Fear The Chorizo

at least a couple notches below Olivia Dunne

Weeks was playing on legs that were about to fall apart in 2014 - I think he wound up blowing out a hammy that season to end his year early, anyways...so perhaps him sprinting all over the Miller Park outfield grass wasn't a good idea no matter where it came from. Early in his career, the thought of moving Weeks to a corner OF spot was discussed before all the leg injuries occurred...but the Brewers already had to find a place to hide Braun in the outfield and keep his bat in the lineup - much to clancy's dismay

Didn't realize bench coach meant the guy in that position has to be the organizational expert on defense, either. For an organization that is currently full of mlb players who are pretty good defenders, it doesn't bother me one bit if their bench coach's m.o. as a player was getting on base and baserunning.

I'd also add that while Murphy was CC's bench coach, he's not a CC clone. I'll be interested seeing if there are any noticeable differences to the type of players the Brewers have on their MLB bench and bottom 10 spots on their 40 man roster compared to recent seasons, to see if many of my roster decision frustrations over the past few years were influenced strictly by payroll limitations of the organization or if CC carried weight keeping some scrappy veterans around much longer than their onfield performance deserved. The Brewers have an opportunity to infuse their 40 man with a bunch of young talent that's probably ready to make an opening day MLB roster (Quero, Gasser, Chourio, Black)...would love to see that happen, and frankly if CC was still managing the team I'd have zero expectations of it actually taking place and would instead assume Quero would be the only 40 man add to protect him from Rule V and he still wouldn't be in Milwaukee next season.

All these cheap teams not paying market value

For as much as I've heard about people relishing the chance to retire abroad, more often than not unless money is no object, those people find themselves right back in the U.S. after realizing perceived greener pastures elsewhere come with their own varying types of suck - most of which make them worse places to live than America. The US has a place for just about anyone to love retiring to - you just have to know what you love and be openminded on where you'd need to move within the states to have it.

Did CC miss the fact the Cubs ran out of resources with their last core of homegrown talent and bloated veteran FA contracts that led to a more abrupt teardown than anything the Brewers did after Fielder left, and their journey over the past 3-4 seasons in the land of rebuilding was a prime reason why Milwaukee's current window to be a consistent contender for the division opened up? The 2023 Cubs improved their record by 9 wins last season from 2022, but they still missed the playoffs last season. If they want their 2023 opening day starter or best offensive hitter from that team to be Cubs in 2024 they're going to need to pay them substantially more to stick around, because they opted out. I just don't see how they're going to go from a borderline 0.500 team to WS contender this offseason with the core of players they've already got on the payroll - and the Brewers have a better group of prospects/young talent in their system than what the Cubs have.

Not really - if the Saints' DBs could catch a ball early in that game a couple of those early Viking scoring drives would've resulted in INTs and that game goes a much different way. If they take care of business against poor competition the next 3 weeks, the Vikes probably are a playoff team this year based on this middle of the season winning streak - and then they'll once again bow out on WC weekend and go into an offseason without a starting QB on the roster (unless they plan to give Dobbs a longterm extension for $20M a season...to which I'd say "Please do!"), Jefferson wanting to be paid like prime Randy Moss in today's salary cap era (i.e., $30M a season), and a draft position around #20. Plenty of Vikings fans around here would rather they be losing these games, not winning them right now, because they know their overall team roster is not set up for any sustained success that puts them in the conversation for winning a ring.

Wish guys would just be honest and say "they gave me a crapload of $$$$ and that's why I'm here". If by "momentum", CC means "as long as they close to double their current payroll to fill a bunch of holes last season's roster has we'll at least have a better shot to make the playoffs next year", then I agree with him.

To be honest I don't really care what a prospect's ranking number is the moment he's traded. Hiura was at one point a top 15, Brinson was a top 20, Arcia was a top 10...in a trade of Burnes I'd rather get three prospects outside of the top 100 that turn into quality MLB players than three prospects ranked in the top 20 who go on to have the MLB careers Hiura, Brinson, and Arcia have had thus far. I'm still waiting on your disappointing trade examples, btw.

Houser hasn't logged 150IP in a season in his career - I'd be find bringing him back for next season, which will be his age 31 year. Great big no thank you for any sort of extension beyond 2024, though. His upside is a back of the rotation arm, and his best role is probably a long reliever - those aren't guys to buy out free agent years and pay them much beyond 30 yrs old.

Agreed, and the best way to get impact prospect talent in these type of trades is to go after guys who aren't already knocking on the mlb door - find upside talent in the lower minor league levels or guys recently drafted that your scouts view highly. Then be patient for a season or two before you see the full dividends of a trade. Top 30 guys rarely get moved unless you're getting a guy like Soto for up to parts of 3 seasons. Burnes, Adames, ot Williams were never top 30 prospects - you can land impact talent that isn't hyped at the time of a trade, and oftentimes wind up with better players than focusing on getting who fluctuating ranking services say are top 30 prospects in a vacuum

What are some examples of these disappointing recent trades you speak of? Just curious what you consider less than adequate prospect return for players in the same caliber as who the Brewers may be shopping this offaeason.... Burnes is one of the 15 best starting pitchers in baseball and in his prime years, Williams is probably a top 5 reliever, in his prime and still has a couple years of arbitration control. They will return premium value via trade when they are dealt. Adames is a few steps below them in terms of trade value IMO, and because of that the Brewers may opt to just roll with him at SS in hopes he can have a really good FA year and try to trade him in July or contend with this group one more season if they're winning this summer.

A team that wins their division with a bottom 10 offense probably shouldn't look to tear it all down and start from scratch - significant deck chair reshuffling should definitely be on the table, though. They got very little from Woodruff in 2023 on the mound and still wound up being the best team in the NL Central by a comfortable margin. I think Burnes gets dealt this offseason only if the Brewers get a crazy offer, otherwise they've got the payroll flexibility to pay him whatever arbitration dictates and see how things unfold through June . If they are out of it, they'll trade Burnes and potentially Williams for a haul at the deadline - otherwise if they're on top of the division again they'll add pieces and hope to get hot at the right time. If anyone offers something of longterm value for Adames, I think he's gone this offseason, too. One thing I hope the Brewers do change is shifting the roster building emphasis away from run prevention/defensive versatility at least a bit in hopes of building a better offensive position player roster. This team can make a bunch of changes internally by giving more prospects who have earned their MLB turn a shot - Black, Chourio, Gasser, Quero - and lean on additional production from guys like Mitchell, Turang, Frelick with continued development/health. I think keeping Wiemer in Milwaukee all season long without burning an option last season sets up pretty well for them to start him off in AAA next season and keep him there until he figures some things out with his swing in 2024 - or he's part of a trade package this offseason. Looking at the rest of the NL Central - yeah the Brewers are still in the best position to win this division next year on paper at this moment - particularly with the impact talent they could add to their 40 man roster internally in terms of prospects that will be knocking on the MLB door next spring to supplement what is still a pretty talented MLB roster. I fully expect the Cubs to go nuts this offseason trying to fill holes via free agency, and I can see the Cardinals making some significant pitching staff moves to quickly pull themselves out of the cellar, too. The Reds, with healthy pitching, are going to be a problem next year - and I think they have the highest ceiling without making any moves to add to what they already have on their 40 man.

Is that estimate based on Seattle-area winters? I'd say that's believable, because snow cover there really isn't an issue. I know the renewable developers I work with on community solar projects in MN have been disappointed that their energy output has been very poor in winter months, way off their estimates that drove what amount of acreage/panel arrays they needed to achieve a consistent generating capacity that moves the needle for contributing to the rural electrical grid in all seasons. When temps are consistently sub freezing for 4+ months, furnaces chew up a ton of electricity, too. There's a big difference between panels operating more efficiently at lower temperatures and producing anything close to their peak power when you are daylight-limited to begin with in winter months and then have alot of snow and even worse ice that doesn't readily slide off panels - blocking sunlight and even worse damaging panels and support brackets due to weight and/or freeze/thaw cycles. That being said, I do think Seattle or other similar temperate climates are good places to consider residential solar systems provided you have a property with a good vantage point to consistent sunlight. Those type of locales require very little cleaning/maintenance for the panels year round for them to keep generating electricity, and your weather events that typically cause problems (snows, hail, dust-heavy wind, etc).

Burnes to the Cubs for CC and cash...we need a manager! I think the Brewers will get plenty of interest for teams trying to acquire Burnes this offseason - whether or not it's enough to trade him before Opening Day 2024 remains to be seen. I also think they could easily go through the arbitration process 1 more season with Burnes and see where things are a few months into the season - if they aren't in contention they could still get a haul for him before next season's deadline. If it's an offseason deal, I'd like to match up with either the Orioles or Dodgers simply due to the impact prospects that could be headed to Milwaukee in exchange for Burnes. Both teams really could use a top end starter and they've got prospect capital to burn.

I bet he does...his current deal is up after next year, right? Just take CC's contract and tack on a few million extra bucks annually due to the Phillies being in the WS and LCS the last couple season.

I simply don't buy the notion that the "ceiling" for the Brewers is to meekly bow out of the playoffs every year because they can't afford to field a roster full of bloated veteran contracts over $200M. And there's also more to it than playoff randomness - the Brewers have built rosters prioritizing defensive versatility and run prevention, and how those rosters are managed over the course of a regular season doesn't appear to line up well with playoff success. That falls on both a team's front office and manager - particularly with CC and how he did carry some sway with how the 40 man rosters have been put together and managed over the years. From an onfield perspective, I'm ok with CC no longer managing the Brewers even if it means the Brewers take a step back this season - I think it was time for both parties to move on in order for the Brewers to take a different organizational approach to try and win a title instead of treading water. I also don't expect the Brewers to lose 20 fewer games just because CC isn't in the dugout anymore - W/L record depends more on the quality of the roster they'll be working with. And, I won't hold it against CC personally to go manage the team that threw an insane contract at him, even if it's the Cubs. However, I'll also have no problem holding him unnecessarily more accountable for them failing to win WS championships because they're paying him like he can find ways to consistently win in October when his onfield playoff results are anything but. As a big market club, the Cubs don't need the best manager in the history of baseball based on what they're paying him to make the playoffs consistently. If there aren't WS parades on the north side in the next couple of seasons, CC should get more heat than he deserves. The Brewers have built their recent window off dominant bullpens with plenty of depth to navigate through 162 games - CC gets credit for adept bullpen management, but he's also been given a ton of bullpen talent to work with. One way to really handcuff that organizational strategy is to be poor at developing pitching, not identifying journeyman relievers capable of big years with small mechanical/pitch selection tweaks, and instead throwing a pile of free agent dollars and prospect capital to build a better MLB bullpen. If you get that typical reliever volatility with high-priced relievers or a key injury, you then get stuck with them and cheaper internal options with talent still aren't on your 40 man. Essentially, this likely describes what the Cubs are about to try and do over this offseason.

IMO it's much easier to maintain a 90ish win average in MLB when you have 3 divisions per league, particularly if you play in a central division that constantly has at least two teams fighting to lose 100x a year. Those 80s Brewers teams were doing it in the AL east and had HOFers on their rosters. if they had a similar playoff format then to what they do now I'd wager there would be at least 1 WS title in brewer history - they had some damn good teams not make the playoffs who could've went on a title run. It's been a good run of winning Brewer teams lately, but the early 80s brewer teams were better.

Chicago isn't new York in terms of sports media scrutiny...but the Cubs' organization and fans aren't those loveable losers anymore either and that town can be brutal on a baseball team that fails to live up to expectations. CC hasn't dealt with that kind of environment as a manager or as a player, so it will be interesting to see how he handles that, because he doesn't come off as an A type personality that enjoys being in the headlines (good or bad) I'm not exactly sure what the Cubs should be expected to do just because they paid a guy to manage them close to double what the average mlb player salary currently is. Obviously a whole offseason of more changes, but right now they might be the 4th best team in the division if people assume the cards 2023 season was an aberration.

I mean, he retired a brewer and currently works for them, right? Pretty sure that's water under the bridge. And what better way for Luc to get more of Mark A's money now that the market rate for a mlb skipper is pushing 8 figures annually?, lol?

Lucroy?

How about 1-8 since video game Yelich fouled a ball off his kneecap?

I don't think paying a manager $8M would prevent any MLB team from improving their roster on the field if they wanted to. That doesn't mean any manager is actually worth that kind of salary, though. I've got friends who are Cub fans wondering what the hell they're doing paying CC like AmFam's running out of flagpoles to hang pennants, knowing if the Brewers played in one of the east or west divisions all the recent playoff appearances that resulted in quick exits under CC likely never would've happened to begin with. I mean, the Cubs are paying Nico Hoerner and Taillon a combined $30M next season - so they're no strangers to lighting $$ on fire. I say let them have at it.

CC is 7-12 as a playoff manager....1-8 since the calendar got to 2019. Resting laurels on a NLCS trip 6 seasons ago is the sort of stuff that gets high priced managers fired...