82brewcrew82

Well explained. The depth this creates is a big key and I think the ability to move Yelich back to LF full time is a huge leap forward in terms of defense for this team.

Well, to be fair the latter part is due to a moderately vocal few.

Straight up trade of Cain for Snell, was what I heard! [sarcasm]50/50 chance. Could just be laying the ground work for a mid season trade.[/sarcasm]

No

Yeah, that concerns me as well. I realize this happened awhile ago now - and hopefully Garcia has grown up and matured a lot since then, but that's just not something you can easily overlook. I doubt it, guys like that tend to be habitual offenders. Having said that I don't think it would sway me enough to protest him being on the team. We've had guys on the team that have done far worse in my opinion. I'd suspect this kind of thing goes on more than we know. I mean, I'm not running out to buy his Jersey or anything but I wouldn't root against the guy.

Agreed, which would seem to indicate that the Brewers had absolutely no interest in Kluber. Or any other team with deeper resources that didn't acquire him either.

Awesome! I love it! I agree that getting a player that produces to the equivalent of Moustakas (as has been pointed out above) at a fraction of the cost is a brilliant move.

Of the mountain of players left exposed to the rule five draft your opinion is that "plenty" of them have had fine careers? I'd be willing to bet that a fairly decisive number have had no career at all at the major league level. I'd venture that a far greater number of players actually selected have been returned to their original team than have gone on to have meaningful success at the major league level. Sure, some have had success, as I noted in my post. But nowhere near the number you seem to be implying. Nothing I stated was an opinion. His team left him protected, the Brewers didn't take him, and no other team took him. All facts. Could this particular rule 5 eligible player that no one wants turn out to be something, sure, but not very likely as supported by the facts sighted above. The sky "could" be orange tomorrow but I don't think it's factually incorrect to say the sky is going to be blue tomorrow.

Or it could be that a large number of them do, in fact, turn out horribly?

The reason the margin for error was slim was because the multi-year, proven track record veterans you like so much flopped. The only reason this team made the playoffs was due to players singed to one year contracts. Kinda contradicts everything you are saying.

No body insulted you. Knock it off. You're not some martyr that has figured out the secret of the game. Yeah, except this isn't even remotely true. The VAST majority of players DS has added have multiple years of control left at time of acquisition. Just this year along you have Navarez, Urias and Lauer that come immediately to mind for just his offseason. Cain and Yelich were certainly not one year acquisitions. Except this probably true for every team not matter how they go about building their team. I've seen plenty of high payroll teams have seasons fall apart because of injury and under-performance. Spending big does not ensure anything and doesn't necessarily increase the margin for error. I suspect there is FAR greater chance they hand out one year deals is due to financial responsibility. You honestly think they invest what they do in analytics and scouting to "throw darts". The front office that has achived things rarely, if ever, seen in this franchises history is "throwing darts". You realize your saying this team has simply been lucky the last two years? I'm sorry but that is just a joke of a comment. Have you looked at the 40 man roster It's pretty much exactly what you describe. So if almost everything goes wrong we might be in trouble? You don't say? You realize that last year was what it was due to these multi-year, established veteren, core type players fell flat on their face and the season was basically saved by smart, one year acquisitions? On the other hand, what if those things turn out as expected? What if, like most of his acquisitions, DS made some really smart moves that has left the team with plenty of flexability to improve the team now and in the future while maintaining a competitive team. You know, like he as pretty much every year.

You know you're good with me. I'll be honest and say I don't get the anti-Andujar hype on this board. I don't know what I'm missing there but a package that starts with Dominguez and Andujar seems like a pretty good start to me. Maybe Dominguez would be considered the headliner of that deal but the kid comes with upside we simply haven't had in this system in quite some time and that hype started before he was a Yankee.

Are you implying that the same front office that you have lauded for solid, if not brilliant, moves will be snowed over by the Yankee hype machine if they take Dominguez? I mean, don't we have our own metrics and scouts that tell us what we like and what we don't like and haven't you bought into that completely? You can be disappointed but you've made it a habit of scolding folks that have been disappointed by some of the moves the team has made this off season so don't you have to follow your own advice here. If DS thinks Dominguez is the guy they want for Hader then don't we apply the same thinking here?

Isn't my opinion, I haven't stated my opinion. In fact, I don't think any part of this is an opinion other than yours. It's not an opinion that his team left him unprotected. It's not an opinion that the Brewers didn't select him. It's not an opinion that no one took him. That is more than enough circumstantial evidence to suggest that folks with mountains of data and talent evaluators is correct over those looking at the back of a baseball card. Sure, sometimes the guessers end up guessing correctly, but the folks that do this for a living are far more correct and it isn't particularly close. Hey, I get it, we can't all swim in the deep end and live to tell about it. You don't give yourself enough credit though, you are definitely a big, beautiful cog in the wheel and I, for one, appreciate you playing here in the same sandbox as the rest of us poor sucker cogs. LOL!

What did Tristan lutz do to you? I think this is the 73rd proposal that involves trading him you’ve posted He's a top prospect not named Brice Turang the Brewers can deal to maybe get a good return back for taking a bad contract. In this case, the Brewers get Mike Yastrzemski and outfield prospect Hunter Bishop in addition to Belt. He's a top prospect in OUR system. He is not a top prospect in the GAME. He has more value to the Brewers as a breakout player than he does to any other team.

Except, no, he isn't. Not to his current team that left him exposed, not the Brewers staff and not to any other major league team that didn't take him for virtually free. There is something between spending huge and hoping to catch lightning in a bottle. That is nothing less than a false dichotomy. Like I said, it probably works fine on the fringes.

Exactly. I feel like I'm in a twilight zone episode where no one remembers that last two years.

I don't think any of this is true and if you do, I believe you have severely overestimated your ability to interpret the mindset of a professional athlete. I mean, do the opposing players forget to be intimidated when Hader blows games? The guy is a good pitcher but so are lots of other guys and I doubt most hitters are intimidated by any of them or they wouldn't be where they are. A rising tide raises all ships and improving the team is improving the team. The rest of that is simply opinion.

Contending teams do not take flyers on rule 5 players to see if they "look over matched" or not in spring training. This isn't fantasy baseball for cripes sake, and that is a fantasy baseball mentality. Do you honestly believe that there is no plan for those remaining roster spots and/or spots that could be cleared by releasing 40 man chaff? Underestimating people is a horrible life philosophy destined for failure. That attitude may work on the fringes, but you will lose every time in big boy world going in with that mindset. Besides, if you are correct, wouldn't that then mean that a better free agent option would not sign here because we have "strength" at that position. I mean, it just doesn't make sense on any level. Either way, the Brewers brass didn't like the guy and I'm guessing they had good reason for it. I think I'll side with their scouting and continue to believe that the guy is just one more AAAA guy that fans like to clamour for and never really amounts to much, if anything.

No, I get it. I just don't think your point makes any sense. There is absolutely nothing that says DS has to appease your need to feel the team is built as a contender on December 12th. Nothing. So yes, if they say they are trying to compete I 100% believe they are trying to compete. The problem is you have an antiquated concept of what that means for this team so you aren't ever going to accept that the roster is competitive. No matter how often the team is, in reality, competitive much as they have been for essentially three years running. So yes, acquiring a viable catcher, improving the SS position and bringing in starting pitching tells me they are trying to compete. None of those moves were necessary to not compete.

What!?!? Why is December 12th the cutoff for having a contending team? Are we not aloud to improve the team after today? Who is saying they aren't trying to compete? How is making the moves they have made not trying to compete? I think I'll trust DS to decide what the appropriate value is for Hader.

Why are we down on Andujar as a part of the return for Hader?

So small sample spring training performance is your gauge? Obviously they didn't take anyone because they didn't think there was anyone worth taking. If they thought Ramos could produce, they would have taken him. How do you know DS doesn't have a plate full of wheat he believes are better options? You don't just chew up 40 man spots on rule 5 picks to show "strength" to other GMs (who would never buy it anyway).

I'll admit it. For two years running I railed against the lack of perceived quality in the rotation. At some point you just have to sit back and realize DS knows what he is doing far more than a bunch of yokels on a message board. The people that don't like it might as well be standing on the corner screaming that the sky is orange because they don't like the color blue.

So why have the Brewers beat out the Cubs two years running?