Odds and Ends

There has been a lull in Brewers news lately, but there have been a few stories today worth mentioning:

• The Mets have won the Santana sweepstakes, according to USA Today. They are parting with Carlos Gomez, Kevin Mulvey, Phil Humber, and Deolis Guerra to get the superstar pitcher. The Mets have a 72-hour window to discuss a contract extension with Santana, however. If a deal cannot be decided upon, the deal will become void. I don't expect that to be the case, however. Santana has made it known that he wanted to go to the east coast all along.
  
  I am surprised, however, that the Mets could not get more for Santana. Carlos Gomez is a five-tool player and the athleticism to be a star, but he is still very raw. None of these players are a sure thing for the Twins. It seems that the Twins were too patient in this deal. The Red Sox deal with Jacoby Elsbury was by far the best deal the Twins could have asked for, yet the Sox eventually pulled it off the table because they got frustrated with how long the deal took.
  
  How does this deal relate to the Brewers? After this deal and the Bedard trade get ironed out, the pitching market is going to look quite grim. Melvin will be getting more calls about Vargas, Bush, and Capuano in the coming weeks because nobody else will be available. Rumors about a possible deal with the Brewers could start floating around as early as next week.
• Alcides Escobar and Hernan Iribarren, currently on the 40-man roster, have agreed to terms on a one-year deal for both. The monetary figures are unknown, but both will be participating in Spring Training for Milwaukee in March.
  
  Escobar batted a career-high .306 last year, splitting time between class-A Brevard and class-AA Huntsville. He is known for his outstanding defensive skills and his speed. Melvin has repeatedly said that Escobar, only 21, will be playing in the big leagues eventually. Escobar lacks power and plate discipline, however, as he finished last year with only 1 HR and only a .330 OBP. That on-base percentage should be higher than a 24-point differential. It stems from only walking 18 times in 494 at-bats last year. ONLY 18 times...
  
  Hernan Iribarren, 23, is a much more polished hitter than is Escobar. He hit .307/.363/.430 last year in Double-A Huntsville. Couple that with 18 stolen bases and 53 RBIs in 124 games, and Iribarren had a fine year last year in the minors. Hernan is, however, blocked at second base by Rickie Weeks, but the Brewers have recently been trying him at center field. He definitely has the speed to play the position, and it is clear that Milwaukee is trying to find a place for Hernan at the big-league level in the next couple years.