Brewers GM Doug Melvin tells me he knows it's a "long shot" if they keep free agent CC Sabathia.  But when I asked him about national reports saying the Sabathia offer is just the Brewers way of covering their rears, Melvin directly says "we haven't offered something remotely close to this in the past."  With the Angels and Yankees ready to submit offers when they can do so on Friday, the Brewers offer better be for more than $20 million per year...or they don't have a shot at all.

CC Sabathia 5th in the Cy Young voting, with a scarce 9 votes?  Granted, I didn't expect him to win...but it just goes to show how clueless and archaic some of these self-righteous baseball beat writers are in their thought process.

Melvin also told me he hadn't heard from Trevor Hoffman "as of yet," so the former Padres closer might be in the mix to replace the retired Solomon Torres.  The A's Huston Street might also be a possible acquisition, and although he might be headed to the Rockies, he might be traded before he even lands in Colorado.  Melvin says it might take until December or even January to grab a closer.....

In house candidates could be Seth McClung, who I think now as the mental makeup to it, and maybe Carlos Villanueva.

When I asked Melvin about the rumors of signing and turning Ben Sheets into a closer, it sounds like that door is closed shut.  Melvin says you need a closer who's durable, and Sheets takes too long to warm up.  Guess that is a resounding no.

And finally, no more flip decisions in baseball.  Baseball GM's are recommending that sites for division and wild-card tiebreakers be decided by wins and losses in head-to-head competition, rather than coin flips.  I hear it has a 50-50 chance of passing....maybe they'll flip a coin to decide!

Want me to tackle any other subject?  Email me at lallan@todaystmj4.com