MrTPlush

His ability to draw a walk may be a little misleading this year. He doesn't typically draw walks at this incredible of a rate.

Some weren't giving him much hope to returning to what he was a year ago. Hope this continues. Injuries are what worry me most with him. His stats have been really good so far. Not many line drives and I think he has given up one extra base hit(a double) in his limited sample. Would be huge to have him as a possible deadline trade piece or a building block for next years team that I think they will try to make competitive.

Go into the full editor and there is a sarcasm button, then just type whatever you want to say inside. Or highlight what you want in blue and hit the sarcasm button. OR type in the command manually that is below and put whatever you want to say on the inside(with a bracket on the right side obviously): [sarcasm][/sarcasm

Pleasantly surprised how well Guerra has done since coming back.

The Dodgers didn't even claim him last year so I can't imagine this year would be much different. Sure it is $20mil less, but I think one would rather pay $20mil to make Braun healthy.

..........why? The length of the thread? The idea of trading Braun? Everyone has repeated themselves so many times. It's been hashed, rehashed, and more. It is what it is but it's somewhat comical that's it's still going on. Myself included in it. It is an interesting topic when not much going on these days. Other than what we will do at the deadline if we are above .500. A lot of things get rehashed, but I wouldn't say there is no new information.

Definitely. The only reason I opt to include Higuera is the fact he was so dang good for his three year run. He had three seasons posting a 6.5+ WAR one of which approached 10. Ben Sheet just wasn't that good and I think Brewer fans tend to overrate him just because he was the only true ace the last 30 years. It is hard to ignore the best pitcher in Brewers' history(in my opinion). I guess one could leave him out if they really dislike the short stint of excellance, but man he was good for his time. Honestly I would be tempted to dump Fielder due to the defense, but the incredible offensive seasons can't be ignored. He is the best hitter to pick up a bat in a Brewers uniform behind Braun and maybe Molitor

I see him as something similar to the elite looking Tyler Thornburg in the bullpen. He has a better arsenal and a higher ceiling though. I certainly don't like him as a Top 10 pick when he doesn't project as a starter very well. I think he has a better shot than Thornburg did, but jesh Top 10? Unless the Brewers think he can be one of the best relievers in the game I would be pretty mad if they took him(which the fastball/slider combo could do).

Well it would depend on your criteria. Some dock players for short primes or overrate them looking at only a offensive stat line. You could probably make an argument to drop Fielder. Regardless I don't think it is acceptable to leave off Higuera. 9. Teddy Higuera 10. Jeff Cirillo

First and second paragraph you claim Braun doesn't have a bad contract. Then you go on to say, 'Well, every team has bad contracts, right?' And if the 50M teenager is a stud, who ends up costing 100M for 6-7 years, that will obviously have been well worth it. If you're asking right now would I rather have Ryan Braun for 80M or a top 30 prospect for 50M given a choice between one or the other, I'd much, much rather have the prospect. You're right, he won't be traded, because there are no trade partners for him. People seem to wistfully remember Braun for what he was and not really for what he is now. Braun can probably still give a good .850 OPS or so but when there's no DH spot for you and you have a highly negative defensive value, there's not much value to that 850 OPS. So lets take 19year old post prospect breakout Arcia. He climbed to top 30prospect status. 50+ mil would have been perfect for him then? And that again is jist the cost to sign him. Not what years 1-6.5 will cost. Take Robert now and performing to Arcia's numbers. Still a great deal? If you can stomach the 50+ mil potential on a 19yr old who may never play one game at the ML level, I cant understand how a .900OPS batter and 76mil for 4years upsets you.If Braun only gives 1WAR per season it is more returned than Robert until he actually plays on a ML Team. True...that is true. However you don't take into consideration that we could easily replace a 2 WAR Braun with Cordell/Phillips and get the same if not better overall production(hence including defense and ability to play more games). You also aren't taking into consideration the fact a $50mil elite prospect could help us when we are a top tier team while Braun likely will not. So without a doubt I would rather have Cordell/Phillips in LF, a top 30 prospect, the two prospects from the dodgers, and Puig. I feel 110% better with all that helping me bring a trophy to Milwaukee than Ryan Braun roaming LF in his mid 30s. In my opinion Ryan Braun is worthless to us because I believe he is blocking a player(s) that is better than him already(all aspects of game included). Ryan Braun is simply blocking similar production while costing x30 more. I believe there is a legitimate argument to be made that the Brewers should still attempt to trade him even if it is purely a salary dump. In my opinion, moving forward, the Brewers need to implement a 4 man OF rotation where the 4th guy still gets a ton ABs where he can be comfortable on an every day basis. That way when Braun gets injured said OFer can slide over to his spot and produce at a high level like we never lost a starting OFer in the first place. What is really killing us right now is Braun getting injured and suddenly we have to trot out Nick Franklin in a pinch for 10 days. In a way we already have this type of player in Hernan Perez and it is exactly what makes him so valuable. The downside with him is the fact his defense in the OF isn't all that great. When healthy Ryan Braun is a great hitter and I get that. However, missing so much time with minor injuries is detrimental to the offense when you have to replace him with someone who is going to hit terrible until you get back. If I had to speculate I think the Brewers are already creating their next Hernan Perez style player that will help bridge the gap when Braun is out nursing injuries all the time. Ryan Cordell, who did not play any 3B in 2016, has already compiled 60 innings there in 2017. If he can play there passably I am sure he could play 1B passably and when you add that to his OF skills you have a valuable bench bat getting near starter ABs. In my opinion that is how the Brewers are going to maximize Braun's value and the overall value of the team as a whole. Whether or not it is Ryan Cordell they need a viable replacement or any value Braun gives while healthy will be negated by the terrible value we have to endure when he is having constant off days/injuries.

The problem with the second deal is the fact we were paying for Braun's mid 30s when we didn't have to. It isn't like the mid 30s were apart of the original deal that covered his prime. It was a contract many questioned at the time. Mainly because it looked like a deal not for production, but more like a deal that would make him a career Brewer. Not to mention is was very premature with a lot of time between when the ink dried and when it was set to start. I don't agree that we should shrug it off because "all" teams have bad contracts. We should strive to be better than other teams and make smarter decisions. As a small market making $100mil gambles to mid 30s players is one that probably shouldn't have been done. Having a bad contract that is $30mil-$50mil is one thing. I get those are bound to happen when dipping into extensions/free agency. However a $100mil problem you pretty much have to seek out.

1.2 Brendan McKay

He isn't an AS bat anymore. Those days are gone it seems. You are right about him not going to be traded though. A-wha? I read somewhere on these boards that some respected webbers (Fancharts? BP? BA? (couldn't have been BA. He's an over-rated announcer)) had Braun as the #1 left fielder in baseball coming into this year. I would not disagree with that assessment. Last year he slashed .305/.368/.538. That's incredibly good. He was doing just as well this year before nagging injuries came up. When he comes back, he will hit, just like he always has. The guy is no hero, but he can hit. He isn't overpaid right now, and we have lots of cash to spend. He MIGHT be overpaid in a couple of years. He already looks like he MIGHT be overpaid. Even by the, in my opinion, terrible $8mil per 1 WAR valuation he is overpaid. We have an OFer who is constantly injured with a lot of those problems stemming from his legs...that's not good long term. On top of that his defense is declining which is going to sap a lot of the value he provides offensively. Lastly the guy missing and is going to miss a ton of time in the future. He may have a 4 WAR player stat line, but when he plays 100-120 games he won't actually put up 4 WAR in a year. Braun supporters can keep beating the .850 OPS drum, but after missed time and poor defense it is more like a .700 OPS drum. I just hope he can at least be a 2 WAR player the next 4 years. At least provide something notable. If not it is a terrible contract and a terrible move not trading him. I really hope that isn't the case, but year #1 is already well behind pace. If he can't do it this year I don't have much hope for the next 3 years.

He isn't an AS bat anymore. Those days are gone it seems. You are right about him not going to be traded though.

Sounds like you gave up on him a long time ago.

Ortega homers in Shuckers loss to BayBears Angel Ortega has a team-leading 22 RBI's on the year By Biloxi Shuckers | May 30, 2017 10:40 PM ET Angel Ortega hit his fourth home run on Tuesday night at MGM Park (BENTON REED) Biloxi Shuckers Box Score Quick Summary: It was another troubling start for Jorge Lopez who had a rough first inning giving up 3 runs. On the bright side he settled in to put up 4 scoreless after the hiccup in the 1st. Art Charles and Mauricio Dubon both had multi-hit games while Angel Ortega hit a dinger for a quiet Shuckers offense. The Shuckers lost the game 7-3. Pitching Summary: On the mound, Jorge Lopez (5 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 3 K) started the game while Bubba Derby ( 4 IP, 4 ER, 3 BB, 2 K) took care of the rest in a piggyback style game. Hitting Summary: Mauricio Dubon (2-4, SB) Angel Ortega (1-4, HR, 2 RBI) Biloxi Shuckers Game Log Jorge Lopez struggles in the 1st inning. Mobile Top of the 1st Mobile Top of the 1st -Zach Gibbons singles on a ground ball to right fielder Michael Choice. -Michael Hermosillo strikes out swinging. Zach Gibbons steals (2) 2nd base. -David Fletcher singles on a ground ball to third baseman Blake Allemand. -Forrestt Allday flies out to left fielder Clint Coulter. -Jose Briceno doubles (5) on a line drive to left fielder Clint Coulter. Zach Gibbons scores. David Fletcher to 3rd. -Zach Houchins singles on a ground ball to center fielder Johnny Davis. David Fletcher scores. Jose Briceno scores. Zach Houchins out at 2nd on the throw, center fielder Johnny Davis to catcher Jacob Nottingham to shortstop Angel Ortega.

You guys complain about BA and Bill literally just said, "Franklin struggles against left-handed hitting."

Dang Franklin

To me he is a 2B starter or bust. I don't think he would provide good enough defense on the left side to warrant a utility spot.

[sarcasm]Yah pitching machines sound like a cool idea.[/sarcasm]

Glad to see Arcia rack up some hits. Still needs to show some more power though(only one XBH in his small hit streak)

Bandy popped it up a mile high to the SS, the SS camped under it for a couple seconds, the ball started it's decent, the SS realized his grave mistake and started to back pedal....too late. LOL, that's fantastic...hope we can take advantage and win this... Cabrera's body language made it hysterical. The second he started drifting back you knew exactly what was about to happen.

You people care way too much with the fine details of what an announcer says. Holy moly.

Bandy popped it up a mile high to the SS, the SS camped under it for a couple seconds, the ball started it's decent, the SS realized his grave mistake and started to back pedal....too late.

Did that really just happen....