Melvin looking at many free agents

Tom Haudricourt finally got through to Doug Melvin this afternoon, and he's let us know what's going on under the radar screen.

Melvin confirmed that there is a very strong interest in Mike Cameron, but what we did learn is that the serious interest in Cameron is also spread over several other players. Many of these players have not been mentioned concerning the Crew. We have players like: Shawn Green, Brad Wilkerson, and Pedro Feliz, along with the aforementioned Kenny Lofton and Luis Gonzalez.

It's clear that Melvin is looking for a solid, veteran defender to step in to help the Brewers right away. Shawn Green and Luis Gonzalez are very uninspiring to the eye right now, as they have been on the downswing of their career for a couple years now. Brad Wilkerson is a new one to me, and either he or Mike Cameron seem to be the best of the bunch here...and that's not exciting.

Pedro Feliz is the only third baseman Melvin discussed as a possible free agent signing, and I doubt we'll see him in Milwaukee. He is a plus-defender, yes, but his OBP was .290 last year. You read that right. That should be his batting average, not on-base percentage. The Crew does not need another free-swinging player on the team, which would hopefully exclude Mike Cameron as well.

Melvin indicated that he would like to get a deal in place "fairly soon," and he seems to be leaning towards leaving Hall and Braun at their respective positions. If I had to pick a couple free agents, I would have to go with Lofton or Wilkerson. Wilkerson has been been down the last couple years, especially last year, posting a .234 BA last year with 20 HR and 62 RBI. This is very close to the type of numbers that Cameron would bring, but Wilkerson at least has a career .354 OBP. That's not astronomical by any stretch of the imagination, but its not like Pedro Feliz's .290 OBP. Wilkerson perhaps just needs a change in scenery, as hopefully he could regain the form he showed with the Expos in 2004 (32 HR and a .374 OBP). He is a high strikeout guy again, however. Even when he has a career year in 2004, he still had 152 Ks. Here's to hoping we get Lofton to play LF!