Playing Catch

There were 87 free throw attempts, which really affected the scoreline*. UW with 47 FTA. Only 22 turnovers total, UW with 9. This will probably be the winning recipe for this team. Shoot/score well enough to make up for the lack of interior defense and rebounding. People will remember Tonje's performance, which was great, but for me, the game was about bench scoring. McGee, Amos, and Janicki went a combined 6-10 from behind the arc. It is really important that Amos and Janicki keep scoring, because I fear they would be liabilities otherwise. I'm not sure what Winter has shown to earn more minutes. Although, Arizona's bigs are BIG. That's obviously a tough matchup for the Badger's frontcourt. As for the ongoing question of McGee's coming off the bench, I think the current rotation is correct. I think the starting backcourt will continue to smooth out the offensive flow as the season goes on, and I think the bench NEEDS McGee's quarterbacking to get good shots. *(One can quibble with the refs involvement in the game, but do we, as fans, really want to see two teams getting mauled on their way to the hoop every possession with no calls? That turns a fair, 103-88 game into a 53-51 slog with 40 turnovers. It's a tough game to officiate as both teams want to invite contact, and one team wants a volleyball match underneath the hoop. It's tough because Arizona is active and handsy, looking to create breaks, and UW holds and tugs through screens, and uses hips and knees to knock guys offline, looking for defensive rebounds. Two physical styles, two different styles. The game can either be physical and fair, or physical and dubious. Speaking for myself, I don't enjoy watching deep, athletic, undisciplined teams slap and slash the ball on an endless, mindless quest for the turnover, and then getting away with it because refs don't want to impact the game.)

What would Hoskins cost as a FA this season?

I'm not convinced he's gunna hit. His swing looks goofy to me, and most of his hitting value is derived from taking a bunch of walks. His power isn't such that pitchers are going to worry about it. Pair all of that with his defensive shortcomings, and you don't really have anything more than a lefty pinch-hitter/pinch-runner that you'd have to replace in the next half of the inning.

This is very true, and you are correct. My point was more about the possibility that it was about dedicating a roster spot to Rea at all, regardless of salary. In other words, if he was making the minimum, would they go with him? Even with all of his innings pitched, his total fWAR was 0.9, so he was barely above replacement level with any given start.

With those moves made, it's hard not to think of all those new 40-man spots.

So great. I love those two players.

Really? I have a hard time believing that any team ever, anywhere, would voluntarily pay a guy more money out of good will --- unless it was part of a longer-term contract negotiation.

I don't know why I care about this, but I love it.

I was surprised by this move, like many others, but what evidence do we have that this has ANYTHING to do with salary?

But what's the rush? The MLB team doesn't exactly have a ton of holes for the next couple of seasons. We all acknowledge the current Adames-sized hole in the infield, but most of the other slots are filled, and will most likely remain so. If there is a Chourio-level prospect, there is always room to promote. But otherwise, there's no hurry. Let them take a full-season at each stop, if necessary. That just means the FA clock starts later, and the Brewers can enjoy more of their peak performance.

I've posited before that the Brewers are beginning to garner significant trust from the larger scouting community. While that is no doubt deserved, I also wonder if that trust provides an artificial "bump" in their opinions of Brewers prospects.

Shouldn't you post your Attanasio meme?* Having a higher/lower payroll means almost NOTHING in terms of determining the competitive motivations of a franchise. This has been demonstrated over and over again across the baseball landscape. Becoming a younger, more athletic team will result in a lower payroll. It's that simple. Hypothetically, the Brewers could "cut payroll," by trading Hoskins for peanuts, filling the roster with players that cost half as much, and still be a better team on paper according to many here who accuse the team of being cheap. *But seriously, and this isn't directed at you, Turbo, but I don't believe there is any evidence that this organization does anything on the cheap. In fact, if anything, it is the opposite. Attanasio has continued to invest in this organization in oodles of ways. This is NOT to suggest that they don't have financial parameters that they work with --- that is true in every commercial organization.

He'll only be 32. Playing for another contract. If one had to put $100 on having to pick "career average year," or "repeat of 2024," where would you put your money?* *granted the Brewers would be staking $14M on the gamble (or $18M depending on how you look at the $4M buyout).

Could be similar to when Cleveland had Francisco Lindor and Jose Ramirez.

I'm dumb. I guess I missed this. I thought the Brewers were only guaranteed to be at AmFam through 2030. I suppose there are ways out of leases that have to do with the stadium falling into disrepair --- not an insignificant risk with such a unique roof. I don't think the $500+$150 Million will be enough to cover the costs through 2050. But yes, kinda silly to talk about moving with such a deal in place. This doesn't change the fact that the next CBA will need to address revenue disparities if the Brewers want to remain competitive.

Meh, I saw an interview with him once on MLB Network, and his personality turned me off. No biggie.

Wow, Brewers ALL OVER the place... the good place (Di Turi, Quintana, Bitoni, Jose Anderson, Black, Baez), and the passive place (Luke Adams is really passive, Boeve and Wilken too). If Adams, Boeve, and Wilken just get a bit more aggressive, perhaps they can really unlock something.

Did they sign Malamazian?

Other than UWRF making it close early in the 2nd half, there weren't many surprises. Obviously, one can't glean too much from exhibition games, but I didn't see much different from last season --- which would be good. While Storr is better, Tonje seems to supply a similar game. He likes to score in all facets. That will be important for this team. Blackwell and Klesmit were the other starters at guard, with Blackwell bringing the ball up as the "point" in the Ryan/Gard system. We know what those guys offer. Crowl is the same. Hopefully he's got an extra half-gear this season against primo competition. Winter didn't look much different to me, either. Perhaps a bit more confident. The other returnees also didn't look different. Ilver had his early scoring surge. I suppose he could take a Dukan-like leap this season. Amos looks a little gangly. I think he'll get abused by B1G forwards. Freitag doesn't stand out, but it's early, and the other guards are big, strong, experienced. I actually like Camren Hunter's look, but he won't get to play much if he can't adapt to the disciplined Badger game on both ends. Janicki looks like he wants Gilmore's scholarship (not sure if he's still on schollie or not, I am no longer willing to follow/track that stuff). Was Robison injured? Janicki is clearly the guy for Robison to try and catch up to, and he may never do it. Janicki looks like a nice little energy guy as a 9th/10th player who can put it in the bucket. Overall, they've got a lot of guys that can shoot. I think they will suffer with interior defense and rebounding. It will be PARAMOUNT for the forwards to block out well enough that the guards can clean up missed shots. But this has always been a staple of Ryan/Gard, so I would guess Blackwell, Klesmit, and Tonje get a lot of boards. On first look, they look like they'll be competitive in most of their games, and if they are able to get a few big wins, they just may make the tournament.

I truly believe that Betts should file assault charges. Had they sprained his wrist, would they be coming back for Game 5?? They should get a lifetime ban from Yankee Stadium. This wasn't Steve Bartman, or that kid from 2004 or whatever. This wasn't an innocent mistake. It was a pre-planned, hostile act. Yankee Stadium fans ejected for prying ball from Mookie Betts' glove - ESPN

It's really weird to me. Typically, the players that play for teams I hate, I end up hating (in the sport sense, not as humans). I've hated nearly all of the Cardinals and Cubs over the last 20 years, it seems. I hate most of the players for Manchester City. I hated most of the Cowboys and 49ers during the Favre years. I hate Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis, so I hate the Padres. Anyway, all of this is to say that I like almost all of the players for both the Yankees and the Dodgers (excepting Soto, Kike Hernandez, Gavin Lux, and Aaron Boone). I love Freddie Freeman. I love Mookie Betts. Who doesn't like Ohtani? I really like Aaron Judge. Weirdly, I can't even hate Anthony Rizzo that much anymore. What's wrong with me?

I think the value of coaches is overrated, and there isn't a doubt in my mind that Hook could have been adequately replaced had he left. But this move feels good. It feels like one of those moments that signal that people want to be part of this organization. That makes me happy.

You were sounding the warning bells with his placement in the AFL, believing he might just need a break. I was right there with you, and I think we were correct. I have a hard time believing that the Wilken we were witness to in 2023 wouldn't have held his own in the 2023 AFL. I can't help but feel this is a head-game thing, more than evidence of his not being good enough. With that said, it's probably not fair to speculate on a public forum. We're all rooting for him!

While recent seasons have suggested that defense is really, really important to the organization, I also believe that this isn't some kind of rigid dogma. I believe they've emphasized defense because of the cost-effectiveness of the strategy. Light-hitting, good defenders are cheaper than their inverse, and it makes average pitchers good pitchers. But if a hitter comes along and derives surplus value with his stick, I don't think they would hesitate to put him at a corner. I mean, they started Hoskins and Yelich for much of the season. I think a lot of their supremely gifted defenders just also happen to be the best hitters available to the team (I'm not buying Black as a better hitter than Frelick/Turang/Ortiz at this point, and the same goes for the AAAA guys).

A couple of Brewers mentions in the MLB Trade Rumors Chat... He seems to think a Williams for Bohm trade is feasible, and mutually beneficial... Giddyup 9:05 Devin Williams for Alex Bohm - who says no? Mark P 9:05 With Ortiz taking over as the Brewers' shortstop? I kind of like this one, as Milwaukee could keep Bohm at 3B or move him to 1B as circumstances warrant. He also responds to a tormented Brewers fan with some sagacious, national-perspective wisdom... Brewers 9:01 How will we ever get out of this labyrinth of suffering? Mark P 9:02 This particular year was a real gut-punch for Brewers fans, but take heart....the organization knows what it's doing, and there's still a lot of talent on the roster. Nobody should be surprised if Milwaukee makes the playoffs again, and they're perhaps overdue for some October breaks to finally go their way