Harold Hutchison

None of those guys are plus defenders. Cabrera is terrible on defense wherever you put him. Yes, but Cabrera offers more offensively in my opinion. I’m not saying Cabrera is my target to play third base everyday for us or anything. Just that if I had to choose between those three, Franco is last on the list. Of the three, Flores is my first pick, but Cabrera is a close second.

I'm not a huge Keuchel fan but I'd definitely take him at that price. That would be a VERY good deal... Keuchel slots in right behind Woodruff. Woodruff, Keuchel, Houser, Lauer, Wade Miley?

Plus a fun personality. If they do end ups signing a guy like Castellanos to play RF, Broxton is the perfect defensive replacement late in games. The guy can run down anything out there, and is a ++ defender at all 3 OF spots. Actually, a Yelich-Broxton-Cain alignment form left to right would be better, IMO.

As long as he never starts a game (impossible with CC), and never pinch hits. He is only useful as a defensive replacement LATE in games. That seems a little harsh. We're definitely in trouble if he's a regular starter for us, but he did put up passable offensive numbers throughout his Brewers tenure: 796 PA, .318 wOBA, 93 wRC+, .222/.314/.422/.736 That's not bad for a defensive specialist fifth outfielder. Very similar profile to what the mighty Victor Robles produced for the Nationals last season, actually. Keon's 2019 season was a nightmare, of course, but that's why we are getting him on a minor league deal for nothing. And maybe the analytics guys can help fix Keon... you never know.

The Mets are getting raked over the coals in that deal. They give up McNeil, Davis, Lowrie Stroman and Smith, and only get back Hader and a couple of overhyped prospects. There's no way they accept that. They send out $75.9 million in surplus value, they get $74.1 million back, but they get Hader for the bullpen, and Mejia slots in nicely for them. Padres sent out $46 million, and get $40.6 back. They get a starter, a #2 catcher, help at LF/1B, and Lutz. The Brewers send out $69.7 million, and get $76.9 million, but they are taking on Lowrie.

So the money conscious Rays are going to trade a decently priced starter (cheap for his level of performance, at times) for a reliever who is go to be crazy expensive for a reliever after this year? I don’t know if that really makes sense. It doesn't. In one sense, the Hader market is really just a few teams: Contenders or big-market teams. Hader will be worth keeping in 2020, and for sale only for a king's ransom. McNeil/Davis is the minimum I'd consider. Now, this three-team deal might be a more elaborate way to do things: https://www.baseballtradevalues.com/trades/trade-17662/ Brewers get: McNeil Davis Lowrie Morejon Padres get: Nottingham Stroman Lutz Smith Mets get: Hader Mejia Ray

Looking over MLBPipeline's Top 100, I am liking Gage Workman, who "got away" in 2017. Looks like a long-term answer at third, but he's the kind of switch-hitting power bat I like.

This pen is a poor return from Knebel away from being an unmitigated disaster. You have 3 known commodities and 1 is coming back from TJ within the year. Either you like these JAGs (just a guy) way too much or you don't value the pen at all. 2 of them in the pen to start the year, maybe. 1 sure. 5? Just cancel the season. To put it bluntly, I really like Perdomo and Andrews. Both lefties, both rack up high K/9 totals. Andrews has shown he can go multiple innings, and he has a decent bat. Devin Williams also looked good in Milwaukee, IMO. Feyerisen and Yardley are interchangable with the likes of Rasmussen, Supak, Roegner, File, Bettinger, Burnes, QTC, Black, Wahl, Faria. Heck, add Zach Brown if he bounces back any.

Vogt, Kratz, and Grandal all worked out - and Grandal, IIRC, was atrocious in the NLCS. Narvaez will be okay, especially if he hits like he does. Narvaez put up a 120 OPS+. Grandal had a 119 OPS+. Also, Miller Park/AmFam Field is more hitter-friendly than T-Mobile Park - 101/101 to 93/94 in multi-year park factor.

Hader is worth more than this. Lutz and Davis are probably close in value, with a slight edge to Davis. Hader is far and away the best reliever in baseball with 4 more years of team control. McNeil is a fine hitter who had a heck of a season for the Mets in 2019 but in my opinion doesn't profile as much more than a slightly above average regular at 3B. No way do I trade Hader for him as a headliner to a package, let alone for straight up value just to fill a current "holes" at 3B and 1B early in the offseason. I'd rather bring back Shaw and Thames for 3B and 1B and keep Hader than make such a short-sighted type trade. I think Hader/Lutz for McNeil/Davis is the right move to make - and not just because McNeil and Davis have five years of control left, and are cheap through 2022. Let's look at multi-year park factors: Stadium A: 92/92 Stadium B: 94/96 Miller Park: 101/101 One of the mystery stadiums is where Christian Yelich used to play half his games - when he was seen as solid, before he turned into a legit triple crown threat. The other is where McNeil and Davis played half their games in 2019. By the way, Yelich's old home stadium is Stadium B. That's right, Citi Field is more pitcher-friendly than Marlins Park. McNeil has a career 142 OPS+, Davis 116. In 2019, Davis posted a 138 OPS+, McNeil a 144 OPS+. By comparison, the two good years Travis Shaw had saw OPS+ figures of 121 and 119. Moustakas, who just about everyone was hoping would return, posted a 114 OPS+ in 2019. With the Crew overall, it was a 112 OPS+. Thames? 117 in 2019, with 106 and 125 in the two previous years. McNeil and Davis are upgrades at 3B and 1B, just on OPS+ alone, before you consider the park factors. One more thing to think about: Yelich's average OPS+ in Miami was 121. In Milwaukee, it's 171. I think going from Citi Field to Miller Park could do something similar for McNeil, who is coming from a higher floor than Yelich. In other words, McNeil would not be a "slightly above average" 3B, I think he'd be a MVP contender alongside Yelich. That alone makes dealing Hader not so painful. That's before we contemplate Davis, who I think would not improve as much, but would still be a very solid addition (think of him in terms of Richie Sexson - for five years). If anything, he could be flipped later when he becomes arby-eligible. Yes, I give up the best relief pitcher in baseball. But the return, I think, is well worth it.

Hader for Betts? [bLEEP] NO! My price is McNeil and Davis from the Mets - or something comparable for Hader and Lutz.

You can not get a package like 1 and turn around and talk about the guys you do in 8. Hader is quite possibly the best bullpen weapon in all of baseball. I agree that the trade would stock up the offense very well and very inexpensively but losing Hader would not be offset at all by Perdomo Andrews and QTC. Those are the guys who are next up on the AAA shuttle. Not best bullpen weapon in baseball material. They'd need to spend on the BP immediately if they dealt Hader. You'd have to hope Burnes Rasmussen Small and Kelly would bullet their way to the MLB to even start talking about offsetting the hit to the BP. If they plan to keep him as a more traditional closer, deal him. Sign McHugh. If they plan to let him roam and end games 2-3 innings early. That's a monster loss. I get three players who posted at least a 134 OPS+... McNeil and Davis have five years of control, and Smith has three per BaseballTradeValues.com. Then, just sign Cesar Hernandez, Dallas Keuchel, and Wade Miley. Here's the opening day roster: ss: Urias 2b: Hiura rf: Yelich 1b: Davis 3b: McNeil lf: Braun c: Narvaez cf: Cain pitcher bench: Pina, Smith, Mathias, Gamel, Hernandez rotation: Woodruff, Keuchel, Houser, Miley, Lauer bullpen: Knebel, Suter, Feyereisen, Perdomo, Peralta, D. Williams, Andrews, Yardley

That is a theoretical number until Attanasio decides to cash out and sell the team. The actual value of the team mean very little when it comes to cash flow. Taking a yearly loss is still taking a yearly loss. This. The fact is, the Brewers can't spend the way the Yankees, Mets, Phillies, Dodgers, Angels, Red Sox, Cubs, White Sox, Astros, and Nationals do on a sustained basis. They rely on the farm system and finding market inefficiencies. They also may have to deal value to get value. I didn't want to lose Grisham, but Urias could be a huge trade chip three years from now, and if he hits as expected, he could help re-juvenate the farm system. Hader may be the best reliever in baseball, but would it not be better to get Jeff McNeil and J.D. Davis for five years of control, have them fill holes at the corner IF spots, plus have the ability to flip them to help a rebuild should Yelich and Narvaez walk after three?

One of Stearns' driving principles of roster construction is having good depth. Trading Nottingham would seem to go against that idea. I'm not in love with the player Nottingham is right now, but I'm not inclined to rule out the possibility that he could grow into a more productive/useful player over time. . . . Heck, Manny Pina had only 17 plate appearances over 5 games in the majors before the Brewers got him and brought him up when he was 29. As other already noted, Nottingham's only 24. Mario Feliciano has an ETA of 2020 per MLB Pipeline - so Nottingham has some time, but the clock is ticking to a degree. Then there is Payton Henry, David Fry, and Nick Kahle behind Feliciano, not to mention Cooper Hummel and Thomas Dillard. I won't give away Nottingham, but if I can use him to fill holes, I won't object.

Concur. The "third" catcher will likely be someone like Hernan Perez or minor-leaguers like Cooper Hummel and Thomas Dillard, who primarily play other positions, but can catch for a bit if needed. Hummel and Dillard are really exciting offensively. I really like that profile - switch-hitters with power and OBP skills.

In the past, I noted he had played alongside Gold Glove/All-Star shortstops. He has played some shortstop in the majors, and played third base and center field in the minors. There may be some rust to shake off, but I think Hernandez could be a good bench guy at the very least. In case he had been non-tendered, I'd have signed him to play short, with a similar plan to what the Brewers are doing with Urias. With how bad the 3b market is below Rendon and Donaldson I'd consider him there. He's not the traditional power bat but if he can OBP 360 again I don't care about power that much. Lowish K, high ish BB. 280/360/750 does the trick as a temporary solution. Gausman is a very nice idea. I've wanted Teheran Miley and Lyles but Gausman makes a ton of sense. Sign me up for Walker absolutely. Just for the upside of it. The question is how flexible is he with his roster status. I'd do a couple mil if he's willing to start off in the minors to get sharp or start off as a multi inning guy in the pen. He's also fast. A leadoff option if Urias and Cain falter, and he's a switch-hitter. He's shown the ability to draw lots of walks, too. If I'd been in Stearns's place, I'd have waited until after the non-tender deadline, signed Hernandez, and then done "Let's make a deal" with the Padres.

The only way this works is if you get third base and first base filled cheap. Best way to do that is to deal Hader to the Mets for McNeil/Davis/Smith. ss: Urias 2b: Hiura rf: Yelich 1b: Davis 3b: McNeil lf: Braun c: Pina cf: Cain pitcher bench: Nottingham, Smith, Gamel, Hernandez, Mathias rotation: Woodruff, Keuchel, Houser, Lyles, Miley bullpen: Knebel, Suter, Peralta, Lauer, D. Williams, Perdomo, Yardley, Faria

If I'm Bumgarner's agent, I'm talking to Tampa Bay, San Diego, or maybe even the Dodgers.

1. Hader plus Lutz and Garcia could get a McNeil/Davis/Smith package in return. That's third base, first base, and left field covered. - https://www.baseballtradevalues.com/trades/trade-17226/ 2. I think his value could go slightly higher, but there is a risk of a downslide. 3. I'm thinking more the Perdomo/Andrews/QTC that will be in AAA. In the aggregate, they will be much better than Hader. 4. Contenders, yes. Rebuilders, no. 5. This is why I like the Mets as a home. McNeil, Davis, and Smith had OPS+ of 134 or higher in 2019. They will do better in Miller Park/AmFam Field. 6. Pay Hader, or maybe make a run at a FA or two. Or, better yet, invest in the farm, analytics, and scouting. 7. True, but Hader strikes me as being less risky. 8. I'd agree. I'd have locked Hader up after 2018, personally. The Super Two thing was a very unpleasant surprise, and it changes the calculus, as does the presence of Perdomo, Andrews, and QTC in AAA.

Why not? The park is arguably due for a mid-life upgrade...

I rate Hummel very high - honestly think that he is a contender at 1B/OF in the very near future. He’s an intriguing guy to watch. Hopefully he opens the year in AAA and tears it up. It would be good to have some competition between Ray, Taylor, and Hummel for the 5th outfield spot. Maybe it’ll open up a possible Gamel trade with these three all knocking on the door in 2020. Part of me wonders if Hummel might not be a sleeper to take the first base job. His approach is very good, and he sure draws a lot of walks...

I rate Hummel very high - honestly think that he is a contender at 1B/OF in the very near future.

Claudio and Guerra, I think are about right. For Shaw, I see an incentive-laden deal with a club option or two. Nelson gets a minor-league deal with NRIs... maybe there is something like what the Crew did for Jorge Ortega - a two-year deal, with Nelson having opt-outs (July 1 each year, and after the first year).

In the past, I noted he had played alongside Gold Glove/All-Star shortstops. He has played some shortstop in the majors, and played third base and center field in the minors. There may be some rust to shake off, but I think Hernandez could be a good bench guy at the very least. In case he had been non-tendered, I'd have signed him to play short, with a similar plan to what the Brewers are doing with Urias.

Pretty much the same here, only I'd add Yelich to the list. I'd deal Hiura to a team like the Angels... for Adell, La Stella, and Ohtani. That's not gonna happen.