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Or trade those pieces for players that fill gaps in other spots on the roster. With Yelich, Braun, and Cain on the roster, coupled with the signing of Garcia, Grisham was out of places to play. Using Grisham the OF prospect to trade for Urias the SS prospect, was a stroke of genius given the abundance of OF depth and the dearth of SS depth.

As others have mentioned, I think the NL Central is going to be a tight four-way race. Now, I think the question is, on January 30, 2020, which team would you PREFER to be going into the season? At this point, I would PREFER to be the Reds and it has everything to do with the rotation. A 1-2-3-4 of Castillo, Bauer, Gray, and Miley could be superb in 2020. One could make the argument, not saying that it's right, that each of those players is better than the Brewers #1 Woodruff. Predictability-wise, I'd go with the known quantities of those four over Woodruff, Houser, Lindblom, and Lauer. Having said that, the Brewers function in a way that is abnormal to use as fans. They overachieve and it's beautiful to see. Perhaps we have been beaten down by the Brewers history where they always seemed to underachieve and die come August, but under Stearns and Counsell, they have often overcome more talented rosters, specifically the Cubs and their supposed rotational supremacy. Have the Brewers done enough to be contenders? Yes. Have the Brewers done enough to be favorites in the NL Central? No.

If the DH does come to the NL, I think MLB needs to implement additional changes as well which include realignment, elimination of the traditional AL-NL markets and possible expansion. More specifically, if the DH comes to the NL and with interleague play almost a quarter-century old, traditions will continue to be diluted and it no longer will make sense to me to have the Yankees/Mets or Dodgers/Angels in opposing leagues. Follow the path of the NBA and create a western and eastern conference. Expansion to 32 seems inevitable, and if it is, MLB can follow the path of the NFL and create 8 four-team divisions. Without knowing the locations of the 2 new franchises, nor knowing the outcome of the stadium situations with the A's or Rays, it becomes difficult to fully plan for a realignment, but coastal divisions of Yankees, Mets, Phillies, and Red Sox in the east and Dodgers, Angels, Padres, and Diamondbacks in the west is appropriate given the blurred lines of the AL-NL. I don't necessarily love the blurring of the AL-NL but if it continues then it makes no sense to not create these regional divisions.

Any word on what the Brewers batting helmets will look like? Will they be a shiny finish or the matte finish?

Do we care to go down this road again?

I think a lot of the backbiting on the Castellanos deal is due to the fact the Reds have accomplished a lot of what Brewers fans have been wanting over the past year-ish as it pertains to acquiring talent. It began with the Reds getting Derek Johnson to be the pitching coach, continued with the Reds acquiring a TOR starter in Trevor Bauer at the Trade Deadline when Brewer fans were clamoring for one, and has concluded in free agency where the Reds signed Brewer fan targets of Miley, Moustakas and Castellanos. Looking at the aforementioned scenarios, the acquisition of Derek Johnson and signing of Mike Moustakas are really the only ones that I think have truly hurt the Brewers. We have bemoaned the loss of Johnson but it was more about family then anything else IIRC. I think we all would feel better about the Brewers chances by simply writing Moose at 3B then Gyorko/Sogard/whoever but at $16m per for 4 years, it's a bit much. Avisail Garcia and Nick Castellanos is close to a push and for $6m per year less. Miley, while good with the Brewers in 2017, was basically scrap heap material prior to. Brett Anderson could very well match the output of Miley for $2.5m less and 1 less guaranteed year. All things being equal, I would want the Reds (Moose, Castellanos & Miley) guys over the Brewers (Sogard/Gyorko, Garcia & Anderson) guys. However, when looking at the dollars and years, it does appear the Brewers could be getting the better end of the deals.

Try convincing the Yankees, Dodgers, Red Sox, Cubs, etc. who believe that they carry the entire league (and really, they do) to go for that. Especially considering they basically fund the A's/Rays/Marlins as those teams just sit on their pile of revenue sharing and if the rules changed, they'd maybe have to spend some of their money... This is also a major issue and MLB should focus on what to do about those organizations because they are ultimately impacting teams like the Brewers who are small market and constantly striving to win. It appears finding owners who like winning like Attanasio, even if it is at a possible sacrifice of some profit, is imperative.

I would be curious as to why you think this? I don't really see any evidence in it changing. Keep in mind this is just my opinion. I absolutely love baseball and yet I am becoming less tolerant of MLB's inactivity toward fixing the economic inequalities between small and large markets and overreactions to appease casual fans. In regard to economics, Yelich should finish his career as a Brewer. However, the economics of baseball preclude this from occurring. Unlike the NBA or NFL where the Bucks can offer Giannis the most money and the Packers can keep Aaron Rodgers for his entire career, the Brewers and other small markets constantly lose the Yelichs and Coles of the sport to the Yankees, Dodgers and Red Sox of the sport. I am tired of it and I think other fans are losing interest in the sport because of it. Going a step further, talking to friends, coworkers, colleagues, etc, that don't live in Wisconsin and the only diehard fans of MLB anymore are fans of large market teams. I can't find a Royal, Rockie, Pirate, Ray, Mariner, Indian fan to save my life. Whereas in my group of closest friends I have live and die with the outcome of the game fans of the Chiefs, Raiders, 49ers, Packers, Broncos, Lions and Dolphins. I firmly attribute this to all teams being on equal economic footing. In regard to the overreactions to appease casual fans, I'm fine with the four finger intentional walk. However, the idea of pitch clocks, mound visit limitations, three batter minimum, etc...just stop. Not everyone loves baseball and that is fine. Why change it for the people that spend the most on consuming the sport? You don't see soccer trying to force more scoring by changing the rules to accommodate Americans that find it boring. I know this may come off as soapbox, but I just see a day coming soon where fans like all of us become so disgusted by watching the sport that we loved so much be changed so substantially by rule changes and being disgusted by watching Yankees-Dodgers World Series year after year. Rant over.

While I am a proponent of trading for Arenado, I do agree with this sentiment. I just think a lot of Brewer fans, casual and diehards, are sick of the economics of baseball where the Brewers can not only not trade for a player like Arenado, but are also unlikely to be able to afford their franchise cornerstone in Yelich. A day of reckoning is coming for this sport and I think it is coming sooner than later.

As long as it wasn't American Family Fields of Milwaukee. American Family Fields of Phoenix is just Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim bad.

Putting my thoughts on the matter into this thread from the Nolan Arenado Transactions thread: The only way a Yelich extension makes sense is for him to get new money in 2020, 2021 and 2022 and the only way it makes sense for the Brewers to extend is if it adds about 3 years to the end of the current deal. In other words, Yelich is currently signed for 3 years $41.5 million. If the Brewers were to offer a 3 year extension for say $150 million, but were able to spread that additional $150 million over the next six years instead of the last three, Yelich's contract would become 6 years $191.5 million. Yelich gets new money over the next three years and an annual salary on par with Harper, Machado, etc. The Brewers get Yelich for three additional years.

The only way a Yelich extension makes sense is for him to get new money in 2020, 2021 and 2022 and the only way it makes sense for the Brewers to extend is if it adds about 3 years to the end of the current deal. In other words, Yelich is currently signed for 3 years $41.5 million. If the Brewers were to offer a 3 year extension for say $150 million, but were able to spread that additional $150 million over the next six years instead of the last three, Yelich's contract would become 6 years $191.5 million. Yelich gets new money over the next three years and an annual salary on par with Harper, Machado, etc. The Brewers get Yelich for three additional years. Would he sign that? I don't know. Would he be tempted? I would think so given he will be coming into his age 31 season when he becomes a FA. Would the Brewers offer it? I don't know.

Is that a lot?? I just really see the Brewers moves on offense this offseason as pointing to the acquisition of a larger, long term contract. Now perhaps that is the Yelich extension. But each of the following signings are for only one year: -Healy 1 year $1 million -Sogard 1 year $4.5 million -Smoak 1 year $5 million ($1m buyout) -Gyorko 1 year 2 million -Morrison MiLB deal With Braun deal expiring after this year, Yelich ($14m), Cain ($17m) and Garcia ($10.75m) are the only large offensive contracts on the books for 2021 (for a total of $41.75m). Hiura, Urias will still be pre-arbitration and Narvaez will likely be around $3-4m, which gives the Brewers 6 position players for around $45-$50m. 1B and 3B remain a hole and I won't be surprised if that isn't filled by a larger contract. Maybe not Arenado, but someone who could be a large fish in terms of a contract.

His current contract allows him to opt-out after 2021 Understood. Yelich is up after 2022 as well. I am making the assumption Yelich extends and Arenado would not opt-out if he was acquired.

Arenado is the exact player I empty what is left of the farm system for. I understand the Brewers are a small market team and spending the money necessary to absorb his contract, while hopefully extending Yelich, will be exceptionally difficult, but it is how I would build the roster. Small market teams ultimately are successful when building the farm and striking when elite talent is available, much like with Yelich. If the Brewers can get Arenado to waive the no trade to play in Milwaukee, I am all in on that. I simply drool at the idea of a 2-3-4 of Hiura-Yelich-Arenado for the next 5 seasons.

We are going to see this same joke from someone in every FA signing or trade the rest of this off-season, aren't we...? Hey, but we got Jedd Gyorko. In all seriousness though, this offseason has been very strange with the signings of seemingly depth guys (Morrison, Healy, Gyorko, Sogard, Smoak, etc). I’d feel a lot better if the Brewers were able to acquire a relative solidly 1B/3B and these guys were battling it out as depth and not as starters.

Great post. Sogard should be an expensive Hernan Perez and, much like Perez, I expect Counsell to give him way too many starts. Sogard should be the main backup to 3B, SS and 2B, start twice a week and that is all. With that being said, with Urias and Sogard, I really don't see the need for Arcia any longer and am confident he will be dealt at some point this offseason. Orlando Arcia for Chris Archer

So give us a list of these 3B. Who are the most likely candidates? I said earlier in a different thread that I won't be surprised if it is someone like Matt Chapman, Carlos Correa or Corey Seager. Someone with some clout in their name that no one really had the Brewers pegged as going after. I wish Kris Bryant wasn't a Cub because he would be an ideal target as he could play 3B or 1B.

I won't be surprised in the least if the Brewers make a play on a 3B that no one expects. Something like Matt Chapman, Carlos Correa or Corey Seager (and yes I know the last two are SS). Not sure it makes sense for the Brewers to trade what is necessary for those guys but I am anticipating something surprising like that.

We can't keep Thames as a LH 1B option as he's too expensive so we blow a wad on Sogard. Seriously? My god what an overpay... Good point on Thames. I would've spent that money there myself but I think a lot of these moves are pointing toward something larger. MUCH LARGER. Stay tuned...

Whoa...I was expecting a $2m deal. That is a lot.

I would love for the Brewers to make a play for Matt Chapman. I am not sure if the A's would make him available or what they would want, but I would be willing to trade Hader and Urias for him. Yes, that would mean Arcia/Sogard as your SS, but that Chapman-Arcia left side of the IF would be elite defensively.

The Athletic had a post today about the biggest needs in MLB. Third base for the Crew was mentioned and this trade was floated as the solution: Brewers receive Kyle Seager Brewers trade Corey Ray, Jacob Nottingham and Dylan File I would go with a hard pass on this one if I am the Brewers.