Jason Wang

Colin Rea gave up a few too many runs in the first two innings of his start for the Brewers to stage a comeback in the second game of the Pirates' four-game visit to Milwaukee. Image courtesy of © Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports Box Score Starting Pitcher: Colin Rea - 4.0 IP, 8 H, 6 ER, 3 BB, 2 K, 90 pitches, 57 strikes (63.3%) Home Runs: Carlos Santana (14) Top 3 WPA: Carlos Santana (.145), Mark Canha (.092), Brice Turang (.069) Bottom 3 WPA: Colin Rea (-.413), Joey Wiemer (-.122), Willy Adames (-.095) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Rea Gets Rocked It didn’t take long for the Pirates to figure out Colin Rea. After recording the first two outs of the first inning, he walked Jack Suwinski, gave up a single to Henry Davis, and then yielded an opposite-field home run to Alfonso Rivas. Rea would concede another single, stolen base, and walk before finally getting Alika Williams to line out and end the inning. After spending 35 pitches to get through the first inning, Rea’s struggles continued in the second, as he gave up a walk to Vinny Capra, a double to Bryan Reynolds, and another home run to Henry Davis, bringing the Pirates' run total to six by the time he had recorded that many outs against them. While Rea was able to pitch the third and fourth innings without further damage, the Brewers went to the bullpen from the fifth inning forward, after Rea’s pitch total hit 90 with a clear dip in quality from his usual stuff. New Guys Finally Show Up Both Mark Canha and Carlos Santana finally showed fans what they were capable of, performing well in their own ways. Mark Canha went 3-for-5 with an RBI. His projected value was through his on-base skills, and while he usually achieves that through walks, he did it with just the bat in this game. Carlos Santana was supposed to add some pop to the lineup, and he did so, slamming a home run to right-center field to lead off the fifth inning. It was his first home run in front of his new fan base, and hopefully the first of many to come this season. He also had an RBI single in the first inning. Unfortunately, Sal Frelick was the only other Brewer to contribute to the scoring, as the team had eight hits in total but just one extra-base hit other than Santana’s home run, a double by Christian Yelich. Wilson Gives Up a Couple of Bombs Bryse Wilson was the first man to come out of the bullpen. After cruising through the fifth inning and allowing just one single, things quickly got out of hand in the sixth inning. To start things off, Josh Palacios hit a 386-foot no-doubter to right field. Bryan Reynolds followed things up by hitting another solo home run, a 388-foot rocket to the same spot. Wilson gave up another triple to Rivas, but ultimately finished his second relief inning without giving up more runs. In the chaos, Milwaukee bench coach Pat Murphy was also ejected for arguing about the strike zone. Abner Uribe and Hoby Milner pitched the final three innings of the game without conceding any additional baserunners, but were unable to compensate for the run deficit. What’s Next? In the third game of the series, the Brewers will start at the top of the rotation again, with Corbin Burnes taking the mound against lefty Bailey Falter. Luckily for the team, the Cubs and Reds both lost their games as well, so the Brewers maintain their narrow but very real division lead. Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet MON TUE WED THU FRI TOT B Wilson 14 0 21 0 39 74 Uribe 0 22 0 0 17 39 Williams 0 14 21 0 0 35 Peguero 20 0 8 0 0 28 Mejia 0 0 0 28 0 28 Milner 1 0 11 0 7 19 Payamps 0 7 11 0 0 18 Chafin 0 0 0 13 0 13 Tweet Highlight View full article

0.1% chance to make the playoffs? is it time to raise the jolly roger yet?

Sal Frelick heard that Brewers fans weren't too happy about the lack of powerful bats acquired at the trade deadline, so he took matters into his own hands in a blowout against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Image courtesy of Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports Box Score Starting Pitcher: Adrian Houser - 6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, 95 pitches, 62 strikes (65.3%) Home Runs: Brice Turang (5), Sal Frelick (2) Top 3 WPA: Sal Frelick (.207), Joey Wiemer (.115), Adrian Houser (.109) Bottom 3 WPA: William Contreras (-.069), Carlos Santana (-.046), Mark Canha (-.030) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Houser Bounces Back After his last two outings saw him concede nine earned runs in ten innings against the Atlanta Braves, Adrian Houser returned to form against the Pirates, putting up a quality start. While the Pittsburghs have a comparatively anemic offense, seeing him take care of business while conceding just one earned run was a positive sign. Things started off shaky, with Houser walking Alfonso Rivas and giving up a single to Bryan Reynolds. Two subsequent weak grounders would become outs, but they allowed Rivas to score Pittsburgh’s first run. Through the power of positive thinking and friendship, Houser kept the Pirates scoreless through the remainder of the start. Houser’s velocity on his fastball peaked at 94.0 mph and was still at 93.6 mph by the end of his start. His sinker and four-seam fastball were excellent, and he used the slider to moderate effectiveness, earning a few swinging strikes and a few foul balls. Frelick’s Five RBI In one of the best performances of his young major-league career, Sal Frelick went 2-for-3 with two walks and five RBI, piling on the Pittsburgh punishment. His first two RBI came by way of a double in the first inning, a power shot to left field. He also pummeled a three-run home run to the right field corner in the sixth inning, sending it 355 feet. While it wasn’t the hardest ball ever hit, the placement was key, as it would’ve been a home run in 26/30 ballparks. Other hitting highlights included Brice Turang hitting a 414-foot no-doubter to right field for his fifth long ball of the season, and Joey Wiemer extending his hitting streak to eight games. How’d The New Guys Do? Carlos Santana and Mark Canha combined to go 1-for-9 and didn’t add much value to this game. It’s still way too early to tell, but they’re both yet to have their first real Milwaukee Moment. Andrew Chafin also made his first relief appearance as a Brewer, and other than looking like he was 3D-printed by the front office to be the stereotypical Milwaukee man, struck out one and allowed no baserunners in the ninth inning. What’s Next? With this win and the Reds' Thursday loss, the Brewers reclaimed the top spot in the NL Central for what seems like the umpteenth time. Unfortunately, the Reds ceded ground to the Chicago Cubs, who have quickly become one of the hottest teams in baseball. They’re in third place, but just 2.5 games behind the Brewers. Colin Rea will face off against Quinn Priester in the second game of the four-game series. Hopefully, the Brewers will be able to take advantage of an easy schedule to create separation between themselves and the rest of the division. They’ll spend the next nine games facing the Pirates, Rockies, and White Sox. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet SUN MON TUE WED THU TOT Peguero 13 20 0 8 0 41 Williams 0 0 14 21 0 35 Payamps 17 0 7 11 0 35 B Wilson 0 14 0 21 0 35 Mejia 0 0 0 0 28 28 Milner 15 1 0 11 0 27 Uribe 0 0 22 0 0 22 Chafin 0 0 0 0 13 13 Tweet Highlight View full article

i heard there's this one guy who is really good at it. can't seem to remember his name though. oh yeah, it's zack greinke.

The long-awaited return of one of the team's best starters is right around the corner. Now that he’s preparing to wrap up his minor-league rehab assignment, when can we expect him back, and what can we expect him to do? Image courtesy of © Dan Powers/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin / USA TODAY NETWORK Road to Recovery The Brewers have been patient with Woodruff’s rehabilitation process, especially since his injury was not a minor one. After throwing a few successful bullpen sessions at the beginning of June, he began his rehab assignment. His first appearance wasn’t until July 22 with the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers in High A, and the original plan was to ease him back to the workload of a major league starter. This meant three to five rehab starts, with five days of rest in between. He was excellent in Wisconsin, making two starts for seven total innings and posting a 1.29 ERA. His velocity hovered around the 95-96 mph range, the same heat he had before the injury, an optimistic sign. Furthermore, he was able to safely get his pitch count to 52 in his final start with the Timber Rattlers. He made just one start at AAA with the Nashville Sounds, and started strong, but he saw some deterioration in pitch quality in the last two innings of his start. He was able to touch 97 mph with his fastball, but will likely need more time to refine his command and reestablish his stamina. Over 4 2/3 innings, he gave up three earned runs. While it hasn’t yet been solidified whether the Brewers are satisfied with this single showing at Triple A, chances are they would like to see one (or maybe two) more starts in the minor leagues to ensure that he has the necessary stamina to perform as a quality starter at the major-league level. What Should We Expect Upon His Return to the Rotation? In an ideal world, we should expect Brandon Woodruff to return to the major-league team as if nothing happened. He’d be the same workhorse, with an ERA around 3.00 and a dangerous follow-up to Corbin Burnes in the rotation. Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon for pitchers to return from long injury stints with a few pieces missing (remember when Noah Syndergaard was averaging 98.7 mph on his fastball instead of the 92.7 mph he’s averaging now?). As mentioned earlier, Woodruff’s velocity is definitely back to where it was before, but whether he’s able to maintain that velocity into the later innings of his starts may be called into question. His pitch arsenal may also change to better fit his recovery process. In the past, he depended primarily on his four-seam fastball and his sinker, but over the past few years he’s started to utilize the changeup and slider slightly more, leaning on the former as his main put-away pitch in 2022. If he sees decreased spin rates and a subsequent increase in hanging breaking balls, he may rely more heavily on pure velocity. Unfortunately for Woodruff, he doesn’t have a ton of time to get back to work. With just over 50 games left in the regular-season schedule and the Cincinnati Reds atop the NL Central by 0.5 games, Woodruff returning to form sooner rather than later could be the difference between a postseason spot and watching the playoffs from home. View full article

In their final big move before the trade window closed, the Brewers picked up left-handed reliever Andrew Chafin from the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Milwaukee bullpen has been solid all year but can another lefty add some spice and make them even better? Image courtesy of Marquee Sports Network What He Adds To The Team Andrew Chafin has spent the majority of his major league career with the Arizona Diamondbacks but had stints with the Chicago Cubs, Oakland Athletics, and Detroit Tigers. He’s been a consistent reliever over his ten-year career, posting a 3.31 ERA and 1.244 WHIP over 435.0 innings pitched. He has regressed a little this year, posting a 4.19 ERA over 34.1 innings pitched but he performed well in his 2022 season with the Tigers, maintaining a 2.83 ERA over 57.1 innings pitched. Part of that regression has been caused by his walk-rate of 12.0%, currently in the 10th percentile of the league. Other than that, his pitching peripherals are actually quite good. He’s above the 94th percentile in K% (32.7%), whiff% (34.8%), and chase rate (34.8%). Primarily a sinker-slider pitcher, he also uses the four-seam fastball 17.2% of the time but with below league-average velocity, he’s come to depend on his slider more, boasting a 56.8% whiff rate and a 28.8% PutAway%. Hoby Milner has been the only consistent leftie in the Brewers bullpen this season and while he’s done an excellent job, holding a 2.30 ERA over 43.0 innings pitched, Chafin will hopefully be another lefty arm to back him up. Chafin is signed through 2023 with a team option in 2024, so depending on how the Milwaukee front office feels about his contributions to the team, he may be a short-term rental or longer-term bullpen staple. It seems that much will depend on whether the Brewers are able to see him return to his peak form between 2020-2022 where he had an impressive 2.59 ERA over 135.2 innings pitched. What The Brewers Gave Up To acquire Andrew Chafin, the Brewers sent Peter Strzelecki to Arizona. Strzelecki, who hasn’t pitched in the major leagues since June 27th, has a similar profile to Chafin despite being a righty. Posting a 4.54 ERA and a 1.178 WHIP over 35.2 innings, his three pitch arsenal is the same as Chafin’s despite using the four-seam fastball as his primary weapon while keeping the sinker as a nifty backup. Because of a seeming lack of appropriately priced bats and an already overcrowded starting rotation, Milwaukee chose to do what they could with what was in front of them. Chafin probably won’t get his number retired in American Family Field but for a relatively cheap reliever, he might be able to get a few key outs for the team leading up to this year’s postseason. View full article

In the team’s second big move before this year’s trade deadline, the Brewers acquired outfielder Mark Canha from the New York Mets. He may not be the silver bullet to solve all of the team’s problems, but how do his qualities give Milwaukee a better shot at a deep playoff push? Image courtesy of © Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports Canha’s Cool Characteristics Like recent team addition Carlos Santana, Mark Canha is a big-league veteran who made his debut all the way back in 2015. After seven productive years with the Oakland Athletics, he went to the Mets and continued his consistent offensive production. His 2023 slash line of .245/.343/.381 is remarkably similar to his career averages of .248/.348/.422. His peak year of 2019 saw him post a .913 OPS and a 146 OPS+, but in the four years after, he’s come back down to a .757 OPS, 115 OPS+. Mark Canha has a couple of great aspects to his game. He doesn’t strike out much (17.2%, 80th percentile), doesn’t whiff (20.0%, 78th percentile), doesn’t chase (23.2%, 80th percentile), and gets walks (10.6%, 77th percentile). He’s also a versatile fielder, serving as both a corner outfielder and a corner infielder for the Mets this season. Like Carlos Santana, he performs just as well against RHP as he does against LHP, posting a .713 OPS against righties and a .743 against lefties. The latter is a marked improvement over Milwaukee’s team OPS against LHP of .681, 28th in MLB. Unfortunately, he’s not perfect, and for many Brewers fans, he’s likely not the bat they were hoping for. He’s seen a clear dip in power over the past few years, as his ISO of just .136 for both 2022 and 2023 is the lowest it’s ever been in his career. Furthermore, his defense isn’t exactly gold-glove quality, posting -2 OAA this year, with -3 OAA at left field. He’s also 34 and will be a free agent in 2024, meaning that this is a short-term rental in every sense of the word. Even if he decides to resign with the team, his age likely prevents him from adding any long-term value, especially with how rich the Brewers are with outfield talent. With Sal Frelick raking like a landscaper in the autumn months and the Jackson Chourio/Tyler Black combo shucking the competition in AA, I doubt Canha will be remembered as a Brewer for very long. Who We Sent To New York In exchange for Canha, the Brewers bid adieu to Justin Jarvis, a right-handed starter who had split time between AA and AAA this season. He posted a 3.33 ERA over 75.2 innings in AA but struggled in his albeit short time at AAA, posting a 10.80 ERA over 11.2 innings. Since the strategy of purchasing future hall-of-fame pitchers at the end of their storied careers hasn’t quite worked out for the Mets, it seems they are trying the opposite approach, investing in their farm system and hoping to develop talent internally. With Max Scherzer and (allegedly) Justin Verlander headed to the Texas Rangers, the Mets will need more pitching talent to put them back in the playoff picture for future seasons. Losing Jarvis isn’t a huge deal for the Brewers, as he was the #30 prospect, with names like Jacob Misiorowski and Robert Gasser likely having more future value than him. All things considered, it seems that the Brewers got a decent bat for a relatively cheap prospect. View full article

Eloy Jimenez would've been cool but does he have a food instagram? I don't think so. Canha 1, Jimenez 0. https://www.instagram.com/bigleaguefoodie/

Not sure about this trade AT ALL. I mean, with Joey Wiemer's already elite flow and Corbin Burnes hopefully returning to his Cy Young hairdo, how can we be sure that the Brewers won't suffer from swag overload?

With the trade deadline just over 80 hours away, the Brewers still have work to do. Adding Carlos Santana was nice, but it can't be their only move. Let's round up the rumors swirling around the Crew and their chief targets. The Search For Middle Infielders In a recent interview with MLB.com Brewers beat reporter Adam McCalvy, general manager Matt Arnold emphasized the team’s focus on wanting to continue building around their strengths, saying: The main rumor, reported by Jon Morosi, is that the Brewers are among four teams primarily targeting middle infielders, along with the Blue Jays, Mariners, and Giants. None of the three names mentioned are particularly enticing options, as Tim Anderson is having a ghastly season, posting a .564 OPS for a 57 OPS+ and a -1.3 WAR, Vidal Brujan has a career OPS of .450 over 246 plate appearances, and Paul DeJong is (at the very best) not quite as good as Willy Adames. The case for Anderson could be framed as him having an unusual down year, while still having the potential to be great at the plate as an ex-batting title winner. His trade value might also be exceptionally low, given his performance thus far and his $14-million club option for 2024, making him little more than a rental. Nonetheless, it seems that he would be more of a liability to the team than anything, even if he’s placed at second base instead of shortstop. The upside is in that potential defensive move, for Anderson and for DeJong, and also in the fact that Anderson is hitting .327 with a .397 OBP since the All-Star break. Caratini Could Be Sent Elsewhere Victor Caratini has been good this season, slashing .248/.338/.372 over 148 plate appearances, but he’s seen limited use given the consistency of William Contreras both at and behind the plate. There are a few teams on the edge of playoff contention who could absolutely use help at the catcher position. One such team is the New York Yankees, who recently lost Jose Trevino for the remainder of the season due to a torn ligament in his wrist. However, the Yankees might have a worse offense than the Brewers, and thus have little to offer. The Diamondbacks might need help at the position after Gabriel Moreno was placed on the 10-day IL. His two possible replacements, Carson Kelly (.416 OPS, 15 OPS+, 69 PA) and Jose Herrera (.619 OPS, 73 OPS+, 73 PA) leave much to be desired. In a close race for the wild card and NL West division, every little bit counts. Furthermore, Arizona has excellent depth at second base, a middle infield position that could help the Brewers immensely. If Caratini were to get dealt for a meaningful bat, however, the Brewers would likely have to send along some prospects as well. It’s Not Turner Time Just Yet There were some rumors that the Brewers were exploring a trade to acquire Justin Turner from the Boston Red Sox, but it’s now being reported that the Red Sox are planning on keeping him around for just a little longer. One of the better hitters on the team, it’s no surprise that Boston wants to wait, as they are currently just two games out of the AL Wild Card race. He’s posted a .841 OPS for an OPS+ of 123 over 423 plate appearance thus far. Justin Turner was one of the best potential trade options on the market, but now that he’s been flagged as a no-go, the Brewers might have to look for the next big thing. View full article

i heard that acuna based his game off of rowdy's

@Jake McKibbin would you argue that given these circumstances, where the Brewers are at in regards to the division, the postseason picture, and the overall state of baseball, that it's Tellez Time?

Santana is a veteran bat with some big hits on his resume, but will his arrival be enough to move the needle? Can he resolve the issues the team has been having at first base? How will he fit into the depth chart? Image courtesy of © Ray Acevedo-USA TODAY Sports How Will This Trade Help Down The Stretch? Carlos Santana has primarily played first base for the Pittsburgh Pirates this season, slashing a satisfactory .235/.321/.412 for a .732 OPS and an OPS+ of 98. He also led the team with RBI at 53. While he’s a long way from his standout 2019 season which saw him post a .911 OPS and an OPS+ of 136 with the Cleveland Guardians, he’s got some key characteristics that could benefit the team through the remainder of the season. While he’s not quite the lefty-crusher some fans may have been hoping for, he performs just as well against them as he does righties, posting a .735 OPS against righties and a .723 OPS against southpaws, a marked improvement over Rowdy Tellez’s dismal .505 OPS in that second split. Santana has also had elite plate discipline throughout his career, averaging a 15.0% walk rate over his decade and a half in the majors. While it has dipped slightly to 11.5% this year, it’s still an improvement over Tellez’s 9.4% rate and we might even see a return to normalcy in the second half. Furthermore, Santana has been great defensively this year. While this isn’t usually what people look for in first basemen, Santana’s six defensive runs saved and two OAA (78th percentile) are worth calling out. In comparison, Tellez has -1 DRS and -3 OAA. That being said, at 37 years old, he's no spring chicken. He’ll become a free agent at season's end, so depending on how he performs and fits in with the team, he may serve purely as a short-term rental to solidify a playoff push. However, his age also comes with benefits of its own, as (in addition to being a slight offensive and defensive improvement over Tellez), he's known to be a great locker room presence and senior leader. What Was Given Up? In exchange for Santana’s services, the Brewers sent 18-year old shortstop prospect Jhonny Severino to the Pirates. Signed in 2022 for $1.2 million out of the Dominican Republic, Severino has posted impressive numbers in rookie ball thus far, slashing .250/.289/.583 for an OPS of .872 over 52 plate appearances. While it’s always hard to judge who came out on top in any trade, this transaction is a meeting of alternate goals. The Brewers are holding onto the NL Central lead by just 1.5 games over the Cincinnati Reds, and it has been close for the past few weeks. In order to secure their spot in the playoffs, they needed to add extra bats, especially at first base. Tellez is on the 10-day IL and has been floundering all season; Darin Ruf is still on the 60-day IL; and that left the Brewers with Owen Miller, an unorthodox first baseman without a ton of power. This move is (hopefully) the first of a few to widen the gap between Milwaukee and the remainder of the division. Given Santana's OBP-over-power profile at this stage, the more complementary moves the team makes beyond this one, the wiser it will look. On the other hand, Pittsburgh is likely going to miss the playoffs for the eighth time in a row, and were looking to bolster their farm system. After taking pitching phenom Paul Skenes in this year’s draft, Severino is another young piece of the puzzle. In a sort of win-win situation, the Brewers get more major-league offense while giving up a relatively unproven prospect, and the Pirates get a speculative lottery ticket to potentially bring their team back to October. View full article

Payamps is an incredibly valuable asset for any team and his contract is a big reason for that, but the Brewers bullpen doesn't really need him. I saw this is as a sort of "sell-high" situation where perhaps we would be able get something monstrous for him. Perhaps the title was misleading, but I saw it as three of the players that would have the highest price on the trade market based on the team's needs as well as numbers from Baseball Trade Values.

Most of the conversation surrounding the trade deadline has involved what pieces the Brewers can acquire. There has been some conversation about the tradability of some minor-league pieces, but what about the major leaguers? Here are three pieces that might fetch a great price. Image courtesy of Brewer Fanatic 1. Joel Payamps (RP) Joel Payamps has been exceptional in his first year with the Brewers. Holding a 1.71 ERA in 47 1/3 innings pitched, he has been an integral part of the standout bullpen. He boasts exceptional command (4.4% BB%, 96th percentile) and a respectable 29.5% strikeout rate (88th percentile) One interesting thing about Payamps is that he has four pitches in his arsenal, an unusually diverse toolbox for a short reliever. While his primary weapon is his slider (42.3%), his sinker (23.9%), four-seam fastball (21.9%) and changeup (11.8%) are used a decent amount of the time. In terms of run value, the four-seamer (6) is almost as effective as his slider (7) and is used as his primary putaway pitch, sealing the deal 30.8%. Luckily, he is one of many star relievers the Brewers have right now, meaning it shouldn’t hurt too much to let him walk. He also won’t be a free agent until 2027, and his salary is quite low (1 year, $731k, just clear of the league minimum). A potentially interested team might be the Texas Rangers who have a wealth of position players to trade but one of the worst bullpens in the sport, posting a reliever ERA of 4.77, 27th in MLB. 2. Brandon Woodruff (SP) Although he has been sidelined by injury for most of this season, Woodruff’s seven-year tenure with Milwaukee has seen him post a 3.14 ERA over 625 innings. However, the Brewers are blessed with exceptional starting pitchers and have even more pieces, like Eric Lauer and Aaron Ashby, kicking around the system. Furthermore, with highly-touted pitching prospect Jacob Misiorowski recently being called up to Double A, the rotation is starting to get crowded. The team has essentially been operating without Woodruff already, as he’s pitched just 11 1/3 innings this season, and they’ve performed well, posting a starter ERA of 4.03, ninth-best in MLB. There are a number of teams who would be lucky to have him, and his trade value is quite high, with Baseball Trade Values giving him a median estimated trade value of 24, higher than great players like the aforementioned Misiorowski and Joey Wiemer. Two teams who could really use the help in their rotations are the Cincinnati Reds and the Arizona Diamondbacks. Both teams are similar, struggling with starter ERA (5.34 for Cincinnati, 4.73 for Arizona) while posting impressive offensive numbers (.745 team OPS for Cincinnati, .756 team OPS for Arizona). 3. Garrett Mitchell (OF) Garrett Mitchell hasn’t quite had the chance to have a real rookie season with the Brewers yet, getting just 130 plate appearances over the past two seasons with the team. There hasn’t been enough time to really gauge how he’ll perform at the major-league level and what his contributions will be in the future, but one thing that’s certain is that the Brewers have a surplus of outfielders. With Sal Frelick getting called up and making an electric debut and Jackson Chourio expected to get his major-league callup in 2024, the Brewers have more than enough young talent to go around the outfield. While the Brewers haven’t hit very well at all this season, Mitchell himself was never much of a needle mover, slashing .259/.306/.466 for a .772 OPS and 108 OPS+, so there isn’t much evidence that his presence would have significantly improved the offense. Nonetheless, Mitchell is still a valuable player and could contribute to any number of teams. The Minnesota Twins are one of the teams that could have some interest in adding Mitchell to the lineup for the long term, especially since their depth chart for center field lists Michael A. Taylor (83 OPS+), Nick Gordon (60-day IL), Willi Castro (89 OPS+), and Joey Gallo (103 OPS+, 31st percentile OAA). It's clear that position is not the team's best. Of course, it'll be tough to get full value for Mitchell, because (whereas Woodruff is, at least, on a rehab assignment and closing in on a return to the roster) he's out for the season, and won't help any contender until 2024. Still, he'd be an attractive piece for clubs with room in their projected outfield over the long term. View full article

Had the privilege of seeing Misiorowski pitch at the Futures Game and he has some of the most filthy, slimy, grimy, mucky, polluted, obscene, indecent, lewd, soiled stuff I've seen. Good to call out that he's off limits especially since he's the best pitching prospect we have.

So curious how they come up with these values. Is it magic? A Ouija board? Does it depend on the player's horoscope sign? Who knows?