sveumrules

They gave Kyle Higashioka a similar deal last year at two years and $13.5M. If the two of them can approximate what they did last year behind the plate - 256 PA of 97 wRC+ and 1.2 WAR for Kyle plus 325 PA of 106 wRC+ for 1.4 WAR from Danny - that would buy them an extra win or so over what they got from their catchers in 2025.

Looks like Danny Jansen signed with the Rangers for two years and $14.5M. Eric Haase remains unsigned from what I can gather.

With the number eight players now done, we have made it all the way through the lineup. Looks like the thirty players who finished 8th on their team by FanGraphs WAR in 2025 totaled 31.4 WAR for an average that just barely rounds down to 1.0 WAR each. To Recap: Average values to this point are...#1 (5.1 WAR), #2 (3.6 WAR), #3 (2.7 WAR), #4 (2.3 WAR), #5 (2.0 WAR), #6 (1.6 WAR), #7 (1.3 WAR), #8 (1.0 WAR), and #9 (0.8 WAR). Will do one more post comparing the individual #10 players, then group players from #11 thru the end of each team's roster together in one final post. For now I've just been numerically updating the Team Depth Project Standings below with each iteration. Once all eleven slots are done I'll try to separate the teams out into categories - Stars & Stars, Stars & Cromulence, Stars & Scrubs, Scrubs & Scrubs, Team Cromulence, Team Blah-mulence - with some additional commentary for the placements. NUMBER EIGHT PLAYERS 01. Seiya Suzuki CHC (+1.6) 651 PA | 123 wRC+ | -13.2 DEF | 2.6 WAR [another guy just exemplifies that "professional hitter" archetype with a wRC+ between 118 and 137 each of his four MLB seasons. All told his 127 wRC+ over the last four years is in the same neighborhood as guys like Manny Machado (128), Marcell Ozuna (127), and William Contreras (126)] 02. Tyler Heineman TOR (+1.1) 174 PA | 120 wRC+ | +9.0 DEF | 2.1 WAR [career year for the journeyman 34 year old backup backstop who had 299 PA of 65 wRC+ scattered from 2019-24 coming into the year. Actual .341 wOBA was way out ahead of his .272 xwOBA, but with +17 DRS | +19 FRV for his career anything with the bat is straight bonus] 03. Rafael Devers BOS (+1.0) 334 PA | 146 wRC+ | -7.9 DEF | 2.0 WAR [thru Devers last game with the Red Sox on June 15th they were 37 W- 36 L, from June 16th onward their 52 W - 37 L record was the fifth best W% in MLB] 04. Andrew Vaughn MIL (+0.9) 254 PA | 142 wRC+ | -1.0 DEF | 1.9 WAR [after 2,451 PA of 97 wRC+ and .321 xwOBA with the White Sox from 2021-25 Vaughn exploded to the tune of a .373 actual wOBA and .375 xwOBA after his trade to the Brewers. Small sample, but fielding graded out much better too at 0 DRS | +3 FRV with MIL compared to -12 DRS | -17 FRV with CHW] 05. Luis Torrens NYM (+0.6) 283 PA | 79 wRC+ | +13.9 DEF | 1.6 WAR [career year with the glove for the journeyman 29 year old backup backstop who had 937 scattered PA of 80 wRC+ and -16.8 DEF shaking out to -0.9 WAR from 2017-24] 06. Edmundo Sosa PHI (+0.6) 261 PA | 111 wRC+ | +4.7 DEF | 1.6 WAR [top notch short side platoon IF with a 118 wRC+ vs LHP over 528 PA since 2021 to go along with +21 DRS and +18 FRV for his career] 07. Kerry Carpenter DET (+0.5) 464 PA | 115 wRC+ | -9.5 DEF | 1.5 WAR [fell off to a 3.9 BB% and .274 BABIP in 2025 after posting a 6.9 BB% and .330 BABIP over 868 PA to open his career. Needs a caddy vs LHP with a not so nice 69 wRC+ vs southpaws over 197 career PA] 08. Jurickson Profar ATL (+0.3) 371 PA | 122 wRC+ | -9.8 DEF | 1.3 WAR [from 2018-24 Jurickson put up a 105 wRC+ and averaged 1.0 WAR per 371 PA. With -28 DRS | -26 FRV in LF the last three years should probably be DH-ing at this point & looks like that will be the plan with the Braves signing Mike Yaz] 09. Tommy Edman LAD (+0.2) 377 PA | 81 wRC+ | +7.8 DEF | 1.2 WAR [after putting up a 99 wRC+ and averaging 2.4 per WAR per 377 PA from 2019-24 Edman had a career worst year in 2025 dealing with an ankle injury and maybe some bad luck too with a .320 xwOBA under the hood that was his best since the juiced ball in 2019] 10. Christian Walker HOU (+0.1) 640 PA | 99 wRC+ | -8.4 DEF | 1.1 WAR [put up a 126 wRC+ and averaged 3.7 WAR per 640 PA from 2022-24. Defense collapsed too with +33 DRS | +32 FRV from 2022-24 before posting -7 DRS | +2 FRV in 2025] 11. Carlos Correa MIN (+0.1) 364 PA | 97 wRC+ | +1.3 DEF | 1.1 WAR [dealt back to Astros at deadline with MIN chipping in $33M. Twins got 11.6 regular season WAR and one playoff appearance where Correa went off for 24 PA of 182 wRC+ in return for their $165M] 12. Alex Jackson BAL (+0.1) 100 PA | 111 wRC+ | +5.5 DEF | 1.1 WAR [career year for the journeyman 29 year old backup backstop who had 340 scattered PA of 29 wRC+ and -0.9 WAR from 2019-24. His .278 xwOBA was a nice step up over his .218 xwOBA from 2019-24, but a .327 actual wOBA in 2025 indicates some good fortune in the mix] 13. Jose Caballero NYY (+0.1) 95 PA | 134 wRC+ | +1.6 DEF | 1.1 WAR [trade deadline acquisition from TBR, see #6 Players list. Just a hunch, but have a feeling Brewers fans would have been a touch less miffed if we dealt Adher for Caballero instead of Jansen from the Rays] 14. Graham Pauley MIA (even) 184 PA | 90 wRC+ | +6.3 DEF | 1.0 WAR [only 13th rounder from 2022 to make MLB so far. Small sample but has graded out well with the glove at +4 DRS | +5 FRV] 15. Nolan Arenado STL (-0.1) 436 PA | 84 wRC+ | +3.8 DEF | 0.9 WAR [age remains undefeated. From 2022 through 205 Arenado's xwOBA has declined from .339 to .320 to .295 to .288. After a decade run as the undisputed king of 3B defense averaging +44 DRS | +30 FRV per 3244 innings from 2013-22 he has posted +12 DRS | +15 FRV over the last three years and 3244 innings] 16. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. ARI (-0.2) 546 PA | 95 wRC+ | -6.6 DEF | 0.8 WAR [typically reliable putting up at least a 105 wRC+ with between 1.3 WAR and 2.1 WAR for six straight seasons before a slip in production and torn ACL in 2025] 17. Leo Rivas SEA (-0.2) 111 PA | 121 wRC+ | -0.4 DEF | 0.8 WAR [utility infielder with 3,316 PA in the minors from 2015-25, the 54th most in MiLB over that timeframe. If anyone's curious Jamie Westbrook is #1 on the list with 450 more PA than second place. Push the start date back to Jamie's first season in 2013 and he is 620 PA ahead of second place] 18. Isiah Kiner-Falafa PIT (-0.2) 428 PA | 75 wRC+ | +4.5 DEF | 0.8 WAR [after posting an 83 wRC+ and .288 xwOBA over 2911 PA from 2018-24 IKF fell off to a .261 xwOBA in 2025. More of a 2B (+8 DRS | +2 FRV last two years) or 3B (+11 DRS | +8 FRV last three years) than a SS (+5 DRS | -5 FRV last three years) at this point] 19. Adolis Garcia TEX (-0.3) 547 PA | 83 wRC+ | -1.9 DEF | 0.7 WAR [after a 128 wRC+ | 4.7 WAR regular season then 68 PA of a blistering 201 wRC+ in the Rangers 2023 World Series run Adolis has put up 1,184 PA of 89 wRC+ and -18.9 DEF for 0.6 WAR and one non-tender] 20. Chandler Simpson TBR (-0.3) 441 PA | 88 wRC+ | -8.2 DEF | 0.7 WAR [perfect BABIP test study moving up the ladder. RK (34 PA | .417 BABIP | .370 AVG) then A+ (253 PA | .394 BABIP | .349 AVG) then AA (358 PA | .377 BABIP | .351 AVG) then AAA (156 PA | .369 BABIP | .333 AVG) then MLB (441 PA | .327 BABIP | .295 AVG). 97th percentile sprint speed and +6.5 BSR but graded out at -9 DRS | -6 FRV in his first MLB outfield action] 21. Casey Schmitt SFG (-0.3) 348 PA | 98 wRC+ | -2.6 DEF | 0.7 WAR [last two years overall, 101 wRC+. Last two years vs RHP, 102 wRC+. Last two years vs LHP, 99 wRC+. Last two years at home, 104 wRC+. Last two years on road, 98 wRC+] 22. Ramon Laureano SDP (-0.3) 198 PA | 127 wRC+ | -5.9 DEF | 0.7 WAR [trade deadline acquisition from BAL. After mostly agreeing on his defense from 2018-22 at +8 DRS | +11 FRV, the two systems have diverged the last three years at +20 DRS | -2 FRV. Bat took a nice step with a .360 xwOBA under the hood after posting a 97 wRC+ and .308 xwOBA over 1,096 PA from 2022-24] 23. Carlos Cortes ATH (-0.3) 99 PA | 132 wRC+ | +0.5 DEF | 0.7 WAR [over 880 PA at AAA from 2022-24 Carlos put up an 87 wRC+. Over 314 PA at AAA in 2025 he jumped to a 138 wRC+ before his small sample MLB debut at age 28. Was way out over his skis with an actual .363 wOBA versus a .318 xwOBA] 24. Austin Wynns CIN (-0.3) 43 PA | 212 wRC+ | +0.3 DEF | 0.7 WAR [the Reds are the first pro baseball team and going back to 1882 FanGraphs says there are 1,093 players with at least 50 PA in franchise history. With a 390/429/661 triple slash good for a 197 wRC+ Austin Wynns is the Best Reds Hitter of All Time (min. 50 PA)] 25. Matt Thaiss CHW (-0.4) 110 PA | 104 wRC+ | +2.1 DEF | 0.6 WAR [double whammy of being drafted by the Angels and in the First Round of the 2016 Draft] 26. Drew Millas WAS (-0.4) 55 PA | 125 wRC+ | +1.3 DEF | 0.6 WAR [see post in Off Season Ideas thread] 27. Salvador Perez KCR (-0.5) 641 PA | 95 wRC+ | -8.7 DEF | 0.5 WAR [30 HR and 100 RBI from a catcher is only worth half a win? When that catcher has a .284 OBP to go along with -15 DRS | -8 FRV behind the plat and -4.8 BSR on the bases, yes] 28. Carlos Santana CLE (-0.5) 455 PA | 87 wRC+ | -2.5 DEF | 0.5 WAR [bottom fell out with the bat at age 39 after putting up 1,719 PA of a 105 wRC+ from age 36 to 38. Smooth fielding the only thing keeping Carlos afloat with +12 DRS and +6 FRV in 2025] 29. Kyren Paris LAA (-0.6) 140 PA | 78 wRC+ | +1.0 DEF | 0.4 WAR [rare High School draftee for the Angels had a 126 wRC+ over 1,185 minor league PA thru 2023 reaching AA. Last two years in the minors, mostly at AAA its been 296 PA of 77 wRC+, over 245 MLB PA it's been a 50 wRC+ with a 38.0 K%] 30. Ryan Ritter COL (-0.9) 207 PA | 64 wRC+ | +2.7 DEF | 0.1 WAR [utility IF with a .245 xwOBA that ranked 343rd of 348 hitters with at least 200 PA in 2025. Does not appear to be of any relation to Three's Company star John Ritter]

I'm not sure the Brewers front office would have the same evaluation. Joey had a full complement of service time remaining when we acquired him, Casas has already burned three years. No doubt Casas is a superior hitter with a 119 wRC+ over 952 career PA, but he's also one of the slowest guys in MLB (-5.7 BSR with 2nd percentile sprint speed), and also a hack at 1B with -11 DRS and -11 FRV for his career. All told Oritz has put up 4.5 WAR over 1,017 PA in two seasons with the Brewers versus Casas totaling 2.2 WAR over 952 PA in his three plus seasons with Boston.

Nestor was a 30 year old soft tossing extreme fly ball pitcher coming off injury who was a salary filler lotto ticket in the Williams deal. Angel is a 26 year old hard throwing extreme ground ball pitcher who the Brewers specifically targeted as a guy they believe has untapped upside remaining. Just two completely different pitchers aside from the arm they throw with.

I would guess the Projected Total Allocations number of $164.8M is what Spotrac is using to refer to the Brewers CBT 40 Man year end payroll which Cot's Contracts has at $160.1M for last year and $162.8M for 2024. Cot's has the Brewers projected for a $115.8M Opening Day 26 Man payroll this year compared to $108M last year and $104.3M in 2024. My personal read on the situation is that Peralta and Megill being dealt are coin flips. Payroll doesn't dictate that they have to be moved, but if the Brewers get an offer they like they will take it. I would doubt if we move Contreras because by all accounts Quero's throwing (which was a foundational aspect of his profile) has not returned to form post shoulder surgery. I'm more inclined to believe the Brewers will acquire another catcher to be the backup so that Jeferson can get everyday reps in Nashville.

Searching the boards at Baseball Trade Values looks like they had Zerpa (7.5) for Collins (6.2) and Mears (3.8) as a slight “win” for KCR, but differences that small are within the margin of error so essentially a wash. Freddy (25.4) and Megill (9.6) combined still come in short of Duran (45.9) by their valuations.

Changing stadiums from AmFam to Kaufmann could maybe help Collins stave off some of that regression that many see as likely after his 2025 season exceeded all realistic expectations. Isaac's game on offense is mostly built around patience (12.9 BB% was 19th of 215 batters with at least 400 PA in 2025) and hitting line drives (24.6 LD% was 10th on that same leaderboard). Going by StatCast's three year rolling park factors (which operate like OPS+ where 100 is average), AmFam is one of the worst parks in MLB for singles (94 rating | 24th) and doubles (87 rating | 27th) whereas Kaufmann is one of the better parks in MLB for singles (103 rating | 8th) and doubles (113 rating | 5th). With a below average fly ball rate (91 FB%+) and all fields approach (101 Pull+ | 100 Cent+ | 99 Oppo+), Collins batted ball profile was about as poor a fit as possible for AmFam's homer friendly effects (106 HR rating | 7th). Obviously lots of noise in single season home/road splits, but the awkward fit between Isaac's offensive profile as a line drive hitting singles/doubles kind of guy and AmFam's suppression of those types of hits played out to the tune of a 93 wRC+ over 236 PA at home versus a 156 wRC+ over 205 PA on the road for Collins last year.

How so? Zerpa has been more available (118 IP to 81 IP last two years) than Hall has. Their strikeout rates (92 K%+ vs 91 K%+) and home run suppression (84 HR9+ vs 78 HR9+) have been about the same, but Zerpa walks waaay fewer batters (95 BB%+ vs 131 BB%+) than Hall does. Put it all together an DL has been worse than average across the board at 104 ERA- | 103 FIP- | 113 FIP- over these last two years, where Angel has been better than average across the board at 96 ERA- | 95 FIP- | 87 xFIP- these last two years. The only area DL really has any kind of advantage is that he allowed a 94 BABIP+ over the last two years compared to a 113 BABIP+ for Angel. If the Brewers were able to coax that kind of BABIP suppression out of Hall and his underwhelming array of pitches (91 Stuff+ last two years), they likely believe they can do all that & maybe even more with Zerpa and his more impressive arsenal (114 Stuff+ last two years) that has graded out in the same neighborhood as guys like Ashby (118 Stuff+) and Uribe (117 Stuff+).

Good idea. Below I've listed out Joey compared to the ninth best player on the other three Brewers LCS teams, though I used BRef for 1982, 2011 and 2018 since it was more favorable to the ninth best player on those squads. Underneath that I listed out the player who was ninth in FanGraphs WAR on the last thirty full season World Series participants. They weren't that much better than the ninth best players on the thirty 2025 teams coming in at 30.7 combined WAR for an average of just over 1.0 WAR each on the World Series teams compared to 23.8 WAR and a 0.8 WAR average in 2025. Kind of interesting that Joey was one of four guys on the 2025 list that had enough PA to qualify for the batting title, and there are also only four guys on the World Series list who qualified for the batting title. Nine of those thirty WS#9 guys matched or exceeded Joey's 1.4 WAR from 2025, with 2022 Martin Maldonado (71 wRC+ | +10.8 DEF) having the most similar shaped production. Two guys show up twice each - Aledmys Diaz on the 2019/21 Astros, and Mitch Moreland more spaced out with the 2010 Rangers and 2018 Red Sox. BREWERS LCS TEAMS 2025 Joey Ortiz 506 PA | 67 wRC+ | +13.9 DEF | 1.4 WAR 2018 Manny Pina 337 PA | 87 OPS+ | +9.0 DEF | 1.0 WAR 2011 George Kottaras 123 PA | 107 OPS+ | +1.0 DEF | 0.5 WAR 1982 Charlie Moore 492 PA | 85 OPS+ | +3.0 DEF | 1.0 WAR WORLD SERIES TEAMS 2025 Hyesong Kim LAD 170 PA | 95 wRC+ | +1.6 DEF | 0.8 WAR Nathan Lukes TOR 438 PA | 103 wRC+ | +2.3 DEF | 1.8 WAR 2024 Andy Pages LAD 443 PA | 98 wRC+ | -1.3 DEF | 1.3 WAR Giancarlo Stanton NYY 459 PA | 117 wRC+ | -11.8 DEF | 0.8 WAR 2023 Ezequiel Duran TEX 439 PA | 111 wRC+ | -4.4 DEF | 1.4 WAR Emmanuel Rivera ARI 283 PA | 82 wRC+ | +0.5 DEF | 0.3 WAR 2022 Martin Maldonado HOU 379 PA | 71 wRC+ | +10.8 DEF | 0.8 WAR Brandon Marsh PHI 138 PA | 115 wRC+ | =0.5 DEF | 0.7 WAR 2021 Eddie Rosario ATL 106 PA | 134 wRC+ | -1.1 DEF | 0.7 WAR Aledmys Diaz HOU 319 PA | 97 wRC+ | +5.4 DEF | 1.5 WAR 2019 Yan Gomes WAS 358 PA | 80 wRC+ | +7.6 DEF | 0.9 WAR Aledmys Diaz HOU 247 PA | 118 wRC+ | -0.1 DEF | 1.4 WAR 2018 Mitch Moreland BOS 459 PA | 101 wRC+ | -5.8 DEF | 0.9 WAR Matt Kemp LAD 506 PA | 122 wRC+ | -7.1 DEF | 2.0 WAR 2017 Jake Marisnick HOU 259 PA | 117 wRC+ | +5.2 DEF | 1.9 WAR Chase Utley LAD 353 PA | 96 wRC+ | -4.4 DEF | 0.7 WAR 2016 Miguel Montero CHC 284 PA | 83 wRC+ | +12.4 DEF | 1.4 WAR Brandon Guyer CLE 96 PA | 150 wRC+ | -0.1 DEF | 1.0 WAR 2015 Salvador Perez KCR 553 PA | 87 wRC+ | +4.5 DEF | 0.8 WAR Ruben Tejada NYM 407 PA | 94 wRC+ | +0.7 DEF | 1.1 WAR 2014 Andrew Susac SFG 95 PA | 127 wRC+ | +0.7 DEF | 0.8 WAR Danny Valencia KCR 119 PA | 100 wRC+ | +3.5 DEF | 0.5 WAR 2013 Jose Iglesias BOS 234 PA | 115 wRC+ | +6.2 DEF | 1.8 WAR David Freese STL 521 PA | 105 wRC+ | -7.4 DEF | 0.5 WAR 2012 Joaquin Arias SFG 344 PA | 90 wRC+ | +0.5 DEF | 0.6 WAR Omar Infante DET 241 PA | 77 wRC+ | -0.9 DEF | 0.3 WAR 2011 Colby Rasmus STL 386 PA | 110 wRC+ | -8.1 DEF | 1.0 WAR Nelson Cruz TEX 513 PA | 116 wRC+ | -12.2 DEF | 1.4 WAR 2010 Eli Whiteside SFG 252 PA | 92 wRC+ | +6.5 DEF | 0.9 WAR Mitch Moreland TEX 173 PA | 115 wRC+ | -3.1 DEF | 0.7 WAR

Out of 103 relievers with at least 100 IP the last two years Zerpa’s 60.5 GB% is 5th. His 87 xFIP- is exactly the same as guys like Ryan Helsley, Robert Suarez and Raisel Iglesias on that same leaderboard. Matching 124 Stuff+ grades on his sinker (3rd best) and slider (24th).

Defensive versatility? He's -2 DRS | -20 FRV at 2B for his career. Last year he played 89 games at DH. Mets are planning to use him primarily at 1B per reports. Steamer projects 1.9 WAR with only a -4.3 DEF, he hasn't had a DEF that low since 2021, and playing 1B/DH it will probably a lot closer to the -12.3 DEF he registered last year. That drops him down to 1.1 WAR. If he gives them 1000 PA of 120 wRC+ it's a perfectly cromulent deal, but there is a lot more downside risk given Polanco's track record (he hit for a 108 wRC+ | 3.4 WAR over 1,257 PA from 2022-24), and even in a best case scenario of him repeating his 132 wRC+ | 2.6 WAR from 2025 for two more years they got five wins for $40M, big whoop.

Nationals have Keibert Ruiz under contract for another five years and $35M. Nevermind that his -2.0 WAR over the last three years ranks 99th out of 100 players with at least 100 PA behind the dish during that stretch. They just traded for well regarded catching prospect Harry Ford from the Mariners who was somewhat clogged up behind the Big Dumper. They also recently re-upped with backup Riley Adams for $1M in Arby's. Obviously not a lot of roast beef by today's standards in MLB, and his -0.4 WAR over the last three years is 87th on that same leaderboard mentioned above. But it's the 4th catcher on their 40 Man that I think has a little Brewers feel to him, and could be an interesting stopgap to give Quero everyday reps in Nashville to open the season. You ever heard of Drew Millas? I certainly hadn't until today. 2019 7th rounder (224th overall) out of Missouri State by the A's. Switch hitter who put up 268/353/419 (107 wRC+) with an 11.4 BB% and 17.3 K% over 1,120 minor league PA from 2022-25. In a scattered sample of 144 PA with the Nationals over the last three years he has hit 281/348/406 (112 wRC+) with a 9.0 BB% and 18.8 K%. Despite being only 87th in PA on that above mentioned catcher leaderboard, Millas is 2nd in base running value at +1.9 BSR and 52nd with 1.2 WAR. For his major league career he has 6 SB / 0 CS. He went 32 SB / 7 CS in the minors from 2022-25. His 5.9 Speed Score in his small MLB sample puts him in the same range as guys like Frelick (6.0), Bryson Stott (5.9) and Julio Rodriguez (5.9). That's pretty serious wheels for a catcher. How about his Prospect Graduation TLDR from his FanGraphs player page...Millas' athleticism, framing, and nearly elite raw arm strength put him right on the verge of being considered a primary catcher.

Turang has four years of Arby's left then hits FA after 2029 according to Cots. They have a $4.75M estimate for him this year, MLBTR says $4.4M. Let's say next four years of Arby's might go something like $4.5M, $7.5M, $10.5M, $13.5M. That would be $36M for his Arby's, then buying out two FA years for $17M each to get to 6/70. Think Turang and his camp would be looking more towards Andres Gimenez and his 7/106.5 extension from a couple years ago as their primary comp.

The last time the Cubs finished ahead of the Brewers in a full season was 2017. Cubs fans talking about winning it all hasn't mattered much for some time now.

Mitchell has played 141 games in his MLB career. His MLB season high is 69 games in 2024 (he also played another 14 in the minors). His professional high is 96 games in 2022 - 68 in the minors and another 28 in MLB.

That already happened once. They made the World Series in 1982, and then from 1983 until 2004 they were the 2nd worst team in MLB with a 1,635 W - 1.858 L record. I don't think anyone loves a participation trophy, but it's certainly far more enjoyable (and much closer to a World Series) than decades of irrelevance. All the money the Yankees spend and they've made the WS one time since their last win in 2009. All the money the Phillies spend and they've made the WS one time since their B2B trips in 2008/09. Cohen is the richest owner in the game, has spent obscene amounts on the Mets, and they've missed the playoffs in three of his five seasons owning the team winning 38 fewer games than the Brewers over that stretch. Last time the Mets did make the World Series in 2015 their OD payroll ranked 21st in MLB per Cot's. The Padres were one of the most All In Go For It teams around when Papa Seidler was still alive, they still missed the playoffs two of the last five years, won 30 fewer games than the Brewers over that stretch, didn't make the World Series. Going back to 2017 one of the Dodgers/Astros was in the World Series every season except for 2023, and they combined to take up nine of the 18 available spots. It's hard enough to make it to the World Series to begin with, it gets exponentially harder when two teams have a monopoly on half the spots for approaching a decade. Even on this epic Dodgers run that started in 2013, they didn't reach the World Series until their 5th season and didn't win one until their 8th season in the pandemic altered 2020. They made it back to the NLCS in 2021, but went a combined 1 W - 6 L over the 2022-23 postseasons getting knocked out in the NLDS both years before finally winning a World Series after a full 162 game season in 2024, a dozen years after their first playoff appearance of the run. It took the mighty Dodgers eleven full seasons to get that first 162 Game WS win, the Brewers are going into year nine of their run for 2026.

Continuing the slow descent down to the players who finished seventh on their respective teams in WAR, and after only nine two win players on the #6 Players list there are only four more here, and (spoiler alert) three remaining on the forthcoming #8 Players list. Adding it all up gets us to 39.8 WAR or an average of 1.3 WAR each for the seventh best players on each team. Thinking at this point I'll do three more updates - #8 players, #10 players, and then everyone from #11 onward for each team to see how far above or below replacement level each team's replacements actually were. NUMBER SEVEN PLAYERS 01. Carson Kelly CHC (+1.3) 421 PA | 115 wRC+ | +7.7 DEF | 2.6 WAR [career best year after posting a 85 wRC+ and averaging 1.5 WAR per 421 PA from 2020-24. Probably a little good fortune in there as his actual wOBA rose from .304 in 2024 to .332 last year while his xwOBA only increased from .315 to .320] 02. Christian Yelich MIL (+1.1) 644 PA | 121 wRC+ | -16.7 DEF | 2.4 WAR [over the four seasons since his extension kicked in Yelich has posted 2,262 PA of 123 wRC+ for 11.4 WAR. Over his five seasons in Miami he put up 2,812 PA of 122 wRC+ for 17.5 WAR. Defense has obviously fallen off, but has +18.0 BSR these last four years compared to +17.1 BSR over his five years in MIA] 03. Wilyer Abreu BOS (+1.1) 417 PA | 110 wRC+ | +5.4 DEF | 2.4 WAR [his +32 DRS | +17 FRV are both first in RF over the last two years just ahead of Sal at +25 DRS | +14 FRV. Hasn't been a Fenway creation with a 122 wRC+ on the road versus a 104 wRC+ at home. Looking like a platoon only guy though with an ugly 67 wRC+ vs LHP] 04. Addison Barger TOR (+0.9) 502 PA | 107 wRC+ | +0.4 DEF | 2.2 WAR [followed up with 68 PA of 188 wRC+ over the Blue Jays World Series run for a nice first full season after 225 PA of a not so nice 69 wRC+ in 2024. Only real knock so far is an ugly 53 wRC+ vs LHP over 126 PA] 05. Giancarlo Stanton NYY (+0.6) 281 PA | 158 wRC+ | -8.8 DEF | 1.9 WAR [just two years left on his 13 year, $325M contract. Currently 47 HR shy of 500 for his career and has averaged 25 HR per year for the last three seasons. 06. Francsico Alvarez NYM (+0.5) 277 PA | 124 wRC+ | +1.8 DEF | 1.8 WAR [games played have declined from 123 to 100 to 76 over the last three years. After posting +6 DRS | +12 FRV in his 2023 debut has registered -6 DRS | -4 FRV over the last two years. Improved his xwOBA to .325 after posting a .297 mark from 2023-24] 07. Alec Bohm PHI (+0.4) 504 PA | 105 wRC+ | +0.2 DEF | 1.7 WAR [from 2020-24 Bohm hit for a 103 wRC+ and averaged 1.5 WAR per 504 PA] 08. Miguel Rojas LAD (+0.4) 317 PA | 100 wRC+ | +5.5 DEF | 1.7 WAR [has put up at least 1.1 WAR in eight of the last nine seasons. Hit for a career 85 wRC+, pair it with +76 DRS | +44 FRV defense around the infield (mostly at SS), and you too can play in the Majors for a decade plus] 09. Colt Keith DET (+0.3) 468 PA | 109 wRC+ | -8.0 DEF | 1.6 WAR [made decent progress at the plate with a .339 xwOBA under the hood after posting a 95 wRC+ and .313 xwOBA in 2024. Defensive fit is still up in the air with -9 DRS | -3 FRV between the three non-SS infield positions so far] 10. Pedro Pages STL (+0.3) 389 PA | 77 wRC+ | +15.9 DEF | 1.6 WAR [seems like a pretty stock casting limited hit, good glove catcher that can probably stick around MLB for a decade plus if his body holds up and the bat doesn't disappear completely] 11. Dominic Canzone SEA (+0.2) 268 PA | 141 wRC+ | -6.4 DEF | 1.5 WAR [after 370 PA of 84 wRC+ and .316 xwOBA to open his career surged to a .374 xwOBA over half a season in 2025] 12. Carlos Correa HOU (+0.2) 220 PA | 122 wRC+ | +2.7 DEF | 1.5 WAR [had a nice couple months back with the Astros playing third base after getting dealt at the deadline] 13. Ozzie Albies ATL (even) 667 PA | 87 wRC+ | -1.0 DEF | 1.3 WAR [from 2017-23 Albies put up a 110 wRC+ and averaged 6.3 WAR per 1,102 PA compared to only a 90 wRC+ and 2.6 WAR over 1,102 PA these last two years. Braves hold one more $7M option for 2027 (no buyout) on the extension he signed in 2019] 14. Luis Robert Jr. CHW (even) 431 PA | 84 wRC+ | +4.3 DEF | 1.3 WAR [from 2021-23 Robert Jr. hit for a 129 wRC+ and averaged 7.0 WAR per 856 PA compared to only an 84 wRC+ and 1.9 WAR over 856 PA these last two years] 15. Denzel Clarke ATH (even) 159 PA | 75 wRC+ | +10.1 DEF | 1.3 WAR [made a number of highlight reel plays and HR robberies after getting called up to Sacto as evidenced by +7 DRS | +11 FRV in only 383 innings. His actual .281 wOBA was considerably out in front of his .251 xwOBA, paired with a scary 3.8 BB% | 38.4 K% under the hood too] 16. Adley Rutschman BAL (-0.1) 365 PA | 91 wRC+ | +4.0 DEF | 1.2 WAR [from age 24 to 26 Adley had 1,795 PA of 120 wRC+ for 13.8 WAR before his injury hampered 2025 campaign. From age 24 to 26 Matt Wieters had 1,646 PA of 101 wRC+ for 11.9 WAR before an 86 wRC+ | 1.6 WAR age 27 season. Then came the cliff] 17. Gabriel Arias CLE (-0.2) 471 PA | 77 wRC+ | +6.9 DEF | 1.1 WAR [has 1,034 career PA with a 76 wRC+ and 33.3 K%, batted sixth for a Division Winner in the playoffs] 18. Willi Castro MIN (-0.2) 344 PA | 109 wRC+ | -5.4 DEF | 1.1 WAR [traded to CHC at the deadline where he hit for a 40 wRC+ over 110 PA shaking out to -0.5 WAR. On the FA market as a bat first (102 wRC+ last three years) utility option with questionable defense at a combined -47 DRS and -7 FRV for his career] 19. Spencer Steer CIN (-0.3) 568 PA | 97 wRC+ | -7.1 DEF | 1.0 WAR [after a decent enough 118 wRC+ and .333 xwOBA is his 2023 debut, Steer has put up 1,224 PA of 97 wRC+ and .304 xwOBA these last two years. Turned in an encouraging +8 DRS | +4 FRV at 1B in 2025, but will need the bat to bounce back if he wants to return to two win territory] 20. Liam Hicks MIA (-0.3) 390 PA | 98 wRC+ | -1.6 DEF | 1.0 WAR [solid debut for the Rule 5 pick from Detroit. Barring improvement bat profiles better at catcher (49 starts), than it does DH (34 starts) or 1B (23 starts). Might need to work on the throwing though with a 10.5 CS% that ranked 48th among 49 catchers with at least 400 innings. Teammate Augustin Ramirez was 49th with an 8.8 CS%] 21. Mike Yastrzemski SFG (-0.3) 372 PA | 95 wRC+ | -1.9 DEF | 1.0 WAR [traded to KCR at deadline, where he turned it up for 186 PA of 127 wRC+. Put it all together and his 106 wRC+ for the season as a whole was right in line with the 105 wRC+ he put up over 1,945 PA from 2021-24] 22. Kyle Higashioka TEX (-0.3) 327 PA | 93 wRC+ | +2.3 DEF | 1.0 WAR [good example of the bad starter, good backup archetype for a catcher. Among 59 players with at least 500 PA behind the dish since 2022 Kyle is at 1,017 PA (28th) | 91 wRC+ (26th) | +34.2 DEF (15th) | 5.5 WAR (21st) with between 1.0 and 1.6 WAR in each of the four seasons] 23. Blaze Alexander ARI (-0.3) 266 PA | 99 wRC+ | +2.7 DEF | 1.0 WAR [small samples all around, but Blaze looks like a utility guy who has graded out at a combined +9 DRS | +4 FRV between second, third and outfield, but has posted -6 DRS | -7 FRV at shortstop] 24. Luis Arraez SDP (-0.4) 675 PA | 104 wRC+ | -16.6 DEF | 0.9 WAR [the lone player with at least 800 singles since his debut in 2019. Only Trea Turner (734) and Freddie Freeman (703) cracked seven hundred. Just nine more are in the six hundreds] 25. Danny Jansen TBR (-0.4) 259 PA | 98 wRC+ | +0.5 DEF | 0.9 WAR [after posting a 121 wRC+ and averaging 5.3 WAR per 661 PA from 2021-23, Jansen has fallen off to a 97 wRC+ and only 1.8 WAR over 661 PA these last two years] 26. Ke'Bryan Hayes PIT (-0.5) 392 PA | 57 wRC+ | +13.2 DEF | 0.8 WAR [traded to CIN at the deadline. After posting a 91 wRC+ and averaging 5.8 WAR per 966 PA from 2021-23, Ke'Bryan's offense has cratered to a 63 wRC+ and only 1.5 WAR over 966 PA these last two years. Has +31 DRS and +27 FRV more than the 2nd best 3B since his debut in 2021] 27. Luis Garcia WAS (-0.6) 526 PA | 91 wRC+ | -3.9 DEF | 0.7 WAR [after a 110 wRC+ and .331 xwOBA in 2024 his xwOBA ticked up slightly to .337 in 2025 but the actual results did not follow suit. Might be a contender for worst defensive infielder of the 2020's with -50 DRS | -30 FRV for his career] 28. Adam Frazier KCR (-0.7) 197 PA | 98 wRC+ | -1.0 DEF | 0.6 WAR [had a perfectly cromulent four season run with a 104 wRC+ and 8.4 WAR over 1,829 PA from 2018-21. Has put up 1,810 PA of 83 wRC+ and 1.9 WAR since] 29. Bryce Teodosio LAA (-0.7) 150 PA | 51 wRC+ | +8.1 DEF | 0.6 WAR [had never heard of this undrafted free agent who hit 236/317/369 (80 wRC+) with a 31.7 K% over 1,403 PA at AA/AAA. Graded out at +7 DRS | +9 FRV over only 406 innings in CF and has 98th percentile sprint speed] 30. Blaine Crim COL (-1.2) 61 PA | 113 wRC+ | -1.6 DEF | 0.1 WAR [had also never heard of this guy which isn't necessarily surprising since he was the 565th pick in the 2019 Draft and only got 61 PA with the Rockies. From what I can gather he is not related to former Brewers reliever Chuck Crim]

Ortiz (4.5 WAR) and Hall (0.6 rWAR) have already exceeded the value Burnes (4.5 rWAR) put up in his lone season as an Oriole. Blake Burke looms on the horizon too. Many were clamoring for power hitting 3B Coby Mayo from the Orioles instead and he has 340 PA of 81 wRC+ (with a 31.2 K%) shaking out to -0.3 WAR so far. He has somehow managed -4 DRS and -2 FRV in only 87 innings at third base.

Over 575 PA with the Tigers AAA affiliate from 2021-24 Akil hit 253/359/435 (114 wRC+) with a 13.7 BB% and 24.5 K%. Over 457 PA with the Tigers AAA affiliate in 2025 Akil hit 279/384/478 (135 wRC+) with a 14.5 BB% and 24.2 K%. Probably just a little BABIP luck, but you never know. Among 35 players with at least 1,500 innings in LF since 2021 Akil is at +16 DRS (7th) and +1 FRV (t-8th). Fits the run prevention mold for sure. Baddoo's +8.6 BSR ranks a nice 69th out of 360 players with at least 1,000 PA since 2021. Given that BSR is a counting stat and Akil was at an opportunity deficit relative to the other players, his 6.6 Speed Score (29th) probably does a better job of contextualizing his base running ability and puts him in the same range as guys like Trea Turner (6.7), Tommy Edman (6.6), and Oneil Cruz (6.6).

Obviously Turang & Durbin are at the extreme ends of the spectrum, but I think they (& guys like Luke Adams or Darrien Miller) do a pretty good job illustrating how much getting HBP’ed comes down to each batter’s willingness to wear one.

He might not have the most surface area for HBPs, but he's got the right mindset!! After Turang pulled his best Mikhail Baryshnikov to get out of the way of that Sasaki pitch in the NLCS, I checked and Bryce has 5 HBP in three years and 1,726 PA which is the third fewest HBP among 103 players with at least 1,500 PA over that stretch. Conversely, Durbin got hit with five pitches over his final 13 games and 55 PA of the season.

Came across Alec Bohm while working on the team depth project today and remembered there had been some discussion about him versus Durbin earlier in the season, so thought I'd bump now that the season is over and see how things shook out for the pair. Bohm 2025 (504 PA) 287/331/409 (105 wRC+) 5.8 BB% | 16.3 K% | .123 ISO -2.8 BSR | -3 FRV | 1.7 WAR Durbs 2025 (506 PA) 256/334/387 (105 wRC+) 5.9 BB% | 9.9 K% | .130 ISO +2.3 BSR | +1 FRV | 2.6 WAR 6'5" 218 lbs Alec Bohm hit 11 HR and drove in 59 runs. 5'7" 193 lbs Caleb Durbin hit 11 HR and drove in 53 runs. For the 2025 season anyway it looks like Bohm's only real advantage on Caleb was hitting singles, physical stature, and W-2.

Hitting Bo; 122 wRC+ Jo: 83 wRC+ Fielding Bo: -19 DRS | -27 FRV Jo: +8 DRS | +21 FRV Salary Bo: $27M Jo: 800K No doubt Bichette is a much better player, that’s why he’s trying for $200M. The Brewers probably aren’t interested in that kind of FA outlay at this point (especially for a player with injury issues that isn’t up to their defensive standards at SS), if they were they could have just re-signed the devil they knew in Adames.

Alonso 2021-25 (3384 PA) 253/338/504 (131 wRC+) 9.5 BB% | 21.9 K% | .252 ISO -71.0 DEF | 15.8 WAR Schwarbs 2021-25 (3276 PA) 232/353/514 (135 wRC+) 15.0 BB% | 28.6 K% | .282 ISO -100.0 DEF | 14.1 WAR Pretty close between the two $150M men over the last five years. Pete a little more contact in his game, not quite as horrendous on defense, and almost two years younger. Schwarbs more of the classic 3TO profile, coming off a better platform season.