Brewers sign Elvin Rodriquez

[markedman5]

 

[Joseph Zarr]

Posted this in the Minors transaction thread as well with JB being DFA'd. I really feel for Bukauskas - he just couldn't get healthy in 2024. When healthy, however, he's been extremely solid for the Brewers - whether with the Sounds or in the Brewers pen. Just a really good sinker baller. This has a bit of Jake Cousins/Tyson Miller rebound success story feel to it wherever he should choose to go. He's simply too good not to get a Big League opportunity somewhere (assuming he has reclaimed full health, obviously).

Hopefully Rodriguez works out wonderfully.

[sveumrules]

MLBTR write up mentions Elvin has two options left, so have to assume that was a factor.

Also looks like he was primarily a starter in the minors with 130 games started and only eight scattered bullpen appearances.

They don't have games started for Japan on BRef, but with 88 IP in 49 appearances this past year it looks like he was deployed primarily as a multi inning relief option.

[patrickgpe]

As I said before, these are the moves the brewers should be making. DFA'd someone that couldn't stay healthy and picked up a no risk lottery ticket. Wouldn't shock me to see JB back in Nashville anyway after he clears waivers. 

[Lathund]

I like JB a lot, but he has no options left and there are too many good relievers for him to make the roster. Makes sense to replace him with someone with options. I think it's unlikely JB clears waivers and remains in AAA (Not sure if he's been outrighted before), but perhaps some minor trade gets worked out. Plenty of bad bullpens out there that he'd improve. 

[brewmann04]

this is the way the crew does thing hopefully they get lucky

[TURBO]

This is "OUR" Roki Sasaki signing.

[bigred]

4 hours ago, brewmann04 said:

this is the way the crew does thing hopefully they get lucky

So our only chance of actually "going for it", and "bringing a WS championship to Milwaukee", hinges on pure luck, and always will? It's about time someone else on here finally admits it, instead of a certain select few of us on here. 

[Joseph Zarr]

6 hours ago, Lathund said:

I like JB a lot, but he has no options left and there are too many good relievers for him to make the roster. Makes sense to replace him with someone with options. I think it's unlikely JB clears waivers and remains in AAA (Not sure if he's been outrighted before), but perhaps some minor trade gets worked out. Plenty of bad bullpens out there that he'd improve. 

I'm fairly certain JB has one option year remaining? Just for accuracy's sake.

[sveumrules]

11 minutes ago, Joseph Zarr said:

I'm fairly certain JB has one option year remaining? Just for accuracy's sake.

Yeah, he was granted a fourth option year on account of injury.

Roster Resource lists him with one remaining.

[Matt]

Best signing of the day IMO. 

[82brewcrew82]

13 hours ago, bigred said:

So our only chance of actually "going for it", and "bringing a WS championship to Milwaukee", hinges on pure luck, and always will? It's about time someone else on here finally admits it, instead of a certain select few of us on here. 

Lots of people admit it.  That's the whole "bites at the apple" philosophy.  Get enough bites that you might get lucky with one of them.  I prefer, like you, to just call what it is as you've described it.

[bigred]

14 minutes ago, 82brewcrew82 said:

Lots of people admit it.  That's the whole "bites at the apple" philosophy.  Get enough bites that you might get lucky with one of them.  I prefer, like you, to just call what it is as you've described it.

Exactly. The whole "bites at the apple" shtick that our fan base is constantly told to believe is "going for it", is nothing but pure gaslighting. The only way I see the Crew having a chance at a WS title, is if other playoff teams have their star players get injured right before the playoffs, or miraculously crap the bed out of nowhere, which isn't likely to happen. I completely understand that we're a small market, and can't afford to spend like the large market teams, but then the front office needs to stop pretending, and actually go for it once in a while. 

[Thurston Fluff]

53 minutes ago, bigred said:

Exactly. The whole "bites at the apple" shtick that our fan base is constantly told to believe is "going for it", is nothing but pure gaslighting. The only way I see the Crew having a chance at a WS title, is if other playoff teams have their star players get injured right before the playoffs, or miraculously crap the bed out of nowhere, which isn't likely to happen. I completely understand that we're a small market, and can't afford to spend like the large market teams, but then the front office needs to stop pretending, and actually go for it once in a while. 

There was no gaslighting going on. More bites at the apple is the exact opposite of going for it. The team never claimed it was going for it any particular year more than any other. The goal was to be a viable contender every year. They've done a pretty good job of that. If they continue there is a greater chance of having a run than going for it in a small window does.

[TURBO]

💩

[bigred]

On 1/18/2025 at 10:22 AM, Thurston Fluff said:

There was no gaslighting going on. More bites at the apple is the exact opposite of going for it. The team never claimed it was going for it any particular year more than any other. The goal was to be a viable contender every year. They've done a pretty good job of that. If they continue there is a greater chance of having a run than going for it in a small window does.

It's unbelievable, how many fans conveniently forget how many times, since MA and his group bought the team, has said their intentions are to bring a WS championship to Milwaukee. That is definitely gaslighting. 

[bigred]

1 hour ago, Thurston Fluff said:

There was no gaslighting going on. More bites at the apple is the exact opposite of going for it. The team never claimed it was going for it any particular year more than any other. The goal was to be a viable contender every year. They've done a pretty good job of that. If they continue there is a greater chance of having a run than going for it in a small window.

There's been times within the past several years, where Milwaukee was much more competitive than most people believed they'd be, probably including themselves, and looked like they could make a deep playoff run. Then when the trade deadline came around, they wouldn't make a move or 2 or 3 to try and make a meaningful attempt to make the team better, like pretty much every playoff team does. Saying they want to bring a WS championship to Milwaukee is pure lies and gaslighting. Especially the past few years, when we finally had/have a stacked minor league system, that affords them to make a trade or 2, but they won't. 

[bigred]

1 hour ago, Thurston Fluff said:

There was no gaslighting going on. More bites at the apple is the exact opposite of going for it. The team never claimed it was going for it any particular year more than any other. The goal was to be a viable contender every year. They've done a pretty good job of that. If they continue there is a greater chance of having a run than going for it in a small window does.

Again, when will simply making the playoffs stop being enough to pacify our fan base? I'm not sure how we can be considered "viable contenders", when they won't try to make a move or 2 to possibly get over the hump, even with a stacked farm system. I guess, you believe what you want, and I'll do the same. 

[homer]

I don't understand why every single move the Brewers make has to be through the lens of "Why aren't we spending more money?". There's a time and a place. A one-year deal for a middle-inning bullpen guy or a minor-league deal for a catcher is neither the time nor the place (in my opinion).

[Brian]

Now we just need a 3rd baseman now that Ortiez is at SS. 

[CheeseheadInQC]

29 minutes ago, bigred said:

There's been times within the past several years, where Milwaukee was much more competitive than most people believed they'd be, probably including themselves, and looked like they could make a deep playoff run. Then when the trade deadline came around, they wouldn't make a move or 2 or 3 to try and make a meaningful attempt to make the team better, like pretty much every playoff team does. Saying they want to bring a WS championship to Milwaukee is pure lies and gaslighting. Especially the past few years, when we finally had/have a stacked minor league system, that affords them to make a trade or 2, but they won't. 

What bigger target traded the last two deadlines would have increased the Brewers' chances of winning a World Series more than the guys they did acquire? Maybe Verlander, assuming he either didn't have a no trade clause or would be willing to waive it? The Dodgers won the World Series in spite of Flaherty's postseason performance, not because of it. The Cubs getting Candelario and Paredes actually helped the Brewers because each's season tanked once they got to Chicago.

[sveumrules]

18 minutes ago, bigred said:

when they won't try to make a move or 2 to possibly get over the hump

The Dodgers have an estimated payroll of $351M for next year, the Brewers are at $116M currently.

It would take way more than one or two moves to possibly get over that $235M hump.

Lets go crazy, sign Alonso & Bregman for $30M each annually over the next six/seven years, trade some big prospects for Luis Robert and Luis Castillo, now we’re only $136M short of the Dodgers.

So even with four yuge moves they’d still be a whole team’s payroll behind LAD, and also still well short of teams like HOU, NYY, TEX, TOR, NYM and PHI.

I’d rather roll with the status quo since big moves don’t guarantee a World Series win in the present and would hinder the Brewers chances for future success by tying money up in aging players on the decline and thinning out the farm system.

[Oxy]

1 hour ago, bigred said:

There's been times within the past several years, where Milwaukee was much more competitive than most people believed they'd be, probably including themselves, and looked like they could make a deep playoff run. Then when the trade deadline came around, they wouldn't make a move or 2 or 3 to try and make a meaningful attempt to make the team better, like pretty much every playoff team does. Saying they want to bring a WS championship to Milwaukee is pure lies and gaslighting. Especially the past few years, when we finally had/have a stacked minor league system, that affords them to make a trade or 2, but they won't. 

This entire paragraph is bizzarro gaslighting. 

Sentences 1 and 4 are very true and is a credit to the front office ENTIRELY BECAUSE of their "bites at the apple" philosophy.  The ONLY reason it is even possible to ever even complain that they don't "GOFERIT"--which is a complaint EVERY YEAR by some people is that they don't "go all in" or whatever.  Do that ONCE and fail and you can wait another 8 years to complain they don't go for it because they'll be stuck with a bad overpaid roster  winning 75 games a year with a poor farm system and little to no hope to ever even make the playoffs....all to increase their chances of winning a WS ONE year by like 1.0305%.

Yes, it is FAR more probable to win a WS by getting lucky in the playoffs any single year of many playoff years when you go to the playoffs nearly EVERY year than it is to mortgage the future and health of your franchise for ONE year to barely increase your chances that ONE year.

 

Gaslighting indeed.

[SF70]

This ownership group has invested untold millions into making our infrastructure as good or better than any in the game. 

This has lead to having the best international prospect-procurement system in the game which in turn has given us Quero-Chourio-YRod-Made-Pena and boatloads of potential impact positional talent.

Our domestic draft department had the #1 rated class in baseball in 2023 with last year’s class having the top valued first round pick in the draft. In 7 months that department gets 5 top 68 picks and $17M+ to potentially have another franchise-altering draft-class that should then give us the deepest, most impactful farm system in the game.

This is why the team is winning a WS or 2 over the next decade.

Impact talent accumulation.

[Outlander]

JB's 4th option was granted in 2024 and don't necessarily carry forward to the next season. I have not seen anything that he has a 4th option for 2025.