UpandIn

I'm not gonna get into the whole "Blow their WS chances," but Burnes and Peralta? Woodruff isn't in there? I'll pay to watch really any of the top 3(well...also Ashby and Lauer, but the two aces in particular).

Maybe a 3rd little...miniature red yard flag(not the full sized one, but another flag) would be his 70MPH exit velocity in 22 balls put in play in his little cup of coffee thus far. 1 "hard hit" ball. And then I'd probably argue given what the Brewers are throwing out there at CF...AND the fact that they're currently sitting a top 100 prospect in either Frelick, Weimer or Mitchell...I'd think if he was as good as has been suggested by some, he'd likely be patrolling CF. It could save from what APPEARS to be a disastrous deadline based on fan perception. You're at least now selling it as "we got a young CF who's going to help out right now and a reliever who's been an All-Star." I mean...if you believe the results in AA and AAA are legit, not a whole lot left to prove. So the league, the soft contact(VERY small sample of course) and then the very average results from '18 up until '22. And Jackson Chourio has a very real chance to be the #1 prospect in baseball for multiple years like a Wander Franco. Already 3rd on Keith Law's list. But Frelick or Weimer, I understand they're closer and people value that more. I value upside more than anything personally, but I get that.

It looks like you were right in that Cain wasn't part of that until after the trade(or at least later on as he played most of his games in Brevard County that year). I really just remember the bigger names at that time and had to look up the rest. Escobar, Gamel, Laporta and Salome. All of whom seemed like they were can't miss prospects. I know Cleveland wanted Salome in the deal and the Brewers wouldn't budge on that. In retrospect...Laporta+Salome would have worked up much better than Brantley! The two best players the Brewers have traded in the last 20 years(I think) were both kinda thrown into the deal to complete it. Nelson Cruz and Michael Brantley.

The TV money is...pretty insane. From what I understand, the Dodgers, Angels, Yankees, Mets, they're all pulling in 300+M a year from their local TV deals. I've also seen where the revenue sharing on the National TV deals is up to 60M now meaning as of 2022 every team will receive at least 100M dollars when combining their local and National deals(I realize you're working backwards when citing your numbers and...from what little I know, they seem accurate. I've seen the Brewers TV numbers estimated at ~24M in 2018, so right in that range you suggested). It's an extremely rigged system and it's infuriating when I see people complain about Mark A not willing to "open up the wallet," while people cite the Bucks and Packers...as though they're in even a remotely similar financial system. I agree, the Brewers are a very well run organization, Attanasio isn't one of those owners like the Nutting family...that seems to be using their MLB team to get that tax free revenue or the Angelos family in Baltimore who will probably pocket 150M this year(not even going to start with the team from the North side just printing money). I don't always love every move the Brewers make, but I've not gotten the impression once that at ANY level of the organization is prioritizing anything but winning. The money goes back into the franchise, payroll, scouting, LA development, improving their facilities. The only thing I'd argue they should do is buy/build 30-40 unit apartments near every minor league system so players earning very little don't have to worry about housing, but...that's getting off topic.

Right...I don't like some of the moves, but it's just the WORST possible luck making these look as bad as humanly possible. Williams gives up his first run in...what, 30 outings. Bush has gotten beat up. They make a trade they apparently didn't anticipate so Lamet goes down, then the catcher they were trying to trade gets hurt after they DFA the FA they signed. The Baseball Gods must have not liked the Hader trade as they're punishing the Brewers as much as they can for them thus far.

I don't think that's accurate...the distinction you're making between "Stearns guys," and "Melvin guys." I think Stearns has built this team around guys with power arms and questionable command who were developing. It was Stearns who drafted Kelly, so...by definition he's a Stearns guy. We just drafted another Juco guy with a power arm and command issues and then paid him about a million over slot(more than the 1st round prospect). Ashby was certainly a guy who had(and continues) to have command issues. Burnes had command issues coming out and in the lower levels. And Stearns said Glasser is "quietly one of the better," not the best. That's a...enormous difference. One of the better is...not meaningless, but doesn't really say much to me. Yeah, he's ONE of the better ones. Well, of course you've got to say that. They were also talking up Lamet the day before they DFA'd him...so obviously they're going to say they like the prospects they got. I can do two things, trust Stearns and still not change my opinion soley because we moved players out in a trade. A 6'6 lefty who came back hitting certainly with command issues, but also dominating A+ hitters getting both Ks and weak contact and throwing 99 with a plus slider after effectively missing two years vs a 6'1 lefty with less stuff and better control. I can trust Stearns track record...but the statement was made, 'if these players were in our system all year, performing like this, we'd be calling them untouchable.' Well...we obviously wouldn't as we aren't in Kelly's case.

1-Drew Rassmussen seems like he's doing alright. And no, I don't "blindly mis-trust Stearns," but I also haven't changed my opinion exclusively because we've traded one and acquired the other. 2-Kelly was on the brink of AA...and now he's 3 years from MAYBE might possibly being a reliever? I wonder how Ashby made his way to the majors based on that time frame.

Well...Brantley wasn't part of the trade until after the season, right? I thought the PTBNL was a group of prospects if the Brewers made the playoffs and if they didn't(And I still remember people believing it was Taylor Green and not Brantley).

Definitely more athletic, but those guys were just so loaded. Salome looked like he could be Pudge at that point. LaPorta was mashing, Mat Gamel looked like the next Braun. Lo Cain, Brantley and Gillespie. They even had backup's like Maldonado, and some impressive arms. Jeffress was on that team. Hell, we even tried rectify our inability to sign Nomar by going with his brother...Michael(who hit .340 that year). Half that team was over .320 and the rest of the starters it seemed like were .280 or so with 20+ HRs. Taylor Green may still been in HiA with Lucroy...who was blocked by THREE future MLB catchers(even if a couple only had a cup of coffee). I think there are 20+ players from that squad that made the majors...though Brantley ended up being the best of the bunch. I definitely like the chances of this group to develop and get a few more impact player to the bigs, but just in terms of minor league teams and prospects...I remember Tim Kurkjian breaking glass all around the country in his excitement about that lineup! "The best minor leaguer in terms of prospects I've ever seen!" Being as neither of those guys were big time talent evaluators, they may have been quoting someone, but I don't really care...I just remember that. And that's the fun part. The potential. It's weird, but I think this may be my favorite part of the game. Watching this guys develop...watching a Joey Weimer go from relative obscurity, hitting .260 to becoming a legit 5-tool prospect at AAA or Sal Frelick just hit the ground running and he hasn't let up yet.

So drafted in 2019...pitches well in an obviously small sample size. 2020-Covid, lost season, apparently impressed at the Alternate Training Site. 2021-Thoracic outlet surgery...a much more common surgery now with a much higher recovery rate. Not really "shoulder," surgery...in the traditional sense with pitchers. Nothing like Jimmy Nelson or a rotator cuff. Much higher recovery rate...and...he recovered from it. Came back throwing in the upper 90s again this year, slider was elite. So hard to see THAT particular injury being a real factor after he's fully recovered from it. But...ok, Glasser is more advanced. That's a pretty small margin as Kelly was just far more dominant at the same level after coming back from, again, the Covid year and the TOS. Surely you'd agree that Kelly has far more upside, no? As for when has Stearns done X, as I said, if you just want to say, you blindly trust Stearns...fine. If it's just trusting Stearns, ok. I don't believe Brewers fans 3 days ago would have argued for Glasser over Kelly as they are now. Kelly has performed similarly to Ashby, similar stuff(upper 90s, plus slider, command needs to improve). Higher floor, lower ceiling pitcher at the same level performing worse?

Yup, the only two options were to talk about how he fits in your team, how talented he is and "he's garbage. We plan to cut him tomorrow." But actually...yeah, I DID expect them to say they were going to DFA him rather than praise him if this was all part of the plan.

For all the...opinions people have about the trade deadline...I am thrilled that this kid is still in the Brewers system. Love his profile, his versatility, the hit tool, speed, defense. I thought if they were going to trade one of their young prospects...particularly with teams wanting MLB ready prospects, it'd be Turang. So for all angst about not adding a bat, I AM very happy he's still part of the Nashville Sounds(and perhaps soon to be part of the Milwaukee Brewers).

If this was the plan all along, why did both Stearns and Counsell talk about how great Lamet's stuff is? Why even address what he could do for our team? It doesn't seem like that was at all the plan all along. It doesn't really seem like there WAS a plan all along.

I'm curious why people are rather dismissive of Kelly, but based on what the older Gasser did this year, we'd be calling him untouchable? 90 IP 115K, .252 BAA, 1.26 Whip, .92 GO/FO ratio 91 IP 126K, .189 BAA, 1.23 Whip, 1.00 GO/FO ratio Both lefties, both in HiA. Doesn't seem like Brewers fans would be calling Glasser untouchable if he were in our system. Seems like they'd be dismissing him...as many are doing with Kelly at this point(unless we didn't trade him). I fully understand if people just want to say, "Stearns has earned all benefits, I don't get it, but I'll blindly trust him." That makes sense to me and I'm not being sarcastic or snide. But it seems like the opinions of the Brewers prospects have changed only because they've been shipped out.

I have no issue with dealing him either. I DO have an issue just kinda throwing him away for the privilege of paying a guy who's currently injured and has been for the last three years. I really don't think the Brewers past 7th round picks dating back 20 years is really at all relevant to Peters. You could do this with players from pretty much every round to justify why the next guy won't be any good. I hope it works out, but it makes very little sense so far as I can see.

Agreed...and it's not that Peters is a key piece to the Brewers future or anything, but what did the Nats want back for Josh Bell? MLB ready prospects. Seems like a year from now, he's the type of guy who would have been just that in a year from now. I'm much more bothered by giving up Antoine Kelly, a guy who I thought had a future with the Brewers, but this move just seemed...silly. Like the Axford move last year if it would have cost us a prospect performing at a high level.

That's hypothetical at the MLB level and only being implemented in the lower levels of the minors. But yeah, I'm sure irrespective of the shift and if it is limited, we're going to want to build more on contact, defense and pitching. And Stearns has repeatedly stated his goal was to build up pitching depth and then use that to deal for positions players as needed. Well...they're needed. Doesn't have to be Juan Soto, but we're just going to go through the Burnes, Woodruff years with seemingly zero sense of urgency?

I'm sensing a bit of sarcasm here. We're...just obviously better off having Mike Trout vs not having Trout. I'd gladly give up ~11M a year in additional salary and swap out Trout for Yelich. Or we could have gotten a Soto-esque haul for Trout, but very likely an even more impressive return. Anyway, my answer is Soto in this hypothetical. We'll never see someone do what Ohtani is doing most likely, but I feel like he's got a short shelf life. Soto on the other hand, he's up there with Trout and Bonds in terms of best hitters I've seen(throw in Manny as well I suppose). Plus the extra year.

Well, the one certainty I know is that he was hitting .303/.418/1.069 OPS line vs righties, walking nearly 12 pct of the time, average exit velocity of 93+, a ~50% hard hit rate and you're probably never going to get the strikeout rate down if you send him down when he's finally starting to hit the ball hard again, hitting for power and getting on base. Fully understand projecting what a player is going to do when looking at trades. Doesn't make much sense when it's a player who's ACTUALLY performing on your team, you've need more offense and you send the guy giving you that down.

Also with exceptional exit velocity and actual....production. When did we get to the point where projecting when a player will start struggling trumps his actual performance? The ACTUAL tangible results on the field? I'm all for analytics, though, they probably made the game more boring, but each team better. But this game isn't as complicated as people make it at times. Hiura was hitting the ball hard. He was hitting well. And the argument is really, "yeah, but he probably wouldn't have continued to?" Ok

Certainly gives us a LOT of options and a pretty dominant pen. Williams/Bush/Rogers/Boxberger/Gott/Cousins, Topa coming along(not sure if he's viable option yet) and then a real question mark in Lameta could be...Hader-ish or on the IL the next 2 years. We did move Hader, but we've got more really good arms(and I know I'm missing someone). I thought if you were gonna trade Kelly, you maybe do it for Bell+Kyle Finnegan, but...trying to think positively now.

I guess it's just...blindly trust in Stearns at this point. He's earned that and they know what they're doing with pitchers. Doesn't make me love Bush, but I can come around. Maybe they didn't like Kelly's profile as much as some of us did? Though, I do want to add I couldn't care less where he was ranked in our top 30. He threw in the upper 90s, he could maintain that into his starts and he could make hitters look silly with the slider. We've been able to help pitchers with command issues. If you just look at the talent in the BP...Lamet could be a huge weapon(big question mark though), Rogers is a good bet and Bush...we can shorten games and win with run prevention. I guess I'm getting to acceptance pretty quick.

Yeah, I wouldn't have if I'd have known he was raping women. I don't really see any correlation here. I also liked Bill Cosby. And then I learned what Bill Cosby did. This is a big reach for me.

I get that, I just don't like adding Matt Bush for Antoine Kelly.

You can do this...almost forever on both sides. Remember Corbin Burnes? He just won a Cy Young for the Brewers last year. Or Ashby? Just signed him to a long term contract extension. Also...has our ability to turn upper 90s and a plus secondary pitch into a successful big league pitcher a bit more regularly than the days of Cy Sneed?