Eye Black

Brewers should get Alex Claudio and Freddy Peralta outfield mitts as well as some work shagging flyballs in Spring Training. This isn’t an entirely original idea because in a roundabout way they discussed it on today’s Effectively Wild podcast, but Claudio and Peralta would be a perfect Waxahachie Swap combo out of the bullpen. Peralta vs. RHH: .396 OPS Claudio vs. LHH: .498 OPS Yes, I’m joking... I think.

Regardless of what Tristen Lutz eventually does or does not become, I believe his trade value right now would bring back more than Alex Claudio straight up. Prospects can obviously also help “win now” teams as trade assets. Most early round MLB draft picks keep some shine and value for at least the first year. In some cases their value obviously increases significantly in the first couple of years. I guess I have a hard time with the concept that the Brewers got good value here because of the “draft picks bust” mentality. A #40 draft selection offers another opportunity to add asset value within the organization. I am not beside myself that they made this move, but I also would have preferred they did not.

Thanks for digging that up. As always is the case, they're looking at more data than we are. It is an interesting stat, but I assume they were shifting more often against left-handed batters which would obviously also be a contributing factor in the discrepancy.

A T.R. Sullivan article from earlier this season on Claudio... Claudio overcoming nerves with confidence Left-handed reliever thrives with slower stuff, versatility

He went before the Brewers selection anyway, but this left-handed reliever pointed out on Twitter earlier today would have at least been interesting... Travis Bergen

Álex Claudio, future playoff "opener"?

I am usually not one to overreact, but I think it is a poor move. I think the competitive balance pick could have either 1) had more value as part of a trade for a larger piece; or 2) been valuable to the Brewers as a draft selection that also comes with an increased overall draft signing bonus pool.

If the Brewers would have signed Joe Kelly for that exact same contract he would've become the most expensive pitcher on their roster by a decent margin at least in terms of AAV. Edit: I think the Joe Kelly contract is actually 3 years for $25 million, but that still would have ranked #1 on the Brewers pitching payroll in terms of AAV.

I think it all depends on what their likely timeline and overall plan is for Keston Hiura. I am not sure spending between $20-$30 million on a multi-year deal for a second baseman makes sense if they believe Hiura can be a regular in the major leagues at some point this season. I guess the caveat I should have added is that if they stick with the serviceable option to fill 2B at the start of the season they really need to add some offense from the catcher position (and maybe even a solid outfield acquisition). Don’t get me wrong, if they can sign Daniel Murphy or D.J. LeMahieu to a two year deal for a total commitment of less than $18 million, then great.

J.J. Cooper of Baseball America believes that A’s middle infielder Richie Martin is going to be the first selection of the Rule 5 draft. The first pick belongs to the Orioles. Cooper also said he has heard more teams than normal are going to be trading up to make selections (which often get announced as being made by the team in original draft slot, but after the draft we find out about the trade which is typically for cash). The Rule 5 draft eligible talent pool seems very good this year. Below is the draft order and in parentheses is the team’s current # of players on their 40-man roster. The draft is today (12/13) at 11:00am Central Time. The 2018 MLB Rule 5 draft order: 1. Baltimore (38) 2. Kansas City (38) 3. Chicago White Sox (38) 4. Miami (38) 5. Detroit (38) 6. San Diego (40, full roster) 7. Cincinnati (37) 8. Texas (35) 9. San Francisco (35) 10. Toronto (38) 11. New York Mets (36) 12. Minnesota (40, full roster) 13. Philadelphia (37) 14. Los Angeles Angels (37) 15. Arizona (37) 16. Washington (37) 17. Pittsburgh (39) 18. St. Louis (40, full roster) 19. Seattle (36) 20. Atlanta (39) 21. Tampa Bay (40, full roster) 22. Colorado (39) 23. Cleveland (39) 24. Los Angeles Dodgers (40, full roster) 25. Chicago Cubs (36) 26. Milwaukee (36) 27. Oakland (37) 28. New York Yankees (40, full roster) 29. Houston (39) 30. Boston (39)

I agree in that I also think the ultimate play will be to find the cheapest serviceable option. Daniel Descalso for instance could likely be signed on a one year deal for around $2 million. In the past two seasons he has played every position across the infield, he has played in the outfield, and he has even pitched. You aren’t likely going to want him hitting higher than 7th in the lineup, but he is a left-handed bat that will likely give better overall production than Saladino and much better on-base skills than Perez.

An additional note on Nelson’s deal from Jon Heyman...

Apparently some GMs have been slowed at the Winter Meeting by a lack of cell service... From Sports Illustrated, Can You Hear Me Now? MLB GMs Are Hunting for Good Cell Service at the Winter Meetings

I’d never previously performed a Twitter search of Domingo Santana during the Dominican Winter League season... Yikes

Maybe the first Tanner for Tanner trade in MLB history? From MLB Trade Rumors... The Reds have announced the acquisition of veteran righty Tanner Roark from the Nationals. Reliever Tanner Rainey goes to Washington in the swap. There have been indications over recent months that the Nats were inclined to move on from Roark, who projects to earn $9.8MM in his final trip through arbitration. It seems reasonable to anticipate that the D.C. organization has its eyes on another upgrade to its staff, with an obvious need for one or two additional rotation pieces. Meanwhile, Roark will help to shore up a Cincinnati starting unit that the club has long targeted for improvement. The 32-year-old has thrown at least 180 frames in each of the past three seasons, even if the results haven’t always been there. Adding him to the staff likely won’t take the Reds out of the market for starters, though the club surely values the lack of a long-term commitment given the price for open-market pitching we’re seeing so far this winter.

Much was made of Lynn not being able find a multi-year deal last offseason, but between the $12 million he made last year and this $30 million deal he has done just fine. Basically now guaranteed a total of at least $42 million since his time with the Cardinals ended.

The Rangers have signed Lance Lynn for 3 years and $30 million. There seems to now be a run on free agent starting pitchers (i.e. Lynn, Morton, likely Happ today, and obviously Corbin and Eovaldi previously).

According to Craig Mish the Reds are reportedly the latest in the rumor mill for Realmuto...

Reminder that speculation of who the Brewers might select is on going in this Transaction Rumors Forum Thread.

A reminder that these players were eligible and went undrafted in last year’s Rule 5 draft (article from Baseball America). Hard to believe a few of those players went from Rule 5 eligible to having significant value in less than a year. Max Muncy, 1B/2B, Dodgers Josh James, RHP, Astros Dereck Rodriguez, RHP, Giants Franmil Reyes, OF, Padres Ryan O’Hearn, 1B, Royals Jeff McNeil, 2B, Mets Niko Goodrum, 2B, Tigers As far as this year’s Rule 5 draft below are some links that provide interesting lists with short synopsis of the players available this year (and the last link looks at the return rate for Rule 5 selections). Baseball America’s 2018 MLB Rule 5 Draft Preview (Updated 12/11) MLB.com Top Names to Watch Ahead of the Rule 5 Draft MiLB.com Toolshed: 2018 Rule 5 Draft preview 2080 Baseball Rule 5 Draft Preview (Pt. 2): Starting Pitchers 2080 Baseball Rule 5 Draft Preview (Pt. 3): Relief Pitchers 2080 Baseball Rule 5 Draft Preview (Pt. 4): Catchers 2080 Baseball Rule 5 Draft Preview (Pt. 5): Infielders Minor League Ball’s 9 intriguing prospects left unprotected heading into the Rule 5 Draft Royals Review Rule 5 draft candidates: The Pitchers Royals Review Rule 5 draft candidates: The Position Players Orioles Hangout Rule 5 Preference List Talking Chop Thoughts (and names) for the Rule 5 Draft Fish Stripes 2018 MLB Rule 5 Draft: Marlins Targets What Percentage of Rule 5 Picks are Returned My personal favorites are Richie Martin and Riley Ferrell, but it seems like an outstanding crop of players available this year. While not all of these players will be drafted, it might be advantageous for the Brewers to work out post Rule 5 draft trades for the players they like that go undrafted.

The Brewers have reportedly met with Ian Kinsler at the Winter Meetings per Haudricourt (Twitter Link).

Portland, Oregon just agreed last month to build an MLB stadium so it looks like the Rays are heading west. Support is growing towards building a new ballpark in Montreal as well. I am not really for expansion, but I have a feeling it may be coming to MLB sooner than we expect.

I still prefer Grandal, but Ramos would be a fine free agency parting-gift. His bat would be a significant upgrade over Piña. Using Baseball Prospectus’ Deserved Runs Created Plus (DRC+) here are the last few years of Grandal, Ramos, and Realmuto compared with Piña. [pre]Player 2015 2016 2017 2018 Yasmani Grandal 116 119 93 115 Wilson Ramos 116 99 117 109 J.T. Realmuto 93 93 99 113 Manny Piña N/A 101 95 90[/pre]

I am not sure if you misunderstood the post from Mass Haas or are beating a dead horse, but your wishes were granted a few weeks ago: Link to Perdomo Thread in MLB Forum Feel free to post all of your Perdomo revelations in that thread.

Another possibility I believe has been floated is Knebel could be part of a trade with a team like the Indians. They would seemingly value bullpen help.