Harold Hutchison

I think it could happen either way. Mitchell's been consistent in his career - about a .370 OBP, some serious speed, etc. Frelick is pretty similar. Both would provide excellent defense, and could be spelled by Tyrone Taylor against lefties. Wiemer's simply produced and has one of the highest offensive ceilings save for Chourio. If Winker does well, the Crew can flip him for some prospects. If he's struggling, they can DFA him and call Wiemer up. The future OF could very well be Frelick-Mitchell-Wiemer, with Taylor as 4th OF and Yelich as full-time DH.

If anything, I think the biggest deal the Brewers will make involving an OF will be the team trading Winker for someone 2-3 months in as Joey Wiemer forces the issue.

https://www.baseballtradevalues.com/trades/trade-116829/ Ran something on Baseball Trade Values: Mets get: OF Hedbert Perez Brewers get: IF Eduardo Escobar LHP Javier Atencio 2B/SS Kevin Kendall

I wonder how far over the luxury tax threshold the Mets have gone... perhaps the Crew can really hold them up.

Someone mentioned a hand/thumb injury. I may have added 2 and 2 to get 17, but I can believe a hand/wrist injury could affect a player's performance.

This. I also saw a very interesting post on Twitter about two OFs, one of whom is already a Brewer, the other who is highly coveted by some on this board:

I'd say they improved, but not as much as the Brewers for the price they paid. The A's got some good, if not great, pitching prospects and a CF with a nice speed/OBP package. Not bad, but they had to deal Murphy to get that upgrade. The Brewers upgraded at C and DH over Narvaez/McCutcheon with Contreras/Winker, the team cleared space for Frelick and Turang by dealing Renfroe and Wong, and they also got some more pitching depth and a potential replacement for Jace Peterson in the process.

I'd agree at this point. The nice thing about having Mitchell/Frelick/Wiemer/Chourio/Avina is the fact that post-2024, they will be cheap while the Crew could extend Burnes/Woodruff/Adames. If they can't extend Burnes, make the trade around him and get some pitching help, otherwise, it needs to be a bigger steal that Contreras and two pitchers for Esteury Ruiz.

Given the splits... I feel like the Crew dodged a bullet with this. Brian Anderson as a 3B/corner OF/1B option might not be bad, but I'd rather see the Crew try to extend Woodruff/Burnes/Adames instead.

Ryan Braun struggled with a similar thumb injury in 2013/2014. It took a bit for him to get bear to almost-MVP form in 2015-2017.

The Crew goes full Bobby Bonilla.

I'd say a walk rate of 15% or higher and a K rate below 25% would be a big part of that.

Assumes extensions for Burnes, Adames and Woodruff. C: William Contreras ($0.70M) 1B: Rowdy Tellez ($5.30M) 2B: Brice Turang ($0.7M) 3B: Luis Urias ($4.30M) SS: Willy Adames ($15M) LF: Christian Yelich ($26M) CF: Garrett Mitchell ($0.70M) DH: Jesse Winker ($8.25M) Bench OF: Sal Frelick ($.7M) Utility: Keston Hiura ($2.00M) Utility: Abraham Toro ($0.70M) Backup C: Victor Caratini ($2.80M) RP: Peter Strzelecki ($0.70M) 2B: Kolten Wong (trade to Seattle) ($1.75M) RF: Tyrone Taylor ($0.70M) SP1: Corbin Burnes ($20M) SP2: Brandon Woodruff ($17.5M) SP3: Freddy Peralta ($3.50M) SP4: Eric Lauer ($5.20M) SP5: Adrian Hauser ($3.60M) CL: Devin Williams ($3.20M) RP: Luis Perdomo ($1.00M) RP: Matt Bush ($2.00M) RP: Justin Topa ($.7M) RP: Hoby Milner ($1.10M) RP: Aaron Ashby ($1.00M) RP: Jason Alexander ($.7M) Payroll is 0.15% under budget

Exactly. The opportunity cost signing Turner imposes on the Brewers is a lot bigger, both in terms of possibly extending one or more of Adames/Woodruff/Burnes and in terms of the rookies from the farm system (Turang/Devanney/Wilson) or other players (Toro/Miller/Brosseau).

Here's a thought... anyone think Cam Devanney is worth a long look? He put up some darn good numbers last year between Biloxi and Nashville, bats right-handed, and has some positional versatility (SS/3B/2B).

At this point, I'd rather take a shot on Turang, and if we're looking for more right-handed power, there's always Cam Devanny, who's forced his way to the Top 20 list. Plus, one of Miller/Toro/Brosseau could also step in. Brosseau put up a 117 OPS+ in some action. Turner posted a 116 OPS+ in 2022. Really think there's better ways for the Crew to spend $15 million in 2022.

Even throughout the down years, the Brewers always seemed to find excellent pitchers who could close out the rare games when they had a lead in the late innings. These days, while many Brewers fans celebrated the rotation and closer Josh Hader, the real unsung heroes were other bullpen pitchers who got the ball to Hader to slam the door. Image courtesy of Brewer Fanatic Even throughout the down years, the Brewers always seemed to find excellent pitchers who could close out the rare games when they had a lead in the late innings. These days, while many Brewers fans celebrated the rotation and closer Josh Hader, the real unsung heroes were other bullpen pitchers who got the ball to Hader to slam the door. Many of these pitchers the Brewers turned to come from free agency. But some come through the system and are not necessarily conventionally acquired. Who might be the next great Brewers reliever from out of nowhere? Right-handed Relievers Michele Vassalotti, Carolina (A) 9-2, 2.64 ERA, 7 saves, 47.2 IP, 24 BB, 56 K in 33 appearances Bats: Right, Throws: Right Age: 21 Vassalotti was snake-bitten by some defensive issues (8 of 22 runs were unearned), but otherwise, he did very well. He only allowed one home run all season and a 1.112 WHIP. He went two or more innings in nine of his 33 appearances. James Meeker, Wisconsin (A+)/Biloxi (AA) 4-4, 2.38 ERA, 17 saves, 64.1 IP, 17 BB, 57 K in 44 appearances Bats: Right, Throws: Right Age: 27 Meeker is older, a find who pitched in independent leagues for a few seasons before the Crew signed him. But in this case, the Brewers could have someone who could step into a late-inning role. If he continues to pitch like he has - including a dominating stretch in Brisbane – he could be a very cheap late-inning option that could help the Crew keep one or more of Burnes, Woodruff, and Adames in Milwaukee. Lucas Erceg, Biloxi (AA)/Nashville (AAA) 3-4, 4.55 ERA, 2 saves, 61.1 IP, 37 BB, 69 K in 49 appearances Bats: Left, Throws: Right Age: 26 2022 was Erceg’s first full year as a pitcher after he took the two-way player approach in 2021. He stepped it up in Nashville (3.43 ERA in 33 appearances) and, at the very least, offers the Crew someone to take an inning or two from the back end of the bullpen. Jeison Pena, ACL Brewers Gold (R)/Carolina (A)/Wisconsin (A+) 3-1, 3.30 ERA, 2 saves, 46.1 IP, 32 BB, 64 K in 24 appearances Bats: Right, Throws: Right Age: 19 Pena strikes batters out, but he also tends to walk a lot. He’s also not very charitable with the long ball, giving up only one homer in the 46.1 innings. To reach A+ Wisconsin at 19 says a lot. He went two or more innings in 14 of his 24 appearances. Quinton Low, ACL Brewers Blue (R) 0-0, 0.82 ERA, 2 saves, 11 IP, 5 BB, 16 K in 10 appearances Bats: Left, Throws: Right Age: 19 The Brewers could have their own Shohei Otani in Low, who not only put up some dominant numbers reminiscent of Hader at his best but also posted a decent .756 OPS while playing first base and designated hitter. Left-handed Relievers Clayton Andrews, ACL Brewers Blue (R)/Biloxi (AA) 0-2, 7.84 ERA, 0 saves, 10.1 IP, 7 BB, 19 K in 7 appearances Bats: Left, Throws: Left Age: 25 Since the pandemic, Andrews, a 17th-round pick in 2018, has been derailed by injuries. Before that, in 2019, he was showing signs of being not just a poor man’s Hader, but he also flashed the ability to play center field, giving the Brewers a slap-hitting two-way player (.772 OPS in 16 games as a CF). In his return, though, he averaged 16.5 K per 9 IP. Pablo Garabitos, Carolina (A)/Nashville AAA 6-1, 1.83 ERA, 0 saves, 59 IP, 19 BB, 62 K in 25 appearances Bats: Left, Throws: Left Age: 21 Garabitos, a converted corner outfielder drafted in the 25th round in 2018, moved to the mound in 2019 and has been getting good results since. He averaged over two innings an appearance in 2022 and was briefly at AAA at 21 years old. He only gave up two homers all year, one at Nashville. Karlos Morales, Carolina (A)/Wisconsin (A+) 3-4, 2.35 ERA, 6 saves, 46 IP, 22 BB, 55 K in 32 appearances Bats: Left, Throws: Left Age: 23 Morales did not surrender a single home run while also posting excellent numbers, improving after his promotion to Wisconsin. The walk rate was a little high, but Morales, a 25th-round pick in 2017, could be a steal simply by becoming a valuable contributor out of the major league pen. Overview These relievers are all over the place. The fact is, if the Brewers are to have success over the long term, they need to find a lot of their bullpen contributors from the farm system to maintain a cost-controlled bullpen, allowing Milwaukee to use financial resources elsewhere on the roster. Some of the older pitchers had a position-playing background, and some could still contribute both at the plate and on the mound. View full article

Miller did kick his OPS up by 100 points from 2021-2022 and his OPS went from 51 to 89. Might be a big-time steal.

The Urias of 2021-2022 is not a horrible option at third base. He has some right-handed power (39 HR over 269 games - or about one and two-thirds of a season), and provides 25 doubles and 23 HRs per 162 games, and very good OBP skills. Could the Brewers get someone better? Perhaps, but at what cost? Would it cost Frelick/Mitchell/Wiemer - or worse? The chance to extend Burnes/Woodruff/Adames? Urias fills a lot of the needs the Brewers have: RH power bat, third base, 111 OPS+. I'd say have him as primary 3B with Brousseau/Toro backing up.

Not a horrible acquisition, but in some ways, less than what was hoped for. OTOH, if Contreres slips offensively, the Crew's on hte hook for less than $2 million over two years. Beats paying Narvaez $8 million.

The Brewers farm system has developed some fantastic talent in recent years. The trio of Corbin Burnes, Brandon Woodruff, and Freddy Peralta has topped the starting rotation since 2018. Josh Hader nailed down the ninth inning from 2019 until the July 2022 trade that may or may not have derailed the season. Brent Suter, Aaron Ashby, and Devin Williams made their way through the pitching pipeline. Image courtesy of Brewer Fanatic The Brewers farm system has developed some fantastic talent in recent years. The trio of Corbin Burnes, Brandon Woodruff, and Freddy Peralta has topped the starting rotation since 2018. Josh Hader nailed down the ninth inning from 2019 until the July 2022 trade that may or may not have derailed the season. Brent Suter, Aaron Ashby, and Devin Williams made their way through the pitching pipeline. So, Brewers fans can justifiably look at some of the top pitching prospects and feel excited. But Woodruff and Suter made their way up under the radar compared to more flashy prospects like Kodi Meideros, Cy Sneed, and Anthony Banda. Could that happen again for the Crew? Some of these pitchers look very promising to do just that. Right-Handed Starting Pitchers Max Lazar, ACL Brewers Blue (R)/Carolina (A)/Wisconsin (A+) 1-1, 3.83 ERA, 40 IP, 12 BB, 26 K Bats: Right, Throws: Right Age: 23 Lazar dominated before the pandemic but was set back by missing all 2021 and much of 2022. But when he was on pre-pandemic, he was on. He recovered some of his 2019 form with Brisbane during winter baseball, though, so he could do what Adrian Houser did for the Brewers. Kevin Briceno, DSL Brewers 1 (FRk)/ACL Brewers Gold (R) 4-3, 2.02 ERA, 49 IP, 14 BB, 48 K Bats: Right, Throws: Right Age: 20 Briceno’s just kept people off the bases and kept them from scoring. It’s a long way from the DSL and ACL to the majors. His adjustment to full-season baseball in 2023 will be crucial. Cameron Wagoner, ACL Brewers Gold (R)/Carolina (A) 3-0, 1.83 ERA, 19.2 IP, 2 BB, 24 K Bats: Right, Throws: Right Age: 21 Like Woodruff and Suter, Wagoner is a later-round pick. That being said, the production in his first pro season and what he’s doing down under could rocket him up. He’s simply blowing away the competition. This can’t be ignored, like Suter’s 2015 performance in the notoriously hitter-friendly Colorado Springs. Overview While these three pitchers have different backgrounds, all three have, in the past, delivered results or are delivering them now. Lazar’s 2023 will be crucial as he returns from two injury-plagued seasons, but Briceno and Waggoner have the challenge of adapting to full-season ball. Left-Handed Starting Pitchers Brandon Knarr, Wisconsin (A+)/Biloxi (AA) 11-8 2.83 ERA, 146.1 IP, 47 BB, 152 K Bats: Left, Throws: Left Age: 24 A major league team didn’t even draft Knarr. But the Brewers picked him up, and so far, he looks like a steal. While his strikeout rate is down, the walks and WHIP also went down, and he was an ace for the Timber Rattlers and solid for Biloxi. Finding a Knarr, a Brent Suter, or someone similar who can fit into the back end of a starting rotation is how the Brewers will be competitive. Anfernny Reyes , DSL Brewers 2 (FRk) 2-0, 1.54 ERA, 46.2 IP, 24 BB, 48 K Bats: Left, Throws: Left Age: 18 Reyes posts some good strikeout numbers. Most impressive – he allowed no home runs in the 46.2 innings he pitched. Now, ten unearned runs were allowed, and he had quite a few walks, but one can’t help but think Reyes could be a tremendous asset down the road. Osbriel Mogollon, DSL Brewers 1 (FRk) 2-3, 2.74 ERA, 46 IP, 24 BB, 57 K Bats: Left, Throws: Left Age: 18 Mogollon, like Reyes, did very well in avoiding the home run ball – only one allowed in 46 innings – and he flashed even better strikeout numbers. His WHIP was quite good in his first professional season, though. He faces a long road to the majors, but he could be pretty good if the peripherals hold up. Overview Reyes and Mogollon have a long way to go, but both are flashing excellent tools. Knarr, on the other hand, has an immense value already, either as a replacement for Eric Lauer in the rotation or as a trade chip for a crucial piece. View full article

Not really. By itself, it is, but when you compare the RFs with other players - either on a team or across a league - I think it gets a bit more value. For catchers, it doesn't work, given that strikeouts are often scored as putouts for the catcher, and it's utility is limited for first basemen, but for other positions, I think it does work a bit better.

I'd disagree. It can tell us something - like how many plays a player makes. Quantity is part of the quality of one's defense. Higher RF can indicate range.