Boomer5

These guys are signing for bargain basement prices. I would have loved Lynn for 1/12. Cobb would get something similar I'd think. Pretty easy decision to add him to the Brewers at this point. Arrieta might be a challenge

Villar goes. No brainer. Walker >>>>> Villar

Cain was definitely an overpay when he was signed and this news only makes it worse. But it's not like we are the only ones to not see this coming. Theo can't be too happy right now and all those early reliever contracts have to be looking really bad.

I'd bet everyone is having buyers remorse from anyone signed before Spring Training.

Best post in this thread so far.

Yes, he was absolutely an elite defender in 2016 which is what I was talking about. He was barely average in 2017 but much of that was from just bad errors, not a lack of range, skill and instincts. I know reviews on his 2017 were pretty mixed but I don't see how it's even debatable that he has the tools to play defense at a high level considering he's done it before. 2017 -4.0 UZR/150 -7 DRS Not elite. Not even good. Does he have the tools? Yes but the results are the results. He also played more than double the innings in 2017 as he did in 2016. Take that however you want but I'd guess most would see in small does he is good but in larger samples the holes become more magnified.

Broxton is not an elite defender.

Let me clarify. Yelich was "on sale" because if the Marlins weren't a joke of a baseball franchise he would have never been on the market to begin with period. end of story there. I think we paid slightly under retail for Yelich in terms of what we value... gave up a few bats that are very high risk/reward and a meh pitching prospect. None of what Stearns gave up fits his "mold" we think he is using of OBP. Cain on the other hand I agree fully, and really don't know why we did it, makes absolutely zero sense to me without a domino to fall after it. I have to believe there is still one coming here at some point before we kick off the season in the form of controllable SP (or a discount from the big 3), otherwise IMO it was just dumb. Doesn't mean I won't pull for Lo the next 5 years wholeheartedly though. I like Yelich but his value is really in his contract and his ability to play a good LF. Which also happens to be the only position that Braun can semi effectively play. Yelich loses a lot of value if he has to play CF and especially RF. I like him a lot as a hitter of course as he has a high OBA and isnt one of Stearns brigade of swing at everything sort of player he kept trotting out. Cain is a guy all of us like of course. I don't mind adding him, but his value is really tied heavily to his WAR calculations and it seems there is a real glitch when it comes to OF. We all love GoGo but do we really think he was a 7.4 WAR guy in 2013? Jason Heyward is the poster boy for the inflated OF WAR. Cain comes accross as a really solid player who like Yelich will get on base and be a professional hitter which was badly needed. In the NL we finished first in HR and SB while being 10th in runs scored. I wonder if that has ever happened before? Neither player is all that spectacular but they do add OBA and limited strikeouts. Both play solid D as long as they are slotted in their proper positions. I really like both players but both came at a very large cost and even adding both doesn't put us in the serious WS discussion. Yet.......

Neither Cain nor Yelich were on sale. We paid full retail for them. Now we the fan base would like to know why if there isn't a follow through.

Are we talking about the same Broxton? https://www.fangraphs.com/statss.aspx?playerid=9253&position=OF

That's debatable. You know how some neighborhoods hold their value even in the most depressed housing markets? When there's not many people with money looking to buy, they still want the best house within their means. Cain is the equivalent of a nice house in that neighborhood. Guys like him are always very valuable if healthy. I do think it's a good value signing that they couldn't pass up. Compared to guys like Hosmer or Martinez or the deals some of these pitchers will get, I like the deal even in this depressed market. Cain is 32. That pretty much solidifies him as a declining asset based on 150 years of non PED baseball. Doesn't mean he is a bad signing, it just means you would only add him if your goal was more than just be a competitive team.

Last time I checked, players don't have to be acquired by March 7th 2018 to be playoff eligible in 2019 or 2020. Just going off the playoff window you just declared with the Cain signing. I'm not sure who you are arguing with but it isn't me. I have said over and over again that we will be adding to the team.

That's wildly myopic. You acquire key assets when they are available. This is not a 1 year window. They may add a SP before opening day. They may add one at the deadline. They may add one next year. Regardless of when a SP is added, it has no bearing on whether or not the Cain and Yelich additions improved this team. To say that Stearns is just adding random pieces when he can is fine if they aren't 32 years old and cost you $80 Million and a draft pick. No, the Cain addition was not just a guy we added in a vacuum because they got some amazing deal. We overpaid because he is to be a headliner for a team that is supposed to contend for a WS in the next 2 to 3 years max.

I have zero sources but I find it is inconceivable that they don't end up with on of the 3 pitchers. We can find something to occupy our time until then. They absolutely would not have picked up those outfielders otherwise.

They will have a 4 man bench apparently. They aren't going to be piggy backing unless the goal is to be out of pinch hitters late in games.

What did you say a year ago when they entered the 2017 season with: 1. Guerra 2. Peralta 3. Nelson 4. Davies 5. Anderson DL- Garza Stearns stuck us with a heck of a rotation last year. Hopefully he won't do the same this year. Thank goodness we have DJ.

Like the Cardinals under Tony and Duncan, the stars of the Brewers are CC and DJ.

It certainly is what it is, I'd never propose it is what it isn't. The thing is though it's only March 7th & we won't really know what it is until September 30th. It might not be good enough, it might be plenty. Coming into last season the prevailing sentiment would have been what we had wasn't good enough. It ended up being far better than most expected. Last spring our rotation options lined up something like Guerra, Davies, Peralta, Anderson, Nelson, Garza, Millone, Woodruff, Suter. This spring it is something like Anderson, Davies, Chacin, Woodruff, Miley, Guerra, Suter, Nelson, Burnes. Looking at those names I believe our starting pitching depth is better now than it was a year ago. The start of 2017 looked pretty decent at the time. Most thought Junior was a solid starter. A year later not so much. Really we just swapped out Nelson for Chacin and Garza for Yo, and Milone for Miley. We really don't what we have now and possible DJ can work some miracles, but there isn't much to suggest this is a WS rotation.

The Brewers are not a young team. Right now they look like a solid WC contender but not a WS caliber team. If that was the intent then fine, but I highly doubt that was the case.

The roster makes no sense as currently constructed and I'd imagine if they could renegotiate the Cain deal I'm sure they would seeing the market being much softer than they forecasted. But the offseason isn't over yet. Those pitchers will sign and I'd expect the Brewers will get one of them. If not, they should have just let the young guys develop.

They aren't going to piggy back. This is the major leagues.

Yup. There is also a lot to not like about Cobb. He also had a FIP over 4. I'd take either pitcher but neither is a 1 or 2 at all.

He, like other two, will sign. They are just praying for a few surprise TJS to pop up like they usually do.

Catcher and 2B

The point is Villar is a very low baseball IQ player, Walker the opposite. We have apparently been targeting smart players over pure but raw athleticism. Unless Walkers back is that bad, it's crazy to start Villar over him.