BrewerFan

No...I think if he was hands on, you'd have seen a trade that would have seen a Frelick/Wiemer/Turang or whatever combination of young players for a bat. I believe Stearns intentionally operated conservatively so if a move came up, he didn't have to push ownership into agreeing to it. I believed Mark A when he said there was no player they couldn't acquire last year due to payroll issues for this year or this year and the next.

I think he's been hands off for the most part the last 4-5 years(he was back during the Suppan era). I do think he kinda handed the reins to Stearns and just gave him guidelines. I believe Attanasio when he said that Stearns and Arnold called and said they "had something they wanted to do with Hader." I don't believe that was pushed by ownership because it didn't save them money. I also believe they COULD spend more money, but not a whole lot. I completely disagree Stearns would be a "complete disaster" with the Mets payroll. They're spending nearly half a billion(would have been over if Correa would have passed his physical) as it is. So not only is it absurdly high bar to be a "disaster in NY," with that payroll, but his big flaws have been what? LoCain, then signing Yelich off the two best offensive seasons(arguably) in Brewers history and...who else? Peralta? Ashby? They made a 9 figure offer to Darvish the same off-season they signed LoCain and traded for Yelich. Those aren't "disaster" moves for the Cohen Mets, those are average salaries for non-arbitration players. They were barely "disaster" moves for the Brewers. Cohen has talked about how he wants to build a farm system and be the Dodgers of the East(he's already blowing past that financially). But they've already got Alvarez and Baty up. Lindor for 340M, Sherzer and Verlander at 43M AAV(I don't think that's bad for short deals TBH though they don't look great). Nimmo...a solid contract. 20M a year for a ~4 WAR CFer. And arguably the best closer. If the Brewers had that type of payroll, I feel fairly confident Burnes and Woodruff would be locked up for another 5 years, Hader would have signed an extension. Yelich as well I'm sure. Maybe Adames...Williams would likely have signed an extension by now. I think as much as anything, the Dodgers and teams with big payrolls who ALSO want to build top farm systems, the payroll gives them the luxury of not pushing those prospects. It also gives them massive scouting departments and just benefits you in every way. I really can't imagine how Stearns would be a disaster having an extra 200+ million to spend with 4 top 100 prospects, plus a top 5 overall prospect now in the Bigs in Alvarez and a top 20 60 feet away from him in Baty. The Mets REALLY don't have terrible long term deals relative to their silly payroll. They're playing poorly, they're going to sell at the deadline and add to their farm system...maybe they even add a couple prospects for Verlander/Scherzer and then paying some of either deal(obviously). He'd walk in and have to be salivating. He could easily sign an Ohtani, a guy like Urias...hell, if he wanted, a Josh Hader. But these contracts are always going to look bad on the backend. That's true for everyone. The Dodgers minimize that but even they have that issue(Betts I doubt will look great in 2032 at 30M), I assume Stearns will as well and stay away from those 12 year deals as much as possible, but they all look bad at the end. That's part of being a big market and players in free agency. Ohtani, Diaz, a more competent manager and there's absolutely no reason that team can't get back to 100 wins. I still think they can make a push to get into the WC chase.

He has. Peguero has as well. Wilson. I think the Brewers win this one long term...but there's more context to it. That Oakland loved Ruiz so much changes the whole deal. Side note, there's no chance BRef is accurate with Hader's height, right? They have him listed as 5'10? I thought he was at least 6'3 if not taller. Devin Williams is not 4 inches taller than him...right?

That Lamet decision made absolutely no sense and it was CLEARLY a roster issue and not intended all along as was presented to us. Irrespective of what Lamet has since done(plus, don't we consider the Brewers pretty good at developing pitchers and helping them fix their issues) that REALLY annoyed me. The subsequent trades made a ton of sense. Contreras has improved so much defensively. He really only filled the Renfroe hole offensively, but that's worth a ton for a passable defensive catcher vs a RFer. Payamps has been exceptional. One of the confusing things to me is Gasser not getting the call yet. I guess it's more about roster manipulation. They could deal with throwing Pannone once and then discarding him(which kinda sucks as he seemed like he could be of use as a long man). But Gasser has been pitching so well, he seems like he should be getting the call fairly quickly. I'd say by the next Houser start? Andrews back to AAA, Gasser up, Monasterio/Toro DFA? I'd also be good with Uribe. That's 2 40 man spots, but with Turang, not sure it has to be an either or with Monasterio and Toro. So add those two, if options become an issue with either, things have not worked out. So I wouldn't be bothered by burning one.

I mentioned him, Lane Thomas and Grichuk. I think it's probably just as simple as doing what I did. Went to look at the teams with the worst records, and in my case, specifically looked at RHHers and came up with Grichuk as an obvious one and likely cheap. Lane Thomas as more expensive as he has a few years of team control(and is probably overperforming, and really more than we need) and Canelario for the IF. The Brewers problem though is they have either prospects who seem destined to be part of their future(Misi, Black, Felick, obviously Chourio and Quero) and then I hate the idea of trading away an 18/19 of even 20 year old like Para, Mendez, Guillarte(especially Guillarte)...even Jace Avina. They probably don't have much value in a trade and they have obvious upside. It's like we're lacking players in AAA who are low end prospects save for maybe Small and same with AA. Who do we have that we really want to give up for this team? My own answer may change if Adames, Tellez, Winker start hitting just...anywhere near their projected numbers, otherwise...I mean, I'm an optimist, but I'm not considering Black for anything but a player with at least...some team control beyond this year. I guess Justin Jarvis is an option...but if history is any indication, he's gonna get flipped for a 5.00 ERA reliever(may not be totally fair, but Reese Olsen for Norris NEVER made sense and Antoine Kelly for Bush certainly didn't work).

I guess *IF Jimmy and Dee Haslem want to take some of that NFL money and get into a second professional sports team in Milwaukee...that'd be fine. They bought about 33% of the Bucks, correct? The Bucks are worth~2X as much as the Brewers...I guess. That doesn't sound right, but the Brewers are appraised at 1.6B the Bucks at 3.5B. Mark A owns roughly 40% of the Brewers? I guess that would be one route. But as rich as these people ALL are, you're not going to find many people interested in buying the Brewers, spending 175 and losing 30 or 40M a year. I suppose it's possible they could invest in the team, raise the ticket prices to league average and have a run like the Guardians did in the 90s and they wouldn't be losing nearly that much, but it's unlikely. If I was a billionaire and as a result the chances are I wouldn't care at all about the people of Milwaukee, I'd be looking at public funding in Nashville and moving my team down to what's a growing and thriving city with a larger TV market. Not much larger, but it's economy is booming, it's one of the fastest growing metro area's in the Country and is probably the perfect place for a stadium. So yeah, be careful what you wish for. We know we're safe in GB, but we've had ownership groups in both Milwaukee teams who made staying in Milwaukee a condition of selling and even facilitated new stadiums/arenas to make that happen. Will Mark A take a deal few hundred Million less to sell to someone dedicated to staying in Milwaukee? Hope so...doubt the Bronx native and LA resident has a fraction of the loyalty as the guy who fought to bring a team to Milwaukee(and who should be hailed as a hero by Brewer faithful, but instead of kinda villainized by many).

That's almost unheard of and yet it seems totally reasonable with the Brewers and Counsell. Seems hard to believe Pat Murphy taking over and then handing the job back to CC. I think it's more likely that they'd just look for another manager and move into the FO, but could be Murphy.

I will place a bet with you that Counsell does not leave HIS childhood team, one that he's free to run as he sees fit and is located minutes away from where he grew up, where his children play...all to go to NYC and take on one of the most scrutinized jobs in Baseball. But we'll see.

You realize not everything is some nefarious act, right? The idea that he was working for the Mets on his way out, that both sides are violating his contract because his firm, not him, his firm had to pay a fine for insider trading does not mean he's illegally conversing with Stearns. And man, what a moron he'd have to be to "all but announce that," last night if that was the case, no? It sounds like you took what EVERYONE believed to be true, ie, Stearns to the Mets...and you then extrapolated that to Stearn is working behind the scenes for the Mets while still with the Brewers because he's mad the Brewers wouldn't just let him out of his contract(because what do those silly little things mean) early to go work for the Mets. You realize the two people you mentioned are out of Baseball...not because of how qualified they are, but because they cheated. They're viewed as dirty. You REALLY think after everything we saw from Stearns, that's how HE acts? Even if you want to attribute that behavior to Cohen as the Owner of the Mets, that's....kinda silly.

Well, it's not certain, it's wild speculation on your behalf. He was WELL compensated. But how'd he "salt the Earth?" Attanasio was emphatic that the Brewers could have added payroll to the team. That it was strictly Stearns call to trade Hader...which led directly to a 24 year old catcher coming off an AS season as well as a pitching prospect in AAA who looks like he's close to stepping into the rotation. So what moves can we look to that he was somehow working on behalf of the Mets and not...I guess trying to win for the Brewers? I'm really not even sure what you're speculating about here.

I thought this was the worst hidden secret in Baseball. Stearns, the Mets fan growing up, started out with the Mets, denied multiple times the oppurtunity to interview with the Mets, now free from the Brewers would likely be AGAIN pursued by the Mets. The idea that they're risking pretty substantial penalties by tampering with someone under contract or...what's far more ridiculous, that Stearns would be sabotaging the Brewers and be making moves for the Mets last year is really out there. I can't imagine anyone being "mocked" because they believed Stearns was destined for the Mets. For the rest, that makes sense. What evidence would there be that he was working on behalf of the Mets? If we'd traded Chourio, Misiorowski, Quero, Frelick and company for Lindor's bloated contract, it might give me cause to question his decisions, but otherwise it's just a bit out there.

They've actually got quite a bit of young talent...and their contracts really aren't that bad. They have Scherzer and Verlander locked up for another year and 2 years respectively. Most of their contracts outside of Lindor, Diaz and Nimmo are done after this year. And...who cares? They were going to sign Correa and only didn't because of a medical issue. They'll probably make the biggest offer to Ohtani next off-season. They're not exactly limited because of the bad contracts they do have. Cohen may be pissed that he's spending and the team is playing poorly, but as for their farm system, Alvarez was the #1 prospect in baseball last year and he's 21 years old. Batty was top 20 heading into last year, he's 23. They have 4 more top 100 prospects and #5 has been on and off the MLB.com top 100. I don't see a Brewers re-boot being plausible. If Verlander and Scherzer start throwing better(they haven't been bad) then I guess you could trade a couple of ~40 year old pitchers on short deals if you eat some of it. Beyond that, they're either locked into a player or they are young talented players.

You see Burnes fire the ball into the ground? You see him screaming into his glove? I don't think a lack of motivation is the problem...and baseball is a sport that gets harder the more you press. I don't think there's anything wrong with his motivation. He may not love the front office, but seems like he cares about his teammates more than he dislikes anyone running the team.

I don't think there's any question he's capable of that...but what if he's a GG CFer? Are we maybe assuming he's a RFer due to his size and that throwing arm? Despite all the reports on his defense and even earlier in the season, I assumed he'd move to RF as well, but he is incredible in CF. Better than Mitchell IMO. He took some poor routes at times. Still covered a ton of ground, but seems like Wiemer has been about as good as you can get out there. And we prioritize a RFers arm more than you do in CF, but isn't it at least as useful in CF? More balls hit your way, more chances to make plays? Chourio/Frelick both have 45 grades on their arms and 70 speed. Chourio's seems a little underrated, but either way, both are below Mitchell(60) and Wiemer. It'll be interesting to see how they configure it when the time comes, but Wiemer's only issues seem to be going back on the ball and he's gotten better at that. Whatever they do, whoever ends up getting traded, it's going to be important to keep Tyler Black on the dirt somehow. Even if it's 1B(though ideally 3B and then 2B) and he doesn't put up prototypical 1B power numbers. That OBP, ability to put the ball in play and speed, he'd be a bit wasted as an OFer with this group.

I'd have said that about Tellez, but Winker was one season removed from being an really good hitter. He was a terrible OFer which is why I thought DH would be a good fit. Both have seen their hard hit % and EV's drop quite a bit though(Winker especially back to '21). Is it though? He's been one of the best defensive CFers in baseball...

Ok, I'm not really interested in how big of a sample size before you determine a good hitter who's struggling isn't a good hitter anymore as the actual point I was making isn't changed at all. A new "voice" isn't going to make them suddenly start hitting. You can't motivate people into hitting in Baseball. They try harder and they're likely going to struggle more.

Uribe. A 17 year old who's already got a big fastball and it looks like he's got the stuff to be a TOR type pitcher moving forward, or an elite high leverage reliever. But I'm definitely looking for high ceiling arms back. With Uribe, you're talking about a 17 year old kid in rookie ball, so if he's a star, 3 years away in a best case scenario, likely 5 years away from being a potential MLB starter. I'm not sure TB is the best option. I like Texas. I'd be willing to give up Williams if you could get Porter and Lieter back. I'm completely of the opposite mindset that if you trade Burnes, you need to get hitters back. We've got hitters coming up. We've got 3 top ~70 position prospects in AA or above and I think Tyler Black should be close to the top 100. The Brewers have been competitive, even the last few years despite just terrible offensive production. I keep going back to what that OF could look like with Chourio/Frelick/Wiemer and then Mitchell, Yelly(part time DH maybe depending on platoon splits) and Rodriguez looks like the ideal 4th OFer(or 5th/6th depending on Mitchell). Black, Quero, Turang, 4 picks in the top...what, ~87 this year. Give me a couple of high end AA arms with that type of TOR type potential. I think saying, "I just want MLB ready bats back for Burnes," is reactionary and the result of understandable frustration, but we have so much talent coming up. I mean, I could be sold on a guy like Manzardo...though to be honest, I don't think he's going to be a HUGE difference from Black...who ends up at 3B in a perfect world, possibly 2B, but I think likely 1B. Get pitching and keep investing on the bats on the international FA market. That's the most sustainable way to win. 2025 you could have Misiorowski Porter Lieter Peralta Ashby Gasser Uribe CL....that seems more the Tampa Bay model than just loading up on bats and hoping you can find pitching and develop it elsewhere.

It is kinda funny in every sport now when a recruit flips, it's "must have paid him...offered him a bigger NIL deal." VERY few of these guys are getting NIL and even among those who do, it's the vast minority. UCLA is a fun school and if you're an athlete, I certainly get the appeal. Get out of your comfort zone. Plus, we've got transfers now, so a kid can make this decision knowing if it's not what he thinks or what he wants, he can leave in a year or two. I loved my time in school, but a little bit of me wishes I'd have considered most seriously going out of state.

It's not a play calling issue of a schematic issue, it's players who have traditionally been good hitters, Adames, Winker, Tellez, Urias, all struggling. Add to that the injuries to the staff... The team plays loose, they're aggressive. I don't think the message has gotten stale. I think those players start pressing and it just builds on itself. But I don't think changing managers does anything. We've focused on a different type of position player the last 3-5 years and we're on the precipice of seeing those efforts come to fruition, but you can't blame the manager when you have good hitters just not hitting and then you planned for some players to be average or worse.

I see that, he just doesn't strike me as the type who's going to change his approach. He plays with a reckless abandon that's great to see, but he's also improved on how selective he is(still not quite at that magic 10% BB rate). Maybe there's less pressure. I'm shocked Yelich is hitting as well as he is and this team is still struggling. Still have some level of faith Winker, Adames, Tellez and then hopefully Frelick, Hiura can help this team. Maybe even black if he gets bumped to AAA and he produces as I think he's capable of. Throw in a Grichuck, Turang down the stretch with the glove and on the base paths...I see a pathway for this team to get hot at the right time yet....albeit a very narrow one, one that includes Burnes throwing like a Cy Young winner again, Woody coming back and solidifying that BP. But that's a whole lot of wishing. Yelich is 3rd in Exit Velo this past month, Wiemer 7th and the later has a .260 BABIP. Call me an eternal optimist... Or maybe the Baltimore Orioles get an ace and we get a 6'5 3B prospect. We'll see.

Right, I just thought maybe someone had a bit more. I understand why it's the rare exception you'd spend on a 16 year old arm. HS prep arms are risky enough, but this is like drafting a Soph based on how you scouted him as a Freshmen. I would like to see the Brewers target a few high ceiling arms in this upcoming draft. College arms are unlikely to fall(those with the upside we're targeting). Waldrep, Sykora...a College arm and a prep arm would be ideal if they fell. See if we can finally get the pitching and hitting to lineup. Side note-Anyone see the suggestion on how the Yankees should "break the MLB draft?" In this loaded class, just go all in, don't worry about the bonus pool. The theory being, take a team with a relatively small pool, one that won't likely be picking high the next 2 years(which would lessen the value)...take a draft that's considered deep(this being one of the deeper ones) and then just take those high end prospects who drop. Spending 20M, you lose your 1st and 2nds the next 2 years, but you get that elite talent in your system quicker, you just take BPA. Pay the penalty and just load up. It's an interesting idea. Not one I'd advocate for the Brewers. One, they have a large pool, 2, they could very likely be picking top 10 in either of the next two years(particularly with the new lottery). Anyway, interesting idea...probably the wrong place to put it.

You think there's a strong correlation between Wiemer hitting 9th an 6th? He's a streaky hitter. I don't think it's much more than that. He's hit 8th or 9th the vast majority of the time with 1 start hitting 2nd, 1 hitting 5th, 4 hitting 7th and then...8th or 9th. I think hitting him 5th or 6th vs lefties and then dropping him back down vs righties would be fine. The bigger issue is he's still just developing. I think one of the best things for his personnel development is given everyday in CF. Knowing he's going to start if he has an 0-4. That's more important than where he is in the lineup.

It's easy enough to spot the young international signings who are position players who have plus tools in one area or another...or who are just producing, but what about the young arms? Who should we be watching in the DSL or Rookie ball? Are do we just have guys with some feel for pitching and given the longshot it is to hit on a pitcher, are we just adding guys hoping that we find someone who may have some growth left, who may add 3-4+ MPH and become something to be excited about? Remind me about Wily Peralta? I don't think we signed him throwing in the upper 90s, so when did his velo tick up?

It can also actually save you some money. The Bucks picked the Kalaitzakis on a partially GTD deal to limit their salary cap liability. They actully cost less than an UDFA or a vet minimum...but if has to be a 3 year partially GTD deal, so you have to take some money from the MLE or Bi-Annual as they did with Kalaitzakis. But he cost them roughly 900K. That's the cheapest you can sign a player to. So when you're getting hit with 4.25M for every million you're over, plus now you have that 2nd apron to deal with, you're hoping the players will become something, but it also makes more sense. I do think they targeted both of these players. It's easier to see how they work on a team like Boston or GSW or any team who's best player is also a shooter(Pho another example). But they have...some plan. I can't really see what it is at this point other than just running it back and hoping Middleton and Lopez sign for a little less, but, we'll see).

Jackson was mocked from last 1st down to 40. Even in last years way too early...he was mocked to the Bucks at ~37 IIRC. He's not a scorer. He sounds like if everything goes right just a glue guy who makes everyone better. But I don't think they're even really really hoping he becomes a 35% 3 point shooter or a reliable scorer. It sounds like pretty much nobody does. Horst talked about how they're changing the way they're going to play and they need players for that and he was a perfect fit. Sounds like they have much higher hopes for Livingston, but at least both are big, physical players who you could probably play as PFs if you went with a smaller lineup and they can switch on just about everything. I don't think it'd impact Lopez(these two picks certainly shouldn't) but Horst also talked about switching. If Houston gets ridiculous and is offering Lopez 20M a year for 3 or the Lakers do, maybe they're planning on playing a different style. Still thinking he's coming back, but hypothetically, you have Jrue, Beauchamp, Middleton, Jackson and Giannis, you can switch and Tatum/Brown aren't going to tear you up. Plus, we've been a good shooting 3 point team for a couple years, we get to the playoffs and it falls apart and we have Middleton who can shoot(and that's hit or miss) and then usually one other player. Hill, Brogdon, maybe Connaughton another series or Lopez part of another. So unless they pull off some trade for some dynamic 3 point shooter, they're probably thinking a great passing, lock down defender who's athletic and can play that dunkers spot right away, he has some value. It's not exciting, but they did with their title on the strength of their defense more than anything.