Boomer5

Braun is not the reason the team is losing. But to call him back to being an offensive force is a reach. He had a heck of a May for sure. For the season he is a 832 OPS guy, last 10 games 767. Just OK, but certainly he has been our best player, such as that is. He is 1.5 WAR guy so far. Pretty decent but hardly the Braun we thought we were extending. Given that only the hardest of hard core fans will ever find the guy marketable, at 31 is at the end of his prime, and he is still injury prone; the reality is he will never justify his contract and should be traded for assets ASAP.

Aiken needs to be the pick. He has the legit upside of a true #1 and those are rare. He may never throw a pitch in the majors, but at 15 thats what you are getting anyhow in terms of risk. Ill take the reward upside.

Our 31 year old $105M OF'er needs periodic treatment that will keep him from playing here and there and that its not big deal? If we remain a 18-35 caliber team I guess so but if we have aspirations of being a competitive team ever I am not sure about this POV.

Well that is certainly the most optimistic way to look at this. How long is he supposed to go between treatments? I hope he ready in time for the play offs!

I agree. This removes any hope that Braun goes into the asset column going forward as far as tradability. We will now be stuck with him for the life of his deal. His on the field cant stay healthy issues now match his off the field PED stigma issues. Im going to be sick.

Dean Taylor signed Jose Hernandez and gave up a 2nd round pick to do it. He then signed Jeffry Hammonds, who mades quite a number of appearances in the worst contract ever thread. He was a brutally bad major league GM, though I was impressed he brought in Jack Z. Look up his trades and you can see he had assets that he turned into nothing except for the Sexson move. Melvin, on the other hand does OK in trades but his handling of the farm system is self explanatory.

Excuse me for being cynical, but I don't believe it. I don't remember anyone ever saying there would be times throughout the season that he would have to take 5 games off for maintenance... I hope I am wrong, I truly do. Almost nothing about Braun being on the team makes me happy anymore. This is just another log to the fire.

The Astros and Cubs success has made a 3-4 down time a lot more understandable. Losing big with a roster of name/expensive players is the worst case scenarios. Time to back up the truck but our players arent cooperating. I just saw that Braun and Lind lead us in WAR...with 1.0. Cravey is in our top 10 with 0.3. That says it all.

I had hoped Braun would have been a hot trade target for a team like Boston or NYM, but that window closed and he is back to sucking again. The trade market is not looking good for us, we really don't have anyone that would be a sell high guy. Maybe KRod, but who would he really bring back? Segura is playing decent and being a SS is key, but again we arent talking about a top 10 prospect asset coming back of course. Gomez will bring a bunch back but he isn't playing at a level that is high enough to max out to be traded as the asset we hope for. I have a very bad feeling we are going into 2016 with a very similar looking team.

Crown Us

I believe it was Dean that brought in Jack Z but that was about it. Dean Taylor was our worst major league GM. Everyone of his moves were insane other than the wickman for sexson trade. I'm very glad he is gone as the GM. Maybe as a farm guy but he was not a major league caliber GM.

Nashville is definitely the canary in the coal mine. They didn't see any reason to continue with us. That says a lot about what teams think of how we fill and incubate out talent pipeline. Something MAJOR has to change. I'm not as sure it has to do with the talent pipeline as much as maybe lack of spending on the farm system as a whole. Obviously that is related to player development but not wholly the same. Helping with promotions, spending on equipment or having recognized names attached to the team all might contribute to better relationships with our minor league affiliates. The one example of how things other than sheer talent can help foster a good working relationship with an affiliate is Timber Rattlers. That is one of the better facilities in the Midwest league and has a good long standing relationship with the Brewers. That has more to do with the Major league club's proximity to them than talent of players. We just have to find out what some of these minor league facilities want out of a major league team and start to cater to that better. If we can create some stability with a good affiliate with good facilities it is bound to help develop players. As it is we were stuck with Nashville when their facilities sucked and lost them once they were good enough that a more desirable team wanted to go there. Pushing us once again to a crappier place than our competitors. I also think we need to expand our international scouting. We can hire as many GM's managers and minor league instructors as we want but if we are being seriously outspent in amateur scouting it will be very difficult to keep up with those who spend more on it. All of the above is really cheap compared to over spending on major league talent. I pick on Broxton a lot, but I would bet all of what you suggest would be funded just by never trading for him in the first place.

Nashville is definitely the canary in the coal mine. They didn't see any reason to continue with us. That says a lot about what teams think of how we fill and incubate out talent pipeline. Something MAJOR has to change.

And yet, Kansas City has is 28-19, leading the A.L. Central a year after losing the World Series to the Giants in seven games. They also have five of the top 100 prospects in baseball, including Raul Adalberto Mondesi. Hey, maybe we can get Alcides Escobar back in 2017! Yay! Cleveland? 23-26. The last two years they have gone 177-147. And, they have some of the best young talent in the game. Jason Kipnis is a blossoming star at second base, as is Michael Brantley. And there are few rotations I'd rather have than Cleveland's. Cy Young winner Corey Kluber was 18-9 with a 2.44 ERA last year, and 269 Ks. Trevor Bauer, who was one of the top 50 prospects in baseball two years ago, is 4-2 with a 2.97 ERA and 65 Ks in 63 IP at age 24. Danny Salazar, 25, is 5-1 with a 3.65 ERA and averaging 12 Ks per 9 IP. Carlos Carrasco, 28, is 6-4 with a 4.24 ERA, and averages 10.4 K per 9 IP. And Kluber is averaging 11.3 Ks per 9 IP this year. Kluber is 29. That foursome, baring injury or a trade, is going to be outstanding for the next four years. They also have the #3 prospect in baseball in shortstop Francisco Lindor, who will be up soon, and a real power bat in Clint Frazier, who will be hitting bombs in Cleveland a year from now. Cincy? Really? Let's look at them. Three playoff appearances in the last five years. 91 wins in 2010, 97 in 2012, and 90 in 2013. Last year was a down year, and thus far, they are five games below. But their offensive talent is deep, and their stud catcher, Devin Mesoraco, hasn't played at all this year to speak of. He hit 25 home runs in 393 at bats, with an .893 OPS last year. Joey Votto is showing signs of being the superstar he was. Todd Philips is a stud third baseman. Johnny Cueto was the Cy Young runner up last year. And when Toni Cingrani and Robert Stephenson are both up full time, they could have one of the best 1-2-3s at the top of any rotation in the National League. Pittsburgh? Besides currently having seven of the top 100 prospects in baseball, they have a wealth of young talent already at the Major League level. Starling Marte and Gregory Polanco were both top 25 prospects, and they are already showing their abilities. With 2013 NL MVP in center, Andrew McCutchen, they may have the best starting three soon. They have other bats on the way. And their pitching? Gerrit Cole is already a Cy Young contender now. 7-2, 2.11 ERA and 72 Ks in 64 IP. And wait until Tyler Glasnow and Jameson Taillon get called up. Like Cleveland, they will have one of the best young rotations in the Majors. Pittsburgh is 26-23 now, they went 88-74 last year, and 94-68 in 2013. Clearly they are a team on the rise. Every single small market franchise you listed...every single one...is in a MUCH better position than Milwaukee for the future. Milwaukee has one top 100 prospect. And they have the worst record in baseball. How you can even compare Milwaukee to these other teams is a real head scratcher. What happened ten years ago is completely irrelevant. Ten years ago, the Brewers were drafting Ryan Brauns, Prince Fielders, etc. I don't see anybody in our minor league system with that kind of impact potential. And pitching? Every single team you listed is light years ahead of the Brewers. Peralta and Nelson might both have good careers. Every other team you listed has at least one Cy Young contender, if not two. I don't see a single pitcher like that in Milwaukee, and I don't trust the development our coaching staff will provide to turn them into that level of a starter. Today, and the future is what matters. And all those teams you listed have much brighter futures than we do. Now, will they win? Time will tell. But if you asked me to GM the Brewers, the Reds, the Pirates, the Royals, or the Indians, given the current Major League talent level, and the minor league talent, guess which team I would choose last? What a great post. It all comes down to talent evaluation and development. I think that is probably the cheapest way to become competitive. How much extra would it cost to add 10 more high end scouts? Upgrade the coaching staff? Upgrade the facilities? I bet its not much more than one year of Garza or Broxton. You know what is the actually the worst thing about our only top 100 prospect? He was signed for $95K, which means quite honestly it was an accident that he has become so great. Compared to the cost and assets used in 2009 and 2011 drafts which this board could have absolutely drafted better just by a vote?

The team is 16-34. No outfielder we bring up is going to matter as far as the arbitration clock and big dollars. If Reed is our best bet, bring him up and give the fans a little something. I'd rather any of our better prospects skips Colorado anyhow. That atmosphere will just lead to bad habits.

This doesn't change Parras trade chances one bit. It wouldn't matter if Logan, Peterson, or Matt Garza was put in left. The team is a joke regardless of the OF configuration. Losing only helps our draft status. If anything, this should speed up the trade process of any of our OF since this injury highlights how quickly an assets value can fall to zero.

Seriously? Pretty much stopped reading your long post after this statement because apparently you were never really a fan to begin with. I've been a Brewer fan for close to 40 years. I've seen much worse than this. I've been a fan equally as long and I'm not sure I've seen much worse. The record, the farm system, the Herb Kohl style of management. The park is nicer. I will give you that.

Fielder wasn't an option to keep. No one was going to out bid the Tigers. Braun at the time was a brilliant signing based on the information Braun gave us at the time. I don't have a problem with the CC ZG moves. We gave up a lot and we got a lot. Being to the playoffs twice in the span of 4 years is huge. Had they drafted better the packages wouldn't be all that painful in the rear view mirror. It all comes down to ability to draft and develop. To upgrade to an elite department wouldn't cost all that much but I guess egos get in the way from making real change and bringing in better evaluators.

His post said Braun for Syndegaard. For both Braun and Gomez he said we should be able to get ALL of their young prospects. I was somewhat facetious about ALL. I would hope that's obvious. However, in the case of Braun and Gomez that is 5.5 years of control for Braun and 1.5 years on Gomez. If both are healthy that's 10 WAR per year assuming Braun goes back to LF. In the case of the Mets, their OF is brutal. What should/is that worth?

I think 2011 was way worse. Many on this forum, including myself wanted the Brewers to take Sonny Gray with one of their two picks. To see that they could have conceivably gone Jose Fernandez at 12 and Sonny Gray at 15 is troublesome to say the least. Everyone had Sonny Gray penciled in to us, me included (I had us with Guerrieri as well in full disclosure). I think Fernandez was public that if he wasn't drafted by Miami he wasn't going to sign though.

We can pick out some good minor league stories, but every team can as well. I do love Arcia. He looks spectacular and as soon as we can start the clock safely next year, Im ready to put him at SS and build around that. Coulter has corner OF potential, but where? Davis and Braun are there now and cant play anywhere else. I, as you know, think its time to move Braun, and I am down on him the man. However, he has value and a team like Mets NEED him, warts and all. I love what Sneed has done. I absolutely see him in Milwaukee. He just looks like a Brewer starting pitcher. Of course the two 2nd round picks last year and Lara have potential, but thats all it is now. Im not seeing the progress in Taylor, Wang, Devin, Kodi, and Roache. The 2011 draft has been about as bad as we could have done with those picks. I posted the 2009 draft. It is absolutely brutal and just that draft alone is a fireable action. As for DM, he is pretty much done anyhow due to age. We need to completely revamp our farm system from top to bottom. I hate just about everything we have done from the drafts to Colorado, to missing out on Rodon, etc, etc, etc. It would cost one Broxton to make our minor league system world class by hiring the right people. DMs trades have been OK in general. He seems to find some gems on the lower tier trades and gets about what we need in the bigger ones. I would love to have Brantley, Orzo, and Cain now but I get why he did it. The Lee trade was stupid because clearly he was told to only bring back MLB talent. But trading FOR a guy like Mensch? Why? Why include Cruz when the answer was keep Nix and Ill keep Cruz. My hope is Mark A sees what the Cubs and Astros have done. Trade Braun, Gomez + Lind/Lohse and you will accomplish what those teams did in 4 years in a weekend. Draft Aiken + the first pick in 2016, hold an auction for Lucroy and we will have a top 5 farm system over night.

Hard was an All Star. Yes including Cruz in the Lee trade was unnecessary. Want blunders? Take a look at the 2009 draft. Go to "other players to make the majors". We had 3 of the top 47 picks. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_Major_League_Baseball_Draft

You need to include Yost on this list too. Give him credit, he has been great. I dont have a huge problem with the CC/ZG rentals. It was what it was as they say. We got a lot, and we gave up a lot. We knew that going into both but we had developed no #1's since a rickety Sheets, and the price on those guys is high. I DO have a huge problem with our drafting and ability to develop talent. If this years farm system success stories included more than Arcia, Id feel a lot better about the direction. But since it doesn't, you cant feel good about anything Milwaukee Brewer right now.

Id love to see a Weaver + Sierra package. Young guys with serious upside. The Cardinal farm system doesn't scream greatness these days other than Gonzales and Reyes. Id have to think Reyes, Gonzales, and even Kaminsky wouldn't be on the table?

I will just say it; I will be really PO'd if we go 16-32 and all we do is dump Lind, Lohse, and ARam for fringe AAAA prospects and go into 2016 with this same one year older crummy team.