Zack Greinke traded to Brewers
Updated: December 20, 2010, 9:08 AM ET
Associated Press


MILWAUKEE -- The Milwaukee Brewers are going all in for 2011, acquiring former Cy Young winner Zack Greinke in a trade with the Kansas City Royals.

The Royals announced Sunday that they acquired shortstop Alcides Escobar, outfielder Lorenzo Cain and right-handed pitching prospects Jake Odorizzi and Jeremy Jeffress from the Brewers in exchange for Greinke, shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt and cash considerations.

"Zack Greinke is one of the top young pitchers in the game today," Brewers general manager Doug Melvin said in a statement. "We are very excited to add him to our new rotation.


"Zack brings great physical skills and athleticism to the team and is an outstanding competitor. This trade is a credit to our scouting and player development staff as their hard work and judgment provided us the talented prospects that Kansas City will be receiving. I also appreciate the support of ownership in making this deal."

Milwaukee outfielder Corey Hart said the move, along with a previous trade for starter Shaun Marcum, makes the Brewers a solid contender.

"We were getting better with Marcum, now Greinke," Hart said in a text message to The Associated Press. "Brewers are for real!"

Brewers slugger Ryan Braun said the deal was "amazing" in a separate text message.

"Don't really know him much yet but really looking forward to getting to know him!" he said.

Royals general manager Dayton Moore said the deal made sense for Kansas City because the young players they acquired from Milwaukee fit into what is expected to be a wave of promising young players coming up through their system. Third baseman Mike Moustakas and first baseman Eric Hosmer could join the big league club this year.

"We expect to be competitive next year," Moore said. "We're still working to improve our baseball team."

Moore indicated it took some direct talks between he and Greinke before the pitcher agreed to waive the no-trade clause in his contract.

"He was very much open to it at the end of the day," Moore said.

Greinke was 10-14 with a 4.17 ERA for the Royals last season. It was a step back from his standout 2009 season, when he went 16-8 with a 2.16 ERA and won the Cy Young award.

There are two years left on the four-year, $38 million contract he signed with the Royals in January 2009. He is due $13.5 million each of the final two seasons, although the Brewers got an undisclosed amount of cash back from the Royals as part of the deal.

Greinke is 60-67 with a 3.82 ERA in six-plus seasons with the Royals. He sat out most of the 2006 season because of an anxiety disorder and considered quitting baseball.

"A big part of my heart will always pull for Zack," Moore said. "What he overcame, the success he had here, to the point it's not easy to make these types of deals. You would prefer to have him here and sign him long-term but it just wasn't something we could do."

Moore expects Greinke to thrive in the National League.

"This guy's one of the best fielding pitchers in the game," Moore said. "You can't bunt on him. He holds runners. He's a studier. I think he's going to do terrific."

Reports of a potential deal sending Greinke to Milwaukee surfaced online late Saturday.

With the deal, the Brewers have taken two big steps to bolster their starting rotation -- the team's main weak spot in back-to-back disappointing seasons. Earlier this month, Milwaukee made a trade with Toronto to obtain Marcum for highly regarded infield prospect Brett Lawrie.

It's an indication the Brewers are serious about making a playoff run in 2011 -- presumably making it far less likely that the team would trade first baseman Prince Fielder, who can become a free agent at the end of the season and has been the subject of widespread trade speculation.

Melvin also went all-in in 2008 with a trade for CC Sabathia, who led the team to the playoffs. With the acquisition of Greinke, the Brewers' starting staff is closer to par with Philadelphia and San Francisco in the National League.

This month's deals for starting pitching have cost Milwaukee promising young prospects who might have figured prominently in its future -- and could help the Royals' rebuilding effort.

Escobar was the Brewers' primary shortstop last season but struggled at the plate, batting .235 with 41 RBIs. Cain played 43 games for the Brewers last season, batting .306 with 13 RBIs.

Jeffress made 10 appearances for the Brewers last season, going 1-0 with a 2.70 ERA. He has been suspended twice under baseball's drug policy.

Odorizzi was perhaps the Brewers' top minor league pitching prospect, and agent Jason Wood said the team tried "very hard" to keep his client out of the deal.

"You know what? It's a nice compliment that the Royals thought highly enough of Jake to include him in the deal," Wood said. "It's quite flattering and Jake takes it as a compliment.

"I think the Royals have a quality player and person," Wood said. "Zack Greinke is a Cy Young winner who had a phenomenal year."


Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press

Joe, how well did Escobar do last year ? I guess you did not want to post his stats did you ?

At bats - 548, average - .254, OBP - .290, OPS - .633.

Royals got a hell of a deal ! Really ?

2012 Indians Top 50 Prospects: #3 Dillon Howard

March 29, 2012 (0 comments)
We are down to the final three prospects in the 2012 IPI Indians Top 50 Prospect countdown, and coming in at #3 is right-handed pitcher Dillon Howard. He has yet to throw a professional inning, but Howard has the aptitude, talent, and stuff to become a a very good #2 pitcher for the Indians down the road. Tony provides all the details on this talented right-handed pitcher.

Since there's no one left other than Lindor and Tony has 2 spots left to fill, maybe he's going to be clever and list NO ONE as No. 2 prospect, since this organization is incredibly thin and unlikely to produce any major league talent for years to come.

Tony also posts on his page that there is a "possible position shift" for Beau Mills. But since I don't subscribe to his paid page, I don't what he's referring to. Is Mills going to return to SS since he doesn't hit well enough to play a corner?

Indians' farm system stacked at lower levels
Lindor the headliner of Tribe's talented young crop

By Jordan Bastian / MLB.com | 03/28/12 9:30 PM ET

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- The Indians do not mind that shortstop Francisco Lindor is receiving the bulk of the attention among the organization's top prospects. Already this spring, Cleveland has seen a player capable of handling the spotlight.

"One of the most exciting things for us this Spring Training is the impact Lindor has already had on our system," Indians' vice president of player development Ross Atkins said. "Not just from adding that piece to the puzzle, but the attitude and the professionalism. It's unreal."

Lindor, Cleveland's top pick in last summer's First-Year Player Draft, is only 18 years old, but he carries himself in a manner that shows his maturity level matches his skill level on the field. The young shortstop will be the focal point of the Indians' system this season, but the Tribe is excited about a number of its other talented prospects.

Minor League Baseball's Opening Day is Thursday, April 5, and fans can keep track of the Indians' top prospects throughout the season on Prospect Watch. Scores, stats, news, schedules, tickets and more for all of Cleveland's Minor League teams can be found on the Tribe's affiliates page.

When it comes to middle-infield prospects, specifically, Cleveland feels it has a good problem on its hands. The Indians believe they have a host of talent up the middle with the likes of Lindor, Tony Wolters, Ronny Rodriguez, Robel Garcia and Dorssys Paulino, among others.

Right now, the Indians' task is to determine where they will all fit in within the system.

"It's been a very, very good Spring Training," Atkins said. "Really, when we know that our decisions are focused around just placing prospects, and all of our energy and effort is going to that, that we're having a productive Spring Training."

As things currently stand, Lindor and Garcia will likely be heading to low Class A Lake County to begin the season. Paulino, signed out of the Dominican Republic for $1.1 million in July, will stay in extended Spring Training, but could be in Lake County later this year. Wolters and Rodriguez project to open the year with high Class A Carolina.

Atkins said the Indians have been especially impressed this spring with Wolters, who was a third-round selection by the Tribe in the 2010 Draft.

"He's been unbelievable," Atkins said. "He's made some of the most encouraging strides of any of our players. He performed well last year in Mahoning Valley, and the strides he made in instructional league and then the work he did all offseason, and how he's looked in camp at 19, is all very encouraging."

Here is a glance at how the Indians' farm system is shaping up for the 2012 season:


Stacked squads

The Columbus Clippers will feature the kind of roster that could contend for a third consecutive Triple-A championship, but the club does not project to include many of the players considered to be Cleveland's top prospects. Along those lines, it will be Lake County and Carolina that will be the teams to monitor closely this season.

"The lower levels are the exciting ones," Atkins said.

Lindor, who was the eighth overall pick in the 2011 Draft, will likely be manning shortstop for the Lake County Captains. Wolters will likely be handling shortstop and some second base for the Carolina Mudcats. Another intriguing player likely ticketed for Carolina will be 21-year-old first baseman Jesus Aguilar.

In 164 games combined between last season in Class-A and winter ball, during which Aguilar took part in the Arizona Fall League and the Venezuelan Winter League, the first baseman hit .288 with 29 home runs, 42 doubles and 105 RBIs. If he continues at a strong pace out of the gates this season, Aguilar could reach Double-A Akron quickly.

"He just keeps doing it," Atkins said. "And he's a good first baseman. I think the only reason he's under the radar is the position he plays. It's such a demand on your bat, but he's young and he's done it at a very young age."

Debuts and Draftees
The Indians selected right-hander Dillon Howard with the 67th overall pick (second round) in last June's First-Year Player Draft. He signed with Cleveland shortly before the August deadline last fall for $1.85 million. Due to the late signing, Howard did not pitch in the Tribe's farm system last season.

The 19-year-old Howard pitched for Searcy High School in Arkansas last year, featuring a 92-94 mph fastball, along with a curveball and changeup. The 6-foot-4, 210-pound righty went 9-1 with a 0.31 ERA, piling up 115 strikeouts against 25 walks in 58 innings across 12 starts. He will begin this season with a Class A affiliate.

Teams on TV
The Clippers are among a growing number of teams whose games are available on MiLB.TV. The 2012 MiLB.TV package will include more than 2,500 Minor League games streamed live, as well as games archived for on-demand streaming soon after completion.

Fans tuning in to watch The Clip Show will be seeing a club vying for a third straight International League crown.

"Columbus is loaded," Atkins said. "It's not quite as exciting from a prospect standpoint, but they're going to be good."

The Indians are especially excited about some of the pitchers, both in the rotation and bullpen, who will be with the Clippers this season. Left-hander Scott Barnes and righty Zach McAllister could impact Cleveland's starting staff this season. Relievers Chen-Chang Lee and Tyler Sturdevant could work their way into the Tribe's bullpen mix, too.

From the farm director
"With the youth projection of our middle-infield prospects, and then the depth of our relief prospects throughout our system and the starters at the top of the system, there is a relatively diversified group of prospects that we feel pretty good about." --Atkins

WHERE TO WATCH
A look at where the Indians' Top 20 prospects could start the 2012 season:
1 Francisco Lindor Lake County A
2 Dillon Howard Arizona League R
3 Nick Hagadone Columbus AAA
4 Tony Wolters Carolina A+
5 Scott Barnes Columbus AAA
6 Ronny Rodriguez Carolina A+
7 Chen Lee Columbus AAA
8 Austin Adams Akron AA
9 Alex Monsalve Lake County A
10 Felix Sterling Lake County A
11 LeVon Washington Lake County A
12 Alex Lavisky Lake County A
13 Dorssys Paulino Arizona League R
14 Zach McAllister Columbus AAA
15 Luigi Rodrigez Lake County A
16 Jorge Martinez Arizona League R
17 Chun Chen Akron AA
18 Elvis Araujo Lake County A
19 Jake Sisco Arizona League R
20 Robel Garcia Lake County A

Who released Hu?

No more Abbott and Costello routines.

Wolters to Carolina is surprising and I guess a good sign. He still will need to share SS with Rodriguez so he is most likely to become a 2B.

Tony goes out on a long limb with this pick:

2012 Indians Top 50 Prospects: #2 LeVon Washington
The 2012 IPI Indians Top 50 Prospect countdown nears the finish line with #2 outfielder LeVon Washington. He disappointed last year with his performance, but he has has the raw tools to impact a game with his bat and speed. Tony talks about Washington's talent and why those skills did not show much last year.

[ Washington did very little that impressed in 2011. We sure could use good luck with an OF.]

Not quite sure why Columbus should be competitve for another title. They will have some experienced starters in Barnes and ZachMac and Lee is a good reliever. But the rest of the team will consist of a lot of mediocre veterans. Although I suppose players like LaPorta, Pie, Spilburgs who aren't much in the majors could be helpful to AAA team.

Civ, have you heard anything on Knapp???

If I were willing to register for Tony Lastoria's fee-for-service posts I might have learned something, but I'm being cheap. Tony includes a very brief free teaser every day and I have not seen Knapp's name mentioned. We'll be getting all the rosters within a week or two so then we'll learn.

There are supposed to some comments by Paul Hoynes on Knapp among other subjects on this podcast:

http://www.cleveland.com/tribe/index.ss ... _gome.html

Free baseball on MILB.com. The Futures Braves are playing the Atlanta Braves with their starting lineups. Surprise! Surprise! The Futures Braves have a 3-1 lead in the fifth. Future Braves with a double steal, runner at first caught in a rundown, but the runner from third scored before the final out was made at first. Fun stuff!

4-3 Atlanta Braves over the Future Braves in the fifth. Francisco on base, Bourne doubled Francisco home, Prado triples Bourne home, and McCann double home Prado all with two outs. Inning still in progress.