Brock Beauchamp

Go vote where you think Dunn should be on the BF list!

Well done, you were on this!

Okay so we didn't do this much last offseason but it's pretty fun. I've removed Mendez and Moore from the Brewer Fanatic top 20 list but now I need your votes on where Dunn fits into the top 20, if he does at all. Take a look at the list and give me a number or, if he doesn't rank in your top 20, vote "n/a". Our prospect page: https://brewerfanatic.com/milwaukee-brewers-top-prospect-rankings/

Interesting deal, gonna need to sit on it and think for a bit. But on the surface, trading excess depth for a need is a good thing.

The posts still exist but I had to archive them because the posts table was slowing down the site. Once they were archived, they no longer appear in search queries but you can still get them from Google, as the pages are indexed. Just do something like "brewerfanatic.com + craig counsell" search and set the time range to the appropriate time period.

Oh hey, I just scanned this last night as I was dozing off, I didn't realize Weeks was named bench coach! That's pretty fun, I hope he does well.

I’m fine with this. It’s not a sexy hire but just fine, probably as a bridge guy for 2-3 years assuming the org doesn’t implode in some fashion.

The incestuous nature of the National League Central continues. Bob Nightengale of USA Today has reported the Brewers are interested in Padres third base coach and former Cardinal skipper, Mike Shildt. Shildt has spent the past few years in the Padres organization as a player development assistant and as a part-time third base coach, filling in for Matt Williams in that role. Brewers fan will be far more familiar with Shildt from his time as the Cardinals manager, filling in after the departure of Mike Matheny in 2018. He managed the Cards until he was fired following the 2021 season over "philosophical differences". Given the recent turmoil in the Cardinals front office and coaching, this may not be a black mark on Shildt. The Padres are also considering Shildt for their manager role and given that he is currently in the San Diego organization, they will have first negotiating rights with him. View full rumor

In this week's Caretaker-exclusive handbook, we look at free agent options the Brewers may consider this winter. Will they spend in free agency or are we looking at a quiet winter? Image courtesy of Brewer Fanatic & Brock Beauchamp This is an excerpt from the 2024 Brewer Fanatic Offseason Handbook, you can find a link to download the entirety of Week One of the handbook at the bottom of the article. This publication is funded by Brewer Fanatic Caretakers and future entries will be available exclusively to Caretakers. During the publish period of the handbook, we are offering 25% off all Caretaker packages using the coupon code HANDBOOK. To become a supporter of Brewer Fanatic, click here. If you are a Caretaker, scroll down to the bottom of this story to download this week's Offseason Handbook PDF. In 2023, the Milwaukee Brewers started seven players at third base during the regular season. The hodgepodge of hot corner holders-down included Andruw Monasterio (51 games), Brian Anderson (50), Owen Miller (18), Mike Brosseau (16), Josh Donaldson (15), Luis Urias (10), and Abraham Toro (2). Brewers’ third basemen held their own on defense, finishing in the middle of the pack in the National League in various metrics, and they were okay at the plate. Compare the third basemen for Milwaukee and for the rest of baseball below: Brewers Third Basemen: 17 HR, .245/.312/.388, .700 OPS MLB Third Basemen: 20 HR, .244/.316/.404, .719 OPS Other than hitting for a tad less power, Milwaukee’s septet was comparable to the rest of Major League Baseball. But besides Anderson (.772) and Miller (.753), no one in that Brewers group on the left side of the infield had an OPS above .700. Last year, 11 MLB third basemen played more than 1,000 innings. You would have to drop down to number 29 on that list to find a Brewer: Anderson, with 476 innings. He was followed, three spots back, by Monasterio (456). And you have to go back to 2017 to find a Brewer on the ‘innings played’ leaderboard. His name was Travis Shaw, who ranked ninth with 1,221 innings at the hot corner six seasons ago. Milwaukee is looking for someone like that to man the position next year and for years to come. They hope they have that man in Tyler Black, who starred at Double-A Biloxi and Triple-A Nashville last year. He may break camp with Milwaukee next March, but if not, he will make his big-league debut at some point in 2024. Whether he can stick at third base is an open question, but he’s too good an athlete to shove across the diamond to first base right away. Will the Brewers sign a free agent in the next couple of months to tide them over until Black’s arrival? Or will they stand pat with Monasterio et al. and hope that Black can sand off his rough edges in time to become their long-term answer there without a short-term shortfall? If GM Matt Arnold and his staff decide to go the free-agent route, they have a few quality choices. Matt Chapman Age: 31 2023 Stats: .240/.330/.424, 17 HR, 4.4 WAR Previous Team: Blue Jays Chapman is a four-time Gold Glove winner with some pop, but he’s seen a power decrease after averaging 28 homers per full season from 2018-22. Last year, he only hit 17. He is durable, averaging 149 games per season. He rates highly among the 2023 free agents, so it will cost a few bucks for the Brewers to sign him. Estimated Cost: 6 years, $150 million Justin Turner Age: 38 2023 Stats: .276/.345/.455, 23 HR, 2.1 WAR Previous Team: Red Sox Turner might be a bit long in the tooth for Milwaukee, but on the other hand, a short-term player might fit the club’s needs. By the time Black’s role is clear, Turner would be ready to move along. He’s a Roberto Clemente Award winner and a perennial fan favorite, but it remains to be seen whether Turner’s preferences at this late stage of his career match up with the Brewers’ plans. Estimated Cost: 1 year, $16 million View full article

How did I not know he was such a butcher at second? Yeah, that doesn't fit the Brewers' MO at all.

Jonathan India, 2021 National League Rookie of the Year, is likely to be put on the trade block by the Reds. Cincinnati fielded offers on India at last year's trade deadline but ultimately, nothing came of it. Seeing how the Brewers and Reds are division rivals, lining up a trade is tricky. India is entering his first year of arbitration in 2024 and will not become a free agent until after the 2026 season. Any trade for India likely means that Willy Adames will be dealt, allowing Brice Turang to slide over to shortstop while India takes second base. The Reds need pitching in a bad way. It's hard to see the Brewers giving up any of their young pitching for a position player while their true roster excess is in the outfield. But if the Reds are interested in one of the Brewers' young outfielders, a deal makes sense for both teams. View full rumor

A Polanco-for-Burnes would be an interesting deal. I wonder what else the ask would be from Minnesota.

Solano is an interesting choice. His contact-heavy nature would be a welcome addition to the Brewers but he had such a nice season in Minnesota that I'm worried the regression bug is going to slam into him hard.

Oh, for sure. I wasn't knocking Lee, his bat likely plays anywhere, I just wanted to point out he's almost surely not a shortstop.

Yeah, I don't think they'll be overly precious with Lee. They also have Jose Miranda and need to do something with him.

I haven't heard about this at all. @Jeremy Nygaard?

The value here is good and reasonable but Lee is not a MLB shortstop. He's likely an acceptable, maybe pretty good MLB third baseman but I'd put his chances at sticking at short under 10%. But the Brewers also need a third baseman so there you go.

Some people just aren't great spellers and the OP got it right more often than they got it wrong. Also, devices are becoming increasingly aggressive about "fixing" things we type so I'm a bit more willing to cut people some slack on stuff like this now. Every once in awhile, my phone will get a bug up its ass and decide it needs to tell me how to spell names even though I capitalized the word (which should flag it as a proper noun), which is infuriating.

You're both underrating how bad Baez has been (0.8 fWAR) and how good Adames still is (3.4 fWAR, slightly better than any season he posted in Tampa).

Not to pat myself on the back but that image of Arnold is pure gold.