Gah. I submitted this story so apologies in advance if this shows up again.

Remember when people were saying the division was the Brewers to have? Good times.

The two Double-A pitchers are right-handers Ariel Pena and John Hellweg. Brock Kjeldgaard and Edwin Maysonet were designated for assignment to make room.

This is a pretty good haul for a team that knew full well it had no chance of re-signing the player and no need of his services for the rest of this year.

Angels going all-in.

What shape is their farm in now? One story made a passing reference to its growing thinness, but are we talking completely empty or just running dry?

Good deal for them. The Brewers, I mean. Considering there was no way they were going to keep Greinke.

I read somewhere today that Greinke wants to play in SoCal, so the Angels are probably in prime position to extend him.

So, Hellweg certainly sounds interesting. 6'9" with a big fastball, curveball, and nickname potential.

Brock Kjeldgaard and Edwin Maysonet were designated for assignment to make room.

It kind of blows my mind that either of those guys were ever on the Brewers' roster in the first place.

So, Hellweg certainly sounds interesting. 6'9" with a big fastball, curveball, and nickname potential.

Hellweg's K rate really went into the crapper this year for some reason, though.

Pena looks like he might be coming around. I'm impressed by his progress this year.

On the whole, not a bad package for Milwaukee.

What shape is their farm in now? One story made a passing reference to its growing thinness, but are we talking completely empty or just running dry?

Well, to paraphrase Bill James from 20 some years ago, "If Mike trout were tearing up AAA right now, that would be a huge plus for the Angels farm system. I can't downgrade it because he's already an MVP candidate."

Gah. I submitted this story so apologies in advance if this shows up again.

It took over an hour for this one to get approved. I got so excited about Greinke coming to the AL that I jumped the gun and submitted before they had reported who the "two AA pitchers" were. So, thanks for posting those names.

This does seem like a pretty decent package given the context Melvin was working in. I wonder if any other teams will eventually be revealed to have been in on Greinke.

No idea how serious the Rangers/Josh Johnson rumors are, but this definitely puts the pressure on Daniels to respond.

Heard Crasnick on the radio saying that the Rangers had made an offer, but didn't hear who was involved.

Hellweg's K rate really went into the crapper this year for some reason, though.

It's his first year starting full-time. Ben Badler: "Putaway stuff, hard time getting to 2-strike counts"

This does seem like a pretty decent package given the context Melvin was working in. I wonder if any other teams will eventually be revealed to have been in on Greinke.

No idea how serious the Rangers/Josh Johnson rumors are, but this definitely puts the pressure on Daniels to respond.

It sounds like the Rangers were the other team in on Greinke but didn't want to give up Mike Olt. I wonder if teams generally get a higher return by negotiating with two (or more) division rivals at the same time.

I think the Brewers still have a good chance of signing Greinke in the off-season.

Facts:

Greinke once refused a promotion to the Royals because his minor league team was in contention (the Royals weren't). He wants to play for a contender this year, which likely precluded him from signing an extension with the Brewers before the deadline (waiting for the off-season to do so).

Greinke thinks vary highly of the talent on the current Brewer team.

Greinke is close friends with Brewer employee Craig Counsell (Greinke tagged along with Counsell on scouting trips).

Greinke loves to hit (he'll likely stay in the NL).

Greinke is dominant pitching at Miller Park.

Greinke had a meeting with GM Doug Melvin and Asst. GM Gord Ash with an iPad with notes about his personal scouting reports on potential draftees.

What shape is their farm in now?

The Angels effectively have no farm system left. Cron mashes in the low minors, and there are various guys with the initials "KC" who can hit, and that's really it. Hank Conger has always looked decent to me, but apparently not to Scioscia.

Greinke had a meeting with GM Doug Melvin and Asst. GM Gord Ash with an iPad with notes about his personal scouting reports on potential draftees.

He was actually in the Brewers' war room on draft day. He's also said repeatedly how much he likes the both the makeup of the current team and the city of Milwaukee. That said, the Brewers will almost certainly not be able to offer him enough money, no matter how much he likes the people or the place.

Hellweg's K rate really went into the crapper this year for some reason, though.

He's no longer walking a batter an inning. My guess is he's sacrificed some velocity for command. I think he's pretty overrated, but I suppose a 6'9'' pitcher that can throw hard maybe has a future if the right pitching coach can fix him. I'm pretty intrigued by Pena - I think he's a lot better than most throw-ins. And Segura has a bright future, even if he moves to 2B. Really great haul for two months of Greinke and no draft pick compensation.

I bet Texas lands Josh Johnson by Monday.

I read somewhere today that Greinke wants to play in SoCal, so the Angels are probably in prime position to extend him.

Yep, just like CC Sabathia wanted to play in SoCal.

I think the Brewers still have a good chance of signing Greinke in the off-season.

Yea, I'm pretty sure the Greinke camp is floating rumors of how he wants to play everywhere so that every team thinks they have a chance. There are people that even think he could come back to KC because he still has a place here (he said he just hasn't gotten around to selling it yet). He'll go to whoever ponies up the biggest bucks.

Greinke was his own agent for much of the season. I don't think that maximizing his own salary is his biggest concern.

Greinke was his own agent for much of the season. I don't think that maximizing his own salary is his biggest concern.

And then he hired Casey Close. I'd say money is going to be a pretty big factor.

So, Hellweg certainly sounds interesting. 6'9" with a big fastball, curveball, and nickname potential.

John "The Ultimate Warrior" Hellweg?

I could see him leaving $10 million, tops, on the table (the difference between 7/175 and 7/165) to sign with Team B that he likes a lot better than Team A, but basically yeah, he's going to sign with whoever offers the most money.

The Angels effectively have no farm system left. Cron mashes in the low minors, and there are various guys with the initials "KC" who can hit, and that's really it. Hank Conger has always looked decent to me, but apparently not to Scioscia.

I like Travis Witherspoon quite a bit. Outfield isn't a need but he could be turned into something. Frankly, I like him better than any of these three long term.

i don't see anywhere that milwaukee paid the angels to take greinke AND they got their top prospect.

greinke is a two month rental, has stated very clearly that he will enter free agency and the last time he was on the trading block 2 years back and interviewed by teams he told everyone within hearing distance he wasn't that passionate about baseball.

melvin was lucky the angels were so generous. frankly, if i were an angels fan i would be annoyed that the team gave up what it did.

Thread about Greinke in front office

3. BourbonSamurai in America Posted: February 26, 2012 at 01:44 PM (#4069029)
"Mark, I've traded myself to La. It's whats best for the team."

I think the Brewers still have a good chance of signing Greinke in the off-season.

Facts

You forgot:

1. Zack Greinke is a mammal.

2. Zack Greinkie thinks about baseball ALL the time.

3. The purpose of Zack Greinke is to not flip out and pitch 1-2-3 innings.

The only question is weather or not Zack Greinke is soooooooo sweet that he makes you want to crap your pants

This package seems underwhelming given that the Braves were willing to trade Delgado for Dempster. Greinke's a lot better than Dempster. Tigers had to trade Jacob Turner and Rob Brantly for Omar Infante and Anibal Sanchez. What am I missing?

Supposedly the Rangers' final offer was Leury Garcia, Chad Bell and Justin Grimm. So that's not that great either. No Perez. And obviously no Olt.

Via MLBN, Marco Scutaro is headed to the Giants in exchange for Charlie Culberson.

3. BourbonSamurai in America Posted: February 26, 2012 at 01:44 PM (#4069029)
"Mark, I've traded myself to La. It's whats best for the team."

One of my statements being cited months later for prescience, not overwhelming idiocy? That doesn't seem right.

This package seems underwhelming given that the Braves were willing to trade Delgado for Dempster. Greinke's a lot better than Dempster. Tigers had to trade Jacob Turner and Rob Brantly for Omar Infante and Anibal Sanchez. What am I missing?

Turner has lost some luster, and Infante has quite a bit of value for Detroit.

The Delgado for Dempster deal seemed ridiculous. I guess Dempster has a lot better ERA than Greinke and is a gritty gamer while Greinke is still considered flaky and has little post-season experience (not good arguments, just trying to explain what Frank Wren was thinking.)

Reports are Texas offered SS Leury Garcia, P Chad Bell and P Justin Grimm, a pretty underwhelming package. Brewers GM Doug Melvin said if they had offered 3B Mike Olt, Greinke would be a Ranger.

Via MLBN, Marco Scutaro is headed to the Giants in exchange for Charlie Culberson.

BALLS I wanted Scutaro to go to the nats

I could see him leaving $10 million, tops, on the table (the difference between 7/175 and 7/165) to sign with Team B that he likes a lot better than Team A, but basically yeah, he's going to sign with whoever offers the most money.

Really? Greinke is a clinical headcase, I think of all the players who have become a free agent in the past decade, he is the one guy who you think it really should matter where he plays. I don't think players always sign with who offers the most money, just who offers close to the most money in a situation that they think they will like. Considering how much he wants to be on a contender though, that is going to be as big of a factor as anything else. (mind you, I will be the first to admit I was wrong about him if he signs with the Mess)

frankly, if i were an angels fan i would be annoyed that the team gave up what it did.

That is statistically very unlikely to be true. Angels fans are pretty stoked.

Kazmir II: Electric Boogaloo?

Dangit, AO! As soon as I saw #15 I was going to do something very similar... good thing I read to the end of the thread first.

He's only Kazmir if he gets hurt and they sign him beyond this year

Kazmir has a 12+ ERA with a team called the Sugar Land Skeeters this year.

Not so good.

So, Hellweg certainly sounds interesting. 6'9" with a big fastball, curveball, and nickname potential.

Hellweg and the Angry Pitch?

frankly, if i were an angels fan i would be annoyed that the team gave up what it did.

The Angels are going for it, trying to win a World Series right now. Good for them; this is exactly what good contenders are supposed to do.

matt/joey:

i am sure angels fans are excited and rightfully so because it's great to see a management team acquire a good player. just sharing that zack's value on the marketplace was less than this for reasons already mentioned. melvin did well given the hand he was dealing

matt:

some things for you to share with your angels brethren beyond the stat stuff

zack is a really good fielder. very quick and smart on making the right play. tremendous at controlling the running game.

he is clearly a homebody as you can likely discern from the splits. the guy likes his routines and being away from home disrupts that to some extent. he has not found a way to make himself comfortable while on the road. his strikeout to walk numbers home versus away while in milwaukee are crazy and that is not just the ballpark. some of it is zack understanding that you score in miller park by hitting home runs plus his defense stunk so zack was pretty often gunning for strikeouts

this defense component is pretty powerful with greinke who is a sharp kid. if he loses faith in his defense, and that will happen within just a few games if its going to happen, he will say 'screw it' and work to strike out guys which run up his pitch counts and drive you as the fan kind of batty wondering why greinke is nibbling so much with his breaking stuff.

he always looks kind of ill at ease in the dugout. he definitely chats with other guys and smiles but a lot of the time he looks exactly like the doofusy kid in grade school who was off in a corner somewhere reading about insects. there is a goodbye photo taken by john axford floating around that captures zack pretty well in that his now former teammates are grouped around him mugging for the iphone camera and up next to zack maybe with an arm around him and he is standing there arms straight down with an expression split between trying to grin and also wishing these guys would stop touching him.

good kid. always gives good effort. too bad you won't see him bat or run the bases because it shows off some of the stuff that makes him a special talent.

enjoy and good luck to zack

there is a goodbye photo taken by john axford floating around that captures zack pretty well in that his now former teammates are grouped around him mugging for the iphone camera and up next to zack maybe with an arm around him and he is standing there arms straight down with an expression split between trying to grin and also wishing these guys would stop touching him.

link

Funny that Kottaras is in there too.

I'll repeat what I said when Greinke got traded to Milwaukee. Greinke is a special talent, and one of my favorite players, but he has major questions regarding consistency of effort and consistency of approach. He has reinvented his approach to pitching multiple times, and there are legitimate claims that he quit on the Royals his last season in KC (after literally quitting the Royals some years earlier).

I would love to have Greinke, but I wouldn't be willing to pay full market value for his talents. The chances that he gets bored or unhappy before the contract runs out are too high.

Greinke will LOVE Boston. He is EXACTLY what the Red Sox need -- they have no #1. Surround him with a Plexiglas bubble after each game so he can't hear the media!

Wow. Thanks for mentioning and linking that pic, Harveys & 'kow - that is a SPECTACULARLY awkward photo. Yipes.

I have less than no problem with what the Angels gave up here. Segura is basically Alberto Callaspo, Pena is having his first notable year, and Hellweg is still a project. Not one of these guys was obviously part of the Angel future. Meanwhile, the bottom half of the rotation has been a total sinkhole, and Greinke obviously fixes that and then some. JeDi strikes once again.

#42 -- Thanks much, Harvey!

this defense component is pretty powerful with greinke who is a sharp kid. if he loses faith in his defense, and that will happen within just a few games if its going to happen

One suspects he will be happy with this aspect of pitching for the Angels - especially if Scioscia chooses to DH Trumbo and put Bourjos in the OF for Greinke's starts.

The only question is weather or not Zack Greinke is soooooooo sweet that he makes you want to crap your pants

Whether or not that's true, is it safe to say you love Zack Greinke with every part of your body, including your peepee?

Could Greinke be the new Mike Marshall ('74 CYA, not the oft-injured Dodgers OF) in terms of a highly-talented pitcher bouncing around the league because he's such an odd duck?

Wow. Thanks for mentioning and linking that pic, Harveys & 'kow - that is a SPECTACULARLY awkward photo. Yipes.

Actually, I don't find it awkward so much as I find it curiously touching. Greinke is so well known as an odd duck, and a tough guy to get close to, that it's actually rather nice to find out that his teammates on the pitching staff genuinely liked him and will miss him despite his up-front weirdness. I would have just as easily imagined the rest of them thinking "eh, he was a good pitcher but honestly I won't miss his personality -- too alienating." Obviously they don't.

Double odd ducks.

Quack!

Greinke looks like he should be played by Michael Shannon.

I think this actor is a bit closer to Zack's age.