Could Brewers push for Josh Hamilton?
The Milwaukee Brewers are a small-market team with a big-market mentality, backed by a fan base that has turned out in big numbers and inspired owner Mark Attanasio to think big. The Brewers made the bold midseason play four years ago for CC Sabathia, and then two years ago, Milwaukee aggressively traded some really good young players for Zack Greinke.
So keep all that in mind this winter, when it's possible that the offseason dominoes will fall in a way that puts the Brewers in play for Josh Hamilton, who will be the most noteworthy free-agent position player.
Here's the bottom line: If the Texas Rangers or some other team steps up and stuns the baseball world by giving Hamilton a whopper deal of four-plus years for $100-plus million, then the Brewers will almost certainly would be out of contention for the center fielder.
But if the concerns about Hamilton -- about his ability to stay in the lineup, about his off-field history -- constrain the bidding for the All-Star into conservative offers, that would shift Hamilton's potential deal into the financial neighborhood of the Brewers, who really aren't in a position to give a massive contract to anyone.
Olney goes on to note Narron's presence -- Johnny and Jerry are there -- and that if they can't get the starting pitching they want, making a splash with Hamilton could be in the cards. Olney brings up the point that the Narrons would help give the Brewers a better sense than many teams about who Hamilton is and what to expect.
I think Milwaukee makes some sense, but the bidding can't get out of control. Stay tuned. You can read Olney's entire blog here (insider).
Could you see Hamilton in a Brewers' uniform? How would you feel about it?
Richard Durrett
ESPNDallas.com
ABOUT THIS BLOG
Richard Durrett
Richard Durrett joined ESPNDallas.com in September 2009. He writes about colleges, the Dallas Stars and the Texas Rangers. Richard spent nine years at The Dallas Morning News covering the Rangers, Stars, colleges, motorsports and high schools.
Tim MacMahon
Tim MacMahon joined ESPNDallas.com in September 2009. Tim covers the Cowboys and Mavericks. He has covered the local sports scene from high schools to colleges to pros during his six-year tenure at The Dallas Morning News. MacMahon is a graduate of UNT.
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UPCOMING GAMES
| W-L | HM | AW | STK | L10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TEX | 30-17 | 15-7 | 15-10 | W1 | |
| SEA | 20-27 | 11-9 | 9-18 | L6 |
| W-L | HM | AW | STK | L10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TEX | 30-17 | 15-7 | 15-10 | W1 | |
| SEA | 20-27 | 11-9 | 9-18 | L6 |
| W-L | HM | AW | STK | L10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TEX | 30-17 | 15-7 | 15-10 | W1 | |
| SEA | 20-27 | 11-9 | 9-18 | L6 |
TEAM LEADERS
| WINS LEADER | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Yu Darvish
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| OTHER LEADERS | ||||||||||||
| BA | I. Kinsler | .302 | ||||||||||
| HR | N. Cruz | 11 | ||||||||||
| RBI | N. Cruz | 33 | ||||||||||
| R | E. Andrus | 29 | ||||||||||
| OPS | M. Moreland | .905 | ||||||||||
| ERA | Y. Darvish | 2.84 | ||||||||||
| SO | Y. Darvish | 91 | ||||||||||
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