Pratt signs extension for 8/$50M

[adambr2]

17 minutes ago, ghostdrew said:

Dude nowhere on this site does it say that I have to say anything about why I disagree with any comments. But if your triggered maybe you should just ignore it .Have a wonderful night .

“You’re”.

[adambr2]

3 hours ago, CheezWizHed said:

Why do we have an issue when someone "dislikes" our comments?  Is it no longer ok to disagree with someone?  This is a forum and debate (including the simple "dislike") is completely encouraged. 

Do some people annoy us more than others?  Yes.  

Do I have to respond to everyone? No.

Do I have an innate need to be fully and unconditionally loved?  Go buy a Labrador and ignore the annoying, anonymous people on the internet. 

It’s not about comments being liked or dislike. I absolutely encourage anyone to disagree with me. I think it’s more productive to the forum when actual debate takes place about it and not just a one off two, but I absolutely understand everyone has a right to their own opinions. 

If you noticed this posters’ posting habits, I think you’d know that the point that @TURBOwas making had nothing to do with his opinion being liked or disliked. And I know you know that there certainly was a time in the brewerfan.net days when repeatedly downvoting posts of certain posters not because of actual real-life disagreement, but just for the purpose of being repeatedly obnoxious, without any dialogue, would have been considered trolling behavior and would not have been tolerated in the long-term.

Apparently times have changed indeed, and us longtime posters will just have to adjust.

[CheezWizHed]

Ok, like it or not, let's just move back to Pratt's discussion.

[adambr2]

Not sure if this was discussed earlier - does his contract toll as scheduled regardless of when he’s brought up, whether it be this year or 2028 or anytime between then?

[Jopal78]

9 hours ago, adambr2 said:

Not sure if this was discussed earlier - does his contract toll as scheduled regardless of when he’s brought up, whether it be this year or 2028 or anytime between then?

He’s has a guaranteed contract, of course it’s not tolled. 

[endaround]

11 hours ago, adambr2 said:

Not sure if this was discussed earlier - does his contract toll as scheduled regardless of when he’s brought up, whether it be this year or 2028 or anytime between then?

The contract is set. The only question is if Pratt is guaranteed free agency at the end of it even if he doesn't have enough service time.

[titanrick]

I always thought if Pratt put on some more muscle, his frame would work better at 3B than SS.  But I understand they're enamored with his defense at SS.  I don't understand the anxiety over Made.  If he is as good as Pratt defensively at SS, then one of them moves to 3B or 2B (if Turang is gone by then).  These seem like really good "problems" to have.

[Jopal78]

38 minutes ago, endaround said:

The contract is set. The only question is if Pratt is guaranteed free agency at the end of it even if he doesn't have enough service time.

From a practical standpoint, that probably doesn’t matter either. 

Pratt will be out of minor league options by opening day 2029. He then would have five full seasons of service time (‘29-‘33) before the club options.  
 

With Pratt already in AAA the chances of him accruing less than a year service time between  now and opening day 2029 is slim to zero. Further, if Pratt actually did tool away mostly in the minor leagues until 2029, it probably means the club options have no chance of being exercised anyway

[nate82]

2 hours ago, titanrick said:

I always thought if Pratt put on some more muscle, his frame would work better at 3B than SS.  But I understand they're enamored with his defense at SS.  I don't understand the anxiety over Made.  If he is as good as Pratt defensively at SS, then one of them moves to 3B or 2B (if Turang is gone by then).  These seem like really good "problems" to have.

I agree with the more muscle to his frame and he would be a better 3B.

I have only seen Made in spring training and he didn’t look all that good defensively at SS.  He kind of reminds me of Oneil Cruz defensively.  I think Made would be a better 2B or CF defensively.  

[Playing Catch]

25 minutes ago, nate82 said:

I have only seen Made in spring training and he didn’t look all that good defensively at SS.  He kind of reminds me of Oneil Cruz defensively.  I think Made would be a better 2B or CF defensively.

I'm not arguing, because I don't have any authority on the topic, but I really liked his defense in the 2 or 3 games of his I watched. I thought his range looked good, both laterally, and in/out. I really liked his hands and arm-actions from various angles. I thought he looked like a future average, or better shortstop, defensively. I'm considering that he's not only 19 as a hitter, but as a fielder, too, of course.

I also think, due to Oneil Cruz's recent foibles in the outfield, that any comparisons to him defensively, will come with a negative connotation attached regardless of their similar prospect-y profiles.

It doesn't help us out as evaluators, either, when our direct, real-world comparisons defensively, are with Ortiz, Turang, and the thread's namesake, Pratt.

[adambr2]

Honest question for those who follow our prospects more than me:

is there reasonable optimism that Pratt will further develop with the bat? I understand we’re a run prevention team, but right now, it looks like he can’t hit a lick. 

I want to love this deal, so I’m just really kind of hoping there’s room for growth there?

[ClosetBrewerFan]

36 minutes ago, adambr2 said:

Honest question for those who follow our prospects more than me:

is there reasonable optimism that Pratt will further develop with the bat? I understand we’re a run prevention team, but right now, it looks like he can’t hit a lick. 

I want to love this deal, so I’m just really kind of hoping there’s room for growth there?

He's only 21 and he's 6'4" 210 lbs. One would think he has more power in the tank.  Its all about getting his swing to have more loft and working on barreling up on the ball.  Easier said then done, but he has a better shot than 5'6" 175 lbs player developing power. 

i'll add that I think this deal is worth the gamble. The Brewers love his makeup and hard working attitude.  He has a high likelihood of improving.  And even if he is just a utility guy, he is being paid $5M or less per year through year 2031.  Only in 2032 and 2033 does his salary jump to $10.75 and $13M.  Then they have two team option years if he does turn out to be good.  It looks like a safe bet for the Brewers and a reasonable shot at getting a real steal of a contract if he is average or above major league starter.

[SeaBass]

It's pretty clear that the Brewers are much more willing to fail on a deal like this than fail on a deal like Anthony Rendon. Or, in more Brewers terms, Jeff Suppan or Matt Garza.

[True Blue Brew Crew]

21 hours ago, adambr2 said:

Honest question for those who follow our prospects more than me:

is there reasonable optimism that Pratt will further develop with the bat? I understand we’re a run prevention team, but right now, it looks like he can’t hit a lick. 

I want to love this deal, so I’m just really kind of hoping there’s room for growth there?

If someone here says "No, there's not much hope", will that opinion matter to you more than the Brewers clear opinion that they believe he'll develop quite a bit as a hitter? Because they sure as hell didn't give him that contract without that belief

[adambr2]

2 hours ago, True Blue Brew Crew said:

If someone here says "No, there's not much hope", will that opinion matter to you more than the Brewers clear opinion that they believe he'll develop quite a bit as a hitter? Because they sure as hell didn't give him that contract without that belief

I don’t even know why I bother to ask these questions on a message board, even when framed in the most tactful, calm way possible. 

Yes, I suppose it’s true that the Brewers gave him the contract with the hopes and anticipation of further development with the bat. I suppose I could apply this line of thinking to every personnel move that they make and not look to analyze or question any of it. 

23 hours ago, ClosetBrewerFan said:

He's only 21 and he's 6'4" 210 lbs. One would think he has more power in the tank.  Its all about getting his swing to have more loft and working on barreling up on the ball.  Easier said then done, but he has a better shot than 5'6" 175 lbs player developing power. 

i'll add that I think this deal is worth the gamble. The Brewers love his makeup and hard working attitude.  He has a high likelihood of improving.  And even if he is just a utility guy, he is being paid $5M or less per year through year 2031.  Only in 2032 and 2033 does his salary jump to $10.75 and $13M.  Then they have two team option years if he does turn out to be good.  It looks like a safe bet for the Brewers and a reasonable shot at getting a real steal of a contract if he is average or above major league starter.

Good stuff, thank you. It’s definitely true that even if all we get in a a utility infielder, it’s not a contract that is going to cause a great deal of payroll pain, even in the peak years.

[CheezWizHed]

On 4/22/2026 at 6:58 PM, adambr2 said:

Honest question for those who follow our prospects more than me:

is there reasonable optimism that Pratt will further develop with the bat? I understand we’re a run prevention team, but right now, it looks like he can’t hit a lick. 

I want to love this deal, so I’m just really kind of hoping there’s room for growth there?

Two words: Brice Turang

I'm not going to say that Pratt will become Brice with the bat, but I think their profiles/potential is very similar (save for Pratt being taller).  

Brice went through most of his minors without hitting very well at all (at least not for someone considered a "top prospect"): 270/363/378/740.  That was while Brice was ages 18-22.

Cooper is about to turn 22 at AAA (so the same ages at the same levels).  His 253/349/363/712 is behind Brice overall, but not terribly. And Brice had a really nice AAA year to boost his numbers where Cooper's above average production (104 OPS+) at AA that still lowered his overall OPS. A full season at AAA might close that gap (though he is pretty cold right now). 

Somewhere on here, I did a cost-benefit estimate for given Pratt the contract now.  The only way this really "fails" for the Brewers is if Pratt is a zero or negative WAR player (someone you wouldn't take to Arbitration). 

If Pratt becomes Joey Ortiz (~2 WAR player), the Brewers are paying the "typical" cost of that player as they go through arbitration and FA.  The Brewers don't normally pay FA prices for that type of player, but it isn't a massive anchor on their necks either.  

If Pratt reaches Adames or Turang levels (or higher...) this contract starts to pay off very well. 

I think it is a very safe bet to say Pratt's floor is Joey Ortiz. Can his ceiling be Turang?  It isn't that big of a stretch. 

Edit: found the link to my Cost-Benefit analysis of the contract: 

 

[SoCalBrewfan]

You might also look to Pratt's teammate, both last year and this year, Luis Lara.  Lara is about three months younger than Pratt. Both had numbers last year that didn't look that great in AA, and there was a sense among some that they had lost their luster as prospects. But they both were slightly above average for the SL, which played as a pitcher's league, and both were nearly four years younger than the league average age. Given their defensive value (I think each has a minor league wide gold glove award), both guys have a high floor, but have been promoted so aggressively that it's hard to get a read on the offense, 

Lara this year is off to a big start in AAA, of course, and has shown more power than expected in addition to hitting over .340. It's early of course, but it illustrates that young guys with tools and a good approach can take those big leaps forward. Pratt had the contract in the background as well as some injuries and so I don't think it's shocking that he started slowly. Will he ever take that leap like Turang or (so far at least) Lara? It's not too hard to imagine it, but even if not you can make the case for the contract just due to his other skills.

This is of course not a rigorous analysis, just a comparison that might give you permission to be optimistic, or at least "wait and see." And of course there is going to be risk taken on by both sides to get a deal like this signed. Pratt might well find himself hugely underpaid, like Freddy Peralta did, or the Brewers might find themselves with little to show. 

[Playing Catch]

If we take Boras at his word when he said,

“The point of it that I heard was that, for him, this is something that allowed him to explore a corridor where he could go out and risk and seek optimization without restraint,”

then perhaps Pratt believes he needs to make some difficult adjustments to become a star, and that those adjustments may come with some struggle(?) Perhaps he's doing something different at the plate?

[Bernies Sponsor]

56 minutes ago, Playing Catch said:

If we take Boras at his word when he said,

“The point of it that I heard was that, for him, this is something that allowed him to explore a corridor where he could go out and risk and seek optimization without restraint,”

then perhaps Pratt believes he needs to make some difficult adjustments to become a star, and that those adjustments may come with some struggle(?) Perhaps he's doing something different at the plate?

I guess that makes me feel a bit better about his .442 OPS and abysmal advanced batting stats (.268 xwOBA, 10th percentile EVs, 14th percentile hard-hit%)
In Conger We Trust