kfizz

My eye is untrained, so I'm interested in more educated opinions, but Bandy seems to have recently given the team some decent at bats. I might actually bat him ahead of Perez since he has more thump when he connects. Is that crazy?

If the guys aren't going to play unless it's sunny, 75 and the outfield is made of bubble wrap, change your roster so you don't have to play a junior high figure skater in a corner outfield spot when all of your actual hitters are on the active roster. If these guys are that fragile, the Brewers don't have the luxury of all the utility infielders they're carrying.

Then play Thames in left and Aguilar at first. Mario Mendoza's lighter hitting brother shouldn't be holding down a corner outfield spot.

I'd be OK if we could just subtract one from Sogard/Villar/Perez. Dubon is already sitting in Colorado Springs. So we have four options if we need an infielder that can't hit. Three seems plenty.

Yelich off the DL. Cain, Thames and Braun all healthy. Then we get a lineup with Perez and Villar in the 5 and 6 holes. Why? In a crowded Brewers outfield with no one on the DL, I can't understand Perez ever getting ABs in the outfield unless there is an in-game injury. And if someone is hurt, there are two guys in AAA tearing the cover off the ball. How does the one sub-replacement outfield option continue to get ABs? This offense is struggling enough as it is.

Hey hey hey! It’s Maaaatt Albers! Using him to close is like school in the summertime.

Definitely need middle infielders, but maybe not so many of them that you need to bat one of them 5th. Shaw needed a day off. Thames struggles with left handers and Aguilar is a fine option at first. They have no one to play 3B and hit when Shaw doesn’t play. They had no good options today. Definitely can’t let Aguilar go. If anything, need to find another right handed bat. But if not, I can’t see the wisdom in keeping all the non-bats on the 25. Sogard, Perez and Bandy are non-bats. Villar, Pina and Arcia are (at this point at least) fringy bats. So half of the position guys are not guys you want to count on. Seems like too many to me. Walker would have made so much sense. Really think Choi might be the best available option, though far from a certainty. Maybe Vogt will help.

I would not be looking to move any bats. The Brewers already don’t have enough of them. Thames has his flaws, but he’s still a bat. I’d be all for freeing up a spot for Choi by moving on from one of the utility infielders (Sogard, Perez) though. Choi might hit.

With so many outs in the lineup, I definitely wait to get the extra year of control, but agree he should be up at that point. Guys like Chacin, Suter, Guerra and Miley will never be guys the Brewers can start with confidence. They force Counsell to kill the bullpen and understaff elsewhere, keeping guys like Sogard and Perez that can do multiple things but none of them well.

Other than the first four guys in the lineup, everybody is an out. Tough to score runs that way. I also don’t quite understand the reason for carrying both Sogard and Perez. Neither has ever hit consistently. Both can play multiple positions, but adequately at best. Why do the Brewers need both of them on a roster where catcher, shortstop and 2nd base are already players that aren’t offensive producers? Really would have thought Choi would be up by now.

Depending on the severity of issues, I could see dipping my toe in around the trade deadline this year. If they're not realistically in the wild card race, and guys like Villar haven't lived up to hopes.

I understand it's very difficult to trade him so it's really moot, but the larger point I was trying to make is that I hope management doesn't push a failed plan too long if it's not going to work. No one likes admitting mistakes. But regardless of how it looks, once they have enough evidence that the window isn't currently open, they should be moving pieces that have comparatively high immediate value. As I said, maybe the plan will work and I'm all for giving it a chance. Heck, for as bad as Espino, Milone, Peralta and Garza were last year, as a group they went 11-10 in their starts by my count. So in bottom line wins and losses, the Brewers didn't fare much worse in games they started than in games started by everyone else. Maybe my math is wrong.

Ugh. Boo. Don't like that deal quite as much at the moment.

If the Brewers can't legitimately contend this year because they don't have the pitching, I wouldn't waste probably the most productive year of Cain's deal. If they have to restart the rebuild, a 34 year old center fielder is unlikely to be the cornerstone of that effort, especially at the price. Though I assume you were being sarcastic. Just my opinion.

I'll be OK with rolling out retreads past their prime (like Miley and Gallardo) and injured half year wonders (like Guerra) if we are prepared to look to get value for guys that aren't likely as valuable two years from now. I'd be looking to move Cain, Albers and Pina if they don't catch lightning in a bottle fairly early. They have a bunch of rotation guys, but are really thin in proven production in the rotation (really only Anderson and maybe Davies) since we don't know when or if Nelson is going to be effective again. The depth is mainly guys that are a dime a dozen, and young guys that might be good but are unlikely to get their shot until it's too late. The bullpen isn't as good as the group that finished last year. Knebel was historically effective. Will he be again? Is there reason to believe Jeffress, Logan or Hoover suddenly become effective again? I think Hader, Barnes and Williams are likely solid options, though Barnes hasn't looked all that good since the first half of last year. Maybe Houser can help. Maybe Albers really is as good as he was last year, but is he really an upgrade over what Swarzak gave this team? Like the rotation, a lot of what we're calling "depth" looks more like an easily obtainable commodity. The offense and defense has undeniably been upgraded. But the one crazy Thames month seems a lot like a weird outlier, and we lost Walker, arguably the most valuable offensive piece the team had in the second half of the year. Not sure why one would believe the production would have matched last year's without upgrading. I have no basis for guessing at what the defensive impact might be. Maybe it's huge. I'm all for letting this play out a bit, but I hope management is able to recognize a losing hand quickly and pivot.

Did not realize Hoover doesn’t have an opt out. Adding that Guerra has an option and the desire to keep Aguilar, I wonder if the 8th spot in the bullpen will be a spot starter and otherwise used only in case of emergency. Then a couple bullpen spots are for guys that go back and forth between Milwaukee and Colorado Springs based on amount of use. If over a few weeks a guy logs too many appearances, the Brewers option him for some rest and bring up a fresh arm. If a Long RP/SP gets used and can’t start, keep pitching him in relief and option a periodic RP and bring up a long RP/SP guy to make the next start. But it requires that the high leverage guys only pitch in high leverage situations. Maybe it looks like this to start: SP: Anderson, Davies, Chacin, Miley (have to keep him in MKE) High Leverage RP: Knebel, Albers, Jeffress, Logan, Hader Long RP/SP: Suter Periodic RP: Gallardo, Drake (no options left) Long RP/SPs in waiting: Guerra, Woodruff, Wilkerson Periodic RPs in waiting: Williams (on the 40), Barnes (on the 40), Hoover, Liz, Brady, Webb (on the 40 but apparently not favored), Houser (on the 40 but still ramping up) 60 Day DL: Nelson (to make room for Miley) It’s not the best 25 one could put on the field in San Diego on opening day, but it utilizes assets over the course of the year. Guys will get injured or tired, so a Drake, while not pitching nearly as well as Williams, still may have value. Those injuries will certainly allow the better relievers to get plenty of innings with the big club. And they can always DFA guys later. The guys in Colorado Springs that are on the 40 are the first guys brought up with this approach.

If they option Woodruff (or Guerra) until they need a 5th starter, maybe they can keep Aguilar for awhile.

Why bat Villar ahead of Arcia? Arcia makes more contact and consequently likely drives in more runs since their power numbers are reasonably similar. Villar makes sense to me at #9 (batting the pitcher 8th) to set the table for Cain and Yelich. Obviously not a big thing but at #9, productive outs should matter less.

Perez, if he makes the team, can already play everywhere. Villar is out of options and can play SS. So whose bat do you want, Choi’s or Sogard’s?

How do the Brewers not keep the Korean Matt Stairs? Every AB has been great. Obviously hitting everything, but also 7 walks to 1 K. Multiple 10+ pitch ABs. I think he can opt out at then end of spring training. If the Brewers don’t put him on the 25, some team will I’d imagine. Is this a mirage or something that will be useful this year? Oops. Wrong forum. Meant to put it in major leagues, but technically, I guess he’s not on the 40, so kinda proposal?

Yeah. Sogard or Perez would have to go, though I guess you could option Sogard.

The roster on this site indicates that both Sogard and Gallardo have options. Is there something in their contracts that allows them to opt out is they aren't on the 25? If they can option them, perhaps we see something like: SP (5): Anderson, Davies, Chacin, Miley, Suter BP(8): Knebel, Albers, Hader, Logan, Barnes, Jeffress, Guerra, Williams C (2): Pina, Bandy (Vogt on DL) IF (6): Thames, Villar, Arcia, Shaw, Perez, Aguilar OF (4): Cain, Yelich, Santana, Braun Notable Minors: Woodruff, Wilkerson, Gallardo, Burnes, Peralta, Houser, Sogard, Dubon, Phillips, Broxton DFA: Drake (to make room for Miley) Cut: Hoover, Frieri, Choi Sign a starter and move Suter to the pen and option Williams Designate Vogt or Bandy when Vogt is healthy

Can Sogard be sent to the minors to start the year?

I'm new here so I'm not trying to tell any of you long time posters how to do this. I would note that there is a fair amount of ground between "he is a liar" and "being skeptical and questioning." I suspect you and a few others were a little closer to the former in some instances.

Giving us info is not his job, so he doesn't have to put up with garbage. Everyone should have known that he didn't love being called out. I don't come here primarily to exercise my right to free speech. I am interested in info on the Brewers. Now there's less of it. Unfortunate. I wouldn't be surprised if the forum is less lively without him.