djoctagone

Or a trade coming. Not a bad pick-up, (Franklin) has no options remaining FWIW. if the brewers attempt to outright blazek to the minor leagues and no team claims him, he will be forced to accept the minor league assignment.

important to note that suter spent just one day optioned to the minor leagues. time will tell how long he stays with the big league club.

tyler cravy optioned to the minor leagues today. assuming he spends at least 20 days optioned in 2017, he will enter 2018 spring training with zero minor league options remaining. jared hughes signed to a one-year deal, but the brewers can control for one season beyond this one as an arbitration-eligible player. hughes is out of minor league options. with this signing, the 40-man roster is full.

jared hughes is out of minor league options, and is arbitration eligible for the 2018 season. he will qualify for major league free agency in 2019.

if tyler cravy spends at least 20 days optioned to the minor leagues, he will be out of options entering 2018 spring training. he should be considering that before demanding his release.

it doesn't appear that any major league team wants de jesus, jr. he's planning on reporting to class aaa colorado springs.

ryan cordell has seen action at third in minor league spring training games.

whoops . . . matt garza beat him to it.

then please consider editing the topic title of your post. "lack of infield depth" perhaps?

if that happens, he'll be the first brewer to be placed on the 10-day disabled list.

de jesus, jr. spent all of last season on a major league roster, which means that his minor league contract with the brewers required an opt-out clause.

sogard spent all of last season earning major league service time, but it was on the disabled list for the entire season. had he accrued a full season of service time with minimal time spent on the disabled list, his minor league contract would've required an opt-out date before the end of spring training. sogard does not have an opt-out clause in his contract.

waiver claims now cost $100,000, right? so, the brewers made some money . . .

after waiving gennett, bench candidates within the organization: ivan de jesus jr. (0) eric sogard (1) nate orf (3)

with today's claim of scooter gennett, the 40-man roster is at 39.

the 2017 bullpen is still to be determined for opening day, but if 2016 was any indication, expect a lot of transactions to tweak the bullpen throughout 2017. one of the effects of trading away three key bullpen players (jeremy jeffress, will smith and tyler thornburg) is that it opens up spots for younger players with minor league options. it should be noted that unlike the bench, many of the bullpen spots will likely be filled by players with minor league options remaining (number remaining listed in parentheses after his name). it's been a while since the brewers have had that kind of roster flexibility in their bullpen. what we can likely expect in 2017: neftali feliz (2, but with service time, able to refuse optional assignment) jhan marinez (0) carlos torres (0) still in camp: jacob barnes (2) tyler cravy (1) taylor jungmann (1) corey knebel (1) tommy milone (0, may be kept as a starter) rob scahill (0, not on the 40-man) already optioned, but can be recalled at any point during the season: michael blazek damien magnifico brent suter (may be stretched out as a starter in the minors)

brent suter optioned to the minor leagues today. assuming he spends at least 20 days optioned in 2017, he will enter 2018 spring training with two minor league options remaining.

craig counsell has hinted that while the club may not open with a 13-man pitching staff, it's likely that they'll want an extra pitcher sometime in april. assuming no outside transactions that change the makeup of the 40-man, and assuming one wants to preserve the talent on the 40-man roster and not risk outrighting position players, gennett seems likely to be optioned. given gennett's salary, i'm sure the brewers will want to keep his stay in the minors at the minimum. however, we should note that the minimum time to stay optioned (10 days, unless replacing an injured player) is now equal to the time that a player can spend on the disabled list. that may come into play.

the 2017 bench (or, as craig counsell prefers to call it, the position player group) is not likely to be as clearly defined as bench roles in past seasons. part of that is due to david stearns' commitment to finding players with defensive versatility, so it's possible that we'll see more starts from these players (like we saw with hernan perez last year). it should be noted that many of the likely bench roles will be filled by guys out of minor league options (number remaining listed in parentheses after his name). what we can likely expect in 2017: --ryan braun will have scheduled days off, necessitating someone else in left field. --eric thames (by terms of contract, 0) is long-removed from facing major league-caliber pitching. --travis shaw (2) was platooned last year by boston. can he adjust to playing every day? --craig counsell has stated that catching duties will be more evenly divided. --the brewers have hinted at being "creative" with their pitching staff. whether that calls for a 13-man pitching staff or not, remains to be seen. catcher: appear to be set with manny pina (0) and jett bandy (1) . one will likely emerge with more playing time as the season progresses. outfield: kirk nieuwenhuis (0) and hernan perez (0). i'm predicting that scooter gennett (1) will get the most starts in left when braun is rested. eric thames (0) may see some action in right. infield: scooter gennett and hernan perez, with jesus aguilar (0) likely to make the club (but only able to play first base). jonathan villar (0) can move to short if orlando arcia (2) needs a day off. i can understand why stearns and counsell want to fill their bench with more established players out of minor league options: if a player can be optioned, it's better to let him play more often at aa or aaa (i.e. yadiel rivera) rather than ride the bench and get infrequent at-bats.

it's interesting to note that the projected #1 and #2 starters for the 2017 rotation (junior guerra and zach davies) aren't highly paid, are both pre-arbitration and that either can still be optioned to the minor leagues.

different management back then, but if i recall correctly, for the most part, eddie perez caught for the same three starters and keith osik for the other two. i sincerely doubt that counsell will be taking the approach of designated catcher for certain starters.

i'm trying to remember when the brewers last tried to more evenly split catching duties . . . 2003 with keith osik and eddie "he hit the pole! he hit the pole!" perez? craig counsell hints that 2017 catching duties will be split more evenly.

many predicted this, because it was the only move that assured keeping three catchers on the 40-man roster: barring injury, manny pina makes the 25-man roster.

blazek will be in the same position next year that jesus aguilar is in this season--out of minor league options, but able to be outrighted to the minor leagues if no other team claims him and places him on their 25-man roster. these kind of factors usually work in the player's favor of being put on a 25-man roster.

chamberlain did not have an opt-out clause in his contract.