UpandIn

Yeah, it's REALLY hard to see it happening when they don't even talk to you about it. I am FULLY resolved to being a small market team with a limited number of fans(fans that support their team more than any other fanbase...but there are simply fewer of us). That's doesn't mean you just...don't...try. 2025, we'll have a top 4-5 offense, good starting pitching, just lacking that true ace to pitch Game 1 of playoff series or just dominant teams. Well...we probably wouldn't regardless, but at least you would have been told no instead of even talking to him and seeing if MAYBE he valued 100+M in guaranteed money 3 years out than just not even approaching him. And the fact that he seems bothered by it....maybe he was looking for it. It IS the only organization he's ever known. But, now we'll never know. Corbin Burnes was 3 years away from Free Agency. He was NOT getting a market value contract. Again, I just named a whole bunch of players who signed team friendly deals. Also, you CAN absolutely afford the money that Mercedes costs. You can't buy that Mercedes and then...I don't want keep going with this analogy, but you're obviously limited in other areas. Good thing that you've got a loaded farm system with MLB ready players and not only are you getting a significant raise from your own TV deal, but a big raise from the National deal. The Brewers payroll isn't going to approach the Cohen tax, but it should reasonable be able to sit in the 150 range. Especially if it means keeping the best pitcher you've ever developed. But AGAIN, we don't even know what the price is. We're presuming he wants FA money 3 years before he was eligible to become a FA. That was never realistic. The Mets, the Yankees, the Dodgers, no team does that. Why would we? They've clearly already determined they'er going to trade him and they have a good idea when that's going to happen.

Yeah...that's pretty radical. Now you're fundamentally changing the game of baseball. Imagine the value SPers like Burnes/Woodruff and then closers like Hader(yeah, still including him) or Clase. The Dodgers would just spend about 160M on 3 starters...like deGrom, Verlander and...IDK, maybe trade for Burnes) to go with Buhler, Kershaw, May Urias and the other 9 home grown guys they've got(just so they're covered) and then trade the other half of their system for Clase and win about 154 games. 7 innings never felt quite right even in AAU or HS. I'm not sure I could ever get used to that one.

But...it won't make them millions more. GMs aren't stupid. There is still a hierarchy offensively...the top players are paid accordingly. Guys who hit for 15 points higher on their BA...if the rest of the league is doing so, it's not going to fundamentally change. If the leagues collective batting average goes back up to ~.265 that won't devalue pitchers and increase the value on hitters. It'll re-allocate how/where resources are spent perhaps. You're not gonna be able to get away with Travis Shaw at 2B. You'll want more athletes all around the IF, particularly up the middle(which has always been a goal, but less of one with the shift). Speed and base running will be a greater priority. But I don't think you'll see salaries shooting up as a result of this shift/rule change.

I really doubt many pitchers are looking at or for the 9 year deals at this point. They're more in the 3-5 year range. I really don't know how these things are initiated, but this seems just...lazy and stupid on the Brewers behalf. I think dress this up. You at least sit down and have that conversation. If they come out with something going INTO this year in the 5/150 range, you say, "we think he's worth it, we just can't commit those resources to one player," go about your day. But the guy wins a Cy Young and you don't even have the cursory meeting? Really? The same organization that was outbidding the Cubs for Yu Darvish reportedly? Or at LEAST had a 100M+ offer on the table after signing LoCain? 9 years though...I sincerely doubt either side would have wanted that. This is just maddening to hear. I would assume the same is true of Woodruff as well. Now the question is do they make some cursory Prince Fielder, Carlos Lee type offer so you can say you tried later on? And to be clear, I don't think the Brewers did this because they're "cheap" and Mark Attanasio is "lining his own pockets," I think they likely did this because they're generally pretty risk adverse. Well, it takes a little risk to win a WS.

Jacob deGrom...who is probably the most dominant pitcher of this generation and was coming off 3 straight 200IP season signed a 5/138M extension. Soto is getting 400M Turner may get 400M It's VERY unlikely Burnes or any pitcher will, and for the Brewers to not even approach him to TALK about a contract extension is...asinine. 3 YEARS until he was set to become a FA and they didn't even talk to him. Gauge his interest? And the argument is, "well, why bother, he'd probably say no." I guess there is a reason SO many GMs were shocked at what the Braves signed Albies and Acuna Jr for(or even Riley, though that was at least closer to market value). 100M guaranteed for a guy who's one injury away from a career ending/altering injury...he PROBABLY doesn't sign. Though the fact that he's even made mention of it would infer that there was at least some interest on his part. Certainly...as a FREE AGENT. Not with 3 years and potentially 600 innings, 3 playoff races and all the risk that comes with that between him and unrestricted free agency. THAT should come out to ~20-25M AAV. Ronald Acuna should be in line for a 35M dollar a year deal. Instead he's coming up on what would be his 3rd arbitration year next year and he's locked in at 17M per year. He's been "worth" roughly 150M dollars. Why would a 21 year old and his agents let him pass up a couple hundred MILLION in earnings? I don't know, and I don't care, but the deal doesn't get done without approaching Acuna Jr. The Braves have set themselves up to compete with the top payroll teams by signing players when it was advantageous for them(Acuna Jr, Albies, Riley, Olson, Micael Harris, ANOTHER 21 year old who's worth ~5 WAR this year) all for smart long term deals. And then when a player doesn't extend, they move on. What did they save over the next decade on those deals? Half a billion? More?

My bad, I didn't search, but I didn't see it. I'd have just bumped it... As for Black, what's going on there? I thought they were hoping he'd be healthy by the end of the year and able to get back out there for Fall League. I thought about Martinez because...I just really love the way the guy plays, but wasn't sure if he'd be considered a big enough prospect to get there. He's kinda like the T-Rats version of Cody Bellinger. A 6'5 guy who can play 1B, CF and has some quick hands. Avina is another one I'd like to see, but I was thinking he was just too young and they'd likely not send him out there. He looks like an incredible value for a 15th rounder though... I really haven't paid attention too closely to who's been sent to the AZF the last couple years, but obviously with the limits lifted on how many players below AA-AAA opens the Brewers up to a whole lot more options...as does the talent they seem to have in A ball at the time. In the past, I'd have assumed Chourio was promoted so they could send him to the Fall League while still sending someone else as that promotion at this point doesn't make all that much sense to me on it's own.

Can't argue with that. I was thinking rather than let him sit with this all season, give him a little break(though it is admittedly a very short break...I thought it used to be about 6-7 weeks between the end of the MiLB season and the AZ Fall League) and then get him out there vs some more aggressive hitters where his style of pitching may yield better results. Maybe increase his value, confidence... But it could certainly could do just the opposite. I didn't know Black was going to be out until spring. At the time of the injury, I remembered a few articles that stated the Brewers hoped he'd be able to come back and play by the time the AZF started. Rodriguez...I'd completely forgotten he was out with a torn ACL. I thought he was another torn meniscus.

None of that would be the same. A catchers ability to frame pitches would be irrelevant, and I think you're taking something away from pitchers that's ALWAYS been there. Pitchers consistently hit their spots, they do get an extra inch or two on the outside. Rigth...but you wouldn't be getting that call from an ump if you're getting automatic balls and strikes. We're talking about these robo-umps where they automatically call balls and strikes. And I disagree that pitchers who hit their spots just outside the zone don't still get the strike calls like they did in the mid 90s, but I do believe umps are generally exceptional at what they do...so I don't think it's a big problem. I just don't want to eliminate umpires from the game entirely...and that's effectively what you're doing here. Or you're well on your way to doing so.

The way I understand it, just taking your lead doesn't constitute advancing toward second. Advancing toward second is taking off and starting to attempt to steal. But if a guy is 30 feet off the bad, then it's a pretty easy solution. Step off and run toward him. You'll get the out and then there are no issues.

Just curious who y'all think could be in line for a spot in the Arizona Fall League. I haven't seen this post, so I thought with the MiLB season coming to a close, could be a good time. I'll start with players I wouldn't send this particular year; The Nashville 5-Turang, Frelick, Mitchell, Wiemer, Ruiz-Of the two, It MIGHT make sense to send Turang there to get him more playing time at 3B and 2B. Ruiz maybe time at 2B to see if he can work on his hands, but by in large, they're shown what they need to show, all had big years in AAA and there is little for the Brewers to find out there. Jackson Chourio-He's shot up SO quickly this year, I'd just give him some time, let him play in the Dominican League in a bit more anonymity(or at least less pressure). They're already pushing him aggressively and he seemed to have slowed down a bit toward the end of the year. Still think he's got a chance to go, but I'd let him take the foot off the gas and start him in HiA next year and when he produces, preferably early in the season, a quick promotion to AA. Jefferson Quero-Again, same reason. He doesn't have the high prospect ranking next to his name, but he's produced like one and he's done so at a premiere position and he's just...what, half a year older than Chourio but he's been up in HiA and even in a smaller sample size, he's actually out-performed him offensively. Robert Gasser-RHP He's finishing the season on an exceptionally high note. He's also thrown 121 IP and will finish up with 40+ innings over his previous career high. Carlos Rodriguez-RHP Same thinking, he's up to 120 innings in his first full year. He's been outstanding. I think just shutting him down is a good idea. Bring him back next year in AA, Tyler Black-2B/3B/CF if he is healthy and ready to go...which was the speculation when he got injured, that he should(could) be back by the time he was healthy to play in the Arizona Fall League. That'd be the most obvious choice if he's good, and participating in baseball activities. It would hardly have been a surprise to see him progress along with Frelick up through HiA, AA and then end the season in AAA. I think it's more likely he's a half season behind Frelick if he stays healthy, but he has outstanding command of the strike zone, he's got good power, good speed, can play all over the field. He'd be an option for the OF in the near future if we didn't have Brewers AAA OF equivalent of Willie....Micky and the Duke(imagine that in harmony). Ok, that's pushing juuuust a bit, nonetheless, a very deep and talented group of players who can play the OF. But he can play 2nd and 3rd...I'm gonna assume he can play 1st if he can play those two,...though 3B drops his value with his limit arm, unless he can improve his arm strength. Jace Peterson has been an outstanding defender at 3B this year and he's certainly not Scott Rolen at 1B throwing 100 over to 1B. Cam Devanney-3B/SS (and presumably 2B/1B moving forward if need be). Cat's kinda out of the bag on him now. Not to say he's some lock to go in the rule 5, but this could help the Brewers make their decision one way or the other if they're on the fence(I've come around to protecting him just because of Joseph Zarr's commentary on him...which has forced me to kinda dig a little deeper and see some of the INCREDIBLE plays he's made defensively. We love utility players, right? Well, a plus defensive 3B, at least a good defensive SS. Devanney has taken a strange route. 4 year College player...very good 1st year, but just at rookie ball. Struggle after skipping both levels of A ball after the Covid season, but this year put up very solid offensive lines. A .~.260/.340/.480. I get he's going to be 26 when next season starts, but we've also rostered the likes of Pablo Reyes, Mathias, and others. I think these two are rather obvious if healthy with Black and Devanney should just be headed their either way. Eric Brown Jr-SS/2B The 1st round pick...could swap him out with Robert Moore or Dylan O'Rae, but I'd prefer to see Brown there for obvious reasons. Wes Clarke-C/1B/DH Clarke has played all over the field. Maybe a good chance to see if he can Catch a little more...even if it's more as a 3rd option. But he's been a productive hitter. High Walk Rate, hit for good power, he's produced at AA(again, in limited time). Darrien Miller-C Another intriguing catching prospect. I expect the Brewers to send at least one with their catching depth, but Miller is a viable option here. Ethan Small-LHP Small has been finishing the season about as poorly as a guy who came into the year with a legitimate claim to the 6th spot in what appeared to be among the best rotations 1-5 in all of baseball could. Struggling to find the zone, not trusting his stuff. Rich Hill was the comp I heard a lot. You can see it in their delivery, in their stuff. But it seems like he's trying to make the perfect pitch. He's also under or just around 100 IP this year. Given a month off, a chance to regroup and then go and face some of the top prospects, I think that could be good for him. His confidence coming into next year, his trade value, whatever it may be. I still believe he will be a good #4 who can eat a lot of innings and be an effective starter...which of course is extremely valuable. Stiven Cruz-RHP From what I can see, his stuff is really coming along. He's dominated at HiA. if you could get him 15 innings there, I think you could find out quite a bit about him as a 20 year old in HiA. I like the idea of sending a couple of the Brewers fireballers Jacob Misiorowski RHP- Who doesn't want to see the guy who throws 102 with a lower 90's slider pitching more? If nothing else, we get his feet wet against good competition. More likely he goes to the Brewers "pitching lab," along with Cruz and Gasser, but with the limited innings, He's OBVIOUSLY on a very limited pitch count and I'd be hesitant to send an arm like his to the AZF League, but I'd like to see him get a few more innings under his belt. I believe we're required to send at least one starter. I might label him as a reliever for AZF leaue purposes and keep his pitch count under 45. Zach Vennaro-Power righty...I think there's something there. Could be a good chance to see if that plus fastball can ever develop a modicum of consistency...and not in the way of 6ER outings every few weeks. Lucas Ecerg RHP-CLEARLY a dark horse and he's a Minor League FA, so the logistics would make it difficult. He's also much older than the average AFL participant, but he's also young in terms of pitching. He has elite stuff, but he's not refined. It could give us a bit of a clue if he's on the precipice of the big league team or if it's time to move on. Cam Robinson RHP-Not quite a flame thrower, but he's throwing in the mid 90s and has been dominant. I also considered guys like Castenda, Brady Schanuel, Woessener, Wagoner, Smith or even Henderson, but their either to new into the system, or as is the case with Henderson, has already thrown quite a few innings. Russell Smith would have been a consideration, but he hasn't been pitching the last 6 weeks, so not sure what's going on with him exactly. Final guesses are Black, Devanney, Darrien Miller, Carlos Rodriquez CFer Ethan Small, Lucas Ecerg, Cam Robinson, Zach Vennaro I feel pretty good about Black and Devanney, beyond that, just kinda blind guesses and players I'd like to see. Love to hear what our resident MiLB fanatic's have to say about this. Again, I feel like it'll be pointed out that we don't send pitching prospects preferring they instead stay and work with the Brewers, but I think it'd be good to get Small back into some game action where his advanced feel for pitching could serve him and help his confidence after imploding, get a chance to see Robinson vs some top prospect, and see if Ecerg can dominate high premiere prospects with his power CB and that big FB.

Yeah, I get some people like it. I just don't. It's taking out a core Tennent of the game. That pitcher setting a hitting up, pitching him outside, outside, dotting the corner like the mid 90's Braves would do and then go just another inch or 2 outside, hitting the glove perfectly and the catching framing it perfectly. The art of pitching, not just striking guys out(which is going to be even more significant with the rule changes IMO for the pitcher and contact more essential for the offense post-switch). Also, far as I understand, they're still working out kinks on the "robo ump." The zone is basically just below the numbers and the knees...in your stance. So the zone for a 6' hitter standing straight up in theory should be different than the zone for a hitter like...Phil Plantier for the exaggerated example, but even Yount got into a pretty good crouch. Yet their zones are no different than a Christian Yelich who stands pretty much straight up. I hope it's not adopted, but I understand why some people want it adopted. Maybe if we could just do the Robo Ump when Angel Hernandez is behind the plate. I'd be on board. He alone would have me down for just eliminating all umps together. But aside from him, I'd just prefer they not mess with the balls and the strikes...the pct of bad calls is infinitesimally small relative to most fans perceptions and as I said, I like the pitcher being rewarded for getting that call when he hits his spot perfectly after setting a batter up all at bat.

I get people are freaking out about this...but everything that's happened the last month should be a good sign. Finally feels healthy and normal again. The player, coach and GM have both unequivocally said they have absolutely no concerns about his long term future. As far as I understand, he's about 10 weeks out from his last meniscus surgery. And he's been practicing. I'd guess...just from afar without knowing obviously, but they looked where they were playing and decided it wasn't worth it to bring him back to play on THAT field. A turf that they've decided to replace, but won't be ready for the opener. Also where Jenkins went down I think. I'll freak out if he's not playing by week 3 or 4. In both cases. Honestly, the Jenkins thing is more concerning to me at the moment. The Packers are so annoyingly secretive about their injuries, what the hell is going on with his pec? He was good to go, but then he had a pec injury? I've never heard about a minor pec injury. Which...neither an M or a D come before my name, so maybe it's normal to have a minor pec injury, but it's disconcerting. Just play #89 a LOT of snaps and don't let Hunter or Smith wreck this season before it starts. I wanna see what Love can do, just...not anytime too soon.

Amari Rodgers came back in 6 I believe. That's not always the best route. There's also two VERY different type of ACL surgeries. The Achilles graft vs just repairing the ACL. The first, you feel better much easier but are at a higher risk for re-injury(apparently because it feels so strong, but it takes more than 6 months for the graft to heal and you can re-injure it). The other, repairing the ACL, just stitching the torn part back together, that has a little longer recovery time...and there are apparently advantages to it...I don't remember what they're supposed to be. I guess less chance of reinjury to the ACL? Guy comes back with the knee still swelling up and in pain and plays at an elite level...I think that is enough to determine if he's the same player WHEN he can play.

1-Not a 9 month injury. That's on the VERY rare side. 2-Did you not just read the last post? 3-He literally played last year on a bad knee and WAS still the same player. The Vikings have the worst turf in the league. It's so bad they're in the process of changing it...during the season. Not the best setting to bring back your two franchise OTs.

I just don't see this as a big deal. You schedule an FCS in Week 1 as a premiere program...and it wasn't even a good FCS team. Illinois State was a 4 win team last year...they beat the 1 Win Butler, 1 win Eastern Illinios. So yeah, Florida beating the 7th ranked team in the Country and Arkansas beating a team that was in the CFP last year...it hardly seems like a reach that they should be ranked ahead of us at this point. We'll have ample opportunity to move up in the polls. I just...can't get mad that we played a glorified scrimmage and two teams that played legitimate teams win and passed us up.

Based on what? Usually by the time the CFP poll comes out, teams have separated themselves. I don't think it has anything to do with pre-season polls by then. They definitely do tend to favor the SEC. The question is if that is unfounded or unfair. I would(and did) argue it is not. It's completely fair. They've earned that benefit of the doubt. Not much other than for Fans to talk about. But again, those polls don't determine anything. They don't factor into SOS, they do anything OTHER than...by the time the first CFP poll comes out, they point out the obvious. Last year the CFP were wildly different than the AP Poll. Cincy was #2 in the AP coming off 1 score wins vs Tulane and Navy(IIRC) and were #8 in the CFP playoffs. It was on thing when two teams played in the NC, but with 4 teams, when has the AP or Coaches poll...particularly the pre-season or week 1 polls influenced the CFP polls to any significant degree? The three biggest "snubs," in the CFP era have been TCU that lost 62-59 to Baylor(so...not really a defensive juggernaut), the Ohio State team that got beaten by like 30 to Purdue relatively late in the season...and then the 13-1 Badgers that played 2 ranked teams and I REALLY doubt any Badgers fan would argue they should have been in there over Alabama(which, just looking at that Alabama team, they had De'Vonta Smith, Henry Ruggs and Jerry Jeudy as their backups. 3 RBs went to the NFL that year, two QBs starting in the NFL. Minkah Fitzpatrick, Trevon Diggs(I know, he's overrated, but 11 picks). A DL that if they were together in the NFL would arguably be the best, OL full of NFL players in their 3 deep...and that was not a great Alabama team. Point is, the CFP is getting it right. The AP polls or the coaches polls, they're not the problem.

Yean, I don't buy that either. The SEC is just ridiculous in it's talent. LSU can have a top 10 recruiting class a couple years after winning the NC, have 20 NFL caliber players on that squad and not be one of the top 8 teams in the league. Would anyone be shocked to see one of 4-5 teams ASIDE from 'Bama or UGA playing in the CFP Championship Game? Florida, LSU, A&M(who's been outspending and recruiting ALMOST everyone), Auburn, 'Ole Miss, Miss State, Tenn...they're consistently in the top ~20 in recruiting. Hell, give the Badgers the skill players Arkansas gets and they'd pretty easily slide into the #3/4 position in the B1G behind OSU, Mich and PSU. They beat each other up, they lose bowl games because they've lose players to the draft. The better schools, including UGA lose elite recruits because they can't win a spot there....but they can go to OSU and become Justin Fields. It's like the B1G in Wrestling. They're SO far ahead of the next best conference, they could create 2 conferences and they'd still be the deepest, the most dominant and get a couple teams to the CFP. With Tx, Okie on the way, and then Miami and their 20M annual NIL money, Clemson, FSU, UNC and Va Tech likely behind them(With ND and Oregon the next two big "targets") it's going to take a significantly larger commitment from teams like Wisconsin or most B1G teams to try and compete. Good news, Wisconsin has a group of alum, led by CEOs, the Watts, Wilson and others stepping in and starting...the Varsity Club(IIRC) to help with recruiting and keeping Wisconsin competitive. So...with all that in mind, it's hard to buy into an SEC conspiracy rather than just the fact that the SEC is just that superior.

Yeah...now that you mention it, I do recall that happening. He's behind the LOS and celebrating and they have to get his attention. Agreed. I don't know what we're getting from Preston Smith. He has bouts of laziness where he can get out of shape...but when he's motivated, he's an elite #2. Za'Darius is a more dynamic player, but he's also more of a freelancer and can be taken out of plays easier. He's also just more dangerous and his length and strength allows him to kick inside easier than Preston. But the back, plus the contract and Preston willing to take a deal that's really more of a year by year arrangement made this one obvious. I really think Enagbare will develop into a Za'Darius type pass rusher, but I'm sure that'll take a while. Hopefully, Quay Walker's edge rushing is all it's cracked up to be. 3rd edge, 3rd safety...really the only questions that remain. But we definitely need the #1 and #2 options to approximate last years production if not exceed it. Which really isn't hard to imagine with Savage's production dropping from Yr2 to Yr3 and Gary's seemingly limitless ceiling.

I really hope the robo umps never actually materialize. That's just a bad idea IMO. As for management...I think they do a good job, but I think we might be giving them too much credit on this one. Blocking the ball and pop times have always been the top priority for a catcher. That Jefferson Quero excels in those area's, it's just a bonus. I think the front office saw the inconsistency associated with all or nothing, high K rate guys and they've adjusted accordingly there. We've drafted toolsy guys the last several years before Stearns got here as well. Monte Harrison, the trade for guys like Brinson. Tyler Black also gets overlooked, but Frelick, Mitchell, Turang and Hiura...they're all guys who were projected to go higher, are guys with good hit tools who don't strike out a ton(or didn't project to with respect to Hiura). Is that making a concerted effort to combat the low BA, high K rate inconsistent nature of the Brewers offense, AND some foresight, or is it just opportunistic drafting? Probably a little of the both. The REAL problem with the Brewers front office is they didn't leave Burnes and Woodruff in the minors for a couple more years. That truly lacked foresight!

I'd imagine you're right. BUT, I do think the particular group of players the Brewers have coming up will have a pretty significant impact on how many stolen bases we attempt. Mitchell, Wiemer, Ruiz, Turang, Frelick...all guys who should be 20+ SB a year type guys(obviously some more than others). One more rule change that annoys the hell out of me is players sliding into 2nd or 3rd. The pop slide, or just sliding over it and they come off the bag for a SPLIT second, the ump can't see it, but it goes to review. That should never have been reviewable. It's not what replay was meant for...IMO.

Really feels like this is kinda the last question remaining with Wiemer. Is he a all or nothing type guy in RF? That still certainly has value. A guy who hits for power but strikes out a ton and hits for a low average...or a guy with pretty good plate discipline, who can hit in that ~.250-.270 range and stick around that 10% walk rate AND still make hard contact. THAT is a potential Superstar middle of the rotation type hitter. Excluding teenagers, he certainly seems like the guy in this farm system who's got the most upside. That's not to take anything away from the rest of the studs we've got. Turang's potential value has just increased with the new rules regarding the shift and the renewed emphasis on IF defense, athleticism(he's also been one of my favorite prospects for a while now). Frelick has been almost comically good this year, one year away and Mitchell is like that create a player in video games. But speedy Jay Buhner...that's a fun prospect. Also, does Vennaro bounces back from ANOTHER 6 ER outing and gets 3Ks...albeit with a H and a BB. He seems like the type of guy who could be a big time weapon if he can improve that command a bit. Though I suppose that can be said for about a dozen prospects in AA and AAA.

I don't think you can totally separate the two. When you're on the hook to pay a guy who put up back to back MVP caliber seasons 200M and you'll be paying him through...what, 2042, that clearly impacts how much money you can take on and how much risk you can tolerate in OTHER long term deals...when you're a small market team. It's VERY possible neither sign either way. Or maybe the Brewers are more aggressive if they're not paying Yelich what they are. I also disagree there's NO motivation for a pitcher, even one of Burnes caliber to sign an extension. It just has to be an expensive one. deGrom was much more dominant than even Burnes, he'd been pretty healthy, he'd been dominant. He's also been hurt quite a bit in the last couple years of that deal, but he's two full years away from being a FA. There's always an argument to take a below market deal while still guaranteeing yourself a whole lot of money. Last I'd heard rumors of an extension between the two sides was a couple years ago and the Brewers were likely looking more at a Peralta/Ashby type deal. The same people who lament the albatross that is Yelich's contract would be the first to trash a Burnes/Woodruff contract extension if either got hurt. And it's not like we haven't seen aces go from dominating to injured and never effective again. It happened to Jimmy Nelson, the kinda forgotten ace during this latest era on a slide back into 1st.

They didn't trade for Adames last year? A guy worth 4.2 WAR last year and for whom we gave up a REALLY good young pitching prospect? Or they didn't trade for a guy who became an MVP? 'Cause that's pretty rare. They DID try to trade for Bryan Reynolds. That's been widely reported. But making A trade is not a "strategy," it's a move in service of a larger strategy. They didn't abandon anything. They jumped on opportunities when they arose, they tried to win with run prevention and incorporating young players into the team when possible. What "changed" exactly? Grandal? Tell me the premiere FA who they COULD have signed for a 1 year deal? They've made an obvious philosophical change in what type of prospects they're going to go after in player development. Better hit tools and athletes rather than power and position-less players. What happened was you dug in on a bad take claiming last year was the "outlier" during the Brewers playoff run, ignoring the previous two years with the same manager and many of the same players and then when you realized it was a bad take, you doubled down on it. Also, for the record, 2018 Runs scored- 12th 2019 Runs scored- 15th(one run out of 19th) 2022 Runs scored- 9th So the elite FA that was part of some 'strategy' we've abandoned, aside from not being there and ACTUALLY being the outlier, it wasn't the problem.

I hope they start him back in A ball. Have him go to instructional, work on a regular schedule with some pitching coaches and see what's what. Half a season of him waiting until rookie ball and then getting the promotion to A ball? They'll certainly know better, and I have no doubt he's the type of guy that if he figures it out, he'll move quickly, but just give him a chance to get settled in, fill out a little in the off-season and I think he'll be alright.

The Bobby Bonilla deal worked out pretty well for the Mets...despite the "Bobby Bonilla day," and all that goes with it. That said...they were buying out a guy who didn't want to be there so they could spend that money on another player. Paying him in the future because they were making SUCH good money from their investments with the honorable Bernard Madoff, chair of the NASDAQ! What could go wrong... https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2021-03-16/bobby-bonilla-contract-was-good-for-baseball-s-new-york-mets Jacob deGrom's extension is probably the most realistic outline...and I'd suck it up and do that...but as great as Burnes is, he's not deGrom. I'd need the options going the other way. I'd suggested 5/130 with 2 additional options at 35M with a 10M buyout bringing the total to 5/140. I'd offer it. He can look at Woodruff and the scare he's dealt with this year, look at Peralta and the shoulder injury that has zapped much of the velo from his FB and maybe that makes some sense to him. I actually think it makes more sense to extend Woodruff and trade Burnes and I've suggested before(maybe just more reasonable). Look for a good 3B prospect and then 3 power arms. I saw someone say they don't see anyone like Burnes and Woodruff in our system. I agree with that to an extent, but I also disagree. We've got some high ceiling arms. I think Ashby upside is huge, the kid we just drafted is almost comically talented. We've got several pitchers thriving in HiA right now like Cruz and Rodriguez. Guys like Henderson, Smith and Uribe, a pitcher with such incredible raw stuff, he's struggling to command it. Gasser probably won't be the power arms they are, but he looks like a helluva prospect. And then we've got some other nice prospects further down. If we trade both, we're looking at a staff in the near future with; Ashby Peralta Lauer Gasser Houser Small That doesn't strike fear into the hearts of opponents, but you just keep trying to develop guys, try and get some high upside pitchers back for one or both of our current aces and you take the inherent risk that comes with said upside. But this is how a team like the Brewers stays competitive. There's also a version where the Brewers do kinda push the payroll, extend Burnes...making a massive commitment and obviously SOME concessions on his behalf and he starts dealing with injuries as virtually every power pitcher does and people chastise the Brewers front office for extending their Cy Young winning pitcher as they're getting now for extending their MVP LFer. Beyond MLB2K...which I don't play, I wouldn't want to make these decisions. Get it wrong and you're handcuffing the organization for the next decade..,