HarveysWBs

I love the idea of having Kim on board, but probably not at that price. And, to complicate matters, Kim just injured his shoulder, which may not be serious, but it’s a really bad time to have to evaluate him medically for a trade.

Or, at the very least, consider swapping Frelick and Adames? IDK, like you said, it probably doesn’t matter that much. Maybe Yelich’s baserunning is best utilized on base ahead of a Frelick single/double?

I could be talked into a Polanco deal, price dependent, of course. But it might mean the front office has become considerably bearish on Urias and Turang, unless one of those players was involved in the deal going the other way. Maybe they still imagine Urias bouncing back and returning to a super-sub role, or playing more SS in Adames’ absence (I wouldn’t be thrilled about that idea from a run-prevention angle, however). But if Polanco is right physically, he could certainly help us right now.

If that is all it would take, then giddy up. If that were true, though, I think it would have happened already, which means the Chi Sox want quite a bit more than that.

I was today years old when I learned that you don’t have to put “Rumor” in the title. Good to know…

Job Heyman reports that Soto is kind of, sort of, halfway on the block. As a caveat, the report indicates that a Soto trade seems unlikely, that the Padres haven’t yet given up on the season, and that they aren’t even in any hurry to deal Snell or Hader. Of course, this could all amount to a signal to the league to try harder, since they’re further away from a playoff spot than the Chicago Cubs are at the moment. I’ll put my cards on the table and say I’ve wanted Soto on the team for a long, long time. I may fairly be described as a “prospect hugger” by some, but for a year and a half of Soto, I might be willing to send almost anybody to San Diego. In the apparent absence of Ohtani, I can’t imagine a more impactful hitter available, which means, the price would surely be high. The Padres don’t need to trade him, and they just paid a kings ransom for him last season, so I’d imagine they’d hold out for Chourio, and quite possibly more. That would hurt, indeed, but I’d at least think about it for a few days as the calendar keeps marching to August… What say you? View full rumor

If he knows Adames, let’s get Adames on the plane to go pick him up, let’s make them locker mates, bus buddies, roommates—heck, have ‘em share a toothbrush—anything to get a little veteran savvy rubbing off on Adames as soon as humanly possible. That poor guy needs a reset at the dish.

This is all especially opaque when we’re talking about deadline deals for rental players. The relevant sample size shrinks to two months + (hopefully) October. Even a “band aid” could play out of their mind for a few weeks and lift a team and look like an inspired deal. Even a “big bat” might pull a hamstring in warmups or go ice cold at the worst possible time. That’s baseball. And, quite frankly, I’m pretty glad it’s that way, otherwise, the Dodgers would win every single year—no thanks.

Yeah, I would have been fine with that, too, but I don’t think anyone expected Rowdy, who has always been streaky, to stay cold as long as he has. Oh well, he’s in the fold now.

Interesting that his lefty/righty splits are pretty even this year, so he’s hitting like a pure switch hitter. Looks like he’s heating up post-All Star Break, and is enjoying a moderately better year away from Pittsburgh compared to in Pittsburgh, so maybe the more hitter-friendly confines of AmFam will be a little boost (he sports a career 1.038 OPS in Milwaukee, though that is only 10 games and 33 at-bats, so not exactly a massive sample size). I like it is a first move that allows for a more focused approach on whatever value they can find at DH/RF and bullpen.

Ah, I keep forgetting about that wrinkle. I’d hate him to take a Caratini trade as hard as he took the Hader one…

Caratini makes a lot of sense. I wonder what he could fetch from the Yankees or a team in a similar predicament? Could we pry a bullpen piece away for Caratini—someone in the .5 - 1 WAR range?

Ah, some common ground then! Alas, as has just been reported, the Angels are pulling Ohtani off the market. If you follow the link to the story, the most salient point to our discussion is that, apparently, the Angels decided against selling in part because there were not any teams willing to offer their best prospects for Ohtani. If NO ONE is going to part with their best future players for the greatest player alive having the greatest season in living memory then it would seem it isn’t just the Brewers that aren’t thinking big enough…

I understand that the OP is generally and vehemently opposed to the organizational philosophy of valuing prospects (in lieu of the money the org doesn’t have vis a vis the big clubs) and long-term viability over big swings and “all-in” moves. This has been litigated and re-litigated elsewhere, in addition to this thread, and I doubt anyone is going to change anyone else’s mind on this point (not that the attempts on all sides have not been valiant). What I find interesting is what started this round of the debate: Arnold giving a vague-sounding, wishy-washy answer to the media. Let us say, for the sake of argument, that trading whoever we need to in order to acquire a “big time bat” (however we want to define that) is the right move. In what universe does it make sense for Arnold to come out and essentially say to the world: “Our offense stinks on ice, I have no confidence in the players on our roster fixing that, and I am absolutely desperate for one, maybe two huge bats and I must get them—no expenses spared!”? I mean, I am loathe to re-ignite another Wisconsin sports debate that has been had ad nauseam, but being a general manager means, among other things, having to care about leverage (even writing the word makes me cringe after le affair de Rodgers). It certainly undermines one’s negotiating position to so blatantly advertise one’s motives. I would much rather they be cagey, as they have been traditionally. Stearns and company were usually working on their best trades when they weren’t saying anything of substance to the media. Long story short, if I were in agreement with @JefferyLeonard on strategy, Arnold’s answer is exactly what I would want Arnold to be saying publicly. I find this funny and ironic, since I don’t really want any of the top-3 prospects going anywhere for anyone but Ohtani.

Utter domination. You love to see it.

Two out magic!

Not exactly how they teach it, Miller, but you got the job done, I guess…

Dang it, again

Hahaha, Yeli

If I were the Reds manager, and now know that I probably won’t have to face Yelich or Frelick again, I’d be sorely tempted to not even use my A-bullpen…

Dang it

New strategy for the Reds: don’t swing at anything Uribe throws and hope the ump arbitrarily decides 4 out of the first 6 are balls…

Time for home plate ump to take two weeks off…then quit.

I mean, yes, this is true in the sense that the Milwaukee media markets are quite different than LA and NY, but I think this sentiment misses a ton of context. Would it really make sense for the Milwaukee beat reporters to grill the $100 mil dollar budget Brewers the same way one would a $350mil+ club? Are expectations for how these teams construct rosters and approach a trade deadline not rightfully a little different? Only speaking for myself, of course, I don’t find it all too surprising.