We're talking about another Canadian infielder and more in today's roundup of all things Brewers.

Some things to read while hiring acopy editor.

We are 16 days away from pitchers and catchers reporting to Maryvale, and the veteran additions keep coming for the Brewers. Yesterday they signed infielder Pete Orr to a minor league deal and, while his deal does not include an MLB spring training invite, he'll be at the team's invitation-only minor league minicamp (h/t @AdamMcCalvy).

If Orr does appear in Milwaukee this season, it won't be the first time: @PHLBaseballNsdr remembers the time he almost got trampled during a sausage race at Miller Park (h/t @Mass_Haas). Orr, a Canadian native, has played 443 games in the majors as a member of three organizations and is a career .257/.289/.328 hitter.

While Orr is probably unlikely to make the Opening Day roster, fellow new acqusition Matt Garza will almost certainly get the ball sometime in the season's first week. Over at Baseball Analytics, Alec has a look at Garza's slider. It's one of the best in baseball. Meanwhile, Derek Harvey of The Book of Gorman compares the Brewers' new rotation to the pitching staff from 2011.

Of course, in an ideal world the Brewers would draft and develop their own pitching and wouldn't need to spend on free agents. Today Viva El Birdos has a look at the money the Cardinals are saving by using a homegrown pitcher like Lance Lynn instead of paying for one like Garza.

Garza will likely spend much of the spring learning to work with his new catcher, Jonathan Lucroy. Sometimes Lucroy doesn't always get all the attention he deserves, but that's not the case today: Nick Michalski of The Brewers Bar just bought the ad space on his B-Ref page and David S. Grant of Reviewing the Brew is talking about his facial hair.

Garza will also benefit from having two of the best defenders in baseball behind him in Carlos Gomez and Jean Segura. They're also two of baseball's best base stealers, and they're on Jamie Zadow of Dobber Baseball's list of the top ten thieves in the NL.

This week I've been struggling with a single question: Does the Garza signing make the Brewers into postseason contenders? At least one set of projections says no: Clay Davenport has the Brewers winning 77 games and finishing fourth in the NL Central. It's worth noting, though, that his projections have the Wild Cards going to a pair of 85-win teams.

With that said, not everyone is so pessimistic. Phil Rogers of MLB.com wrote about the "feel-good vibes" in Milwaukee following the Garza signing.

Some of the Brewers' hopes for 2014 have to depend on improved performance from the collection of first basemen they've cobbled together. Hunter Morris' chances of winning a spot on the roster have diminished greatly recently with the additions of Mark Reynolds and Lyle Overbay, and Benjamin Orr of Reviewing the Brew asks if the Brewers have any faith in him.

Recent minor league signee Jeremy Hermida is also potentially ticketed for AAA, but you never know, I guess. Curt Hogg of Disciples of Uecker has a reminder of some of Hermida's career accomplishments.

Elsewhere in long shots to make the team: The Brewer Nation has a profile of Brooks Hall as part of their "Brewers By the (Jersey) Numbers" series.

Here's a post that puts the Brewers' up-and-down run in recent years into a pretty nice perspective: David Schoenfield of ESPN notes that the Brewers have baseball's 16th highest cumulative payroll over the last five years, and have been rewarded with baseball's 14th highest win total.

In the minors:

• John Sickels of Minor League Ball is working on evaluating the Brewers farm system this week and today he has a preliminary list of the 38 players under consideration for inclusion in his 2014 Baseball Prospect Book.
• Temperatures are downright arctic in Wisconsin this morning but it was a balmy 25 in Nashville yesterday for the Sounds' groundbreaking on their new ballpark. Broadcaster Jeff Hem has a photo of the Sounds staff with the special guests for the event.
• It was a little warmer last night in the Dominican Republic, where Juan Francisco went 0-for-2 but drew a walk, was hit by a pitch and scored a run in Licey's 3-1 win over Escogido to take a 4-3 lead in the DWL's best-of-nine championship series (box score). They could clinch the series and a berth in the Caribbean World Series with a win tonight.
• Minor league Rule 5 draft pick Vinnie Catricala has opted to retire instead of coming to spring training with the Brewers. (h/t @AdamMcCalvy) The former Mariners minor league player of the year is now pursuing a career in law enforcement.

Back in Milwaukee, two days later we're still talking about Brewers On Deck. Nathan Petrashek of Cream City Cables attended the event and chronicled his experience, and Lou Olsen of Reviewing the Brew explained why he wasn't there.

Around baseball:

Indians: Signed infielder Elliot Johnson to a minor league deal.
Reds: Signed infielder Chris Nelson to a minor league deal.
Rockies: Signed shortstop Paul Janish to a minor league deal.

In former Brewers:

• Yesterday we continued our comparison of Brewers and active former Brewers with a look at the outfield, where the current Brewers are projected to outperform their counterparts in two of the three spots.
• It's About the Money is asking fans to predict CC Sabathia's 2014 record.
• Value Over Replacement Grit has Gregg Zaun, Kevin Bass, Jesse Orosco, one-time Brewer minor leaguer Marco Scutaro and brief Seattle Pilot Lou Piniella on their All-Time PTBNL Team.

Fred Luderus isn't a former Brewer, but he was a Milwaukee native and yesterday Phillies Nation named him the 45th greatest Phillie of all time.

This isn't really Brewer relevant, but it caught my eye this morning: Rob Neyer of Baseball Nation has a post on Nationals infielder Danny Espinosa, who spent most of the 2013 season playing with a misdiagnosed broken wrist.

Finally, with help from the B-Ref Play Index, we'd like to wish a happy birthday today to:

• Lyle Overbay, who turns 37. We covered his birthday in Today In Brewer History last year.
• 2004-05 Brewer Junior Spivey, who turns 39.
• 1999 Brewer Steve Falteisek, who turns 42.

Plunk Everyone notes that Spivey's 35 career HBP are the fourth most ever for a position player born on January 28. Overbay leads all active players with 17.

Today is also the 27th anniversary of the Brewers signing Australian catcher Dave Nilsson as an amateur free agent in 1987. We covered that event in Today In Brewer History two years ago, and celebrated Nilsson and five other Aussies' contributions to the franchise yesterday on Australia Day.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to fix something.

Drink up.

Arbitrary analysis activates angst.

An interesting conversation started in the comments of yesterday's Mug when we learned that Baseball Prospectus had released their list of baseball's top 101 prospects for 2014 and did not include a single Brewer. This came shortly after the Brewers received just one spot in MLB.com's top 100, with Jimmy Nelson checking in near the bottom of the list at #83.

This news inflamed people who are heavily concerned about the Brewer organization's ability to locate and develop impact talent. There's reason to be concerned about the Brewers' drafting and development, but I don't think prospect lists are a fair indication of talent levels across organizations. Baseball-wide prospect lists are, for the most part, an educated guess at best.

Consider, for a moment, the logistics of one person or a small group trying to evaluate every player in the minor leagues. On any given Friday night in July or August there may be a full slate of games going on in:

• The Pacific Coast and International Leagues (AAA)
• The Southern, Eastern and Texas Leagues (AA)
• The Florida State, California and Carolina Leagues (A+)
• The Midwest and South Atlantic Leagues (A)
• The New York-Penn and Northwest Leagues (Short season-A)
• The Pioneer and Appalachian Leagues (Rookie+)
• The Arizona Summer and Gulf Coast Leagues (Rookie)

Even if watching minor league baseball was your only job, you worked around the clock and somehow functioned without sleep, there's literally no way to monitor every top prospect on anything beyond an "occasional" level. At best, these lists are compiled by people doing their best to see as much as they can and form their own opinions based on a potentially too-small sample size.

In reality, though, even that would be nearly impossible to do. The actual end result is frequently closer to an echo chamber. Scouts talk to other scouts, they talk to other talent evaluators, and sometimes what we get is the end result of a game of telephone across the scouting community.

There's another issue, though:  Some teams highly prioritize getting their guys on these lists. They'll talk them up and take advantage of the fact that these list producers can't see everyone. One pretty notable prospect writer once told me point blank that some teams do this, some teams don't, and the teams that like to talk about their guys frequently get more attention.

Furthermore, sometimes challenging the "consensus opinion" of the scouting community carries a risk for those on the inside. This summer I talked to a longtime scout who told a story about having written a negative report on then-Rangers catcher Taylor Teagarden, who at the time was viewed as a top prospect. The scout was called out onto the carpet for failing to see the inherent skill set in a "can't miss" guy. Years later, Teagarden is a career .206/.266/.390 hitter. The organization that criticized this scout might have been better off listening to him.

I'm not writing this to discredit Baseball Prospectus, MLB.com, Baseball America or any of the other writers or organizations that produce prospect lists. They're the best in the business at their jobs and do a remarkable job using the information available to produce a result that's multiple times better than anything you or I would do. But the combination of volume of noise and the biased nature of some of the information they're given makes their task nearly impossible.

For further proof of the challenge of this task, consider some of the results: Kyle Lohse, Jonathan Lucroy, Scooter Gennett and Khris Davis, for example, were never top 100 prospects. Tyler Thornburg was #100 in Baseball Prospectus' list last year but left off of Baseball America and MLB.com's.

Meanwhile, here are some of the significantly less successful players who have been ranked by Baseball America over the years:

In the end, these lists represent the end result of some teams' internal marketing campaigns as much as a reflection of actual talent. And there is some value to that marketing: If you're a team trading for prospects, being able to say you got a Baseball America Top 50 or 100 player is a big deal in terms of public relations. Everyone wants to hear that their favorite organization has a bright future and smart people evaluating talent.

The Brewers, for what it's worth, say they're not out chasing those accolades. Mark Attanasio suggested as much in his comments at On Deck on Sunday. I've heard similar sentiments in the past from outside the organization. The Brewers say they'd rather have their talent development staff doing their jobs than chasing credit.

Again, I don't mean this to be an endorsement of the Brewers' drafting or development process. The criticism that they've failed to bring impact talent to the majors in recent years is a fair one, especially when compared to the talent pipeline other organizations (the Cardinals, for example) have greatly benefitted from. Many of you are concerned about this team's ability to remain viable without help from within, and I think that concern is valid.

In short: there are valid reasons to be concerned about talent development in the Brewer organization, but failure to appear on prospect lists aren't one of them. In my opinion, anyway.

The Brewers are going to be paying Garza well beyond 2018.

The Brewers announced Matt Garza's four-year, $50 million contract on Sunday, and today for the first time Joel Sherman of the New York Post has specifics on the deal.

For starters, Garza will receive $12.5 million per season from 2014-17, with $2 million per season deferred without interest. Cot's Contracts says four annual payments of $2 million will be due to Garza on December 15 from 2018-21. Since Garza is effectively giving the Brewers an interest-free loan, the overall present-day value of the contract is likely significantly less than the reported $50 million value. Financial deferrals like this aren't unusual for the Brewers: Kyle Lohse, Aramis Ramirez and Ryan Braun all have similar clauses in their contracts, with Braun's paying him all the way through 2031.

Garza also has incentives in the deal that will pay him $500,000 each if he passes 30 starts or 190 innings each season. He would not have reached those incentives in either 2012 or 2013, but would have cleared both in each of the three seasons prior to that.

Finally, the deal includes a vesting option that could be worth $13 million for 2018. It vests if Garza:

• Makes at least 110 starts (27.5 per season) in the first four years of the contract,
• Pitches at least 155 innings in 2017, and
• Does not finish the 2017 season on the disabled list.

This is relatively similar to the 2015 vesting option in Rickie Weeks' contract.

If the option does not vest it becomes a club option. Here's Sherman's tweet on it:

Garza has complex 5th-yr '18 option: It's #Brewers opt at $5M, but becomes $1M if he spends 130 DL days in 183-pd for various injuries (con)

— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) January 28, 2014

If I'm reading that right, the Brewers have the option of bringing Garza back for $5 million if his option doesn't vest, or $1 million if he spends 130 days on the DL in 2017. There's presumably a buyout if the Brewers opt not to do so, but that's not included here.

By my count, maxing out the incentives, vesting the option and counting deferred money as present-day dollars, this deal could have a maximum value of $67 million, which matches what Jim Bowden of ESPN reported earlier this week.

Garza's four-year deal with the Brewers contains a complex option that could vest in 2018.

Matt Garza's four-year contract with the Milwaukee Brewers contains a complex fifth-year option for 2018, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post.

The deal, which will pay Garza $12.5 million each year from 2014-2017, also comes with a $5 million opt-out for 2018, which could drop to as low as $1 million if Garza spends 130 days on the disabled list. However, the contract also contains a $13 million vesting option that kicks in if the right-hander is able to start 110 games during the life of the contract, avoid the DL at the end of the 2017 regular season, and reach 115 innings pitched in 2017.

News of the Garza signing broke over the weekend and became official Monday afternoon. The 30-year-old Garza has been a consistent, if injury-prone, starter throughout his career, tallying a 3.82 ERA and a 3.2 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 155-1/3 innings pitched for the Cubs and Rangers last season. He has been unable to reach the 200 innings threshold for three straight years and missed six weeks of the 2013 season with a muscle strain. Garza also spent significant time on the DL in 2012 after suffering a stress reaction in his elbow, an ailment that kept him out for the entire second half.

Neverthless, Garza could be a big upgrade for a Brewers starting rotation that proved thin in 2013. Milwaukee's rotation finished last season with a 4.20 staff ERA -- fifth-worst in the NL -- as Yovani Gallardo struggled and the team's back-end starters were also inconsistent.

With Garza now in the mix, though, the Brewers' rotation depth looks much improved for 2014. If Gallardo can regain his previous form and Marco Estrada can build on his 2013 success, Milwaukee should have four solid starters when factoring in Garza and Kyle Lohse.

The Garza signing represents the second straight winter in which the Brewers have agreed to terms with a starting pitcher late in the offseason. Last March, the Brewers inked Lohse to a 3-year, $33 million contract, but did have to give up a draft pick as compensation in the process. They won't have do that with Garza, as the right-hander was traded prior to the 2013 deadline, making him and his contract an even more attractive proposition.

With Garza signed, Ubaldo Jimenez and Ervin Santana are the top starting pitchers remaining on the free-agent market, but unlike Garza, both have a draft pick attached to them.

More from SB Nation MLB:

• Grant Brisbee: The most baffling offseason in baseball

• Byron Buxton tops Baseball Prospects' Top 101 list

• 5 top MLB free agents still seeking a new contract

• David Ortiz says it may be "time to move on" from Red Sox

• 2014 MLB salary arbitration tracker

He'll be a member of the Orix Buffaloes in 2014.

And...exhale.

The Second Yuni Era came to an official end tonight as Yuniesky Betancourthas signed a one-year contract with Japan's Orix Buffaloes, according to Ken Rosenthal. Financial terms of the contract are undisclosed, but this is a phenomenal deal for the 30 MLB teams that opted not to offer him a major league contract this winter.

Betancourt is a career .261/.285/.388 hitter across nine MLB seasons and was even worse in two seasons in Milwaukee, batting .235/.258/.371 across 289 games with the Brewers in 2011 and 2013. Somehow, despite being one of baseball's worst offensive players and a poor defender, he's appeared in 134 or more games in seven of the last eight MLB seasons.

No matter what happens, though, Yuni will always have April of 2013. He buoyed a sagging Brewers offense in that month by hitting six home runs and posting an OBP that almost reached .300 (his batting line for the month was .280/.299/.540). He was so exhausted from carrying the team through April that he hit just .189/.215/.287 after May 7 and still appeared in 107 more games. He started a lot of those games. At first base.

Yuniesky Betancourt started 92 games for the Brewers in 2013. The team went 39-53 in those games. When he didn't start, they went 25-25.

It's possible the fear of Yuni is something we'll always have. He's left before, only to return and somehow hit even less. But he's on another continent now, and that makes him less likely to hurt this team again.

This is a good day.

Taylor was the Brewers' second round pick in the 2012 draft.

I just got done talking about some of my misgivings regarding prospect rankings, so of course now it's time to talk some more about prospect rankings.

Baseball Prospectus has released their list of the top ten prospects in the Brewers organization, led by 2013 Wisconsin outfielder Tyrone Taylor. Most of the article is behind their paywall, but you can see the names of the top ten players and a bit on Taylor for free.

Taylor was the Brewers' second round pick in the 2012 draft, and 2013 was his first full professional season. He played 122 games for low-A Wisconsin, mostly in center field, and posted a .274/.338/.400 batting line with 33 doubles and eight home runs. He also just turned 20 on January 22, making him the team's second youngest regular.

Taylor checks in a spot ahead of pitcher Jimmy Nelson, who MLB.com chose over Taylor for a spot in their preseason top 100. The rest of BP's top five include outfielder Mitch Haniger, shortstop Orlando Arcia and pitcher Johnny Hellweg.

We're talking about the details of Matt Garza's new deal and more in today's roundup of all things Brewers.

Some things to read while coming to the rescue.

We are 15 days away from pitchers and catchers reporting to Maryvale, and now we know that Matt Garza has $12.5 million reasons to be there. Yesterday we learned the details on Garza's new contract with the Brewers, which will pay him $12.5 million over each of the next four seasons with $2 million deferred without interest. The deal also includes playing time incentives and a relatively unusual vesting option, which will pay him $13 million if he reaches certain triggers but could become a club option at just $1 million if he misses significant time due to injury. Nathan Petrashek of Cream City Cables called the deal "surreal."

I could spend all day trying to explain the nuances of Garza's option, but the result still wouldn't be as good as the flowchart Jaymes Langrehr made in our Tweet of the Day:

Because all of that text might still be hard to follow, here's a flow chart of Matt Garza's 2018 option. #Brewerspic.twitter.com/0C0trUPpMg

— Jaymes Langrehr (@JaymesL) January 29, 2014

Derek Harvey of The Book of Gorman has updated his 2014 payroll projections to reflect the details in Garza's deal, and has a look at the Brewers' deferred payment obligations. Between Aramis Ramirez, Kyle Lohse and Garza, the Brewers will owe $8 million in deferred salary to three players unlikely to still be on the roster in 2018.

Ryan Topp of Disciples of Uecker is happy with this move, saying the Garza contract "keeps getting better." Also at DoU, Nicholas Zettel asks if the Brewers are the team that would most benefit from giving Garza this contract. Meanwhile, Dave Cameron of FanGraphs has a look at the differences between this deal and the one the Twins gave Ricky Nolasco.

I haven't seen it yet, but @Haudricourt reports the Brewers have taken out a full page ad in the Journal Sentinel to welcome Garza to Milwaukee.

The Garza acquisition could have a ripple effect in the Brewers bullpen, with Will Smith and possibly Tyler Thornburg now available as relief options. Brandon Berg of Chippewa.com asks what the Brewers have in mind beyond Jim Henderson.

Meanwhile, questions remain at first base, where Mark Reynolds is one of several options to earn significant playing time in 2014. David Golebiewski of Baseball Analytics has a look at how Reynolds' performance against inside pitches has diminished in recent years. In a related note, Nick Michalski of The Brewers Bar is attempting to find Reynolds a rhyming nickname.

We'll get to see the battle for playing time play out firsthand this spring, as FS Wisconsin announced plans on Tuesday to televise every spring training home game at Maryvale Baseball Park. That's 14 spring training telecasts, up from three a year ago. Between TV, radio and the internet, every 2014 spring training game will be covered in some fashion.

In the minors:

• Congratulations are due out this morning to 2013 Wisconsin outfielder Tyrone Taylor, who Baseball Prospectus named as the #1 prospect in the Brewers organization.
• Juan Francisco went 0-for-4 but it didn't matter last night as Licey beat Escogido 3-2 to win the Dominican Republic's championship series and advance to the Caribbean World Series (box score). Francisco's Licey team joins Martin Maldonado's Mayaguez team in the series.
• Jason Arndt of Brewers Farm Report has a story on 2013 Huntsville reliever Eric Marzec's winter pitching in Australia and more.
• Lookout Landing has more on offseason pickup Vinnie Catricala's decision to retire instead of reporting to spring training.

Yesterday featured a lot of conversation about the Brewers minor leaguers, as Baseball Prospectus left the Brewers off their list of baseball's top 101 prospects and Keith Law of ESPN (insider-only) ranked their farm system 30th out of 30 MLB teams. This news drew the attention of Bucs Dugout, who asked what the Pirates can learn from the Brewers' window of success.

Around baseball:

Angels: Signed first baseman Carlos Pena and outfielder Brennan Boesch to minor league deals.
Orioles: Signed 1B/3B Chad Tracy to a minor league deal.
Reds: Avoided arbitration with reliever Aroldis Chapman (one year, $5 million).

The big news around baseball yesterday may have been the introduction of optional padded caps for pitchers to help prevent head injuries on line drives. Nullacct has a photo in this FanShot. Unfortunately, early reaction to the hats has been largely negative. Pitcher Brandon McCarthy, who suffered severe head injuries when he was hit by a line drive in 2012, says he won't wear the hat.

Today in former Brewers:

• We've spent much of the winter hearing about how Yuniesky Betancourt was drawing interest from multiple MLB teams, but the money must've been better overseas as Yuni has signed a one year deal with Japan's Orix Buffaloes.
• Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune has an update on Corey Hart's recovery from knee surgery. He reports he's been "running bases and doing baseball stuff," but hasn't gotten on the field to catch fly balls yet. (h/t @jeff_maillet)
• 2003 Brewer John Foster is the new head coach of the East Texas Pump Jacks in the Texas Collegiate League.

Finally, with help from the B-Ref Play Index, we'd like to wish a happy birthday today to:

• 2005 Brewer Julio Mosquera, who turns 42. We covered his birthday in Today In Brewer History two years ago.
• 1970 Brewer Bobby Bolin, who turns 75.

Plunk Everyone notes that Bolin's 60 career hit batsmen are the most ever for a pitcher born on January 25.

Today is also the 44th anniversary of a tragic event in Puerto Rico, as pitcher Miguel Fuentes was shot and killed in a barfight in Loiza Aldea. Fuentes was the last pitcher to appear in a game for the Seattle Pilots. We covered that event in Today In Brewer History last year.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm over my weight limit.

Drink up.

The current Brewers could likely outhit their active former Brewer counterparts. But can they outpitch them?

This is part three of what will likely be a five-part series comparing the active roster of the 2014 Milwaukee Brewers to a hypothetical team composed of active players who have made at least one MLB appearance in a Brewers uniform. Last week we gave the current Brewers the advantage at three of five positions in the infield, and on Monday we also credited them with two of three positions in the outfield.

Today we'll move on to pitchers, starting at the top of the rotation.

Worth noting: Again, the rules here limit the team of Former Brewers to players who appeared in a regular season game as a member of the Brewers. So, while the F-Brewers might benefit greatly from access to Jake Odorizzi and/or R.A. Dickey, neither are available here.

Starter #1: Kyle Lohse v Zack Greinke

Lohse has undergone something of a metamorphosis in his early 30's. He entered the 2011 season with a 4.79 ERA over 292 career appearances, but has pitched nearly 600 innings since with a 3.19 ERA. He does an excellent job of keeping runners off the bases (a 1.14 WHIP since Opening Day 2011), is pretty good at pitching deep into games and pretty consistently produces results better than any of his peripheral numbers would indicate.

With that said, Lohse is no match for Greinke. Greinke is five years younger, for one, and he's also significantly more dominant. Like Lohse, Greinke is also very good at keeping runners off base (2.3 per nine innings over the last three seasons), but he's much better at recording strikeouts.

A year ago at this time Lohse and Greinke were both free agents. Lohse got a nice three-year deal, but Greinke got six years and about five times as much money. That should tell you everything you need to know here. Advantage: Former Brewers

Starter #2: Yovani Gallardo v CC Sabathia

Your opinion on this matchup probably depends on which pitcher you think is more likely to bounce back from a career-worst year. Gallardo posted an ERA over four for the first time in 2013, spent some time on the DL and saw his strikeout rate plummet from 9.2 per nine innings for his career to just 7.2. He had an ERA up near 5 through the end of July before salvaging his season with a hot streak down the stretch.

Meanwhile, years of heavy workloads (and a heavy physique) may have caught up with Sabathia in 2013. He had averaged 233 innings per season over a six-year span from 2007-12, a stretch where he made three All Star teams and won a Cy Young Award. He still threw 211 innings in 2013, but his results were off: His 4.78 ERA was easily the highest in his 13 MLB seasons and he was hurt by home runs, allowing a career-high 28. He led all MLB pitchers with 112 earned runs allowed.

I could see going either way with this matchup: Gallardo is younger and has faced much lighter workloads, so I think there's a much lesser risk that his best days are over at this point. But Sabathia has been a much better pitcher over the course of his career. If I'm betting on upside, I'll take Sabathia. If nothing else, I'm much more confident in his ability to carry a heavy workload. Advantage: Former Brewers

Starter #3: Matt Garza v Jorge De La Rosa

It's injury risk vs injury risk in this matchup of pitchers in their 30's. De La Rosa's injuries have been more severe in recent years, as he was limited to just 13 appearances for the Rickies between 2011-12. He bounced back to have the best year of his career in 2013, though, making 30 starts for just the second time in ten MLB seasons and posting a 3.49 ERA.

Garza has been healthier, but he's still missed about 20 starts combined over the last two seasons. He was also outperformed by JDLR in 2013, making six fewer starts and posting a higher (3.82) ERA. Both pitchers average 7.6 strikeouts per nine innings for their careers, but Garza's walk rate is better at 3.0 per nine to 4.2.

JDLR may have been the better of these two pitchers in 2013, but Garza has been better in every other year of their overlapping MLB careers. Odds are he'll be better again this year. Advantage: Current Brewers

Starter #4: Wily Peralta v Chris Capuano

Capuano is still a free agent as of this writing, but I'm pretty confident he'll catch on somewhere in the next couple of weeks. Despite missing more than two full seasons following his second Tommy John surgery Capuano has been pretty good in his 30's, posting a 4.13 ERA over 114 appearances since Opening Day 2010. His 2012 season with the Dodgers (3.72 ERA over an NL-leading 33 starts) was one of the best of his career. Unfortunately, his performance dropped off a bit in 2013 and he was limited to 20 starts and 105.2 innings. His strikeouts also dropped below seven per nine innings for the first time since 2003.

Wily Peralta's first full MLB season was a tale of two halves: He had a 5.27 ERA and averaged just over 5.1 innings per appearance over his first 18 starts, but salvaged his season with a 3.35 ERA and over six innings per start in his final 14 outings. Capuano actually had better walk and strikeout rates, but Peralta threw almost 80 more innings.

The Brewers are counting on Peralta to continue to improve in 2014. I'm not sure if I'm overly optimistic in saying this, but I suspect he'll outperform the veteran lefty. Advantage: Current Brewers

Starter #5: Marco Estrada v Carlos Villanueva

I briefly considered swapping out Villanueva for Shaun Marcum, but opted to go with the pitcher we know is healthy. Villanueva made 47 appearances (15 starts) as a swingman in his first season as a Cub, posting a 4.50 ERA in his starts and a 3.03 mark out of the bullpen. His 128.2 innings pitched were a career high.

Meanwhile, 2013 was also a tale of two halves for Estrada, who had a 5.32 ERA before going on the DL in June and a 2.15 mark in nine starts after coming back. When Estrada is on he can be dominant, but like Villanueva he's never pitched a full major league season as a starter.

Both pitchers are 30 years old. Villanueva has a little more MLB experience, but Estrada has been better recently. I'll let you guys debate this one in the comments. Advantage: Push

So that's an advantage for the F-Brewers at #1 and 2, the current Brewers at #3 and 4 and a tie at #5. What do you think? Is it fair to call this rotation matchup a tie?

Here is the current grade breakdown for the Milwaukee Brewers farm system. The final results should be close to this.

One Grade B
Five Grade B-
Ten  Grade C+
18  Grade C


Yes, Jimmy Nelson is the Grade B. Feel free to speculate about who the other guys are.

More from Minor League Ball

Follow @MinorLeagueBallFollow @SBNationMLB

• Milwaukee Brewers farm system preliminary grade breakdown
• Minor League Ball: State of the Union
• Houston Astros Organization Discussion
• Milwaukee Brewers Preliminary Prospect List
• Top 20 Organization Prospect Lists for 2014: Menu
• Baltimore Orioles Top 20 Prospects for 2014
• Minor League Ball status update
• Tampa Bay's return in the Forsythe/Torres trade
• Baltimore Orioles farm system preliminary grade breakdown
• College player finds memorabilia gem from 1960

Uecker, who is 79, will skip some Brewers road trips this season.

For decades across Wisconsin Bob Uecker has been the voice of summer, enduring the grind of 162 games over six months and the accompanying travel challenges. Today he announced he'll be cutting back on that commitment a bit in 2014.

This morning Uecker announced on WTMJ that he'll reduce his 2014 schedule, calling all 81 home games but only going along on select road trips. This is somewhat similar to the arrangement the Dodgers have with Vin Scully. The definition of "select road trips" also appears to be fluid, as Uecker said he'll want to be with the team down the stretch on the road if the Brewers get hot.

Uecker's B-Ref page says he turned 79 on Sunday, although at Brewers On Deck he insisted he was turning 80. He took some time away from the team following heart surgery in 2010, but his health does not appear to be the issue here: Greg Matzek of WTMJ says there's "no cause for alarm."

In 2010 the Brewers filled in for Uecker by having then-partner Cory Provus call all nine innings with Davey Nelson joining him in the booth. At this point we haven't heard what the Brewers are planning for Uecker's absences in 2014.

We're talking about reduced broadcasting schedules and more in today's roundup of all things Brewers.

Some things to read while including all the necessary commas.

We are 14 days away from pitchers and catchers reporting to Maryvale, but today's top story is up in the press box: This morning Bob Uecker told WTMJ he plans to reduce his broadcasting schedule for the 2014 season, continuing to call all home games but only going along on select road trips. Uecker turned 80 on Sunday and will now settle into a schedule similar to what Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully and Reds voice Marty Brennaman currently fill.

The Brewers have some experience filling Uecker's innings on the radio, as he missed significant time in 2010 following heart surgery. During that absence Cory Provus filled all nine innings and was joined in the booth by Davey Nelson as an analyst. It sounds like the plan for 2014 is similar, according to @AdamMcCalvy. Uecker's schedule is fluid at this point, so there's no set plan for which games he'll miss.

Back on the field, Matt Garza's new contract continues to be a major topic of conversation. Here's what people are saying today:

• Howie Magner of Milwaukee Magazine says we should've seen this move coming.
• Nathan Petrashek of Cream City Cables notes that Garza's unusual fifth year option is the latest application of the "Lackey clause."
• Jonathan Judge of Disciples of Uecker highlights the importance of having at least an average starting rotation.
• Bill Chuck of Gammons Daily notes that Garza's 67 career wins are the 15th most ever for a pitcher with a career .500 record.

Even with Garza in the fold, not everyone is optimistic about the 2014 season. Yesterday Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com previewed the NL Central, and said this about the Brewers:

"The farm system is weak, the Major League club is full of holes and the star player is tainted. Tough time for Brewers fans."

Ouch.

Gonzalez may not be optimistic, but Tom Gorzelanny is. He has yet to start a throwing program after offseason shoulder surgery but told Adam McCalvy he's still hoping to be ready for Opening Day. I'm a little more skeptical.

Garza and Gorzelanny will be in major league camp for roughly their tenth times this spring, but first baseman Jason Rogers will be reporting to his first. Yesterday The Brewer Nation profiled him as part of their "Brewers By the (Jersey) Numbers" series.

In the minors:

• Grading on the Curve is the latest outlet to unveil their list of the top 15 Brewers prospects for 2014. They've got Jimmy Nelson #1, followed by Tyrone Taylor and Mitch Haniger.
• John Sickels of Minor League Ball is also working on his list, and his preliminary grades show the Brewers with one B and five B- prospects.
• Benjamin Hill of MiLB.com visited Appleton for a weekend over the summer, and yesterday he wrote an extended look at everything else he did when he wasn't at the ballpark. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to show him around a bit.
• The Caribbean World Series opens play on Saturday with Juan Francisco representing the Brewers for the Dominican Republic, Martin Maldonado on the Puerto Rican team and former Brewer minor leaguer Zelous Wheeler playing for the Mexican representative.

Closer to home, yesterday the Brewers announced the return of their "Brewers Baseball Academy" for 2014. This year they'll hold camps in ten places across the southeastern third of Wisconsin.

Around baseball:

Cardinals: Avoided arbitration with infielder Daniel Descalso (one year, $1.29 million).
Cubs: Avoided arbitration with outfielder Justin Ruggiano (one year, $2 million).
Mariners: Signed pitcher Scott Baker to a minor league deal.
Rangers: Claimed pitcher Pedro Figueroa off waivers from the Rays and designated pitcher Chaz Roe for assignment.
Reds: Signed infielder Ramon Santiago to a minor league deal.
Royals: Acquired outfielder Carlos Peguero from the Mariners for a PTBNL or cash and designated pitcher Everett Teaford for assignment.
Twins: Signed pitcher Matt Guerrier to a minor league deal.
Yankees: Signed infielder Scott Sizemore to a minor league deal.

Today in former Brewers:

• Yesterday we compared the Brewers' likely 2014 rotation to a group of active former Brewers, and called it a tie.
• Old Time Family Baseball rewrote a song from The Smiths to help say goodbye to Yuniesky Betancourt.
• Chris Mehring of Rattler Radio has Ron Roenicke, Don Sutton and Davey Lopes among the Brewers notables in his collection of Dodgers cards.

This isn't exactly Brewer-relevant, but it could be: Nick Michalski of The Brewers Bar has a look at the movement to improve a recreational facility in Franklin to perhaps include affiliated or independent professional baseball.

And in baseball economics:

• Dave Cameron of FanGraphs notes that teams could combine to spend over $2 billion on free agents for the first time this winter.
• The Dodgers have taken the unusual step of suspending sales of season tickets to ensure they'll have enough seats remaining for group events and individual game sales.
• Meanwhile, Pittsburgh mayor Bill Peduto appeared to issue a weird, vague threat to the Pirates in response to their lack of offseason spending.

With help from Brewerfan.net and the B-Ref Play Index, we'd like to wish a happy birthday today to:

• 2013 Brevard County Manatee Matt Miller, who turns 25.
• 2010-12 Brewer Mark Rogers, the #5 overall selection in the 2004 draft. He turns 28 and we covered his birthday in Today In Brewer History last year.
• Recent minor league signee Jeremy Hermida, who turns 30.

Plunk Everyone notes that Hermida's 21 career HBP are the fourth most ever for a player born on January 30.

Today is also the fourth anniversary of pitcher Dave Bush signing a minor league contract with the Rangers, effectively ending his Brewers career. We covered that event in Today In Brewer History two years ago.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm trying to turn left.

Drink up.

Can you name the 22 pitchers with active $50 million contracts?

We're about a week removed from the first rumor that the Brewers had signed Matt Garza to a four year, $52 million contract. The actual deal turned out to be $50 million, still the largest free agent contract in franchise history.

Across baseball, however, $50 million deals for pitchers are a relatively common occurrence. As of this week there are 22 pitchers with active contracts worth $50 million or more. How many can you name in five minutes?

If the quiz isn't displaying correctly for you here or you'd simply prefer to take it over there, follow this link to play the quiz at Sporcle.com.

Please post your score in the comments below, but also remember that comments on this post may contain spoilers. If you get all 22 answers correct, post your time along with your score in the comments.

If you've finished this quiz and would like another challenge, here are this offseason's other Thinkers:

• Name the Brewers who have been invited to MLB spring training (as of January 23).
• Name the parking lots surrounding Miller Park.
• Name each MLB team's leader in games played at second base since 2003.
• Name the best Brewers who never received an MVP vote.
• Name the new homes of this winter's top 50 free agents (updated twice on January 23).
• Name the members of the Brewers' new Wall of Honor.
• Name the Brewers who have appeared in more games than Corey Hart.
• Name the Brewers with career OBPs above .350.
• Name the 15 players who have played first base for the Brewers since Prince Fielder.
• Name the Brewers who have hit 25 or more home runs in a season.
• Name the nine Brewers under contract for 2014 (as of November 14).
• Name the 12 relievers that have faced the Brewers at least 25 times since 2007.
• Name the 28 position players who have made at least 200 plate appearances against the Brewers since 2007.
• Name the 18 starting pitchers who have faced the Brewers eleven times or more since 2007.
• Name the eight former Brewers who have appeared in the 2013 postseason.
• Name all 40 members of the 2013 Milwaukee Brewers.

You can also check out the archives for all of last winter's quizzes.

Have fun, and don't forget to post your score in the comments!

The Brewers could face a real challenge to stay relevant across the state when they're eventually forced to move on without Bob Uecker.

By now you've likely heard today's big news: This morning Bob Uecker announced he's cutting back on his broadcasting schedule for 2014. He'll continue to call all of the Brewers' home games at Miller Park but is going to skip an unnamed number of road trips. Uecker is 80 years old, so it's understandable for him to not want to commit to the rigorous travel of a full MLB season.

Unfortunately, this morning's news forced us to once again acknowledge an unfortunate truth: At some point, hopefully far off in the future, we're going to have to confront a world where Bob Uecker is no longer the voice of the Brewers. Adam McCalvy and I started to talk about it in this Twitter conversation:

@AdamMcCalvy Yeah, this terrifies me. Ueck's departure could have a serious negative impact on baseball in Wisconsin.

— Brew Crew Ball (@BrewCrewBall) January 30, 2014

I drew some pushback for that statement, but I stand by it. Uecker's eventual departure could present the Brewers with a major challenge if they want to stay relevant to a statewide audience.

Consider for a moment the Brewers Radio Network. In 2013 it was 37 radio stations across the state of Wisconsin, including one just across the border in Michigan. That network is a virtual guarantee that if you're anywhere in the state of Wisconsin, you have a radio and the Brewers are playing (and the Packers aren't), you can hear the game.

A lot of those network affiliates have been with the Brewers a long time, enduring some pretty lean years. Many of them have stuck with the team through back-to-back 90 loss seasons in the 70's and 80's, a long stretch of mediocrity in the 90's, 106 losses in 2002 and the worst month in franchise history in 2013. Even when the team is awful, though, affiliates tend to stick around. That's because, even when the Brewers are bad, it's worth their while to carry what could effectively be called the Bob Uecker Show.

Sometimes it feels like a sacrilege to say this, but I know not everyone loves listening to Uecker call a game. Some hardcore baseball fans get frustrated when the game becomes a side note to a long-winded story or when Uecker makes a routine fly ball sound like a 450-foot homer. But there are countless other observers across the state with varying levels of interest in the team that tune in just to listen to his call.

And those fans who only care about Uecker? They're still listening to the Brewers. Even if it wasn't their intention, they're keeping informed on the team's day-to-day performance. They're staying engaged. The day after Bob Uecker's final broadcast, some of those fans are going to tune out. A portion of them may never come back.

On that day, it's going to be hard to convince stations far away from Milwaukee to continue to invest the time and resources into remaining part of the network. Maybe most of us won't notice the loss of affiliates like WXCE in Amery, WJMC in Rice Lake or WCQM in Park Falls. But for fans of the Brewers living outside Milwaukee, it'll start to hit home when games get pre-empted or dropped entirely on stations like WKTY in La Crosse, WATQ in Eau Claire or WSAU in Wausau.

One of the selling points of Miller Park has been that the ability to close the roof allows fans to drive down to Milwaukee from all over the state and know the scheduled game will be played. Having Brewer fans coming in from all directions is part of the reason the Brewers are capable of selling 3 million tickets.

But what happens, then, if fans across the farther-out portions of the state lose a reason to stay engaged? What happens if the Brewers transition to being southern Wisconsin's team? Or even southeastern Wisconsin's team? Unfortunately, we don't have to look far for the answer to that question.

As much as we'd all like to believe Bob Uecker will be around this team forever, this is a problem the Brewers are going to have to face someday. I have no idea how I'd handle it.

Milwaukee Brewers Top 20 Prospects for 2014

The list and grades are a blending of present performance and long-term potential. Comments are welcome, but in the end all analysis and responsibility is mine. Full reports on all of players can be found in the 2014 Baseball Prospect Book. We are now taking pre-orders for the book, so order early and order often!

All of these grades are preliminary and subject to change.

QUICK PRIMER ON GRADE MEANINGS:

Grade A prospects are the elite. They have a reasonable chance of becoming stars or superstars. In theory, most Grade A prospects develop into major league regulars, if injuries or unanticipated problems don't intervene. Note that is a major "if" in some cases.

Grade B prospects have a good chance to enjoy successful careers. Some will develop into stars, some will not. Most end up spending several years in the majors, at the very least in a marginal role.

Grade C prospects are the most common type. These are guys who have something positive going for them, but who may have a question mark or three, or who are just too far away from the majors to get an accurate feel for. A few Grade C guys, especially at the lower levels, do develop into stars. Some end up as role players or bench guys. Many don't make it at all.

Also note that there is diversity within each category. I'm a tough grader; Grade C+ is actually good praise, and some C+ prospects (especially at lower levels) turn out very well indeed.

Finally, keep in mind that all grades are shorthand. You have to read the full comment in the book for my full opinion about a player, the letter grade only tells you so much. A Grade C prospect in rookie ball could end up being very impressive, while a Grade C prospect in Triple-A is likely just a future role player.

1) Jimmy Nelson, RHP, Grade B: Needs further command sharpening but his stuff seems solid enough to me, looks like a future number three or strong four starter. At worst he would slot in relief. Seems like the best bet among the starters the Brewers have in the high minors with more dominance potential than Taylor Jungmann or injury-plagued Jed Bradley and has better command than Johnny Hellweg.

2) Victor Roache, OF, Grade B-: Borderline B. Enormous power and hit much better in the second half after finally recovering from wrist problems. Questionable defense and high strikeout rate preclude higher grade until we see him against better competition, but has the most impact potential among Brewer bats.

3) Tyrone Taylor, OF, Grade B-: Borderline B. Great athlete with solid baseball tools, a more balanced player potentially with better defense and speed than Roache but without the same power impact.

4) Devin Williams, RHP, Grade B-: Borderline C+. 2013 second-round pick from a Missouri high school has first round arm and athleticism, still rather raw of course. Could develop into a number two starter. . .or fizzle in A-ball. Still ranks well in this system due to high-upside but will need time to develop.

5) Clint Coulter, C, Grade B-: Borderline C+. This may seem a generous ranking given his struggles (.244/.314/.400 but with poor numbers in Low-A) in ‘13, but the tools that made him a ’12 first-rounder are still there and injuries were a problem last year. With better health I think he can unlock the bat, but we’ll still need to see about his position.

6) Orlando Arcia, SS, Grade C+: Borderline B-: I love the glove, excellent defensive tools and more reliable than the typical 19 year old shortstop. Bat is weak at this point but I think it is developable given his knack for contact. I would not expect big numbers in the Florida State League, but seems like a guy with long-term value.

7) Mitch Haniger, OF, Grade C+: Borderline B-: No glaring strengths, but no huge weaknesses, does a lot of things reasonably well, good fielder with moderate power, could hit .260 with a decent OBP. Personification of a Brewers prospect.

8) Johnny Hellweg, RHP, Grade C+: Would rank a few notches higher if the only thing that counted was radar gun readings, but his command is horrendous. 81 walks in 126 innings in Triple-A is more telling than his pretty 3.15 ERA at Nashville.
9) Taylor Jungmann, RHP, Grade C+: Well he eats innings well and gets grounders, but mechanics and overall command slipped and resulted in unattractive 82/73 K/BB in 139 innings in Double-A. Still has a shot as a fourth starter.

10) David Goforth, RHP, Grade C+: Another potential fourth starter with sinker, cutter and curve, although many prefer him as a reliever long-term and he performed well in that role in the Arizona Fall League. Should open the year in Triple-A.

11) Tucker Neuhaus, 3B, Grade C+: Did not hit well in rookie ball, but I will cut him some slack given age (he is still just 18), second-round status, good defensive tools for third base, and impact potential. It is almost nothing but potential at this point, but it is there.

12) Taylor Williams, RHP, Grade C+: From this point on you could rank these guys in just about any order with valid logic behind the decision. Fourth round 2013 pick from Kent State is undersized (5-11) but can hit the mid-90s and usually throws strikes. Could easily move ahead of guys like Jungmann and Goforth if he maintains command at higher levels and if he proves to have the durability to start.

13) Tyler Wagner, RHP, Grade C+: Wasn’t Tucker, Taylor, Tyler, Nick a BBC drama from the 1970s? This University of Utah product gets little attention but he posted a 3.01 GO/AO in Low-A last year, with a solid 3.21 ERA, ate 149 innings with a 116/56 K/BB. Would like to see more strikeouts and he’s yet another fourth/fifth starter candidate, but worth noting since he doesn’t get much attention.

14) Nick Delmonico, 1B-3B, Grade C+: Borderline C. Quite a few people seem to like this guy but he can’t play third base and there will be a lot more pressure on his bat at first base. Good power, will take a walk, but batting average may get unacceptably low at higher levels.

15) Jason Rogers, 1B, Grade C+: Borderline C. This guy gets no attention at all but that could be a mistake. He is a 25-year-old 260-pound first baseman/emergency outfielder and a former 32^nd round pick. But he earned a spot on the 40-man roster with a fine offensive track record, career .283/.368/.446 hitter, knocked 22 homers last year, controls strike zone well, posted 144 wRC+ in 2012 and 136 last year in Double-A. There could be something very interesting in this bat.

16) Hunter Morris, 1B, Grade C+: Borderline C. Morris will rank ahead of Rogers on every other prospect list due to his draft pedigree, but he’s only five months younger than Rogers and hasn’t been as productive due to weaker plate discipline and more serious contact issues. Hit 24 homers in Triple-A but wasn’t promoted to the majors for September. Neither Rogers nor Morris offer much defense, both are slow slugger types, but Rogers has a more consistent track record, strikes out less, and they are not that far apart in age. I will go where the numbers lead me in this case and put Rogers ahead.

17) Ariel Pena, RHP, Grade C+: Borderline C. Geez talk about frustrating. Great arm, strikes people out at a good clip, but command problems and tendency to leave pitches high in the strike zone hold him back. Better off in relief perhaps?

18) Michael Ratterree, OF, Grade C+" Borderline C: Pioneer League MVP never lived up to potential during four-year career at Rice, but he could be a bargain as a 10^th rounder if early returns are any indication (.314/.395/.585 12 homer). Need to see him at higher levels but the tools have always been here.

19) Barrett Astin, RHP, Grade C+: Borderline C: Could rank at 14 if you want, but he’s basically another boring Brewers pitching prospect who is a back-end starter or reliever down the line.

20) Damien Magnifico, RHP, Grade C: Johnny Hellweg part two, although five inches shorter and more injury prone.

OTHERS: Michael Blazek, RHP; Jed Bradley, LHP; Hiram Burgos, RHP; Rodolfo Fernandez, RHP; Drew Gagnon, RHP; Omar Garcia, OF; Brooks Hall, RHP; Andrew Hillis, RHP; Hobbs Johnson, LHP; Jorge Lopez, RHP; Jose Pena, OF; Michael Reed, OF; Yadiel Rivera, SS; Kevin Shackelford, RHP; Wei-Chung Wang, LHP.

The problems with the Brewers system are well-known. There is almost a complete lack of impact talent here, and the guys who have the physical ability to be impactful (Coulter, Roache, Hellweg, Williams) have significant questions they need to answer. There are some players with upside and some players with polish, but it is hard to find anyone who has both. This is true both on the mound and in the field. They’ve made steps to add more upside types the last two drafts while still looking for role players and sleepers in the middle and later rounds, but it just hasn’t worked out yet.

Heck, even their names are boring.

Looking for positives, they do have several of the grade C+/C types who could be useful role players, and there are some guys who would be interesting sleepers in any organization (Rogers, Wagner). The situation could look better a year from now if Roache maintains his second half momentum and Coulter gets back on track.

I don’t know if this is the worst farm system in the game. The Angels are pretty bad too, and I won’t have a final ranking on that until all the organization reports are complete. But it sure isn’t a good system at this point and has to be in the conversation for worst. Something needs to change.

More from Minor League Ball

Follow @MinorLeagueBallFollow @SBNationMLB

• Milwaukee Brewers farm system preliminary grade breakdown
• Minor League Ball: State of the Union
• Houston Astros Organization Discussion
• Milwaukee Brewers Preliminary Prospect List
• Top 20 Organization Prospect Lists for 2014: Menu
• Baltimore Orioles Top 20 Prospects for 2014
• Minor League Ball status update
• Tampa Bay's return in the Forsythe/Torres trade
• Baltimore Orioles farm system preliminary grade breakdown
• College player finds memorabilia gem from 1960

TOP 20 BASEBALL PROSPECTS FOR 2014 BY ORGANIZATION

AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST
Baltimore Orioles  (January 26, 2014)
Boston Red Sox  (January 1,2014)
New York Yankees
Tampa Bay Rays
Toronto Blue Jays   (January 18, 2014)

AMERICAN LEAGUE CENTRAL
Chicago White Sox
Cleveland Indians
Detroit Tigers
Kansas City Royals   (December 16, 2013)
Minnesota Twins   (October 15, 2013)

AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST
Houston Astros
Los Angeles Angels   (January 11, 2014)
Oakland Athletics
Seattle Mariners
Texas Rangers

NATIONAL LEAGUE EAST
Atlanta Braves (December 4, 2013)
Miami Marlins
New York Mets  (January 13, 2014)
Philadelphia Phillies
Washington Nationals

NATIONAL LEAGUE CENTRAL
Chicago Cubs   (January 8, 2014)
Cincinnati Reds   (January 22, 2014)
Milwaukee Brewers (January 30, 2014)
Pittsburgh Pirates
St. Louis Cardinals

NATIONAL LEAGUE WEST
Arizona Diamondbacks
Colorado Rockies
Los Angeles Dodgers
San Diego Padres
San Francisco Giants  (December 28, 2014)

We're still talking about yesterday's broadcast announcement and more in today's roundup of all things Brewers.

Some things to read while backing out at the last second. (h/t Aaron Gleeman)

We are 13 days away from pitchers and catchers reporting to Maryvale, and a day later we're still reacting to yesterday's news that Bob Uecker will reduce his broadcast schedule for 2014. Adam McCalvy talked to Uecker about his decision, his lack of retirement plans, and the possibility of making Major League IV. Meanwhile, I shared my concerns about the future of baseball across the state when Uecker eventually hangs it up.

Uecker will still be in Arizona with the team this spring, watching with all of us as the Brewers work to trim down to the Opening Day roster. A bunch of non-roster invitees will also be in attendance, but Lou Olsen of Reviewing the Brew finds the group somewhat underwhelming.

Pitcher Kevin Shackelford will also be in major league camp for the first time. Yesterday The Brewer Nation profiled him as part of their "Brewers By the (Jersey) Numbers" series.

Matt Garza will also be in  his first camp with the Brewers after signing a four-year, $50 million contract this winter. Yesterday's Thursday Thinker asked you to name the 22 MLB pitchers with active contracts worth $50 million or more.

Carlos Gomez is opening his eighth major league season, and he joined an unusual group with his 2013 performance. Ryan Romano of Beyond the Box Score listed Gomez as one of a select few players in MLB history who have been at least 20% above average offensively while being 20% below average in both walk and strikeout rates. Other players on the list with Milwaukee ties include Geoff Jenkins (2000) and former Milwaukee Braves Joe Adcock (1956) and Mack Jones (1965).

In the minors:

• John Sickels of Minor League Ball unveiled his ranking of the top 20 prospects in the Brewers organization last night. He has Jimmy Nelson leading the way as the organization's only solid B prospect. Five other players received B- grades.
• @SoCalSteve9 has video of first baseman David Denson taking offseason batting practice. (h/t @Mass_Haas)
• Yesterday I linked to a Benjamin Hill MiLB.com piece about his trip to Appleton earlier this summer. Hill followed that up with a day in Beloit, and shared some stories from that leg of his adventure.

Back in Milwaukee, the Brewers made a pair of announcements yesterday: First, they unveiled Wily Peralta, Jim Henderson and Matt Garza as the three candidates for the Fan's Choice bobblehead on June 27 and invited you to vote for your favorite. Second, registration is now open for the Brewers Community Foundation's 5K Famous Racing Sausages Run/Walk on July 26.

Around baseball:

Royals: Re-signed pitcher Bruce Chen to a one-year, $4.25 million contract.
Twins: Released pitcher Andrew Albers, who is expected to pitch in Korea.

Learning that Chen was available on a relatively cheap one-year deal made me wonder aloud if the Brewers would have been better off signing him and spending Matt Garza's money elsewhere. The knock on Chen has typically been his home run rate, but Dave Cameron of FanGraphs has a look at how he's brought it down over the years.

Elsewhere in transactions, earlier this winter the Brewers had been rumored to be interested in former Rangers and Dodgers infielder Michael Young. Young announced plans to retire yesterday.

Today in former Brewers:

• The Orioles have hired B.J. Surhoff as a special assignment coach for their minor league system.
• Stuart Wallace of Beyond the Box Score says Jorge De La Rosa's splitter was the worst among MLB starting pitchers in 2013.
• Nick Michalski of The Brewers Bar has a look back at the seven Brewers who have hit for the cycle.

And in baseball economics: Mets ownership has managed to refinance a $250 million loan that had been limiting their payroll commitments and potentially threatening the future of the team under its current leadership.

When pitchers and catchers report to spring training they're usually joined by the beat writers, who will spend most of their life from February-September (and perhaps beyond) following the team to produce daily coverage. It's a dream job for many, but Eno Sarris of The Hardball Times has a collection of stories that will make you be careful what you wish for.

Finally, with help from Brewerfan.net and the B-Ref Play Index, we'd like to wish a happy birthday today to:

• 2013 Helena Brewer Taylor Brennan, who turns 22.
• 2011 and 2013 Brewer Yuniesky Betancourt, who turns 32.
• Former Brewers pitching coach Bob Apodaca, who turns 64.
• Wautoma, Wisconsin native and UW-La Crosse and Ripon alum Webb Schultz, who would have turned 116. Schultz pitched one game in the majors as a member of the 1924 White Sox.

Plunk Everyone notes that Yuni's 10 career HBP lead all active players born on January 31.

Today is also the eleventh anniversary of the Brewers signing veteran outfielder John Vander Wal as a free agent in 2003. We covered that event in Today In Brewer History two years ago.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to stand on my chair for a while.

Drink up.

I link therefor I am.

It is dark. A man stands at a bus stop under a dimly lit streetlight. What started as a light sprinkling has now turned into a steady rainfall. Drops of precipitation drip down his black raincoat and fall into a puddle at his now muddy boots. This past year was a disappointing one for him. He forced himself to remember all the mistakes he made, the ridicule he endured. "We will see who gets the last laugh, now," he whispers. Finally, he can see the bright headlights of the bus as it approaches the stop seven minutes late. A weary, older gentleman opens the doors and the man steps up and removes his hood as he attempts to shake the unwanted water from his face. "Is this the bus to Jupiter?" he asks. The tired driver just nods.

The man sits down near the back of the bus. He opens his knapsack and takes out his last jelly doughnut. Another shot, Ty Wigginton thinks to himself as he takes a bite, I knew someone would give me another shot. They always do. - Viva el Birdos

Other Things Going on in Baseball...

• Everyone's favorite "utility man" and the man who was up instead of Adrian Gonzalez, twice, with the winning run in scoring position in game one of the NLCS ponders retirement. - MLBUPDATE: No longer pondering. Cleats are hung. - MLB
• Some of the top rotations in the league, if you are in to that sort of thing. - Sports on Earth - SBNation
• Oh what is this? Just some projections on how many games each MLB team will win. Detroit tops all teams with 91. - Clay Davenport
• Someone, I am thinking tintin47, linked this in a comment. In case you missed it, here is one of the coolest things ever. This query shows all home runs hit on pitches 95+. - Baseball Savant
• Grover of Sesame Street falls on his face while a future Hall of Famer looks on. Do not watch this video if you don't like adorable things. - Youtube
• But AP isn't the only guy showcasing his acting ability (yeah, that is what we will call it). Clayton Kershaw looks like a giant next to Zooey Deschanel. - CutFour
• What happened if you tried to hit a baseball pitched at 90% of the speed of light? pattimagee wants to know. Science and stuff. - What If?
• The Big Puma, Lance Berkman, has called it quits after a 15 year career. Is he a Hall of Famer? - Baseball Nation - Sports Illustrated (Thanks to Willie McGee's Twin for this one.) - CutFour
• Nolan Ryan is a baaaad 67 year old man today. - CutFour Heh heh heh - Fangraphs

What the Cardinals Are Up To...

It is apparently Kolten Wong week on the internet.

• Earlier this week, the VEB community submitted its projections for Kolten Wong (if you haven't done so yet, you should, for sure) and Craig looks at the Cardinals' History of Rookie Second Baseman. Dan Moore looks at second baseman, the forgotten man. - Mad Em Dashes
• ThePainGuy links in a fanshot to his anaylsis of Kolten Wong's swing. Check it out and give him some feedback in the comments, if you feel so inclined. - Chris O'Leary
• Should the Cardinals put Wong in the two hole (giggity)? Bernie Miklasz wonders just that and who should go there with Carlos Beltran's departure. - STL Today
• Thinking about putting some Birdos on your fantasy team (and you probably are)? Add this to your research. - CBS Sports
• Yadier Molina is battling Jose Altuve in the first round of the "Face of the MLB" and LOSING. Come on, guys. - MLB
• Joe Kelly is funny and does funny things (handshakes notwithstanding). - Twitter

• Always working hard pic.twitter.com/VrtEaLv4OK

  — Joseph Kelly Jr. (@JosephKellyJr) January 28, 2014

KNOW THY ENEMY...

• Something about Ryan Braun and PEDs. - MLB
• Apparently that whole Matt Garza thing worked out after all. The Brewers recently inked the 30 year old pitcher to a four year deal worth $50 million guaranteed, $4 million in incentives, and a $13 million vesting option for a fifth year. - MLB - Fangraphs
• "I threw two no hitters and these tightwads are just dragging their heels. Kershaw just made $300 million no problem. How many no hitters has he thrown?" Homer Bailey is getting annoyed with how long these negotiations are taking. Okay, so maybe he didn't say that exactly or at all or anything close to that. - MLB
• "Wait... did we just get threatened by the Mayor?" - Pittsburgh Pirates - Bucs Dugout

Viva el Stuff...

Can a relatively inexperienced group of Brewers relievers outpitch their active former Brewers counterparts?

What follows is part four of a likely five part series comparing likely members of the 2014 Milwaukee Brewers to active players who have appeared in at least one MLB game in a Brewers uniform. Last week we looked at the infield, and earlier this week we compared outfields and rotations.

I saved bullpens for near the end of this series for a couple of reasons:

1. The Brewers haven't done much to tip their hand regarding what the 2014 bullpen will look like, given the present set of options.
2. I'm still somewhat expecting this team to add to the list of bullpen candidates sometime between now and spring training.

However, neither of those issues have resolved themselves in the week I've spent working on this series. So we'll have to evaluate now with the acknowledgement that there's some conjecture here and a strong possibility of change.

Closer: Jim Henderson v Grant Balfour

Henderson has been a remarkable story in his brief tenure as a Brewer, coming out of relative obscurity following ten seasons in the minors to become an effective MLB reliever. He recorded 28 saves and posted a 2.70 ERA in 61 appearances for the Crew a year ago, and over 97 MLB outings he's struck out nearly 12 batters per nine innings.

Balfour resurrected his career in 2007 after missing two full seasons due to injury, and started that process with three pretty rough appearances as a Brewer. The Brewers sold early on him and traded him away, and in the six years since he's posted a 2.74 ERA over 383 relief appearances. He recorded 38 saves and was an All Star for the A's last season.

Balfour is older than Henderson (he turned 36 in December) and has a strange injury red flag, as the Orioles agreed to terms with him on a free agent contract this winter but then scrapped the deal over concerns with his physical. He's also made at least 57 appearances in four consecutive seasons with a combined ERA under 2.50, though, so I'd say he's a better bet to be a strong closer in 2014. Advantage: Former Brewers.

Setup man: Brandon Kintzler v John Axford

2013 was Kintzler's first full healthy season in the majors, and he took advantage of the opportunity. He appeared in 71 games, the second most on the team, posted a bullpen-best 2.69 ERA and walked just 16 batters in 77 innings. The Brewers may have gotten a steal when they signed this former independent leaguer.

Kintzler and Axford are near-polar opposites. While Kintzler gets results with a low strikeout and walk rate, Axford blows hitters away to the tune of nearly eleven strikeouts per nine but also has a walk rate up over four. Despite back-to-back rough seasons with Milwaukee, Axford still has a career ERA of just 3.29 and his 106 saves are the second most in franchise history. Also, it's possible he was tipping his pitches and has corrected the issue.

Kintzler has the potenital to be a great setup man, but it's worth noting that roughly 70% of his career relief appearances came in 2013. He just doesn't have Axford's track record yet, and it's hard to compete with Axford's dominance. Advantage: Former Brewers

Setup man #2: Rob Wooten v Mike Adams

This matchup is another tale of two opposites. Wooten came from relative obscurity to pitch well in 27 appearances for the Brewers in 2013, but his 27.2 innings of work represent his entire MLB career.

Adams, meanwhile, has appeared in almost 400 MLB games over nine seasons, and has a 2.39 career ERA. He had a rough, injury abbreviated campaign in 2013 with the Phillies but still made 28 appearances with a 3.96 ERA. Adams might be the best reliever in baseball that's never been used as a full-time closer.

There's a chance Wooten will turn into a great middle or late reliever for the Brewers. But there's also a strong chance he'll be replaced by a veteran option. Advantage: Former Brewers

Middle reliever: Tom Gorzelanny v Francisco Rodriguez

Rodriguez is still a free agent, and there's a chance he rejoins the Brewers and removes himself from the right side of this conversation. For now, however, he's a very formidable option for the F-Brewers. He has 304 saves across 12 MLB seasons but is still only 32, and despite a rough finish to the 2013 campaign with the Orioles he posted a 2.70 ERA for the season (right in line with his career mark) and struck out 10.4 batters per nine innings.

Gorzelanny was a nice addition to the 2013 Brewers and performed much better as a reliever (2.70 ERA over 33 appearances) than a starter (4.81 over 48.2 innings). He has two things going against him, though: One is that he's never been as dominant as K-Rod, and the other is that offseason shoulder surgery makes his availability to open 2014 a question mark. Advantage: Former Brewers

Remaining contributors

Instead of trying to guess where the rest of the Brewers bullpen will line up, I'll offer the likely possibility that each of these teams would use all of the following six pitchers at some point over the course of the season:

The group on the left here has a lot of potential, but at least four of the guys from the group on the right could pitch for just about any team in baseball. I think it's possible the bullpen would be the biggest strength for the F-Brewers. It might be the best in baseball. Advantage: Former Brewers

So there you have it: The current Brewers won both the infield and outfield, but the two sides tied in starting pitching and the F-Brewers swept every matchup in the bullpen. Where does this leave us?

It was a busy week in Brewers news. This week's lessons include the end result of the Garza negotiations, the true significance of minor league rankings, and changes in the radio broadcasts.

The Matt Garza deal became official.

Last Saturday, this deal was still in limbo, as we didn't know if the deal was going to happen or if it was about to get cancelled before it went through. Sunday ended up being the big day, as all the news came out at the On Deck event. First came a report that the deal would be finished in 48 hours. Then, Mark Attanasio eliminated any doubt by announcing that the Brewers had signed Matt Garza. A little later, we got the first official details of the contract at 4 years/$50 million with a vesting fifth year option at $13 million. The deal was done, all that was left was to cross the t's and dot the i's.

What we didn't realize initially was how complex those t's and i's were, but those details came out on Tuesday with the full details of the contract. As reported before, it was for 4 years/$50 million with incentives and a vesting option. However, the fifth year option was much more complex than we originally thought. If the option didn't vest, the Brewers had a $5 million option for 2018 that dropped to $1 miilion if he spent too much time on the DL. It was a deal that took many of us a while to process because it didn't seem like the details were correct. However, it's a deal that is becoming more common in baseball with injury protection. The fifth year is a long time away for now, but it's something we will monitor as the deal progresses.

A day we all fear is getting closer: Bob Uecker's retirement.

Many of us woke up on Thursday to some surprising news. A report came out that Bob Uecker was going to begin cutting back on his road broadcasts in 2014. We knew the day would eventually come when Bob Uecker would leave broadcasts, and it's starting to happen. What will happen when the day comes that Uecker does retire? We don't know yet, but Kyle has a theory about it. He analyzed this exact possibility Thursday for what it would mean to the Brewers organization. We should be cherishing every moment that remains of his time at broadcaster, because it will come to an end one day. We just don't know when it will be.

Minor league rankings may not mean as much as we thought.

We heard all about how the minor league rankings have the Brewers ranked very low. Many top 100 lists don't even contain a Brewers prospect. How much does it really mean, though? That's exactly what Kyle thought about earlier this week, asking what the true significance of these rankings is. With so many prospects in the minors, are these really the best 100 prospects, or just the most publicized prospects? That's what we have to ask.

Of course, that didn't stop the prospect lists from coming out this week. Baseball Prospectus released their list of top 10 Brewers prospects this week, led by Tyrone Taylor at #1. On SBNation, Minor League Ball also looked at the Brewers minor league system to rank it. It started on Monday with a preliminary prospect list, then continued on Tuesday with a preliminary grade breakdown of the system. They released their full top 20 list of the Brewers system on Thursday, led by Jimmy Nelson. These rankings will always be coming out and we should be aware of them, but they are not much more than predictions. Many predictions are wrong, and that's something to remember.

Other notes from the week

- A few more minor league signings occurred this week. On Sunday, Jeremy Hermida and Joe Thurston signed deals. Then, on Monday, Pete Orr signed a minor league deal. The Brewers are going to have plenty of minor league players to choose from, hopefully they find something in at least one of them.
- It was Australia Day on Sunday. Kyle marked the day by looking at the different Australian born major league players who have ties to the Brewers.
- Meanwhile, a different kind of celebration took place on Tuesday. That's when we found out that Yuniesky Betancourt will be going far away to Japan to play baseball there. Get ready for some culture shock when you hear those postgame interviews.

Reviewing the Current vs. Former Brewers Series

The Outfield
The Rotation
The Bullpen

The Collection of Mugs

1/27/2014: "On Deck" overview
1/28/2014: Either/Orr
1/29/2014: Option Watch
1/30/2014: Cutting back
1/31/2014: Life with less Uecker

Test Your Knowledge

The Thursday Thinker: Rich Pitchers

He gave Mayaguez an early lead in their 7-6, 10 inning win over Cibao.

The 2014 Caribbean Series opened play on Saturday in Margarita Island, Venezuela, and the Puerto Rican team opened up a lead on the field by beating Licey, the Dominican Republic's representative, 7-6 in ten innings.

Infielder Irving Falu, who will be a non-roster invitee to Brewers camp in a couple of weeks, started at third base and got Mayaguez on the board in the first inning, hitting a solo home run off former Nationals pitcher Yunesky Maya. Falu went 2-for-4 in the contest and was also credited with a sac bunt.

Martin Maldonado caught the full game for Mayaguez but went 0-for-4 with a strikeout. He did make a notable contribution defensively, throwing out both runners who attempted to steal a base off of him.

One of those would-be base stealers was 2013 Nashville Sound Eugenio Velez, who went 0-for-3 with a walk in the game for Licey. Brewers minor leaguer Hector Gomez had a much better day for the losing side, going 2-for-3 with a home run and a walk and driving in three runs.

The go-ahead run scored in the top of the tenth inning when former Brewers reliever Guillermo Mota allowed a run on a double, Falu's sac bunt and a fielder's choice.

Play continues in Venezuela tomorrow when Mayaguez takes on the Mexican team at 1:30. Each team plays four games in the round-robin phase before Saturday's championship game.