Hiura opts for free agency

[HarryDoyle]

 

 

[torts]

Good night, sweet prince

[Outlander]

Now that he is finally gone Milwaukee is the type of team that should give him a chance and flip him at the deadline.

[rickh150]

Winker was PH for us in the playoffs same day Hiura was freed. That is the backward way of Hiura and Winker 2023. A total and complete waste… mismanagement at its utter low amidst a generally very good year.

[Ro Mueller]

After boldly guaranteeing Hiura $2.2 million last offseason, I don't actually believe his 2023 (minor league) performance should have done anything to dent our front office's value of him. We knew (or I thought we knew) exactly what he was when we guaranteed him that money.

Truth be told, he did better in AAA in 2023 than I expected, starting out hot but with a terrible BB/K ratio, playing some poor left field, generally mashing when healthy, though I'm soooo glad that we picked up Santana, Canha and Donaldson instead of expecting him to come through in September & October.

With that background, I'd convinced myself that we'd add him to the 40-man MLB roster, mutually agree a slightly lower 2024 wage (e.g. $1.8 million) and give him 60% of initial DH at-bats in 2024 - as I assume Canha, Donaldson and Tellez will not return. Oh well. Good luck, Keston!!!!

[rickh150]

1 hour ago, damuelle said:

After boldly guaranteeing Hiura $2.2 million last offseason, I don't actually believe his 2023 (minor league) performance should have done anything to dent our front office's value of him. We knew (or I thought we knew) exactly what he was when we guaranteed him that money.

Truth be told, he did better in AAA in 2023 than I expected, starting out hot but with a terrible BB/K ratio, playing some poor left field, generally mashing when healthy, though I'm soooo glad that we picked up Santana, Canha and Donaldson instead of expecting him to come through in September & October.

With that background, I'd convinced myself that we'd add him to the 40-man MLB roster, mutually agree a slightly lower 2024 wage (e.g. $1.8 million) and give him 60% of initial DH at-bats in 2024 - as I assume Canha, Donaldson and Tellez will not return. Oh well. Good luck, Keston!!!!

Me too… I’m glad all those guys were picked up to some degree.
Still, I cannot believe there wasn’t a place for Hiura at DH at several points this season like there was for Winker and the other 20 plus guys who played the position this season.

[Brock Beauchamp]

10 hours ago, Outlander said:

Now that he is finally gone Milwaukee is the type of team that should give him a chance and flip him at the deadline.

[Fear The Chorizo]

Good for Keston - wishing him luck somewhere else on a "prove it" deal that winds up leading to many more threads venting about how the Brewers royally screwed up an opportunity to have a longterm DH option for their organization.

I've mentioned it previously, but it wouldn't surprise me in the least to see him wind up in Japan or Korea the next few years before a MLB 2nd act ala Thames.

[Fear The Chorizo]

5 hours ago, damuelle said:

After boldly guaranteeing Hiura $2.2 million last offseason, I don't actually believe his 2023 (minor league) performance should have done anything to dent our front office's value of him. We knew (or I thought we knew) exactly what he was when we guaranteed him that money.

Truth be told, he did better in AAA in 2023 than I expected, starting out hot but with a terrible BB/K ratio, playing some poor left field, generally mashing when healthy, though I'm soooo glad that we picked up Santana, Canha and Donaldson instead of expecting him to come through in September & October.

With that background, I'd convinced myself that we'd add him to the 40-man MLB roster, mutually agree a slightly lower 2024 wage (e.g. $1.8 million) and give him 60% of initial DH at-bats in 2024 - as I assume Canha, Donaldson and Tellez will not return. Oh well. Good luck, Keston!!!!

That might be what the Brewers were hoping to do...but Hiura may not have wanted any part whatsoever in that plan

[MrTPlush]

Even if he hit his ceiling with the bat, his atrocious defense would ruin it. He is, at his best, a Chris Carter. 

[Fear The Chorizo]

7 minutes ago, MrTPlush said:

Even if he hit his ceiling with the bat, his atrocious defense would ruin it. He is, at his best, a Chris Carter. 

DH = Designated hitter - one who doesn't need to play the field and still gets to hit.  This team could have used a Chris Carteresque guy capable of hitting 35+HR in a season hitting right handed everyday in the lineup to be their DH.

I'm not saying Hiura is the second coming of Edgar or JD Martinez....but the Brewers' insistence on a MLB roster full of guys who can play defense at multiple positions without a position on their roster dedicated to an everyday DH weakens their offense as a whole, and leads to guys like Yelich and Contreras never actually getting days off and likely wearing down because they wind up DH-ing when they need a rest.

[LouisEly]

5 hours ago, Fear The Chorizo said:

DH = Designated hitter - one who doesn't need to play the field and still gets to hit.  This team could have used a Chris Carteresque guy capable of hitting 35+HR in a season hitting right handed everyday in the lineup to be their DH.

I'm not saying Hiura is the second coming of Edgar or JD Martinez....but the Brewers' insistence on a MLB roster full of guys who can play defense at multiple positions without a position on their roster dedicated to an everyday DH weakens their offense as a whole, and leads to guys like Yelich and Contreras never actually getting days off and likely wearing down because they wind up DH-ing when they need a rest.

You're not wrong.  But as for your last sentence clause, it actually is the opposite - Yelich and Contreras were their best hitters and thus they were the priority for occasional DH spots to keep their bat in the lineup, especially with Yelich and his back/knee.  Yelich played 122 games in the field; between rest, injury, and DH, he didn't play the field for 40 games (20 as DH), or one out of every four games (plus the All-Star break).  Contreras caught 108 games plus 33 as DH; between DH and rest he didn't play in the field for 54 games, or one out of every three.  They got enough rest when they needed it.  Between the the two they took up 53 games at the DH spot.  That only left 109 games for others to DH.

You are correct in that a low-cost occasional DH would have value for them, but there just aren't guys available who can put up good numbers in that role.  For all of the Mets payroll, Daniel Vogelbach was their primary DH. 

[wildcat83]

If the over/under on future All-Star appearances was 0.5 I probably take the over.

[Frisbee Slider]

Let him get 500 PA in Colorado or Kansas City. Maybe Oakland?

[Brock Beauchamp]

2 hours ago, Frisbee Slider said:

Let him get 500 PA in Colorado or Kansas City. Maybe Oakland?

If he'll work for McDonald's gift certificates, Oakland might be interested.

[Ro Mueller]

2 hours ago, Frisbee Slider said:

Let him get 500 PA in Colorado or Kansas City. Maybe Oakland?

I figure the Royals (didn’t have a proper DH in 2023), Tigers (replacing HOF Miguel Cabrera) or Giants (replacing Joc Pederson).

I wonder if Keston will take some guaranteed money (e.g. $1.1m) or sign an all-or-nothing minor league deal for potentially more money (e.g. $2.3m).

[kestrel79]

Yep he needs a bad team to give him 500+ ABs at DH and turn him loose. I bet he'll put it together with a good coach.

[CheezWizHed]

Wasn't there some odd loophole with us not calling him up that prevented Huira from going into FA? 

Here is me dreaming about having 2016 Chris Carter at 1B for the Brewers in 2023...

[StearnsFTW]

On 10/7/2023 at 6:49 PM, wildcat83 said:

If the over/under on future All-Star appearances was 0.5 I probably take the over.

Good lord, why?

 

[Ro Mueller]

4 hours ago, CheezWizHed said:

Wasn't there some odd loophole with us not calling him up that prevented Huira from going into FA? 

Here is me dreaming about having 2016 Chris Carter at 1B for the Brewers in 2023...

There was a thought that Hiura was still one season short of MILB free agency, in part because he’d spent the entire 2020 season on the MLB roster.

Who knows? Perhaps 2020 is given some sort of dual status. We still could have selected his contract if we truly wanted to work something out. So ridiculous that we didn’t trade him in July 2022 (1.026 OPS in last 44 PAs (.500 BABIP, 16 Ks) before inexplicably burning final option).

[Jopal78]

17 hours ago, damuelle said:

There was a thought that Hiura was still one season short of MILB free agency, in part because he’d spent the entire 2020 season on the MLB roster.

Who knows? Perhaps 2020 is given some sort of dual status. We still could have selected his contract if we truly wanted to work something out. So ridiculous that we didn’t trade him in July 2022 (1.026 OPS in last 44 PAs (.500 BABIP, 16 Ks) before inexplicably burning final option).

Maybe they tried and no team was willing to part with anything the Brewers considered worthwhile. 

[Ro Mueller]

14 minutes ago, Jopal78 said:

Maybe they tried and no team was willing to part with anything the Brewers considered worthwhile. 

Yeah, but I’ll forever say that it didn’t make sense to burn that final option, especially with a 26-man roster. It reduced roster flexibility for ourselves in 2023 and also reduced Keston’s value to other teams at 2022 trade deadline and thereafter.

But it’s done. And it wasn’t as bad as DFAing Troy O’Leary years ago. Maybe a lesson has been learned. Glad he played hard all year in AAA in 2023. Good luck to him.

[jerichoholicninja]

Keston's lack of defensive skill at any position was never going to sit well with the Stearns/Arnold administration. It's not really that surprising he was never given a shot.

[rickh150]

9 hours ago, Jopal78 said:

Maybe they tried and no team was willing to part with anything the Brewers considered worthwhile. 

And maybe they were so stubborn they didn’t want to lose face by bringing him up mid or late season. And maybe the team blew it by trying out 20 some DH instead of their best hitter in AAA? Or maybe they were happy with their 2023 DH output? 

[Baldkin]

4 hours ago, rickh150 said:

And maybe they were so stubborn they didn’t want to lose face by bringing him up mid or late season. And maybe the team blew it by trying out 20 some DH instead of their best hitter in AAA? Or maybe they were happy with their 2023 DH output? 

Their best hitter in AAA?

That's not true, Chris Roller in 70 PA destroyed Keston. Even Bruce Two-Rang hit as well as Keston in AAA this year.