Brewcrew82

Gotta admit I'm fairly surprised as it seemed to me like things were trending for Stearns to move forward with the team. But if he was unwilling to make a commitment past this year, then this is the step that needed to be taken. Arnold was Stearns' right hand man throughout his tenure, so I doubt things will change too much. If anything, it's always nice to have that fresh blood as things can become stagnant after 8 years. But this still hurts as Stearns has led us to some of our greatest heights as a franchise. I always thought that, if anyone would propel us to our first World Series championship, it would be him. Oh well, good luck in the future and thanks for bringing us a consistent contender.

It just never stops does it? SMH

And what exactly were you right about? That Stearns wanted out? Sure. But that wasn't your entire argument was it? Rather, it was that Stearns was rushing to leave and so was making moves that would sacrifice the team's long-term future. You were certainly wrong about that. Also, should I bring up how you repeatedly mocked me earlier this year when I suggested that the Phillies were a good team? I think we can safely say now that they're a good team, given that they're playing in the World Series tomorrow night.....

With how they've apparently cooled Reetz, Feliciano, and Severino, something tells me they're prepared to make an outside addition. Catcher production was too underwhelming last year.

Again, if the Brewers never felt comfortable going with Jacob Nottingham as even the primary backup C, they're almost certainly not ready to go with Feliciano as the catcher alongside Caratini when Feliciano remains a huge liability behind the plate. Especially when the Brewers are built as heavily as they are on pitching and run prevention.

If you're trading Burnes to the Blue Jays, might as well just take Moreno/Kirk off their hands rather than paying Vasquez. "Three GG caliber outfielders"?? To make that kind of a statement, you should at least have a guy who's won one already (Yelich doesn't really count). Of course, Mitchell and Wiemer are great minor league defenders, but they're still largely unproven at the major league level. Taylor is good in the OF, but he's not quite at a GG level. Quintana and Drury would be dangerous FA signings for the Brewers given how their careers were trending for several years before this season and the fact that they're both in their thirties. Finally, Uribe probably isn't going to be a consideration for the bullpen until the second half. Certainly, they're not going to count on him to play a HL role right away setting up Williams.

Did he rebound, though? His offensive numbers in AAA this year were improved from 2021 (in which he only played 39 games), but they still were nothing to write home about. And that's just one half of the game. He remains a HUGE liability on defense. I can't see the Brewers relying on Feliciano to play a meaningful role this season.

We'll see what the San Diego fanbase thinks of him if Hader and Soto leave without a World Series to show for, while they are left with little financial flexibility due to paying Machado and Tatis over $600 million and an aging roster due to their depleted farm system. He'll either be a saint or a serpent.

Gotcha. Yeah, there's a little more assurance with Murphy given that he's been Oakland's primary catcher for the past couple of seasons, but I really like the combination of reduced prospect capital and upside with Jansen. If given the chance to be an everyday catcher, I think Jansen could turn out to be among the best offensive catchers in the game (he led all MLB catchers in wRC+ this season). And he hasn't exactly been slouch on defense, either, before taking into account our recent history with developing catcher defense (i.e. Narvaez). A potential all-star catcher, imho, that won't require the typical payment for an all-star catcher.

Murphy will cost wayyy more than Jansen. In that case, you're looking at dealing something like Frelick, Wiemer, Gasser, and Black.

Danny Jansen just makes too much sense IMO. Wisconsin-native. Young, controllable, potential all-star, and helps with this team's OBP and K issues. Blocked by an all-star in Kirk and a top 5 prospect in Moreno. In terms of cost, it won't be as excessive as one might think given that the Jays have little choice but to trade him this offseason and he's never played more than 107 games in a season. I think Mitchell/Wiemer and Rodriguez (the pitcher) can get you there, and that that would be among the Jays' best offers. Would I prefer not to trade one of our young outfielders? Of course. But you have to give to get and we have a brewing overload at the position between Frelick, Mitchell, Ruiz, Wiemer, and (sooner than you think) Chourio.

It's a great start to what could be a special class.

It's not about picking sides, and it shouldn't be. It's about whether trading Hader was in the best interest of the franchise. Long term, no question that it was in our best interest. But it did backfire specifically as it relates to this past year while we were contending, and Stearns has rightfully taken the heat for it. But the players also deserve some of the blame for how they played following the deal. We should have made the playoffs even without Hader. Instead of continuing to rehash it, let's move forward as what happened, happened. We have a very real chance of making it back to the playoffs next year, and some opportunities to improve the ball-club, not to mention a greatly improved farm system. I'm very excited to see what's in store.

In September, Adames slashed: .274/.339/.496. That's in line with his 2021 season, as opposed to the rest of this past season where he mostly hit in the low 200s with a sub .300 OBP. That's what I'm talking about when I question which player we're going to get moving forward. It would be to our detriment as a franchise if it's the low 200 BA/sub .300 OBP player whose defense will eventually decline as he ages throughout an extension. But if it's the 2021/September 2022 player, then you're looking at a 5-7 WAR guy in the first few years who will still hit enough to offset the inevitable defensive decline in the later years. That's definitely someone worth extending. Now, you may be right in that his lower batting line this year was the result of an abnormally low BABIP. But I would rather wait into next season to find out for sure, as opposed to rushing into an extension this offseason only to learn that 2021 was the high point as far as his bat is concerned. And if during this offseason, a team like the Dodgers were to inquire as to his availability, I would seriously consider it depending on the package. As for Chourio, you're right in that any extension would come very early in his big league career a la. Acuna, Franco, Rodriguez, etc. But you do realize that such an extension would also cover his pre-arbitration and arbitration years, which will definitely coincide with Yelich and Woodruff/Burnes? We'd actually be paying more (relatively) on the front end, while hopefully getting a bargain on the back-end. Why it's wise for a cash-strapped team like the Brewers to be cautious in doling out extensions, as it can seriously limit your financial flexibility down the road.

In September, Adames slashed: .274/.339/.496. That's in line with his 2021 season, as opposed to the rest of this past season where he mostly hit in the low 200s with a sub .300 OBP. That's what I'm talking about when I question which player we're going to get moving forward. It would be to our detriment as a franchise if it's the low 200 BA/sub .300 OBP player whose defense will eventually decline as he ages throughout an extension. But if it's the 2021/September 2022 player, then you're looking at a 5-7 WAR guy in the first few years who will still hit enough to offset the inevitable defensive decline in the later years. That's definitely someone worth extending. Now, you may be right in that his lower batting line this year was the result of an abnormally low BABIP. But I would rather wait into next season to find out for sure, as opposed to rushing into an extension this offseason only to learn that 2021 was the high point as far as his bat is concerned. And if during this offseason, a team like the Dodgers were to inquire as to his availability, I would seriously consider it depending on the package. As for Chourio, you're right in that any extension would come very early in his big league career a la. Acuna, Franco, Rodriguez, etc. But you do realize that such an extension would also cover his pre-arbitration and arbitration years, which will definitely coincide with Yelich and Woodruff/Burnes? We'd actually be paying more (relatively) on the front end, while hopefully getting a bargain on the back-end. Why it's wise for a cash-strapped team like the Brewers to be cautious in doling out extensions, as it can seriously limit your financial flexibility down the road.

JD Martinez scares the heck out of me with the numbers he posted after May, particularly the decline in his power and exit velocity. I think he's clearly on the downswing, and that if we're going to move Yelich to 1B, we're better served going with Rowdy at DH. I think Rowdy's going to put up similar power numbers to this year, but with an improved BA, OBP, and OPS in light of the shift ban.

Yeah. Obviously, Burnes is a tough sign, with Woodruff being far more realistic. You have no argument from me there. I just think we should be cautious about extending Adames in light of the Yelich deal. Like, is he more the player that we saw in 2021 and September of this year, or the player that we saw for most of 2022? If the former, then yes, sign him to an extension. If the latter, though, an extension is probably not in our best interest. I know that if the Dodgers called us up this offseason and offered Vargas and one of their pitching prospects for him (e.g., Pepiot), I would seriously consider the deal with a viable replacement ready in Turang. I want the flexibility to lock up an ace starter (probably Woodruff) and, eventually, Chourio. Those are the types of talents are the essential ingredients to building a World Series-contending club. God knows Yelich already significantly hampers us.

Yeah. Obviously, Burnes is a tough sign, with Woodruff being far more realistic. You have no argument from me there. I just think we should be cautious about extending Adames in light of the Yelich deal. Like, is he more the player that we saw in 2021 and September of this year, or the player that we saw for most of 2022? If the former, then yes, sign him to an extension. If the latter, though, an extension is probably not in our best interest. I know that if the Dodgers called us up this offseason and offered Vargas and one of their pitching prospects for him (e.g., Pepiot), I would seriously consider the deal with a viable replacement ready in Turang. I want the flexibility to lock up an ace starter (probably Woodruff) and, eventually, Chourio. Those are the types of talents are the essential ingredients to building a World Series-contending club. God knows Yelich already significantly hampers us.

Yeah, these are much more realistic figures imo. Though, I'm not sure if I would give that extension to Adames, considering 1) we have Turang (and Brown) 2) we'll be paying Yelich throughout most such a deal, and 3) Adames doesn't quite fit the profile of a player who is likely to age gracefully. Top tier starting pitchers have a much longer shelf-life these days (e.g., Verlander, Scherzer, DeGrom, etc.), which is why I think we need to focus our extension efforts on Burnes and Woodruff, specifically. Adames might prove most useful to the organization as a trade asset to replenish the team with younger talent. Also, it's important to note that, if Chourio continues on his superstar prospect trajectory, we'll want to retain the financial flexibility to sign him to a long-term deal a la. Acuna, Franco, Rodriguez, Harris, etc.

Yeah, these are much more realistic figures imo. Though, I'm not sure if I would give that extension to Adames, considering 1) we have Turang (and Brown) 2) we'll be paying Yelich throughout most such a deal, and 3) Adames doesn't quite fit the profile of a player who is likely to age gracefully. Top tier starting pitchers have a much longer shelf-life these days (e.g., Verlander, Scherzer, DeGrom, etc.), which is why I think we need to focus our extension efforts on Burnes and Woodruff, specifically. Adames might prove most useful to the organization as a trade asset to replenish the team with younger talent. Also, it's important to note that, if Chourio continues on his superstar prospect trajectory, we'll want to retain the financial flexibility to sign him to a long-term deal a la. Acuna, Franco, Rodriguez, Harris, etc.

I think you're slightly misunderstanding me. Houser is no backup for Burnes/Woodruff. While a valuable piece of rotation depth atm, he's a guy who, if he continues to produce at current levels, we should be content to let walk once his six years of team control expires. The real backup is in the high-level pitching prospects we would presumably get in any Burnes/Woodruff trade. Lauer, again, is a different story as he's younger and more productive than Houser. If you buy out a year or two of his free agency, you'll have a middle of the rotation pitcher who is still in his prime years.

Ashby, Gasser, and Peralta are already here long term. Then, you have Rodriguez, Misiorowski, Henderson, etc. in the lower levels of the minors. Why would you guarantee Houser money past his prime into his early to mid 30s when his production, as I have stated, just doesn't justify the risk? If you want to talk about buying out a year or two of Eric Lauer's free agency, that would be something to consider, as he's younger and has been more productive. But it just doesn't line up for that kind of extension for Houser right now given how pinched we are for pennies, and the fact that we have Burnes/Woodruff who we need to focus our efforts on.

I disagree. The Brewers need to be pushing the envelope for an extension from at least one of their aces. As we have seen this postseason, you need those types of pitchers to effectively compete for a World Series. Yet, they are in rare supply and are particularly hard to develop. If the Brewers hope to capitalize on this next wave of position player talent headlined by Chourio, they will need to retain one of those guys to anchor the rotation (probably Woodruff).

I disagree. The Brewers need to be pushing the envelope for an extension from at least one of their aces. As we have seen this postseason, you need those types of pitchers to effectively compete for a World Series. Yet, they are in rare supply and are particularly hard to develop. If the Brewers hope to capitalize on this next wave of position player talent headlined by Chourio, they will need to retain one of those guys to anchor the rotation (probably Woodruff).

Wholly unnecessary. Houser's production doesn't justify an extension to his age 35 season. You need to be able to consistently churn out pitchers like Houser from your farm system. In recent years, the Brewers have shown they have no problem doing just that. On the other hand, the Woodruffs and Burneses of the world are much much harder to develop and is why all extension efforts should be directed towards them, or if that fails, they should be traded for prospects who have a reasonable chance at ascending to that level.