Cameron Signing Deepens Already Strong Brewers Line-up

 

Mike Cameron’s defensive skills will be a nice change of pace for Milwaukee.

The Milwaukee Brewers added another quality position player to their deep line-up with the signing of Mike Cameron to a one year deal with a team option for 2009. The contract calls for Cameron to receive $7 million in 2008, and either a $10 million salary or a $750,000 buy-out in 2009.

I really like this move for both parties: Cameron gets a nice chunk of change and a chance to show he’s worth a longer commitment if things go well (or at least another $10 million), while Milwaukee gets a strong defensive center fielder with some pop for relatively cheap. The short term nature of the contract helps mitigate the potential injury risk that comes along with Cameron, whose 2007 season ended with a bad break and who enters 2008 at 35-years-old.

Cameron’s biggest strength is his defense, the achilles heal of the Brewers last year. His arrival allows the team to shift incumbent CF Bill Hall back to the infield, where he will man the hot corner, and puts Ryan Braun in left, lessening the amount of damage he can do. Braun made an astounding 26 errors in only 112 games in 2007, posting an abysmal .895 fielding percentage. Hall, although not necessarily a Gold Glove candidate, played 127 games at shortstop in 2006, where he picked it at a .967 clip, so putting him in charge of Braun’s old stomping grounds should save the team several runs instantly.

The Brewers now feature a line-up that will include (in some order) Braun, Hill, Cameron, Corey Hart, Prince Fielder, J.J. Hardy, and Rickie Weeks. Unfortunately the out-machine that has become Jason Kendall will begin the season as Milwaukee’s starting catcher, but we’ll see how long that lasts. Their line-up boasts depth, power, speed, and youth. They’ll be a lot of fun to watch.

On the other hand, Milwaukee’s pitching staff isn’t much to look at. However, Ben Sheets et al should suffice given the team might lead the NL in runs scored. The bullpen will be the key, considering the likelihood of a lot of high scoring affairs. Eric Gagne may prove to be a problem as closer, but if things work out the team should find itself in the thick of it come October. As of right now they must be considered co-favorites for the division with the Cubs once again, but look for someone to win a whopping 87 games or so this year, up from the 85 and 83 victories that won the division the previous two seasons.

Given that the Brewers have a legitimate American League line-up, they could find themselves lucky enough to be the next sacrificial lamb thrown to whichever wolf comes out of the AL in 2008.

Beane Scores Again Sending Kotsay to Atlanta

 

While the tagline is true, Mark Kotsay also makes many more outs in the batter’s box, making his overall impact mostly negative.

Oakland GM Billy Beane really impressed me with his most recent deal, sending Mark Kotsay, a washed-up 32-year-old CF with very little offensive skill remaining, to the one team that made sense, netting a potential late inning reliever in the process. 

The Atlanta Braves had no proven Major League center fielder on their roster prior to this trade, and were looking for a stop-gap solution for the upcoming season while their long-term replacement for Andruw Jones, Jordan Schaefer, prepares himself for the job in the minors.  It’s possible Kotsay may not have anything more than a half a season or so left in the tank, but he’s the type of player the Braves were looking for: his contract is up at the end of this season, he’s a consumate pro who can help mentor Schaefer, and he can still go get it in center field when healthy.  Also making this deal possible was the more than $5 million headed to Atlanta, causing the total cost for Kotsay’s services to be only $2 million, a reasonable rate.

Don’t feel too bad for Mr. Kotsay about being shipped out of town, he still has a smokin’ hot wife to come home to, whether it be in Oakland or Atlanta.

On the other side of this deal, Oakland did quite well for itself. 

Joey Devine, the 24-year-old reliever heading to the Bay Area, has the potential to take up the mantle that the soon-to-be departed Huston Street currently holds as stopper in the ‘pen.  Devine has shown flashes of dominance during his short stint as a professional, and especially in 2007: he posted a 78/19 K/BB ratio over the course of 57 innings in AA/AAA.

This move continues Billy Beane’s all out rebuilding of the A’s, and provides another great example of finding value where it’s difficult to see.  The money Beane wired to Atlanta was already a sunk cost, but he somehow managed to turn that sunk cost into an asset. 

Great move for Oakland.