Yardbarker: Mike Cameron

Byrd on Cubs Radar?

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:48:09 -0500

According to an update from the GM Meetings on FoxSports.com, Marlon Byrd is "likely to be targeted by the Cubs." The Cubs plan to move Kosuke Fukudome back to right field and find a true centerfielder ... once Milton Bradley is traded. Mike Cameron is one of the possible solutions, but the former Brewer is reportedly a back-up plan of a back-up plan at best. FoxSports.com reported "Free agent Marlon Byrd is certain to draw their interest."

Marlon Byrd or Mike Cameron for CF?

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:45:41 -0500

Ken Rosenthal adds a bit more about the Cubs: Byrd likely to be targeted by Cubs — 6:10 p.m. Once the Cubs trade Milton Bradley, their plan is to find a center fielder and move Kosuke Fukudome back to right field. Free agent Marlon Byrd is certain to draw their interest. Rudy Jaramillo, the Cubs’ new hitting coach, is a huge fan of Byrd’s from their three seasons together with the Rangers, according to major-league sources. Byrd, 32, is seeking a multi-year contract after b...

Mets Rumors: Bay, Holliday, Cameron, Delgado

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 10:38:29 -0500

A team insider suggests to Adam Rubin of the New York Daily News that Jason Bay and Matt Holliday may be too expensive for the Mets to consider. Rubin hears that the Mets expect to trade for a left fielder or spend on a second-tier free agent, since the top outfielders on the free agent market may be too pricey.A source close to Mike Cameron tells Rubin that the one-time Met wouldn't likely consider returning, since he wants to play center field (the Mets, of course, have Carlos Beltran i...

Cameron among five Brewers to file for free agency

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:23:00 -0500

The Mike Cameron era in center field for the Milwaukee Brewers ended Monday when the 15-year veteran filed for free agency.

Mike Cameron among Milwaukee Brewers file for free agency

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:46:15 -0500

The Mike Cameron era in center field for the Brewers ended Monday when the 15-year veteran filed for free agency.

Cameron, four other Brewers file for free agency

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:49:22 -0500

MILWAUKEE (AP) -- The Mike Cameron era in center field for the Milwaukee Brewers ended Monday when the 15-year veteran filed for free agency.

Cameron, 4 other Brewers file for free agency

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:43:19 -0500

MILWAUKEE (AP) -The Mike Cameron era in center field for the Milwaukee Brewers ended Monday when the 15-year veteran filed for free agency.

The Unceremonious End of the J.J Hardy Era

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:05:34 -0500

Friday was an interesting day for Brewers fans as they traded J.J Hardy to the Twins for Carlos Gomez.

As a Brewer fan, a J.J Hardy trade was something that I saw coming from a couple time zones away. Still, it isn’t something I’m too thrilled about. On a personal note, J.J Hardy was one of my favorite Brewers and happens to be the only player I have a bobble-head doll for.

Image by shgmom56 via Flickr

The writing on the wall for J.J Hardy’s exit from Milwaukee has been crystal-clear since his surprising demotion to Nashville on August 12. While he didn’t play as well in ’09 as he had in ’07 and ’08 to me it seemed that he was just having a bad year (as indicated by a .264 BABIP) and not because his performance fell off a cliff (i.e. Bill Hall).

Hardy’s replacement at short, Alcides Escobar still has some room for improvement but showed enough last year to get a chance to play every day. He played solid D and hit for pretty good contact. Since he will be only 23 on opening day, it is likely that Escobar will keep improving and his future as a big leaguer is very bright. If he can develop at least some power and show some more discipline at the plate, the Brewers could have something special in Escobar.

At first impression, the Twins are the winner in this trade. I see J.J Hardy making the most of his change of scenery and being closer to the hitter he was in ’07-’08 than the J.J Hardy that played in ’09. The Twins improve their team in this trade as Hardy is a large upgrade at short in comparison to the alternative (Nick Punto/Brendan Harris).

In addition to the awkwardness of seeing J.J Hardy in a Twins uniform next year, there is also the disappointment of the Brewers not getting very much in return.

Carlos Gomez" width="160" /> Image by Keith Allison via Flickr

In return for J.J Hardy, the Twins sent over Carlos Gomez. Thus far, Gomez hasn’t played very well at the big league level. He came over from the Twins in the mega-deal that brought Johan Santana to the Mets. Gomez has been promising defensively and on the base paths. However, there is the problem of him being a liability at the plate. Granted Gomez will only be 24 on opening day but he hasn’t shown many signs of improvement at the plate. This does not bode well for the Brewers because the two likely scenarios for 2010 are Gomez being the starting center fielder or platooning with Jody Gerut. Either way, the Twins improved themselves at shortstop a lot more than the Brewers improved themselves at center.

Just as Hardy’s demotion made it clear his days in Milwaukee were numbered, the acquisition of Gomez means that Mike Cameron’s days in Milwaukee are numbered. If the Brewers thought they were going to keep Cameron, the Brewers would have likely gotten a Catcher and/or Starting Pitcher in return for Hardy. While Cameron is a better player than both Gerut and Gomez, the reality is Cameron will likely be seeking a bigger payday and the Brewers could probably use Cameron’s $10 million salary towards some of their other needs.

Considering the Twins win this trade easily based on big-league performance, there is (hopefully) a silver lining. That being if this leads to the Brewers parting ways with Mike Cameron, that frees up about $10 million in salary that could be used to bring a solid 2/3 starter to Milwaukee to give the Brewers a quality starter not named Yovani Gallardo.

Either way, it should be interesting to see how this trade pans out in the long term. Hopefully, Carlos Gomez will prove me wrong and helps the Brewers contend next year. Still, there is another 150 days until Opening Day and for the Brewers to upgrade their personnel for the 2010 season.

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The GM Meetings Begin Today

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 10:07:36 -0500

I had thought of something to write about these meetings and then realized I didn’t really care. Nothing will happen that wouldn’t have happened without the meetings. We’ll hear a few rumors over the next few days and read about how the GM Meetings lay the groundwork for trades that take place weeks later or don’t even take place at all. I’m pretty sure the GMs can lay the groundwork for trades without being in the same location. I’m not really sure w...

Let's Sign Mike Cameron Anyway

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 13:14:33 -0500

More photos » by Tony Dejak - AP This is what I'm talking about, baby. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak) Browse more photos » We've got Carlos Gomez now. I haven't looked really closely at his numbers, but my first take is that it's a fair deal. The Twins get a somewhat better player for 2010 in J.J. Hardy, but we get someone who is cheaper, fills a hole, and might improve while still under...

Somebody Get Me My Cardboard: Bob Wolfley Breaks It Down

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:46:44 -0500

Before I head out to the airport to meet Zach Grienke, I thought I'd pass along some Brewers professional sportswritery talk from Bob Wolfley, brought to you by the employers of Tom Haudricourt and Tony Witrado. (Ahh, read it anyway.) There are some interesting nuggets, such as: Baseball's best base-running leftfielder? Why, it's The Deputy. Only once in 2009 has Prince Fielder advanced from first to third on a single. Many Brewers were on the list of best def...

Cubs Potential Offseason Targets: Mike Cameron

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 05:57:42 -0500

I'll go through a few more lower level free agents this week and pick it up to some possible bigger names next week. As we know, there's talk that if the Cubs can move Milton Bradley, they'd put Kosuke Fukudome back to right field and try and improve the outfield defense with a more true center fielder. And that's where Mike Cameron comes in...

Year Age Tm G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS OPS+ 1995 22 CHW 28 44 38 4 7 2 0 1 2 0 0 3 15 .184 .244 .316 .560 47 1996 23 CHW 11 12 11 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 3 .091 .167 .091 .258 -31 1997 24 CHW 116 446 379 63 98 18 3 14 55 23 2 55 105 .259 .356 .433 .789 109 1998 25 CHW 141 443 396 53 83 16 5 8 43 27 11 37 101 .210 .285 .336 .621 63 1999 26 CIN 146 636 542 93 139 34 9 21 66 38 12 80 145 .256 .357 .469 .825 105 2000 27 SEA 155 643 543 96 145 28 4 19 78 24 7 78 133 .267 .365 .438 .803 107 2001 28 SEA 150 633 540 99 144 30 5 25 110 34 5 69 155 .267 .353 .480 .832 123 2002 29 SEA 158 640 545 84 130 26 5 25 80 31 8 79 176 .239 .340 .442 .782 109 2003 30 SEA 147 612 534 74 135 31 5 18 76 17 7 70 137 .253 .344 .431 .774 108 2004 31 NYM 140 562 493 76 114 30 1 30 76 22 6 57 143 .231 .319 .479 .798 104 2005 32 NYM 76 343 308 47 84 23 2 12 39 13 1 29 85 .273 .342 .477 .819 114 2006 33 SDP 141 634 552 88 148 34 9 22 83 25 9 71 142 .268 .355 .482 .837 121 2007 34 SDP 151 651 571 88 138 33 6 21 78 18 5 67 160 .242 .328 .431 .759 103 2008 35 MIL 120 508 444 69 108 25 2 25 70 17 5 54 142 .243 .331 .477 .809 110 2009 36 MIL 149 628 544 78 136 32 3 24 70 7 3 75 156 .250 .342 .452 .795 108 15 Seasons 1829 7435 6440 1013 1610 362 59 265 926 296 82 825 1798 .250 .340 .448 .788 106 SEA (4 yrs) 610 2528 2162 353 554 115 19 87 344 106 27 296 601 .256 .350 .448 .798 112 CHW (4 yrs) 296 945 824 121 189 36 8 23 100 50 14 96 224 .229 .315 .376 .691 82 NYM (2 yrs) 216 905 801 123 198 53 3 42 115 35 7 86 228 .247 .328 .478 .806 108 SDP (2 yrs) 292 1285 1123 176 286 67 15 43 161 43 14 138 302 .255 .341 .456 .797 112 MIL (2 yrs) 269 1136 988 147 244 57 5 49 140 24 8 129 298 .247 .337 .464 .801 109 CIN (1 yr) 146 636 542 93 139 34 9 21 66 38 12 80 145 .256 .357 .469 .825 105 AL (8 yrs) 906 3473 2986 474 743 151 27 110 444 156 41 392 825 .249 .341 .428 .769 104 NL (7 yrs) 923 3962 3454 539 867 211 32 155 482 140 41 433 973 .251 .340 .465 .805 109 Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 10/31/2009.

The offensive numbers are pretty generic, but combined with his defense, he's definitely a plus for any team (anywhere from 2 to 4 Wins Above Replacement according to Fangraphs). UZR has him well above replacement level defensively the last couple of years and for his career and BP agrees with a career 106 Rate2 number. The Fan's Scouting Report makes it the triple crown of defensive road marks along with 3 career Gold Gloves to make me feel confident that he still can patrol center field with the best of them.

Now you know with Cameron's ability to hit 20 HR's or more, Lou is gonna want to use him in the middle of the order to drive in runs, so let's see how he does in that area. I like to look deeper than just the standard RBI counting stat and see what kind of opportunties Cameron has had and thankfully BP neatly keeps track of this. Cameron's OBI% (Other Batters Driven In) since 2006:

10.7% - 2009, 16.5% in 2008, 14.7% in 2007, 15.8% in 2006

Well 2009 was pretty ugly there for Cameron - Milton Bradley ugly - but he seems to be around the league average(which is about 15%) or better for the most part which I honestly expected to be a little worse with all his K's. It's not something you can put a guarantee on, but let's say he shows a tendency to get the job done.

Still at age 37, I don't think the Cubs should really enterain much more than a 1-yr offer here and hope you get a Bobby Abreu-special that falls in your lap in March for $5-$7M. Considering Cameron's sensitive (as he should be) to some of the bleacher taunting, I don't see this being a match for the Cubs or Cameron.

Stumping for Mike Cameron

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 13:00:55 -0500

Mike Cameron just wrapped up a 4.5 WAR season with the Milwaukee Brewers. They’ve gotten good value out of him the past two years - he posted 8.5 WAR in his age 35 and 36 seasons for them while being paid $16.3mm, a savings of $20 million dollars for the small-market Brewers. Cameron has been a fine player for the Brewers, but they’ve got to be surprised by how he thrived. In his 4 previous seasons (all in the NL), he posted WAR values of 3.2 and 2.0 (with the Mets) and 4.4 and ...