Brock Beauchamp

Thanks for posting this, I always miss this kind of stuff and will update the AmFam guide later to reflect these additions.

Thank you, I never use that view!

I only mean "hide" in the sense of reducing his workload where possible. He's a legit center fielder, for sure. And maybe that's where he should be playing, I'm only leaving the door open to "well, if you don't have to play him there, should you?"

I agree but most teams don't have the center field options the Brewers currently do, either. Personally, I'd probably try to hide Chourio in right and let someone else play center, if only to let Jackson focus more on adapting to hitting MLB pitching. I also don't feel strongly about it.

They've never really had a problem working this out on their own so I don't feel a pressing need to help them along in the process.

I am 100% okay with opt-outs in the current baseball landscape. I wish the baseball landscape was wildly different with younger players earning a lot more money and aging veterans less, but that's a conversation for another day.

Mauer owned nearly 50% of all catcher batting titles in baseball history when he retired. That goes well beyond the territory of "rare". Also, I think he was the first catcher MVP since Bench in the early 70s. People still don't properly evaluate catchers and the rigors of the position. There is a reason why catchers don't win things like home run titles, batting titles, MVPs, etc. The position grinds them to a nub. So when a player like Mauer, or Posey, or I-Rod comes along, we need to appreciate just how special they are.

I’m torn on Urshela. I think he’s a decent option at third but I’m almost at the point where I’m in favor of slotting Black there and letting the chips fall where they may. Take the upside risk over a middling veteran. Of course, this all depends how they feel about Black’s arm at third.

With the recent Rhys Hoskins signing, General Manager Matt Arnold has firmly committed the Brewers to contending in 2024, and that's a good thing. The projected payroll is still roughly $20 million lower than it was in 2023 and there is no indication whether the Brewers are lowering payroll amidst television broadcast uncertainty or if they're still in the market to add more players this offseason. But the general consensus among the rumor-mongers is that trades of either or both Willy Adames and Corbin Burnes are increasingly unlikely to happen this winter. Every Burnes rumor thus far has stalled out before it gained traction. Willy Adames has been even less connected to specific rumors, only speculation. In the case of Adames, if the Brewers were truly in the market to deal him, we'd likely hear significant rumblings about it, as the shortstop free agent class this offseason was the worst we've seen in several years. Isiah Kiner-Falefa, possibly the best shortstop on the market, signed only a two-year deal with the Blue Jays and is a pale comparison to Adames, whose glove guarantees a relatively high floor for the 28 year old. Burnes is harder to predict. He has stated he plans to explore free agency after the 2024 season and the pitching market has been slow to develop. High-profile free agents Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery are still available while Dylan Cease and Shane Bieber are being offered in trade. Whether the Brewers are truly interested in trading Burnes or not, the timer might run out on Spring Training before a market materializes for the 2021 Cy Young Award winner. View full rumor

If they moved Houser and Taylor to clear payroll space, it makes me wonder about their ultimate payroll and/or what plans they have for the rest of the offseason. I try not to judge the offseason until a clear picture presents itself. If the Brewers are truly going to be $20m under their 2023 payroll, that's pretty disappointing. If this is just one step in a plan yet not complete, I'm interested to see what that plan is.

Yet another reason why the voters' annoying stance on PEDs is so frustrating. It had a cascading effect that hurt a lot of interesting conversations about Hall-worthiness. Guys like Johan Santana and Kenny Lofton (and Joe Nathan) didn't get the conversation they deserved. Even if voters decided PED guys aren't worthy - and I think that's a bad stance given the hall's current occupants - voters then electing Ortiz to the hall basically shredded whatever little credibility they had left.

Wagner definitely had better ERA and FIP but they pitched the same innings, had very similar WARs, and their WPA are almost identical (Nathan's a hair better, actually). They're closer than you're letting on, though I agree Wagner is better. For the record, I don't know if I'd vote for Nathan. I don't think I would. But I'd probably vote for Wagner. Joe Nathan was criminally underrated, that's more my point. Even if you think Wagner is better (and I do), it doesn't explain Wagner nearly clearing 75% this year (and should make it next year) while Nathan received virtually no votes.

Joe Nathan is roughly the equivalent to Wagner and was out on the first ballot, IIRC. I'm not saying Wagner shouldn't get in, just pointing out the weirdness of HoF voting preferences. And I think it's pretty clear Mauer and Helton (ignoring his personal issues) are a step above Wagner's career.

What a pleasant surprise! I was solo parenting last night and basically checked out of the internet for the entire evening. Woke up to find the Brewers actually signed Hoskins, which I *maybe* gave them a 10% chance of doing.

I think my cutoffs for the hall and relievers is somewhere around Papelbon and Nathan... but I can't decide which side of the fence to put them. It's so hard to evaluate relievers, the current metrics and tiers don't do them justice. I've started leaning on WPA more for them, as it's the only thing that seems to approximate the actual value they bring a team.

Oh, the Sox absolutely need to max out Cease's value but if the asking price is so high that rival executives believe he won't be traded at all, they're making a mistake.

I haven't been able to nail down specific players, only that the ask is really big, as it should be. The Brewers letting it ride with Burnes makes sense, as they can compete in 2024 and then QO him at the end of the season. It's not a perfect option but it's not terrible, either. What the White Sox are doing with Cease seems insane to me. If they go into Opening Day with him as the starter, what a mess.

I've heard rumors from other teams about Burnes and they went absolutely nowhere as well. One in particular seems entirely dead at this point.

Thanks for the catch, moving categories.

All quiet on the pitcher front. Mark Feinsand of MLB.com wrote this excellent write-up about both the reliever and starting pitcher winter markets. While the reliever free agent market seems to have stalled on Josh Hader, Feinsand goes on to point out that the starting pitching market hasn't fared much better with several high-profile free agents still on the market, headlined by Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery. In a cascading effect, this has caused the starting pitcher trade market to be equally slow, so much so that one NL executive is quoted saying "I don’t think the trade market will be very hot in the next month". Other executives stated that it's unlikely White Sox starter Dylan Cease will be moved due to his high asking price and there are doubts surrounding Guardians starter Shane Bieber. Is this a positive development for the Brewers and does it make a Corbin Burnes trade more or less likely? View full rumor

The biggest problem with Arraez isn't his defense, it's his health. When he's healthy, he can hold his own at second base. He's not great by any means but with that bat, he's far from a liability. The problem is that the guy cannot keep his lower body healthy and he's only getting older. And when his lower body starts to be a problem, even if he stays on the field he's diminished in every capacity, and by a lot. Luis Arraez is fantastic if he's feeling good and hitting .330. But what happens is that he gets banged up and hits .270 for a couple of months with brutal defense. And his player type just isn't valuable at .270. But he's legitimately one of the most fun players to watch on a nightly basis.

I mean, if Jake Bauers is the pole to clear, I guess I'd maybe take Votto? But the Brewers have done *so little* this offseason, they might be able to afford Hoskins. He's my first choice. And if they can't get him, I'd rather have Santana than Votto. And I say this as a person who adores Joey Votto and thinks he is one of the most fun players of this generation.

In his daily roundup, Bob Nightengale (yes, I know) mentioned the Brewers are a good fit for the 40-year-old former-Reds slugger. This could be speculation on Nightengale's part - and we all know he's not above firing from the hip on these things - but having specifically mentioned "three teams are interested" in Votto last week, the Brewers are possibly in play. From a roster fit, Votto simultaneously makes sense and no sense at all, depending what you think of players like Tyler Black: can he stick at third, is he ready for a prolonged chance to hit MLB pitching? The Brewers are lacking in corner offense and should they decide to pass on bringing back Carlos Santana, Votto could be a stop-gap measure at first base and possibly DH. View full rumor