Playing Catch

Perhaps it's no different for lots of agencies, and it's merely noteworthy because Boras has been the gold standard, but there have been a number of examples of players leaving him in the last year or so, including Nick Castellanos, Cal Raleigh, Jordan Montgomery, and just within the last 24 hours, reports that Ha-Seong Kim and Pete Alonso are both frustrated by his representation.

Amid all of the chatter about prospective free agent additions, trade possibilities, and the collective dread of heading into Spring Training w/o having replaced Adames' production, I wanted to ask for the board's thoughts on the Brewers 2025 bench. Currently, Fangraphs has projected a 4-man bench featuring Haase, and Tyler Black, with platoon options Blake Perkins (Frelick), and Caleb Durbin (Oliver Dunn). When McKibbon projected the 26-man, he included Monasterio over Dunn. The Fangraphs projection would mean that Dunn/Durbin have replaced Adames/Monasterio, with Black replacing Bauers, and Haase replacing Sanchez on the active roster. For my money, the Fangraphs projection is where I'm at as well. I think the only question marks would be Dunn and Black. Do we have any idea how Dunn has recovered from his back issues? Are we convinced the Brewers will go with Black over Bauers? Durbin is a lock, right? And would we be okay with the Brewers signing a free agent that doesn't fit nicely with Durbin as a platoon piece, like Dunn does?

Bauers is one of the more Brewer-y, barely rosterable players in awhile. I think he's only on the roster in order to band-aid Hoskins' shortfalls... He's got lefty-power, an average glove, and above average baserunning. For the role he should be playing, he's fine. The problem is that he played too often last season. If he is on the roster all season again, they need to cut his PAs in half (had 346 last season in 117 games).

I agree with you. He was noticeably better out there last season. And with all things Yelich, we can hope that his back surgery will be the fountain of youth.

If they re-sign Bregman, I think they'd be willing to give up Paredes. They need outfielders. I think they'd definitely do that deal. But why would the Brewers just flip 3rd basemen like that?

I don't follow return dates for each school, but some of those road wins in the B1G took place before students returned. If the Maryland game is any judge, road wins will be hard to come by every night in the B1G, as Illinois found out last night. Boy, do they miss Ivicic.

I also believe that the baseball world hasn't necessarily come to grips with how playing next to poor defenders, or excellent defenders, may impact those advanced metrics. If a corner outfielder ranges deep into the gap and takes away a double, that looks awesome for their numbers, but if they are taking away a double, and the centerfielder is standing there, does that prevent the CF from getting the statistical bump from being able to make a great play? I'm not sure.

Perhaps signing Kim simply allows them to deal Brandon Lowe, *hint-hint*

This isn't meant to put anyone's mind at ease, as I too, would like to bring some more power at 2nd/3rd, but I do think the Brewers maximize their roster really well through pinch-hitting, platoons, hitter/pitcher matchups, etc. So, say Durbin starts at 3rd base; by the end of the game, that spot in the order has been filled by 4 different hitters, some of whom may even have some power. I think the Brewers will acquire someone akin to Gary Sanchez to help fill that role, if not sign a legit infielder.

I think if one were to watch last night's game at Maryland, but have no idea what the outcome of the shots were, Badger fans would feel pretty good. Badgers just missed one or two too many 3s and free throws compared to this season's averages, and Maryland made one or two more 3's and free throws. Combining those would be a 12-point swing. While individual calls may have left viewers scratching their heads, I thought the officiating was strong. I didn't think either team was unduly credited, nor hindered, by their style of play. Those games can be tough to officiate, but I'm sure Maryland fans can't believe that our post players didn't foul out, considering how many close twos Queen missed (FG - 3/14). Obviously, the x-factor in this boxscore was Miguel and Rice combining for 7/11 behind the arc. Gillespie's banked in 30-footer, with 10 seconds left in the shot clock, at the 4-minute mark really symbolized life on the road in a jacked-up arena. Great opponent. Good game played well by both teams and the officials.

Just hover over their avatar, and it will give you the "ignore" option. And I think there are a couple of variations.

Chourio is only 21 this season. He very well may play CF this spring and prove that he's better out there than anyone else on the roster. If so, that's great! He'll be their everyday centerfielder. But until he's the best option, he shouldn't play there.

I came in peace, but okay.

It's only a vicious cycle if the team does what you are proposing. Otherwise, that team is competitive 7 seasons out of 10. The Brewers have been in the playoffs 6 of the last 7 seasons.

I think it is as Snapper said, they gave you thumbs down not at the idea that winning a WS was important, but that your desired method of doing so would make it more likely than making the playoffs every year. I'll ask you, Red, if Team A makes the playoffs once in the next 5 years, but makes an in-season trade for Cy Young, and MVP, do you think that team has a better chance of winning the WS than Team B, which makes the playoffs all of the next 5 years? For many on this board (but not all!), they would prefer the Team B approach.

Over on the Transactions Forum, we've been debating which players to bring in using the farm all winter. Luis Robert? He's a really good player the Brewers could empty the farm for. There were threads about pitching, like the recently traded Jesus Luzardo. I think that many of us are more comfortable criticizing the front office after they make a move, rather than being critical that they haven't made a move. For myself, that has a lot to do with the other teams or players involved. Teams don't want to give up their best players. In your Yelich example, the Marlins were having a fire sale. That's the only reason he was available. In terms of free agents, there are many players that simply don't want to play for Milwaukee (like a no-trade list). Anecdotally, many of us have also noticed a recent trend around the league that MANY teams are hesitant to trade their prospects, not just the Brewers. In terms of decisions the Brewers have made that bug me? I'm still chafed that they traded away Reese Olson for Daniel Norris, and the board universally disagreed that they didn't protect Shane Smith for the Rule 5 draft. I think there are a lot of Brewer fans that still bask in the glow of trading for CC Sabathia, and Zack Grienke. Those two moves allowed the Brewers to make the playoffs a couple of seasons. Of course, the Indians got all-star outfielder, Michael Brantley for Sabathia, and the Royals got Lorenzo Cain and Alcides Escobar, defensive stalwarts to their World Series victory.

If the Brewers lost Mitchell and Perkins, does anyone else think it would take Chourio less than a week to get comfortable out there? I mean the guy played 200+ games in center in the minors. I just don't understand why you @Brewcrew82 need him in center so much. If you think he's better than the other options, that's fine. I guess we just agree to disagree. If you think his playing a corner has hurt his "value," I will also just need to disagree. The Braves moved Acuna to RF in favor of Michael Harris II, and no other team would think twice about putting Acuna back in CF if he was their best CF.

less of a crapshoot, haha.

That sounds awful.

Yeah, I guess what I meant is that he plays like a senior, which is probably too much to ask. I forget, though, that Blackwell played mostly point in high school.

I totally agree with this. But I think the "value" of the franchise is tied up in the viability of the stadium/market. If Attanasio doesn't maintain the viability of both, particularly with the recent extension of the lease, the value of a one-billion dollar franchise (arbitrary number) could dip considerably. Whenever the team is sold, there WILL be a profit, but that doesn't mean the profit isn't variable.

I like this topic. I'll like it more when we have more solidity as to the options. I typed out a long, lame response about tactical switches, but I think based on what we know now, the defensive alignment will look a lot like last season, with Ortiz sliding to short, and DurDunn playing 3rd, with Bauers/Hoskins/Black at first. I agree with sveumrules that Yelich is the primary DH. I think this has more to do with the depth of our outfield than anything. I'd rather have Chourio in left than Yelich, and I'd rather bat Mitchell/Perkins than Bauers/Black. In terms of whether or not Chourio should play center, I don't care to argue about it. My belief is that Mitchell and Perkins are better than Chourio, but if Chourio is in center, fine. He's a great defensive outfielder.

And maintain a profit margin that is acceptable for the rest of the ownership group? And not just MLB, but across all of sports. the ownership group is the most important indicator for future success. That's probably true across most privately held companies. Smart owners aren't going to take for granted that people keep paying for the product. Attanasio knows that the only reason the Brewers have "value" in Milwaukee is because he's offering a good product, so that the fans care and show up. Otherwise you are locked into a long-term lease in an aging stadium playing games in front of 7,500 fans. THAT's not a team you can sell for a huge profit. And it's not just about spending for spending sake. The Washington Commanders fanbase tarred and feathered free-agent spender, Dan Snyder on his way out of town. Now they're playing in NFC championships.

I'm pretty shocked that all the outlets have Made so high. I'm with Law when it comes to believing in DSL kids. However, I'm also with old school scouting+data, which I think is where all this helium is coming from. I'll maintain, too, that I think that scouting+data has made amateur player procurement much less of a crapshoot than it was 10 years ago. I think owners and front offices became sick of giving high schoolers $5M to never make it out of A-ball. They decided that if they were going to invest in amateurs, they were going to get the right ones. Therefore, Made is probably a legitimate top 50 prospect in baseball.

I think there's a universe, too, where the post-players matchup is a wash. In this scenario, I would like to see Blackwell and Tonje take another step forward. I would like them to play more like McGee. Under control, but aggressive. Smart. Calm. But strong. Be strong. Being strong with the ball is vital in these games, because you know you're going to get raked if you take one step towards the hoop.