Trail

you're right to a degree, but the expectations are higher now. We're not the "little engine that could" anymore. At least for the time being, Brewers are looked upon as an elite team....fans, players, organization all expect a lot. Going into the season with 3 solid starters and a load of question marks may have been good enough before, but just feels insufficient now. Odds are against all 3 making it through the year healthy...that's just how baseball is, unfortunately. Its sort of like the Packers having their starting 5 O-line and not planning for the inevitable injuries (oh...I guess they did that :) ) I want one more solid guy...trade or FA.

If you recall (for those of us around back then) Molitor had a checkered injury history. There was a great deal of debate about whether the Brewers should sign him. Given his history, and given the contract he was going to command, it was going to be a dice roll. No one at the time imagined that he'd play so well for so long. My memory is that we fans were sad about losing him, but most understood it. As he stayed healthy and performed well for most of the rest of his career the fans more or less forgot about all of that. There really was a feeling back then that he'd played his best baseball...

I really hope they don't move Ashby. Pay him like a starter...I'm fine with it. However you can pitch the guy in every role imaginable...truly a swiss army knife. He's more valuable, I think, pitching 3 or 4 times per week for an inning or 2 (or 3?) than as a starter. He stops rallies, holds leads, closes...whatever!

You're assuming that Harrison is Harrison again. Damn, I sure hope so...it would be fantastic. However, we don't really know. Priester, too. What kind of pitcher will he be? Same guy? Probably not, but here's hoping. I guess that's why I'd like to see one solid, experienced arm added. Not an ace, but a mid-tier pitcher.

I wouldn't mind that. They know what they're getting and have a head start on working with him. Money would have to be right.

I've been reading some places about the Brewers' strong starting pitching depth. Beg to differ. I see three reliable starters and a whole lot of question marks. Harrison, Priester, Drohan, Crow, Spoat are...in my opinion...all questionable for various reasons. I'd love to see Hall back in the mix given his evolution this year. An injury to any of the big three leaves this rotation pretty shaky, I think. Should they be looking for a solid number 4?

Definitely need to restock the cupboard for catching depth. Also, good for Zamora that he moves on...that had to be a real kick in the shorts when the big club was desperate for infielders for a couple weeks and he didn't get a call up.

This is going to be crazy fun to watch. Someone has to move to 3rd. Pratt? Made? Oh...and you have this fellow playing 3rd base in AA who just hit 50 home runs this year....and seems to have turned himself into a pretty serviceable 3rd baseman. The good thing is there's time on all of this. Neither Made nor Fisher has played an inning of AAA, so we'll have to see how they handle the move up. I suspect that Made will play both 3rd and short for Nashville in '27, while Fisher plays both 3rd and 1st. As for the extension...I'm not against extending Made, as long as it doesn't have a no-trade clause. You want all options to be open and there is an awful lot in the pipeline. I seriously doubt that he'll sign anything until the CBA is done...its just not in his best interests, I think. The numbers and duration will work themselves out after that.

Gasser, really from August onward...but particularly in the playoffs, changed the way people look at him. By far the most consistent, effective starter in the playoffs. Let Miz have the headlines, especially from game 5, but Gasser was the glue. Lets just for second assume that Harrison and Priester are healed and effective next year (ya, some assumptions)...that's quite a rotation...and young to boot. Harrison and Priester your numbers 4 and 5? Not bad. Lets also remember that our beloved podcast team was questioning whether he was a major league pitcher early in the year. Ya...the narrative on him has changed just a tad ;)

That’s the problem with resigning wild Bill. Much as you’d like to… There are too many younger players that you really should extend, or at least try. Personally, I think we should trade him this off-season even though the team is primed for another deep run next year. Maximize value, and probably get a pretty decent catcher back in whatever trade you make.. Matt Wood, Marco, Dinges and Quero can duke it out for back up

For Stearns, he went home, to a club with more resources and you can't really blame him. No hard feelings and I hope things turn around for him over there. Good guy, it seemed. That other guy.....um....well....

:) :) :) :) But I'm not bitter (besides, we traded up...)

Frankly I’m a bit unhappy with Woody doing this so publicly. If the brewers say no, it creates a PR problem and a distraction at a time when there should be none.

No. Sorry… But this is not a time for sentimentality. With Patrick and Harrison you at least know what you’re getting. Frankly, Harrison looked better than May that the last game of the season. With Woody, you have no idea what you’re getting. Would you use them as an opener for a meaningful game? Would you use them in a leverage situation? Fact of the matter is the only time you’d feel safe using him is with a big lead or a big deficit. I love the guy and I think what’s happened to his career is a tragedy.I’d love to see him as a Brewer next year… But only at a very low number with heavy incentives. Getting back to the original point… No.

I keep wondering whether they are going to try to shoehorn Stallings onto the roster, and at who’s expense. Given his performance this year, you almost have to find a way?

I was thinking the same about Wagoner. Not even a mention? .94 whip in AAA. And where's Knoth?

I'm fine with Gasser in 3 and bullpen in 4. Probably Harrison for 3 innings. He looked very good on Saturday...for those 2 innings at least he looked dominant. If he's anywhere close to his old self that's a game changer.

I don't know how it looked on TV, but from the stands Harrison looked great...better than May, I thought. Do you trust him for the playoff? Your thoughts...

Add Naylor. It gives you the flexibility to play Contreras and Sanchez together should you choose. I wonder whether Stallings might be a better choice than Senzatela. Both righties.

Has anything at all been said about Woodruff's progress throwing? He originally said 5 weeks or so. We're at around 4, so I'm curious. Long shot, I realize, but worth at least asking about....

Ya….I keep doing that….edited…thanks.

It’s fun to speculate on these things. Unfortunately for Matt A, he'll have to actually make some decisions. I guess what makes this more interesting, is the Joey O factor. That wasn't a thing when I originally posted this. What if we're seeing the "real" Joey O? I'm not completely sold on it yet, but I'm getting closer. So, if you've got a young 3rd baseman who hits .270+ with 12-ish HR, who's a wizard with the glove, does that make the haul you'd get for Made more attractive? Two things to keep in mind: 1) Turang is gone after 2028. That ship has sailed. So, someone (Made, Pena, O'Rae, Williams) will need to fill that spot. 2) I believe Pratt's contract does not have a no-trade clause. Trading him is unlikely, but possible. His contract might make him VERY attractive. I'm not in any way questioning Made's future. I guess the point is, given the organizational depth the Brewers have, is the return on him worth more than what he'd bring to the team? To put is in a weird way, is trading a "possibly great" player the right call when you have "possibly very good" players behind him?....and you get the benefit of the return? With Turang probably gone in 2029, maybe it's all moot? You'd also have to decide whether to extend Joey O...and THAT is a tough one. Good luck, Matt A! That's why you get the big bucks! This team should be competing for the foreseeable future. Pitching depth is really the major question, as it always is. Not just contract-wise, but as we've seen, arms can go at a moment's notice. It would take a lot of "testicular tenacity" to make a move like this, but if the return was right?

I haven’t read all 200+ comments on this thread, so I’m guessing this might have been discussed. Seems all the writers (BF included) are burying the lead here. The most important thing that happened in this game was that May looked good. Huge step forward. The 20 runs, and even clinching the playoffs, are a side bar as far as I’m concerned.

😁

This isn't something I've just recently noticed. To me anyway, its been there for a while. Again...I could be all wet and its just a different locker room this year rather than a less-happy one. Something just seems not-right. Hope I'm way off here....