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Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports, via Twitter, that Carlos Villanueva has been traded to the Toronto Blue Jays. In return the Brewers will be getting that mysterious player to be named later.

Villanueva is eligible for arbitration again this year. He struggled much of last year and was apparently deemed expendable in favor of younger, cheaper relief help.

The non-tendering of Todd Coffey seems to have started a trend. Saving money in the bullpen should free up additional money to go after some starting pitching.

My concern is that a young inexperienced bullpen may struggle to hold leads for the hopefully improved starting staff. If that’s the case, the Brewers are just trading poor starting pitching for poor relief pitching. I’m interested to see how that works out.

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Since the tragic signing of Jeff Suppan in 2007, the Brewers have continued to look, albeit not very hard, for solid and consistent starting pitching. Randy Wolf finally came on at the end of last season, but he is no better than a No. 3 starter despite the bill of goods Doug Melvin has been trying to sell us.

The free agent market is pretty barren after Cliff Lee, so the Brewers will have to trade for pitching. Prince Fielder, Rickie Weeks, Corey Hart and an array of prospects are what the Brewers have to offer. Let’s take a look and see who’s out there.

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We here at Bleacher Report, every Monday throughout this offseason, will be giving fans the inside edge into the lives and history of the Milwaukee Brewers’ up-and-coming prospects.

As our honorary first edition, we’ll get acquainted with one of Milwaukee’s most promising young stars — none other than third baseman Mat Gamel.

Born on July 26, 1985, Gamel was raised in something of a baseball-type family, with his brother Ben also eventually signing with the New York Yankees in 2010.

Drafted by the Brewers straight out of Chipola College (Mariana, Florida) in the 2005 MLB draft, Gamel was poised to make a name for himself early in his career.

Gamel spent the 2005 season with Milwaukee’s rookie team, the Helena Brewers.  Along with being prompted to Single-A West Virginia Power in 2006, and the High Single-A Brevard County Manatees in 2007.

Securely assuring him future stardom, Gamel was elected to play in the 2008 All-Star Futures Game.

With roster expansion and the need for more power bats, the Brewers finally called Gamel up from Triple-A Nashville on September 1, 2008.

Gamel recorded his first at-bat just two days after being called up, eventually striking out.  On September 7th, Gamel captured his first Major-League hit (a double, at that), against the San Diego Padres.

In the later stages of the 2009 season, Gamel help enormously at third base and at the plate — recording a .242 BA, 5 HR, 20 RBI, 6 2B, along with a .760 OPS.

Where Gamel now stands within Milwaukee’s clubhouse is uncertain, at best.  Talk of Prince Fielder’s departure could spell a starting position somewhere down the road.

As for the 2011 season, Gamel will have to make use of his opportunities.  Casey McGehee is currently the starting third baseman, and that is not likely to change unless injuries ridicule his 2011 season.

Rest assured, the Brewers have a real gem in Gamel.  Rushing his progression isn’t what Milwaukee is looking for in this particular stage of his career.

Make sure to follow Alec Dopp on twitter, all while getting your up-to-date Brewers news, info, and stats at none other than Brewers Daily

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By many accounts, Ryan Braun disappointed in 2010.  A certainty in the first round heading into the year, his performance has left many fantasy owners on the fence on whether they should once again spend an early-round pick on him.

Let’s take a look (please note, when I talk about the first round, I am referring to a standard, 12-team league):

2010 Campaign: Braun “struggled” en route to hitting .304 with 25 HR, 103 RBI, 101 R and 14 SB.  Granted, the numbers were a regression across the board (he hit .320 with 32 HR, 114 RBI, 113 R and 20 SB in 2009), but are they really numbers that we should be upset with?

There were only nine players in baseball who had at least 100 RBI and 100 R in 2010 and only one other was an outfielder (Carlos Gonzalez).  It certainly is an accomplishment that is often overlooked, but one that is extremely important to fantasy owners.

What happened: The struggles of Prince Fielder appeared to hurt Braun, as the Brewers toyed with flipping the two in the lineup.  It quickly became clear that Braun excels in the third spot, but struggled when moved into the cleanup role:

• Hitting Third – .330, 22 HR, 81 RBI in 464 AB
• Hitting Fourth – .243, 3 HR, 21 RBI in 136 AB

We’ve discussed Fielder’s struggles with runners in scoring position in 2010 before (.233, 2 HR, 47 RB), numbers that surely can’t continue.  That alone should help Braun improve on his numbers in 2011.

Outside of that black hole, the peripherals appear to be consistent:

• Braun posted a BABIP of .331, compared to a career mark of .336
• His fly ball rate was 34.9%, compared to a 34.1% mark in 2009
• His HR/FB rate was at 14.0%, compared to 17.8% for his career (this is the one number that you have to expect him to improve upon in 2011)

Yes, his average was worse at home (.266) than on the road (.336), but that is not something to be concerned about.  His BABIP at home was .275, compared to .381 on the road, meaning while one will likely rise, the other will fall.  There’s nothing to be concerned about there.

His power did struggle consistently in 2010, never hitting more than six home runs in a month (September).  While that could be a concern, he’s only had four months in his career of more than seven.  In 2009 when he hit 32 HR, he never had more than seven in a month.

What to expect in 2011: In fact, he improved on his strikeout rate for the fourth consecutive season (down to 17.0%).  If he can maintain that, coupled with a likely improvement in the power department, his average should again be well above .300. 

In fact, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he challenged .320, as he has done twice in his four year Major League career.

There is also reason to believe that the power could easily rebound to around 30, if not more.  Couple that with the consistent threat that he steals 15-20 bases in a season, and he’s appealing right off the bat.

Throw in an improvement from Prince Fielder, likely locking him into potentially going 100/100 for the third consecutive season, and there is a lot to like. 

The fact is, very few players in baseball can hit .300 while going 25/15 (if not better), as well as going 100/100.

Just to make things even more appealing, outfield is not as deep as it once was.  Getting a player of his ability at the position is extremely alluring.

It’s just too much value to overlook.  For me, Braun is a lock in the first round.

What about for you?  Would you select Braun in the first round of 2011?  Why or why not?

Make sure to check out our previous first-round pick analysis articles:

• Ryan Howard

Also make sure to check out our early 2011 rankings:

• Top 15 Catchers
• Top 15 First Basemen
• Top 15 Second Basemen
• Top 15 Third Basemen
• Top 15 Shortstops
• 2011 Fantasy Draft First Round Breakdown

THIS ARTICLE IS ALSO FEATURED ON WWW.ROTOPROFESSOR.COM

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Did Rickie Weeks finally put things together in 2010?  He’s been talked about as a potential breakout star for some time, though injuries and inability perennially short-circuited those hopes.

The 2010 season was the first time Weeks played in more then 129 games as he posted the following impressive line:

• 651 At Bats
• .269 Batting Average (175 Hits)
• 29 Home Runs
• 83 RBI
• 112 Runs
• 11 Stolen Bases
• .366 On Base Percentage
• .464 Slugging Percentage
• .332 Batting Average on Balls in Play

Now, the question is, can he replicate this success in 2011?

The strikeouts, which have always been at least a little concern, is growing larger and larger as each season passes.  Just look at his marks the past three seasons:

• 2008 – 24.2%
• 2009 – 26.5%
• 2010 – 28.3%

That certainly helps Weeks need a lot of luck to post a usable average.  Does he have the speed to backup his 2010 mark?  He does, but he hadn’t really come close to it the prior three seasons (.287, .277 & .313).  Yes, they were all marred by injuries (he didn’t have more then 475 AB in a year), but it needs to be mentioned all the same.

The power will also play a role in the average (since the fewer home runs, the more balls that are put in play).  I’m just not sold that he can maintain a 29 HR pace.

First of all, he actually only had one month with more then five home runs in 2010 (he hit nine in July).  That’s only the second time since 2006 that he achieved that feat.  If he’s only going to average four or five home runs a month, it’s impossible to imagine him replicating a mark of 29.

Secondly, he posted a fly ball rate of 35.8 percent (similar to his career mark of 36.7 percent) and a HR/FB of 17.3 percent (his career mark is 13.7 percent).  I know people are going to point to 2009, when he posted a HR/FB of 19.1 percent, but that came in just 147 AB, too small of a sample size to draw any conclusions from.  Look at his prior three seasons (all at least 359 AB):

• 2006 – 9.1 percent
• 2007 – 13.2 percent
• 2008 – 9.9 percent

Couple the potential drop in power to the decrease in luck and there is a realistic chance that Weeks posts an unusable average.  I would put the odds better that he hits .240 then him hitting .280.

A potential decrease in average and home runs will likely come with a decrease in runs and RBI, as well.  Of course, improvements from Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun will help Weeks at least come close to his run total if he were producing.  If he struggles, it’s no guarantee that he remains hitting atop the Brewers order, which would only further hurt his potential production.

If you couldn’t tell, I’m not a big proponent of Weeks for 2011.  I wouldn’t over reach for him based on his 2009 production because there are a lot of reasons to be skeptical of him repeating those numbers.  I’d consider him more of a last resort option on draft day as opposed to a player I would count on.

What about you?  How do you expect Weeks to perform in 2011?  Can he replicate his 2010 success?

Make sure to check out some of our 2011 projections:

• Butler, Billy
• Freese, David
• Jaso, John
• Morrow, Brandon
• Reyes, Jose
• Willingham, Josh
• Young, Michael

THIS ARTICLE IS ALSO FEATURED ON WWW.ROTOPROFESSOR.COM.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Dear Doug,

I understand that you are a creature of habit. Sometimes that can be a good thing, but in 2010 it was a fatal flaw to the success of the Brewers. Strictly relying on offense to win games at the expense of solid pitching does not work. The San Francisco Giants went with solid pitching over offense, and you saw what happened. If you continue to solely rely on your offense, striking out at a pace reminiscent of a Bugs Bunny cartoon is totally unacceptable. These habits must be broken now if you are serious about winning and not just merely competing. The status quo will lead you to the unemployment line.  

Be Aggressive

You cannot sit back and wait for trade offers to pour in. Last season you admittedly waited for teams to call about Prince Fielder. Why? You knew there were interested parties. Everyone knew that. Sitting back waiting for the elusive perfect offer is a loser’s modus operandi. According to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the Brewers could “probably” have had Daniel Hudson from the White Sox for Prince in a one for one deal. But you wanted more. Now it seems Arizona has an ace in the making. Recently there have been rumors linking a trade of Fielder again to the White Sox for Edwin Jackson and Gordon Beckham. This would probably make the most sense if Rickie Weeks is traded. Beckham could step into Weeks’ spot at second base. I have always believed that if there is a player you covet, go ahead and overpay a little.You have to give to get what you want. I’m pretty sure that’s how it works anyway.

Don’t Rely on Old Veterans to Make Significant Contributions

Now there is a difference between a seasoned veteran and an old one. A seasoned veteran is similar to a Vladimir Guerrero, Aubrey Huff or even Melvin Mora. They may be past their prime, but they can still bring it. One name I would have to look closely at this off-season is Brandon Webb. An injury history yes. A chip on his shoulder? Most likely. He’s going to want to prove that he’s still got his old mojo working. While I don’t know what his contract demands will be, he should have little leverage since he has not pitched in almost two years. If you recall,l he’s got that heavy sinker which results in ground balls galore. Ground balls make me smile.

Old veterans include players like Gregg Zaun, Mike Sweeney and Jason Giambi. Relying on them for anything significant is pure foolishness. Offering a contract to Eric Hinske is a start. You might want to take a look at Adam LaRoche if you move Prince or even at Brad Hawpe. LaRoche would significantly upgrade the defense at first base and is a solid hitter. In Hawpe’s case, Corey Hart could move to first base with Hawpe taking over in right or Hawpe could just stay at first. He played 9 games there in 2010. Brad Hawpe had an off year in 2010 but is primed to bounce back.

Be Willing to Trade Prospects for Established Players

You did it with C.C. Sabathia, but why not since? How have Matt LaPorta and Michael Brantley panned out for the Indians? That’s what I thought. There may be a couple of prospects you prefer not to part with and that’s understandable, but keep an open mind. If certain players become available, you should be willing to consider making Brett Lawrie, Jake Odorizzi, Amaury Rivas or Jeremy Jeffress available in a deal. A young veteran with a proven track record is worth much more than a couple of top prospects. You need to not only realize that, but be willing to make it happen when the right deal comes along. Even if one of those prospects becomes a really good player for someone else, you still have the player you wanted and he’s helping the team right now.

Don’t Overvalue Mediocre Talent in the Free Agent Market

Did you overpay for Randy Wolf last year? Probably, but at least he’s been relatively durable and consistently pitched a lot of innings. He has had six seasons of 30 plus starts and five seasons throwing 200 plus innings. His career ERA is more than respectable at 4.13.

Now on the other hand take a guy like Jorge de la Rosa. He has been touted by many as being in the next tier of pitchers in this free agent class after Cliff Lee. The former Brewer has had one season of 30 plus starts and the most innings he has ever pitched in a season is 185. Don’t even entertain the idea Mr. Melvin. He’s an average pitcher at best. You’ve had enough of those. You need to do better.

Seriously Consider Trading Rickie Weeks

This may be an unpopular idea to many, but hear me out. Yes he is a unique player, but he has significant flaws in his game, his free agency is fast approaching, and his injury history is significant. Those lasers he hits all over the field have a tendency to obscure the fact that a contract extension could be quite dangerous to the franchise.

Rickie has only played more than 130 games in a season one time which was in 2010. He struck out 184 times last season good for third in the National League. He did improve turning the double play and led the league in put outs. Unfortunately he was third in the N.L. in errors for second basemen and his fielding percentage of .980 was eighth. His fielding is still an adventure. I still cringe every time a ball is hit his way.I have a feeling you do as well.

Despite those shortcomings, his trade value may never be higher than it is right now, and his unique skill set is bound to interest a number of teams. At least dangle that carrot out there. There are at least 13 teams in need of a quality second baseman. Eric Farris, Brett Lawrie and Cutter Dykstra are all stacked up in the Brewer’s system just waiting for their chance. You have options.

 Build a Balanced and Competent Bench

You might want to have both right-handed and left-handed hitters on your bench this year. Maybe it’s just me, but that seems to make sense. It’s also imperative to have seasoned veterans on the bench that have been there and done that. Some players who make sense include Eric Hinske, David Eckstein, Reed Johnson, Gerald Laird and Ty Wiggington. All of them can still play and aren’t going to kill you if they have to start for period of time. I’m sure you recall just how productive Jody Gerut, Brad Nelson, Chris Duffy and Trent Durrington were. Don’t go there again. Brandon Boggs and Chris Dickerson are NOT the kind of players you should be looking for.

The Bottom Line

This Brewers team will not fix itself. That’s why you have your job. It may be helpful to keep this letter with you wherever you go. You never know when someone might give you a call. Better yet lay it down on your desk, give it a once over and dial some digits. Who knows? Something good may actually happen.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

This will be fairly quick.

One of the more bitter days this Milwaukee ball club has seen in a while just struck it’s inevitable peak.  

Brewers closer Trevor Hoffman has declined Milwaukee’s arbitration offer, which now positions the Crew to get a compensatory pick in next year’s MLB draft.

Hoffman earned more than $7 million during a disappointing 2010 season that saw the Brewers identify a number of younger, cheaper bullpen options that could indeed progress into future stars.

Turning 43 years of age in October also added a multitude of nagging concerns for Hoffman’s, the MLB’s all-time regular season saves holder with 601.

Hoffman notched 37 saves for the Brewers in 2009 while making the National League All-Star team.

Losing the closer role in May due to five critical blown saves was only the beginning of Hoffman’s downfall in 2010.

Hoffman somewhat rebounded in the second half of the regular season, and reached his 600th-save milestone on September 7 at Miller Park.  However, Hoffman did state later that month that he would test the free-agent market heading into next season.  It should also be noted that John Axford is the Brewers’ 2011 closer.

Hoffman became a free agent after the World Series when the Brewers declined his $7.5 million option for 2011, opting instead to pay a $750,000 buyout.

The talent and reason to believe that Hoffman brought to the city of Milwaukee will never be forgotten, and his historic 600th save will always be remembered as taking place in none other than Miller Park for decades to come.

His presence and pure talent will be certainly missed, and the famous “Trevor Time” will never be forgotten among the Brewers’ faithful.

Make sure to get your daily Brewers scoop at Brewers Daily

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

With Trevor Hoffman ticketed out of Milwaukee via free agency, it would appear that John Axford is primed to assume the full-time closing duties. 

Obviously, if that is the case, he is going to be viable in all fantasy formats.  The question, however, is if he is a closer we should target on draft day.

When Hoffman struggled, Axford stepped in and did a solid job as the closer, posting the following line: 8 W, 24 SV, 58.0 IP, 2.48 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 76 K (11.8 K/9), 27 BB (4.2 BB/9), .319 BABIP.

You have to love the strikeout rate, which has improved from his 9.9 K/9 over his minor league career.  That includes impressive numbers at Triple-A (10.1 K/9 in 33.0 innings in ‘09). 

It also comes courtesy of a fastball that averaged 94.9 mph, so it’s hard to argue that he can’t be a source of strikeouts.

The major concern is his control, which wasn’t impressive to begin with.  However, he was even worse in the minor leagues, where he posted a BB/9 of 6.1.  At Triple-A in ‘09, his walk rate was 5.2.

His walk rate regressed as the season went on.  In the first half he posted a 3.8 mark vs. his second half mark of 4.5.  The potential for him to struggle even more has got to be a huge concern, because it could leave his WHIP (minor league career mark of 1.48) close to unusable.

He does a good job of generating groundballs (48.1 percent in ‘10), but his 2.4 percent HR/FB seems a bit hard to believe. 

Yes, he also did a good job of keeping the ball in the ballpark in the minor leagues (0.5 HR/9), but in ‘10 he was at 0.2.  It’s just easy to imagine that he falls off there, which in turn will hurt his other numbers.

We all know that relief pitchers are quirky.  It’s possible that he posts a great BABIP, offsetting the other regressions potentially hanging over him.  However, is that something we want to bank on?

The strikeout rate makes Axford an alluring option, but with control problems that could hang over him, there is not even a guarantee that he locks down the job for the full season. 

Is he going to be worth drafting?  Absolutely, but I would have him ranked somewhere in the bottom third of the league at this point.

What about you?  Do you consider him one of the better closers in the league?

Make sure to check out some of our 2011 projections:

• Butler, Billy
• Freese, David
• Jaso, John
• Morrow, Brandon
• Reyes, Jose
• Willingham, Josh
• Young, Michael

THIS ARTICLE IS ALSO FEATURED ON WWW.ROTOPROFESSOR.COM

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

While the 2010 MLB offseason has been quiet thus far, rumors have been surfacing on various players going to various teams. The free agents get most of these rumors, as they can sign with any team. However, other players under contract have been getting looks, and a trade involving that star can send shockwaves throughout baseball.

Already we’ve had one major trade this offseason. Florida Marlins second baseman Dan Uggla was traded to the Atlanta Braves for pitcher Michael Dunn and utility man Omar Infante. If a trade sending Uggla to the Braves, who already had an All-Star second baseman in Martin Prado, can happen, then there are many others that can.

Some of the following trades may happen due to the player being unhappy, others due to the team being unhappy. Others could just simply be two teams seeing the right pieces to their own respective puzzles.

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In his first full MLB season, Casey McGehee exceeded all expectations.  Considering his minor league track record, it didn’t necessarily take much.  Hitting primarily in the fifth spot in the lineup, he posted the following line:

• 610 At Bats
• .285 Batting Average (174 Hits)
• 23 Home Runs
• 104 RBI
• 70 Runs
• One Stolen Base
• .337 On Base Percentage
• .464 Slugging Percentage
• .306 Batting Average on Balls in Play

Generally, hitting behind Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder would not generate so many RBI opportunities.  However, 2010 was no ordinary year.  With runners in scoring position, Fielder hit just .233 with two HR and 47 RBI (in comparison, he hit .296 with 13 HR and 93 RBI in 2009).  In fact, he managed just 83 RBI after having at least 102 in each of the previous three seasons (and 141 in 2009).

In other words, there were certainly extra opportunities for McGehee that, under normal circumstances, we should not expect.  It’s impossible to expect Fielder to struggle as badly in 2011, meaning there could be a dramatic fall coming in McGehee’s most endearing statistic.  It’s impossible to think otherwise.

In regards to his power, there is nothing unrealistic in his peripheral numbers, with a 35.7 percent fly ball rate and a 12.5 percent HR/FB.  At 28 years old, it’s not necessarily a surprise that he developed his power of late, but there is really nothing in his minor league track record to support another 20+ home run season.

In 2008, he had 497 AB in the Pacific Coast League, hitting just 12 HR.  In 2006 in the PCL, he hit 11 HR in 497 AB.  It’s a league that notoriously is very homer happy (as a comparison, in 2010 there were six players with at least 29 HR including Mike Carp, who had 29 HR in 409 AB), yet in nearly 1,000 AB he had just 23, the same number he hit in 610 AB in 2010.

His average is solid and repeatable, with a very realistic BABIP and a good ability to consistently make contact (16.7 percent strikeout rate).  Still, there doesn’t seem much hope that he improves on the average significantly, barring a lot of luck falling in his favor.  In 2,577 minor league AB, he hit .279.

The runs are not an awe inspiring number, and hitting behind the big guns in the lineup, it’s not too likely that he improves upon it.  He doesn’t have a big OBP, and without a big bat behind him, he’s just not going to score enough.

Of course, he is eligible at one of the shallowest positions in baseball, helping him a little bit.  Of course, in 2010 there were 12 third baseman with more runs scored, and that doesn’t include names like Aramis Ramirez or Pedro Alvarez.

There are definitely numerous reasons to plan on avoiding McGehee on draft day.  Even with his impressive 2010 campaign and playing a shallow position, I’d look towards him as a depth option, at best.

There just isn’t enough upside to justify using him.  In fact, the deck appears stacked for him to suffer a major regression.

What are your thoughts on McGehee?  Can he replicate his 2010 success?  If not, how far do you think he’s going to regress?

Make sure to check back on Tuesday, as the Rotoprofessor Roundtable will weigh in with their projections on McGehee.

Make sure to check out some of our other 2011 projections:

• Butler, Billy
• Freese, David
• Jaso, John
• Morrow, Brandon
• Reyes, Jose
• Willingham, Josh
• Young, Michael

THIS ARTICLE IS ALSO FEATURED ON WWW.ROTOPROFESSOR.COM.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com