Martin Maldonado

[crewfan13]

Tom Haudricout has on his twitter that teams have called on Maldonado, but Melvin isn't really interested in moving him since we don't really have a backup catcher. I'm not saying we need to move him and I really like him. He's a great defensive catcher that throws with the best of them, and he isn't a complete hack at the plate. He has nice pop and hits the ball fairly well, especially for a catcher.

However, if the right deal came along, I would obviously have to consider it. Having 2 very good catchers with holes at other positions is like having the worlds best insurance policy on a 1995 Saturn. If we have to sacrifice at the backup catcher position to get another good impact player, its something I think we need to look at. What would have to be offered for you guys to consider dealing him?

Also, if you had to guess, what do you think teams are offering for him?

[jay87shot]

I would be all for trading him for a good bullpen arm or decent prospect. He is a nice guy to be a backup, but I don't see him hitting like he did last year over his career. I would be interested in possibly packaging him for a starter like Sheilds or Hellickson.

[duaniak28]

I would love to see Hellickson or Shields in a Brewers uniform, and I believe they are truely our only options at improving our starting rotation! I would like to see them throw out Hart and Maldonado as bait and see if they bit!

[long ball]

No way the Rays want Hart. They're not looking to add an expensive player.

Maldonado would be a small piece in a package for a starter. Maldonado probably provides more to the Brewers being on the roster than he does as a trade candidate.

[duaniak28]

Hart only has one year left on his deal and the Rays have always been high on him, they are trying to trade to contend this year!!

[Brew Crew]

We got rid of Kottaras because we saw potential in Maldonado, there is no reason to trade him, especially since we don't know the next time J-Lucroy will break his hand in a fight (I mean...have a suitcase fall on it)

Besides that, will we even get anything good in return or just an iffy reliever?

When it comes to Hart, it doesn't make sense to trade him right now while we still have some sort of playoff hopes. If we start losing we can find a team with a hole at 1st during the season. I do not want to resign him though as he's going to have a great year at 1st this season and probably get an inflated contract.

[crewfan13]

I'm not saying we should be shopping him, but the rumor was that Melvin was getting calls on him. I think he does have more value on the market than what people think. Defensively, he's going to be a stud. I don't know that he'll ever be a great hitter, but he has some pop. I could see a team getting him and not really having to worry about a catcher for the next 5-7 years, and that's a valuable peice.

[long ball]

Hart only has one year left on his deal and the Rays have always been high on him, they are trying to trade to contend this year!!

how do you know the Rays have always been high on him?

We got rid of Kottaras because we saw potential in Maldonado, there is no reason to trade him, especially since we don't know the next time J-Lucroy will break his hand in a fight (I mean...have a suitcase fall on it)

Besides that, will we even get anything good in return or just an iffy reliever?

When it comes to Hart, it doesn't make sense to trade him right now while we still have some sort of playoff hopes. If we start losing we can find a team with a hole at 1st during the season. I do not want to resign him though as he's going to have a great year at 1st this season and probably get an inflated contract.

Agreed on Maldonado. As far as Hart goes I would be willing to move him for the right return. But much like Maldonado, Hart probably has more value on the team than he does as a trade chip

I'm not saying we should be shopping him, but the rumor was that Melvin was getting calls on him. I think he does have more value on the market than what people think. Defensively, he's going to be a stud. I don't know that he'll ever be a great hitter, but he has some pop. I could see a team getting him and not really having to worry about a catcher for the next 5-7 years, and that's a valuable peice.

You really think he's going to be a long term starting catcher for someone? He's got a little pop, but other than that he's not much of a hitter.

[crewfan13]

How many catchers really are "much of a hitter?" Posey can swing, Mauer can swing it, but there's a lot of guys out there who aren't great hitters by any stretch of the imagination. Heck, even up until recently Yadier Molina wasn't that great of hitter. I think Maldonado is so defensively advanced, that teams will be more than willing to look past his offensive limitations.

Look at a guy like Jason Varitek, who started a bunch of years for the Red Sox and was always considered a solid catcher (3 time all star). His career batting average is .256 and he's never hit over .300. He put up some solid home run numbers, but he also played in a hitter friendly park.

I'm too lazy to actually do it, but I would be willing to guess that there's probably at least 10 teams out there right now that he would be an improvement behind the plate.

[Primestein]

Maldonado is probably the best defensive catcher I have seen in a brewers uni in quite sometime. Give him one year behind lucroy and then see if lucroy will be willing to move to 2nd if weeks has another crappy season. Maldonado is going to be special.

[behnke2017]

I'm guessing Lucroy hasn't played 2nd base since Little Leauge

[time4change]

Yah where did that come from? Did he play 2nd in college or something for you to thi k he can play there?

[behnke2017]

I honestly can't think of any catcher that would play 2nd base other than maybe Vinny Rottino or Brandon Inge. Neither one of them are true catchers though anymore.

I think I found Lucroy's college numbers somewhere when he said that and he was strictly a catcher there too.

[long ball]

Craig Biggio did it! Why can't Jonathan Lucroy do it?

[behnke2017]

Biggio was about 20 lbs lighter and a little faster