A bare market for Melvin

By Anthony Witrado

But that could be a challenge since Melvin has already deemed Mat Gamel and Alcides Escobar as untouchable. So to pull off a deal and keep the organization's two best prospects, a big-league player would probably have to be involved.

This is the 3rd or 4th time this has been in print. At some point people are going to have to accept that Hardy will be one to go if someone gets moved. Melvin also said;

"I've always said you're a little more motivated (to make a deal) when you're doing better," Melvin said. "We'll only do something if it makes sense. We're not going to make a deal to make a deal."

Does it make sense to give up 5 players for Harden? To try to trade for a bat before trading for an arm? What's the position of greatest need? The Indians wanted pitching for Derosa, the price only goes up for Lee... Whether you care about building for the future or not, what's the sense in sending 2 or more of our best pitching prospects for 1.5 years of Lee, when we don't have any top of the rotation SP at AA or better to start with? Not to mention our highest rated pitcher is 1 step from done for life and regressed this season anyway. I still hope Braddock is a rotation solution down the road, but he's currently a RP.

The organization's strength is currently in it's position players, why wouldn't we deal from a position of strength to acquire a position need? Where's the sense in trading from an area where the team is already shorthanded to fill a position of need? Where's the net gain in that scenario?

It's not hard to look 2 years ahead and see that Bush, Looper, and Suppan will be gone... and Parra's not a lock to turn his career around at this point. That's 3 spots that will certainly have to be filled, and maybe a 4th. Where are the pitchers going to come from? Free agency? Scrap heap pickups?

Of all the names tossed around, if you sit down and consider all of the variables the 3 that make the most sense given the Brewer's current situation are Bedard, Guthrie, and maybe Vasquez. Honestly though, Bedard sort of scares me, he's frail... Baltimore has lots of young pitching on the way so they might be interested in some position players, but not a spare C as they already have Wieters. Atlanta already has McCann and Escobar, they don't really match up well either. Toronto would have been excellent fit but Marcum and McGowan had to go and get hurt...

I just don't see many teams that match up well if at all.