Michael Trzinski

Maybe something along the lines of 2/25m? Both Woody and the Brewers know the seriousness of the procedure and recovery time, but in essence, $5m of that could be for 2024 'recovery pay' and the other $20m for 2025. The team is taking a risk and Woody should know this and consider it a fair deal. But of course, another team will invariably offer him 4/75m and he would probably take that.

Boras would turn Burnes even more against Milwaukee and that would make him unhappy. It's hard to explain, but I know what I meant. Once Milwaukee and Burnes collided last year, things would never be the same. If he stays, he'll do his best on the mound to build up the bidding price, but when the day comes, he'll book from Milwaukee like a lottery winner moving to a gated community. (Kinda what he will be doing anyway.) :)

I don't think Burnes is going to be happy this season, for two reasons: 1) last year's contentious negotiations, and B) Scott Boras is his agent and will be in Burnes' ear all season, I'm sure. Torres plus a couple others for Burnes seems reasonable. Like in times of crisis, don't wait until the last minute to stock up because the cupboards might be bare...

Gone are the days of 'ironman' starters like Pud Galvin, Old Hoss Radbourn, Toad Ramsey, Silver King, Ice Box Chamberlain, Pretzels Getzien, and Egyptian Healy. The cool names are long gone, too. Fast forward 75 years and you will see that a pitcher had to start at least 40 games to make the Top-10 leaderboard in 1973. The last pitcher to start 40 games was Charlie Hough back in 1987. Besides the trip down memory lane, my point is that the game has changed (duh!) and to go from a five-man to a six-man should cause no more anguish than the change from a four-man to a five-man. Your 2024 rotation should have (at least) Peralta and Miley and then a mix-and-match of whoever steps up to cover the remaining spots. O'course, a 'somewhat happy' Burnes would make things easier for sure. And, will the Brewers make a trade for or sign a FA pitcher? Add that to the mix. I think the best guess is gonna be: I don't know. Let's see what happens and go from there. Happy New Year!!

I like having a second 'Coop' at first base. I followed his progress in the Florida State League back in 2015 and was impressed with him then and am impressed with him still. Make it happen!

I'm totally amazed at the talent of the BF crew! Tons of thoughtful, in-depth analytical pieces EVERY...DAY!! Keep up the great work, lads!! Happy 2024!!

LMAO at the Tony Plush Mount Rushmore comment lol

I liked him as a person, but as a pitcher? Meh...

A couple things...does an 'outlier spin rate' directly translate to success, or do people just say, 'He must be good because his ball spins at 50,000rpm' or whatever? And 2) will he be the same after the TJS? I think the Brewers came out on the short end of the deal, trading a #4/#5 starter and #4 OF for a pitcher who may or may not be as successful as the metrics might indicate.

What about TB at first? You know, Tyler Black?

All those fancy sharp benders...no wonder his elbow is trash 😶

I didn't have him on my FA catcher list, but a one-year contract paves the way for 'Jose" Quero! 😁

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...