JohnBriggs12

The problem with any "plan" is that the Brewers plan appears to be what it was last year. They'll sit back while the guys that can really help get gobbled up and see who they can get on the cheap after the dust settles about the last week of January.

I would argue the opposite. With how few balls are in play good defense is amplified. I'm trying to wrap my head around that. How is good defense amplified when there are fewer chances? If 100 defensible balls are put into play, and the defense makes 90% of the plays, there are 10 that aren't made. If by striking out an additional 50 of those 100 with no defense involved, and the defense still makes 90% of the remaining defensible plays, then only 5 plays aren't made. So defense is minimized, not amplified.

I think he'd be adequate enough to take him to play 1B. He improved there from 2019 to 2020 defensively. It's not exactly like the Brewers have guys waiting in the wings at that position and he's theoretically just entering his prime. If they keep Vogelbach and there's no DH, you just do a soft platoon and you can stick Nunez at 3B on the days Woodruff and Burnes are pitching since there's very little ground ball action to the left side on those days.

The Rays could save money by taking Hader then trading him after this season and still getting a quality prospect or two. Their bullpen is pretty strong, but they could deal another of their pen pieces. I can't see them trading Snell and not getting at least one player back that can help them in 2021. Snell could be a game changer for Brewers. What's behind Woodruff and Burnes doesn't scare anyone. Throw in Lauer and a decent prospect with Hader.

They could get by rotating Nunez and Vogelbach at 1B on a team that has starters like Woodruff and Burns and relievers like Hader and Williams. There's simply not that many balls put in play, particularly in the infield.

agreed. He sucks, and we don't need that many catchers on the 40 man... It's hard to completely overlook what Freitas did the last time he saw any regular playing time which was 2019 when in 85 games at San Antonio he posted a 1.030 OPS. He also raked at AAA in 2018. His MLB chances have been all limited here and there and he's struggled. With the Brewers so short of bats, I get keeping him around for a while.

The Yankees priority is pitching and they'll allocate money to that. They have a potent lineup without LeMahieu. They could look at bringing back Didi and moving Torres full time to 2B or they could sign Kolten Wong. In short they can tinker and not have to commit the money to keep LeMahieu. In short, they have cheaper options and offense isn't their priority. A LeMahieu signing by the Brewers is comparable to the Cain signing. Speaking of Cain, maybe the Brewers can get a taker for him and get at least half of his remaining 2 years off the books?

Not a total surprise as he hinted this move was coming at his year end press conference. Heading to Mets?

Vogelbach wasn't exactly garbage in a Brewer uniform. Assuming they keep the DH, he's penciled in that spot. Arcia was their best offensive player vis a vis his expectations and is still by far their best defensive infielder. Arcia had exactly one fewer extra base hits than Hiura in almost 60 fewer PA. No chance those guys get non-tendered. Peterson is a guy that they could get back for a minor league deal. If not him, there's a couple dozen similar types who'll be out there.

Everything's political. The implication of much of the "social justice" campaign that all the sports adopted was that the country, especially all Republicans, are closet racists. That's purely political. It wasn't an accident that this occurred in an election year. If you are Republican, you felt it. If you're not, you thought it normal.

Had they not traded Grisham and Davies they would not have signed Garcia or Lindblom. Grisham and Davies combined for a 3.9 WAR. Garcia and Linblom were a combined -0.3. Four more wins and they don't face the Dodgers in round one. They also may have pursued Gregorius more aggressively. That would have added another win. So yeah, they got fleeced. Big time.

Howie Kendrick is not basically Ryan Braun. He sure has been some sort of monster at Nationals Ball Park, but prior to his arrival in Washington he was a career .291/.334/.421 hitter. Braun, by contrast, has never had an OPS of below .769. As for baseball reference projecting a 37 year old player coming off injuries to produce offensively well above career norms, is dicey. The Brewers went down this road already signing a bunch of aging vets coming off bad years to one year deals, and we can all agree it blew up in their face, so I don't see why they would want to go right back down that road with Kendrick for 2021. They are similar in that they are 5 months apart in age and both aren't everyday players. But both can still hit when healthy. Braun's always had more power but he played a power position. Their career WAR's are not that far apart. Braun's a career .296 hitter to Kendrick's .294. Braun clearly still has more power but both still make good contact. B-R projects Braun for .253/.314/.460. They are both guys the Brewers could use in their lineup somewhere on one year deals.

While it's always an inexact science comparing one team's farm system to another's, after a year of no minor league play, it's totally a waste of time. Guys emerge and guys fall off every year.

CBS named Howie Kendrick as the fit for the Brewers. I hadn't given him much thought but he's an intriguing guy especially if Braun isn't in the mix. His numbers tailed off considerably but hard to draw conclusions on 100 AB's. B-R projects him for .286/.343/.467 for 2021. They could do a lot worse, and at 37 he shouldn't break the bank. He's basically Braun in that he's more a part time player but one that can be very productive. If the had both Braun and Kendrick? They could split time against RHP and both be in the lineup vs. LHP?

I don't think the Giants need outfield help all that much. Dickerson (.974 OPS) and Yastrzemski (.968 OPS) were two of the best hitters in the NL in 2020. I think they'll make a play for Pederson to add depth but Dubon wasn't bad in CF either. Longoria's been on the decline for quite a while and isn't the answer for the Brewers. I'd rather get Brandon Crawford.

I could see Cron as a last resort type guy if Stearns fails in the trade market. He's no better than Gyorko and not as good with the glove. Cron has a career slugging percentage 40 points higher than Gyorko. They have nearly the same amount of career HR, but Cron has done it in 400 fewer plate appearances than Gyorko. Cron hasn't been great but he's been a model of consistency. From 2014 to 2019, Cron's BA was never below .248 and his slugging percentage was never lower than .437 which is higher than Gyorko. Gyorko has been more up and down. Cron's defense at 1B is acceptable. But you don't sign Cron to play third and it's not an either or situation. Sign them both or sign Cron and sign a 3B. Signing Cron would allow you to move Gyorko to 3B which is another glaring hole. Gyorko has more value as a 3B than he does as a 1B as it's slightly less of an offensive position.

Most intriguing guy on that list from Brewer perspective is James McCann. He's been one of the better catchers the last couple seasons. Quintana and/or Ray might be worth shot on a short term deal too.

if we think Gyorko's option being declined is surprising, watch and see how many guys who are arby eligible are non-tendered. Revenue for 2021 remains uncertain, but it's very likely that there will be a full 162 game schedule. Every team is looking to trim as much payroll as possible. Lots of veteran journeymen types are going to have to settle for under $2 million. Some will retire. There will be lots of opportunities for young players. With no minor league ball in 2020, it's kind of a crapshoot as to who is ready to take that step.

If Gyorko is the answer, I don't want to hear the question. He had a bit of a bounce back after a horrible 2019 buried on Cardinals bench but I don't think he's an every day player on a good team. His bat plays a little better at 3B than at 1B but his ideal role is as right handed platoon player. He won't be in great demand. He'll have to settler for about half of his option amount if he wants a big league contract.

First base certainly hasn't been a priority in the draft, but maybe one of the catching prospects with a good bat can transition to first base. Maybe Feliciano?

Not sure he "solves" their 1B problem because he's been up and down in recent seasons. But he was really good in 2019. So yeah, he should be an upgrade if only because he's been a legit middle of the order hitter for most of his career and adding a threat to this lineup is a good thing.

Phelps is available. So is Chase Anderson. Either might be worth a look in spring training. Pitching in the tough AL East Anderson's big weakness. the HR ball, was exposed, allowing 11 including 5 to the Yankees, but he still fanned 38 in 33 innings.

Hader's trade value sinks as more relievers like Hand become available. Why would a team give up a ton of talent and still have to pay a hefty arbitration number for Hader when they can simply sign a guy like Hand for a modest amount? I think we're going to see a lot more big names become available. It won't just be from declining of options. Guys who normally would get hefty salaries in arbitration might be non-tendered. It's going to be an offseason unlike any other.

If I'm Stearns I'm checking out Miguel Andujar in the DWL. If he's healthy, he'd have to be included in any deal with Yankees for Hader.

Collins is not a guy who's good enough to headline a deal for Hader. So far major league pitching has overpowered him to the tune of 44 K's in 102 AB's. It's also questionable if he can remain primarily a catcher. Besides the White Sox gave lefty reliever Aaron Bummer a hefty contract a year ago. Bummer is their closer in waiting. Collins could be had for a lot less than Hader. He's got no position on the White Sox and he's already used up a couple options. Collins 44Ks in 102 ABs, Hiura 192 in 594 ABs. By that metric, I guess major league pitchers have been overpowering Hiura too? I have no idea if Collins and other pieces are a fair return for Hader, but a young major league ready talent with the pedigree and minor league numbers to suggest he will be an impact player at the major league level at a position of need for Milwaukee. There isn't a contending team in either league that would not have some degree of interest in Hader, he's the most dominant left handed relief pitcher in the game with multiple seasons of team control. I can tell you, the Brewers are on pretty equal footing in their division, and their nucleus is ready to win now. They are not going to ease off in 2021, trading Hader for minor leaguers that are a year or more away from the major leagues. Any trade involving Josh Hader is more probably true than not, going to bring back talent that immediately plugs into the major league roster. Hiura's actually had success in the major leagues. Collins hasn't been on any top 100 prospect list since after the 2016 season. That's four years ago. I wouldn't be opposed to the Brewers targeting him in a deal, but certainly not as a headliner for Hader. I have friends who are Sox fans. They'd be giddy if the Brewers did that. At best he'd have to be a secondary piece for me to be interested. But Sox gave Aaron Bummer a 5 year deal. They like him a lot. I don't see them as Hader suitors. I'm not advocating Brewers trade Hader for minor leaguers, but Collins isn't a bona fide major league bat either and one position Brewers have talent at in their system is catcher.