BrewCrew8675309’s 2027 Payroll Blueprint: Run it back...Same same but different.

[BrewCrew8675309]

Starting with the 40 man roster...we have to trade some pitchers. 

Keep Wood, ManRod, Kuehner, Jett, Adams, Zerpa on 40man. Hardin doesn't have to be 40 man rostered yet. 

Offers: Offer Woodruff an incentive based LOW baseline contract if he wants to be starter #6/Ashby may want to be #6 as well. Monitor QPriester to see if he can return from thoracic damage so it could be a 5 man rotation or 6 with both Woo and Ashby.

QO to Bauers but I cannot see San Diego passing on a chance to replace France with a Dodger killer. We get their #1 pick when they do. So we lose Bauers (or keep him and trade Vaughn). Regardless, put Adams in as a replacement for the one that leaves and now we have an OBP guy that can play third (this roster has Bauers leaving).

Matt Strahm has had a really sharp career until getting traded to KC. We pick him up off the free agent floor, as we do, send him to the pitching lab and get another MUCH NEEDED lefty in the pen. 2-3mil initially but incentives offered as well.

Trade material: Ortiz is a sell high and can play excellent D with versatility. Some 2nd half pop in that bat too. Tyler Black is the Craig Yoho of field players and it time for him to take his talents elsewhere. He has hit so some possibility here.

Stiven Cruz, Wichrowski, Birchard on the block. Im not going to detail the trades but I would like back C/3B Ryan Sprock (mlb.com #25 for Toronto) and RHP Tyler Harrison (mlb.com #21 for Tampa...but #26 Gavin Giese would be nice too). Whatever players, picks, future considerations need to be added...make it so. I am not going to present the details of mock trades. It just happens. Sprock and Harrison et al are not on the 40 man.

26 man roster justification: SPOILER ALERT--WE ARE RUNNING IT BACK. $$$ not spent on sexy free agents is money for annual pay upgrades, arbitration, Turang, Made, and maybe Contreras (but I doubt Boras lets him do that).

Jett becomes the utility INF/OF and allows Bunty to be full time 3B with Jett (and Adams?) adding days off. Bo in the bigs allows Quero and Wood to see if the next starting catcher is in AAA. Dinges is a DH and Sprock is at AA.

Everyone else in the field is the same as last year. Period. Why make moves when we have A LOT of kids knocking on the door? Why get rid of players that just won it all with the win our way mantra when EVERYONE has bought in? 

Starting pitching evolves a bit. Miz, Logan, Gasser....then Ashby states his case to be a starter and I let him. Woo might want on but it will be as mentioned before, with a low base (2mil?) and incentives for starts, innings, and quality starts. QP is closely monitored and Good Kyle needs to show up in spring training. 6 starters worked well last year and we can always move someone to the pen later if need be. 

Relieving is in transition as always. 

We need bodies. Ashby to the rotation, Zerpa and Fitz still out...so Megill stays. Contreras, Megill, and 1B don't change this year, nor are they traded. VIBES WIN OUT and we run them all back.

AUribe is the setup and closer in waiting. DL Hall takes over the Ashby role. Chad and Grant are given innings and told to forget about the postseason snubs last year. Strahm is reminded he is back in the national league and is allowed to do well. Wagoner is given EVERY CHANCE to excel in high leverage innings. We will see if he is the new Abner after Megill leaves.  

Drohan, Sproat, ManRod, CCrow, and Kuehner will be up and down from time to time. Hardin, Letson, Knoth, DeBerry, and others may have to be added to the 40 if they are jamming and demanding mlb playing time. 

Megill and Strahm (as well as Vaughn and dare I say...Wild Bill) are All Star break trade options if 2027 is not 2026. 

Made (up for Jett and making Hamilton give up a lot of ABs at 3B and play some utility) and Wood (for Bo) come up and stay up at some point in 2027. 

 

• C: William Contreras ($14.50M)
• 1B: Andrew Vaughn ($8.00M)
• 2B: Brice Turang ($9.90M)
• 3B: David Hamilton ($2.3M)
• SS: Cooper Pratt ($3.50M)
• LF: Jackson Chourio ($8.00M)
• CF: Garrett Mitchell ($3.40M)
• RF: Sal Frelick ($1.50M)
• DH: Christian Yelich ($22.00M)
• 4th OF: Luis Lara ($2.00M)
• Utility: Jett Williams ($.8M)
• Utility: Luke Adams ($0.80M)
• Backup C: Bo Naylor ($1.25M)
• POS: Add Dead Money Here ($0.00M)
• SP1: Jacob Misiorowski ($1.00M)
• SP2: Quinn Priester ($1.00M)
• SP3: Kyle Harrison ($1.00M)
• SP4: Logan Henderson ($1.00M)
• SP5: Robert Gasser ($1.00M)
• RP: Trevor Megill ($7.50M)
• RP: Abner Uribe ($1.00M)
• RP: Aaron Ashby ($7.50M)
• RP: Grant Anderson ($1.50M)
• RP: Cameron Wagoner ($0.80M)
• RP: Chad Patrick ($1.00M)
• RP: D.L. Hall ($0.95M)
• RP: Matt Strahm ($3.00M)
• POS: Add Dead Money Here ($0.00M)

Payroll is 24.14% under budget