RollieTime

I see Woodruff as having quite a bit of valuable, but less value than Peralta and Burnes. He can be a centerpiece of a trade for a solid player, but a second piece for an elite player. I would slot him in as second tier value wise.

Trade Proposal: Giants get: RHP Brandon Woodruff 2B Jonathan Schoop OF Troy Stokes Brewers get: LHP Madison Bumgarner 2B Joe Panik Lottery Ticket Giants get a controllable starting pitcher, a guy to fill the hole at second base with Panik being traded (allows them to trade him if he has a solid bounce back season and acquire another prospect), and a young outfielder with boom or bust potential. Brewers get a top of the rotation starter to solidify the rotation and a lefty hitting second baseman under team control for two seasons that can platoon at second with Perez to start the season. He has struck out only 10% of the time for his career. He would be a solid platoon option or pinch hitter off the bench when you need to advance a runner or put the ball in play to get a run home. And of course, a lottery ticket is involved because Stearns loves to get a throw in as part of his return.

It seems way too risky to me to pay a guy that much through his age 40 season. Being on the hook for 5 seasons of an aging player and very expensive contract does not make any sense for the Brewers. That money can be spent much better elsewhere.

I’ve been doing a little digging and found a few guys that I think could be good options for us to consider. RHP Trevor Clifton, Cubs- Fastball sits in the low to mid 90’s and has hit as high as 97. He has a plus curveball to go with his fastball and has shown improvement with his changeup. He has a cutter he will throw as well. Keeps the ball in the ballpark, but has walk issues. He has a career BB/9 of 3.8. He has been productive at every stop and was solid last year in AAA. Could be a good bullpen option. 1B Roberto Ramos, Rockies- Big 6’5”, 220 lb lefty hitting first baseman that really found his power stroke last season. He hit 32 home runs between A+ and AA last season. Ramos strikes out at a pretty high rate, but will also take his walks. He could be looked at as a cheap lefty platoon option at first base. 3B David Thompson, Mets- 6’2”, 210 lb right handed hitting third baseman with plus raw power. Plays average defense at the hot corner. Made adjustments at the plate in 2017 which led to more consistent hard contact and helped him tap into his raw power. He broke his wrist after getting hit by a pitch early in 2018 and also had elbow surgery. He has struck out around 21% of the time in his career. 2B Max Schrock, Cardinals- Small 5’8” second baseman that can also play 3B and left field effectively. He drives the ball well for his size, hits for a high average, and strikes out under 9% of the time in his minor league career. He has double digit home run potential as an everyday second baseman. He can steal a few bases as well. He has solid range and soft hands for second base. He was very successful at AA and struggled a little bit in his first season at AAA. RHP Jordan Romano, Blue Jays- Righty starting pitcher, good fastball, slider combo. Has a curveball and changeup also. Righties struggle against him and only hit .192 in 2017 against him. He sits 92-94 with his fastball, but can hit as high as 96. He keeps the ball in the park and strikes out nearly one batter per inning. He could be a very effective bullpen option from day one. If I had to pick one guy that would make the most sense for us right now, I think it would be Max Schrock. He’s a left handed bat that rarely strikes out and could be a stopgap at second for this season. If he is productive, he is a guy that could take over the Hernan Perez role. We could move on from Perez and use that money for additional needs in the future. I don’t see Perez being here past this season since he will start to become pretty expensive. I see David Thompson as being a similar player to Shaw. Not too flashy of a guy, but will hit some home runs and give you solid defense. He would be an interesting option for third base that could give us a solid right handed power bat off the bench. Shaw could slide over to 1B for some games to get Thompson in the lineup if he is hitting well. Jordan Romano would be my number 1 option if we were to take a pitcher. His fastball, slider combo would allow him to be effective out of the pen right away. He could consistently sit in the mid 90’s out of the pen and be a dominant right handed option for next season. If Burnes and/or Woodruff are inserted into the rotation, we will need a dominant righty added to the pen that can go multiple innings. I think Romano can be that guy.

I wouldn’t mind s’more input on the new mascot...

What’s not to love about a smore that is on fire, smiling, wearing sunglasses, giving the peace sign, and walking in his winter boots?! Honestly I love the mascot. It is so weird that it is awesome!

I am thinking that Stokes will either be protected or packaged in a trade prior to the draft. He is too talented to risk being exposed in the draft. Stokes has quite a bit of value as a second or third piece in a bigger trade.

My thoughts as well. I can definitely see him hitting 35 homeruns, driving in 110, and hitting .320 the next 4 years. Man is it nice to have a bat like his that can match Braun’s production when he was in his prime. We are one big bat away from a very potent offense.

I was thinking Suzuki would of been a good fit with Pina. Seems like a pretty reasonable contract for being one of the top hitting catchers in the game the last couple seasons.

I would not do this deal. Taking on his contract of $95.5 million over 3 seasons would totally restrict the moves we could do for 3 seasons since he would take up nearly 30% of the team payroll. Getting the prospects would be nice, but preventing us from being able to make moves to help the MLB club is counterproductive at this point. Our window is just opening and taking on a massive contract at this point would pretty much lock us in with “what we got is what we got”. There would be no room for additional moves. Even just doing this move would push our payroll over $130 million prior to the season starting.

This is where I am too. The lineup will have a different face in it by opening day 2019. I also wouldn’t be surprised to see Stearns be one of the front runners for Andrew Miller and showing interest in guys like David Robertson or Adam Ottavino.

I would love to see the Brewers make the ball and glove logo their official logo and go back to wearing the blue pinstripe jerseys. I don’t think it would happen, but I would be all for it.

I was unable to watch the game, but watching the highlights showed the same exact issue we have had for years: The offensive line’s poor pass blocking and the pocket collapsing before Rodgers even drops back and is able to go through his entire progression. I know that our line has been rated highly some seasons, but that is strictly because Rodgers is a magician that avoids three tackles and rolls out. Him being able to hold the ball for 7 seconds and showing that “he has all day” to throw isn’t because of his fantastic offensive line that seems to get the credit. It’s because he is absolutely ridiculous at avoiding tacklers and escaping the pocket. How can he possibly see the open receiver when a 6’4” lineman is free running straight at him? Rodgers needs to avoid him, sometimes multiple guys, roll out, and pick up where the receivers are again and re-evaluate where the corners and safety’s are positioned in regards to the receivers and then making the pass. Rodgers needs his line to block for him and I don’t see Rodgers calling them out for their lack of protection.

There was a former writer for the New York Daily News that mentioned that trade as an idea for the Mets to consider this offseason. I don’t think there was an official offer from the Mets for Yelich though.

Well deserved for Yelich. That “extended hot streak” was almost unmatched in history. If his hot streak production becomes his norm, we will be in for a real treat the next 4 seasons. The sky is the limit with Yelich.

I honestly don’t see why Corbin gets the love that he does from some people. He was so bad in 2016 that he got moved to the BULLPEN. In 2017, his ERA was nearly 5 prior to a 5 start span in mid August where he dominated and significantly lowered it right before the end of the season. The Diamondbacks were contemplating letting him walk after 2017 because he wasn’t even worth a few million dollars. There is no way a guy went from almost not receiving an arbitration offer prior to the 2018 season to getting $25 million or more for 5 or 6 years. He has no track record of this type of success. He had one fantastic year in his contract season. This would be a move that would make us look foolish if he even pitched at Chacin’s level. If we are giving out that large of a contract, it needs to be for the Scherzer’s, Kershaw’s, and Degrom’s of the world. To put in perspective, Chase Anderson was dominant for a year and a half and look at what we are paying him. Their career numbers are fairly similar. I just don’t see it. It only takes one team to do it, but it wouldn’t surprise me if he ends up with a deal similar to what Cobb got last offseason around 4/$60 million.

The new logo and color scheme are very cool. It’ll be interesting to see what they do with their uniforms.

The Mets are open to trading DeGrom and Syndergaard, so why not outfielder Brandon Nimmo? The Mets have stated that they don’t want to trade Nimmo, but every player has a price. Nimmo has 4 years of control left, one season before his first go-round with arbitration. He will be turning 26 right before the start of the 2019 season. Nimmo has never been a big homerun hitter, but has the tools to become a player similar to Yelich who could break out in a big way very soon. He is a line drive hitter that sprays the ball all over the field. He is a very disciplined hitter with a .264 average and a very impressive .391 OBP in his young career. He rarely swings at pitches outside the zone and has one of the most patient approaches in the league, he plays solid defense, and is an above average runner. He hit 17 homeruns last season and I think will be breaking out in a big way very soon. In his prime, he could hit 25-30 home runs while hitting .280-.290 and sporting a .410-.425 OBP. Nimmo will be a Joey Votto light, which would be a huge addition to this lineup. The one big knock on Nimmo is he has struck out in 32% of his at bats so far in his career. Having a guy at the top of the order with Cain and Yelich with an OBP of .400 would really help with building a more consistent offense. This will also lock up our outfield for years and allow us to use Ray in a trade whether it’s for Nimmo or a separate trade altogether. I would assume that Ray would be part of the trade for Nimmo if they go this route. The price to acquire Nimmo will be very high and I’m curious what others think it would take to acquire Nimmo from the Mets.

I would pass on Garcia. His offensive profile doesn’t fit what Stearns looks for. Won’t steal bases, strikes out 25% of the time, and doesn’t work in many walks into his already low batting average. He had one outlier season and hasn’t been too productive of a big leaguer outside of that season.

I wouldn’t be too concerned about Whit blocking Hiura at this point. I think there may be more of a push this offseason to get Braun more acclimated to first base. This would allow Merrifield to play second base until Hiura cracks the MLB roster whether that’s this season or next season. Merrifield can go to right and Yelich moves over to left. Aguilar and Braun can split time at first and Braun can fill in in the outfield when needed. It would also be a nice addition to add another right handed bat that punishes lefties. He’s a career .329 hitter against lefties and would slot nicely up top with Cain and Yelich.

I can get behind this. If we could acquire Merrifield without giving up Burnes, Peralta, Woodruff, or Hiura, I would be all for it. If the deal is centered around Ray, I would pull the trigger on it. Yelich and Cain are manning the outfield for possibly the next 4 years. We still have Braun for two more seasons and Santana as the next man up. Signing a catcher like Ramos with the saved money by moving on from Schoop would make a lot of sense in this situation as a secondary move.

I think the Brook Lopez signing is working out pretty well for the Bucks.

With Knebel expecting another healthy raise in arbitration to around $5 million, would now be a good time to sell high on him? He has three years of control left, is coming off of a fantastic finish to the season and in the postseason, and could fetch a pretty nice return. Our payroll is probably near the peak of where we could comfortably be entering the season with hopes of making mid-season additions. One thing to note as well is that Knebel will start to get very expensive for a relief pitcher, especially for us. Moving him now will clear some salary now and in the future, give us some highly regarded prospects to use for a separate trade if that’s the route Stearns wants to go, and opens up a spot for a young guy to come in and show what he’s got. His salary the next couple years could start to approach $7-9 million for a relief pitcher. Trading him now with three years of control and before his salary gets too high could help maximize our return. Doubt began to creep into some of our minds this past season when Knebel got hurt and struggled for a chunk of the season. Some people mentioned moving Knebel last offseason, which I thought would of been a wise decision at the time. With him regaining his value to close out the season, is now the time to move Knebel?

I think Peralta should be in the rotation and Woodruff stays in the bullpen. Peralta is young and will develop better command the more he pitches. His future is as a starter and his ceiling is as high as a guy we have had come through our system in a long time. Woodruff fits the role as being a guy who can come in from the pen for 3 innings and shut down a game. Similar to Hader, but less overpowering if that makes sense. Woodruff is a weapon out of the pen and may be better suited to make a career out of that role. He can spot start if the need comes up during the season as well.

Jimmy Butler has been traded to the 76ers with Justin Patton for Robert Covington, Dario Saric, Jerryd Bayless, and a 2022 second round pick. Quite an interesting trade since the Rockets offered 4 first round draft picks in October for Butler and couldn’t reach a deal. Covington and Saric are solid pieces, but acquiring Butler without giving up any first round picks in the trade is strange from the Timberwolves perspective. If I would have been told that the Bucks could have acquired Butler without needing to give up a single first round pick, I wouldn’t of believed it for one second. Getting Butler for what they did and most likely locking him up with a long term deal soon, it seems like the 76ers came out way ahead in this one.