Jim French Stepstool

Yeah, Urias was doing little to nothing to make anyone feel he'd be a difference-maker this year. And he wasn't given away.

In the analytics era, one of the new proclamations that's come out of that is how the RBI is an irrelevent, over-rated stat. I've never agreed with that because it often measures something immeasurable--whether or not a moment is too big for a player. They lost this game with the 2nd & 3rd, no one out fiasco after the Yelich double.

1) Santana trade B+. Pretty good deal for Pittsburgh as well. Severino has a chance, but we dealt from strength. Well done. 2) Canha trade B+. This almost seems to be an afterthought trade because it came after the Santana deal & was in the midst of Jimenez rumors. But it could be every bit as fruitful. The guy's a great roster fit. 3) Chafin deal A-. Fills an immediate need, & may be around next year as well. I was a Strez fan but certainly a replaceable role in the organization. 4) Blalock deal B+. Almost gave this a C due to Urias being a guy who has had some productive moments, on both ends of the floor. But this seems to be one of those things that, while I didn't see it coming, should have. The more I hear the more I like Blalock. Seems to be getting better the further removed from TJ & walks very few. 5) McKendry deal B+. Not as intriguing to me as Blalock, but still a depth piece. Anybody a little miffed at losing Jarvis, these last two deals basically filled that potential gap admirably. Jackson was nice to have around in case of an injury, but Navaretto fills the same role. Missed opps----Looking at the Mets dealing Pham for a 17-yr-old SS, I wonder what it would've taken to get him to Milwaukee. I think it's safe to assume Jimenez would've been much too pricey. No big complaints, really. Overall grade---B++. On the 1-100 scale they used back in the stone age, a "B" was like 85-92. They earned a 91.

This is just about word-for-word the way I feel. I thought he could be.......maybe not a cornerstone, but a solid contributor that would settle in at 3B & be reliable with the glove & bat. He did not look good at any point this season, really. Short-term they trusted others. Long-term, I'd much rather have Turang. The more I delve into Blalock, at the end of the day it looks like we received someone roughly a year behind Jarvis on the developmental ladder but with more upside. I also like that he's already gone through the TJ ordeal, too. A final thought--Urias may wind up being serviceable in Boston. Maybe even more than serviceable. But that doesn't necessarily mean it would've happened for him here.

They wanted a 2nd LH in the BP, that's what it's all about. I'm a little surprised they went with only one as long as they did. Very brief look at Claudio earlier, then a little longer one at Andrews, and neither fit the bill. Strzeleckis' struggles surprised me. Glad we're done with 'Zona. He's someone our hitters would struggle with.

I especially like the part about Mitchells' contract being team-friendly for SD. Yeah, Preller always puts a high-priority on cost-saving.

Some of these recent pieces make me feel like I'm reading The Onion.

As long as he comes cheaply enough (and he probably will), fine. After losing J Wilson this isn't all that surprising. If anything it's an indictment of where they think Clayton Andrews is right now, I guess.

Off the top of my head, Lazar. One of the 3 catchers in AAA, probably Navarreto? Amaya? I don't quite know what to think of Ernesto Martinez anymore.

I'm picturing a comfy seat on the oversized sofa, a bowl of popcorn, watching 8 hours of coverage on MLBN tomorrow with a megaphone, shouting at the screen, GOPHERIT!!!!!!! MOVE THE NEEDLE!!!!!!

FWIW, Counsell said in postgame Canha could play some in RF, with Frelick moving to CF. That tells me Wiemer mostly sees time vs LHP, unless Canha settles in to the DH spot.

Yeah, he wasn't at his top form. But I was thinking it's go-time & he's facing 8-9-1. I also thought he was at like 90-91 pitches. If it was 95 that changes the face of it some, for sure.

With the right people working with him it could take one off-season. Also, the adjustment(s) might not be as pronounced as we all think. It's where his swing, hips, head etc are at point of contact. Not that he doesn't need to go in the shop, but I've seen some weird initial stances at the plate that worked for people. If his setup has looked like this throughout his pro career, and why it was left alone, I have no answer.

I'll pine over the lost opportunity of acquiring Jimenez when I know what it would've taken to seal the deal, and if I would've been OK with the cost. Pretty safe to say we'll never have the answer. Jarvis had a rough start to his AAA odyssey, but not a depth of AA-AAA arms who seem to have a chance. So I would've liked for the cost to be a smidge less. Brewers4eric echoes my thoughts---if he produces like he's capable of & helps get them to October, OK. CC said something interesting postgame--Canha can play RF, with Frelick sometimes moving to CF. That tells me we may see Joey primarily vs LHP from here out, unless Canha settles into DH a healthy % of the time.

Since this is an in-game thread......... When Burnes left the mound after the sixth I was wondering about the conversation in the dugout, or if there was one. He wasn't on top of his game but I wanted him to come back out if he was lobbying to do so. No mention in post-game from CC though. Big picture the ABs tonite were pretty good. Ten hits, could've easily been more. What I didn't like was the big moments. The team several games under .500 put up a lot brainier ABs in those situations than we did. Monasterio & Caratini both 1st pitch DPs on balls that weren't even close to being squared up, one vs a reliever who just entered the game & has walked people in his stints. We've scored runs lately but still too many times where the moment seems to get a little too big for whoever is at the plate. I watch Joey Wiemer hit & I think "incomplete". Just soooo far from a finished product. Still, he's probably going to finish the season with around 20 HRs. Glad he's here.

........Claimed on waivers by Houston. Sorry wasn't able to provide a link. Sorry he never came around with Milwaukee. When he was right, that slider was exceptional. 40-man now at 39.

Even though we're out of the stagecoach age & it doesn't really make any difference it gives you a little more feeling of connectivity with us being in town. I assume the pertinent braintrust is travelling with the team. Assuming however the cost for Candelario is stiffer than anyone on the list, save for maybe Verdugo who isn't quite as good a fit.

Maybe if he threw a ball so hard it knocked down the OF wall in Carolinas' ballpark......... Gotta put up those statcast numbers!!

True. I'd be shocked if he didn't cost more. It's a really interesting dynamic. He rubs totally against the run prevention philosophy, even when you consider he'd be DHing because plugging one roster spot in that role w/o any other value hasn't been our MO. He only does one thing, but does it really well. And he spends quite a bit of time on the IL. Just a tough profile to value regarding what it would take to acquire him. For all we know a deal in principal might be agreed to contingent upon medicos giving him a thumbs up. Is there a DH health lab down the hall from the pitching lab?🤔

........And at the end of the day, I'd rather have Canha anyway. Seems pretty obvious it's more than just "checking in" on Jimenez, but if that doesn't happen Canha might be a fallback.

I agree. I thought there was virtually no chance of him coming to Milwaukee this summer & having it be a good idea. I'm still against it, but if any deal/deals they're working on don't come to fruition & he continues to rake in the next week-10 days It's not an impossibility. But I think Black would be the better dice roll.

And/or they think Freddy Zamora is going to reign in the talented, but erratic glove. He swings a decent bat. Of the four names you listed, I agree Adams is the one I'd most like to keep.

Megill replaced Wilson. I think you're correct in that he profiles as a back-of-the-rotation guy. But there isn't a plethora of even those types in Nashville or Biloxi.

After dealing Reese Olson & Antoine Kelley for BP help & neither trade working out at all, I doubt Jarvis would be dealt for the same type of asset. If that's why he was scratched it would have to be for a bat, & one they must like quite a bit because Jarvis is a prospect starter in one of the top two levels of the system, and there ain't much depth there right now.

You might have it, although I could see #s 3 & 5 flipped. What I'd LIKE to see: Frelick Contreras Yelich Santana Monasterio Adames Toro Turang Wiemer