2022 Winter Meetings Super Mega Extravaganza Thread

[sveumrules]

Winter Meetings kick off today, so the stove should be heating up over the next few days & hey who knows, maybe the Brewers will even make a couple two tree transactions?

Next obvious move would seem to be Hiura traded for whatever intriguing arm they can get?

[wibadgers23]

Catcher is my number one priority. The infield in general is a bit of a mystery so it’ll be interesting to see if they make any further moves to address 2B, 3B, etc. Or do they truly plan on going with Urias and Turang at those positions. 

[DR28]

1 minute ago, wibadgers23 said:

Catcher is my number one priority. The infield in general is a bit of a mystery so it’ll be interesting to see if they make any further moves to address 2B, 3B, etc. Or do they truly plan on going with Urias and Turang at those positions. 

Yes will definitely be interesting... I'm hoping we sign either Brandon Drury or Brian Anderson to play 3B and then Urias/Turang platoon at 2B.

Unless we can add Vazquez as our C then I'll be fine going with Urias at 3B and Turang at 2B.

[sveumrules]

Think the contract I’m most curious to see the final numbers on is Carlos Rodon.

Obviously he had a pretty extensive injury history prior to 2021, but he has been one of the best starters in MLB over the last two years. Here are his 2021-22 numbers vs Burnes/Woody for comparison…

Burnes
369 IP | 66 ERA- | 60 FIP- | 143 K+ | 69 BB+ | 65 HR+ | 11.6 rWAR | 12.0 fWAR

Rodon
310 IP | 65 ERA- | 60 FIP- | 149 K+ | 84 BB+ | 61 HR+ | 10.6 rWAR | 11.0 fWAR

Woody
332 IP | 68 ERA- | 73 FIP- | 131 K+ | 75 BB+ | 84 HR+ | 10.2 rWAR | 8.3 fWAR

Run prevention pretty close across the board, but Woody lags behind on FIP because he struck out fewer batters and is a lil more homer prone.

If the Rangers double dip on Rodon/deGrom like they did Seager/Semien last year they will definitely have my attention.

[Ro Mueller]

Anyone think we’d trade Frelick or Mitchell if it helps us get one good, young, controllable, cheap bat?

We’ve got quite a number of lefty hitters, but we’ve not yet addressed our problem against left-handed pitching.

[sveumrules]

10 minutes ago, wibadgers23 said:

Catcher is my number one priority. The infield in general is a bit of a mystery so it’ll be interesting to see if they make any further moves to address 2B, 3B, etc. Or do they truly plan on going with Urias and Turang at those positions. 

Vasquez would be my first choice for catcher. Kind of boring, but only costs money and is an excellent defender with World Series pedigree.

I’d be cool with rolling the dice on Jansen’s upside, but would have to give up at least one legit prospect & there is some uncertainty with how he might hold up exposed to a larger workload. That 120 wRC+ projected by Steamer would look a lot nicer in the lineup though.

Murphy or Contreras would be the big moves but think they end up too rich for MKE in prospect outlay and cash required, respectively.

At 3B my gut is saying Longoria on a one year deal depending on the medicals. Would also be happy with any of Turner, Drury, Anderson or Yandy.

[wibadgers23]

3 minutes ago, damuelle said:

Anyone think we’d trade Frelick or Mitchell if it helps us get one good, young, controllable, cheap bat?

We’ve got quite a number of lefty hitters, but we’ve not yet addressed our problem against left-handed pitching.

No, it would make sense to trade one of our outfielders for a young, controllable corner infielder. It would really stink to see Frelick or Wiemer go, but it would make sense.

[sveumrules]

4 minutes ago, damuelle said:

Anyone think we’d trade Frelick or Mitchell if it helps us get one good, young, controllable, cheap bat?

We’ve got quite a number of lefty hitters, but we’ve not yet addressed our problem against left-handed pitching.

Would hope Ruiz is the one dealt out of the OF prospects, kind of feel like Perkins getting an MLB deal was a hedge for that scenario.

Think Wiemer is the next safest by virtue of being the only one with legit power.

Steamer likes Frelick (111 wRC+) more than Mitchell (99 wRC+) for next year which makes me think Garrett could be more likely of the two to be dealt despite making MLB sooner and putting up nice surface level stats (136 wRC+) but with some troubling indicators (41.2 K% | .548 BABIP) under the hood.

[edfunderburk]

8 minutes ago, wibadgers23 said:

No, it would make sense to trade one of our outfielders for a young, controllable corner infielder. It would really stink to see Frelick or Wiemer go, but it would make sense.

I hope they retain Wiemer simply because he is a RH power hitter

I love both Mitchell & Frelick too … if I had to trade one of them - I believe I would trade Mitchell (for a bat like Murphy … maybe even Jansen)

[edfunderburk]

5 minutes ago, sveumrules said:

Would hope Ruiz is the one dealt out of the OF prospects, kind of feel like Perkins getting an MLB deal was a hedge for that scenario.

Think Wiemer is the next safest by virtue of being the only one with legit power.

Steamer likes Frelick (111 wRC+) more than Mitchell (99 wRC+) for next year which makes me think Garrett could be more likely of the two to be dealt despite making MLB sooner and putting up nice surface level stats (136 wRC+) but with some troubling indicators (41.2 K% | .548 BABIP) under the hood.

Great idea on trading Estuery Ruiz rather than Michell, Frelick, or Wiemer ?

Maybe package him with Huira for a RH bat (C, 3B, IB) or a solid bullpen arm who is a difference-maker

[Ro Mueller]

I worry a bit that Ruiz’ stats were propped up by bunt hits and infield hits (.392 BABIP in AAA/AA last year) that other MLB clubs will discount.

Then our seeming terror to have him as the backup CF in a playoff chase (going with J. Davis instead) reduces his value even more.

Finally his struggles in winter league ball (not K’ing, thankfully, but a .449 OPS in 49 PAs still isn’t pretty) could be another flag.

In short, we may need him to cause a stir in spring training to re-gain his full value. Who knows…

[CheeseheadInQC]

They have a way of surprising me, but I think they have three more moves:

1. Find a starting catcher. This is the top priority.

2. Sign a righty who hits lefties well. Drury might be ideal, but I think someone along the lines of Wil Myers is more likely.

3. Maybe add one more reliever.

[MNBrew]

9 hours ago, CheeseheadInQC said:

They have a way of surprising me, but I think they have three more moves:

1. Find a starting catcher. This is the top priority.

2. Sign a righty who hits lefties well. Drury might be ideal, but I think someone along the lines of Wil Myers is more likely.

3. Maybe add one more reliever.

My priority/hope list is similar.  I think adding a reliever is inevitable.  Would they bring back Boxy or Rogers?  Both make me uncomfortable in different ways, but they might also be the right quality/price combo that could pan out nicely, especially if Rogers can get back to pre-'22 form.

The catching combo of Caratini, Feliciano, & Henry seems like that one that could prove anywhere from pleasantly serviceable to utterly worthless.  I think the only way they don't make some move at catcher is if they make enough other significant moves at other offensive positions.  Bringing back Narvaez would equate to a non-move, but given how worthless most of his at-bats were, especially anything clutch, I'd rather see him go elsewhere.

I have no inklings or specific hopes of where they go for an impactful RH bat, but I agree they need to do something meaningful.  Hopefully that move (and anything else related) helps bring some clarity to the rest of the lineup & depth chart.

[edfunderburk]

Is Wil Myers a free agent or is he still on the Padres roster?

What would a trade for the following three players require?

Wil Myers

Yandy Diaz

Danny Jansen

[sveumrules]

7 minutes ago, edfunderburk said:

Is Wil Myers a free agent or is he still on the Padres roster?

What would a trade for the following three players require?

Wil Myers

Yandy Diaz

Danny Jansen

Myers is a FA.

Mitchell or Turang probably make sense as a Jansen headliner.

Rays are always facing a 40 man crunch so they might be interested in guys that are a little farther away.

[edfunderburk]

10 minutes ago, sveumrules said:

Myers is a FA.

Mitchell or Turang probably make sense as a Jansen headliner.

Rays are always facing a 40 man crunch so they might be interested in guys that are a little farther away.

I would be happy with one of Myers / Diaz / Drury for 3B & 1B … maybe Vasquez for catcher (hold onto prospects) 

I believe Murphy & Kirk or Jansen would be too expensive trade wise 

It will be fun to see who is traded … hope we keep Chourio, Frelick, & Wiemer … I’m okay with Mitchell or Ruiz being moved

I’m also okay if we trade Small 

[sveumrules]

5 minutes ago, edfunderburk said:

I would be happy with one of Myers / Diaz / Drury for 3B & 1B … maybe Vasquez for catcher (hold onto prospects) 

I believe Murphy & Kirk or Jansen would be too expensive trade wise 

It will be fun to see who is traded … hope we keep Chourio, Frelick, & Wiemer … I’m okay with Mitchell or Ruiz being moved

I’m also okay if we trade Small 

Yeah, I like addressing the offense via FA since it only takes money and a couple lower cost moves could compliment the existing guys nicely.

I’d also prefer not to trade any of the on the cusp prospects but also realize there are only three OF spots so somebody has to go eventually, especially with Chourio on the way.

Ruiz/Black would be the guys in the Top Ten that I’d be dangling for relief help, maybe Tyrone if a team was looking for someone with an MLB track record..

Extending Adames could make Turang expendable, but I’m also intrigued how his glove might play at 2B with the new shift restrictions so I’m hoping he at least gets the Jace role for 2023.

I’d put Small in the same category as Hiura, someone to include as a change of scenery type to round out a deal. 

[Devinep]

I know the cost would be high and teams don’t like inter-Divisional trades, but Bryan Reynolds is just what the Brewers need. The deal would probably have to start with Frelick, however.

[sveumrules]

12 minutes ago, Devinep said:

I know the cost would be high and teams don’t like inter-Divisional trades, but Bryan Reynolds is just what the Brewers need. The deal would probably have to start with Frelick, however.

If we’re going big on a trade think I’d prefer Murphy because catcher is more of a need and Reynolds doesn’t really profile as plus defensively in CF or RF.

Career numbers are…

Murphy (1,260 PAs)
116 wRC+ | +40 DEF | 10.6 WAR

Reynolds (2,014 PAs)
126 wRC+ | -10 DEF | 12.5 WAR

Steamers for 2023…

Murphy: 118 wRC+ | 4.3 WAR
Rynlds: 125 wRC+ | 4.0 WAR

Both are 28 with three years before FA. Reynolds is locked in at $6.75M for this year while Murphy is projected at $3.5M in Arby’s.

[Austin Tatious]

I haven’t heard anything on this but I’m hoping we are linked to free agent catcher Christian Vazquez.  Janssen makes sense for a variety of reasons but it would depend on the return in my mind.  He had a really good 2022 but it was a breakout season so the track record is murky enough to wonder if ‘22 was an outlier. They’ve got Kirk so dealing him makes sense and we’ve got a need so we could line up.  

I would rather keep our prospect capital and sign CV as a bridge to Quero who I’m high on, although there are no guarantees.  

Catcher and left handed reliever are our two biggest needs IMO.  After that it’s a matter of potential upgrades as opposed to filling gaping holes.  

So far, Arnold is following the Stearns or Rays playbook, which means looking for market inefficiencies.  I like that approach.  

[StearnsFTW]

24 minutes ago, Austin Tatious said:

I haven’t heard anything on this but I’m hoping we are linked to free agent catcher Christian Vazquez.  Janssen makes sense for a variety of reasons but it would depend on the return in my mind.  He had a really good 2022 but it was a breakout season so the track record is murky enough to wonder if ‘22 was an outlier. They’ve got Kirk so dealing him makes sense and we’ve got a need so we could line up.  

I would rather keep our prospect capital and sign CV as a bridge to Quero who I’m high on, although there are no guarantees.  

Catcher and left handed reliever are our two biggest needs IMO.  After that it’s a matter of potential upgrades as opposed to filling gaping holes.  

So far, Arnold is following the Stearns or Rays playbook, which means looking for market inefficiencies.  I like that approach.  

Sign Vazquez and Chafin please.  Would push the budget but not break it I don't think.

 

Use trades to round out the roster (Backup 1B, more bullpen help).

 

 

[MVP2110]

To me signing a free agent is almost always better than trading unless the player you are trading for is cost controlled for awhile when given the choice. 

Example, signing Vasquez simply costs you money and nothing else. Whereas trading for Jansen will require some decent prospects as well as paying him a market extension or him leaving.

Given that the choice would be either you have Vasquez & your prospects or just Jansen I'll take Vasquez & prospects.

 

Now granted this doesn't always work, sometimes there aren't any good Free agents at your position of need or whatever. But when given the option of two similar choices I'll always choose to just sign the free agent

 

 

[markedman5]

4 hours ago, Austin Tatious said:

I haven’t heard anything on this but I’m hoping we are linked to free agent catcher Christian Vazquez.  Janssen makes sense for a variety of reasons but it would depend on the return in my mind.  He had a really good 2022 but it was a breakout season so the track record is murky enough to wonder if ‘22 was an outlier. They’ve got Kirk so dealing him makes sense and we’ve got a need so we could line up.  

I would rather keep our prospect capital and sign CV as a bridge to Quero who I’m high on, although there are no guarantees.  

Catcher and left handed reliever are our two biggest needs IMO.  After that it’s a matter of potential upgrades as opposed to filling gaping holes.  

So far, Arnold is following the Stearns or Rays playbook, which means looking for market inefficiencies.  I like that approach.  

Rosenthal today

• The market for free-agent catcher Christian Vázquez includes the Cubs, Cardinals, Padres, Guardians and Twins. The Astros also have interest in retaining Vázquez

[Brewcrew82]

27 minutes ago, markedman5 said:

Rosenthal today

• The market for free-agent catcher Christian Vázquez includes the Cubs, Cardinals, Padres, Guardians and Twins. The Astros also have interest in retaining Vázquez

If we go into the season with Caratini and Feliciano/Henry at C......

[wibadgers23]

5 minutes ago, Brewcrew82 said:

If we go into the season with Caratini and Feliciano/Henry at C......

Not good.  We can't go another year with little to no production at catcher.  Can't happen.