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Playing Catch

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Everything posted by Playing Catch

  1. Playing Catch
    Three-peat, then bust? How do you roster an entire team made up of old guys way past their primes in 2027-2030?;
  2. Playing Catch
    I think baseball should use more four-team round-robin in-season tournaments that mean something (points applied to wild-card eligibility). We know that playoff baseball is so much more fun. Just add a couple more teams to the Bristol Speedway Classic and have the winner earn "wild-card" points. Maybe these points can be directed toward wild-card eligibility, or maybe draft-pick considerations or something? I know the odds of my watching a Cubs-White Sox game in July would be MUCH higher, if I knew the White Sox could prevent the Cubs from earning any extra "wild-card points". This is merely one hare-brained idea. I just think they need to add some juice to regular season baseball to add rooting interest for casual and hard-core fans alike.
  3. Playing Catch
    You didn't like that he was often used as the Brewers Longman?
  4. Playing Catch
    I found this interesting. wOBA by Barrels has steadily declined. Sounds like OFers are basically playing deeper. https://blogs.fangraphs.com/they-dont-make-barrels-like-they-used-to/
  5. Playing Catch
    Looks like fewer batted ground balls were on the off-season menu.
  6. Playing Catch
    MiLB will necessarily expand with MLB expansion, which mitagates contracting teams/leagues. I think the Brewers have invested in AZ, Wisconsin, Carolina, and the DR. I doubt any of those sites can maintain a AAA team in the event Nashville wins an MLB bid (Wisconsin?)? None of us want to play musical chairs again with AAA, I don't think, but it may be necessary. Also, while fewer affiliated leagues necessarily contracts the number of affiliated players, it also then, allows for college/independent leagues to cater toward development, and gives players greater flexibility to direct the course of their careers.
  7. Playing Catch
    I think I'm in the same boat as most posters, here, as I am pretty ambivalent regarding a Freddy trade. But I do think the circumstances are different, now. The overall organizational roster was still being built up when they made trades in the past. They were still plugging holes. They are now the belle of the baseball world, returning most of their roster from a 97-win team. They've always continued to build from the bottom up, but they are nearing the stage of organizational progress where they can "afford" to hang onto luxury players --- players with surplus value for the future, but maximum value for 2026.
  8. Playing Catch
    Also... Greg Gard. Outcoached Dusty May today. He adjusted on BOTH offense and defense. The Blackwell inbound off Mara's leg on the inbound in order to save a timeout/make subs. 3 consecutive victories for an unranked Badger team on the road, against a top 2 team. That's coaching and culture.
  9. Playing Catch
    Just a wonderful feeling, winning in Ann Arbor. The Badgers' effort/concentration/attention to detail in this game never wavered. All 5 guys on the court were active and aggressive defensively, and on the glass; their closeouts were crisp. The depth really showed up in all of those effort plays. As mentioned from everyone here, Bieliauskas and Carrington were great today. Aleksas was the 5th option at every point of the game, and UM wanted him shooting those shots. They just fell. He and Carrington should probably take most of Rapp's minutes, as it allows Winter to play the 4 a lot more. And speaking of Winter, he had a quietly excellent game. Michigan took him away, and he had to body their bigs the whole game, but his focus was excellent, going 3-4 from deep, and with some key hustle plays. And Boyd. Wow. Blackwell, excellent. That Rohde 3 late. Just a complete performance. Michigan has a higher gear, but the Badgers wouldn't let them hit the turbo, playing much better defensively than 88 points allowed would suggest.
  10. Playing Catch
    I could've sworn Tim Brando told me that Bieliauskas had a great game, contributing to the vaunted swing offense. This team isn't playing well. Very inconsistent on both ends. Wildly so, at times. Boyd is really skilled, but it looks like he's struggling with a lot of the responsibilities of playing the point for Bo/Gard, and I worry he's too slight to be able to have success against the big, bad guards of the B1G if he's having to play in the half-court. He's great in transition, but that requires the Badgers defense to get more long rebounds and live-ball turnovers, which they've struggled to do against disciplined offenses. I don't like what I see, possession-by-possession, but I believe in both the talent and coaching. There's been many years where they've muddled through the mid-season only to blossom late.
  11. Playing Catch
    Based on Fangraphs' prospect tiers (updated '25, as they haven't yet updated Baltimore system), the return for Baz was something along the lines of Dinges, Ebel, Lara, and CRod. Seems like a lot, but Baz is controllable for 3 seasons. If he's merely a solid mid-rotation guy, it probably works out except for the always-present risk that one of the prospects becomes a stud. The trade values for Freddy and Baz are wildly different, depending on how much people like the present and future value of the two. Freddy's been healthy, Baz has been broke, Freddy is an inexpensive pending FA coming off a career year, Baz is a still-developing guy that had really inconsistent results --- much of which was driven by home/road splits. They both have value, but they are hard to compare due to those differences.
  12. Playing Catch
    That's a lot. Baz has enough team control that they could recoup some of that later, but still. For Baz? He isn't a sure-thing, although his xFIP would suggest some regression, particularly not having to pitch at Stienbrenner Field.
  13. Playing Catch
    It would be a fun addition, at least. It always comes down to the price tag, but he's kinda the archetype of what they need on the roster. Although, [pauses to consider blue font], is he that much different from Seigler?
  14. Playing Catch
    Yeah, I mean how many of us were confident in Patrick or Henderson at this point a year ago? Or Priester nine months ago? If the worst-case scenario is that Zerpa is what he is, the Brewers very well could "lose" the trade. But I doubt any of us are concerned that Collins or Mears will perform to such a level that we are gnashing our teeth about the trade years from now. But if they DO make Zerpa into something more, even if it is just as a high-leverage lefty? Well, Zerpa could just turn into the next Arnold masterstroke. But as Roderick said, this isn't some guarantee that it will work.
  15. Playing Catch
    I just mentioned this in the Transactions Forum, but I'll repeat it here. I would love to acquire another clear starting-caliber outfielder. But I don't think it is important to acquire one before July. It may be the easiest position to acquire at the deadline, and the Brewers could use a couple more months to decide which prospects to promote/keep/trade away.
  16. Playing Catch
    I think these are two different thresholds. You are stating that they are one starter short in the OF. I happen to agree, although that will come with a cost, which is kind of a separate thing. I think they can be patient. But in terms of bench-injury-replacement-level guys, the Brewers are "deep" with guys that can put together a professional AB, with a professional approach; they stay within themselves, and maximize their talents and advantages (e.g. minor league options). I'd prefer they acquire another bat. But I don't think it's a big deal if they don't do it during the off-season. Left-field may be the easiest position to acquire at the trade deadline, and the Brewers will have a couple of months to decide which prospects to trade away.
  17. Playing Catch
    It's pretty hard to say who will benefit and who will "lose" by this move. If this was couched as "revenue sharing," where the Pirates and the Rays are provided the same equipment at their stadiums as what the Dodgers have in theirs, I don't think many people would care that much. This also means that road data will now be available to all the teams. So presumably, the Brewers will now have more information with which to outsmart the competition. Unless I'm misunderstanding, this just seems to be about bringing all affiliated ball into the 21st century.
  18. Playing Catch
    At the time of the trade, I wondered about this possibility. That the Brewers were, in part, motivated to establish a relationship with him. I think it just makes great sense for both player and team. There was a reason he once signed a big deal. He was good. He's a big lefty. Turns 33 in a couple of weeks.
  19. Playing Catch
    I agree with that. I would also say, though, that Durbin's short levers*, and lefties' desire to pitch him in with sliders/sweepers, make him a different hitter than 2025 Bryce, who's power is out over the plate. Bryce should be taking inside fastballs. Durbin knows that his power is on pitches up and in. If he's gunna make it as a big leaguer, he MUST have that in his toolkit, and therefore be aggressive in that part of the zone. These are just my impressions, mind you. I haven't looked into any of the data to back it up. *no armor! Edit to add... That K% comparison between Bohm and Durbin is also more significant than it looks. Durbin fouls off tough pitches away.
  20. Playing Catch
    I'm beginning to wonder if they need a 3rd team. Brewers get an experienced MLB player (kind of like acquiring Cortes last year). Contending trade partner gets Freddy. A THIRD team gets prospects from both. I could see this happening with a guy like Neto, or some other good player on a non-contender. Obviously, there could/would be other players involved that could be important factors. Thats where giving up Freddy AND Megill could net a much more significant return in terms of quality.
  21. Playing Catch
    I really want to see a stronger half here, win or lose.
  22. Playing Catch
    Alonso to the O's is a classic example of how middle-class clubs get squeezed in the market. They MUST overpay in order to sign players, and even then, they are getting players, like Alonso, that the really big spenders don't really want. Not usually due to the cost, but due to needing to commit a roster spot to that player for years.
  23. Playing Catch
    I get it. BF needs clicks like everyone else on the internet, but c'mon. Pressure mounting?? It's December 10th.
  24. Playing Catch
    I don't have any interest in trading Megill. $4M for an established closer is a bargain. Much like for Peralta, I think the player is more valuable for the Brewers than what the Brewers would get back in a trade. This is primarily because of the depth at the top levels of the organization. It isn't always who you acquire in a trade, but who you will cut from the 26-man and 40-man rosters in order to roster the guy you acquire. Or who will not get to play because the team has invested in a new player at that position. Are the Brewers really going to send Ortiz or Durbin to the bench, and block Pratt/Made? Are they really going to just have Vaughn as the short side of a platoon while blocking Black/Burke/Adams? Are they going to start the season with Patrick or Myers in the minors? Then what about the shiny-new pitcher they acquire? Will Kuehner, CRod, and Hardin just sit there in Nashville again? The answer to many of these questions very well could be, "yes," but that still puts the onus, then, on making the 2026 team better, and that's really hard to do when you are talking about players like Peralta and Megill. I'm not saying it can't be done, but trying to marginally improve a 97-win team is pretty damn hard. And trying to marginally improve the 2027-2030 rosters through trades now, would also be pretty damn hard.
  25. Playing Catch
    No paywall, in case you are conditioned to not click on BA links. Aside from winning the Commissioner's Trophy, this organization has performed beyond my wildest dreams in a league that is so engrained. Turning a franchise around in just about any other major sports league (even college football!) is feasible these days. Just pause to consider how far behind the Los Angeles Angels are to the Brewers. Even if Moreno suddenly decided to go for an all-out franchise re-build it would take them how long to catch up? Even English soccer teams (e.g. Wrexham) can turn their fortunes around more quickly than in baseball. It takes dedicated belief in visionary leadership to accomplish what Attanasio has accomplished. And as the article states throughout, it really comes down to truly valuing good people and taking no shortcuts. I loved the Yelich quote at the end. People keep wanting to know the one secret. The secret is that there isn't one thing. It's all of the little things.
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