FVBrewerFan

Move the walls back or raise them higher wherever possible. I don't think it's a coincidence that teams in pitcher friendly parks generally see the playoffs more often than teams from hitters parks.

I would also add two guys who could have taken advantage of this opportunity (Sardinas and Rivera) have not.

Wow, Lara is really in a massive slump. Cmon kid, shake it off.

Let's remember we felt this way about Peralta almost all of last season. Good signs from Nelson and Jungmann though, beats the alternative. I keep saying it, but if the three of them can stay at the top of their game, that will speed up the rebuild dramatically.

And that's what we forget sometimes when evaluating a player's performance. Our minds are locked into OPS that was 40-50 points higher for many years. Without even thinking about, we see someone with a .700 OPS and think that's pretty awful. I've noticed this is especially true at the high end. Only 13 players in MLB have an OPS over .900 (and 3 are barely at .900)

True. But the reason nobody mentioned him is the thread is titled "2016 Rotation" Really? Because no other possible bullpen names were mentioned? Really? Sorry, I was just trying to be nice/helpful by explaining why Knebel's name hasn't been mentioned. Other relievers were mentioned in the context of whether or not they could be starting pitchers (Smith, Thornburg, Blazek)

Yes. That has been forgotten about by most, since he rarely uses his curve. It is the reason he could potentially be a starter. They could also go the other direction and make him the closer. Since there are finally other options to fill the rotation in 2016,2017 and beyond we'll see if they think Smith as a starter is worth experimenting with.

I understand race/politics don't belong here. I'll just say this, and move on. I have about 17 examples to refute race is somehow involved here, but I don't have that time. Prince Fielder said some controversial things while he was a Brewer, also started a fight with his own teammate. Everyone still loved him. Krod- domestic abuse. Yo- drunken driving. Neither was run out of town, barely even talked about. Not to mention Lucroy's comments (even if we take them in the worst light) are not worthy of running him out of town. Yet, read all the comments and most people want to trade him anyhow. (Which basically goes against your comments.)

It will be interesting to see if they keep him away from Colorado. Lopez too, for that matter. If his first start is any indication, he relies completely on his FB. Then again, maybe if that's all he needed to dominate that game, why throw anything else? But at some point his mastery of slider/change is more important than Biloxi winning a game.

That's a 2017 problem. Doesn't matter if Ueker is back there next year. For 2017, they can trade for someone or pick up a FA. That shouldn't prevent them from trading him now if they get a good return.

True. But the reason nobody mentioned him is the thread is titled "2016 Rotation"

Good question. I'm not saying he's un-tradeable by any means. But after the season he's having, I just can't imagine anyone throwing top prospects at the Brewers for him. It's reasonable to assume he has a few years left of "good" hitting, but now there is doubt. The pitch framing and other catching metrics are in vogue, but much of that is so subjective. There will be a team(s) that want Lucroy. Very reasonable contract, veteran catcher, likely can hit better than he did this year. Just asking to lower expectations for what you expect back.

Phillips, Santana, Coulter, Roache, Lara could all be that guy too- but they're not a lock yet. That's my point. I don't want to sound overly negative, as the next Power 25 will be better than it has been for a few years. Just realizing we don't have that "can't miss" big bat or ace pitcher- yet.

The last Power 25 we did was fun, and the next one will be even better! With that said, the system is still missing that franchise player you can build around. Fielder, Braun, Yo...someone like that. Either a guy who you can be a big stick #3 or #4 in the lineup, or a franchise starting pitcher. Are their guys who COULD develop into that? Sure, several. But as of today there is not one player who fits that description in the system. Not someone like Fielder or Braun who absolutely dominated at every level.

I'm not saying you're wrong, but if this is true that is an awful way to rebuild. Hang on to a couple vets for nostalgia, bring up some prospects to generate excitement....that's a recipe for disaster. Prospects should be brought up when they're ready, they shouldn't be pushed up to sell tickets. I do understand this is a small market, tans they can't afford to be horrible for 7 years or something like that. But they need to make the right moves at the right times the next two years, regardless of W/L record or fan attendance. Finally, we need to remember there is a floor in ticket sales. No matter how bad they are, they will draw 2MM fans a year. Bobble heads, ticket deals, kiss the dog day, whatever.

A bidding war for an aging catcher that can't hit? Sounds good to me.

They better have more details by now if they plan on breaking ground in October!

Two months to go, if Lucroy holds where he's at, or gets worse, it will be hard to trade him and get the value back you really should. We can talk all we want about career numbers, but teams just aren't going to throw a great package at you for an aging catcher that is coming off a bad year at the plate. With that said, if someone does...you take it. Otherwise you hope he has a good year next year and then trade him when his value is higher. Same story with Segura really. Even Peralta and Davis. All these guys have very reasonable salaries, no rush to trade them- but probably should if they get hot.

I'll also add it's far more important that Peralta and Nelson can become front of the rotation type of guys. The #5 and #6 starter will work itself out, plenty of candidates. But if Peralta/Nelson can't approach their ceilings, that puts the whole rebuilding plan back a couple years because now you're waiting for the next wave to produce #1,#2 type starters. It's hard enough to compete with teams that have two legit aces, but when you don't even have a true #2 (much less a #1), it's impossible.

I don't want to see Arcia, Santana, or Reed up next year. Just no reason to burn a year of service time in a wasted season. With that said, I will make a caveat and say ONE of those guys can come up next year. Not a bad idea to get that rookie year out of the way for Santana or Reed. I would like to see Rogers get some extended playing time at 1B. K Davis, another year in LF will tell us once and for all if he is in the long term plans or not. Pretty much same thing with Gennett. I would try real hard to trade Braun, Lind and Lucroy, but I expect them to all be back.

Braun can also play 1B, Rogers may get that opportunity to soft platoon there next season. 3B is a bigger question mark, could still be addressed in a Krod, Lucroy, Lind, etc. trade before next season. If they get this right, they should be able to build the rotation and bullpen from within. OF, 1B, and middle infield as well. So only question marks are Catcher and 3B. Someone could emerge there- either guys already in the system or not yet acquired. Worst case, you have two positions you need to spend some money on in FA- and that's very manageable.

For the 5th spot, I hope they consider Smith. In fact, I would like to see them stretch him out this year and see what he can do in a couple starts. Thornburg, I just don't know where his arm is at. Does he need rest, does he need to strengthen it back up? I'm not ruling him out, but his situation is, well, iffy. I don't want to burn a year for Lopez, Wagner, or Davies. I would throw Cravy, Suter, Hall...guys like that into the mix and see if they stick. I just don't want to see top prospects burn a year in 2016.

The only thing I know for sure is that you're not an employee in the Tampa Bay Rays organization. There's a reason why they sign the catchers that they do, why they bring in the relievers they do. There's a reason to everything they do. The Brewers' front office is like watching an intoxicated noob at the poker table. Nothing they do is intentional or coordinated with their previous decisions, and in the same hand; it's all reactionary... just call check/call, check/call, check/call... that's the Attanasio way. That's nice, but it did not address the point I made. How many teams were offering the Brewers a couple of top shelf prospects for Lucroy?

Cole Hamels had a hamstring strain that sidelined him for a week in June; then he returned in late June to post a 7.46 ERA & 1.78 WHIP over 25.1 ip (twice not making it out of the 3rd inning). Teams were lining up to trade for him with proposals that included several top-shelf prospects. And that was before his no-hitter. In addition, Hamels has had his issues since the start of the 2014 season, so I think teams who are trying to compete in the post-season are willing to overpay for a player they perceive will put them over the edge, regardless of red flags. Not to mention, Hamels has an abortion of a contract at $23.5 mil per year. I mean, Texas took him on & it might mean saying good bye to Yu Darvish, which is so, so bad if it plays out that way. I mean, they have to deal Shin Soo-Choo or Elvis Andrus to clear the room for a Darvish extension, and who's going to take on either one of those guys with their contracts? Point being, don't discount the possibility of teams doing something stupid. But, also Lucroy having a bad year is a results-orientated, offense-only look at his season. His home run to fly ball rate is the lowest it's been since his rookie year of 2010. It's at 4.8%, which is abnormally low for a hitter with a career .428 SLG playing half of his games at Miller Park. His babip this season is 28 points below his career average. His walk rate is equivalent to his career average and his k rate is 1.3% lower than his career average. It's a down year for Lucroy, but not a bad year. And health has played a factor too. If teams were willing to overlook Hamels' struggles in late June & July, then there's no reason to think they wouldn't be willing to overlook Lucroy's modest struggles, which I think they probably should. Citing an article from April of this year, Lucroy has the most "stolen" strikes in MLB over the past 5 seasons. It's over 1,000, which Baseball Prospectus equates to 18 wins. Teams are willing to pay a hefty price for 3.6 extra wins per season; particularly, for a player who only costs $4 mil next season. Citing a couple of stats you quickly glanced at off of Lucroy's ESPN profile page isn't an accurate method to assess his value in the trade market. Additionally, the other catchers in baseball who excel at pitch framing have OPS in the 500s. Lucroy's a god send. His return on the open market would be/should be substantial. Youre trying to make a case why Lucroy SHOULD have had buyers lining up. That's all well and good, but that's not what teams are looking for in August. They are looking to bolster rotation. A distant 2nd is finding a bat. Lucroy offers neither. In the off-season teams can look at the bigger picture, but right now all Lucroy is is a light hitting catcher.

We're talking about Lucroy but KRod is the "trade that didn't happen" that bothers me. He could still get traded of course. There aren't contenders that couldn't use a closer who is perfect the yr? Even as the 8th inning guy?