wntrtxn21

Boy, that press has really gotten some run around here. Stick Hiura back in the prospect list and evaluate Grisham fairly and the system looks A LOT better. If Zack Brown and Corey Ray can finish out the year strong that would help a lot too. I think the ship has sailed and sunk for Brown this year. In his last 15 starts: 70 IPs - 87 hits - 49 ERs - 45 BBs - 50 Ks - WHIP 1.82.... He is a huge disappointment and probably not going to be called up in Sept.

I totally agree with that last part. Guys will miss calls here and there and sometimes miss the same spot multiple times in a game but other than the geezers that are still around like Joe West, etc., overall the strkezone called in pretty darn close to what the strikezone is/should be. Hence my general feeling that batters should go up there with the idea that they will decide the at bat and leave nothing to the umpire. There aren't any Eric Gregg's out there anymore giving one pitcher 6 inches off the plate and squeezing the other. I'd like to wait and see how it works in the minors before making any decision. I've seen quite a variance from game to game with the strike zone, especially with the low strike. There is so much money involved now days, so anything to bring more consistency to the game would be great.

I agree. If they can bring back Moose and Grandal, they have the core to make a good run at 2020 if 2019 doesn't turn around. Burnes has to revert to the mean. Maybe Nelson can become a relief option in 2020 (I think that has become his future). Knebel and Wahl won't be out for the season. And that might let Jeffress and Hader rebound. Plus, there's Faria for the whole year, and Pomeranz may be an upgrade over Claudio. I can only find 4 games plus yesterday where Pomeranz was a reliever, but he was dynamite in those five games. Very small sample, but very encouraging for next year if they re-sign him. Jeffress is scheduled to make $4.3M next year and the way he's pitched, I think Stearns lets him walk. Faria, Black, D. Williams and maybe Nelson could easily take his place if Wahl and Knebel come back healthy.

The glass 1/2 full side says even after the pounding today if they don't come back, they'll only be 3 games out if the Cards win. Yes Council is making far too many mistakes and the team is playing like crap, but a couple of wins against the cubs and it could turn around. They have a lot of games left in the division so stranger things have happened.

I think Jeffress is the most iffy pitcher they have right now. In his last 17.2 IPs - 15 ERs. He is quickly playing his way off the team much less the post-season roster if they make it.

You're right! What could it hurt? See if there is anything to salvage and maybe get lucky. The Brewers could use a little luck, especially with their pitching.

Dang it! Don't bring logic and common sense to a hyperbole battle! Unless Arcia isn't bad enough to go on the 10 day IL. It happens all the time. A guy goes down for a couple of days and doesn't warrent the IL. Then CC either plays with less pitching or goes with a tremendously weak SS. Two or 3 games with the most important infield position badly exposed could easily cause a loss or two. Logic and common sense would dictate a mgr. doesn't expose his team needlessly. Common sense would tell you that Shaw still isn't hitting and is a LH bat who is little more than a PH at this point. Thames and Moose are LH and better options. Logically he would be sent down and a RH hitter who played SS and other positions would be on the bench.

It's not an experiment. It's literally what they have to do. They have to develop cheap young talent and pitching from within. They had to give Peralta and Burnes and Woodruff their shots at some point. Good starting pitching is ridiculously expensive to come by in either dollars or prospect capital. Neither of which the Brewers can ever spend recklessly. 1 of 3 panned out in 2019. I still believe the 2 that didn't, have bright futures. The Brewers have the worst track record for developing starters in all baseball. Woodruff is the first really good one since Ben Sheets over 25 years ago! Stearns went into the season with no back-up plan knowing full well the Brewers' miserable results with developing starters. The pen is an absolute mess and he did little to fix it from the start.

I think the ERA thing is misleading you. Davies has a good ERA, but his starts have been erratic. Since June: 57 IPs (11 Starts) - 66 hits - 32 ERs - 20 BBs - 3&4 record. Hader has lost 4 games and given up leads in others by allowing the long ball. Then look at Houser's starts, Burnes' starts, FF's starts, Chacin's starts and you see why the 4.69 runs per game given up. Good news is help may be on the way in the pen. Hader gives up another HR (his 11th so far this season) to put the Brewers down once again! Council using Hader for a third consecutive day is lunacy. Hader's FB speed and movement goes down considerably on the third day in a row. Since he has become basically a one-pitch pitcher, he is meat to MLB hitters when misused.

I think the ERA thing is misleading you. Davies has a good ERA, but his starts have been erratic. Since June: 57 IPs (11 Starts) - 66 hits - 32 ERs - 20 BBs - 3&4 record. Hader has lost 4 games and given up leads in others by allowing the long ball. Then look at Houser's starts, Burnes' starts, FF's starts, Chacin's starts and you see why the 4.69 runs per game given up. Good news is help may be on the way in the pen.

I don't think there is anything wrong with bringing up a guy who is absolutely raking at AAA. Yes, I know that AAA is juiced this year and that Saladino has a long, poor track record. I also know that he is a human being, and not a statistical robot, so things can change. Since Perez had a horrible June, it made sense to both reward Saladino for his good work this year while also giving another guy some time at AAA to perhaps find his stroke. Of course, that doesn't mean that anything he does will translate to any MLB success, but it is/was worth a shot. Now Arcia has to start and play every inning of every game. If he gets hurt either Shaw or Moustakas has to play SS until they can get Saladino again from AAA. The defense would be hurt immeasurably. It's a bad situation to be in because they can't PH for Arcia if needed. I don't see why Stearns didn't option Shaw. He has no place to play and has done absolutely nothing since being recalled.

They have no backup SS if Saladino is sent out. Moustakas and Shaw are not capable of playing SS other than in extreme emergencies. I think Williams for Pomeranz and Shaw for Grisham. Pomeranz is an upgrade reliever over Williams and Shaw's LH bat isn't needed since Thames and Moose are LH hitters.

Moustakas would give up twice as many runs on D as he would contribute on offense. He was a below avg. 2B and obviously would be the worst SS in MLB. Pitchers would hate the move. You can't just insert a guy at SS and expect major lg. results. He doesn't have the range nor the quickness needed to play SS. Shaw has shown nothing this season. Arcia is hitting better than Shaw and offers infinitely better defense to the team.

I think it's Grandal going to 1B and Pina catching against tough lefties.

Faria has shown nothing in the majors or at AAA to suggest he is anything more than a Wilkerson type player. AAAA guy who has little upside. A low,low,low level move by Stearns.

It happened when Arcia struggled again this year and the grass started looking greener on the other side. Arcia'll always rank above Jim Gantner for his 2018 post-season run, but Moustakas at short sounds much more appealing. Yeah, he'd be an extremely bat-first option there, but... if he hits like he did this year, is it worth dealing Arcia? Moustakas was a well below avg. 2B. He would be the league's absolute worst SS.

Pomeranz's last 5 starts: 23.1 IPs - 28 hits - 14 ERs.

Pomeranz has been K'ing a ton of dudes this year too. Been getting hit pretty hard though. Has given up a lot of homers. Stearns must love those high FIP guys. He must think Hook can make them into something useful. Black, Pomeranz, Faria will fit right in to the mess that has been the Brewer pen this year. 3 bums who could easily end the year in AAA or DFA'd.

Where is the upside? 5.73 FIP this year, 5.08 last year. Walks a ton of guys and isn't anywhere close to being a closer. Another hugely under-whelming move by Stearns.

Latest rumor is Aguilar to Rays for Jake Faria, a guy who has moved between AAA and the big leagues (5.73 FIP this year 5.08 last year) and who has under performed. Another hugely under whelming move by Stearns.

I think we all know Braun and his contract have almost zero appeal to anybody. To trade Grandal and Moose would mean Stearns has thrown in the towel, but if he doesn't do something today I guess it's time to look at next year. If Stearns does nothing today I'd like to see Dubon get his shot at SS and Grisham get his shot at the OF. Shaw continues to stink and could go back down. Grisham is a LH so Gamel or Aguilar would have to go. Maybe look at D. Williams and Perdomo for next year. Barnes, T. Williams, Taylor could be removed from the 40-man to make room for them. See if Peralta can continue to be a late inning performer.

Your value ratings show just how worthless much of that type of stuff is. Trammell is hitting a whopping .236 in AA. Regressed badly. To say his "value" is 1.33 times that of a proven MLB starter like Bauer is ludicrous. To say Reyes is 5 TIMES more valuable than Puig is insane. Reyes is a DH, period. No other value. Puig is a proven OF and MLB hitter.

I think they removed Holland for his 5th blown save including his last two appearances. He's a FA at the end of the year so I think you're right. He wouldn't cost much in the way of prospects.

The Brewers don't have the players the D'backs would want for Ray, much less Ray and Peralta/Ahmed.

Why would a team like KC trade a 24 year old? If the Royals were going to be in a rebuild for a number of years still, it would make a lot of sense to sell high on a pitcher. If they aren’t truly competing for 3 years or so, is it worth keeping him through the tough years and now needing to pay him large arby raises and/or him walking away for nothing right when they start competing again? Or they could add a few guys in A or AA, have them make the MLB in 2021 or 2022 and have 6+ years of control of promising young players right when the big club is starting to be competitive. Prospects are only prospects, but it’s something they could consider. If the Brewers were entering a full tear down, I would hope guys like Hader and Davies would be moved. Keeping Hader through a multi year rebuild and paying him $15-$18 million his final year of arbitration right when we are trying to compete again instead of cashing in early and getting a haul would really disappoint me (obviously just an example). I personally don’t see the Royals being much of a playoff threat for a number of years. I just think it’s wise to cash in and get 6+ years of a couple promising prospects than to carry a guy through a rebuild when he has a ton of value and then needing to pay him pretty extensively coming out of a rebuild where he only has 1 or 2 years left of control. Keller is a very run-of-the-mill pitcher. 4.31 FIP - 1.36 WHIP - 4 BBs/9. Not a strikeout pitcher. Right now Keller is worth more to the Royals than any of the lower level prospects he would bring unless someone wanted to overpay for a very mediocre pitcher.