Fear The Chorizo

We have one of the worst tv contracts in baseball... https://blogs.fangraphs.com/estimated-tv-revenues-for-all-30-mlb-teams/ ...likely a result of being in one of the smallest markets in all of pro sports... https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/nba-market-size-nfl-mlb-nhl-nielsen-ratings/ ...so my perspective is that having a league average payroll... https://www.spotrac.com/mlb/payroll/2019/ ...despite the aforementioned constraints is pretty impressive. That's perspective, btw

http://www.espn.com/mlb/freeagents Looks like there might still be a couple unsigned FAs to try and call before giving Garza a ring...

$136 million last year, just for the record. Yep and it was smaller than every team in the NL Central but for Pittsburgh and the 6th smallest overall in the NL goalposts moving at the speed of sound lately around here... Specific to Hamels - he was awful after returning from that oblique injury...and since his oblique is just as old as he is, I wouldn't want to throw close to $20M at an aging LH starter who found sort of a 1 year renaissance to a career with the Cubs when he was looking done while pitching for the Rangers back in 2018. Plus he poo-pooed the Brewer organization in the media. Not exactly shocked that he isn't a Brewer - and also glad.

It also wouldn't surprise me to see Nelson pitching in Japan or Korea next season if MLB options are limited to non-roster spring training invitations to try and restore his value and resume his MLB career in 2021 or even 2022. Find a way to log innings under a guaranteed contract and show scouts he is better than he showed last summer - the velo was there, but it was obvious the feel/command and pitch mix wasn't consistent enough. I'm rooting for him and hopefuly that if he does find a way to rebound and be a good MLB pitcher again it's with the Brewers somehow, someway

regarding Arcia's positional flexibility - half the time he was the shortstop he was on the 2nd base side of the bag with shifts. And his arm is plenty strong enough to stick him at 3rd. A position title doesn't really matter if he's a late inning defensive replacement with all the shifting the Brewers do, anyway. There's no doubt he could be a solid utility IF defensively if that winds up being his role...the doubt is whether his offense would ever be good enough for him to stick in that role when it also tends to require some ability at the plate as a pinch hitter.

One of the best relief pitchers in baseball is still a relief pitcher. Hader had half the WAR of McNeil last year and McNeil has an extra year of control. He's probably more valuable than Hader in his own right. That is also why WAR is a horrible way to compare pitchers vs position players in terms of value to an organization - particularly relievers. If the brewers dealt hader to the mets straight up for mcneil I would expect mark A to fire Stearns on the spot.

With respect to Nelson, the Brewers paid him close to $8M over the past two seasons and allowed him to use facilities & team trainers while rehabbing that shoulder injury. That's $8M over two years with basically zero return on the field in terms of MLB production. If they wanted to be crass they could have non-tendered him after his shoulder surgery revealed the long road ahead of him in terms of rehab, and Nelson would have potentially earned roughly $1.75M with the team, not almost $10M. Obviously, the Brewers kept Nelson around that long because they were hoping following rehab he would be worth that investment - there unfortunately just wasn't enough proof from the mound that Nelson could regain anything close to the form that made him their best pitcher in 2017. The Brewers were also supportive of him during a difficult time with his twins and wife medically last year, too. I doubt there's any hard feelings from Nelson's camp provided they have a realistic perspective of the baseball side of things from the Brewers' point of view. The injury couldn't have come at a worse time for both Nelson and the Brewers, and it still stings. Who knows, maybe he's back with the team in the spring.

I think any non-tendered player would consider it insulting to get an offer from the team that non-tendered him. They had every opportunity to bring him back, but only want to now at a discounted price?! I wouldn't take that deal, and I'd try to land on a division rival just to be spiteful. One of my great joys in life was walking away from a job after being expected to accept a pay cut. I can't imagine a competitive athlete would be any more forgiving than I was. My guess is your line of work has a few more opportunities than that of a professional baseball player if they want to stick to being a professional baseball player - odds are pretty damn good no matter where non-tendered players wind up they're getting a paycut from what they would have received via arbitration based on the fact they didn't perform well enough to justify a team that controlled them before reaching free agency didn't want to foot an undeserved salary. Frankly, if all the guys the Brewers jettisoned yesterday wind up with division rivals next season and play significant roles on those teams, I like the Brewers' chances all the more at winning the NL central in 2020. These were good baseball moves based on cutting ties with players who would otherwise have cost the Brewers far more than their performance warranted based on their 2019 performance and perceived role with the 2020 team.

I actually think the Badgers' best chance to win lies with them doing everything they can to shut down Dobbins and OSU's routine run game, and hope that reaggravated MCL sprain Fields suffered against Michigan is a factor with his mobility and overall performance. It didn't look like it impacted him much after returning to the Michigan game, but they already had them blown out when he got dinged. If Fields is healthy enough to perform at 80% of the level he's consistently been at this season, the Badgers don't really have a chance to win. If he's balky and has to shoulder more of the load because Dobbins can't get going, I can see the defense having a decent enough performance to give Wisconsin a chance to win.

Villar is a good player that can put up great counting stats playing for non-contending clubs. He played pretty well for awful Astros clubs that moved on from him as soon as they were ready to win. His big year in Milwaukee came when they were actively rebuilding the roster with no expectations of winning. Then he turned down a contract extension to bet on himself and proceeded to play below average the next two years on Brewer clubs that were also trying to win. His subpar play on a contending club made his warts - namely his apparent low baseball IQ - stand out. He has another good year in Baltimore playing for an awful team that he his warts can once again be largely hidden - Miami is a fantastic place for him to keep racking up empty stats. I really pulled for Villar to put it all together as a Brewer because his physical tools are tantalizing for a team in search of a leadoff hitter who could wreak havoc on the bases...Villar's body of work points to him not quite realizing that potential and having a better overall career playing for teams that aren't playoff contenders. He got more than a fair shake in Milwaukee to become a longtime Brewer, but his performance suffered when wins/losses were the organizational priority.

Thought it appropriate to throw out some names who were outrighted that could potentially be picked up by the Brewers to fill in current voids with their roster - IMO some of these names could compliment the 2020 roster assuming there are also a couple significant free agent acquisitions with pitching and 3B...feel free to comment on any of the below names I listed and add to it. 1B - CJ Cron - might be a late offseason addition if his recovery from right thumb surgery goes well. He'd be a platoon option at 1st if the Brewers add a lefty 1B to start most of the time. OF - Domingo (yes, that guy!) Santana. If Braun actually is a possibility logging time at 1B in 2020, Santana could once again make sense for this roster. Jose Peraza - 2B/SS/OF - still just 25, he had a bad 2019 but 2018 was solid and the talent is there to potentially salvage a MLB career - particularly if he isn't expected to be an everyday player. Aaron Sanchez - P - this guy will miss the start of the 2020 season due to shoulder surgery, but if the recovery goes well it's a high upside option. My guess is some other team will jump in and overpay for what should be a low-risk/high reward move. Blake Treinen - RP - had a poor 2019, but relief stats are fickle and he was awesome in 2018...might be an option to add depth to the bullpen for 2020. Charlie Culberson - OF/SS/Util infielder - for those out there clamoring for a Hernan Perez replacement, he's the guy. Would be a good roster glue guy to stick towards the back of the bench. Kevin Pillar - CF/OF - now that Gamel is back in the fold, Pillar might not be a good fit assuming Braun still plays most of his games in the OF. If Braun shifts to 1st and opens up a roster spot for another OF, he'd make sense at the right price. Wouldn't surprise me at all to see at least one of these names in the fold for the Brewers next spring.

Cron's injury was essentially getting rid of dead tissue from his right thumb (yikes) - 6-8 week recovery from surgery but uncertain about whether or not he'll be ready to start Spring Training following rehab/strengthening that thumb. I'd say he's an option that will likely be available late while teams check on his recovery progress. To me he's someone to bring in to fill out a platoon option at 1B once you already have a LH hitting 1B who could play everyday.

That could still happen with the brewers

That Cook one didn't look great. He's the straw that stirs their drink on offense. Mattison is a fine backup, but they have driven Cook into the ground this year. It was only a matter of time before he got dinged. I think his shoulder got dislocated after he fumbled

Wouldn't shock me if nelson is still with the brewers in 2020...they just couldn't pay him anything close to the arby number he would have gotten with how the system is set up. He was still hitting mid 90s so he will get more chances to show he can get mlb hitters out with somebody next season. Shaw, Claudio, Saladino, and Guerra are just guys who ran out of minor league options and that really cost them value to the brewers moving forward.

Lol...its not officially the holidays until we have a day where this nonsense is posted all over brewerfan.net. Last I checked they haven't yet made a rule where mlb rosters have to be set before Christmas, let alone Pearl Harbor Day. Look around the rest of mlb, there were just a ton of mlb players who became free agents that are arguably better options on the brewer roster than the guys they just outrighted...also there is nothing to stop the brewers from actually resigning these players if they feel like there is a fit. My guess is their roster looks better in opening day 2020 than it did heading into mid september 2019.

I just don't see the Brewers getting close to equivalent value to deal him this offseason unless the Dodgers allow Stearns to pick 3 guys he wants from a list that includes May along with either Seager or Lux. Yes, he's super 2 eligible and will start getting expensive, but there is still a ton of control for one of the 3 best relievers in all of baseball based on his body of work. He's the cornerstone of their bullpen and in part their entire pitching staff given his ability to go multiple innings to either close a game or get the ball to an established closer. The Brewers have to look at 2020 as another season they can contend for the playoffs, and having Hader in their pen is a huge part of that. Hader should be about as tradeable as Yelich at this point...they could obviously get a haul but dealing either that this point should require an obvious overpay in terms of talent headed back to Milwaukee that also fills existing roster gaps elsewhere at the MLB level with players who are much more than stopgaps

I see this team getting that 1st round bye, and the two things this team has going for it that give them more than a puncher's chance in January is their ability to put pressure on a QB consistently without blitzing and a healthy #12. That means they have a better than average chance at winning the turnover battle in any playoff game, which can swing who wins and loses. They have enough balance on offense to at least keep teams honest - even if they aren't explosive enough to roll up and down the field against good defenses. The NFC is so stacked its tough to say which team is indeed the best and favorite to get to the super bowl...Of the likely playoff teams, I'd rank the Packers in that #3-#4 range of likeliest to get to the Super Bowl right now - but there's at least one of the teams currently in front of them (49ers, Saints, Seahawks) that is going to drop in December due to remaining schedules.

Sorta disagree - Penn State is not obviously better than WI, in fact I'd argue the opposite. Penn State had close shaves against Iowa, Pitt, Michigan, and Indiana. Their loss at Minn looks better than UW's at Illinois loss purely because Minnesota had a much easier schedule to stay undefeated prior to playing Penn State. Minn are imposters inside the top 25, and Penn state played an awful game to wind up losing to them by 5 on the road. WI may have the worst looking loss, but I'd say overall they have more better looking wins. i think it's largely splitting hairs, because in this case I really do believe the two best teams in the Big Ten are playing in Indianpolis this weekend - the issue is there's a chasm between the best in the Big Ten (OSU) and the next best grouping (UW, PSU, MICH, take your pick). It's very similar to the ACC this year with Clemson and everyone else - however I'd argue the Big Ten's "everyone else" is clearly better than that of the ACC's, which is why OSU is all the more impressive. PSU played the Buckeyes pretty tough a few weeks ago, but it was OSU turnovers that kept that game close.

Can we just revel in the fact we flat out curb-stomped the Gophers and went back to Madison with the Axe instead of posting about a CFP pipedream? In all honesty losing at Illinois quashed any chance the Badgers had at making the 4 team CFP, as it rightfully should given the other potential teams in line for the top 4 slots. LSU, OSU, and Clemson should be in no matter what happens next weekend. I'm thrilled Bama won't be part of the conversation, I'm pumped a Big Ten team is widely considered the best team in the country and a shoe in to make it even if the Badgers shock the world next weekend, and I'm happy to see a reasonably good chance to have teams from 4 separate conferences represented. Nothing would make me happier to upset OSU for the big ten title, then not make the CFP and go win the Rose Bowl, too. I'm also expecting Clemson to remind everyone they won the title last year, and they are damn good. I don't care that their schedule was pretty easy - they are the most talented team in the country and Dabo is doing his best to get them good and pissed off for being slighted by the "experts" ever since their close shave win at UNC a few months ago.

Driving wind and a snow sleet mix up here in mpls area this morning and I dont think its ending anytime soon...passing games are really going to be hamstrung...that's a big advantage for bucky simply because mn has a much better passing game under normal conditions.

They were also the runner up in the championship game.... Yeah I remember that. I just remembered them stating that was a reason as well for being selected. Based on Iowa's result that rose bowl, methinks that should negate any advantage a team has with "not being there" for awhile...winner of today's game is likely the rose bowl participant for the big ten, IMO.

In all honesty he wouldn't be the worst option as their utility IF/late inning defensive replacement for Hiura in the world, either. Because of that I doubt they'd just non-tender him and let Arcia go for nothing. That's also why I doubt they just trade him for peanuts.

I must be losing it. I thought he was supposed to be out a good month or more. that was the original forecast, but apparently it wasn't nearly as bad as initially thought. Sounds like the plan is to keep his minutes very limited and ease him back into the rotation...which makes alot of sense. Glad to see him able to return to the lineup!

love this trade - I've been a proponent for the Brewers trying to deal Davies while he still had some value, and it probably took including him with Grisham to land Urias. Urias gives them a legit SS option who has positional flexibility to also play 2B if Hiura needs a day off or is potentially DH-ing during interleague games in an AL park, also. The lefty arm gives them some rotation/staff flexibility...although it does stink Pomeranz appears to be on the verge of signing elsewhere. There's the possibility that Urias opens 2020 in the minors as well, especially if Arcia is still with the organization on Opening Day...I'm guessing the Brewers see Urias as their utility IF and potentially everyday SS if his bat comes around following initial scuffles during his first 225 MLB at bats. The talent is there for him to be a much better hitter than Arcia.