Matt Breen

While I'm wary of giving a long term deal to any FA, including Ramirez and Headley, it should be pointed out that Headley grades out as an outstanding defender at 3B. I would throw out 2012 - it's such a crazy season - but even if he hits .250-.260 with 15 HR, he's a much better value than A-Ram due to his defense. Also, he's a switch hitter without big splits. And I'm going to assume he's a better baserunner than A-Ram (just assuming that since A-Ram has Zamboni-like speed). I think Milwaukee - like most teams - has under appreciated defense. I realize we can't have Gold Glove types all over the place, but we often seem to gloss over defense for a little more offense. If the price is similar, I'd rather have Headley at three years than A-Ram at two. At 30, Headley would likely retain some value over the course of the contract, even if he starts to decline in the field and/or the plate. I think someone will give Headley a four-year deal. It just takes one team to do something silly. I just hope it's not Milwaukee. I like Headley, but I think our resources could go toward other areas.

Don't forget we owe Kyle Lohse $7 million in deferred payments from 2016-2018.

From the things said by club officials and ownership, it certainly looks as if they think we can be a contender next season. I think that means they bring back A-Ram and Gallardo, and splurge on a 1B like LaRoche. They'll hope Ramirez and LaRoche can stay healthy and productive despite their advancing ages, plus hope for rebounds from Braun and Segura. Again, I wish we'd pass, but it's not my call.

Jon Heyman is reporting that Aramis Ramirez wants to return to Milwaukee in 2015. This is the first report saying that A-Ram would actually pick up him side of the 2015 option. http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/writer/jon-heyman/24754572/aramis-would-love-to-remain-a-brewer-but-there-are-steps-to-go-first I still expect the club to bring back Ramirez on a two-year deal. I think it will be $11-12 million annually, but perhaps we can make it a little lower and put in some incentives for games played.

This works in the Brewers favor since they are already getting above average offensive production from both CF and C. Correct. And even if they added Sandoval, they have a lot of young guys such as Rusney Castillo, Betts and Bogaerts who have to prove they can produce over a full year. Cecchini's not a sure thing. I think he's a perfect kind of player for the Brewers to take a risk on, even if Boston isn't willing to roll the dice on him.

I like the idea of trading for Cecchini who likely will be made available if Boston signs Sandoval/Headley. This move keeps payroll down and creates some space in 2016 when Peralta, Fiers, Davis, Segura, Thornburg and Jeffress all hit arbitration. I've read that Boston is very interested in Sandoval. They are not totally sold on Cecchini because he's not likely to provide the power they desire from the position. And Cecchini did okay last year at AAA (.713 OPS) after putting ups a .915 OPS in 2013 between A+ and AA. After the struggles of several rookies in 2014 that Boston was counting on, the team is a little gun shy about giving a key spot to another rookie in 2015. Boston needs 3B to produce - and Sandoval would provide a much safer option.

No, Ned Yost is not necessarily a better manager than Macha or RRR. His issues are well documented. But kudos to him for realizing that managing in the playoffs is different than the regular season (lots of managers never seem to understand that fact). He seems to have taken criticism of some of his decisions and learned from it. Good for him (perhaps that makes him a better manager than other guys). But it should be pointed out that the decisions he is making are really EASY ones. You have three shutdown relievers - use them. That's pretty obvious. A few weeks ago he brought in Aaron Crow in the 6th inning during a critical late season game because 'Aaron Crow is my 6th inning guy' despite it was a bad matchup, Crow isn't that good, and he had three of the best relievers in baseball in the bullpen. Royals lose. I happen to agree a lot with Thurston Fluff. The manager doesn't make that much of a difference (he makes a difference - just not that big of a difference). The manager fills out the lineup card, makes substitutions, he manages the clubhouse, the egos - but he can't hit or pitch. It's not like Yost has helped Moustakas hit four HRs in eight games. Or done something to get Hosmer to hit .450. Players ultimately have to do the right things to make a manager look good.

Mass, thanks for posting all this info. I love seeing it. It gives me my Brewers fix every day.

Since I started this thread, here's my 2015 team: C - Lucroy (3.0) C - Maldonado (1.0) 1B - LaRoche (12.0) 2B - Scooter (0.5) SS - Segura (0.5) 3B - Garin Cecchini (0.5) LF - Davis (0.5) CF - Gomez (8.0) RF - Braun (14.5 includes prorated $2.5 million bonus he's due in April) INF - Cliff Pennington (3.5) INF - Rogers (0.5) or some other 1b/3B who bats right handed to spell the left handed hitting corners OF - Parra (6.0) OF - Schafer (0.5) Garza (12.5) Lohse (11.0) Nelson (0.5) Fiers (0.5) Peralta (0.5) Broxton (9.0) Jeffress (0.5) Smith (0.5) Thornburg (0.5) Henderson (0.5) Ariel Pena (0.5) - out of options so we lose him if he doesn't make the big league roster Kintzler (1.0) Estrada (4.0) Miller (7.0) (I've include 9 relievers, so a couple of these guys would need to head to AAA, assuming no one got hurt) TOTAL: $100 million Moves Sign LaRoche to a 2-year $24 million deal (Michael Cuddyer is another option for this spot, but is coming off an injury) Sign Andrew Miller to a 3-year $21 million deal Pick up Gallardo's option and trade him to Boston for 3B Garin Cecchini. Throw in some cash if you need it to make the deal work. Trade for INF Cliff Pennington from AZ. Would probably have to give up a modest prospect similar, but not quite as valuable, to what we did for Parra. LaRoche provides left handed power. The left handed hitting Cecchini fills an organization hole. He may not be a big power guy, but he should get on base at a good rate. Pennington provides depth in the infield - and can take over if Segura falters again. Parra provides excellent OF depth and should get plenty of playing time as the lefty alternative to the three right handed hitting starting outfielders. Estrada provide depth if there's an injury to one of the starters (and Taylor Jungmann does not appear ready). Andrew Miller isn't a necessity, but he's a lights out reliever - something we lack. Plus, I had the money to spend, so I did. The line up is balanced with three lefties (Scooter, LaRoche and Cecchini). The total payroll is $100, so if you need to make some additions, you have a few million to play with. The bullpen is loaded with power arms and could really be dominant.

Tampa holds a $7.5 million option on Zobrist. There is almost no way he hits the open market. Even if Tampa doesn't want Zobrist, they can exercise the option and deal him.

John, I think you are a few million per season (and a season) short on Sandoval. But I think you're overpaying for Morse. I see Morse at $7-8 million over two years - tops. He's a bad fielder, struggled with injuries and been erratic as a hitter. But even if I'm right, it all evens out in your numbers, however. Denorfia is an interesting option. I was thinking about him if Parra isn't kept. Bad year in 2014, but he's been productive in the past, and can play all the positions. He is 34, so he might simply have lost it - but honestly, I haven't seen him lately, so I can't say one way or the other.

Bonifacio getting some love so far. I think $5 million is a bit high, but you never know. I think Andrew Miller is going to get a lot more than $4 million. Probably double that. The guy was unreal: 103K / 17BB in 62 innings. 0.80 WHIP, 2.02 ERA. I think someone gives him near closer money. I'm wondering what guys like Neshak and Duke will get. Both have had erratic track records (especially Duke). Both probably get at least two years - maybe three. I was thinking closer to $3 million a year, but that's probably me being hopeful. It just takes one team to blow everything up (like the Rockies giving Boone Logan $5 million a year last off season).

That must be a mistake. Probably meant $0.5 million. Just a guess.

Time to build your club for 2015! You get $105 million to build the club. The current roster (at the bottom of the post) is at $63 million. That leaves you with $42 million to spend. Numbers are rounded to the nearest half million dollars. IMPORTANT: Your goal is win in 2015, so try and assemble the best team possible. Arbitration eligible players are listed at the bottom of the page, with estimated cost. The salary I've assigned can't be changed. You can keep them or not. The only player with an option you have to decide upon is Gallardo's. Positions to fill: back up C (Maldonado is a likely no brainer), 1B, 3B, two back up infield slots, two back up OF slots, and a couple of pitchers. To fill the positions, you can sign free agents, make trades, or bring guys up from the minors. Free agents signings should be realistic (provide years and totals), as should trades (trades need to be detailed - you can't just say, "I trade for Mookie Betts to play 2B). Minor league players (as well as any non arbitration eligible players) get half a million salary. Players may be moved to new positions if it's realistic (such as Nelson could go become a reliever if you add Gallardo to the roster). You're welcome to put a position up for battle, such as saying, "1B goes to Rogers or Clark, depending on who has a better camp." IMPORTANT: Ryan Braun cannot be traded. With his contract, PED issues, and injury problems, no one would take him. Have fun! Here's some resources to use: Free agents: here's a list: http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2013/02/2015-mlb-free-agents.html Free agent profiles (just started, so there's not a lot of players, but it gives you some ideas) http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2014-15-free-agent-profiles Cot's Baseball contracts (has all the latest salary info for all the teams) : http://www.baseballprospectus.com/compensation/cots/ ROSTER - Fill in player and salary C - Lucroy (3.0) C - 1B - 2B - Scooter (0.5) SS - Segura (0.5) 3B - LF - Davis (0.5) CF - Gomez (8.0) RF - Braun (14.5 includes prorated $2.5 million bonus he's due in April) INF - INF - OF - OF - SP - Garza (12.5), Lohse (11.0), Nelson (0.5), Fiers (0.5), Peralta (0.5) RP - Broxton (9.0), Jeffress (0.5), Smith (0.5), Thornburg (0.5), Henderson (0.5) Arbitration eligible players C - Maldonado (1.0) RP - Kintzler (1.0) OF - Parra (6.0) P - Estrada (4.0) Option available player SP - Gallardo (13.0) Ramirez is not listed here since the greatest odds are that he will decline his half of the option, thus making him a free agent

I think this is right. The club thinks it can win in 2015. The only way they deal Gomez is if they falter badly and look like it's time to rebuild. I still think the plan will be bring back Yo, bring back A-Ram, add a 1B (LaRoche), hope Segura and Braun rebound, and hope we avoid the injury bug. It's not necessarily what I would do, but I think it's what DM will do.

You think the Crew jump Coulter to AA this season? I was thinking they'd start him at A+, see how goes, then move him mid-season if he's hitting well. I'm thinking AA will have Taylor, Reed and Roche in the OF to start 2015.

The offseason hasn't begun. I'm sure there will be player moves made after the World Series is over and the 2014 season is in the books. I'm with Danzig that I wasn't too worried about what happened with the manager/coaches. I'm far more interested in player personnel moves. It's status quo. We'll bring back A-Ram, add a bat (LaRoche is my guess), maybe a bullpen arm. They'll keep all the starters, including bringing back Yo. Then they'll bank on Braun and Segura rebounding, people staying healthy, A-Ram eeking out another season before he get medicare, etc.

http://www.sherv.net/cm/emoticons/sick/barfing-smiley-emoticon.gif

Larry Haney was considered by many to be a front office stooge in the 80s/90s. He was bullpen coach for years, and then pitching coach for a couple of years. He seemed to always seemed to survive managerial changes. I think he stayed on in some capacity with the team until Selig sold it. I remember when Pete Vukovich was an announcer in the late 80s the story was that players would come to him instead of Haney (who was the pitching coach) for help because players didn't trust him.

Details: http://www.jsonline.com/sports/brewers/ron-roenicke-will-return-as-brewers-manager-in-2015-b99368536z1-278828051.html

John, I think you can easily point to the hamstring issue that bothered Ramirez through the second half of the season as a major contributing factor to his power outage. And while half a season is not a sort time frame - it's not the be-all-end-all of judging a player. He still hit .283 after the break. No, the power wasn't there, but I don't think it's crazy that it can come back (at least to some degree) with an off season of rehabilitation and rest. Even with the issues, A-Ram finished with 15 HR and had a .757 OPS. In the majors last year, 3B had a .714 OPS. Aramis' numbers, even diminished, would look good to quite a few clubs. And don't forget DH. Seattle's DHs hit sub .600 OPS last year. They'd have killed for Ramirez's production. All that said, I don't really think we should bring him back. I can live with a one year deal, but even then, Ramirez scares me. He'll be 37. Guys eventually stop hitting and fielding well. I hate to be there for that part of any player's career (Overbay was painful to watch at times last year). Also, Ramirez has had injuries in 4 of the last 6 seasons, missing anywhere from about 30-80 games. His age and history make him a prime candidate for more injuries - especially those nagging types of bumps and bruises that linger and affect you more as you get older. Personally, I think the Brewers will give him a two-year extension. Why? We have no one else, and Melvin thinks (prays) the team can win in the next two years. He won't risk taking a chance on a rookie or castoff. So he'll bring back Aramis and hope the guy can stay healthy for most of the season. It's not what I would do, but I'm not the GM. I think A-Ram would do well to go to an AL club where he can DH - at least part of the time. I think he's still a good hitter. The main thing will be staying healthy - and DHing will help him do that.

I have to agree. It's not worth bringing in someone to take over the position. You gotta hope he can rebound. What I would do is get a good back up middle infielder - someone who can step in if Segura really falls on his face. Cliff Pennington is an example of they type of guy. He's nothing special, but he's handled SS respectably when given the chance. He'll never be anything special (or even sort of special) - just merely adequate. But he can give you good defense, hit .250 or so, take some walks, and not make too many stupid plays. He is also versatile, so can also back up the other infield spots as well. Ideally, Segura comes back and is a dynamic player again. He doesn't need to hit .300, but if he can just hit .270-.280 and drive the ball a bit more he can be a heck of a player. Even if Segura does rebound, having a good back up infielder doesn't hurt the team - other than shelling out a bit more than you would for a guy like Bianchi or Herrera.

It's a good deal for Baltimore. I think he could have gotten a little more, plus a fourth year, on the open market (I think the Yankees would have loved to have had him). But he's got a nice paycheck either way. Maybe the power is diminishing, but JJ's glove should play well for the length of the contract. I always regret losing JJ, but I understand the deal.

I'm a day early on 'Today in Baseball History', but I saw this and thought it was just awesome. The Library of Congress has released newsreel footage of the 1924 World Series. The footage is amazing. After 90 years, and it's in almost perfect condition. On October 10, 1924, the Washington Senators won game 7 of the World Series, 4-3. The game went into extra innings, with the great Walter Johnson pitching the last four innings for the win. Johnson was 36 and nearing the end of his career, and had never been to a World Series. It was redemption of sorts, since Johnson lost two starts in the series. As said above, the footage is amazing. It was cool getting to see Walter Johnson throw a couple of pitches. The fans swarming the field is great too - you don't get that nowadays for security/safety reasons. Here's the story on the discovery of the footage: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/dc-sports-bog/wp/2014/10/02/watch-rare-footage-of-the-senators-beating-the-giants-in-the-1924-world-series/ Here's the entire newsreel - it's 4 minutes long. A music professor composed new music to go with the footage - just a piano, similar to how it might have felt back in the 20s when a live piano accompanied a the showing of a film. Kind of cool.

Matt Williams out-Yosted Yost yesterday. A lefty against Buster Posey? That was just insane. Here's a great rundown: http://www.foxsports.com/mlb/just-a-bit-outside/story/matt-williams-nationals-manager-nlds-game4-bullpen-100814 It's not just one thing - it's an entire series of mind boggling moves. Yost would be proud.