Harold Hutchison

Could very well be how you beat the shifts... One team sees an edge in the trade-offs most of the rest of MLB makes, and exploits it. Other teams rush to adopt the new trend. Then somewhere, a team sees a possible edge due to the trade-offs inherent in the trend that's gripped MLB. All of this has happened before... all of this will happen again.

Hader didn't pitch that much, he's still available. Soria threw 13 pitches, he's also arguably available. Hader, Soria, Burnes, Jeffress, and Jennings. Knebel and Barnes also went 15 pitches or less. I'm not super-worried.

Ugh...

Bring in Jeffress.

Aw, man, Arcia starting? He and Kratz will be automatic outs...

Albers at this point. Nothing personal, but he's pitching real bad now. The Crew has a couple of 40-man spots to spare, IIRC.

I like the numbers... and Suter turned out to be a very solid rotation contributor pre-torn UCL. Not a criticism either way, but given your affinity for guys who know how to draw walks and the fact that you give more credence to Helena stats than some, I was shocked to not see Pablo Abreu on your list. I half expected he'd be in the top 10. I've been burned by the Helena/rookie stats a bit... so I tend to wait and see. Turang's pro sample size is so small, I didn't list him. I did drop Ernesto Wilson Martinez because the power dried up. Stokes is #3 and a few spots above Ray because he's doing what did last year. More of a track record. He's the guy I'm grateful the Crew kept.

I like the numbers... and Suter turned out to be a very solid rotation contributor pre-torn UCL.

Then again, for sheer offense, can you beat Moustakas at third, Schoop at shortstop, Shaw at second, and Aguilar at first? That could be the starting infield through 2019. An infield that provides 120 or more home runs over the course of a season - add that to the outfield of Yelich, Cain, and Thames... Braun as a DH and someone giving guys a break at LF, RF, or 1B... This is a true Craig's Crushers lineup.

1. LHP Cam Roegner (NR) - Sheer domination pushes him to top 2. RHP Corbin Burnes (1) - Really tied for the top. Brewers have not lost either TOR prospect. 3. OF Troy Stokes (2) - Showing 2017 not fluke. 4. 2B Keston Hiura (6) - Opening Day 2020 second baseman 5. 3B Lucas Erceg (14) - Power still there, and the OBP skills have improved. 6. RHP Zack Brown (NR) - Like the numbers at Biloxi 7. LHP Quintin Torres-Costa (NR) - Another Hader in the making 8. OF Corey Ray (32) - Flashing the potential many at BF.net were hoping for 9. OF Tyrone Taylor (33) - 2018 is a make or break year for him... and he is making 10. 3B Dallas Carroll (5) - OBP skills are still there with a bunch of doubles. Can he get the hit tool up? 11. RHP Trey Supak (NR) - Same age as Luis Ortiz, but posting better numbers across the board. 12. RHP Jon Perrin (12) - Moved to bullpen, but was that wasting potential? 13. LHP Cody Beckman (15) - Looks like a solid bullpen option 14. OF Trent Grisham (4) - Still a god of walks with speed, but hitting still not there 15. C David Fry (NR) - OK, I am liking this... a catcher with a huge bat. 16. OF Tristan Lutz (17) - The OBP skills and trdes prompt a one-spot climb on the list, but a 200-point drop in OPS cause for concern 17. C/OF Cooper Hummel (18) - OBP skills, power, switch-hitter, catcher. 18. SS Jake Hager (NR) - Maybe he put it together, maybe it's a career year. 19. IF Dylan Moore (NR) - Maybe a Colorado Springs wonder, maybe for real. Couldn't be worse than Arcia 20. C KJ Harrison (19) - Showing power, but some regression. 21. LHP Nick Ramirez (25) - Deserves a shot in the bullpen 22. IF Edwin Sano (NR) - A switch-hitting versatile player with a hit tool 23. OF Micah Bello (NR) - Not seeing much, but I think he's another Troy Stokes 24. IF/OF Weston Wilson (27) - Rebounded from 2017, showing versatility and a good bat 25. RHP Jorge Ortega (NR) - Out with arm troubles for most of 2017 and 2018, but 1 walk in 23 innings. 26. C Jacob Nottingham (30) - Huge numbers, but is it progress or Colorado Springs? 27. C/IF Gabriel Garcia (10) - A .201 batting average doesn't cut it 28. 1B Ernesto Wilson Martinez (16) - Still walking, but no power 29. OF Demi Orimoloye (34) - Hasn't made or broken yet... 30. LHP Scott Sunitsch (NR) - Another Suter or Roegner? 31. RHP Cody Ponce (21) - Liking other pitchers' results better 32. RHP Bubba Derby (12) - Regressed from excellent 2017 33. C/1B Jesus Chirinos (NR) - At 16 showing superb OBP skills with power bat and catches. 34. RHP Nate Griep (31) - ERA jumped. 35. IF Nate Orf (26) - OBP and versatility there, but is he a Colorado Springs wonder?

That was the first comp. that came to my mind in Curtis Granderson. Seems to fit that mold pretty well right now. My thinking? Russel Branyan - with speed. 3TO in terms of HR, K, BB, but he steals 30+ bases.

Maybe move him to short, Hiura at second?

Cordell had a useful bat. Arcia has yet to show one.

Moving shaw to 2b has guaranteed Arcia at SS in my mind. We need his range Um... his OPS is still below .500. The average is .193. Jim Gantner wasn't as offensively inept, and I hated seeing Gantner's name in the lineup. Gantner was my least-favorite Brewer. He did nothing for the offense. Arcia's worse than Gantner. Is there a good reason NOT to find some sucker - GM who will overvalue defense to get some value for Arcia????

Two now... Both Lopez and Phillips were on, now Miller DFAed. We have two openings... Hiura and Roegner?

Moose is controllable through 2019 - there is that mutual option. He has an option to stick around, but so do the Brewers.

Suppose it's Thames or Aguilar on the move instead? Move Thames, then have Aguilar at first, move Yelich to right, Cain in center, Shaw in left? Or maybe deal Aguilar for an ace even up, put Shaw at first, and use the extra 40-man spot for Keston Hiura at second?

Could Mike Fiers be a rotation boost that is relatively cheap? ERA is 3.49, which would be second-best of the starters. He is under control for 2019, so it's not a total rental. Tigers get: SS Orlando Arcia RHP Luis Ortiz Brewers get: RHP Mike Fiers LHP Austin Sodders (minors)

Keeping Moose at third, go with Shaw at second, Aguilar at first... I'd think maybe more along the lines of dealing Ortiz and Arcia to Detroit for Mike Fiers might fit the bill. Fiers provides the second-best ERA for s starter on the team, still has 2019 under control (thus, not a rental), and solidifies the rotation. That allows the Crew to move Peralta to the pen as another relief ace.

This is a HUGE boost to the offense.

Or we could just not protect Lopez and give him to a team this offseason. Very questionable if he would have made the 40 man... Good use of extra depth to help us now. Maybe Moustakas decides to stick around after this year. Who knows what the offseason will bring? Edit: Think about this lineup for Opening Day 2019: CF: Cain LF: Yelich 1B: Aguilar RF: Thames 2B: Shaw 3B: Moustakas C: Pina SS: Hager I dunno about anyone else, but I like that kind of lineup.

Arcia can't reach the Uecker line. His OPS is sub-.500. Second has been a disaster, despite multiple attempts. They could have called up Hiura, but decided to go this route instead. The cost is low. Phillips and Lopez, I can live with. Stokes is still around - and a better 4th OF option. Kind of a Brady Clark with power, and Corey Ray is in line to take over RF in 2020.

His last two AB's last night were encouraging. One was an absolute rocket right at the LF. The other was a one hop smash right to 2B. The exit velocities on both were up there and were the hardest hit balls I've seen from him in a long, long time. If he can have a hot streak - great. He becomes someone the Crew can sell reasonably high on over the offseason. Otherwise, maybe give Jake Hager a long look in spring training next season.

Meanwhile, Arcia's headed further from the Uecker line...

Perez can play all four IF positions, all three OF positions, and he can pitch for an inning or two in a real emergency. That sort of versatility is a huge asset in and of itself.