Jopal78

I go to fewer games than ever before. I still tune into every game, but going live, in person, is no longer a priority. Way too pricey, then add the 3 hour round trip drive, the inconsiderate fans who can't stay in their seats, the parking, and everything else, I'd just rather watch from the comfort of my own couch. Cheap beer, cheap snacks, no driving... I no longer feel like pro sports appreciates the fans and all the cash we spend hand over fist at their stadiums. Broadcast rights are the real money makers for teams now, so whether you go to the games in person or pay to watch them on TV you're still buying their product. None of the MLB teams are "not for profit" corporations, so why can anyone blame them for wanting to keep as much of the "pie" for themselves as possible. Any business whether it sells baseball games, cars, computers, widgets wants to keep labor costs as low as they can. Likewise, despite the mythology spewed by the networks and hero worship. The athletes aren't playing for free, they're playing for money. Nobody should blame them in a capitalist system for trying to get as much of the "pie" for themselves as possible. Unless the purchasers of their product send a message that they no longer want to go to games, watch games, listen to games etc. the revenues keep going up and form the basis of the fight between the labor and the producer of the product. It's not unique to baseball it happens every day in America.

I've always thought the invective towards Haudricourt was misguided and wrong. I'd be stunned if some middle aged guy from Ozaukee County decided the thing missing from his life was a Twitter presence. Most likely his Twitter account was a job based requirement working for Gannett Co., to get clicks, views and more ad revenue for Gannett. Then on top of being compelled to have a Twitter presence, ravenous fans do nothing but make personal attacks calling him an idiot, lazy, bad at his job, etc. I don't fault the guy one iota for being a curmudgeon on Twitter giving the circumstances. As for his articles, he's writing for a major Wisconsin newspaper not a baseball magazine, or even a sports themed publication. As someone else pointed out, casual Brewer fans are the target audience and by and large they don't care about the farm system, the coaching staff's use of analytics, etc. Not to mention the behind the scenes dealings with deadlines and editors which shape the articles significantly before they hit publication. (Also the primary difference between Sammon at The Athletic and McCalvy with MLB.COM) And I'm sure Haudricourt got emails daily from fans calling him and idiot, lazy, and bad at his job. Clearly, Haudricourt knew the Brewers organization in addition to the professional game. He was also well respected by his peers in the industry (in fact he was a contributor to Baseball America's Prospect Lists for the Brewers). For those who fall into the camp that hated his work, unfortunately I wouldn't anticipate better as newspaper (especially sports department) budgets are miniscule and the reporter to fill the opening he left will likely be some green college graduate from the sticks with no connections in the game or understanding of the unwritten operations of the league.

What's the big deal with wanting to trade Yelich anyways? Unless everyone associated with the Brewers Baseball Ops Department are morons, I'm sure they considered the chance Yelich underperformed his extension as well as whether or not the guarantee to Yelich would prevent them from making other moves in the future. If either of those areas were an uncomfortable concern, they would not have offered the extension in the first place. Second, there are over 40 players making in excess of 20 million dollars per year, and it is inevitable that more and more players will reach that plateau in the coming years. There is an inverse relationship as salaries rise every year across the league, Yelich's deal is less noteworthy. Thus the notion of peddling a handful of the next generation of Brewers players now in order to move a single contract is a panic move that doesn't have much basis in reality. I think a lot of these comments like these are from fans looking at the AAV and wishing they could have a permutation of different players adding up the same AAV, however these things don't operate in a vacuum. It is fact that it is expensive for a team to retain its own talent, but the only other alternative is to "shuffle the deck" every 3-4 years while trying to stay in a competitive window.

Moustakas wasn't ever healthy last year missing a dozen games in April, half of May, all of June and July then the last ten games of the season. If he's healthy and plays to his career numbers he's still a very good player. The contract is a little heavy with an AAV of 18 million/year but not outlandish. However, it is the contract that likely is the sticking point in any potential trade. I doubt the Reds pay Moustakas to play against them in 2022 (and highly doubt they would pay Moustakas to play against them with Milwaukee in 2022). Any team acquiring him would also have to be wary of a player in his 30s who missed almost an entire year with a series of nagging injuries. If the Reds are going to shed payroll, it would likely be Suarez over Moustakas. The total guaranteed money is nearly a wash between Suarez and Moustakas, but Suarez has three years left on his contract so the AAV is substantially less (12 million). Suarez was bad in 2021 but was healthy and still managed to club 31 homers at 3B.

It's not being negative. It is a fact, neither Boston nor Milwaukee wanted the player they traded away. Therefore, they're garbage, surplusage, filler whatever term you want to use for a player that is on the roster that's not in the future plans. That being said I don't have a problem with the trade, the Brewers wanted to create some financial breathing room so they used their farm system to move an expensive surplus player for another team's cheaper filler. It is the spin that Renfroe is somehow an upgrade to the roster that is irritating. They went from an outfield group of Yelich, Cain, Garcia, Bradley and Taylor to Yelich, Cain, Renfroe, Taylor. It's a lateral move that only warrants 10+ pages worth of posts because there's no other Brewer news to talk about.

Randal Grichuk has a guaranteed contract through 2023 which actually pays him more money than Bradley is owed over the same time. Once the Brewers found out they could trade their garbage for another team's cheaper garbage, that was likely the end of any talks about Grichuk. With JD Martinez, Alex Verdugo, Kiki Hernandez already on the roster, the outfield is already full and Boston surely wants to resign Kyle Schwarber. The Red Sox were able to get something in exchange for Renfroe, a player they didn't need or want. Likewise, with JBJ the Brewers were able to gain some salary relief and unload a player they no longer wanted.

Unless Renfroe goes out and destroys NL pitching in 2022, he's likely a one and done player for the Brewers, so the savings is likely closer to 10 million. This is also the reason he is on the Brewers in the first place: his increasing cost is outpacing the value of his production.

While it's cool the Brewers freed up 10 million dollars or so in payroll, its hard to get excited about Hunter Renfroe. As mentioned before he's now on his 4th team in 4 years. Despite a healthy career slugging percentage of .490 (in fact a better career SLG% than everyone on last year's Brewers team) and years of team control remaining 3 organizations moved on from him. In today's game the fact that someone swings a power bat and doesn't do anything else particularly well isn't all that valuable. After all Chris Carter hit at a .222/.321/.499 clip for the Brewers and found himself non-tendered and out of major league baseball 60 games later. The other thing is while Renfroe mashes LHP, as currently constructed the NL Central features almost exclusively right handed starting pitching. Wade Miley, Kwan Hyung Kim and Matz are the only lefty starters currently in the Division. Therefore, with an unbalanced schedule, in most games the Brewers are going to see a right handed starter where Renfroe's career marks are text book definition of average. Maybe the other shoe will drop and the Brewers will acquire a real hitting talent, otherwise I get the feeling that this is just a salary dump and they're left hoping for best case scenario production from an established mediocre player.

Yep. Three different teams in the last three years believed they were better off without him. That says something there. Chaim Bloom said Binelas has power that is “special”. I get it, they’re a small market club and they owed Bradley a pile of dough and payroll constraints were the primary driver here. But I don’t think this deal makes them significantly better in the short run if at all, nor does it make them better in the long run.

Brewers likely still paying Bradley 3.5 million this year which was the amount of his salary from 2021 that he earned and was deferred

Perhaps subjectively. The fact remains despite having a power bar Renfroe is going to his 4th different organization in as many years and still has two years of control left. There is a reason San Diego, Tampa and Boston were willing to move on from him, and the Brewers are going to find out why. Pretty much a zero sum trade. Moved one flawed player with a big contract for another with a lesser contract and included two minor leaguers with promise to even it out

Scherzer is a big shot in the Players Union. Of course, he doesn't need the money but the Player's Union isn't going to accept the status quo. Rather they are going to push for more and more to pave the way for the guys coming behind them. It's the same logic that lead Yasmani Grandal to taking a one year deal with the Brewers, to raise up the AAV for the catcher's coming behind him.

Why the laugh? The most appropriate thing to say about Burnes/Woodruff in light of the money that deGrom and Scherzer are making is what the Indians owner said about Lindor a few winters ago: "Enjoy Them". They will both be gone from Milwaukee at or before they attain six years of service time. Moreover, with the cost of quality starting pitching starting to creep into the upper 30s to lower 40s of millions of dollars in AAV, and the player's union looking to alter the arbitration process or cut the 6 year service time requirement in the next CBA. The razor's edge the Brewers live on to be competitive is only going to grow slimmer and slimmer.

But is the Cardinals signing of Steven Matz really a good thing for them,? For what it is worth, when the Brewers signed Matt Garza to a 4 year/50 million dollar deal he was younger, had more experience in the major leagues than Matz and maintained a superior FIP, WHIP, ERA+ with fewer Hits and Homers allowed per/9. Garza average 6+ innings per start up to that point in his career (Matz averages 5+). As we all remember, Garza had one nice year for Milwaukee and was a total bust thereafter with injuries, and ineffectiveness. Its not a sure thing Matz will follow the Garza career trajectory but Steven Matz will turn 31 next summer and has already missed time with multiple throwing shoulder and elbow injuries, and the aforementioned tendency to complete 5+ innings per start. Those are some pretty legitimate red flags for a pitcher who just got a four year deal that will take him through age 35. The Cardinals already have 110+ million committed in 2022 to just 7 players and have never gone above 165 million in payroll. This is a team with a stretched budget gambling on cheap starting pitching to fill their rotation holes. It is also illustrative of the extreme cost of free agent starting pitching where a 4/5 starters in their 30s like Matz (Adrian Houser has marginally better career numbers) now are getting multi-year deals for an AAV of 11 million per.

The last I head of Clint Frazier is he pulled himself from a minor league game last summer and never played again, with some real non-specific comments about his injuries being personal and private which sounds more like a mental health thing than a physical ailment. No team will bring him into an organization until he's actually available and ready to play.

The chemistry in the clubhouse may be hard to replace, but there is a plethora of defensive minded catchers the Brewers can sign to replace Pina. The fact that he went to Atlanta so quickly leads me to believe he was told the Brewers were going to look elsewhere. Yan Gomes still makes a lot of sense for the Brewers at the right price. Solid defensive catcher, can hit a little, also has played 1B once in awhile and DH'd. They could sign Martin Maldonado for another go around. Roberto Perez won a couple of Gold Gloves and caught the excellent Cleveland staff is also a free agent. As far as trades, both the catchers in Texas (Heim and Trevino) were good at pitch framing and below average hitters. Both are pre-arbitration eligible making a good fit for Milwaukee, and a rebuilding club like Texas should be willing to part with one to get someone who will be able to help down the road.

It actually doesn't make any sense for the Brewers. They trade one of their five best major league players for a package of minor leaguers none of whom would likely break camp with the major league team in 2022. Thus, to trade Hader in your scenario creates a hole in the back end of the bullpen, and doesn't upgrade the hitting lineup in 2022. I also doubt the Brewers are intending to take a mulligan in 2022, where the Brewers are willing to lose games at the big league level for a brighter future. That also goes without saying that teams don't trade prospects with the frequency they have in the past, and taking players years away from the major leagues is also taking a risk all for a player the Brewers don't need to trade.

Are all these people 12 year old boys? Stearns was a kid in Manhattan, presumably at 17 or 18 he went away to college in Cambridge, MA, then worked in Cleveland, Houston, and has lived and worked in Milwaukee the last six years. Plus, he's now a millionaire and can take the 2 hour flight to Manhattan in the lap of luxury almost whenever he chooses. Comments from writers that New York City is "home" to Stearns is most likely speculation that a kid who grew up in New York wants to return as an adult. As for the Mets job itself, the owner certainly isn't "hands off" criticizing his team online, holding a conference to have fans identify rumor sources. Alderson made a pile of terrible decisions, (and isn't leaving his role as Team President) from front office hires which then have a trickle down effect to players on the IL ignoring team doctors to bungling the selection of Kumar Rocker 10th overall in the draft to players being allowed to express their frustrations by "booing" the fans who paid to see them play. But that's not all. Even if there was some traction to these Stearns rumors other than some east coast writers stirring the pot, the Mets have vacancies in both the GM position and Manager position. The individuals ultimately chosen to fill those roles will be aware their tenure is most likely going to last but a year. That is not a situation which brings stability to the organization in fact it will likely only further the dysfunction. That is all without mentioning the Mets aren't good enough to compete in their Division let alone the NL, yet they already have over 100 million committed to payroll in 2023 between Robinson Cano, Jacob deGrom, Lindor and James McCann so 'tanking' with a couple of 25+ million dollar players on the roster isn't a realistic option either.

Stearns has control of the entire Brewers operation and reports only to the owner, it doesn’t make much sense to leave the Milwaukee to take a job where he would report to both the Team President Alderson and Cohen. It’s not even a lateral move, it would be a step backwards career-wise. Therefore, I’d be skeptical of any rumors coming out of New York.

Therein lies the rub, maybe Castellanos signs before there is a new CBA agreement, maybe not. If he waits and the DH does come to the NL, the number of suitors (and hence his price) will go up.

Maybe Eduardo Escobar (switch hitter to split time at 1B and 3B on a bargain contract ) or a Zack Greinke-type veteran starter (on a short term contract) to soak up innings with the young arms the Brewers have there. The problem with Castellanos and Schwarber is the Brewers place high value on defense and neither of those players is known as being an average defender. Secondly, there is a lot of redundancy with those players. Schwarber a lefty slugger best suited at 1B due to his defensive limitations sounds just like Rowdy Tellez, and to a lesser extent Dan Vogelbach. As for Castellanos, they Brewers already have four outfielders who (absent a trade) will be on the roster next year and outfield is one of the few areas where they have organizational depth. Without even getting into the money (which if Castellanos ends up settling for 4 yrs/60 million as you suggest he will have had a bad offseason as he left at least 34 million dollars on the table with the Reds when he opted out), the Brewers are probably looking for a short term bargain in the OF to split time with what they currently have on the roster than a flexibility eroding high price piece.

I wouldn't call them a dumpster fire. They are a team in transition which primarily stems from the fact their last GM (Dick Williams) was under pressure to win which in turn resulted in Williams bringing in a bunch players (Bauer, Miley, Moustakas, Castellanos, Akiyama, etc.) and that group didn't get it done. Williams then left the organization and now they're cleaning up his mess. To be completely fair, Jonathan India, Jesse Winker and Joey Votto are arguably the best players in the Division at their respective positions. Tyler Stephenson (11th overall in 2015) looks to be a player on the rise (also explaining the trade of Tucker Barnhart). Plus, Sonny Gray, Mahle, and Castillo are no slouches in the rotation. On top of that, they still have Nick Senzel (2nd overall in 2016) trying to break out as well as SPs Hunter Greene (2nd overall in 2017), and Nick Lodolo (7th overall in 2019) close major league ready. If the Reds reallocate some payroll to their bullpen they could be a strong club in 2022. With Miley they figured they would rather have the 10 million in flexibility than rolling with a finesse lefty who will be 35 on opening day next year. Not the most ridiculous idea I've heard, although they could have tried to trade him first though.

I don't think the Brewers are going to sign a free agent to a multi-year contract with an AAV for 20 million dollars. More probably true than not, Garcia would reject a qualifying offer, however it really comes down to whether he cares most about the AAV or overall guarantee on a multi-year deal. Likewise, the Brewers intent most likely is to obtain additional draft compensation when Garcia leaves, and the decision to offer the QO or not really boils down to how comfortable they are in carrying Garcia in 2022 at potentially 18.4 million dollars in salary. Because a team that is never going to have a $150+ million dollar payroll doesn't have a lot of "flexibility" when they've committed 70 million dollars in payroll to four outfielders.

I don't know if Melvin was an amazing GM, more likely than not he was competent. I think it was profound incompetence of GM Sal Bando and Team President Bud Selig (and to a lesser extent Dean Taylor and Wendy Selig-Prieb) before Melvin, which makes him appear an almost mythical figure in team history. The first mistake was making Bando GM in the first place. He had been the Special Assistant to the GM for 14 years when he got the top job. The actual assistant GM, Bruce Manno was passed over in the process and went to have a long career in the front offices of both St. Louis and Atlanta. Meanwhile, Bando along with Bud took a competitive roster (83 wins in '91 and 92 wins in '92) and drove it into the ground. In the 7 years Bando and Co. were in charge they completely whiffed on most of his first round draft picks (Ken Felder #12 in 1992, Antone Williamson #4 in '94, Chad Green #8 in '96, JM Gold #13 in '98); he also whiffed entirely on the 1996 draft and 1997 drafts with no selections ever seeing significant time in the major leagues. After he was reassigned/fired Bando didn't have another front office job, and last I heard owns a toy doll company in Hartland. Dean Taylor wasn't much better but did draft Corey Hart, JJ Hardy and Prince Fielder. However he left the major league roster in such poor shape, Melvin picked in the Top 5 of the draft his first three years in control. When the bar is set that low it doesn't take much to make him look amazing.

Drafted Woodruff, Mike Fiers, Jake Odorizzi, Jimmy Nelson, Yovanni Gallardo and Jeremy Jeffriess. Traded for Hader, Houser, Will Smith, and Corey Knebel. Signed All Star closers Turnbow and Danny Kolb off the scrap heap. But for Nelson, all pitchers who were either all stars or ten year players in the major leagues. He didn’t draft and develop enough pitching, but his track record is much improved now that Woodruff and Houser are in the majors.