Michael Trzinski

I was thinking more along the line of results...not going to expect very much. Remember how everybody thought Cortes was gonna be a stud?

Still not sold on this trade. Like I had mentioned earlier, Milwaukee traded a solid RHP reliever and a solid OF/utility guy for a solid LHP. On its face, it seems like KC got the better end of the deal. 'Nestor Cortes: Part Deux.' (and yes I know Cortes was a starter. Talking results here.)

During the 1990s, the Brewers had three main closers, and although they didn't shine for long, they all shone brightly before flaring out. Doug Henry was the main man for Milwaukee from 1991-93, earning 61 saves. That number ranks 10th in Brewer history. Mike Fetters took over after Henry and notched 71 saves from 1994-96. Overall, he has 79 saves, which is tied with Bob Wickman for sixth place. Doug Jones posted 36 saves at age 40 in 1997 and had 12 the following season. His total of 49 ranks 16th. View full article

Plus, he's got a cool name! 😎

Doug Jones was a late bloomer. The right-hander was drafted by the Brewers in the third round of the 1978 MLB January Draft--Regular Phase. Back in those days, major league baseball had four different drafts with two held in January and two held in June, depending on your status in high school or college. Jones began his pro career as a starting pitcher and moved steadily up the chain for four years before he got called up to Milwaukee. Jones began the 1982 season in Milwaukee but was sent down in late-April to make room for Jim Slaton. He spent the rest of 1982 at Triple-A Vancouver, and then at Vancouver and Double-A El Paso in 1983 and 1984. With the Brewers now soured on Jones, he was granted free agency after the 1984 season. Hungry for pitching help, the Cleveland Indians signed Jones before the 1985 season. He spent most of the next two years in the minors before getting called up to Cleveland in September and earned his first major league win and save, using a new change-up grip taught to him by former Vancouver teammate Willie Mueller. Jones made the Indians out of camp in 1987 but after struggling in April, was sent back down to Triple-A Buffalo where he excelled. In June, Cleveland sent for him and he ended with eight saves to finish out the year. Jones picked up where he left off in 1988, earning All-Star status for three years from 1988-1990, compiling 112 saves during that period. He struggled in 1991 and lost his closer job and then became a free agent after the season. Jones signed with the Houston Astros and notched 62 saves in two years, making the All-Star team in 1992. In December 1993, Jones was traded with Jeff Juden to Philadelphia for Mitch 'Wild Thing' Williams. He was named to his fifth and final All-Star team at age 37 in 1994, earning 27 saves for the Phillies. After one and a-half lackluster seasons with Baltimore and the Chicago Cubs, the Brewers signed Jones as a free agent in the middle of the 1996 campaign. In 1997, Jones earned a then-Brewer record 36 saves but slumped in 1998, recording 12 saves in the first half of the season but posted subpar numbers of a 83 ERA+ and a FIP of 5.99. He was traded to back to Cleveland for Eric Plunk. He earned 13 saves over the next two-plus years with the Indians and the Oakland A's. He retired after the 2000 season at age 43 with 303 saves, 12th best in major league history at the time. All but one of the saves were recorded after age 30. He passed away on November 22, 2021 from Covid-related complications. View full player

It took Doug Henry six seasons to make it to the big leagues, but once he did, he shone brightly for the Milwaukee Brewers for a brief period. The club called him up one week after the major league All-Star game in 1991 from Triple-A Denver, where he had notched 14 saves. In early August, three-time All-Star closer Dan Plesac decided he wanted to be a starter, so Henry took over the high-leverage role. The right-hander saved 15 games and posted an incredible 406 ERA+. He earned enough votes to finish eighth in the American League Rookie of the Year voting and would be the Brewers closer for the next two seasons, saving 46 games for Milwaukee. Henry was drafted in the 16th round of the 1982 MLB Amateur Draft but instead elected to attend Arizona State University and was consequently selected in the eighth round of the 1985 draft by the Brewers. He was mostly a starter in his first two seasons at Single-A Beloit but was switched to the bullpen in 1988, where he would stay the rest of his career. After his solid rookie campaign, Henry set a career-high with 29 saves in 1992, ranking in a tie for eighth in the American League, finishing well behind league leader Dennis Eckersley's 51 saves. Henry struggled in 1993, saving only 17 games while suffering seven blown saves. In 1994, Henry lost the closer's role to Mike Fetters and failed to earn a single save in 25 appearances. He spent 16 games in the minors at Double-A and Triple-A combined. After the 1994 season, Henry was traded to the New York Mets for a pair of PTBNL, one of which would be infielder Fernando Viña, who would play five years in Milwaukee. Henry bounced arounds the bigs the rest of his career, playing two years with the Mets, two years with the San Francisco Giants, three seasons with the Houston Astros, and one year in his final big league stop for the Kansas City Royals. Henry saved only 21 games in his last seven seasons, compared to 61 in three-plus years as a Brewer. After his playing career ended, Henry coached at UW-Whitewater in 2004 and then spent the next two decades coaching in various organizations, including the Braves, Royals, and Angels. In 2025, Henry was the pitching coach for the Tri-City (Washington) Dust Devils, an Angels affiliate. View full player

Samuel Langhorne Clemens to you, sir! 🥸

Nothing wrong with that. I was just going off what the so-called 'experts' are predicting.

Pretty much my thought.

Made, Peña, and Pratt are 1-2-3 on most lists as the Brewers top prospects. Made and Peña have each played SS, 2B, and 3B in pro ball. Pratt has played all but three games at SS. The MLB ETA for Pratt is 2027, and 2028 for the other two. Realistically (for now anyway), Turang is the only middle IF (2B, SS, 3B) that will still be entrenched at his position in 2028 and beyond. Durbin and Ortiz are solid, but could be replaced at some point. That said, the Brewers will most likely have room for only two of this trio. It would make sense to trade one of them for a piece that they would need at the major league level. Not exactly sure what that would be at this time, but a spot will pop up somewhere. The brain trust has to get out its crystal ball and find out which of the three will have the 'least bright' future. And then trade him. Will it be Pratt? Maybe. A lot depends on what happens in the next couple years, but to me, it wouldn't make sense to waste one of these guys as a utilityman. Thoughts?

It is no secret that the Brewers are not totally happy with the offense of shortstop Joey Ortiz. Although Ortiz appeared in a career-high 149 games last season, he was removed for a pinch-hitter 34 times by manager Pat Murphy. Right now, Andruw Monasterio is the main backup, while Brice Turang and Caleb Durbin can play at short if needed. Would it make sense for the Brewers to spend a little money in the free agent market if the price was right? Of the handful of shortstops testing the waters of free agency, one stands out for Milwaukee with his skill, versatility, and the possibility that the team can make a one-year deal at a reasonable price. Isiah Kiner-Falefa would come to the Brewers fresh off World Series action with the Toronto Blue Jays, bringing Milwaukee some much-needed postseason experience. Kiner-Falefa, who will turn 31 in March, has appeared in 21 postseason games and would give a young Milwaukee club a boost in the clubhouse and on the field. There are two main issues to deal with: · Ortiz is superior to Kiner-Falefa on defense, with Joey O. better by a 12 to -3 rating in Outs Above Average, and a 10 to -4 advantage in Fielding Run Value. · IKF is much better than Ortiz at the plate when facing right-handed pitchers. Player Year(s) OPS v. LH OPS v. RH Ortiz 2025 .734 .537 Career .743 .612 Kiner-Falefa 2025 .536 .668 Career .643 .666 So, what’s the problem? The fact that IKF is better against right-handed pitching means he would get most of the playing time. The breakdown was about 72% right-handed starters and 28% southpaws that pitched against Milwaukee last season. On the surface, Ortiz would only make about 45 starts if he were in the lineup against left-handers only. Since the Brewers are looking to Kiner-Falefa to be more of a ‘semi-platoon’ guy, they would have to make some adjustments to get Ortiz 350-400 ABs for his superiority against lefties and on defense, while finding about half that amount for IKF. Since Ortiz is better defensively, the Brewers would want him in the lineup anytime groundball specialist Quinn Priester is on the mound. ‘The Reverend’ induced grounders at a rate of 55.1% last year, right around his career average. When Priester is on the rubber, Ortiz should be in the starting lineup. The difference against southpaws, at least in 2025, showed Ortiz with a huge advantage over Kiner-Falefa. That should keep Kiner-Falefa on the bench most of the time—if not all—against lefties. The edge IKF had over Ortiz against righties was not as significant, but it was still a pretty large difference. Digging deeper, Ortiz had his best month against righties in August with an .830 OPS, even though he hit no home runs. Add in his .748 OPS in June, and one can see that success against right-handers is attainable. Murphy will just have to find a way to get the ‘hot’ bat into the lineup. Unfortunately, Joey O. fell off a cliff in September with his worst OPS of the year (.482). Ortiz had a double and a triple in September in 70 at-bats along with one free pass. No wonder his OPS cratered. Perhaps the secret to Ortiz’s success would be for IKF to spell him against righties, giving Ortiz a break once or twice a week, depending on who is swinging the bat well. Ortiz could be a late-inning defensive replacement on the days he isn’t in the lineup. Kiner-Falefa can also play second or third and could be a valuable utility man. Where he would fit in would remain to be seen. In fact, IKF has played all three outfield spots and even made 66 starts behind the plate for the Texas Rangers in 2018-19. Maybe the Brewers wouldn’t need that third catcher after all. Is this all a pipe dream? Can the Brewers sign Kiner-Falefa? If he were amenable to a one-year pact in the $7 million range, it would be a decent deal for Milwaukee. What do you think about IKF? Would he be a welcome addition to the Brewers' roster? At what price? How would you break down the starts for each player? Get the conversation started in the comments section below. View full article

Anything is possible, especially if Jansen enjoyed his time in Milwaukee. That I do not know.

I sincerely hope so!

Image courtesy of Matt Freed/AP William Contreras is back for his fourth year as the ironman behind the plate for the Brewers. His hitting fell off somewhat last season, as evidenced by a decline of all three slash numbers and a drop in home runs from 23 to 17. True, he played through some nagging hand injuries, but who out there thinks he could benefit from getting a few more days off during the long, arduous major league season? Jeferson Quero is expected to be the front-runner for the role of C2 in 2026, teaming up with fellow Venezuelan countryman Wild Bill in getting most of the playing time behind the plate for the Brewers. But what to do about a third catcher? Over the last three seasons, Victor Caratini, Eric Haase, Gary Sánchez, and Danny Jansen all shared time with Contreras on the backside of the irregular pentagon that is home plate. Ironically, all four of those backstops appear on the free agency list this offseason. Besides Sánchez, who are some other options? Initially, I liked the idea of Caratini coming back to Milwaukee in a reprise of his solid 2023 season, in which he hit seven home runs in 201 ABs. But his arm (13.7% CS rate) left something to be desired. Add to that his expected ask of a 2-year/$14 million contract, and I think it is a hard no for GM/President of Baseball Operations Matt Arnold. Nearly 20 free agent catchers are left as we enter December, including Caratini, J.T. Realmuto, Jonah Heim, James McCann, and Yohel Pozo. But as a blogger posted, “It is a market so full, yet so bare at the same time.” How true. Going mostly by affordability, here is this humble scribe’s choice of a trio of catchers, one of which could help ease the grind of Major League Baseball for the Brewers' young catching savant in his freshman year in the bigs. Gary Sánchez Sánchez was signed by the Brewers as a free agent before the 2024 season. He did pretty much everything the Brewers asked of him, despite playing only 28 games behind the dish. Sánchez played a few games at first base in addition to DH’ing in 47 games. His batting line showed .220/.307/.392 across 245 at-bats, including 11 HRs, flashing his former 30-home run power. After the season, he signed as a free agent with the Baltimore Orioles. In 2025, with Baltimore, the man known as 'The Sanchize' was forced into everyday action, playing in 17 of the Orioles' 20 games from mid-June until early July due to injuries to All-Star Adley Rutschman, and back-ups Maverick Handley and Chadwick Tromp. He batted .295/.348/.574 across a 61 AB sample during that timeframe, including five home runs. Unfortunately for Sánchez and the Orioles, he became the fourth catcher to visit the IL when he suffered a sprained posterior cruciate ligament in his right knee on July 5. Sánchez played a handful of rehab games in September but never returned to the bigs. His final line for 2025 included a batting line of .231/.297/.418 across 91 at-bats. He is currently playing for Gigantes del Cibao in the Dominican Winter League and has a triple and a homer among his 8-for-29 start in nine games. Sánchez appears to be healthy, would provide a right-handed power bat, and could be a mentor for both Quero and Contreras. A 2-year, $7 million contract could be enough to lure the 33-year-old Sánchez back to Milwaukee, where he would likely end his career. Andrew Knizner Knizner spent his first five big league seasons in St. Louis before playing single free agent campaigns in Texas and San Francisco, respectively. Knizner (pronounced 'Kiz-ner'), who will turn 31 in February, has a career slash line of .211/.281/.316 in 323 games. He offers some pop in his bat, and on defense, his arm is considered fair-to-average, throwing out 22.2% of attempted base stealers against a league average of 23.2%. According to Statcast and FanGraphs, Knizner is middle of the pack with both a Fielding Run Value (FRV) of 0 and a Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) rating of -1. Although the right-handed batter may not have many (if any) elite tools to offer, he does have two things going for him. He married former Miami Dolphin cheerleader Ally Rahn last December, and his nickname is 'Kiz.' How could the Brewers not take the opportunity to showcase a battery of 'The Miz' and 'Kiz.' That alone is a t-shirt waiting to happen. He played for a one-year/$1.825 million contract for Texas in 2024, so it seems likely he could be inked to a 2-year/$3 million pact with Milwaukee. Reese McGuire The only left-handed hitter among my trio of players listed here, he would have been arb-eligible for the first time in 2026 and was projected to earn $1.9 million before he was non-tendered by the Chicago Cubs. McGuire, known as 'Pieces,' will turn 31 in March and has eight years of major league play under his belt. Last year with the Cubs, he batted .226/.245/.444 with nine homers in 133 ABs. His homers and 24 RBI were both career highs. McGuire posted a slightly below-average OPS+ of 94. Defensively, McGuire has a very good arm, throwing out 25.8% of runners attempting to steal last year. As recently as 2022, McGuire led the American League in nabbing base stealers, canceling runners at a 33.3% rate. In 2025, his FRV was four, and his DRS was -1. As with Sánchez and Knizner, McGuire offers tons of experience to help Quero along in his first year. Based on his arb numbers, it is likely McGuire would accept a 2-yr/$4 million contract. Other Options While players like Realmuto and Caratini are out of the Brewers' price range, and James McCann, Yohel Pozo, and Tomás Nido have all signed for 2026, there are several other options available. Former Brewers Jansen and Luke Maile are still out there. The bottom line is that Milwaukee could very well be interested in signing a veteran, low-cost receiver to help Contreras and Quero make it through 2026. Will they do it? What do you think of Sánchez, Knizner, and McGuire? Should the Brewers sign one of them? Is there anyone I am missing? Start the discussion in the comments section below. View full article

Loved the basketball video!

I like it. The trade pieces could be adjusted and it could very well be a good deal for both sides. Just imagine: the new Brewer outfielder coming to bat with 'Hungry Like The Wolf' as his walk-up song. 😎

Of the 36 players selected in the first round of the 2017 MLB Draft, 30 of them have played in the big leagues. Some have done well: Hunter Greene, MacKenzie Gore, Trevor Rogers, and Drew Rasmussen have all appeared in an All-Star Game. Others haven’t done so well. DL Hall is somewhere in the middle. Dayton Lane Hall was the 21st overall pick by the Baltimore Orioles that summer, and big things were expected of the southpaw from Valdosta, Georgia. During his first five seasons in the Orioles chain, Hall moved up one level per year, and although he struck out batters at the rate of 32.6% from 2017-2022, he walked hitters at a rate of 13.3%. Quickly, it became clear that health and control would be the limiting factors for him, rather than the magnitude of his talent. He graded out quite well as a prospect, with a plus fastball and above-average secondary offerings in his curve and changeup. His fastball occasionally hit triple digits, but he needed to find consistency in both location and movement. Hall pitched a combined 29 games in 2022-2023 for the Orioles. He posted an ERA+ of 94 and a FIP of 2.44 in that time span. But when the opportunity for Baltimore to trade for a Cy Young-winning starter came up, Hall and Joey Ortiz were shipped to Milwaukee for Corbin Burnes. Hall started the 2024 season in the Milwaukee rotation—effectively taking Burnes’s spot—but made only four starts before going on the 15-day injured list due to a sprained left knee suffered while fielding a bunt. He was later transferred to the 60-day IL, after he aggravated the knee issue in a rehab stint. Hall returned to the mound late in the season. He made two starts and six relief outings in September, striking out 22 batters in 22 innings while walking eight. The stuff remained very good. At the start of the 2025 camp, Hall was battling for the fifth spot in the rotation when he went on the 60-day IL with a left lat strain. He returned in late May, but as a reliever. He served as an opener in three games and relieved in 17 others. Once again, Hall hit the injured list in mid-August with a strained right oblique and missed six weeks, returning in time to make a relief outing in the last game of the year. Hall is now being considered a reliever, instead of a starter, though he has six pitches in his arsenal: a four-seamer that hits 95, slider, cutter, changeup, curveball, and sinker. “I’ve found a little bit of a niche in the bullpen. Anytime I go out there, I’ve kind of found a comfort zone," Hall told reporters in August, when asked about his preference for starting or working out of the pen, Hall has the skills and is learning to pitch all over again, but fighting off injuries will determine if he becomes a high-leverage reliever or if he is just a ‘back of the pen’ guy. At 27, he is in the prime of his pitching career, and the Brewers are waiting to see if his career takes off, but he needs to stay off the injured list. In that sense, unfortunately, this could literally be his make-or-break campaign. Can DL Hall find his comfort zone in 2026 and show the baseball world the pitcher that the Brewers traded Corbin Burnes for? Feel free to start the conversation in the comments section below. View full article

That was meant more to say how good he 'was,' than how good he is now. He had the elite tools, which have eroded somewhat. He is still a borderline #3 or #4 OF. He needs to stay healthy this year to prove it.

Remember Garrett Mitchell? That question sounds glib, and almost preposterous. Seriously, though: it's not crazy to ask whether even intense Brewers fans think about Mitchell, these days. He was selected as the 20th overall pick by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 2020 MLB Draft, out of UCLA. After rocketing through just 132 games at three levels in the minors over two seasons, Mitchell made his big-league debut in August 2022. He started slowly, collecting just four hits in his first 29 at-bats. Then he caught fire, and batted a Hurricane Hazle-like .469/.500/.625 the rest of the way, to finish the year at .311/.373/.459 across 61 at-bats. The Brewers thought they finally had a star center fielder who could anchor the Milwaukee outfield for the next 10 years. Not so fast, sports fans. Mitchell injured his left shoulder sliding into third base in a mid-April 2023 contest against Seattle, resulting in surgery for a torn labrum. His truncated season lasted all of 19 major-league games and eight minor-league rehab contests. Misfortune struck early in 2024, as Mitchell suffered a fractured left index finger in a late-March ramp-up ahead of Opening Day. He sat out 10 weeks before a brief rehab stint, and returned to the Brewers on July 1. Mitchell played 69 games and batted .255/.342/.469 over 196 at-bats. He showed glimpses of power and speed, slamming eight round-trippers while swiping 11 bags in 15 attempts. Mitchell was healthy to start the 2025 season, but suffered a strained left oblique just 25 games into the season. Two months later, he injured his left shoulder again while playing in a rehab game at Nashville. That mishap required another shoulder surgery—his second in three years. Mitchell played in only those 25 contests and batted .206/.286/.294 in 68 at-bats. Mitchell was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in the third grade, but has been dealing with the disease successfully since. He suffered leg injuries in 2019 and 2021, but seems to have gotten past those. The left shoulder issue could continue to be a concern, though. Per MLB.com, Mitchell had perhaps the best set of tools of all the players in the 2020 draft class. Overall, his grade was 55, which is considered above-average, as was his ‘hit’ tool. Defensively, his ‘arm’ and ‘field’ tools were both graded at 60, which is considered a plus tool. His 'running' tool was graded at 70, which is considered plus-plus. In short, Mitchell’s talent is not in question, and never has been. His health will determine whether he realizes his potential. Right now, he's on the bubble to even make the Opening Day roster. If he can stay on the field and flash his superior skills, he would make the decision for Brewers management very interesting. Is there room on the roster for Mitchell, Jackson Chourio, Sal Frelick, Christian Yelich, Isaac Collins, and Blake Perkins? It would take a lot of finagling, but it would be nice to see the Brewers' outfield live up to the potential that was predicted for them a few short years ago. The others are in various stages of having done so, or still have time to do so. For Mitchell, that time is running short. What do you think about Garrett Mitchell? Will he make the Opening Day roster and if so, can he reclaim his starting job? Feel free to start the conversation in the comments section below. View full article