Brewers' Veterans Could Be Dealt for Pitching Help

Even before learning of closer Salomon Torres' retirement on Tuesday, Brewers general manager Doug Melvin said he will not trade any of his veteran position players until he determines whether they can bring pitching in return.

 

In other words, the Brewers are not going to move center fielder Mike Cameron to the Yankees for a package headed by outfielder Melky Cabrera — at least not yet. Melvin said he first needs to get a feel for his pitching and whether trading Cameron could improve the staff. 

The loss of Torres leaves the Brewers without a closer. Three of their other relievers — right-handers Eric Gagne and Guillermo Mota and lefty Brian Shouse — are free agents. Lefty CC Sabathia and righty Ben Sheets are likely to sign with other clubs, leaving two holes in the rotation.

If the Brewers trade Cameron, they likely would need to get back a center fielder or acquire one in a separate deal. Shortstop J.J. Hardy also could be dangled for pitching help but so far is drawing only nibbles.

Hardy, 26, actually is more attractive than Cameron — he is nine years younger, two years away from free agency and expendable due to the rise of top shortstop prospect Alcides Escobar. Yet, one rival executive says that Hardy is not even available.

"We haven't put him out there yet. I'm not sure we will," Melvin said. "Teams will call and say they're interested in Hardy. But if you're interested, tell me what you're talking about.

"A number of teams ask, but won't even give you a name. I can ask for names, but I'm not doing that at this point. If they have interest, they can let me know. Only one team did that, and they were talking about a fifth starter."

If the Brewers kept Hardy, Melvin said they could start Escobar at Triple-A, a level at which he has yet to play a game. Escobar, 21, spent last season at Double-A before joining the Brewers as a September call-up.

Melvin said Escobar will play second base as well as short in spring training, working with the team's new bench coach, former major league second baseman Willie Randolph. But the retirement of Torres might force the Brewers to shop Hardy and others more aggressively.

Here's a random, speculative thought: Cabrera, second baseman Robinson Cano and young pitchers to the Brewers for Cameron and first baseman Prince Fielder.

Such a deal would leave Cano as the Brewers' only left-handed threat and perhaps require them to give up on second baseman Rickie Weeks, but the team would gain long-term payroll flexibility, creating other possibilities.

Again, it's just a thought — one that, by the way, would only enhance the Yankees' chances of landing Sabathia, who grew close with Cameron and Fielder in Milwaukee.

The point is, the Brewers will need to be creative. And Melvin repeatedly has shown in the past that he is not afraid.

The Peavy Sweepstakes (cont.)

The Padres again have asked the Braves to revise their proposal for right-hander Jake Peavy, requesting that the team substitute Single-A catcher Tyler Flowers for Single-A center fielder Gorkys Hernandez, according to major-league sources.

Flowers, 6-foot-4 and 245 pounds, is tearing up the Arizona Fall League, and the Braves probably are unwilling to part with him in the same package as shortstop Yunel Escobar and either right-hander Charlie Morton or left-hander Jo-Jo Reyes. Frankly, they're not thrilled with trading any of those players.

The Cubs and Padres, meanwhile, continue to discuss the same list of six to eight names from which the Padres would choose in a deal for Peavy. The Padres then would have the option of spinning one or more of those players to other clubs.

One rival GM poses a good question: Why are the Braves so willing to trade Escobar? When the Braves included shortstop Elvis Andrus in their package for Teixeria 16 months ago, club officials reasoned that Escobar could man the position for the next six years.

Well, Escobar is part of the price to get Peavy. The Braves believe that Brent Lillibridge would be a lesser hitter than Escobar but a superior defender, further benefiting their pitching staff.

The Angels' alternatives

Free-agent Teixeira is Plan A for the Angels, but the team is ready with Plans B, C and D.

The Angels are willing to negotiate with Teixeira's agent, Scott Boras, beyond Friday, the first day clubs can sign other team's free agents. But they also are prepared to shift course quickly, according to a source with knowledge of the team's thinking.

Sabathia likely will emerge as the Angels' top priority if they are unable to sign Teixeira, with Kendry Morales becoming the leading internal candidate at first base. The Angels then could add offense through a trade for a player such as Rockies infielder Garrett Atkins and perhaps re-sign left fielder Garret Anderson.

If the Angels failed to land Teixeira and Sabathia, they could trade for a hitter, re-sign closer Francisco Rodriguez and pursue other starting pitchers through free agency and trades. Rodriguez appears to be a victim of unfortunate timing, coming off a record-setting season at a time when few high-revenue teams need closers. Perhaps the Angels could get him back at a price they deem reasonable.

In trade discussions, the Angels could work off their surplus of middle infielders, which includes second baseman Howie Kendrick. The team briefly considered free-agent left fielder Manny Ramirez in its organization meetings, "but the discussion was tabled rather quickly," according to a club source.

Around the horn

- The Cardinals want to add one or two left-handed relievers, perhaps even more than a closer, and the free-agent market should enable them to pick and choose. Among the left-handed relievers available: Jeremy Affeldt, Alan Embree, Joe Beimel, Trever Miller, Will Ohman, Darren Oliver, Dennys Reyes and Arthur Rhodes. ...

- The Reds are looking for right-handed power, and general manager Walt Jocketty told the Cincinnati Enquirer that he spoke with the Rockies about Matt Holliday. The Reds also inquired about the Marlins' Josh Willingham before he was traded to the Nationals, and remain interested in Atkins. ...

- So much for the Astros' plan to quickly re-sign free-agent left-hander Randy Wolf. At least a half-dozen teams have expressed interest in Wolf, who went 6-2 with a 3.57 ERA in 12 starts after getting traded from the Padres to the Astros. Wolf, 32, might prefer to return to the West Coast. His past two contracts were one-year deals with the Dodgers and Padres.

This article originally published on FOXSports.com.

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