John Bonnes

Tommy Ciacciio "It finally happened" is a weird way to start a conversation about something that feels counterintuitive and inorganic. I understand that the identity of the closer is outsized relative to their actual value. That said, since the moment Josh Hader was acquired for Carlos Gomez all those years ago, he's been inextricably attached to the identity of the Brewers as fearless small market titans who are perpetually competitive. It's rational to react negatively when the author of so many emotional moments is abruptly and permanently absent from the role you've associated them with for years. It's important to take a birds-eye view of the situation and assess whether or not those emotions have purchase when considering the trade's effect on the team. And my (unsolicited) objective, sterile and emotionless opinion? They do not. Sports are about the moment. As much as the spindly flamethrowing Josh Hader may have appeared nearly superhuman in his dominance, the metrics don't suggest irreplaceability. The most immediately useful piece is Taylor Rogers. An All-Star last year, Rogers doesn't have what it takes to replace Hader directly, but he does have what it takes to set up for Devin Williams, who hasn't allowed a run since May 10th. Dinelson Lamet is the player with the second most major league experience. While less effective due to a series of injuries, he is only two years separated from a fourth place Cy Young finish. And then there is Robert Gasser and Esteury Ruiz to complete the trade. A pitching and outfield prospect respectively, each comes with an exciting high ceiling. Gasser is a crafty control pitcher who, despite not having dominating velocity, has managed a 30.5% strikeout rate. The speedy Ruiz maintained a gaudy .450 OBP in double and triple-A over 374 plate appearances. There are worse problems than being loaded with a bastion of young, elite talent, but with elite talent comes commensurate paydays. The Brewers will soon be forced to navigate paydays for Woodruff and Burnes, Adames and Urias. Investing heavily in a one-inning asset, even one of historical domination, just wasn't tenable. Fortunately, the savvy Stearns regime has found a way to trade him for a hefty bounty and remain at least as close to competitive as they were Monday morning. Kyle Ginsbach I'll admit I was initially shocked when the trade was first broken. After the initial shock died down, I was on board. I think what many fans are missing with this deal is the real value of the return. Though Rogers isn't the same caliber as Hader, he's a proven major league reliever, and the Brewers might not even ask him to close. Neither Ruiz nor Lament are proven big leaguers, but both ooze with potential. Ruiz boasted an OPS over 1.000 and stole over 60 bags in AAA this year. Lament arguably boasts Cy-Young caliber stuff when he's healthy and has command. Though Gasser's numbers don't jump off the page, any pitcher the Brewers front office is high on is worth noting. Most Brewer fans are aware of what they're losing, and as hard as it may be to see Hader go, now was probably the right time. More than ever, the Brewers can replace a closer, and there's never a bad time to add young talent. Obviously, the Brewers are betting they can replace Hader's production and add for the future. If that's the case, I'm sold. Caswell Dommisse Do I think the Crew could have gotten more? Probably. But the reliever market has changed so much since that huge Aroldis Chapman trade that brought him to Chicago back in 2016. This trade seems pretty fair overall. Rogers and Lamet are both exciting pitchers. Rogers has 28 saves on the year, second to Hader's 29 across the entire MLB, and offers an intriguing approach. His numbers are drastically elevated from one appearance back on June 2nd in Milwaukee, where he took the loss with four earned runs. Rogers is a free agent at year's end, but Lamet will be arbitration-eligible for one more season. He has struggled with injuries but has elite stretches. Looking at both of these guys makes it seem like the Padres limit their pitchers quite a bit, as each has decreased their pitch repertoire this season, so both could be a little different than what we've seen thus far. I am wondering what the plan will be with Lamet, who is a better starter than a reliever (3.78 ERA versus 6.90). Gasser looks to be quite good, and with the way the Crew has been developing pitchers, I'd be very excited if I were him to work in the pitching lab. I expect him to make a jump shortly and for fans to hear from him soon. He will need to limit the extra-base hits against right-handed batters, who have slugged .457 despite an average of .262. Lefties need to be concerned, though, with only 1(!) extra-base hit, a double, against him and an average of just .216. I am underwhelmed about Ruiz, but he has had some really good numbers in the minors this year, so maybe David Stearns sees him filling in that center field gap I talked about in my article a couple of days ago. Overall, I am very happy with this deal; it gives quite a bit of insight into the general direction the Brewers have as an organization. Rather than draining the farm for one huge run, a sustained attack with many runs where the team hopes to get lucky is critical for a small market team who won't pay those big free agents.

First Base – Tuesday’s starting pitcher, Josh Winder Not every organization knows how to develop pitching like the Brewers. Since hired in 2016, one of General Manager Derek Falvey’s focuses has been to oversee an overhaul of the Twins’ pitching pipeline. After years of waiting, the organization is starting to see it trickle out some results. We asked John Bonnes, who co-founded Twins Daily, to give us a preview of the two-game Twins-Brewers series. Meanwhile, we had Tommy Ciaccio, who does series previews for Brewer Fanatic, do the same over on our sister site. If you would like to see that, click here. Despite their differences, these fan bases have at least one thing in common: they both really dislike their respective Chicago-based teams. Winder represents the second homegrown starter of what the Twin hope will become an annual harvest. (The first, Bailey Ober , is on the Injured List). He’s a slider-first pitcher (a recurring theme for the Twins) who sprinted through AA and AAA last year, and was a surprise addition to the Opening Day roster. Since then, he’s been in the bullpen, in AAA, and on the injured list, but his work as a starter – a 1.71 ERA in five games - is what has the team most excited. His underlying numbers suggest that ERA is an aberration, but the 6’5” 25-year-old looks like a stable rotational fixture in an organization where that’s been rare for well over a decade. Second Base – Wednesday’s starting pitcher, Joe Ryan If you’re wondering what the Brewers might need to give up to add a big bat to their lineup for the stretch run, look no further than the Twins’ 26-year-old rookie starting pitcher on Wednesday. Just last year, they acquired him from the Rays (along with a lesser prospect) for 2+ months of Nelson Cruz . After a torrid start to the season (2.28 ERA in April and June with 42K in 43.1 IP), he was diagnosed with COVID and missed over three weeks recovering. Since then, he’s appeared a lot more vulnerable, posting a 4.39 ERA in June and July over five starts. More appetizing to the Brew Crew lineup, he’s also given up 5 home runs in those 26.2 IP. Is he still recovering from COVID? Is the league catching up with him? Is this just a midseason swoon? Is the Manfred mushball no longer as mushy? Wednesday’s game, his last start before the All-Star break, may help provide some answers. Third Base – A-B-C and 1-2-3 in the order – Arraez, Buxton and Correa The Twins offense ranks third the American League in runs, and most of the lineup is better than competent, with only one regular starter (catcher Ryan Jeffers ) with an OPS+ under 100. But Jason Alexander (Tuesday's MIL starter) and Aaron Ashby (Wednesday's starter) will need to navigate the top three spots of the lineup with extra care, as Luis Arraez, Byron Buxton and Carlos Correa await there. Arraez’ nickname is The Sprinkler, because - tschk, tschk, tschk – the left-handed hitting Arraez just keeps shooting hits all around the field, en route to a MLB leading .348 batting average and .420 on-base percentage. Once upon a time, the Twins wanted Buxton to be a right-handed Arraez, but now he’s just a pure hulking launch-em-to-the-moon slugger cleverly disguised in a speedy centerfielder’s body. It’s working for him. His 23 home runs bolster an 845 OPS, despite recently slumping to a .215 batting average. Correa is the perfect mixer. He provides stellar defense at shortstop, a taste of Buxton’s power (10 HR) but Arraez’ patience (.351 OBP). Plus, he’s been an ideal fit in the clubhouse, being a team leader without thumping his chest about being a team leader. He’s essentially on a one-year deal, so enjoy(?) him while you can. Home Plate – The Twins Shaky Bullpen Don’t give up on the Brew Crew too early this series. No lead is safe for the Minnesota Twins. If the Twins bullpen was even a little more reliable, they would have a double-digit lead in the AL Central. Heck, if they were even a little more reliable just against the Cleveland Guardians, they would have a double-digit lead in the AL Central. But the Twins have only two relievers they truly trust, and they’re both rookies. 100mph flame thrower Jhoan Duran converted from the rotation to the bullpen in spring training and has exceled. Griffin Jax did that too, and though he doesn’t have the velocity of Duran, he has been nearly as reliable. Plus, both will throw multiple innings if the team really needs it. Beyond that is a mixture of veterans (Caleb Thielbar, Tyler Duffey, Emilio Pagan) and AAAA arms (Jharel Cotton, Trevor Megill, Jovani Moran) who are effective enough often enough to be assets, but disastrous enough that they all hover around a negative Win Probability Added value. They Twins may get back veteran sidearmer Joe Smith for this series, who was at least reliable early in the season. Bottom line: don’t turn off the TV too early. I assure you, Twins fans won't. (Unless they can't bear to watch.)

I know Brewer Fanatic might look like a simple online site, but at its core, it’s about community. Maybe you’re part of the moderators, or one of our team of writers, or a commenter, or an everyday visitor. Whatever your role, you’re part of our community, and we think we’re stronger together than we are apart. So let’s get together. We’re throwing a party at AmFam next Saturday, July 9th, when the Brewers take on the Pirates. The game starts at 3:10, but we’ll be tailgating beforehand. Anytime after 1 PM, you’re welcome to stop by for some complimentary dogs, brats and beer. Then we’ll head into the game. The new management team responsible for Brewer Fanatic will be there with their families, as well as moderators and writers. We can talk Brewers or the site or beer or nonsense – after all this is a tailgate. If you’re interested in joining us, you have a few choices: 1) Join us for the tailgate only. Maybe you already have tickets. Just RSVP using this link, so we know how many brats, etc to have. You’re welcome to stop by even if you don’t RSVP, but if you do RSVP, we can get you important details, like where we’re going to be, via email. 2) Join us for the game. We’re getting lower level seats which retail for about $50 and subsidizing them so they only cost you $29.95. We’ll need to collect some money from you, and get your email so we can forward them to you using the Ballpark app. Sign up here. We would all love to meet you, serve you up some lunch and catch a game. We hope you can make it. Purchase the $50 ticket package for only $29.95: "Purchase" the free RSVP package just to let us know you'll join us tailgating!

We'll release details soon, including how you can get discounted tickets. But save that date!

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On Sunday, March 13th, Brewer Fanatic was relaunched on this new platform. From a technical perspective, that was to provide new functionality, but that was just a means to an end. The real purpose was to provide a bigger tent to an already thriving and close-knit community, which could add writers, bloggers, daily Brewers content, Brewers’ minor league coverage, and much more. So today, I’m happy to announce that we are publishing our 100th story since launch – and that doesn’t count the additional stories you can find in our blogs. We’re incredibly thankful to the writers who are brave enough and generous to publish their insights and coverage. If you enjoy reading these independent contributors, please let them know in the comments of their stories, or add your reactions, insights, or research in the comments. Those stories have helped us find even more Brewers fans. Yesterday we had our 20,000th new visitor since the relaunch. If you wondered if you’re alone in your level of passion with the Brewers, it would seem you are not. We’re especially pleased that over half of those visitors are outside Wisconsin, so we’re providing a community to many who might otherwise have trouble sharing in the excitement of the Brewers’ solid start. Those visitors are sticking around to participate. We are fast approaching 5000 members, and those members have been sharing about 250 comments each day in our stories and forums since the season began. Finally, those stories and comments are being read; we’ve also had almost half a million page views since the relaunch. So THANK YOU. Brewer Fanatic has a chance to impact the narratives around the Brewers, but not as a traditional corporate top-down media conglomerate. We are a community first and foremost, and that’s where our real strength is. Your contributions and devotion to baseball and the Brewers fuel all of this. We believe it will continue to drive growth. We want to grow the front page, so there are 4-6 new stories for you every day. If you’re interested in writing, let us know by emailing john@bonnes.com. We’ll help you develop your voice, and we’ll pay you all the ad revenue that your story generates. We’ll also be releasing a poll shortly to give you all an opportunity to guide the future of Brewer Fanatic. We’ll also be providing an opportunity to help caretake Brewer Fanatic and get an ad-free experience. We’re even talking about all catching a ballgame this summer. Plus, maybe videos or podcasts or … wherever the community takes us. After all, it has already taken us so far.

Not only did the Brewers acquire their backup catcher earlier today to replace the suspended Pedro Severino, but they added an insurance policy with some upside as well, acquiring 26-year-old catcher Alex Jackson from the Miami Marlins. Jackson has played 61 games in the majors over the last three years with the Marlins and Braves. He was also the sixth overall pick by the Mariners back in 2014. After a trade to the Braves in 2016 he moved back from corner outfielder to backup catcher. He's posted an undewhelming career 468 OPS in spot starts in the majors, but has shown a lot more in AAA, including a career .540 slugging percentage in 151 games. Last year in AAA-Gwinnet, he posted a 1060 OPS, albeit in just 30 games. In return, the Brewers sent back 23-year-old infielder Hayden Cantrelle and 22-year-old pitcher Alexis Ramirez. Cantrelle was the 151st overall draft pick in the 2020 MLB Draft, and posted a 675 OPS last year between the High-A Wisconsin and the Double-A Biloxi. He showed off his speed, stealing 29 bases in 90 games. However, while his combined .171 batting average invites the "you can't steal first base" adage, you are allowed to walk, and he did that a lot - enough to post a .368 on-base percentage. Brewers fans haven't seen Alexis Ramirez with an affiliated team. He pitched in the Dominican Summer League in 2018, and then pitcher in the Arizona Fall League in 2019, posting a 5.15 ERA in 11 games. That included 50K in 43.2 IP, but also 23 walks. Last year he spent time on a 60-day Injured List. So given a roster crisis, it appears the Brewers overhauled their high-level catcher organization chart with a couple of moves. What that means for Pedro Severino and the future of the position over the second half of the year is unclear for now.