While all that stuff is true about Loewen, and I am truly rooting for him, he’s been left unprotected for the rule 5 draft. So anyone can have him for $50 000, and that means zero trade value.

Keep up the good work.

The 2011 season is where Adam will show whether he can truly make the leap to The Show or not, and I do think some teams believe he will do so at a decent level.

As for Cooper, you won’t get much of a fight from me, but it seems that a whole lot of scouts love the guy. I’ve received lots of emails telling me about cracks in his character and that he hasn’t impressed them at all with his bat. Having said that, he did hit 20 HRs in AA after a horrific 2009 that had him hit only 10, so he did show some improvement. He also cut down his SO by 18 from 2009 levels even though he had 15 more ABs. His D is excellent as well, so he could become a 1B with as much pop as Lyle Overbay or slightly more if he can add some muscle.

If I’m the Brewers dealing a franchise type 1B, I want a 1B in return. I know McDade is most likely more interesting due to his pop potential, but some teams will be scared off by his weight issues, particularly in the NL where small ball is used more often. That, and the fact that Cooper is closer to being MLB ready, are the reasons why I decided to include Cooper in the mix. He’s not my favorite 1B, but there are still plenty of people who are big fans of his.

For sure we over value our picks, but we should since we are fans of them until they leave the team we cheer for. I do agree that d’Arnaud and Rzep would be the big pieces, but the others provide the acquiring team with some decent pieces that help ensure the deal works out without blowing up in their faces altogether.

Hope that makes sense!

And David Cooper has only slightly more value than Loewen, which is to say virtually none.

Leave those two out and it’s the same package, a decent package, AND you don’t look like you are overvaluing prospects because they are your own.