[BirdWatcher]

A quick look at upcoming free agents and arbitration eligible Brewers.
Three current Brewers are eligible for free agency at the end of the season: reliever Ron Poblano, starter/reliever Joey Brown, and OF/1B Justin Schumann. Earlier in the season, when Schumann was doing quite well, the rumors were that he would be looking for a contract around the 100K mark. As his playing time has grown, what with the trade of Compton and the demotion of Souffront, Schumann's performance has returned to levels more in line with his perceived talents. Maybe even below them. And so too, it appears, have his economic aspirations. Still, it is highly unlikely that the Brewers will be looking to retain his services at the end of the season.
It's a bit more complicated with both Poblano and Brown. Poblano is a quality guy, well-liked in the clubhouse and very popular with Brewers fans. In a middle-relief role he may also still be a valuable member of the team. Much will depend upon his performance in that role in the next few months.
Brown has proven to be valuable as a swing-man, providing several solid starts (along with a few disastrous ones) during periods when members of the rotation were on the DL. He does not have great stuff at this stage of his career, but he is a bit more stingy giving up the long-ball then others on the staff and has adequate control. He could be a useful piece as a middle-reliever and emergency starter. It also appears that he is looking to make about the same amount of money next year as he is being paid in 1966, so the team will continue to evaluate their options and he might still be someone with whom we will attempt to negotiate an extension. Failing that, it is also possible that the Brewers will consider picking him up again as a free agent, particularly if he should still be unsigned prior to the next season and likely to sign on the cheap.

Players who are arbitration eligible at the end of the season are: Tanner Yurek, Zack Banks, Chris Montefusco, Bill Roache, David Windecker, and Jose Bravo. It is believed that the Brewers are interested in keeping all of these players for next year and would prefer not to go through the contentious arbitration process. It is in fact rumored that they have already tendered an extension offer to Zack Banks but are waiting to hear his decision. In spite of his disappointing season thus far, the player likely to garner the biggest pay increase should he go to arbitration is secondbaseman Tanner Yurek. It is likely the team will be targeting him for extension next. In addition, Yurek is one of the favorites of Brewers fans, and with the team scuffling a little incentive to keep fan interest high would not be amiss.