Michael Trzinski

I'd be worried about his knee, but according to reports, he should be ready to go in February. Put him at 2B and Turang at SS?

True, but '2-for-23' is not an '0-for.' Getting zero hits is much more frustrating than getting a couple here and there. But your point is taken. As proven by FTC, it was a pointless task, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.

During Adames' 2021 'Brewer' season, he had three '0-for-10' slumps or worse (0-10, 0-11, 0-15). After July 25, he had no such streaks. Take away the 0-for-36, and he was 104-for-329 (.316). He averaged one 'slump' per 122 ABs in 2021, and one slump per 61 ABs in 2023. Numbers for your perusal...

True, but is that 'average' for big leaguers? I'll dig into it a little.

I counted the '0-for-10' streaks or worse and I believe there were eight or nine of them during 2023, including an 0-for-22. I didn't compare to other hitters, so I don't know if this about average or what. Take away those streaks and he hit .270 (120-for-444). What that means exactly, I don't know, but I bet one of our intelligent readers can separate the wheat from the chaff.

In 2021, Willy Adames was the toast of Brew City, and fans were anxiously waiting to see what their young superstar would do next. Fast-forward two years, and the Brewers almost can't get rid of him fast enough. Whatever happened to Adames? Image courtesy of © Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports Willy Adames toiled for two-plus seasons at Tropicana Field in Tampa, before getting traded to the Brewers in May 2021. The shortstop had highs and lows during his Rays tenure, but flourished as a Brewer, hitting .285/.366/.521 in 413 trips to the plate. Things were looking up for both Adames and the Brewers. Prior to Spring Training in 2022, the Crew inked their star to a $4.6-million contract, avoiding arbitration. Adames went on to hit a career high in home runs, but his OPS+ dropped from 137 to 110. His walk rate dropped from 11.4% to 7.9%. His whiff rate went from 25.4% to 26.9%. By these metrics, it appeared he was being less selective in a tradeoff for power, as he hit 31 home runs, 18 of which were blasted out of Miller Park. Adames nearly doubled his money in 2023, signing an $8.7-million contract with Milwaukee, again avoiding arbitration. In late May, a foul ball lined into the dugout found Adames during a contest with San Francisco. He missed 10 games with a concussion, but upon his return, he went 2-for-5 with a home run in a 10-2 win over Baltimore. His hitting line for the year was .217/.310/.407 in 638 trips. Adames hit 24 jacks, a decrease of seven from the previous campaign. Interestingly, he drew walks at a rate of 11.1%, nearly matching his number from 2021, yet his batting average dropped nearly 70 points, leaving him with a below-average OPS+ of 95. Was he ‘gun shy’ after getting drilled with that foul ball? He scuffled in June, hitting only .185/.280/.333, but seemed to recover after that, hitting .233/.329/.443 during the final three months. Who is the real Willy Adames? The 2021 version, the 2023 version, or somewhere in between? Adames has been mentioned as a trade candidate, along with pitcher Corbin Burnes. But the bigger question is: what happened to his superstar upside? Here are a few thoughts. The ‘foul ball to the noggin’ theory. That would make sense, but he actually did better in the second half than he did in the first two months, before the incident. Trying to hit the ‘long ball’ at the Miller Park launching pad and sacrificing contact for power, thus the drop in BA. All the talk about trades and, perhaps, a not-so-good relationship with the Brewers front office. Something going on in his personal life that he is keeping hidden. That need not be anything nefarious; it might just be private. Still, off-field circumstances can get between players and their talent. The talented shortstop might just be pressing, trying to live up to his 2021 breakout and earn a free-agent megadeal. Maybe it is just a case of him needing to R-E-L-A-X! Lots of speculation, I know, but that’s why we have you, the loyal readers of Brewer Fanatic. What do you think happened to Willy Adames after his first-year success with Milwaukee? View full article

Get rid of guaranteed contracts. Base pay + incentives. Have a monster year, get paid Mucho. Injured or a crappy year, not so much. How many times has your favorite team been burned by a multi-year contract where the player gets injured for two years or suddenly 'loses it?'

Nice job Seth. It's always nice to put faces (and voices) to the ballplayers. Hopefully we can have a lot more interviews like this!!

Just found this. I'm sure others have seen/used it before. Not sure how accurate it is... Baseball Trade Values: Accurate Player Trade Values: Trade Simulator

From the Braves perspective, that might be a little steep. I assume you meant Forrest Wall? Maybe two of those for Burnes and Wiemer, but I really think we are inflating Wiemer's value. They might want Mitchell or Frelick instead? The Seattle trade seems fair. JMO...

Overpaying or 'still the market,' it's still spending like drunken sailors on a weekend pass in Bangkok. Maybe 'unhappy with the balance sheet' is a better phrase than 'struggling to pay the bills.' But I'm sure you see my point...

That is the problem with baseball in the free agency era (since the mid-70s). EVERYBODY overpays for players, especially pitchers. Seven years for a pitcher? Are the teams on crack? And owners wonder why their teams are always struggling to pay the bills...

For one, they take a couple key players off the market, and secondly, helps to set the market value for Burnes. Last year, Rodriguez and Burnes had similar numbers (ERA+, FIP, WHIP, K:BB ratio, K/9) but in their careers, Burnes has been better. Burnes is about 1 1/2 years younger. If 'E-Rod' is worth 4/$80m, Burnes is worth at least 4/$100m if not more. Will the Brewers sign him for that? Who knows, but some ML team will be willing to plunk some cash down and make the right deal for the righty.

Damn Google

Jastro said: "Both would be an excellent fit for Chavez Ravine but as of this writing, it appears Rosenthal may have been wish-casting that deal." An old guy like me doesn't know what 'wish-casting' is. Help??

That sounds very logical to me. Now let see what management thinks.

Taking their time due to the elbow makes sense. Again, time will tell!

He may, but he won't be there all year...hopefully!

I definitely like Henderson. If he can get a full season at AA Biloxi next year and still perform well, the sky is the limit. Health, of course is the key. Aquino is moving up steadily and if he can continue to harness his control, he might be in Milwaukee in a couple years as well as Henderson. Cortez placed in the top-15 in the DSL is several key stats, including a sparkling near 10:1 K/BB rate. Hernandez, Prado, and Flores all have potential. If just depends how they do in the next 2-3 years (says Captain Obvious). :)

I'm not ripping on you, Matt. Lot of us have high expectations for Tyler and I think maybe (for me anyway) some of us are disappointed that he might not be the all-star that his potential seems to be guiding him toward. Time will tell!

Kinda funny how he is rated so high and here we all are cutting him down...lol

I truly believed that Tyler Black was going to be the second coming of Jeff Cirillo (.296/.366/.430 career), with good average and moderate power. Now I'm not so sure. I still don't think Milwaukee should overreach (read overspend) for a 3B, but if they could get someone like Candelario or Urshela on the cheap, then Black almost certainly does need to go elsewhere. OR, let Black develop at Triple A and see if his metrics improve, and then go from there. In the meantime, find a low-rent platoon partner with Andruw and hope like hell Tyler learns how to hit the ball in the air...

Cooper was drafted by Milwaukee in 2013 and played in the org until was traded to the Yankees in July 2017. He never played for Milwaukee, but I always felt he could be a .275/.350/.450 guy if given the chance. I 'covered' the 2015 Brevard County Manatees for another website, and Cooper was joined by Brandon Woodruff, 'can't miss' Clint Coulter, Wei-Chung Wang, Johnny Hellweg, and Cy Sneed. Names that are a blast from the past... #Bring back Coop!!

Here's a couple long-term, big-money contracts that bit the Brewers... Teodoro Higuera (4 year, $13.1 M) The barrel-chested pitcher appeared in 32 games in 1991, 1993, and 1994. He missed all of 1992. 124 innings pitched. $108K per inning. Jeff Suppan (4 year, $42 M) 'Soup' pitched for Milw from 2007-2010. He was durable enough, with 97 starts and 110 appearances, but his ERA+ was 84, FIP was 5.14, and his WHIP was 1.60. Both of these guys are cautionary tales for long-term hurlers...