BrewerFan

I don't think that's a uniquely American problem. That's more a byproduct of capitalism. You charge what people are willing to pay. I also wouln't call it "greed," I'd just say it's the free market. I'm sure there are plenty of Soccer games that are significantly more expensive to go to...Cricket, whatever. I equate this to working on a Holiday. The time is more valuable, your work is more valuable. Is that "greedy?" Not by the literal definition in my opinion, but it sucks for the consumer. I'd say there is certainly corporate gouging that qualifies as Greed, but I don't want to get too political here, so...I'll leave it there.

My thought was Burnes...but that was off like...2 games and I didn't know how big of a leap it was. Also, in one game he was throwing ~94, and then he was up to the upper 90s. And then there was just inconsistent movement. He had some changeups that had late movement, but it looked like most didn't do a whole lot other than keep lower-level hitters off balance. Slider could also be really nice at times. I thought he had top the upside to be maybe a good #2, maybe a #3, but thought I may have been overly optimistic. Good to see others who've watched him more are seeing it.

I'm a big Turang fan...but it'll be interesting to see where he settles in. I hope Wilken is working on his body and his agility. I know there's always this "they'll outgrow 3rd," but...they don't have to. You're talking about a guy out-growing a position from ~21 to his mid to late 20s. You SHOULD be training like a CB or WR. Working on your feed and quickness. I feel like Baseball is behind in that respect. I hope I'm wrong. But, I'll still make my best guess. 1B-Wilken 2B-Ortiz SS-Turang 3B-Pratt(all '24, he could easily see hiA at some point, allows for a full year in AA in '25, then he signs the Chourio type extension😁). Utility-Brown-SS/2B Black-1B/2B/3B...maybe, and LF That'd be if players develop. And I'm not moving Wilken because I don't think he can handle it, though it is a bit of a waste of a 65-grade arm, but because Pratt looks so impressive early on after coming as a highly regarded prep-prospect.

So this is a REALLY overrated farm system then?

I'd agree. You wish they'd have insisted on that 1st from the Jets, especially now(how set up would we be for the future if we had gotten that? Maybe if Murphy doesn't run his mouth)...but I'm thinking you could get someone like Fautanu by giving up 58 and moving up and still have 2 more premium picks. And Fautanu could actually help more this year. I'd be so tempted by the idea of moving up to #6 as @reillymcshanesuggests since I've been mocking Alt to the Packers since they were 2-5 and it looked like a lost year, but I think that's not only too much to give up, but I don't think the Giants would make that deal. I throw the charts out when there are truly elite players atop the draft. With 3 WRs that scouts are saying would each be top 3-5 picks in most drafts and 3 really good QBs, I think trading into the top 6 would cost even more. So I'll let the Vikings do the reverse Herschel Walker...if it were up to me.

They ARE fighting right now to reinstate the one-time transfer rule. The DOJ however has joined in on the lawsuit as well as some states. I'm not positive how it's enforced, but I know of athletes who have signed 2-year NIL contracts(in each case when they had two years left). They had to repay the money from the first year if they didn't complete the two years. It obviously depends on who it is, but it was 250K and 400K a year for the two more public ones. This was in Wrestling...so can't imagine a revenue sport.

That was the rule. They could transfer once. Then the NCAA was sued and there was an injunction issued allowing for multiple transfers. Not sure when or how that'll play out, but that was just a few months ago. The exceptions were for graduate students, but I don't know if the NCAA is still fighting it(I'd imagine they would be).

Is it ever? I was excited about the future combination of Bitonti and Pratt on the left side as soon as the 6th rd was over! There's enough crap that happens that sucks(Quero separated🤷‍♂️ shoulder)...might as well be optimistic

Powell again just recently reiterated the still plan on the 3 cuts this year.

I don't think it was an issue with scheming him open, I think it was when Brady took over, that they stuck to the run game...and it paid off in a big way. Ran for at least 100 years every game the rest of the year and there was a direct correlation between Diggs decline in production and James Cook and the run games increase. More than anything, the Bills were just kneecapped with the salary cap. "The salary cap has never prevented a team from signing a player, poor personnel decisions have." -Andrew Brandt Von Miller's contract extension was one of those deals. Dawson Knox, Milano...but more than that, they've had some huge injuries(White in back-to-back years) and poor drafts since Josh Allen. Also traded Wyatt Teller, an AP caliber Guard, a position of weakness for them for years after for a short term fix. They did what I would hope Gute doesn't do, and that was go all in to win the SB with a young QB. We saw Gute do that with Rodgers...but that made sense. The Packers will hopefully thread that fine line between being aggressive and going for it...and playing it too conservatively with a young(hopefully) Star QB.

You and @damuelle...adding much more than just the box scores! Been looking forward to this. This might be as good as this system ever gets(Chourio graduating and Quero on the shelf notwithstanding)...So many arms, young bats. It's Christmas in April!

That, or they're simply risk-adverse as a small market franchise. The Braves certainly sign a lot of players. Cleveland before them(Hart makes it a point of emphasis). The exact same reasons a catcher WOULD sign the extension is the reason the franchise wouldn't(particularly with 4 years of team control left). We know they made no offer to Burnes or Woodruff from at least 2020 onward. They have signed Peralta and Ashby since. This is where I'm done. We've used comps. The numbers being thrown around are about the same as Murphy...and he's a better catcher. You're still comparing a player 4 years away with the top of the market. It's just obviously not the same and I don't believe you don't understand that.

Rutschman is a unique player and I agree, it'd be smart for Baltimore to sign him. He's...a Posey-type player. Just sounds like an incredible leader, defender, hitter, early, but on the road to Cooperstown. If I was Baltimore, I'd also jump on Gunnar and Holliday as well. That could be a Yankees-type trio. Imagine the left side of that IF...or up the middle with Henderson and Holiday. It's not like they'll be hurting to fill out 3B/1B either, but with a hometown billionaire buying the team, I'd try and lock both of them up after Adley.

It was a direct response to your question and honestly...it feels like you're actually just arguing to argue at this point. In what world have we ever compared a FA's contract to that of a player with 4 years of service time remaining and suggested the later deserved to get paid the same as the player on the open market? 1 team offering to pay for your services over the next 4 years Vs 32 teams offering to pay for your services right now. When was the last time a Milwaukee hitter in the majors did not play out his six years and head to free agency. This is an entirely different point than why would Contreras take a deal for less than the very top of the market FA catchers...despite being 4 years away from being a FA Catcher himself, but the POINT was that it happens a lot. A lot of players don't play out the 6 years and head to Free Agency. I'm not sure how that's arguing just to argue. What does Keston Hiura have to do with it? Well, it was ONE example of a Brewers player who didn't make it through 6 years(and it's really more like 7 years) and hit FA. He's also a player that was primed to sign a deal very early in arbitration and a pretty good example of why SOME players make that "boneheaded financial decision" to secure generational wealth. You are the one who cited Murphy, the closest possible comp to Contreras as a reason why he would not sign that deal... although Murphy was, again, closer to FA and a better player.

If you went back a decade or more, there'd be too many players to count who did not play out his six years and head to Free Agency. I'd just off the top of my head mention Keston Hiura who's now in the Minors. I also highly doubt the very small impact of the increased pay from the last CBA...will every have anything to do with if a player signs a contract for near, or at 9 figures.

The guys that usually get 2-way contracts are high upside type players. Storr is too athletic to turn into a good defender...if he wants to.

I'd tend to agree. They need quality more than quantity and they have two really big holes to fill...IOL, LB. Secondary is a need. I'd say it's fine if Barry was still here, but if you're going to play a much higher pct of single high-man coverage. I know my preference would be to trade up for a guy like Fautanu(especially given the combine which really cements him as an OT prospect who can at worst start at OG). I'd guess that be who they'd be targeting between the Seahawks picks...if that rumor is true(seems unlikely they'd be that invested this early) OR another CB. DeJean fits the bill at both if he tests well, so he could be move up the board, Mitchell has been outstanding in the pre-draft process. And they need to get an LB and probably before #50 or so. They could get that RG later and worry about OT later, but the OT classes have been terrible for the last several years. This year it's loaded. Plus, again, Fautanu would likely be a Tyler Smith-type OL, but more polished and NFL-ready coming out.

I would think teams would want to wait for a player of Storr's caliber. He's an incredible CBB player. As for the NBA...I don't know, but look at who the Bucks have on 2-way deals? A 6'7 wing with his athletic ability? What are the holes? Shooting? He looks streaky. Ball handling? Is his defense an issue? It's hard for me to see where the holes are that make him such a long-shot, but I missed a lot of Badgers BB this year.

I didn't miss any point. You confuse me not agreeing with your point as missing it. Your point was that...FA catchers are getting paid more. Great. He's not a FA catcher, so that's irrelevant. What IS relevant is Sean Murphy's contract. Ask him why he made a "boneheaded financial decision," a year closer to Free Agency than Contreras. I'm trying to compare apples to apples...not apples to free agents. And securing 80-100M dollars...that most definitely "helps him," in both the short term and the long term.

Wolf and Thompson just seemed to try and stock up with as many late-round picks as possible to just throw darts and hope they hit. You get a Driver in the 7th, Tauscher, guys like that make your draft. Day3 is where both really thrived. Gute did as well, but has placed more of a premium on the athletic profile. Not sure any team(maybe NOLA) has higher average RAS scores. Thompsons were much lower, he wasn't nearly as aggressive, but man, up until 2016, he also had success with Day 3 picks. Sherman went for the more athletic profiles, but seems like he didn't do the scouting part nearly as much. That same year they took Sander, they took a big DT from Clemson a few picks earlier. A guy who got hurt, then showed up so out of weight that he was sent home and cut. It's too early to compare Gute, but he's off to one helluva start. Utilizes Free Agency, he's aggressive in the draft, but also stocks up on those picks. Walked a real fine line trying to win while also focusing on the future. Excited to see what he does in this draft. Just a side note, last time we were picking 41(I think)...The Packers traded two mid-early 3rd Rd picks for the 26th pick and a 6th for CMIII. Maybe DeJean and Cooper are both on the board and history repeats itself? Probably not.

I think he's pretty likely to be at least a 2-way player.

Yeah, I had a friend who just didn't sign the HOA agreement when he bought his house. People were pissed, but it was because he built a shed...on his 3 acres that buts up against the woods. So a backyard shed that is the same color and matches his house. I actually don't think it was because he could, it was because they couldn't. He put up a little fence in his backyard for his young children and dogs. People complained so he took it down. Didn't want to push it, but it just becomes this little policing neighborhood often times and people are so petty. I get people don't want someone with a junkyard in their yard, but it seems like there could be a happy medium. HOAs are a pain. As for the field, this doesn't seem like a big deal. He's building a little baseball field, again, presumably for his kids. I think his sons are roughly 9 and 6. Not getting the permits was stupid.

I'd guess it's probably for his sons and less for him.

Lets continue the cycle. He went back to KC, not he comes back to Milwaukee. Can't imagine he'd command a whole lot. 6M? Get ~130IP with a much better defense behind him. And the post-game interviews would be great. Remember the "what's your favorite thing about Milwaukee Zack?" And his answer, "I don't know, nobody's annoyed me yet." That's how I remember it, probably not an exact quote.

Murphy is due to be a FA at 33(Team Option) or 34....for an AAV of 15M a year. Using him an example of this deal doesn't work is not the strongest argument. He was(and remains) a better catcher, he was a year closer to FA and he signed pretty much exactly the type of deal you're talking about. And he was proven when he signed that deal. The free-agent deals are...not comparable here, so I'm not sure why we're using them. Yes, you will get much more in FA than you will if you have 4 years of team control left. That's about as obvious as it gets. FA contracts become MORE relevant as a premiere player gets a year or two away. Contreras plays a very physically demanding position and is 4 years away still. Pudge was still worth ~6 WAR over the next two seasons. .288/.312/.441 OPS+96 while playing 265 games at 33-34 years old. Piazza .269/.328/.459 from 36-38, 322 games OPS+ 108 Posey hit .304/.390/.499 with an OPS+ of 140 at age 34 Those are probably not the best examples of how bad the backend looks like as you generally sign a contract like this with the understanding the last 2-3 years aren't going to be the best years. The value comes more from 28-32 range.