I saw that. I think they’re looking for starters and Gamel’s not worth Sanchez. I also think the Brewers can likely pry a starter from another team that’s better than Pucetas or Martinez.

I think it will be tried in 2010, what with our current 2-yr run of relative health showing how tenuous we were in the second half. Man, Sanchez’s peripherals really look like break-out time, too. Much more so than in past years.

What would we have to throw in to do Gamel + Hardy? I like Hardy as a potential nouveau De Rosa (not that he’d like the idea, however). With our OF defense inevitably regressing, it’s time to improve the D up the middle, imho.

The Brewers like trying everyone at 3b first…

http://insider.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?entryID=4464643&name=law_keith

I ranked Milwaukee third baseman Mat Gamel 86th on my top 100 prospects last winter despite a strong track record in the minors because of concerns about his swing and lack of position. He looks hopeless at third base, with bad hands and feet for the position, and while he has plenty of arm he tends to sidearm the ball, which isn’t going to help his throwing accuracy.

The Brewers have brought up several third basemen in name only (3BINOs) recently, stuck with them as long as they reasonably could (or longer), and yet none has improved enough to stay at the position. Gamel is much less athletic than Ryan Braun is, and it’s not likely that he’ll break the streak.

At the plate, Gamel has two things going for him — bat speed and raw strength. His wrists are quick and he explodes to the ball once he gets his hands started from a fairly deep loaded position, with good extension through the ball. He’s strong and looks like he’ll get a little stronger, probably producing 25 to 30 home run power at his peak. He also has shown adequate plate discipline throughout his career. On the negative side, Gamel’s entire swing isn’t conducive to making adjustments. He bars his lead arm fully (see screenshot) after striding, which limits his time to react to pitches and also commits him somewhat to a predetermined path. A bar isn’t fatal — teammate Frank Catalanotto has barred his front arm throughout a 13-year career in the majors — but it increases the importance of skills like pitch recognition and hand-eye coordination that Gamel hasn’t shown.

Until this year he had a strong track record of performance at every level, including a .329/.395/.537 line last year in Double-A Huntsville and a .300/.378/.472 line the year before that in the hitter-unfriendly Florida State League. Since reaching Triple-A, however, his contact rates have suffered significantly, with 99 strikeouts in 353 plate appearances there across two years, none of which is a surprise given his swing; advanced pitching is giving him trouble.

Gamel’s profile isn’t that of a great prospect. He currently has no position, and he’s probably going to end up a below-average corner outfielder, a first baseman, or a DH, any of which would require more offensive output than third base would. He’s a few major adjustments away from becoming a good hitter for average in the majors, and his walk rates, while adequate, would probably still produce low to moderate OBPs for a player at a hitter’s position. I understand that the Brewers refused to part with Gamel in trade talks this summer, and given his track record in 2007-08 I can see some reason for the reluctance, but I’m not sure where he profiles for a club with superstars at first base and in left field and no DH spot available.