Playing Catch

Any of us being in the same position as Counsell, and making the same decision he did is irrelevant. Any of us making that decision would know that one of the trade-offs is the love and good will of Brewers fans. I doubt any of us have ill-will toward Craig Counsell, human being... But Craig Counsell, the traitor that left his childhood team for it's biggest rival? That is anathema to sports fans! He deserves all of the derision that comes with it. Why? Because it's just sports. It's meant to be fun and entertaining, and having heels to root against is awesome.

Based on this list, the only guys I'd consider manipulating service time would probably be Wiemer, Gasser, and Ortiz. I don't see keeping Mitchell down two months, unless he really stinks by June, and at that point, the risk of losing the extra year wouldn't matter that much. Wiemer and Gasser because it's only 2 weeks, and Ortiz because I can picture him becoming Adames-level good, where an extra year is pretty nice to have. I've avoided making many predictions about the opening day roster/total ABs this season because it seems to me that the scope of possible performance outcomes are so, so broad, and of course... injuries. But I would predict Wiemer will need to put together a month or two of strong AAA production with his new swing before the Brewers would consider him for the 26-man. I also think that Gasser and the rest of the pitching depth will be shuttled in order to manage all of their innings/inconsistent performance. Ortiz, however, I expect to be a regular rotation guy. A soft-platoon guy. However, I'm also looking at all of the IF depth they've brought to Spring Training, and feel like if Ortiz and Turang look good this Spring, they'll move Adames.

Do you think that the Brewers have given up on the idea of Turang, Mitchell, and Wiemer as full-time hitters, or do you think the Brewers still hope/expect them to develop into everyday guys?

Even if one conceded that in their rookie seasons there was mismanagement, at what point does a playoff contending team need to consider what is in the best interests of the team? Hypothetically, if Chourio is batting .180 vs. righties, and .250 versus lefties at a certain point in the season, when would it be appropriate for the team to consider platooning here and there, or pinch-hitting versus RH relievers?

I presume you believe Hiura was mismanaged, but what other top prospects contribute to your opinion.

For experts on Rule 5 eligibility... I didn't think Low was eligible until December '25 (Fangraphs says '24, but I don't think that's right)?? What am I missing?

Thanks for all of your contributions, Joseph.

It was clearly meant to get clicks and reaction. Considering that was the point of the opinion piece, I'm sure USA Today is thrilled with the contribution.

I love a good Ranwell Smith reference, if for no other reason, that it has me looking up the Bluefields "in" Nicaragua. I mean, a former pirate colony named after a Dutch-Jewish pirate? Who knew?

I was thinking Mark McGwire.

I totally agree with this. It's fine to say he's in LF everyday... until he isn't.

While this is all true, there are players that are too stubborn/fearful to change, particularly this early in their career. I'm excited about the change most of all because it demonstrates humility, courage, and work ethic from Wiemer. That's a really positive sign for a guy who is so gifted athletically.

It's kind of funny to me that that at least one projection system assigns the lowest batting average in the starting lineup to... Rhys Hoskins (and of course I know average doesn't tell the whole story), and 3 of the lowest 4 projected batting averages go to new signings.

This is actually really reassuring for me, because you're right. There's no doubt the rotation isn't as strong, but the team should be better at nearly every position -- and a deeper bench, too.

No question that forcing the player's hands is the primary motive -- and particularly putting pressure on them to lower their demands. But teams also have the obligation to put a team together. Cody Bellinger could be a big part of putting together a team. I'm sure that part of this deadline talk is that team execs are frustrated that they don't know, one way or the other, if they can plan on Bellinger being a part of the team. This has all sorts of trickle-down effects for roster construction. Does Team X need to make a trade in order to complete their outfield or not? Does Team Y need to sign a lesser player just to cover their bases? So yes, it is "all about the money," but it really isn't. It's about GMs needing to make sure they can put a lineup out there on opening day. They would like to know if Bellinger is in that lineup or not, and if they can trade their CF prospect for pitching. The promotions staff need to know if they can order the Cody Bellinger bobbleheads, or if they need a bunch of Bellinger shirzees. Season ticket holders want to know what the team is going to look like before committing to buying. It's perfectly reasonable to believe that none of that stuff really matters. And I'm not sure I care that much about it, either. But having a deadline does clean up a lot of those annoying details, I think I also disagree that players are the only negotiator that would feel pressure to change their number due to a deadline. I'm not convinced that a deadline doesn't make Brian Cashman up his bid on the last day simply to have the assurance of knowing who's on the team and ready for the season.

Whoa! Joey put in some WORK to get his swing to look, dare I say, smooth? pretty? simple? I sure hope it feels comfortable for him, because I still think his ceiling is the highest of all the OFers not named Jackson.

I think not having Blackwell available to inspire Storr to play better defense has also been an issue. I think they'd be a better team with those two trading their minutes totals.

In 2023, the Cardinals starters were 19th in WAR, 27th in xFIP, and 26th in ERA. They have absolutely improved their rotation, even though all of those guys are old, and could implode. But really most of them will probably bring close to league average numbers, or better, and a lot of innings. Similar to how the Brewers offense only needed to be "league average," to really improve the ol' W/L record, the Cardinals merely need to be league average from the bump to make a big difference.

I echo all of the thoughts here. One of my favorites, so I'm happy. But I'm not really counting on anything, other than him being a leader in the clubhouse and in the trainer's room. Him being a player-coach for all of the young guys coming up. An overall positive influencer on the organization. In terms of the money, I suspect that this is one of those deals where Attanasio says to Arnold, "If that's what it costs to get him, go ahead. This contract won't "count" to your player budget. He hasn't merely been an important player for us, but an important part of the organization, and I want to keep good people in this organization." I truly believe that this deal wasn't merely a, "we need another pitcher" decision.

Ha! I too, thought the "tier 1" thing was ridiculous.

How are we viewing the other teams in our division? I was looking at the Cardinals projected rotation, and while it looks underwhelming and old at first, Most of those guys have been able to provide a lot of innings, so I don't think there's any doubt that while they aren't any younger this year, they will probably be a good deal better. Jordan Walker could be a real x-factor if he blossoms. I thought the Cubs were pretty good last year, and while they aren't that much different, they did add Busch and Imanaga. If they sign Bellinger, they would probably be my pick to win the division, even with the weak bullpen. In addition, their farm is probably just as strong as the Brewers. The Reds are the team a lot of people are excited to see, mostly due to their amazing youth. But youth can cut both ways, Most of their young studs are probably still in that window of development where they could still take a step back, or plateau as simply average ballplayers -- although I wouldn't predict that. Their pitching is probably still the primary question-mark, even with the modest additions. Montas seems to be a guy who could end up being really good, or merely fine. The Pirates just aren't very good. There isn't much more to say about them. It should be a tight division the whole season. Admittedly, I'm not feeling very confident that the Brewers can best the Cardinals and Cubs, and it kind of makes me think they should trade Willy and Devin, and look to the future.

At the same time, if you were to take Woody's name out of the article, this move wouldn't bother me at all.

I would be bitterly disappointed with this trade. There are a LOT of paths Zavala, the prospect could take that would make this a bad trade. There is only one path Zavala the prospect could take that would make this work, and that would be if he was able to hit with enough power to validate his average corner-OF defense, which is not what scouts are expecting from him.

The thing about clearing a 40 man spot is that if you clear roster-filler, you lose the value (as little as that may be), for nothing. When you clear a guy like Clayton Andrews, who, with his AAA performance and options, has tradeable value, and the move announces to teams, "we're dealing him, so if you want him, we'll need your best offer."

I like this timetable. It's hard for me to imagine MLB not doing something to change this. Manfred acknowledged that part of the desire to condense the timetable is to appeal to media attention. It's not ONLY for teams to try and force players' hands.