking be willing to give up Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain, which is what the Brewers would desire to part with Braun.

Gallardo is the only consistent pitcher on the pitching staff this year. Even with his current stint on the disabled list, he is still slated as the team’s ace for the next several years.

Alcides Escobar and Jonathan Lucroy may be going through some rough times, but that is normal for rookies. Having a good shortstop and catcher for the next six years are key components for any team looking for sustained success.

Obviously Prince Fielder and Corey Hart are the top candidates that could bring a lot of talent back to Milwaukee. While Fielder could bring the largest haul, he isn’t likely to be sent packing until this winter.

Hart has received interest recently from almost every team currently in the playoff hunt. The Giants and Braves have shown the most interest, and both have the young pitching that the Brewers are sorely missing on their roster at the moment.

The Brewers have some good, young talent, both on their 25-man roster and in the minors. Getting a look at these players should be the Brewers’ top priority for the remainder of the 2010 season.

Lorenzo Cain, a speedy outfielder, was just promoted to Triple A. With Carlos Gomez and Ryan Braun, Cain would be a third of one of the fastest outfields in baseball. Cain’s defensive prowess will also help improve the struggling pitching staff.

Brett Lawrie, the team’s top draft pick in the 2008, is having a banner season in Double A. Lawrie won’t turn 21 until January, and could play any position needed on the Brewers. His bat is already Major League-ready, he just needs the opportunity to get the call to Milwaukee. 

In addition to Hart and Fielder, Trevor Hoffman, Jim Edmonds, Craig Counselland Dave Bush are all legitimate possibilities to be traded before the July 31 deadline.

Each could help a contender down the stretch. Although they wouldn’t bring back the talent of a Fielder or Hart, they could still strengthen the team’s minor league system for 2011 and beyond. 

The Brewers have enough talent that other teams are looking at. They will need to get rid of some of it in order to rebuild a team that made the playoffs just two seasons ago.

A philosophical change must be made by the management if it is going to do that. The Brewers need to shift away from a power team and incorporate more “small ball” in order to achieve greater success.

The Brewers had their run of success over the past few seasons, but now is the moment for Melvin and Attanasio to realize that time has passed for the current batch of Brewers.

If that means trading away Fielder, Hart, Rickie Weeks, and more, then it needs to be done in order for the Brewers to compete in the coming years. 

To read more by Jesse Motiff, click here . 

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While Brewer fans and management go back-and-forth on the merits of dealing Prince Fielder away for young, controllable pitching, there is little to no room for debate on Corey Hart. 

Hart was named to his second All-Star team on Sunday, and is on pace to have the best season of his career. The Brewers need to sell high on Hart, and begin to bring good pitching to Milwaukee. The San Francisco Giants are the perfect counterpart to make such a deal happen, and each team would benefit from making a deal as soon as possible.

After a season to forget in 2009, Hart has been the most consistent hitter in Milwaukee in 2010. He is tied for second in the National League with 19 home runs, seven more than he hit in 2009, and only five away from his career high of 24 set in 2007. His 61 RBI are already far better than his 48 from a season ago, and barring injury, he should easily surpass his career-high 91 RBI from 2008.

The Giants started off the season well enough, but have slumped recently and are in desperate need of help. A 2-8 stretch over their last 10 games have dropped them to fourth place in the ultra-competitive NL West, six-and-a-half games behind first place San Diego.

Buster Posey received a ton of hype when he finally got his call to the Majors, and the Giants opened up the catching position for him by trading away veteran Bengie Molina. That move slid Aubrey Huff back to first base, but left the Giants a bit short-handed in the outfield. Pat Burrell has put up nice numbers since joining the team, but he alone can’t carry the offensive load for a team.

Hart’s power numbers would immediately put him as the leader on the Giants team. Additionally, his four steals would put him behind only Andres Torres, who has stolen 15 bases this year. Hart also has a very strong arm and good range in the outfield. Although he plays right field for the Brewers, he is capable of playing any of the three outfield positions. 

The Prince Fielder-for-Matt Cain rumors have been running rampant for a few years now, and though Hart going to San Francisco won’t bring back such a large return, he could still bring the Brewers a quality pitcher in return. Jonathan Sanchez, Madison Bumgarner, or Zack Wheeler would be a fine get for Brewers GM Doug Melvin in exchange for Hart.

The Giants could be persuaded to part with a quality pitcher knowing they would have Hart for the rest of 2010 and the entire 2011 season before he becomes a free agent. Penciling in his power and speed numbers around Huff and Pablo Sandoval for a season-and-a-half would give the Giants a line-up to compete with any team in the West.

Ironically enough, the Giants begin a four-game series in Milwaukee tomorrow. Both teams would be wise to do business off the field before the Giants leave Thursday afternoon. 

The Brewers public relations department may take a bit of a hit trading away a newly named All-Star, but the potential return is too great to pass up for a team that is pitching-starved and may be without Yovani Gallardo for awhile after he injured himself on Sunday.

To read more by Jesse Motiff, click here . 

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One year ago today, the Milwaukee Brewers sat in first place of the NL Central with a record of 41-35. They held a one game lead over the St. Louis Cardinals, and there was speculation that if the Brewers could add reigning AL Cy Young winner Cliff Lee, they could make a return trip to the postseason.

Fast forward to today.

The Brewers have a record of 34-42, and sit in third place of the NL Central, eight-and-a-half games behind first place Cincinnati. However, there is still talk that Lee could come to Milwaukee, but not in the same capacity most Brewer fans would like.

The Brewers scuffled their feet on a potential Lee trade last season, and the Phillies quickly acquired him and rode him all the way to the World Series. 

It’s no secret Jack Zduriencik and the Seattle Mariners are shopping Lee, and once a deal tickles Zduriencik’s fancy, Lee will be finding himself right in the middle of a playoff push. While the haul for Lee this year won’t nearly be what it was last year, the Mariners will likely still come out winners by trading the lefty.

Rumors have circulated recently that the Brewers, despite their poor start to this year, could acquire Lee. Two scenarios have been discussed to bring Lee back to the National League.

The first trade proposal has Corey Hart being sent to the Mariners for Lee. Hart has more than twice the home runs (17) of any player that has been on the Mariners roster all year. Recently acquired Russell Branyan has 10, but he only has 24 RBI compared to Hart’s 60.

Hart would fit in very nicely to the middle of the lineup, and he would be under team control through the 2011 season.

The other proposal would also send Lee to Milwaukee, but for Mat Gamel and one or two other prospects.

Gamel has returned from an injury in Spring Training and is hitting .281, with three home runs and 23 RBI in 40 games played this year. He was also coveted by Zduriencik last year for Jarrod Washburn, but Brewers GM Doug Melvin refused that offer.

Both scenarios would be tempting to each team, but neither would see Lee stay in Milwaukee very long. A third team could get involved for Lee’s services, and Milwaukee could immediately deal him for the young pitching Melvin so desperately desires. 

It would be a great coup to keep Lee in Milwaukee with a long-term deal, but that is highly unlikely, especially with Randy Wolf having signed a three-year deal this past winter.

If Melvin could find a taker for Wolf, it could happen, but few if any teams will be willing to take on Wolf’s two-plus years and over $20 million still remaining on his contract.

The best deal for the Brewers would be to trade Hart for Lee. Hart is having a career year, but he has a very streaky past. It would be smart on Melvin’s part to sell high on Hart and get Lee. The hard part is trying to find a team with good young pitching to deal for Lee.

In addition to finding a team with good young pitching, they will also have to be willing to give it up for just two months of service for Lee. The Giants could fit that billing, but they need hitting more than pitching.

The Braves also are in a similar position as the Giants, but they might be willing to make a deal and go for broke in Bobby Cox’s last season.

The Brewers missed their best chance for Lee by not acquiring him last season. Bringing him to Milwaukee now would be for nothing more than a cup of coffee to ship him right back out of town.

The team would be better off just trading Hart and other veterans for young pitching and let the contending teams fight over Lee.

To read more by Jesse Motiff, click here. 

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2010 has not gone at all like the Milwaukee Brewers and their fans were hoping for. Several offseason free agent pitching signings gave hope to a staff that ranked as one of the worst in baseball in 2009.

Unfortunately, the pitching has been only slightly better, and the Brewers are 33-40, only good enough for a distant third place in the NL Central.

On a positive note, the Brewers have won five in a row, and the starting pitching seems to be producing the way GM Doug Melvin had expected since being very active over the winter.

However, it still seems unlikely that the Brewers will seriously challenge for the division or even the wild card spot this season.

Although Brewers’ owner Mark Attanasio recently told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that he doesn’t anticipate being a seller at this year’s trade deadline, it is something that Attanasio, Melvin, and the rest of the Brewers brass needs to think long and hard about.

The most obvious trade candidates are first baseman Prince Fielder and outfielder Corey Hart. Each is under team control until after the 2011 season, but both could be traded to help the pitching staff even more.

While Fielder’s numbers are down this year, he has caught fire recently and seems to be on his way to another 30-plus home run season.

Most, including Melvin, feel that the best time to trade Fielder would be after this season, but that could all change if a team is willing to offer a good enough package in return.

Hart may be the most likely player to be traded before the July 31 deadline. After a year-and-a-half of sub-par play, Hart is having a career year in 2010.

He’s hitting .272, with 18 home runs and 56 RBI. Those numbers are already significantly better than the ones he posted in 2009. The Braves, Mariners, and Giants seem to be the most likely teams to acquire Hart. 

Rumors circulated earlier in the season that Melvin was already interested in shopping newly-signed Randy Wolf.

After a rough start, Wolf has pitched seven innings in his last two starts and seems to be coming into the form he showed with the Dodgers and Phillies.

Wolf signed a three-year, $29.75 million contract in the winter, so it’s hard to imagine a team willing to take on that much salary. The best Brewers fans can hope for is Wolf continues to pitch like he has recently, and Melvin may be able to find a taker in the offseason.

Trevor Hoffman is a very interesting case. The all-time saves leader is off to the worst start of his career. He has blown five save opportunities in 2010, already more than all of 2009. After being removed from the closer role, he has made six straight scoreless appearances. 

Hoffman is a free agent after this season, so a playoff contender could inquire about him if the price is right and he continues to record outs and not give up home runs.

The Brewers seem to have already moved on with John Axford. Any number of teams could deal for Hoffman, and after Hart, he seems the most likely player that could be dealt before the deadline. 

Dave Bush is a darkhorse to be sent packing by the Brewers. Doug Davis is close to returning from the disabled list, and Bush could be the odd man out.

Three of his last four starts have been quality starts, and he picked up his third win of the season Friday night against the Mariners.

Bush is a free agent at the end of the season, but he could become a valuable lower-rotation starter or long-man out of the bullpen for a contender. He has playoff experience, and he won the only game for the Brewers in the 2008 playoffs.

The Brewers could shock all of baseball and become buyers at the deadline, but they would have to catch a major hot streak, and that isn’t likely to happen. They seem destined to hover around .500 all season long. 

The Brewers still have 2011 in which they could seriously compete for the playoffs with Prince Fielder still on the team. Expect Fielder to finish 2010 with Milwaukee, but there are no guarantees for 2011.

The Brewers can start building towards a contender in 2011 by trading Hart and Hoffman. They may not be the most popular moves right now, but if it makes the Brewers a winner in 2011, it will be worth it.

To read more by Jesse Motiff, click here . 

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Since the 2008 All-Star Game, no hitter for the Milwaukee Brewers has faced more scrutiny than outfielder Corey Hart.

Hart followed up a breakout 2007 season by winning the fans’ ballot to become the final member of the National League All-Star team in 2008. Then he was unable to throw out Justin Morneau at home plate and Hart’s downward spiral began.

Prior to the game, Hart was hitting .289 with 15 home runs. However, he finished the season hitting .268. He hit just five home runs in the final three months of the season, just as the Brewers made their playoff push in September. 

His struggles continued in 2009, a season that he hit just .260 with 12 home runs and 47 RBI in 115 games. Hart further distanced himself from Brewer fans by continually speaking out against his home crowd to the local media. 

The last straw for many fans came this past winter. Hart was given a substantial raise to $4.8 million for the 2010 season despite his previous struggles. However, Hart promised everyone he would prove his worth this season. To his credit, he has more than made up for the past season-and-a-half.

Hart leads the league in home runs (17), and he already has just one fewer RBI (47) than he had all of last year (48). He’s also only eight home runs away from a career high in the category. His power surge is surprising since he only hit three homers in the first six weeks of the season.

Not only has Hart worked his way back into the good graces of the fan base and management, he may be hitting his way right out of the organization.

Hart’s name has been linked recently to both the Mariners and Braves in possible trade scenarios. Each team, along with several others, is looking for a bat to bolster weak offenses. In exchange, Milwaukee would want pitching to bolster their rotation and bullpen, which have been mired in a season-long slump.

The most recent rumors have the Brewers and Mariners in discussions with a potential third team in a three-team deal that would see Hart sent to the Mariners for impending free agent pitcher Cliff Lee. The Brewers would then send Lee to a third team for young pitching that they could control for several years.

Although the idea of selling high on Hart is very tempting, management needs to resist the notion and keep Hart around as long as they can.

Prince Fielder will very likely be traded this coming winter. The Brewers will need to find a replacement for the slugging first baseman. Hart spent some time at first base in the minors and he could transition back to the infield with relative ease. Other options (Mat Gamel and Brett Lawrie) are both unproven prospects that the Brewers would be taking a giant risk on as they try to replace Fielder.

With Hart’s move to first base, the Brewers could field Ryan Braun, Carlos Gomez, and top prospect Lorenzo Cain in the outfield. The team would lose Hart’s power, but the overall team defense would improve greatly. Cain would immediately become one of the team’s top base stealers.

Hart is under one more season of team control before becoming a free agent after the 2011 season. He’s in line for another substantial raise after this season. This time it will be justified. Perhaps the Brewers could even sign him to a four or five-year contract extension this off-season. This would be a much better value than any contract Fielder would be seeking.

Hart’s name wasn’t on the All-Star ballot for the 2010 edition of the game, but could he come full circle and be named the winner of the fans’ choice for a second time?

Regardless of another possible appearance in the Midsummer Classic, Corey Hart, Brewer fans, and management are all thrilled with his stunning turnaround back into a legitimate power threat. Now the only thing that remains is just how long Hart will remain with the Brewers.

To read more by Jesse Motiff, click here.  

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