Milwaukee Brewers News Clips Friday, December 11, 2015 MLB.com Brewers take infielder, pitcher in Rule 5 Draft Pina acquired from Tigers to complete K-Rod trade After acquiring Cecchini, Crew focused on CF, infield Five Rule 5 Draft picks worth paying attention to this season Journal Sentinel Brewers add three players to 40-man roster RotoWire 2015 Martin-Monahan Award Winner: The Brewers Repeat http://m.brewers.mlb.com/news/article/159331834/brewers-take-infielder-rhp-in-rule-5-draft Brewers take infielder, pitcher in Rule 5 Draft By Adam McCalvy / MLB.com | December 10, 2015 NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Brewers have not carried more than one Rule 5 Draft pick on the roster since 2003, when left-hander Matt Ford contributed to the relief corps but infielder Enrique Cruz flopped off the bench. Now they are poised to try again. The team plucked infielder Colin Walsh, an on-base machine from the A's organization, and right-handed pitcher Zack Jones, a strikeout machine from the Twins, in the Major League phase of Thursday's Rule 5 Draft. The Brewers must keep each player on the big league roster all season or offer him back to his former team. "We think there is a chance we can keep them," said Brewers pro scouting director Zack Minasian. "But as the offseason goes on, the moves we make will probably help dictate that a little bit more. … "These are the types of moves that David [Stearns, Milwaukee's rookie general manager] has shown us he's very open-minded to. Take chances on younger players. It's cheap talent, compared to what other players are getting now on the free agent market, where in the past people might have said, 'Oh, you can find a reliever.' Now you're paying him $4-5 million a year." Walsh, 26, was a 13th-round Draft pick of the Cardinals in 2010 and played the past two seasons in Oakland's system. In 134 games at Double-A Midland, he posted a .447 on-base percentage while batting .302 with 13 home runs and 39 doubles. He's mostly played second base, though he also has experience at third base and the corner outfield spots. In Spring Training, Walsh will provide some competition for starting second baseman Scooter Gennett, who hit .264/.294/.381 in the Majors in 2015 after a slow start. "We'll likely work to increase [Walsh's] versatility, make him a little more National League-friendly," Minasian said. "But we really like his bat. He has on-base [skills] that you really don't see anywhere. What he did at Double- A, it's tough to ignore it. It caught our eyes right away. He's not one of these guys just up there looking for a walk, either. When he sees a pitch to hit, he's looking to drive the ball." The Brewers' analytical team played a role in targeting Walsh. Jones, meanwhile, garnered recommendations from Brewers scout Brad Del Barba and Class A Wisconsin pitching coach Gary Lucas. Lucas came to the Brewers last year from the Twins organization and worked with Jones in 2014 at advanced Class A Ft. Myers. Jones, 25, was a fourth-round Draft pick of the Twins in 2012 and has 186 strikeouts and .186 opponents' average in 130 1/3 Minor League innings. He had a 4.18 ERA in 45 games between the advanced Class A and Double-A levels in 2015. "A pure power arm," Minasian said. "He'll blow guys away with his fastball. … We're buying a big, big fastball and we'll see what he can do." Jones joins a group of recent 40-man roster adds with power fastballs, including Jacob Barnes, Yhonathan Barrios and Damien Magnifico. In the Triple-A phase of the Rule 5 Draft, the Brewers selected left-hander Mitch Lambson from Atlanta and right- hander Kender Villegas from St. Louis. There are no requirements to keep those players at a certain level in 2016. No Brewers players were selected in any phase of the Rule 5 Draft. http://m.brewers.mlb.com/news/article/159360448/brewers-get-manny-pena-to-complete-k-rod-trade Pina acquired from Tigers to complete K-Rod trade By Adam McCalvy / MLB.com | December 10, 2015 NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Brewers acquired catcher Manny Pina from the Tigers on Thursday as the player to be named later in the teams' Nov. 18 trade sending Francisco Rodriguez to Detroit. Pina, 28, was not added to Milwaukee's 40-man roster but was invited to Major League Spring Training camp. He's immediately a candidate to catch at Triple-A Colorado Springs next season, and he could also provide depth in the event the Brewers trade starting catcher Jonathan Lucroy. A career .256 hitter in 11 Minor League seasons, Pina appeared in five big league games for the Royals in 2011 and 2012. He is coming off a good offensive season at Triple-A Toledo, where he batted .305 with seven home runs and 39 RBIs in 77 games. The teams waited until Thursday to move Pina because he had been eligible for that morning's Rule 5 Draft. The Brewers had earlier acquired second base prospect Javier Betancourt in the trade for Rodriguez. Betancourt slipped a spot to No. 21 on the top Brewers prospects list after Thursday's trade for Red Sox third baseman Garin Cecchini, who entered Milwaukee's list at No. 20. http://m.brewers.mlb.com/news/article/159330394/brewers-look-to-center-field-infield-moves After acquiring Cecchini, Crew focuses on CF, infield By Adam McCalvy / MLB.com | December 10, 2015 NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Brewers added another competitor at third base with a minor trade in the waning moments of the Winter Meetings, acquiring former top 100 prospect Garin Cecchini from the Red Sox for cash. Cecchini, 24, was a fourth-round Draft pick in 2010 and shot up the prospect rankings after batting .322 with a .443 on-base percentage in 2013, reaching the Double-A level in his age 22 season. He reached the Majors in 2014, but found himself blocked in Boston after the Sox signed third baseman Pablo Sandoval to a mega free agent contract, and he slumped badly in 2015 (.213/.286/.296) at Triple-A Pawtucket while learning the outfield. Cecchini can also play first base, another position of need for the Brewers after they traded Adam Lind to the Mariners on Wednesday. But Cecchini probably fits best at third base, the thinnest position in Milwaukee's system, including at the Major League level. Earlier this offseason, the Brewers acquired Jonathan Villar from the Astros as an option at the position. The Red Sox designated Cecchini for assignment last week when they signed David Price. "Still like him, still believe in him," Boston GM Mike Hazen said of Cecchini. "He's a good player. Just happened to get in the situation now with the roster that we had to make a decision, make a move. Talking to him, I know he was disappointed by last year. We think very highly of him. He's going to have a good career in the big leagues. Just right now, we had to make this move." Cecchini has a Minor League option remaining. Villar is out of options. Deals done The Brewers' most notable Winter Meetings transaction gained traction after dinner Tuesday and was completed by Wednesday morning. In trading Lind to the Mariners for three teenage pitching prospects (right-handers Daniel Missaki, Carlos Herrera and Freddy Peralta), Brewers GM David Stearns admitted the Brewers were taking on some risk. "Whenever you acquire players who are farther away, there is more variability," Stearns said. "In a deal like this, we are really targeting that type of variability to find an impact-type pitcher, even if it is multiple years down the road." The team then made two transactions Thursday. After acquiring Cecchini, the Brewers announced they'd also received catcher Manny Pina from the Tigers as the player to be named later in last month's trade with Detroit for Francisco Rodriguez. Pina wasn't placed on Milwaukee's 40-man roster, but he did get an invitation to big league Spring Training camp. Rule 5 Draft Cecchini was one of three players added to Milwaukee's 40-man roster on Thursday. The team also selected a pair of players in the Major League portion of the Rule 5 Draft; infielder Colin Walsh, a switch-hitting on-base machine from the A's organization, and right-handed pitcher Zack Jones, a strikeout pitcher from the Twins. Both must stay on the Major League roster all season in order to remain property of the Brewers, who haven't carried a pair of Rule 5 picks since infielder Enrique Cruz and left-hander Matt Ford in 2003. Goals accomplished Trading Lind had been a priority since the Brewers exercised his $8 million option for next season, and now Stearns can move on to other matters. His week at the Winter Meetings was useful in gathering information about interest in other players, including catcher Jonathan Lucroy and catcher Jean Segura, who could be moved next. It was also a great opportunity to gather his baseball operations team in one room to see how they interact together. Given Stearns' mountain of other obligations since assuming GM duties, the group had fewer than usual opportunities to get together in person in recent weeks. Unfinished business Manager Craig Counsell hinted at many moves to come, saying on Wednesday, "Let's understand it's December 9th.