BrewerFan

I just feel like a contract in which we defer 68M a year would make Clancy just...lose his mind with joy. He's proposed so many..."optimistic," signings with these massive deferrals, it's long past time we gave him one. @Matthew Truebloodwithout going as in-depth, care to give a quick overview where Frelick falls in on the short swing/bat speed spectrum? He seems like he may benefit with some shorter swings with less bat speed at times.

The whole positional OPS means very little to me. You want more out of Frelick irrespective of what position he's playing. You don't want a .665 OPS at C, SS, 2B, but Ortiz was fine. I expect to get more out of 1B, DH and LF next year...which is really just to say a full year of Chourio, Hoskins and a full year of Yelich. We'll lose something at SS, but if-IF Frelick can be a good defender at 3B, then a 700 OPS should be fine. The biggest thing is why are we going to be running out there. At the moment, it looks like a bunch of replacement-level players. So Frelick probably looks better than that group. I'd prefer a trade for Lowe, Suarez, signing Moncada, or anything that's short-term (two years probably being ideal). I don't know...but I think the Brewers have earned the benefit of the doubt when it comes to self-evaluation. Also, Yelich(I'd guess he's 60/40 OF/DH), Chourio, Mitchell, Perkins, Frelick, Black, are all likely to play in the OF, no clearly answer at 3B and Murphy was talking about how shocked people would be this year with Frelick at 3B before Mitchell and then Yelich went down and Ortiz stepped up. I personally don't get the....reluctance to move or try Yelich unless he's really against it. He really shouldn't be playing in the OF with the defense we have out there and it's pretty easy to see him being at least as good as Hoskins with a little time back over there, but I guess if I'm trusting their self-scouting with Frelick, I'll trust it with Yelich.

Yeah, Rodgers just sucked at the end in GB. Not as a Player, I think he'd be doing great with this group TBH. There was a lot of manipulation with him though...just the games and his Festivus, the airing of grievances. The Jets must be having so much fun. Just one more former Packers great will do it. Yup! Trade that 2nd for Adams. See how much better off they are out from under Gute's thumb!

....would this be your way of saying you'd be against extending Turang?

I agree...mostly. But the Brewers didn't lack the ability to sign Molitor, Bando just didn't want to. He wanted to allocate that money elsewhere. That was the start of the real dark era in Brewers Baseball. Do fans remember celebrating getting over .500? Now we're regularly in the post-season. So no, I don't consider every year that doesn't end in the WS a failure. I don't consider this year a failure. But it sucks.

And in other news, Musgrave is finally going on IR. He looked especially gimpy as of late and has had no impact, so give him a month. Romeo Doubs has been back, the consummate professional per Andy Stenavich...who also said Jordan Morgan would play when he's able to said this about him; Sean Rhyan has played well as the RG. Much-much better than I'd have expected in pass protection.

Yeah, I remember there were concerns about both Preston and Za'Darius...even more so the later since he got paid more and had been less productive. As for guys rushing standing up, they're not as far as I can recall save for a handful of snaps in sub packages, but I'm going back to Hafley's opening press conference and interviews about what the defense would look like. He's said that's something he leaves up to the players. That was how he did it at BC. That's always been a preference...far as I've known for a pass rusher. It's a quicker get off in a 3-point stance and again, all of these guys started out in one way with their hand on the ground. Sure, Gary was raw, but it was a lack of pass-rushing technique(similar to LVN now...though Gary is a more fluid athlete). So again, I'd understand if you went the other way. If you were Peppers and spent all of College, 12 years in the NFL and THEN you're asked to stand up and drop in coverage and read and react before rushing at 34. That's a tough switch. If SF went to a 3-4 and Nick Bosa was struggling it'd make more sense, but the elite edges, Mack, Joey Bosa, Hunter, just to name a few, they've all seamlessly transitioned from DE to OLB or vice versa. I hope I'm wrong and this is just part of the transition... maybe Hafley is doing things differently. It's better than the alternative. Clark and Smith are slowing down. I think Gary is too good to struggle like this. On the bright side, we are creating pressure and getting some hits on the QBs with free runners.

4.6 WAR season and I think he's still got 20 and 30-40 points left on his BA/OBP respectively. All he has to do is balance out the home and road splits. .291/.341/.412 on the road. Pretty ugly at home, but he has a .258 BABIP...which I'd expect to be closer to his road ~.330 or so given his style of play, so, I don't expect a huge improvement in power, but I've always said he reminds me of Trea Turner. His defense, speed, and versatility, and how he played in the post-season was huge. Not gonna write off Ortiz because of a poor post-season, but it's a good sign to me when you have good ABs in the playoffs. Means you can handle the pressure, not trying to do too much. Kinda like going opposite field twice. Anyway, interesting write-up. Turang is a guy I'd like to extend right now....but that's a bit tricky. 4.6 WAR...how do you actually value him? If he were a FA, I doubt anyone would argue he's getting paid like Willy, so not all WAR is valued the same. Is 7/50 with a couple TOs for say 18-20M, 5M buyout reasonable?

The only way to have a reliably dominant Defense is to dominate the LOS. That means when you know they're going to run, stopping the run, when you know they're going to pass, hitting the QB. That's a more reliable way to create turnovers than a QB having time to throw and a Safety playing out of his mind and coming up with some errant passes. It's the difference between those Favre teams near the end with Ed Donatell and the 49ers with Buckner and Bosa, the Buccs when they pressured Mahomes over 20 times, and the Giants their SB years. There's too much talent. It's hardly time to get desperate, but I'm 100% on board if they wanted to give up those 2 1sts for a player like Maxx Crosby or Dexter Lawrence....though obviously I think those teams will keep those players.

I did a little double-take...I mistakenly thought you were the one who suggested signing Bregman... Anyway, I agree we shouldn't sign Adames. I don't agree that Correa and Swansby have been bad signings. I'd take that Correa deal in a heartbeat, he's still a star. And Swanson has three seasons with 4 WAR, the last two he's had 4.8 and 40. One season in the past he was 5.5, so...that's a solid signing. Correa's been injured, but a deal with a superstar that runs until he's 34 with team options? I'd take that. Baez was a bad deal and kinda predictably bad. So was Boegarts and it was one of those deals the Pads made just because they were looking for SOMEONE to give a big bag of money to. As for Willy, I'd sign him...if there was some scenario in which he took less to stay here. Given he's turned down 9 figures already...I'd guess that is unlikely. But 5/130, maybe a TO for 30 with a 5M buyout? I would go that far. He's such an important part of the team, that'd be worth it. I know his defensive metrics fell off, but I think that was an aberration. He had a disproportionate number of throwing errors or just routine plays where he fumbled the ball a bit. That's it. Not sure Ortiz covering so much ground at 3rd helped him either. He has great range for a 3B and I get they're supposed to take whatever they can get to, but I think that actually hurt him. Finally, he's SUCH an important part of this team. I've said before, I used to think Chemistry was overrated in Baseball. I mean, Jeff Kent and Barry Bonds went to a WS, but the Brewers teams the last decade show it sure helps. Willy is the heartbeat of this team. I'd throw that deal out there and MAYBE there's a chance he wants to stay. Of not, the QO and you move on. But I'm certainly not giving him the 170-200M I believe he'd get.

Yeah, I'd buy that, but they ALL come from backgrounds where they play with a hand in the ground AND Hafley's said he doesn't care if they're standing or not, whatever they're more comfortable with. Smith's 6'5 270, he was a 4-3 DE at Miss and played with his hand in the ground at times in Washington under...whoever was after Barry. Gary was a 3 tech in College, so he had to play with his hand on the ground. If any move would have been tough, it'd be that one... LVN obviously at Iowa, Enagbare 4-3 at SC. We draft big DEs and played that at OLB. We don't have the smaller Reddick types so... I don't know. Peppers played in a 4-3 his entire career, College and the NFL save for his time in GB, so that I'd get. That would make sense...similar to Aaron Kampman back when we moved him from DE to OLB. But there shoudn't be nearly as big of an issue going the other way. I'd feel better if I believed that was the issue as it'd mean it's just something they have to get used to, but I'm skeptical. I did just see PFF with a list of who gets chipped the most. Gary was near the top. Above Myles Garrett. TJ Watt at nearly 45%(double that of the next highest). And speaking of PFF, they have Smith and Enagbare grading out...pretty good thus far. I don't put too much stock in that at this point in the year(Wyatt for example has a very poor grade), but MAYBE it's just Gary and Clark playing poorly and once they get it going, it'll open things up for the rest of the DL. That and getting Wyatt back? I don't know what the issue is...but I'm...mostly confident they'll figure it out. It definitely should be better with the draft capital and money we've invested. -Karl Brooks was better as a DE than as a DT in College...maybe give him some snaps out there, let Gary play inside. Move guys around, something.

Yeah, I think you can chalk that up to Gutekunst more than anyone. McKinney is 24 and he was elite last year...and now he's playing out of his mind. Bullard looks great(really similar to McKinney in play style)...but I don't see how he could screw up that front. And again, people say it takes a year to go from one scheme to another...and I buy that going from 4-3 to 3-4 but not the other way around. The areas you're more susceptible are on plays this past week when Kenny Clark was hit with that wham block and they ran a trap right behind him, but at least you're getting up the field. Maybe a Hassan Reddick trade would be worth it? There was a play this past week, LVN beat the LT off the snap, got his hands on him and beat him to the edge and Stafford just stepped up. Ideally, you have a DT coming there, but also, it's nice if you have a guy who can bend and get a piece of that QB. We don't really have that. You don't HAVE to have it. Nick Bosa isn't exactly Von Miller coming off the edge, either...but he's got such a refined repertoire, it doesn't matter and Gary was playing in a very similar manner. Enough speed to get the edge due to the power and hands and the threat to the inside. One of the only possible conclusions I can come to is that with so much man coverage, there are so many routes open under the middle in front of the Backers, the ball is coming out quickly? Maybe with Jaire, Stokes, Valentine playing, Bullard in the slot, Quay and Cooper as the nickel backers, you give the DL time to get home? I don't actually buy that, I just can't figure out how the DL got so bad so quickly...

They do...and it's a ton of money. I believe when they were up for renewal it was 3B a year...I don't know that for certain, but it WAS 2B a year they were generating...so quick math, ~60M a team. 93M if it's at 3B. That's why the Green Bay Packers with 100K people can afford to sign the "Juan Soto" type Free Agents if they're willing to come here. I'd think the Brewers would do better, even if the Dodgers, Mets, Yanks, all those teams aren't involved, the top 12 markets, but if MLB got control of the rest of the teams and divided it up as they SEEM to be inclined to do, how do the Brewers not generate more money? MLB would be SOOO much better if they just split TV revenue. It wouldn't be equal, the Dodgers, Yanks, they'll always generate more money just as the Cowboys and Giants will in the NFL, but if the Brewers could run out a 180M payroll? That'd be cool. Also, one player wouldn't get a contract that is equal to SIX YEARS of the Brewers payrolls(even if he was arguably worth it).

I don't think so. There's no bonuses due for him in season or anything else. I'm sure he's unhappy not playing and he wants to get traded and the Jets want to get it done, but the Raiders want a 2nd+ for him. I'm skeptical the Jets do that. He's a rental and he'll be 32.

I wish they could have done this in the off-season! Easiest decision of all-time, Robert Saleh, DC. Make him the highest paid, he coaches here for a year or two, gets another gig and you get 2 3rds for privilege. I don't know what Rodgers issue with Saleh is, but...this is the Jets being the Jets. Yup. He didn't like the leadership(basically) of Dolan and Woody Johnson. And what has happened since then? Rex Ryan came in with an elite defense, a bunch of 1st rd picks on the OL and Mark Sanchez got them to a couple AFCCGs and that's pretty much it. I like Hafley...I think. I can't imagine it's his fault that this front isn't getting pressure, but what a ballsy and wildly unrealistic move would it be to replace Hafley with Saleh? He'll get another HC'ing job or he'll go back to SF though. I'd love to see him as a...special assistant or something.

They rebuilt that line and they did pretty damn good job. I know Fashanu had a bad game, but that's the right side, that's on Rodgers to set up the protection. It's his offense. He's basically running the Jets at this point. I'm not saying PFF Grades are perfect, by ANY means, but the most reliable they are, is the pass pro. They grade out pretty good until you get to RT and that's Morgan Mosses(basically Billy Turner) and last week their top 10 pick, Fashanu played and was bad). So you use a TE to chip or a RB, or you get the ball out quickly and let the WRs run after the catch. Rodgers just doesn't seem like he's processing as fast to me or getting rid of the ball as quickly and like he's getting real frustrated. That offense SHOULD be talented enough to win. Rodgers has done much more in the past with much less. I agree, he's still top 15, but I think it's likely it's going to take him a while to get acclimated to all the players around him. WE all know how...stubborn he can be. I guess the people who don't think he's top 15, are you taking Aaron Rodgers or Sam Darnold right NOW. Or is this more of a power-ranking type thing.

The is literally the ONLY hole on the team. Even if they trade Williams(and I'm not suggesting they trade him as a result of this blown save, rather due to the value he'll carry as a dominant sub 2.00 career ERA pitcher). So....I don't think Black is an everyday 3B. I think maybe he's an everyday 2B if...you absolutely have to play him at one of the two, but most likely it's a Bauer-type role. Also, as far as I've heard, the TV contract isn't going to hurt the Brewers. If ANYTHING, it should help the Brewers. This paltry TV money they get now would go up if MLB took it over(is my understanding anyway).

Well...Snell won't be on the market, but if the Brewers are going to spend money, I wouldn't spend it on any of those guys. We find pitchers, we work with them, and we have a great staff year after year. Hell, if we're going to jump into the FA pool, just dive right into the deep end and give Soto 12/500M? Get a HOF talent in the prime, one of the top 3-4 hitters in the game, and the ideal hitter to hit between Yelich and Chourio! I'm being as serious as I can be. Bregman is going to cost you probably what Matt Chapman cost plus a couple of years and a couple million per year since he's been better, been a winner, he's younger. So 8/200. You'll probably get lucky to get 6 WAR out of the last 4 years of that deal and you're just as likely to DFA him and eat 80M to plug in Pratt, Wilken, Made, whoever. I'd rather get stupid and just sacrifice the 2040s. Soto 12-500, 100M deferred, 10M from 2040-2050, give him an option 6 years in and 280 in. Get the modern-day Barry Bonds in the lineup with Chourio and you know he'll be in his prime or damn near it for that whole deal! I have absolutely zero hope that'll happen, but if we're GOING to spend stupid money(and Bregman is stupid money for our market) lets spend it in a way that we're not just giving a check to a player who's not going to be productive for half of it? 1-Yelich(DH) 2- Chourio(RF) 3- Soto(LF) 4- Contreras(C) 5- Mitchell(CF) 6-Frelick(3B) 7- Hoskins(1B), 8- Turang(SS/2B), 9- Ortiz(SS/2B) Black, Bauers, Perkins, Collins, Haase Rotation Woodruff, Meyers, Civale, Ashby, Hall, Peralta BP-Megill, Uribe, Mears, Hudson, Koenig, Yoho That's without Misi, Henderson, any wild jumps like Boeve, Wilken and his 17AA HRs despite a pitch to the fact, Pratt, one of the 7 or 8 pitchers who will invariably come up, pitch great and add a couple MPH and refine their change, Payamps, Peguero(who could both be in there), Quero. There ya go. And how much is that team? 150? No Williams, Milner, Montas, LOL...I'm not mocking Bergman, I'm really not. He DOES fit perfectly and I'm not worried about his walk rate, his exit velo has been great(or at least really good). But that fit is for a year, maybe two. And since we're going big, lets go Reggie White 1992 Packers big! Now....we just need Jimmy and Dee to decide they want to be in the Baseball game, throw in 500M and dedicate themselves to building a winner in Milwaukee without blowing up the future like the Bucks have! Or just keep plugging along in Brewers fashion, develop Made into a young Arod, Pratt into a young Gunnar, Quero into Yaddy(who hits more early on), Mis into deGrom(but we keep him healthy). Seriously, we sign someone like Polanco, the fanbase moans, he comes in, puts up a 760 OPS at 3B, plays poor defense...or you get a guy like Iglesias, he'll probably hit .280/.330/.340, play outstanding defense, but you can make a move at the deadline. All in, shy of someone with billions like the Haslem's joining the best case is probably a Moncada or Black+Payamps for Suarez OR...a bit of an unlikely idea, if a team outside of LAD signs Willy, take their leftovers. If Philly for example wants to move Trea back to 2B, Devin Williams+ for Alec Bohm(they need relievers and a CF, so maybe Black here also, or Payamps or Peguero). Bryson Stott would be a good option as well, though for much less. Brandon Lowe. Hell, Maybe you take Trevor Story+60M in a salary dump and hope he's recovered. He's still a guy worth having for 5-6M a year. You give up again, a reliever or two. If it's the other favorites, maybe we can pull off a bigger trade with the Red Sox. Williams+ The signing works perfectly on MLB24, but...it just doesn't fit with the Brewers. We need a 2-3 year bridge(if that). And you'd be getting that but paying for ~8 years. But, it's fun to think of the lineup with him.

1 game, 3 games, 5 or 7, each team we've lost to has won a the NLCS. It's just getting hot at the right time... And that guy that hit 3 HRs, 2 in one game, the other guy who was 5 of his first 8 while playing elite defense, guys like that make me think they handle the pressure and they'll find a way.

That and the highest paid player on the team has been dealing with chronic back injuries for a decade now and said his back felt better a week after surgery than it had since his mid 20s. For a guy on pace to have a 25/50 type season with a 900+ OPS...that's a helluva addition. Mitchell, a player I admittedly have reservations about, but he's posted an 800 OPS now over 116 career games. Frelick, Turang, Ortiz, Black, Quero, also young guys who could(should) be better or help out next year. If there was a year to push that payroll a bit...to add another 10-14M and maybe touch 145, it'd be next year. I just don't buy the "there's no schedule," stuff. There clearly is and it coincides with Chourio emerging, Quero, Misiorowski and then that aforementioned group all with a little time under their belts, PLUS....this bullpen should be just overwhelming. I hate the way the season ended and it feels...inevitable, but it's not. Chourio was a 14-year-old kid when were were playing the Dodgers to go to the WS. He could care less about the series since then. Give me ONE more .800 OPS 3B/2B or hell, at least just a competent bat and I think we'll have enough. We'll have those 1-5 hitters, fill in around them and then have a LOT of power arms to throw at teams. And then beyond that, we're probably a year away from the next wave of prospects hitting Milwaukee, sometime in '26 for guys like Wilken, Pratt and who the hell knows, Made could force himself in that group or Adams, whoever. It's just coming in waves now. I 100% understand how you can be pissed off the way the season has ended. I don't know how you can call it an organizational failure when guys like Devin Williams or Josh Hader are the ones getting hit or Corbin Burnes getting beat up an dof couse, every year there's an injury. And then there's the fluke luck. Hader has blown at least 2 games, Williams 2. You were literally one pitch away from wining any of 3 games vs the Braves, the D-Backs we had what seemed like 7 or 8 pitches hit over 100MPH that didn't get out of the IF while they nickel and dimed us to death. They're not excuses, like I said, I get it. But it this era of Brewers baseball isn't "good enough" for you...consistently being there year in and year out while you're actively IMPROVING the outlook of this team moving forward, then how many teams would you be happy rooting for? The Dodgers? Sure, if we were the LAD, we could add Burnes, Soto and Bregman, while bringing back Adames. Hell, we'd still have room to spare. 50M+30M+25+25, we could go into next year under the luxury. But that's not how MLB works, so perhaps we should enjoy the wave of young talent we have and hope we keep stacking 90-96 win teams, those bloopers will go in our direction. That line drive DP with 2 on vs the Braves in the 9th will find a hold and we'll have a shot at taking the lead. We get 6 months of good baseball consistently I won't let a pitch in 5-6 games change that. We've got a better team coming back. I'll watch the Brewers pretty much every night next year and hope our young studs can write a new ending. That simple. Loved this season and this team and Ill enjoy next years as well. Hopefully more!

I was a little surprised when I looked at the stats...but then I looked at Gary and they said he had a 25% pass rush win rate vs the Rams, so....I don't know. We're certainly not dominating the LOS on either side of the ball and we were last year. On the Love pick 6, they brought a guy off the edge and we just didn't pick them up well. That's tough play for Love. He got hit and he's just trying to fling it out of bounds, but they ended up bringing 5. We kept Jacobs in(he did get a good chip). So I see your point. These "grades" aren't the end all. They're one piece, but I think the OL has to be better. Defensively, If Dexter Lawrence actually was on the block...I think I'd give up two picks for him though. The Rams slid their protection toward Gary never every play...meaning they're just not scared of anyone else. Lawrence is playing damn near a prime Aaron Donald level(which is why he won't be traded most likely)...but a player like that really changes your entire team. But damn, this should be a top 5 defense. We get the safeties and the DL falls apart. And I've seen the "it takes time to go from one scheme to another," and I do not buy that. If we were going from a 4-3 to a 3-4, maybe. But we're not. This should be a relatively easy transition. Last year we were 2-5 after the Vikings dog walked us, so...it's early....but ugly.

That's funny, I was just thinking the OL has been pretty impressive...albeit not vs the best fronts in the game, but they've all been good in pass protection except for Myers. Walker had a lot of penalties early on, but he's been better. Rhyan has been good in pass-blocking. I guess we'll find out more about the OL as the year goes on, but they've held up pretty well. Detroit, SF, they'll be better indicators. I also wish we had a FB or another H-Back. I get a little worried Kraft can't take this level of punishment and he's become too important. I still believe in Musgrave, but they're very different types of players.

I don't think the change should have necessitated anything. He was ~15 pounds bigger than Bosa as a 3-4 edge. If he's gained weight...and it's hard for me to tell if he has or not, then it is on him. The problem is, we've got a lot of talented pass rushers and not one of those players who played vs the Rams has improved. In fact, they're all CLEARLY worse. Maybe someone else can tell me what type of One-Gape 4-3 Defense where you're playing man on the backend...are you not trying to get your DL up-field and just let them come after the QB. Our secondary has played well, even excluding McKinney. People are upset with Nixon and he's never been my favorite, but if you line him up in the slot vs a guy like Atwell, then give Stafford 3 seconds...he's gonna give up yards. If you put him outside vs Jefferson and it takes a perfect pass to beat him, he' done his job. You don't expect him to lock a guy up like Jaire or even Stokes. Through 5 games I feel alright about this team. Not great. They're a solid team. If the DL doesn't start playing like you expect them to, I don't see this team being able to win in the post-season.

You pretty much nailed everything else, but the intermediate game is...Wicks dropping balls, Doubs throwing a fit(that's where he's used) and...Musgraves. Wicks I believe will figure it out. Doubs...I really hope does. Melton -I hope the big catches/games last year weren't the best we see from him as he looked really good. Musgrave -I don't need him to improve like Kraft has, but he was a BIG part of the offense last year and he's so long and athletic and...not getting the ball. That group needs to step up. I'm happy the ball to Reed was a catch, but that was 1st down, right? That's a bad decision. The pick 6 I'm actually fine with. He's out of the pocket(but in the EZ) and he's trying to just throw it away, he gets hit... as Forrest says, 'it happens.' improve. Also...Christian Watson is a HUGE piece of this offense. I don't care if he has 2 catches for 60 yards, he opens that defense up. I'm not entirely sure why given how little he's proven, but watching how many guys are zeroing in on Watson when he's in vs the defense when he's out, it's a big difference. I also think I'd give up 2 1sts and a kidney after watching Dexter Lawrence AGAIN just dominate and win that game for the Giants.

This team playing at THIS level is not a competitor. Even walking up and putting 6 on the LOS isn't doing much for Clark or Gary. Wyatt was the only consistent threat. He'll be back. It's 5 games now. They're good players so I feel like they'll figure it out, but...they've been just bad. And then you're playing man on the backend and you don't have Jaire, Nixon is in Man coverage, sometimes against player like Justin Jefferson...gotta have Jaire OR Gary, Clark, LVN and something out of Enagbare/Preston. I don't think you can rely on McKinney getting picks. You can apply the same thing to the WRing core. Doubs was pouting, Watson is injured(this time it's a fluke). Wicks has been bad. Melton non-existent. Kraft and Reed have been great, but Musgraves is also not showing up. Maybe it's Love who just hasn't been real sharpe...I don't know, but not a great start to the year. The 3-4 was better than this and there's no world you should get more pass rush from your DL in a 3-4 vs a 4-3 unless you're playing conservative vs a Lamar or Richardson, Hurts(Which we did for two weeks). I'm also hoping we hear that Gary has been hurt. Clark... he always plays well in December, I feel find there, but I don't want to rely on a LB/Slot blitzing to create pressure.