Kozlowski Klub

I get Elvin can provide more length than some of the other options in AAA but at what point do you just admit he isn't an MLB capable pitcher? They really need the starters all healthy just to push a couple to the bullpen for situations like this.

I understand the bullpen hasn't blown a ton of leads and a large part of their high ERA is guys getting hit when the game is pretty much over already, but I am somewhat worried about the pen as the year goes on. Murphy is going to throw Mears, Abner & Grant Andersons arm off by June at this rate. We need the Hudson/Payamps/Yoho now crew to start being reliable otherwise our high leverage guys are going to be overtaxed. It is hard to blame Murphy too much as certain guys just haven't been reliable enough for high leverage spots, but I am not sure what we are currently doing is sustainable.

Agree with this but I think it is extremely likely they add multiple arms at/before the deadline. The pressure to win is absolutely sky high and the upcoming Tucker decision is extremely important for their future. If they add multiple arms, I think they are safely the team to beat in the division. Don't think they will run away with anything but if the Cubs significantly add and the brewers don't I will be worried.

I am very curious what the corresponding move is. DFA Payamps? Send Hudson or Henderson down? If I had to guess it is Hudson going down especially with Alexander in the bullpen now as a second lefty even if he is primarily a long man. Plus, they need a 40-man spot so maybe Ashby to the 60 day if payamps isn't getting DFA'd.

We needs to prove it in a larger sample size in AAA, but with that being said come June if he is still putting up insane numbers I think he is going to get his chance. He already might be a better option than Bauers but I would rather have him getting everyday AB's in AAA for now

I am not upset by any means about this move but I wonder if this is telling us something about Nestor and Civale injuries. I can't imagine Henderson is coming up to pitch in the bullpen, long term at least, maybe the next couple days he could, which might only make this a 2 or 3 start stay before our guys are healthy. Also, wouldn't be surprised if they went 6-man rotation once everyone is healthy so who knows

I trust the brewers front office when it comes to young pitchers, but this seems like a lot to give up on the surface. Comp A picks can be extremely value for a small market team that needs to build through the draft.

They might just have CROD up for innings tonight, but also worth mentioning Nestor is having a kid any day and we could just be preparing for that without having to be down an arm for a day

I understand why Bauers being a lefty makes more sense to pair with Hoskins, but I also think with the current roster construction Canha's ability to hit lefty's adds value. Against a left-handed, you can play Hoskins at DH and Canha at 1B. Then shift Yelich to the outfield and not start one of Mitchell/Frelick against a lefty. Yelich is obviously going to DH a lot but against lefty's it makes more sense to have him play the outfield due to Mitchell/Frelick ability against lefties. This obviously assumes everyone is healthy but the way I am looking at it is starting Canha against a lefty instead of one of the outfielders. Against righty's I am guessing Canha will sit more, but lets also not pretend that Jake Bauers is a world beater against righty's just because he bats from the left side. I also think this is how the opening day lineup will look against Carlos Rondon.

C - Contreras, Haase INF - Hoskins, Canha, Turang, Durbin, Ortiz, Capra OF - Yelich, Chourio, Mitchell, Frelick, Margot SP - Freddy, Cortes, Myers, Civale, Ashby RP - Thomas, Peguero, E Rodriguez, Mears, Hudson, Koenig, Payamps, Megil. I hope Black makes the team, but if I had to guess there just isn't a logical place for him.

This is an underrated factor nobody seems to be talking about. Yes, we have a hole at one of the infield spots currently but compounding that problem is that Turang and Ortiz both didn't hit well the second half of last year. Part of that was probably them just coming back to reality, but it is certainly not a guarantee those guy will hit which could make our infield legitimately terrible offensively. If you look at a guy like Urias, he hit initially and then regressed as pitchers got more information on him in year 2 and 3. Not saying that will happen to Turang and Ortiz but to just assuming they will be good enough offensively is also wishful thinking imo.

If you want to say he is in amazing shape they should just come up with something more reasonable than this. 25 pounds of muscle growth in 4 months is legitimately impossible.

I am not sure any of these guys are being overlooked. We know exactly who they are and most likely what they will bring this year. Maybe a possible Hoskins bounce back year is being overlooked but the rest seem like a stretch. This team needs their young bats to take another step, but I am not sure anyone is really being overlooked.

I would be shocked if Nick Mears didn't make the roster. They seem to love his arm and has no options remaining. Also, as intriguing as the Black at 3rd idea is, from everything we have seen, I doubt it.

I think a C would be a fair grade. Yes, losing Willy and Devin sucks but was to be expected. I never would have given Willy that contract and I think the Giants will regret it, and the value for Devin I think was decent. Was probably hoping for a little more but getting Cortes back considering the cost of starting pitching right now shouldn't be overlooked. Everyone is upset they haven't made any significant moves, but I also think they avoided some potentially bad deals that other teams have signed this offseason. I would like to see a higher floor, cheap option to help cover 3B or SS still (which I think could still happen) but overpaying someone to replace Adames was never the right answer. Trust your system and make strategic moves when needed. It is the way we have to operate and has worked for multiple seasons in a row now.

I am not sure what the status of his shoulder is, but I am confused why Mike Boeve is not on this roster. Solid last year in his time at AA and has a pretty advanced bat for the minors. I wasn't expecting him to make the roster by any means but figured he would be there and have an opportunity to play his way into the conversation of big leaguer later this year if he continues to hit.

As much as I don't love Iglesias the player at this point, I wonder if what if what he could bring to the clubhouse intrigues the Brewers. He has a great reputation around the league, especially with the Latin players which could help with leadership off losing Willy. Can do a decent job covering all three infield spots even if he is probably better at 2nd than SS at this point. Probably has a slightly higher floor than Dunn or Durbin, worse case he is cheap and turns into a bench bat/spot start guy. He isn't going to be expensive, if it is him or just ride with what we have I would be fine with this signing.

The more I look at the free agent market for infielders I really wonder if they revisit the Frelick at 3B experiment again. I know he is a great defender in RF but we are fortunate enough to have other elite defenders out there where the drop off wouldn't be significant. Assuming everyone stays healthy (MAJOR IF) we will have Mitchell, Jackson, Yeli, Perkins and Sal to cover 3 spots. I am sure Yeli will DH a lot but he isn't going to exclusively play there, and when he is in the OF he will auto slot into left field. Which moves Jackson to RF likely. I would like to see a little less Perkins starts this year but I am sure he will still get around 200 AB's and should always play center if in the lineup. Mitchell will also get a lot of time in center and probably some in RF as well. Frelick is also going to see a lot of time, mostly in RF but I think the opportunity could be there to make him a third base option as well. A lot of this depends on health of the other OF's, but if Frelick has that versatility, it will make him a much more value player. This would give them an opportunity to make the lineup better against right-handed pitching unless you really believe in Oliver Dunn (which i do not). Against lefty's you roll with Durbin to pair with Ortiz & Turang most likely. It doesn't need to be a pure platoon or anything, and I would still expect Frelick to see more time in the OF than 3B this year, but this is something that could really help mend the open hole they have in the infield. Frelick in his own right didn't impress at the plate last year, but of the internal options it might be the most intriguing option if he can play an average 3B defensively.