KeithStone53151

This is gonna be an extremely tough series, the Cubs are playing really well right now...I think they've won 8 of their last 10 and generally seem to have our number. It's really a shame our lefties not named Hader are struggling so mightily. The Cubs hottest 2 hitters right now are probably Rizzo and Heyward(surprising, i know), it would be nice if we could throw a lefty at those guys whenever possible this series...but I'm not sure I want Logan or Jennings to come within 100 miles of the mound this series unless we are up by double digits.

We should start a pool, who with the Cubs will be the first person to accuse Thames of PEDs?

Not sure if I'm kidding or not, but I would rather lose a game or two this year with Arcia than watching Miller/Perez play SS the rest of the season. I know I've used Aguilar as an extreme example of why defense matters at the SS position, but in all seriousness we are better off completely punting on defense at SS and putting Aguilar there than having this platoon happen. This isn't fantasy baseball where just because a guy has positional flexibility means he can actually play there.

It depends how bad. I'm sure Tampa Bay moved him off SS for a reason, and him playing so much 1b there is telling about what they think of his ability to defend. There needs to be a certain baseline for whether a guy should be playing a position at all in the majors. The extreme example, there's a reason we don't play aguilar at SS. Yes, that bat would be nearly best in the majors at the position...but the defensive cost would be greater. As for the move, I think I've said before the trade from a value standpoint is meh. It's fringe for fringe. I'm just concerned with how he'll be used. It's almost similar to the Sogard situation, in that putting him on the 25 gives CC ways to screw up games. I don't think Miller should see time anywhere but 2b, our 1b options are far superior with the bat and he isn't an mlb caliber ss. Shaw plays pretty much every game at 3b so considering him there is irrelevant. As for 2b, I still think Villar is a better option against LHP...and at best Miller is a push when compared to Villar against RHP considering all aspects of these players. I also know it's a small sample, but his track record as a PH is poor. This move to me is whatever for now, but I hope we don't give this too much time and/or make a more measurable and significant improvement to our bench down the line.

First off, Miller is not a SS. He's worse than Sogard...and saying he's not that huge of a dropoff from Sogard shouldn't be used as an argument in favor of using him at ss, moreso that Sogard is at best the baseline for the minimum defensive caliber player that we should allow to play the position. In reality, he probably should never be playing SS. Villar is not a bad defender at 2b. He was slightly below average last year and has been slightly above average this year to date. For me, he passes the eye test as well. A strict platoon basically has Villar starting what 20% of the games? I'm not sure the ratios of starting RHP vs LHP, but 20% probably isn't far off. He should be playing more than that, especially considering he's a superior defender to Miller. Villar's OPS against RHP is around 680, Miller is around 780. Clearly Miller has been better, but it's not all that drastic. Plus Villar's OBP is only 17 points lower than Miller and Villar is an asset on the base(at least when he isn't a headcase). He makes up for some of the power by stealing bases. Also consider how good Villar is at taking pitches and working the count. The argument I stated above in favor of Miller getting 40% of the starts at 2b and PH duty I noted as the only argument that really makes sense for bringing him on. Playing SS regularly, super utility, PH off the bench, none of those make sense...bringing him in only really makes sense as a 2b rotational guy. I should have pointed out that I don't agree with that usage of him. I still don't like the trade, and if Miller makes it to the mlb roster I don't think he should take more than 1 start a week from Villar at 2b and should never see a single inning at ss.

It's hard to line up those guys you listed against guys like Craig, Freese, Jay, Motte, Lynn, Garcia, Miller, etc. Their hitters are more solid contributors versus the type of guy you fill in 3-5 in the order. Their starting pitching is still a bit crazy, but they also have a dreadful bullpen. Apparently nobody in AAA they can bring up to bolster. I'm not trying to say they are bad by any stretch. I just don't view it as an elite front office anymore. Even if they are still one of the top teams at developing talent, they aren't light years ahead of everybody anymore and they are closer to average in FA signings and trades and other methods of talent acquisition.

Are you saying Miller would weaken them offensively at 2B? Seems like it would be a push at 2B offensively between Villar/Miller. For me, the best argument in favor of adding Miller is a soft platoon or 60/40 split with Villar at 2b...with Miller only playing against some RHP. Maybe that's enough PT that he remains sharp and can have quality PH appearances. The other argument being our FO sees something in Miller that they tweak to yield significant improvements. This super utility thing is nonsense as Miller shouldn't play SS, I don't think Villar is moving back to SS sometimes...if the Brewers ever considered it we would have probably seen it by now. All this said, I've been dead wrong about the Brewers intentions before and it will happen again. I hated when we brought up Saladino because I wanted to see Orf. I'll be hoping for the best if/when Miller comes up to the big league club.

The Brewers have made a few mistakes as well so I wouldn't really beat the Cardinals up over a bad contract or two, even if they are long-ish. Cain's deal could look terrible in 2 years even though I don't expect it to necessarily. The only difference between the early/mid-2010s Cardinals and the mid/late 2010s Cardinals is that the earlier 2000s Cardinals had a prime, roided up, Hall of Fame player in Pujols. They've basically transferred that money that Pujols had later in his time there to Fowler or Peralta. They still won 90-100 games most years up until the last 2 years but seem poised to at least tick back up towards 90 (and maybe more if Reyes ever gets healthy by next year). The Cards of old won divisions because their competition stunk if the Cubs were down and they won World Series by sheer volume of playoff appearances and luck when they got there. The reason they had to pay guys like Peralta and Fowler is their farm system stopped producing as well. For years and years, it seemed like anytime they needed...they could dip into AAA and pull out a stud. Carpenter, Craig, Miller, Rosenthal, etc. It was ridiculous how often a guy would get hurt and the next guy up would fire a 2 ERA or 900 OPS. It just hasn't been quite the same as years past. I don't feel like they are light years ahead of everyone else in player scouting/development anymore. And considering they aren't adding value by swindling teams left and right in trades like Stearns, I just don't view the FO as elite anymore.

He was a bad SS when he last played the position, and hasn't played there in 2 years. What is a handful of AAA starts at SS going to do for him? Will that solve all of his defensive shortcomings? Seeing Arcia go down and the dropoff defensively watching Sogard man SS really opened my eyes to how valuable Arcia is. I remember one game specifically after Arcia was sent down that Sogard didn't make 2 plays that I know Arcia would have made. And Miller is an even worse defender than Sogard at SS. With our mediocre at best SP situation, we can't afford to put extra runners on base. Our SP isn't going to work around trouble as easily as our bullpen or other SP staffs. I think for better or worse, we stick with Arcia until Saladino is back. Maybe then we can send Arcia to AAA to work on his approach and offense.

Brad Miller has started 345 games at SS in the major leagues. That's about 100 more than Villar has. Villar has a .953 FP at SS. Miller's FP is .963. I'd say both are defensive liabilities there. Villar's really been hitting well this year from the right side, like he did in 2016. I can see a platoon at 2B with Miller playing against RHP and Villar vs. lefties. Villar profiles more as a 6th hole hitter from the right side and Miller gives them pop in that spot. I will go out on a limb and say Sogard, Arcia, and Santana (yes Santana) will all end up getting optioned, replaced by Miller, Saladino, and Thames over the next couple weeks. Thames will see some time in OF. Perez will remain jack of all trades, primarily Shaw backup and 5th OF. Saladino (SS) and Villar (2B) with Miller rotating in both spots will see bulk of action in middle infield. I can buy this, I don't think Sogard can be optioned and had to agree to be sent down last time. I'm not so sure that happens again...but we are far enough into the season that I don't know that Sogard is going to find it this season. I think Sogard is simply cut, not optioned. The more bold part of this prediction is Santana getting sent down...and given the guys we have available to use I think that's a real possibility, at least temporarily to help him find his power stroke.

If you want to say he'll get a few starts at 2b and ph, that's much more reasonable than all the people expecting him to play SS. I also don't think Miller is even close to the player that Villar is, so him playing a lot at 2b doesn't make any sense. So we're basically trading for a bad defender and specifically bad pinch hitter to be on our bench. I'd rather give up something of value for more than at best a marginal upgrade over one of Sogard/Perez. Again, you’re using such a small sample size to try to validate your point. It’s rather odd. Also, like others have stated, even with worse defense, he’s a better play at SS that’s Sogard or Perez and possibly Arcia. It’s not crazy thinking at all, hence why the trade was made. The PH piece is a small sample size, but PH and playing part time is completely different from everyday playing time. And Miller isn't just below average at SS, also even at a 720ish ops...that isn't enough with the bat to make up the defensive value of a fringe elite defensive SS to a far far far below average SS at best. This argument isn't that far off from saying we should just screw defensive value completely and throw Aguilar in at SS.

A relatively bad Dexter Fowler deal and a 1-year Greg Holland contract has really made you think this? Since I can remember, they've seemed to be a team that makes 1 splash either by bringing back a guy they traded for (Matt Holliday) or one signing that they think fills a longterm gap, even if an overpay (Jhonny Peralta, Dexter Fowler). The two that stuck out to me were the Fowler and Peralta deals, which those 2 deals generally hadn't been the cardinal way of doing things. The holland deal is whatever, it's a 1 year deal. 5 years ago, this was probably the best front office in baseball. You could easily argue them ahead of the Pirates and possibly convince me of it, I just don't view them as an elite FO anymore.

If you want to say he'll get a few starts at 2b and ph, that's much more reasonable than all the people expecting him to play SS. I also don't think Miller is even close to the player that Villar is, so him playing a lot at 2b doesn't make any sense. So we're basically trading for a bad defender and specifically bad pinch hitter to be on our bench. I'd rather give up something of value for more than at best a marginal upgrade over one of Sogard/Perez.

You can move them around as you see fit, but in any case, I don't think they got Miller to play in AAA all year. I think they see him as someone who's going to contribute significantly in Milwaukee. Maybe I'm wrong though. I don't think they would move Villar off 2b to fill in at SS. If they were willing to do that, we probably would have seen it by now.

Miller is not a SS, he hasn't been for years and there's a reason TB isn't playing him there. Villar would be a far better defensive SS than Miller...and he was moved off the position for a reason. I'm not sure it would be wise to even give him spot starts at SS.

I have a hard time seeing a better front office than the Brewers, at least for longevity. The Cubs FO made a dreadful big $ signing, and look like they potentially made 2 more bad ones this past offseason...too early to tell though. Also their all-in approach to each season is going to lead to a massive rebuild very soon. I don't see Stearns sacrificing the future in such a manner. The Cards front office was the best up until the last handful of years. Their mentality really seemed to switch away from internal development(which led to multiple WS rings) and toward free agency. I think we've all learned that spending big in free agency is generally a losing strategy. The Pirates make some unorthodox decisions, but it's definitely tough to argue with the results...at least to this point in the season. It almost feels like they are a carbon copy of Oakland. I'd rate the front offices Brewers, Pirates, Cardinals, Cubs, Reds. Major league talent would be Cubs, Brewers, Cardinals, Pirates, Reds. Minor leagues I'm less familiar, but I can say with certainty that the Cubs are in last...and it isn't even remotely close. I'm relatively certain the Cubs current top prospect would not crack a single top 5 for any team in the division. It will be interesting to see how they plug holes this season, while talented they definitely could use some help at the deadline or other teams(like us) could pass them with big acquisitions.

47 PA over his career. Completely meaningless. And Sogard has an OPS somewhere around 300 on the season. Why would he need to "fix" anything when he's already outhitting Braun, Santana, Arcia, Pina, and Villar this season? Except it isn't meaningless at all, because that's the likely role he would be filling for this team. 1-2 starts a week max(probably 1) and 4-5 PH appearances per week. PH is a different animal and not everyone exceeds without regular playing time as Aguilar has in that role, I would actually say a majority of players struggle at the plate without consistent playing time. Miller needs to be a better hitter than he's been if he's going to be a fringe 2b or 1b type of player, which is what he's been the last couple years. In that scenario, yes the Brewers would have to help him improve beyond 720ish ops(likely less with us considering his role). If he miraculously can play an average ss/2b with the Brewers, 720 ops would be fine given the defensive value. But he hasn't graded out as average at any position in the last 4 years, including 1b. So I'm really not sure where all the people who are saying "oh we can get rid of Sogard now...Miller can be backup SS" are coming from...it really doesn't make any sense.

The only way this move makes sense to me is if the brewers see something in what miller is doing that they can adjust/fix. Otherwise it's a push at best in my opinion, not considering the cash

I don't really care if he is a horrible defender if he is just the bench UTIL taking over for Sogard. Those numbers are bad but passable for a major league SS, and Miller is still just 28 so it's not like he can no longer play there. Massive upgrade in my opinion. Miller is no star but he's a solid bat to come off the bench and get spot starts around the infield, or even in a platoon with Villar. You should double check Miller's ph numbers before assuming he'll improve our bench. He's a poor defender that is specifically bad at ph, hard pass. The primary reason I dislike it is the negative on defense, if he swaps out for sogard it's a net push with the bat. Miller's sub 500 ops ph is probably about where sogard is

Rock makes a point that I've noticed as well. His first handful of fastballs were his normal 94-95, but since then it's been 90-91. The rest of his stuff is not good enough to get away with that velocity.

I'm honestly not sure why they bat him 3rd. I feel like they have at least a couple hitters better than him. Santana and Herrera as obvious candidates, and Hoskins when he's healthy.

Oh my god, that 0-1 pitch 1 herrera is a ball but the first 2 pitches to kingery are strikes. REALLY? Is Angel Hernandez behind the plate today?

Is this the part where adam says you can't walk batters? Poor command won't cut it at the mlb level. Dare I say that Sogard probably could have hit that pitch out? Doesn't get much easier...

I think pretty much everyone knows that Morrison's season was an absolute fluke last year...heck most people knew at the time that he'd never come close to this again. Hence the contract he received this offseason. Thames to Houston is a relatively perfect fit considering how many RH options they have. Also especially considering many of their best hitters aren't specifically power bats, moreso all around hitters with good not great power. I suspect Stearns will gauge the market on all of Santana, Thames, Aguilar and see what the market is on those guys. It helps our cause that so many 1b/dh types aren't really hitting that well.

I'm sure Morrison will improve at least a bit. He's just not a 38 home run hitter, I would bet on him never cracking 25 again. I can understand not chasing hot streaks specifically if that's your team strategy, but buying a guy that's ice cold is another. If Morrison doesn't improve soon, you are buying an ice cold hitter. Like Villar last year, sometimes guys just have a lost year. I do consistently rip the Cubs strategy/all in approach. That doesn't mean I'm never going to be willing to trade prospects for help. I'm just not going to trade blue chip prospects for rentals of any kind. The Cubs would be more inclined to trade for Realmuto and move McCann to 1st in this situation, or trade for Bour and Realmuto in a mega package...which would cost a fortune(Whitley + Alvarez + 2 or 3 good prospects) but seriously transform their team short term. Thames isn't going to command a haul like Realmuto. Maybe at the high end, they give up Alvarez and a flier. Something near the back end of the top 100 overall, and again that's assuming Thames comes back and remains around 900 ops.