Harold Hutchison

Again, as a Super 2 guy, Hader is looking at a salary of roughly $5 million this year. which will only escalate from here on out. Still cheap for what he provides, but no longer dirt-cheap. If I'm Stearns, I'm not shopping Hader this offseason. But if a team like the Dodgers calls, I'm certainly going to engage. And I'm not going to insult them by asking for their #1 prospect, their Yelich-like superstar player, plus more. His first game was June 10, 2017... I'm not 100% sure how super 2 works, but I don't think Hader meets that. Unless I read B-R wrong, then arby is not a factor for Hader until after 2021, with free agency after 2024. https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/haderjo01.shtml

Rooting for the Astros and Nationals in these series... Then, I'll hope Houston gets their second World Series.

I totally get that Hader has a lot of value. But to use your football analogy, asking for Bellinger and Lux for Hader would be like the Raiders trading Mack to the Chiefs for Pat Mahomes and Tyreek Hill. That is an absolute crazy, never-gonna-happen ask. Hence the trolling comment. Come up with a realistic trade scenario, because asking for Bellinger, who is the likely MVP and one of the brightest young stars in the game, is 100% not realistic. Ferengi Rule of Acquisition #98: Every man has his price. In theory, every player signed by the Milwaukee Brewers - whether on the major-league roster, the 40-man roster, or signed to the minors (down to the co-op team shared with the Indians in the DSL) has a price at which they would be traded. This is true for every team in major-league baseball. For instance, the Pirates were willing to give us Jordan Lyles for Cody Ponce, a minor-league pitcher the Crew might or might not have put on the 40-man roster this offseason. Stearns, rightly, took the chance for an upgrade for a pitcher who might only see a cup of coffee in the majors. Ponce, when you think of it, was a bargain price for Lyles, who may have put things together as a solid #3 (12-8, 4.15 ERA in 2019) with the potential to at least have an ace-like run (7-1, 2.45 ERA with the Crew in 2019). Now, different people may value players differently. I, for instance, would not have designated Troy Stokes for assignment, and probably would have dropped Tyler Saladino instead. Stearns thought differently, and Stokes is now a Tiger. I think Perez is worth a multi-year deal at about $3 million a year because of his versatility - he not only made 13 pitchers on a 25-man roster work, he was the 14th pitcher. If I'm Stearns, I see if I can't get Perez to the pitching mechanics complex in Arizona just to see if they can't push him up to the equivalent of a viable middle-reliever as opposed to mop-up. For me, the price for Hader is extremely high. The price tag is Bellinger-Lux (plus minor-league players) if the Dodgers were the trade partner. If it's the Padres, it's Mejia, Tatis, and Paddack, although in that case I might toss in Arcia and Burnes. Why? Because there's the five years of control, two of which are dirt-cheap when his performance is considered. Honestly, dealing Hader before he is arby-eligible does not make sense at this time unless the other team is willing to give me major help in several areas. Honestly, I think the time to consider dealing Hader is after 2021, not after this year. Two more years like 2018-2019, and Hader will still bring an outstanding return, and three years of control is still a lot. But for the next two years, I see Hader as virtually untouchable, barring someone like A.J. Preller or Andrew Friedman offering what would amount to a massive overpay.

Is this trolling? No... Hader has, if I read B-R correctly, five years of control left, and is not arby-eligible until after the 2021 season, so the first two years are likely to be very cheap for the results. He is arguably the best reliever in the game - certainly one of the top relievers, and in terms of cost over the next five years, probably the best value at relief pitcher in the majors. Chapman as a free agent (IF he opts out) could get $20 million a season. Andrew Miller is fading somewhat, but still gets a lot more than Hader. Those are the two closest comparisons to Hader I can think of, and Hader beats both in price, and arguably in terms of performance. Hader is to relief pitchers what Khalil Mack is to pass rushers. Any trade return ought to reflect that.

Tiffany's "Could've Been" would probably be on the playlist of every Pirates fan at the start of game time... Half of bfnet's population are googling Tiffany and that song now to find out what the heck you are talking about...lol That song runs through my head for the Brewers for the last half of the 1980s.

I have a tough time seeing the Brewers outwardly shopping Hader this winter. But it wouldn't surprise me to see a team offer of a package of prospects or MLB talent that makes Stearns consider it, though. I personally can't see Hader being dealt. But if he is, it's going to be for a huge haul. I could see a team with highly ranked systems like the Braves, Padres, White Sox, Rays, and Phillies making a godfather-type offer. The Dodgers and Astros are also possibilities. Every one of those teams has pieces that are either already on the MLB roster, or are MLB-ready, that the Brewers would be interested in. If Chapman doesn't opt out, I think offers for Hader will come in. Whoever loses the Chapman sweepstakes if he does opt out will come calling as well. It never hurts to listen, but those teams will get a "no" unless they offer a king's ransom. The Crew has Hader under control through 2024, per Baseball Reference, and he's not due for arbitration until after 2021. https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/haderjo01.shtml That's five years, two of them at MLB minimum (or super-cheap). So, I see the Crew keeping Hader for the two cheap years barring an offer along the lines of Lux and Bellinger from the Dodgers or Tatis, Mejia, and Paddack from the Padres. I really wish MLB allowed teams to trade draft picks, because I think that is what would make me a little more inclined to deal Hader. L.A. can have him, but they not only hand over Bellinger and Lux, they can give us their first-round picks for the next three years, and about a half-dozen others. Kinda make that deal work for the Crew the way the Herschel Walker deal worked for the Cowboys.

Tiffany's "Could've Been" would probably be on the playlist of every Pirates fan at the start of game time...

So it's ok because it was originally used to cheer for an African American that played for the team 30 years ago? Um ... ok. I personally don't care how it got it's start in Atlanta. That doesn't change my opinion that it is stupid and, yes, racist. Nice that you seem to ignore the Seminole-approved part. Sometimes a team's front office needs to stick up for their fans - especially against a visiting team's player when the complaint is clearly nonsense.

Well, the most common response to the "Redskins" name among Native Americans, per NBC sports reporting on a Washington Post poll from this past August, is... "Proud." https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2019/08/10/poll-of-native-americans-view-of-redskins-name-finds-proud-most-common-answer/ Tracks with results from a 2016 poll showing 90 percent support for the name. https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2016/05/19/dan-snyder-gratified-by-native-american-support-for-redskins/

Put yourself in the position of a Braves fan. It's the decisive game of a playoff series... they usually have the foam tomahawks... only this time, you get to the ballpark, and there's no tomahawk. Because a player on the team that the Braves have to beat to get to the NLCS complained to the media, and they front office of your home team backed down. Some of the wind had to have gone out of the sails of the fans. The players had to have noticed that, too. The Cards, knowing the Braves backed off THEIR tradition in THEIR home park, had to have felt a bit of a mental boost going into the decisive game of a playoff series. I guarantee you, if it had been Brewers-Braves in the NLDS, there's no Ryan Helsley on the Crew to make that complaint. There's no way the tomahawk chop WOULDN'T have been in full effect for Game 5 of a Brewers-Braves NLDS in SunTrust Park. I think it's stupid to deny that Helsley managed to mitigate the Braves' home-field advantage in the decisive game of the 2019 NLDS. Maybe the Cards still light up the Braves in the top of the first for ten innings. But maybe it doesn't go that way, and you won't go broke betting that Braves fans are asking those questions right now. Counterpoint - The Tomahawk Chop is stupid, pretty blatantly racist, and MLB should have stepped in an put a stop to it long ago. Helsley should have never been in the position to have to take a stand. FSU has long had the approval of the Seminole tribe for the chop, as noted by NBC sports (https://mlb.nbcsports.com/2019/10/06/braves-say-they-take-ryan-helsleys-concerns-about-tomahawk-chop-seriously/). The tomahawk chop was exported to the Atlanta Braves from Florida State University by a FSU alum (Deion Sanders). MLB even acknowledges that (https://www.mlb.com/news/tbt-reliving-deion-sanders-baseball-career-c163606644). Incidentally, just a little Youtube searching reveals that it was FSU fans attending Braves spring training games that started that tradition ( ). So what we have is a Cherokee complaining about a Seminole-approved tradition from FSU that was exported to Atlanta via FSU fans supporting a FSU alum playing for the Braves and things took off from there. The notion racism is involved is flat-out nonsense.

With baseball, we can't tell for sure, either way. But I don't think the Braves would have dumped the chop if it hadn't been for Helsley. If it were Brewers-Braves, and the Crew has no one like Helsley to make that complaint, do you think the Braves still dump the chop for the decisive game in the NLDS? Yes or no.

Put yourself in the position of a Braves fan. It's the decisive game of a playoff series... they usually have the foam tomahawks... only this time, you get to the ballpark, and there's no tomahawk. Because a player on the team that the Braves have to beat to get to the NLCS complained to the media, and they front office of your home team backed down. Some of the wind had to have gone out of the sails of the fans. The players had to have noticed that, too. The Cards, knowing the Braves backed off THEIR tradition in THEIR home park, had to have felt a bit of a mental boost going into the decisive game of a playoff series. I guarantee you, if it had been Brewers-Braves in the NLDS, there's no Ryan Helsley on the Crew to make that complaint. There's no way the tomahawk chop WOULDN'T have been in full effect for Game 5 of a Brewers-Braves NLDS in SunTrust Park. I think it's stupid to deny that Helsley managed to mitigate the Braves' home-field advantage in the decisive game of the 2019 NLDS. Maybe the Cards still light up the Braves in the top of the first for ten innings. But maybe it doesn't go that way, and you won't go broke betting that Braves fans are asking those questions right now.

I have no ill will against the Nationals. It's actually pretty neat IMO to see them make it this far after losing Mr. Universe in the offseason. Yeah, they beat the Brewers, but I would argue that was more the Brewers beating themselves. I'm OK with the Nats, if only because the Crew had no Yelich, was limping into the last week of the season with the health situations of Cain and Braun, the Nats did NOT do any of that Cub/Cardinal BS that made them hate-able, and because the Nats did lose Harper to one of those mega-deals.

If Bernie Brewer was racist, maybe. Their announcement was basically, "Yes, we acknowledge that this thing we do is offensive and racist, so we'll stop... but only when Helsley is on the field. The remaining 95% of the game, we will continue doing the offensive and racist thing." The Braves have done that for years. They adopted FSU's tomaahawk chop and song in the wake of signing former FSU star Deion Sanders (better known for his Hall of Fame NFL career). FSU's tomahawk chop, it should be noted, is officially approved by the Seminole tribe. It's something just about every visiting player knows - or should have known - is part of playing the Atlanta Braves IN ATLANTA. Part of what every professional player should have learned by the time they get out of the Rookie League. I'm sure the Cardinals have ways to get their fans excited and to try to make the visiting team feel a little off. So do the Brewers. So do the Mets. Heck, even the Cubs have that. Some of that stuff has to be dealt with by players. I saw the Crew play in Baltimore in 1988, after the Crew acquired Jeffrey Leonard for Ernie Riles. The visiting crowd was constantly shouting "Jeffrey!" to try to throw him off. So that sort of stuff has been part of the game. I'll give Helsley credit - he managed to remove that factor to some degree for his team in the decisive game of a playoff series, and he may have even fired up his teammates.

Chase Anderson – $10.3MM – club option for $8.5MM - EXERCISE OPTIONS FOR 2020 and 2021, TRY TO TRADE Jimmy Nelson – $3.7MM - NON-TENDER, NRI Hernan Perez – $3.0MM - TENDER Corey Knebel – $5.125MM - TENDER Alex Claudio – $2.2MM - TENDER, BUT TRY TO TRADE Travis Shaw – $4.7MM - TENDER, BUT TRY TO TRADE Manny Pina – $2.2MM – club option for $1.85MM with a $150K buyout - TENDER Cory Spangenberg – $1.5MM - TENDER Zach Davies – $5.0MM - TENDER Junior Guerra – $3.5MM - TENDER Tyler Saladino – $1.0MM - NON-TENDER Orlando Arcia – $2.7MM - TENDER, BUT TRY TO TRADE Ben Gamel – $1.6MM - TENDER, BUT TRY TO TRADE Brent Suter – $900K - TENDER (Extend?) Tyler Austin – $1.2MM - NON-TENDER

I may get kicked off of this site as I was removed from many after the cardinals last “title”. Same slightly above average type of cardinals team that teams like the braves, brewers, etc lay down and let them win it... makes me wonder why the hell that hasn’t happened for us. I think the Braves did kind of lie down in this series with their announcement for tonight's game. It'd be like us giving up Bernie Brewer or something like that...

No STL No LAD No NYY Rest is... negotiable...

I like Gage Workman... a SS/3B, college experience, yet still 19! Kinda wish MLB allowed trades for draft picks.

What would the price be from the farm system? I could easily see the D-Backs asking for Ray and Ashby, in which case, pass. Ray's a good pitcher, but at most I'd offer Payton Henry and Lucas Erceg. Maybe Corey Ray or Tyrone Taylor even up.

Looking over Tsutsugo, he might be an interesting addition. Plays outfield as well as third and first. Might be gettable on a Thames-like deal. Same kind of bat, better offense. https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=tsutsu000yos

Kim's played six years, he may be a free agent. Don't know about Mogi's status. But the Crew should be able to work something out for Kim at the very least.

I think it would not hurt the Brewers to talk some sort of team-friendly extension this offseason - Yeli may go for the deal, given how this season ended for him. If they can pull off a six-year, $150 million deal... that would be quite a coup.

Yeah, if the Brewers want Marco, go for that deal alone. Might cost a pretty penny, and a good chunk of the system, though.

One thought for where the Brewers might find upgrades at shortstop is either Nippon Professional Baseball or the Korean Baseball Organization. In putting together my proposed off-season plan, I had the Brewers pick up a pair of shortstops - one from each league. SS Eigoro Mogi from the Japan Pacific League was one of them. https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=mogi--000eig He bats left-handed, will be 25 in 2020, and has posted over his career a .277/.348/.419 slash line over his four years, averaging 21 doubles and 11 homers over that time frame, along with 46 walks. All in all, looks to be a decent, steady upgrade over Orlando Arcia at the plate. What we're seeing in the stat line is likely what the Crew would get. The other choice is SS Ha-Seong Kim, from Nexem for his first five years, then Kiwoom in the Korean Baseball Organization. https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=kim---001ha- He bats right-handed, will be 24, and has a career slash line of .292/.368/.487. He's averaged roughly 28 doubles, 17 homers, and 18.5 steals over his six years. He's drawn an average of 51 walks a season. This is a more dynamic bat, and with what seems to be a much better package of OBP skills. In addition, he could be an option to plat third base a little, giving Moustakas a break. He also will have a bit more upside, as he is 24. If the Brewers wanted a young arm for the rotaiton, Chang-mo Koo of the NC Lions in KBO might be an option: https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=koo---000cha He seemed to put it together in 2019 after three years of being roughed up a bit. Might need some time in AAA, but he could be intriguing, especially when compared to Small and Ashby. He's 22, and may be worth looking at after 2020, especially if he duplicates his 2019 success.

Faria is out of options. But I agree ... he makes the team out of Spring Training next year, at least initially. Probably a long man in the pen to start with, but hopefully can move up the ladder. He's probably a dark horse to be given an opportunity to start. Honestly, I think Faria could be good, but if the Crew could get all of Mogi, Kim,and Bumgarner, I'm okay with letting him go. And yes, I think the Brewers need to look at NPB and KBO for their shortstop upgrade.