Matt Breen

I've eschewed saving as I have big windfall of Nigerian oil money that a guy randomly emailed me about many years ago. Any day now.

I like special, special kids with pure power bats. I'm very excited to see Hiura's performance next season.

I would count on Santana rebounding to his 2017 form rather than Garcia getting back to his 2017 production. And Santana at least plays a bit of defense. Garcia is pretty bad in the field. Pass.

Due to the extreme home/road splits last year - Home - 1.016 OPS, Road - .635 OPS - I'm skeptical of Taylor. But I'm not a scout and understand the guy has some intriguing tools. If the club thinks he can be a major leaguer, then they are wise to put him on the 40-man roster. Let's see how he does in neutral home park next year. We'll see how he progresses. Even if he becomes a decent 4th OF, that's a very valuable asset to have. His ability to make contact would be welcome.

They want a coach who gets up early A coach who stays up late A coach with uninterrupted prosperity Who uses a machete, to cut through red tape With fingernails that shine like justice And a voice that is dark like tinted glass A coach who is fast, thorough, and sharp as a tack A coach who tours the facilities and picks up slack

Harper a Brewer? Sure. Sign me up.

I think Marwin will be able to get 4/$40M+. It just takes one team to really fall in love with his skillset. Plus, he's not even 30 (turns 30 in March of next year), so it's not like you're paying him when he's really old. His versatility really makes him an attractive player to have on the team.

I think this is similar to a Hiura, Peralta/Burnes, another piece or two offer - as I feel Burnes or Peralta offer more than Lutz does at this time.

Hey, #91 Clint Coulter is a minor league free agent and no longer with the organization. Better get that fixed. Haha thanks. Just in case we trade 66 of the others he shall be replaced. Just being safe

Zunino reportedly heading to Tampa for Mallex Smith. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2018/11/mariners-rays-trade-mike-zunino-mallex-smith.html

Hey, #91 Clint Coulter is a minor league free agent and no longer with the organization. Better get that fixed.

Greinke?

Sabathia is back to NY on a one year deal. The 38-year old Sabathia says this will be his final season. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2018/11/yankees-resign-cc-sabathia-one-year.html

Thanks for getting things started.

Everyone, please have fun with our 2018 post-season prospect poll. There is not a lot of sites that do a 'post-season' list - I only found one (Bleacher Report), so if anyone finds one, please add it. Also, if there is any significant news that could affect people's votes - example: Quintin Torres-Costa's TJ surgery - please share it in the thread or PM me. I will add to the main post. Also, if anything happens with minor league players - such as someone resigns who is currently a FA - please let me know. Final thing, if there are any mistakes, please let me know and I will update. I may have missed a transaction or two. Thanks. Have fun.

Ladies and Gentlemen, we would like to invite everyone to take part in the 2018 Post-Season BF.net Fan Community Top 25 Prospects voting. Voting is now open. Please take time and submit on this thread your top 25 Brewer prospects. Feel free to list any resources or news that you feel might help people with their voting. Voting concludes on November 28. You can change your votes at anytime through that date. RULES 1. Submit your Top 25 prospects, in order, by end of day on November 28. Put the player's full name to avoid any confusion (such as Jay Feliciano and Mario Feliciano). I appreciate it you would number them. Also, please list your players from #1 to #25. 2. You MUST submit 25 prospects. If there are only 10 or 15 or whatever, your list will not be included. 3. You are encouraged to go beyond pick #25 - adding a few more is great. That way if someone in your top 25 is traded or released, or if you mistakenly miss a number (not uncommon), or list a guy twice (again, not uncommon), or whatever, I can just bump up your next player(s) into the Top 25. 4. Rankings are determined by total points. The top prospect gets 25 points, second prospect gets 24 points, etc. 4. As noted above, if you submit your list and want to change something, just add the change to the thread. I'll accept changes up to the deadline. 5. Within a week or so after the deadline, we'll publish the new BF.net Community Top 25. Eligibility guidelines: Rookie eligibility is determined by the same standards as MLB: “A player shall be considered a rookie unless, during a previous season or seasons, he has (a) exceeded 130 at-bats or 50 innings pitched in the Major Leagues; or (b) accumulated more than 45 days on the active roster of a Major League club or clubs during the period of 25-player limit (excluding time in the military service and time on the disabled list).” - Ineligible players: Corbin Burnes (graduated) - Eligible players with ML experience: Adrian Houser, Aaron Wilkerson, Nate Orf, Jacob Nottingham Players no longer in organization - SS Gilbert Lara - traded - C/1B KJ Harrison - traded - OF Demi Orimoloye - traded - OF Clint Coulter - minor league free agency - LHP Nick Ramirez - minor league free agency - INF Dylan Moore - minor league free agency - C Dustin Houle - minor league free agency Player notes: - LHP Quintin Torres-Costa #22 - Will miss most or all of 2019 with Tommy John surgery Prospect Rankings: Post-season prospect reports are few and far between, but below are some mid-season reports. We will add others if they are made available in the next few weeks. MLB Pipeline Top 100: http://m.mlb.com/prospects/2018?list=prospects MLB Pipeline Top 30 Brewers: http://m.mlb.com/prospects/2018?list=mil Bleacher Report 2018 post season rankings: https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2794480-re-ranking-all-30-mlb-farm-systems-at-the-end-of-2018-milb-season#slide2 Fangraphs mid-season Top 131 prospects: https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/the-updated-top-131-prospect-rankings/ Fangraphs Top 30 Brewers (pre-season): https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/top-30-prospects-milwaukee-brewers/ Brew Crew Ball - mid-season Top 30: https://www.brewcrewball.com/2018/7/12/17563064/milwaukee-brewers-mid-season-top-30-prospects 2080 Baseball Top 125 - mid-season list: https://2080baseball.com/2018/07/2018-top-125-midseason-prospect-rankings/ Prospects 1500 Top 50 Brewers - mid-season list: http://prospects1500.com/top-50-lists/milwaukee-brewers-midseason-top-50-prospects-2/ Previous Polls: BF.net 2018 Mid-Season Top 25 - viewtopic.php?f=64&t=37395 BF.net 2018 Pre-Season Top 25 - viewtopic.php?f=64&t=36597 BF.net 2017 Post-Season Top 25 - viewtopic.php?f=64&t=36082 BF.net 2017 Mid-Season Top 25 - viewtopic.php?f=64&t=35723 BF.net 2017 Pre-Season Top 25 - viewtopic.php?f=64&t=35089 BF.net 2016 Post-Season Top 25 - viewtopic.php?f=64&t=34747 BF.net 2016 Mid-Season Top 25 - viewtopic.php?f=64&t=34472 BF.net 2016 Pre-Season Top 25 - viewtopic.php?f=64&t=33867 BF.net 2015 Post-Season Top 25 - viewtopic.php?f=64&t=33436 BF.net 2015 Mid-Season Top 25 - viewtopic.php?f=64&t=33032 BF.net 2015 Pre-Season Top 25 - viewtopic.php?f=64&t=32447 BF.net August 2014 Top 25 - viewtopic.php?f=64&t=31859 BF.net May 2014 Top 20 - viewtopic.php?f=64&t=31355 Please note that we reserve the right to throw out ballots if we feel that the voting was done without following the rules or spirit of the exercise. Thanks for participating!

I don't think anyone this offseason has suggested giving up Huira and Peralta and Woodruff (and Ray) for Realmuto. The general idea seems to be it will cost us - on the high end - Huira plus one of Peralta/Woodruff/Burnes - and maybe some extra pieces. But maybe I'm wrong and a bunch of people saying it will cost Huira, Peralta, Woodruff and Ray or whatever.

Wily Peralta walked 23 guys in 35 innings. He had a 1.485 WHIP. His 3.67 ERA was fine, but his FIP was 4.73. And we are talking about 34 innings, so the sample is pretty small. I'm not saying he can't be an effective reliever - just that he has a lot more to do to be considered good.

No matter what you think the trade value should be for Realmuto, I do agree that the Brewers should set a price and stick to it. I don't like when team's get obsessive about a player and end up overbidding on someone. I believe in having discipline in situations like this. The last thing we need is things like 'Stearns, put on your big boy pants and get this deal done' and stuff like that. Milwaukee needs to be efficient and smart in the moves they make. That means setting your budget (in this case, assets) and sticking to it. It doesn't mean you can't be flexible - but you don't be foolish.

This is where I am at on things with regards to catcher. Grandal is a switch hitting catcher who is generally considered an excellent receiver. Yes, he struggled at the end of 2018 and in the playoffs, but I'd rather look at the last few years as a whole rather than one month. I think a 3-year deal at around $40M would be all right. I like Ramos as well - in fact, I picked him to be our catcher - but as noted, a 2-year deal would be better. I was think about $10-12M annually. The bat is better than Grandal - but the defense is worse. Either guy would be a really good addition. And neither would have to catch 150 games or anything crazy. Maybe 100-110 starts and Manny getting 50-60. It will keep both players fresh - which is important over a long season.

The thing about Schoop is that as you compare him to other guys, I circle back to these things: 1. Age. He's only 27. The other 2B options are generally 30-35 years old. That isn't that old - but history has shown that as players age they generally don't get better. If someone is going to get better - it's more likely to be the 27 year old player, who is generally considered in his prime. 2. He's had recent success. 32 HR and a .293 BA just a year ago. You can hope he can return to that point - or at least get somewhere in between - say 25 HR and a .260-.270 BA. While he's not going to be a high OBP guy, that would make him a really solid player. 3. He plays good defense. Some guys - Daniel Murphy, for instance, are awful fielders. Schoop is a good defender, and I think that matters on this team. 4. The team's commitment is limited to one year. Some of the better 2B options - such as Marwin Gonzalez - are going to get 3-4 years and $10M+ a year. 5. He's been healthy. This is often age-related. He just doesn't have the mileage of the other players - and thus isn't as beat up. A lot of the older players have significant health-related issues. I'm not saying that Schoop should be our guy. The Brewers have to believe he can get back on track. Despite his struggles last year, I can see how the club might want him back.

Vlad Jr. has struck out 3 times in 61 ABs in the AFL. That's pretty amazing. The kid is going to be something special.

I'm guessing Realmuto would cost Hiura, Peralta or Burnes, and a couple of smaller pieces - such as Nottingham and Marcos Diplan. It's not quite as costly of a deal as Yelich, but close.

I was thinking this exact same thing today. I've said that I think Schoop will be back - but I waver on that at times due to the glut of 2B types out there. And some of those guys can play other positions - which the team will appreciate. I'm guessing the club talks to a lot of guys - and if they don't like what they see, they'll stick with Schoop. But I think they'd be foolish not to check in with some of the available players and see what it will take in years and dollars.

I heard several things about Johnson that may have influenced his departure: - Suspected Ed Sedar of cheating at Euchre one time back in July. - Felt it was easier to spell 'Cincinnati' than 'Milwaukee'. - Didn't feel that the 'good job' comment CC gave him this past summer was heartfelt. - One of the coaches borrowed his soap and didn't give it back. - Brats were too tempting. - Closed roof at Miller Park gave him claustrophobia. - Wife said he looks better in red than blue. - Resented being mocked by bat boys for not realizing the Ball and Glove logo contained an 'm' and a 'b'. - Ohio River really pretty in summer. - Angry he was only given a 9 out of 10 on his 2019 job review. - Promised by the Reds they'd pick up Oliver Drake on waivers sometime in the next year. - Summerfest not as good as he had been led to believe. - Butt-look given to him by Stearns while in contract negotiations.