Ro Mueller

I'm glad this article has generated some active commentary. Thank you. Is it true that the Full Season Minimum MLB Salary is guaranteed to all players that make the Opening Day active MLB roster, but players who DON'T make the Opening Day active MLB roster earn a pittance during the portions of the season that they toil in AAA? If so, then the present situation is probably the most worrisome for guys like Jake Cousins, Abraham Toro, Janson Junk and Brice Turang, whose odds of starting the season in AAA (costing them in gross salary and financial security to boot) are heightened by the ease of being able to option them. In my mind, I figure we've got four things going on: Barely knew ya Trevor Richards-style trade of Joel Payamps for a minor leaguer Keston Hiura vs. Jon Singleton roster decision Gus Varland vs. Bryse Wilson roster decision Comfort starting the season with a 38-man MLB roster, leaving room for future selections of Sal Frelick and Joey Wiemer

Winter League Action from Tuesday, January 17 JC Mejia and Brian Navaretto are seeing exciting conclusions to their Winter excursions. RHP JC Mejia – 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 2 Ks – pitched the 8th inning of Tigres del Licey’s 3-1 victory over Estrellas, giving Tigres a 3 games to 1 lead in the Dominican Republic Championship Series C Brian Navarreto – 0-for-4 – in Carolina’s 5-3 loss to Mayaguez in Game One of the Puerto Rico Championship Series. Old friend RHP Braden Webb earned the save for Mayaguez and it will be interesting to see where the free agent Webb lands after being out with injury in 2022

Thanks. I’m predicting Frelick gets called up by June or earlier if Yelich gets injured. Once Frelick gets called up, there’ll hopefully be no reason for Winker to set foot on the outfield grass anymore. If Yelich plays 100 games in the field, DHs 30 games and is injured/rested for the remainder, that won’t cost Winker many ABs, especially since Winker should sit against lefties.

Are the Brewers going to DFA several players at the end of Spring Training or make a move now to add another optionable player to the 40-man MLB roster? RHPs Tyler Cyr and Manuel Rodriguez are possible additions to consider. Image courtesy of © Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports Are the Brewers going to DFA several players at the end of Spring Training or make a move now to add another optionable player to the 40-man MLB roster? RHPs Tyler Cyr and Manuel Rodriguez are possible additions to consider. If you’re like me, you’re perplexed at the number of Optionless Wonders the Brewers have, leaving the bottom of their roster more unsettled than usual. Each of the following six players must make the 26-man Opening Day active roster, be placed on the injured list, or be designated for assignment: RHP Bryse Wilson – no options remaining RHP Gus Varland – Brewers can’t option him because he’s a Rule 5 pick 1B Jon Singleton – no options remaining; can also reject assignment if he passes DFA waivers 1B Keston Hiura – burned final option in 2022 roster management malpractice; can also reject assignment if he passes DFA waivers RHP Javy Guerra – no options remaining; can also reject assignment if he passes DFA waivers RHP Joel Payamps – no options remaining; highly likely to be claimed if we DFA Even if the team wanted to get creative and send players like OF Tyrone Taylor or RHP Adrian Houser down to the minors for a spell or two, they can’t. Those players also have no options remaining. Does this matter? What does it suggest? It may mean that Matt Arnold is comfortable knowing there will be some roster shuffling at the end of Spring Training, with the Brewers letting guys go and replacing them with releases from other teams. However, any semi-decent players released from other teams are likely also to be Optionless Wonders, so this is unlikely to be the case. More likely, this means the Brewers intend to add at least one more Optionable AAAA player to the 40-man roster, with the corresponding move being: a trade of Jon Singleton, Keston Hiura, Javy Guerra, and Joel Payamps; OR a DFA of Bryse Wilson, hoping he’ll scale through waivers so that he can be outrighted to AAA (the Tigers recently outrighted a whopping four players in this manner, including former Brewer catcher Mario Feliciano). The usual place to find worthy Optionable AAAA players this time of year is via the DFA market, which has seen an impressive 51 players made available for claim or trade from December 18th to January 17th. However, we’re really at the tail end of this vibrant market, as free agent signings slow to a trickle, and teams will, at some point, be able to move injured players to the 60-day injured list. Barring any additional DFAs around the league this week, only three Optionable players remain in DFA limbo. Given the logic outlined above, the Brewers are a good bet to pick up at least one of these players: RHP Tyler Cyr (Athletics) – 29 years old; reliever; only pitched 13 1/3 MLB innings (2.70 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 10.8 K/9, .290 BABIP against in 2022); solid MILB results (2.85 ERA in AAA in 2022 with 9.9 K/9, 4.91 ERA in AAA in 2021 with 12.0 K/9, 2.05 ERA in AA in 2019 with 10.6 K/9); MLB fastball averaged 94.4mph in 2022 OF Alberto Rodriguez (Mariners) – 22 years old; LHH right fielder; dipped to a .732 OPS in High-A in 2022 after a .867 OPS in Low-A in 2021, averaging ten homers and 10.5 stolen bases over the two seasons RHP Manuel Rodriguez (Cubs) – 26 years old; reliever; pitched 13 2/3 MLB innings in 2022 (3.29 ERA) and 17 2/3 MLB innings in 2021 (6.11 ERA), but walked 21 against 24 Ks over the two seasons; terrific 12.9 K/9 rate across five minor league campaigns; MLB fastball/slider average dipped to 95-95.9mph in 2022 after 97-97.2mph in 2021 as he’s dealt with injuries in three straight seasons Of the three aforementioned Optionable players, I’d venture that Tyler Cyr is the most likely pick-up if Milwaukee aims to add a high-floor guy who can contribute immediately if called upon. He has been a consistent performer who can also bring respectable heat, with the main blemish being his limited time in the majors (and perhaps his age). Of course, Manuel Rodriguez appears to have more upside, and that 97mph pace may be tempting to take a flier on. I should also mention that Cyr has three option years remaining, while Alberto Rodriguez has two, and Manuel Rodriguez has one. Yes, Cyr could seamlessly yo-yo between MLB and AAA from 2023-2025 with no special roster juggling required. Could the Brewers claim Cyr and not give up any cash or player in return? This is possible, given his age, but two other Optionable pitchers were both nabbed today: RHP Connor Seabold was traded to the Rockies, and the Mariners claimed JB Bukauskas. I’d argue that neither is as attractive a 2023 MLB option as Cyr, so the team may have to give up a relatively minor prospect to the Athletics in return. On a somewhat related note, while some had urged the Brewers to add OF Kyle Garlick (who went unclaimed and was outrighted by the Twins on Tuesday) to play some right field and pinch hit against southpaws, his 14 BB/80 K ratio over the past two seasons was likely a deterrent. Of course, I’m more likely wrong, and the Brewers do absolutely nothing. Let’s see how this week pans out. Which of the remaining players in DFA limbo do you think the Brewers will grab, if any: RHP Manuel Rodriguez, OF Alberto Rodriguez, RHP Tyler Cyr, UTIL Matt Reynolds, or RHP Mark Leiter Jr.? View full article

Assuming Wiemer doesn’t get called up until very late in the season, while Yelich deals with injuries and Mitchell gets optioned at least once. Oh, and we convert Toro into a full-fledged utility player, like we did with Mark Mathias: LF: Yelich (100), Frelick (56), Winker (6) CF: Mitchell (82), Taylor (46), Frelick (34) RF: Taylor (72), Mitchell (40), Wiemer (26), Toro (24) Total: Mitchell 122, Taylor 118, Yelich 100, Frelick 90, Wiemer 26, Toro 24, Winker 6

As Nicaraguan pitchers Carlos F. Rodriguez (drafted after moving to US), Stiven Cruz and Alexander Vallecillo continue to progress, we should maintain this recruiting edge in Nicaragua and hopefully unearth some talent.

Winter League Action from Monday, January 16 Brian Navarreto broke open a scoreless Game 7 semi-final with a 2-out RBI single in the 6th inning, helping his squad to the Puerto Rican Championship Series. C Brian Navarreto – 1-for-4, RBI; threw out one of two basestealers – in Carolina’s 3-1 win over Santurce RHP Arnaldo Hernandez – 2/3 IP, 1 R, 1 H, 1 BB, 0 K – in Tiburones’ 8-6 loss to Cardenales

Winter League Action from Sunday, January 15 JC Mejia was the only Brewer to participate in a completed Winter League game yesterday, as Brian Navarreto’s Game 7 semi-final in Puerto Rico was delayed by rain: JC Mejia – 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 1 K – in Tigres del Licey’s 1-0 victory over Estrellas, giving Tigres a 2-1 lead in their Best of 7 Championship Series in the Dominican Republic

The international signing period commences today. The Brewers are one of 8 clubs with the largest bonus pool to spend ($6,366,900). https://www.mlb.com/news/mlb-international-prospects-signing-day-2023?t=mlb-pipeline-coverage

I’m just using this as an excuse to watch old Expos highlights (e.g. first half of this video):

Not so far apart on Burnes:

Presently, are there some unique pitches which technically pass through the strike zone but are almost never called strikes - e.g. sinkers that just catch the bottom of the zone when crossing the plate, but then bottom out so quickly that umps always call them a ball?

Early Friday AM: Brisbane keeps winning, running their record to an incredible 27-7 (.794 winning percentage) with an 8-3 victory over Sydney: 2B Robert Moore – 1-for-4, double, walk, RBI (.292 AVG, .886 OPS) C Darrien Miller – 0-for-2, 2 walks, RBI (.265 AVG, .819 OPS); he threw out 1 of 3 basestealers RHP Cameron Wagoner (win) – 5 IP, 2 R, 6 H, 2 BB, 5 K (3.21 ERA) LHP Justin King – 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 2 K (5.87 ERA) Elsewhere, Perth blew a 6-3 lead, losing 7-6 in extra innings to Canberra: C Alex Hall – 2-for-5, 3 RBIs (.361 AVG, 1.041 OPS)

He seemed to enjoy last season in Nashville, well at least based on a video late in the season when he went up to the booth to announce an inning with a teammate. If I remember correctly, his peripherals were decent in 2020, but he struggled in clutch situations, leaving him with a 5.16 ERA despite his decent 1.28 WHIP and 3.87 FIP. Digging deeper, he had an OPS against of .732 that season, but it was .832 with RISP and 1.040 with 2-outs and RISP. Then 2021 was a disaster: 9.72 ERA, 1.98 WHIP, 7.37 FIP, 1.086 OPS against in 16 2/3 IP, though he did fine in AAA Nashville thereafter: 3.10 ERA, 1.22 WHIP in 104 2/3 IP. In 2022, he started well in AAA Nashville (2.89 ERA, .634 OPS against through 46 2/3 IP) and it looked like a coin flip between him and Jason Alexander to get selected when Peralta and Woodruff went down. But when Alexander got the call instead, Lindblom immediate went off the rails for a while (7.46 ERA, 1.019 OPS against in next 44 2/3 IP). Later, he explained that he'd worked on some pitches which failed. Finally, he finished strong in AAA Nashville and again looked like a viable option for a late season MLB start (to maybe give the flailing Brewers a spark! - instead of Alexander, who'd been struggling; or Houser who was being rushed back from injury with no rehab starts). As it stands, Lindblom produced the following line over his final 7 games: 1.71 ERA, .504 OPS against, 49 Ks in 42 IP, going 6-0 in that period. Thank you sir and Good Luck!

Early Thursday AM: Down but never out, Brisbane rallied from deficits of 5-1 and 6-5, winning 8-6 on a walk-off 3-run homer by TJ Bennett (his 16th blast of the season! – bring this 30-year old utility man back into affiliated ball) which scored Darrien Miller and Robert Moore: 2B Robert Moore – 1-for-4, SF, RBI, (.294 AVG, .885 OPS) C Darrien Miller – 2-for-3, HBP (a Miller specialty), RBI (.271 AVG, .824 OPS); he also allowed 3 stolen bases (the defensive side remains a challenge, sadly) RHP Max Lazar – 5 IP, 5 R (3 ER), 5 H, 2 BB, 4 K (3.21 ERA) In other action, Perth won 8-3 over Canberra: DH/C Alex Hall – 1-for-3, walk, RBI (.360 AVG, 1.051 OPS); he also threw out 2 of 3 attempted basestealers

Winter League Action from Wednesday, 11 January Three Brewers featured in yesterday’s games, with Matt Hardy’s Caguas team falling behind 3 games to 1 (Best of 7) in their playoff semi-final after dominating the regular season. C Brian Navarreto – 1-for-3, HBP – in Carolina’s 2-0 victory over Santurce RHP Arnaldo Hernandez – 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 1 K – earned a hold in Tiburones’ 9-4 win over Navegantes RHP Matt Hardy (loss) – 1 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 1 BB, 1 K – in Caguas’ 4-2 defeat to Mayaguez

I’m probably wrong, but I feel like it’s about 60% High-A ball, 40% Low-A ball. All of our players seem to perform quite well Down Under…too well ?‍♂️

Winter League Action from Tuesday, January 10 Just two Brewer players saw action yesterday, as playoff season limits the number of games being played. C Brian Navarreto – 0-for-5, HBP – in Carolina’s 4-3 loss in 12 innings to Santurce LHP Alex Claudio – 1/3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 0 K; allowed 1 of 2 inherited runners to score – in Caguas’ 6-1 loss to Mayaguez

Ashby vs. Houser to commence season as #6 starter? 2B/3B Opening Day starters: (i) Turang + Urias OR (ii) Toro + Urias OR (iii) Urias + Brosseau?

Winter League Action from Monday, January 9 Just one Brewer saw action yesterday, but of course he was credited with his team’s victory. Arnaldo Hernandez entered the top of the 11th inning of a 6-6 game, inducing a ground out, fly out and striking out old friend Hernan Perez swinging. Former Brewer-for-6-days Ehire Adrianza then walked and scored on a walk-off single by Maikel Garcia to grab the win, moving their squad to 4-3 in the Round Robin round of the playoffs. RHP Arnaldo Hernandez (win) – 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 1 K – in Tiburones’ 7-6 extra-inning win over Cardenales

Cue Wayne’s World voices: - The signing could mean nothing; OR - It could mean that Eddy Alvarez has an early opt-out. OR that Andruw Monasterio is injured. OR that Brice Turang will make the Opening Day MLB roster! - But it probably means nothing.

Winter League Action from Sunday, January 8 Matt Hardy, JC Mejia and Arnaldo Hernandez all played key relief roles in their teams’ playoff victories yesterday. RHP Matt Hardy – 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 1 K – handled the 8th inning of Caguas’ 3-2 win over Mayaguez C Brian Navarreto – 0-for-3, walk; threw out the only attempted basestealer – in Carolina’s 2-1 loss to Santurce RHP JC Mejia – 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 2 Ks – in Leones del Licey’s walk-off 5-4 win over Gigantes RHP Arnaldo Hernandez – 1/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 K; stranded inherited runner in 7th inning – in Tiburones’ 5-2 win over Navegantes PR/C Jose Sibrian – pinch ran and then then caught one inning in Cardenales’ 7-4 loss to Leones del Caracas

Since the Mariners signed him in July 2017, I believe this will be Hernandez’ final minor league season before free agency. So it looks like a deal of uncertainty on both sides: Will Topa re-gain his old form? Will Hernandez progress enough this year (in High-A AND AA) to merit a strong offer to keep around?

Early Saturday AM: Adelaide clawed a game back with a 2-1 win over Brisbane in the opening game of today’s doubleheader, before Brisbane responded with an 8-1 shellacking in today’s second game, helping Brisbane retain its 4-game lead in the standings: 2B Robert Moore – 4-for-8, double, 2 RBIs, SB (.297 AVG, .904 OPS) C/DH Darrien Miller – 1-for-4, double, 3 walks (.267 AVG, .817 OPS); he also allowed 2 stolen bases RHP Cameron Wagoner (loss) – 6 IP, 2 R, 4 H, 2 BB, 5 K (3.16 ERA) RHP Brannon Jordan – 2 IP, 1 R, 1 H, 2 BB, 5 K (1.83 ERA) In other action, Perth won both games of its doubleheader over Geelong-Korea, with Alex Hall hitting his 5th homer of the campaign: DH/C Alex Hall – 3-for-6, HR, 2 RBIs, 2 walks (.367 AVG, 1.063 OPS); he also threw out 1 of 2 attempted basestealers