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Email a copy of 'Offseason Outlook: Milwaukee Brewers' to a friend
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mrnatewalter
I’m not a huge Brewers fan, but I moved to Wisconsin a year ago and have started to follow them a little closer.
I understood the Gomez trade. They got a great return on that trade, but people were not happy about it. Gomez was insanely popular amongst Brewer fans.
I don’t want to know what happens if they trade away arguably the most favorite Brewer, Lucroy.
thecoffinnail
They should keep Lucroy.. They will need a steady veteran backstop to help with the kids and he is definitely cheap enough..
donmoney
Double edged sword. Trade Luc now, and either get an older vet back or sign a FA would be a good move, only because Luc now has a concussion issue and is a bit fragile. Get the most that you can before another foul tip rattles his cage and he becomes Korey Koskie part 2. Or keep him and hope for the best in health. Maybe a little more time at 1st base would help him out with his health.
tdmorgan
The reason everyone was so upset is that roughly 90% or so of baseball fans only care about what the ML team is doing. They don’t understand the business side of it or the idea that if you’re mediocre that sometimes it is better to tear down and rebuild.
mrnatewalter
Sometimes you have to rebuild… but you also have to consider, fans have favorite players. They buy their jersey or poster (do people still buy posters?)… and to see them get traded is never fun.
And yes, there’s a business side to it… there’s a baseball element to it. And I know that the Brewers were probably reluctant to trade Gomez (and justifiably so), as they will if they trade Lucroy.
But I’ll never criticize fans for being upset that their favorite player gets traded (unless that player is a jerk, then I’ll wonder why everyone is upset), because it’s baseball… fans shouldn’t always have to think about the business side of the game when they want to watch their favorite players and teams.
Niekro
Some where along the line people started to cheer for the name on the back of the jersey instead of the name on front, the Yankees do not even put a name on the back. I think the only fan base who has any right to complain is Oakland trading just for the sake of trading it seems. What did Gomez achieve as a brewer to make him such a big loss? Hes a solid player but hes not Robin Yount.
Jason G
He’s definitely not Robin Yount, granted. However, the casual fan probably likes him because he’s an exciting player to watch — at his best, he can do it all. Home runs, stolen bases, great plays in the outfield, and a lot of swagger. One of those guys that you love on your team and despise on someone else’s.
thecoffinnail
I am wondering if the Brewers could work out a contract swap with the Red Sox. Something like Braun and Garza for Ramirez and Craig.. I know the Red Sox would be taking on quite a bit more in salary but Braun could theoretically handle 1st or RF if Castillo or JBJ falter. Plus, he is a perfect DH candidate when Ortiz finally hangs it up.. Garza could probably be turned into a very good back of the bullpen arm and yes his salary would equal that of the best closers in the game but I wouldn’t be surprised if he became one.. Garza is still owed a couple of million less than Craig whose value is nonexistent. That is if Farrell and Co. are not able to fix him.. They might be able to make him into a decent #4-#5. If not I have no doubt he might not like the bullpen at first but once he starts hearing cheers on his entry into games again I am sure his position will change..
For the Brewers they can put Ramirez at 3rd and let him build up some value again in a situation where he can be relieved of all of the pressure he was under in Boston. Heck they can also just issue him the #16 and can then selloff the rest of Aramis’s jerseys that they have left over from last year.. I am sure he can rebound his value big time and can then be shipped off to an AL team in need of a DH or any team in need of a 3rd baseman (After they sell those jerseys of course).. As for Craig, he allows the Brewers to trade Lind (who could return a nice prospect). Once he gets back into more comfortable surroundings he might even start to return to his prior NL self.. Once again being in a smaller market and being pressure free to perform like Ramirez might get him back on track.. Regardless, he will cost less than Garza and gets that dead weight out of the rotation.. He can’t possibly hit any worse than he did in Boston..
baumer16
I would actually do this as a Brewers fan.
vacin8r
As a Brewer fan, no thank you. The money matches, but I would bet on Braun being the best player by far of these four over the next 4 years. Craig is worthless now, and pitchers bounce back more often than hitters. Also Hanley is useless as an infielder and doesnt hit enough to be an outfielder. I wonder if, with the Brewers payroll obligations so low next year, they could try to re-work Brauns deal to frontload more of the money making him more marketable to trade later, or making room for other guys when/if they are competitive down the road.
baumer16
Braun is definitely better than Hanley right now no question. But if my calculations are correct Braun has 100 million left in his deal while Hanley has 60 mill left. Is Braun 40 mill better than Hanley? And Braun who is consistently injured just coming off back surgery and thumb injury sounds like a long term mess. We also have kind of an overload of outfielders while we have no one at 3B. If Hanley could turn it around Brewers i’m sure could find some takers as well to trade him.
doctorstrangeglove
If the Brewers don’t trade for Hanley Ramirez, they have no answer at 3rd base.
If the Brewers do trade for Hanley Ramirez, they STILL have no answer at 3rd base.
This just makes no sense. It isn’t like Milwaukee can hide him at DH.
And even though Braun is better than any outfielder Boston has right now, the Red Sox have young options with legitimate upside at a not ridiculous price right now.
Craig also does nothing for Milwaukee, and neither does Garza for Boston.
Just a pointless trade all around for both sides.
daveinmp
If Braun’s nagging injury issues are behind him, he’s still quite capable of hitting .300 and driving in 100 runs and being a prime middle of the order hitter. That’s worth more than Craig and Ramirez even and $40 million over the life of his contract. The Brewers might be willing to pay some of Braun’s contract if they trade him but they want younger major league talent or at least one very good prospect back, not somebody else’s junk. I look for Brewers to simply eat Garza’s contract.
doctorstrangeglove
I just do not see where such a trade makes any sense for either side.
Hanley Ramirez is being moved to 1st base by Boston because he can’t play anywhere else. Craig is a 1st baseman. The Brewers still have Lind (I’m aware they’re likely to shop him, but he hasn’t been traded yet), and they are rebuilding, so in-house options like Rogers, Clark, etc. are acceptable (and A LOT cheaper).
Boston has an outfield logjam, and they’re looking for an ace pitcher, not a 3/4 type who is owed a decent sum of money.
No reason for either Boston or Milwaukee to bother with this in my opinion.
Phillies2017
This is a fantastic idea
daveinmp
First, Brewers have a replacement for Lind in Jason Rogers making the minimum. The problem with Rogers is he’s a RH hitter. Lind was the lone LH power bat in the lineup. How does Craig solve that? I personally don’t think Lind is traded until next July. Even if Ramirez could play adequate defense at 3B, he’s also a RH bat. Maybe if the Red Sox included Travis Shaw, they might listen.
I still think Braun has 3 or 4 productive years left. Brewer payroll isn’t that high that they have to deal him now. They don’t have to take damaged goods back.
rxbrgr
I wonder if a Garza for Nolasco swap would interest either team? It’s merely an exchange of damaged goods for both clubs (with both being owed exactly the same dollar amount), but it may at least be a change-of-scenery type deal where each struggling starter may hope to provide value for the new team. Especially with Garza’s falling out at the end of the year, they may not want to bring him back to the clubhouse, and a deal like this may be the only way for it to happen.
BarrelMan
Garza, as bad and ornery as he is, still better than Nolasco. Don’t see that happening.
bradthebluefish
Going to be a long road back to October baseball given the NL Central’s Cubs, Cardinals, and Pirates, but they’ll be competitive once again. I just wonder when.
donmoney
Long road but well timed. Because of the strength of the Pirates, Cards, and Cubs…. there is little urgency to make risky moves to try to compete. The team is so far away from contention in that division, Stern can put a plan in place and follow it. By the time the Brewers are on the rise again, the other teams will have peaked or be close to peaking and the team can tweak and be a player in the NLC again.
donmoney
Its ok for a long road back. No pressure to make risky trades like SD did last year… selling off a bunch of prospects to make a run when they were still rebuilding. Stern can fully implement his plan free from trying to compete with St. Lou, Pirates, or Cubs. Those teams will all be at their apex or declining about the time the Brewers are ascending. It’ll make for more enjoyable competition at that time.
bjtheduck
If Braun can’t be traded, I say trade Khris Davis to an AL team where he can DH. With his weak throwing arm but good power at the plate, Davis can be a star at DH. The Brewers farm system is strongest in outfield prospects anyway.
bdpecore
I was thinking the same thing. Maybe a team like Seattle would be willing to part with say Patrick Kivlehan straight up for Davis. Then move Braun back to LF, put Santana in RF and see if Phillips or Reed can stick in CF. Also signing Raj Davis as insurance wouldn’t be the worst move for a young and rebuilding team.
bdpecore
Another trade idea would be to trade Garza and $6MM ($3MM per year) to Cleveland for Chris Johnson. We have enough young arms to fill out the rotation but could use a veteran to play 3B for the next two years.
Jason G
Good analysis. I do think it’s relevant that, though “the Brewers finished a full 29 games behind the third-place finisher in the NL Central last year,” that was the Cubs, who had the third-best record in not just the division, but all of baseball. The point stands, though, that, by record, the Brewers are currently behind the three best teams in all of baseball. Therefore a full Astros- or Cubs-style rebuild is definitely called for.
I highly doubt Mark Attanasio brought in a new GM to reverse course and do an AJ Preller nosedive.
donmoney
Can I just say that the discussion boards here are so much more pleasant and constructive than at the MLB.com page. I almost have to pinch myself to know if the intelligent sans insults and belittling others discussion is for real. Thank you so much.
daveinmp
Here’s the issue with trading Lucroy. While the Brewers have a lot of OF and middle infield depth in their system, they have none at catcher and catcher is the hardest commodity to find. I think Stearns would love to find a taker for Braun and then extend Lucroy. Sure a 4 year deal would take him into his mid 30’s, but the history of this franchise’s struggle to find catchers says he’s their best option. Any team salivating over Lucroy likely does not have a worthy catcher to send back in the deal. Besides with a plethora of young starting pitching to develop, having a vet like Lucroy is extremely valuable to this franchise.
This is a team that yes, finished a long way back but gave the Pirates fits all year and was a victim of a horrendous start. They have two prime prospects in Orlando Arcia and Brett Phillips knocking on the door. Further dismantling of their current roster needs to be selective with that in mind.
I wouldn’t assume Garza is on the roster on opening day. There’s a lot of young arms to sort through and they may just eat his $25 million. When you are replacing him with a minimum salary guy, what benefit is there in keeping him? He’s not likely to pitch well enough to restore more than minimal at best trade value and he’s simply blocking guys.