Brewers sign Rhys Hoskins

[owbc]

1 hour ago, TURBO said:

I think that "all in" comments are in reference to keeping Burnes and Adames, even though their contracts are up after this season...By not trading them, it feels like we are all in on one last run with them!

We really, really, really do not like to sell low. Can always move them at the deadline if we really want to and the return will probably be similar to the offseason. But I agree, it does feel like a bit of a transition year -- a "last dance" for the old guard as well as the start of the Chourio era. 

"Rye"s "Hops"-kins was meant to be a Brewer. 

[brewcrewdue80]

57 minutes ago, wallus said:

It will be interesting to see the terms of this contract. I am doubting it will be an even 17 and 17.

Waiting. The 2nd year would need to make him feel he couldn't exceed that to opt out.  It's part of the idea on a 14/20 with 3mil going to Hoskins in 2025 of he opts out. So it'd be 17Mil overall for 1yr.  If he did have the 2/36 projection maybe it's 15 and 19 with 3mil if opt out?  So he got 18 yr 1 like a 2/36. And he's only gambling a loss of 1mil 2nd yr from 18M. While trying to earn more than 18M.

Of course what are the deferrals they inject in these contracts. Lol.

 

[CheezWizHed]

I don't know... that is a lot of money for a guy that was dead last in hits, HRs, runs, and RBIs last year... 

[LouisEly]

13 hours ago, StearnsFTW said:

Jeffreyleonard in shambles

 

[monty57]

I wonder how many Brewer fans' heads would explode if the next announcement is Burnes to the Giants for Kyle Harrison.

Personally, I think it would be a good move, but at this point I think it would be seen sort of like the Hader trade.

[DoubleSwitch]

There is a decent chance that Adames, Burnes, and Hoskins all get the Brewers an extra pick in the 2025 draft. I believe that is also a year when their competitive balance pick is right after the first round. They could have a massive pool of money to sign high upside high school players like they did this last year.

[markedman5]

15 hours ago, wallus said:

Great, now sign Santana (or Cooper I guess?)

Don’t think that’s going to happen……Hoskins is your first baseman…I’m sure he will get some days off against righties….they will rotate guys at DH.

Yelich, Contreras, Black others…….

[edfunderburk]

16 hours ago, Joseph Zarr said:

Whoa! LFG! What an absolutely wild week of Wisconsin professional sports. 

All three professional teams got better with these three moves - Bucks: Griffin OUT, Packers: Barry OUT, Brewers: Hoskins IN 🎉

[tmwiese55]

Pleasantly surprised on this one, thought he'd get more years and money.  Glad he didn't and I'd guess he values that opt to try to cash in for something bigger than whatever else he was getting offered now.   Works for me, I guess they're trying to win again this year. 

I'd also add I doubt a primary DH and or 1B type like Martinez/Santana would be the next move.  Have to think they'd plan on Contreras to take a chunk of DH starts so wouldn't see the value. Add that to the OF rotation situation and Yelich age/injury history so want to maintenance him to cover the other days.  We'll see though.   Assuming Turner can still play at least some days at 3B I could see that being the more likely option if they do sign someone in that world of names you've been throwing around. 

[SF70]

1 hour ago, DoubleSwitch said:

There is a decent chance that Adames, Burnes, and Hoskins all get the Brewers an extra pick in the 2025 draft. I believe that is also a year when their competitive balance pick is right after the first round. They could have a massive pool of money to sign high upside high school players like they did this last year.

Absolutely.

5 top picks (6 if Chourio can nab ROY)  & $20M in pool money for Johnson & co. sets the team up to possibly better last years historic class.

Add 3-4 nice prospects returned in the Contreras trade, Another top pick added to the ‘26 draft (Williams) and this team is headed for juggernaut later this decade just thru having a monster farm for a half-decade or longer.

[titanrick]

1 hour ago, monty57 said:

I wonder how many Brewer fans' heads would explode if the next announcement is Burnes to the Giants for Kyle Harrison.

Personally, I think it would be a good move, but at this point I think it would be seen sort of like the Hader trade.

I'm with you but apparently, we are in the minority.  It scares me to think we will lose Burnes for nothing more than a comp pick compared to what we could have landed by trading him.  And it seems like a lesson was learned in the Hader trade that you can't deal core guys when you're still in the hunt.

If we win the WS this year, great and gutsy move.  If we don't, then we missed out on significant talent that could have helped us get there.

[Frisbee Slider]

2 hours ago, LouisEly said:

 

Not enough of a multi year deal.

[brewerfan82]

26 minutes ago, titanrick said:

I'm with you but apparently, we are in the minority.  It scares me to think we will lose Burnes for nothing more than a comp pick compared to what we could have landed by trading him.  And it seems like a lesson was learned in the Hader trade that you can't deal core guys when you're still in the hunt.

If we win the WS this year, great and gutsy move.  If we don't, then we missed out on significant talent that could have helped us get there.

I completely understand this sentiment. However, if there ever was a time to be okay taking the draft pick as compensation, I think this is it. We're coming off a division title and the division is looking like it'll be up for grabs again. Our farm system is already in a very healthy state with a wave of prospects making its way to the big leagues now and in the near future. And we just filled our most glaring hole on the roster with one of the best available options in free agency.

It's a big if, but if guys like Chourio, Black, and Gasser hit the ground running, having the rotation anchored with Burnes, the bullpen locked down with Williams, and having a bat like Hoskins added to the lineup is going to make this a very interesting team to watch this year.

All that said, if you get blown away with an offer for Burnes you gotta take it, but it's very possible those kinds of offers aren't on the table. In which case, let's give it a go this year and then go nuts with all the extra picks and pool money we'll have in the 2025 draft to make sure we have another wave of prospects coming in another 3-4 years to compliment this current wave of players.

[areacodes]

14 minutes ago, Frisbee Slider said:

Not enough of a multi year deal.

You wrote that in blue but it is 100% what @JefferyLeonard will say if they make an appearance in this thread.

[Playing Catch]

1 hour ago, titanrick said:

It scares me to think we will lose Burnes for nothing more than a comp pick compared to what we could have landed by trading him.

I'm not picking on you, titanrick, but the narrative that guys are "lost for nothing," can't end with, "only a comp pick."

Guys are KEPT through, what will possibly be their peak career season... the year before they become free agents, in the middle of their peak. That season of production is VERY hard to get back in a trade, ESPECIALLY, if the return is unproven, albeit top-notch, talent from the minor leagues. If Burnes earns 6 WAR this season, it will be very difficult to recoup that, regardless of the return.

Without looking it up (thanks, Sveum!), I'm going to put the CAREER WAR over/under on players that were once top 50 prospects at about 1.5.

With this said, I totally disagree with those that believe this means the Brewers are "all-in," and that Burnes/Adames are off the market. I believe this particularly shrewd front office is perfectly capable of pulling an Icarus, and trading Burnes for guys that are MLB-ready AND controllable... #havingonescakeandeatingittoo.

EDIT TO ADD: Love the Hoskins signing. Love it. let the kids simmer and cook in AAA.

[LouisEly]

7 hours ago, TURBO said:

 

 

 

[homer]

7 hours ago, jay87shot said:

It's a small sample size but Hoskins has absolutely been a beast in Miller/AAF.  .342/.405/.790 5 HR in 9 games

 

His home/road splits have been pretty drastic. He's been great at home (897 OPS) and decent on the road (797). Hopefully AmFam plays similar to the Philly park.

[JefferyLeonard]

4 hours ago, LouisEly said:

 

So I see people want me to stop by here because they THINK this is somehow a slap at me that the Brewers signed Hoskins. Except...it's not. Was I NOT saying all off season here that he was the player I most wanted? Indeed I was, so kudos to the Crew for finally signing him. That being said, I am NOT the least bit surprised it's essentially a 1 year deal. Typical Brewers. So deathly afraid of signing a FA(this means someone not already on their team) to anything other than a 1 year deal or maybe one year with an option or in this case an opt out. 

I cannot help but laugh at everyone here implying that because Mark "splurged" 17 million for ONE year(OMG wow, $17 million for ONE year), that this makes him "not cheap". Newsflash....it still does. Especially when your payroll next year will have no one(outside of Yelich) making any kind of money. This isn't something he hasn't done before. He's the king of one year deals, and brewer fans suck it up and go "OMG look at Mark spending all this money". It's pathetic really how you all get suckered into that way of thinking. 

Wake me up when he finally(it won't happen) decides to sign a FA to a standard 3-4 year deal for 80-100 mill total. Then we'll talk about him NOT being cheap. I mean Hoskins is such a perfect fit, and yet, still would only do one year and gave HIM an opt out. LOL Now all you kool aid drinkers will come along and defend him by saying "uhhh derp uhhh how do we know Hoskins would have signed for any more then 1 year". Ummm it's called $$. I'd bet anyone if Mark offered him 3 yrs $60 million or 4 years $80 million he at MINIMUM would have thought long and hard about it, and most likely taken it, that's how I know.

OMG OMG OMG this pushes the Brewers payroll to what?? 120 Million?? *faints* I'm just so shocked! What do you think a guy like Jimmy Haslam would have the payroll at? I bet it would be $150 million or more. You know why? All that dude cares about is winning titles and will do anything to put himself in a position to win one. Look what he's done with the bucks already, and how he spends with the Browns. He doesn't care if he loses a few million along the way, or market size or anything like that if it gives him the best chance to win a title. Exactly the way an owner should operate. Are you listening Mark?? 

[Brewcrew82]

20 minutes ago, JefferyLeonard said:

 

Wake me up when he finally(it won't happen) decides to sign a FA to a standard 3-4 year deal for 80-100 mill total. Then we'll talk about him NOT being cheap. 

 

Ignoring everything else here, am I crazy or did Mark not sign Lorenzo Cain to exactly that sort of contract? 

[monty57]

1 hour ago, brewerfan82 said:

All that said, if you get blown away with an offer for Burnes you gotta take it, but it's very possible those kinds of offers aren't on the table. In which case, let's give it a go this year and then go nuts with all the extra picks and pool money we'll have in the 2025 draft to make sure we have another wave of prospects coming in another 3-4 years to compliment this current wave of players.

I think that's probably the case. The Brewers are/were probably looking for an MLB-ready guy like Harrison or Tiedemann, and it's very possible those guys aren't available. With the team they have (even before Hoskins), I never thought Burnes would be traded for a package of guys in the low minors, and that might be all that is being offered.

That said, let's not fool ourselves. A comp pick will have a lot less chance of MLB success than securing someone like Harrison or Tiedemann right now. They're no sure things, but they're highly thought of and have already hit the majors. I think it's pretty likely that they will provide more WAR value over the next 6-7 years than Burnes will provide in 2024, and I'd guess it will be around 3x as much. Burnes is projected by Fangraphs to get around 3.8 - 4.0 WAR this year, while Tiedemann is projected to play half a season in TOR and get 0.8 WAR That would be 1.6 WAR for a full season and about 2 or 3 less wins than with Burnes. 

Hoskins was a great get for the Brewers not because he's a superstar, but because the projected 1.7 - 1.8 WAR is a lot better than the black hole we had. Bauers is a zero WAR (aka replacement level) player. By definition, he is a guy you try to replace. We just replaced him with the best available option.

From the get-go, I didn't think they'd be able to afford Hoskins if they kept Burnes and Adames. If they can, then they'll definitely be a better team in 2024 if they hold onto the impending free agents. No one can doubt that. They'll just be a lot worse in '25 and beyond, and I don't think anyone can doubt that.

I'm excited we got Hoskins regardless of any other moves we make. I will, however, be sad when I see the headlines "Burnes and Adames opt for free agency" at the end of the season. That will be a lot for a team like the Brewers to account for, especially when "Hoskins opts out of the second year of his contract" would be soon to follow. 

[CheeseheadInQC]

12 minutes ago, JefferyLeonard said:

So I see people want me to stop by here because they THINK this is somehow a slap at me that the Brewers signed Hoskins. Except...it's not. Was I NOT saying all off season here that he was the player I most wanted? Indeed I was, so kudos to the Crew for finally signing him. That being said, I am NOT the least bit surprised it's essentially a 1 year deal. Typical Brewers. So deathly afraid of signing a FA(this means someone not already on their team) to anything other than a 1 year deal or maybe one year with an option or in this case an opt out. 

I cannot help but laugh at everyone here implying that because Mark "splurged" 17 million for ONE year(OMG wow, $17 million for ONE year), that this makes him "not cheap". Newsflash....it still does. Especially when your payroll next year will have no one(outside of Yelich) making any kind of money. This isn't something he hasn't done before. He's the king of one year deals, and brewer fans suck it up and go "OMG look at Mark spending all this money". It's pathetic really how you all get suckered into that way of thinking. 

Wake me up when he finally(it won't happen) decides to sign a FA to a standard 3-4 year deal for 80-100 mill total. Then we'll talk about him NOT being cheap. I mean Hoskins is such a perfect fit, and yet, still would only do one year and gave HIM an opt out. LOL Now all you kool aid drinkers will come along and defend him by saying "uhhh derp uhhh how do we know Hoskins would have signed for any more then 1 year". Ummm it's called $$. I'd bet anyone if Mark offered him 3 yrs $60 million or 4 years $80 million he at MINIMUM would have thought long and hard about it, and most likely taken it, that's how I know.

OMG OMG OMG this pushes the Brewers payroll to what?? 120 Million?? *faints* I'm just so shocked! What do you think a guy like Jimmy Haslam would have the payroll at? I bet it would be $150 million or more. You know why? All that dude cares about is winning titles and will do anything to put himself in a position to win one. Look what he's done with the bucks already, and how he spends with the Browns. He doesn't care if he loses a few million along the way, or market size or anything like that if it gives him the best chance to win a title. Exactly the way an owner should operate. Are you listening Mark?? 

Yasmani Grandal

Brewers: 1 year, $20.5 million 

White Sox: 4 years, $73 million

Mike Moustakas

Brewers: 1 year, $10 million 

Reds: 4 years, $64 million

Milwaukee has fared well with these contracts 

[igor67]

I like the length and the mix, I think we have just about the perfect mix of more guys than spots, so all the young OFers can have a real chance to show they can hit but there is still depth and accountability. With this extra stability it is very exciting to just see who can break out on the young player side and put this offense way above average.

[JefferyLeonard]

16 minutes ago, Brewcrew82 said:

Ignoring everything else here, am I crazy or did Mark not sign Lorenzo Cain to exactly that sort of contract? 

And who since then? I will hang up and listen for your answer. 

[Brewcrew82]

20 minutes ago, JefferyLeonard said:

And who since then? I will hang up and listen for your answer. 

Ahh, now the shifting of the goalposts begins. 

[wiguy94]

Silly Brewers. They should have forced Hoskins to sign a longer contract than he wanted. Pretty clear Hoskins wanted a pillow type contract and not a 3-4 year deal for less AAV.