MLB 2023/2024 Free Agency Thread

[Frisbee Slider]

9 hours ago, brewmann04 said:

well its almost New Years maybe Arnold is waiting too make that splash move to get fans excited about this team.

People will be excited for the season, once it starts. There is no such thing as winning the offseason.

Free agency is typically not a good place to spend serious money. 

[Gump]

11 hours ago, brewmann04 said:

well its almost New Years maybe Arnold is waiting too make that splash move to get fans excited about this team.

That would be neat

[wibadgers23]

11 hours ago, brewmann04 said:

well its almost New Years maybe Arnold is waiting too make that splash move to get fans excited about this team.

January will be a busy month of transactions but I don't expect the Brewers to get involved much with free agency.  I do expect a few trades to be made though.  Should be a fun month.

[sveumrules]

1 hour ago, Frisbee Slider said:

People will be excited for the season, once it starts. There is no such thing as winning the offseason.

Free agency is typically not a good place to spend serious money. 

Practically every Brewers free agent signing (Hammonds, Suppan, Lohse, Garza, Cain) or big extension (2nd Braun deal, Yelich) of note has been a source of consternation among large portions of the fan base.

Then much of that same fan base is upset we don’t sign more players like that when all our best moves have clearly come via player development and trade for the last decade plus.

And people say the offseason is boring.

[Fear The Chorizo]

11 hours ago, brewmann04 said:

well its almost New Years maybe Arnold is waiting too make that splash move to get fans excited about this team.

Giving their top prospect who has a ceiling of a league MVP based on what he's done in the minors as a kid a never-been-done before longterm extension isn't splashy enough for you?  Compared to 95 percent of the rest of MLB, the Brewers have been making plenty of moves this offseason.

 

Just because the Brewers don't give massive contracts to players on the verge of onfield decline as they become free agents doesn't mean they aren't actively improving a roster that won 92 regular season games last year.

[IntentionalHBP1]

The only guy I want in free agency is Hoskins for 2-3 years. I can’t imagine he would break the bank, bring some stability at 1B. Or he could do a prove it deal. 

[nate82]

10 minutes ago, IntentionalHBP1 said:

The only guy I want in free agency is Hoskins for 2-3 years. I can’t imagine he would break the bank, bring some stability at 1B. Or he could do a prove it deal. 

You would have to pay something close to what the Giants paid last year for Conforto.  So at a minimum you are looking at 2-years $36mm.  

[Frisbee Slider]

One-year, $16 million for Frankie Montas to Reds. Seems like a lot?

Montas, away from the pitching friendly confines in Oakland, hasn’t been much more than average. I suppose he could recover his 2021 form but Cincinnati is a tough place to pitch.

https://www.mlb.com/amp/news/frankie-montas-deal-with-reds.html

[TURBO]

2 hours ago, IntentionalHBP1 said:

The only guy I want in free agency is Hoskins for 2-3 years. I can’t imagine he would break the bank, bring some stability at 1B. Or he could do a prove it deal. 

There are a few big market teams connected to him, so our chances are at almost 0%.  Any bidding war, and we are out of luck.

[brewmann04]

That a lot of money 

[brewmann04]

5 hours ago, wibadgers23 said:

January will be a busy month of transactions but I don't expect the Brewers to get involved much with free agency.  I do expect a few trades to be made though.  Should be a fun month.

I think they will be trades for sure. Burnes will be top to leave via trade. Still need to be A quality 1b 

[Brewcrew82]

1 hour ago, brewmann04 said:

I think they will be trades for sure. Burnes will be top to leave via trade. Still need to be A quality 1b 

I'm beginning to think it's less and less likely that Burnes is traded before the season between the Winter Meetings reports and the Dodgers getting Yamamoto, the Braves getting Sale, etc....Then you've got the Orioles who are prospect hoarders and are more likely to go after Cease or a different controllable arm.

Primary potential suitors at this point are the Phillies and the Yankees. Remains to be seen if they're willing to offer up what we're lookin for.

[tmwiese55]

On 12/30/2023 at 4:13 PM, Brewcrew82 said:

I'm beginning to think it's less and less likely that Burnes is traded before the season between the Winter Meetings reports and the Dodgers getting Yamamoto, the Braves getting Sale, etc....Then you've got the Orioles who are prospect hoarders and are more likely to go after Cease or a different controllable arm.

Primary potential suitors at this point are the Phillies and the Yankees. Remains to be seen if they're willing to offer up what we're lookin for.

Right, losing LAD as prime trade partner has to be a factor.     In addition, as of now Cubs have done nothing so with Burnes back MKE is still the favorite for the division. 

[Fear The Chorizo]

32 minutes ago, tmwiese55 said:

Right, losing LAD as prime trade partner has to be a factor.     In addition, as of now Cubs have done nothing so with Burnes back MKE is still the favorite for the division. 

As of now the Cubs are far worse on paper than they were last season with both bellinger and stroman currently being free agents

[Frisbee Slider]

1 hour ago, Fear The Chorizo said:

As of now the Cubs are far worse on paper than they were last season with both bellinger and stroman currently being free agents

Not that it matters, at all. I get a kick out of the Cubs being ranked one spot ahead of Milwaukee in the MLB.com power rankings.

[jay87shot]

4 hours ago, Fear The Chorizo said:

As of now the Cubs are far worse on paper than they were last season with both bellinger and stroman currently being free agents

I am not so worried about the Cubs, the Reds are going to be the tricky team. Even though I don't really like the Candelario, Martinez, Montas, Pagan deals much, it makes them much deeper and way better. They have 6 or more solid IF 4-5 solid OF 6-7 good starting pitching option and a deep bullpen.

The Cubs will spend some money but unless they add a couple top tier players I am not to worried. The Cards will be much better and the Pirates have added some solid (not great) veterans that won't make then worse. 

Something will have to give, hopefully not us.

[sveumrules]

MLBTR reporting that Michael Brantley has joined fellow 2008 Huntsville Stars Alcides Escobar, Mat Gamel, Angel Salome, Matt LaPorta and Lorenzo Cain in retirement.

Among 57 players with at least 5,000 PAs from 2011-22, Brantley came in at...

5646 PA (22nd) | 10.6 K% (1st) | .300 AVG (5th) | 121 wRC+ (24th) | 29.7 WAR (29th) | 90.6 Contact% (1st) | 3.9% SwStr% (57th)

The word elite gets thrown around a lot, but Brantley was a truly elite contact hitter for over a decade. 

[wibadgers23]

Finally some movement in free agency although it's the Dodgers again...

 

[brewmann04]

so looking like the dodgers show  this offseason

[sveumrules]

5 minutes ago, wibadgers23 said:

Finally some movement in free agency although it's the Dodgers again...

 

Pretty nuts deal. FG had 3/45 and MLBTR was at 4/80 for their predictions.

Teoscar has some pop (99 HR since 2020 ranks 17th), but pretty crazy L/R splits at 161 wRC+ vs LHP compared to a 112 wRC+ vs RHP.

Only a 105 wRC+ overall last year, but still was making loud contact with barrel and hard hit rates in the top 10-12% of MLB.

Have to imagine under the Dodgers tutelage he gets back up around the 133 wRC+ he posted from 2020-22.

[sveumrules]

Mets signing Sean Manaea for 2/28.

Joins Severino (1/13), Bader (1/10,5), Jorge Lopez (1/2), Joey Wendle (1/2), Michael Tonkin (1/1) and Austin Adams (1/800K) among Stearns MLB free agent acquisitions so far.

Also looks like former Brewers farmhands Victor Castaneda, Cam Robinson and Cooper Hummel have landed minor league deals from the Mets.

[Austin Tatious]

On 1/5/2024 at 1:31 PM, sveumrules said:

MLBTR reporting that Michael Brantley has joined fellow 2008 Huntsville Stars Alcides Escobar, Mat Gamel, Angel Salome, Matt LaPorta and Lorenzo Cain in retirement.

Among 57 players with at least 5,000 PAs from 2011-22, Brantley came in at...

5646 PA (22nd) | 10.6 K% (1st) | .300 AVG (5th) | 121 wRC+ (24th) | 29.7 WAR (29th) | 90.6 Contact% (1st) | 3.9% SwStr% (57th)

The word elite gets thrown around a lot, but Brantley was a truly elite contact hitter for over a decade. 

Mat Gamel.  Man I had high hopes for him.  

[tmwiese55]

Kind of a surprising deal for Hernandez to take.  Could be relevant to us in the discussion on other bats like Hoskins, Soler, Martinez etc.  I've said in Hoskins talks that I guessed his deal to be more than the 2/36 ballpark thrown out. Seeing someone take this 1 year deal hold out some hope that I'm wrong and at least one of these guys could be had on a year if they keep Burnes and go for it.   

[TURBO]

My concern is we mess around and wait too long on Santana, and someone else gets him.

If we go into the season with Bauers as our daily 1B, I hope like hell we have traded Burnes, Adames and Williams for future pieces...

[brewmann04]

I think the crew wants to add Carlos but still thinking they might looking to make a bigger move. I would be happy with Carlos for a year.