RollieTime

Reclamation projects aren’t something we should really be doing anyway as we will be fighting tooth and nail each game with hopes of coming out on top of the division by a game or two. The NL Central is arguably the deepest division and trying to “rediscover” or “transform” guys is pretty risky. We all remember what happened in 2017 with missing the playoffs by one game. We need established players that can help right away. Every game matters.

Is it just me or has anyone else noticed Santana’s awkward swing through the zone? He seems to have a very unlevel swing. It’s almost like he starts out swinging down on the ball. And then it levels off in the zone quickly, but then he quickly has an odd upswing while following through. It’s probably fair to say that his swing and miss issues are from his lack of a level swing through the zone. It gives Santana a much smaller window of barreling up the ball compared to a player like Yelich who has a very level swing through the zone. Not only is it harder to barrel a ball up, but it makes it much harder to even hit a baseball. Stearns may have noticed this and figured that 2017 was going to be an outlier season for him.

It appears that the Diamondbacks are going to go into a full rebuild. One player that I found intriguing that is still on their roster is Ketel Marte. Marte is only 25 and is a second baseman that has also played some shortstop. Marte is a switch hitter that has shown more power from the right side than the left up to this point in his career. He has walked in 9% of his career at bats (11% the last two seasons combined), and has struck out in 17% of his career at bats. He is a career .263 hitter and hit 14 home runs last season. He does have plus raw power for his size with his max exit velocity over 115 mph and one of his home runs traveling 465 feet. He will be entering his prime in the next couple years and could be a 20/20 guy for us from the second base or shortstop position. I think he will be tapping into a little more power in the coming years. He is under a team friendly contract of 4/$20 million through his age 29 season with another 2 team option years beyond that for $22 million combined for the two years. Marte could be a bridge to Hiura for the 2019 or 2020 season depending on how Hiura fairs in his first taste of AAA and is also an insurance policy for Arcia if he does not produce this season. Marte would be a nice addition to this offense and be an everyday guy for us at second base. His cheap contract, low strikeout, high walk rate, and solid defense make him a very appealing option for the Brewers. The prospect cost for Marte will be pretty high, but getting a solid player on a very reasonable contract could make it worth it.

I think this is still a possibility. Aguilar definitely didn’t help himself in the second half to build his trade value, but he is still a candidate to be moved this offseason. The lineup last year was still very inconsistent. I feel like Stearns is going to move a guy or two that started for us down the stretch, Aguilar being one of them, in hopes of continuing to cut down strikeouts and get personnel that will help manufacture more runs. Maybe Braun will be moving to first mostly full time and Gamel will be an everyday guy in the outfield to start the season. If he struggles, he can be sent to the minors. Figuring out what the Brewers are going to do next is nearly impossible since Stearns has taken over. Most of his transactions involve guys we didn’t even discuss on here. There is still plenty of time between now and the start of Spring Training to shake up the roster.

Seems to be a decent trade for the Brewers. Ground ball/line drive type of hitter that is a true spray hitter (33% pull, 37% center, 30% opposite). They are probably looking at him as a guy that can become more of a homerun hitter by changing his launch angle a little bit. If he maintains a .270 average and can become a 15-20 home run hitter, he will be very valuable. He could be a solid guy to platoon with Braun when he has his frequent days off or when an injury arises. Adding a solid lefty bat to hit in the 5 or 6 hole against righties isn’t a bad option. I wonder if he could hit in the leadoff spot to allow Yelich to drop to third in the order? Brewers need a solid option to put at the top of the order in front of Yelich and don’t really have a solid option right now outside of Cain. Maybe Gamel is that guy.

Makes you wonder what Stearns has up his sleeve if Spangenberg is platooning at second with Perez. Brewers have plenty of room still to add an impact player if they decide to go that route. Somebody would need to be on the move though to make room for that player unless it is a catcher.

I would take a flier on Tulo for sure. If you only need to pay him the veteran minimum, it is well worth it. If he struggles or gets injured, you’re not paying him much anyway. If he does well, the offense receives a big boost while only paying him less than $600,000. Low risk, high reward guy. Leaves plenty of room for other upgrades such as bringing in another guy like Lowrie or Gonzalez on a multi year deal. There will be plenty of at-bats to go around once injuries arise.

Ken Rosenthal on MLB Network this morning stated that “they (the Brewers) had a one year offer to Wilson Ramos as I understand it”. Interesting that they did in fact have an offer on the table for Ramos, and also interesting that it was only a one year offer. Are the Brewers high on Nottingham and expect him to take over in 2020? Or is there a free agent catcher next offseason that Stearns is keying in on right now?

It would also allow the Brewers to move Perez for a couple low level prospects and clear his salary. Whether they decide to move him now, mid-season, or next offseason, somebody will want his services. He is going to start to get expensive after this season.

Great deal for Houston. Top of the order bat on a very reasonable two year deal. Brantley was my top target in free agency this offseason. I think he would of really helped this lineup.

Did I miss Wade Miley signing elsewhere? I just don’t see Miley returning to Milwaukee. I think he will command more than what the Brewers would be comfortable with.

Our Beard Game took a big blow this offseason... First Miley and now Dillard? If Thames goes too, it’ll be almost impossible to recover...

Mets seem to have gotten a pretty good deal on this one. I was hoping we could get Ramos to add another solid bat in the lineup. It’ll be interesting to see what route we go now. I think it’s too risky to rely on Nottingham becoming an everyday guy for us. There is a lot of time, but the bottom of our lineup can’t be Shaw, Perez, Arcia, and Pina. I personally don’t think Grandal is a good fit for us with his high strikeouts and low average. He does hit some homeruns, but isn’t really the type of hitter that Stearns seems to like to target. Ramos was the better hitter in my opinion.

Great information, thanks! I feel a lot better about the trade now than I initially did. Claudio will be a nice addition to an already stacked bullpen.

I wonder if there is interest in acquiring another lefty reliever or if this is it. This could be a way of getting a cheap lefty reliever instead of paying for a big name guy and putting that money toward a different area such as the catching market. I see the Brewers addressing their catching situation this offseason and I think Wilson Ramos would be a solid addition.

My concern is guys seem to hit him around pretty good. Gives up a ton of hits for a reliever. 91 hits in 68 innings? Yikes. Doesn’t strike out many guys either. He doesn’t walk many guys and keeps the ball in the park though. I don’t like giving up the pick in this situation.

The Cardinals have made 1B/OF Jose Martinez available for trade. He has 4 years of control and is Pre-Arbitration for one more season. Martinez has hit over .300 in his first two seasons at the MLB level. He has some pop, walks a fair amount, and has struck out at a reasonable 20% of his career at bats. He hits both righties and lefties well and would be an everyday option for us at first or at one of the two corner outfield spots. Adding him to the middle of the order with his skill set would give us a big boost offensively. Defense is not his strong suit though, but that could improve some coming over to the Brewers. This would give us the option of moving Aguilar for prospects or including him in a trade for another MLB guy. What would it take to get Martinez? The Cardinals are in win now mode and are probably interested in acquiring MLB talent back as part of the return.

Agreed completely. If they acquired Realmuto, they could use Barnhart as part of a trade for Kluber or Bauer. All depends on how high the Indians are on Mejia, but Barnhart would be a solid option for them. Mejia got traded to the Padres at the deadline. Thanks, I forgot about that. Barnhart would still be a solid option for the Indians. It’ll be interesting to see what happens.

Agreed completely. If they acquired Realmuto, they could use Barnhart as part of a trade for Kluber or Bauer. All depends on how high the Indians are on Mejia, but Barnhart would be a solid option for them.

If the Reds acquire Realmuto, I assume they would quickly be offering him a long term extension. I don’t see them pulling this off if they aren’t going to lock him up long term. He is young enough where he could get a 5 or 6 year extension and be confident in him staying productive through the entire contract. What would a long term contract for Realmuto look like? 6 years, $120 million?

If the Reds pull this trade off, that offense is going to be scary. They only need to add a little bit of pitching to make the division a blood bath among 4 teams.

3 year deal for a 36 year old pitcher? If that is what it takes to get Happ, I would pass on him. Too lengthy for a pitcher at that age in my opinion.

The payroll in 2004 (the year before Mark Attanasio purchased the team), the payroll was $27.5 million. Two years later, it was bumped to $57 million. The payroll is around $100 million today. I have always thought that Mark A was a diehard fan that only wants to win even if he is barely making a profit. The strides we have made with the payroll since he purchased the team can’t really be disputed. In my opinion, the success of the Brewers comes first and profits come second to Mark.

Good for him. I’ve always liked McCutchen. Little steep on the value in my opinion, but he will be a solid contributor for them.

I’m not a big fan of Murphy, but his offensive upside is appealing. He wouldn’t command a lengthy contract either. If they were to sign Murphy, I think he will play some first and second base depending on matchups I can see Murphy working out well for us. He hits lefties well and we wouldn’t need to put him in a platoon, which is big that we can count on him playing everyday unless he gets injured. 1. Cain CF 2. Murphy 2B 3. Yelich RF 4. Aguilar 1B 5. Shaw 3B 6. Braun LF 7. Pina C 8. Arcia SS Maybe it’s just me, but there is something awkward about that lineup. It looks to be missing a reliable right handed bat in the top half of the order. Murphy is a solid option for us, but I think there would be additional moves to the roster construction.