9:38am: Smoak will earn $4MM in 2020 and has a $1MM buyout on a $5.5MM option for the 2021 season, Passan tweets.
9:27am: The two sides are in agreement on a one-year, $5MM contract, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports. There’s also a club option for the 2021 season, per The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal. The deal is pending a physical.
9:09am: The Brewers are closing in on a contract with free agent first baseman Justin Smoak, per Jon Heyman of MLB Network (via Twitter). Smoak is represented by the Bledsoe Agency.
This is the latest in a string of short-term acquisitions for the Milwaukee organization, which has almost completely turned over its infield over the past six weeks. The club has installed Eric Sogard and Luis Urias in the middle infield mix while picking up Ryon Healy and now Smoak to help cover the corners. Keston Hiura, of course, will factor prominently into the mix as well after impressing with the bat in his rookie season.
Beyond that, president of baseball ops David Stearns said after this week’s signing of Avisail Garcia that Ryan Braun will likely see some time at first base in 2020 as well (Twitter link via Andrew Wagner of the Wisconsin State Journal). It’s a layered collection of veterans and young upside hitters, and the precise manner in which playing time will be sorted remains to be determined in Spring Training.
Smoak made a long-awaited break-out at the plate in 2017 and followed that up with a strong ’18 effort. In combination, he slashed .256/.353/.495 with 63 home runs in 1,231 turns with the bat in those campaigns. Unfortunately, he hit the skids a bit in the just-completed season. The switch-hitting 33-year-old is coming off of a .208/.342/.406 effort, but the underlying metrics on his season are far more interesting than his surface-level .208 batting average.
In fact, there’s some evidence to suggest that the Brewers could hit gold with this signing. As explored here at MLBTR back in September, Smoak’s .323 wOBA lagged the .366 xwOBA he registered with Statcast, indicating there could be some positive regression in the batted-ball department. He also drew walks at an exceptionally healthy 15.8% rate while striking out just 21.2% of the time.
As highlighted in that September exploration of his odd season, Smoak chased pitches outside the strike zone less than nearly any hitter in MLB, and he ranked among the game’s best in terms of pitches per plate appearance. He’s an extremely disciplined hitter who should make opposing pitchers work even if he continues to hit for a low batting average. And, supposing Smoak can turn balls in play into base hits at an increased rate — his .223 BABIP was certainly an outlier — he could bounce right back into being a productive hitter.
Milwaukee undeniably lost some key pieces this winter, with Yasmani Grandal and Mike Moustakas departing for four-year deals with the White Sox and Reds, respectively. Eric Thames, meanwhile, was bought out and sent into the free-agent market. Smoak will in many ways replace Thames at a slightly reduced cost — likely bringing better glovework to the table but lesser production against right-handed pitching.
Smoak will come in at $1.5MM less than Thames would’ve earned — a slight savings that exemplifies the Brewers’ risk-averse mentality and focus on the margins when building out a roster. This depth-forward approach both safeguards against injury and allows for slightly reduced workloads that, in theory, lessen the overall risk of injury and keeps their position players fresher. It also leads to a great deal of turnover, which can be frustrating for fans at times but has resulted in three straight winning seasons and two consecutive postseason appearances.
He can hit probably good signing but really clogs the base paths
At least he gets on the base paths.
.208 ba he doesn’t get on much
umm he had an obp of .342 last year, so yes he got on base. BTW an obp almost .150 points higher than your average is amazing I didn’t realize he got on base that much.
Gotta look at more than batting average. He had a .342 On Base Percentage which would have ranked sixth on the Brewers.
The cumulative MLB on-base percentage was .323 for 2019.
He gets on base more than average.
Ughhhh…. BA?
So when bases are loaded you want a walk or a grand slam ? 2 on 2 out walk then next guy gets out ends inning . Or hit a double and knock in 2-3. Batting average kinda important
With a .342 OBP.
And that .342 was the lowest of his last 3 seasons, was at .350 and .355 the 2 seasons before that.
1991 called it wants its stats back
He still sucks
Yes i’d rather get a hit with the bases loaded, but earlier you stated that he doesn’t get on much cause he hit .208. That isn’t true if he has an obp of .342
Yet using BA when someone is talking about his ability to get on base probably isn’t the best move.
Dude, what? First of all, no. Second, his triple slash over the past 3 years is .243/.350/.470. Furthermore, you have to bake in positive regression. Looking at his expected numbers of .250/.392/.495 (.366 xwOBA) this signing is low risk because of the $ and high reward because of his true talent level. His xwOBA on contact isn’t what it was pre 2018, but he’s also got his K rate below league average. this is well worth it – Especially since he’ll probably form a strong side platoon with Braun. Oh and to answer your question, a walk with the bases loaded drives in a run. And a walk with 2 on 2 out doesn’t mean the next guy automatically gets out. I wish you were trolling, but I can tell you’re not. Baseball, my dude, learn it!
I’d prefer a walk then a grand slam. *shrugs*
What? A walk with the bases loaded is hot.. Cant tell if you’re being sarcastic.
Grady you are correct. Those pointing out the .342 OBP do not realize it needs a triple to drive in Smoak. Glorified bases empty singles. They’d complain if a .290 hitter with speed had a .342 OBP. Smoak gets ruined by the shift, but good hitters adjust.
Seems like you both are not realizing that him getting on base means that’s not an OUT in the batting lineup. You only get 3 of those each half-inning FYI.
Walk with an open base and a runner on puts on the force, FYI.
Juan Pierre’s career OBP was .343, and the knock on him was he did not walk enough. FYI. No power but could run very fast. FYI.
Chocolate is better, FYI.
He had almost as many walks as hits… crazy.
Ummm, yes, I think unless your brain is no longer functioning, you will take a grand slam over a walk. But how easy is it to hit a HR vs a walk? How many times will you bat with the bases loaded? But what about the other 575 ABs per season when the bases aren’t loaded?
You’re way behind if you think BA is more important than OBP.
BA? Didn’t these pages get purged of it like 5 years ago?
A .350 avg with zero walks beats a .000 avg with a .350 OBP. Fun fact.
He doesn’t get that many hits*
FIFY
Smoak also has an OPS+ of 118 over his last 3 years. Oh and fun fact…smoak is 3 in all of baseball since 1017 in HR’s in the 7th inning or later.
2017*
Yes, batting average is a stupid stat. Base hits don’t count anymore.
I think those numbers were against the Sox and Yankees. Glad he’s out of the AL East.
“Don’t get me a guy that clogs the basepaths.”
“So you want speedsters with good base running skills? What if they can’t get on base.”
“We’ll worry about that later.”
“ If he can hit, why doesn’t he hit good? “
He’s got an ugly girlfriend.
Dusty?
Hahahaha
He’s probably happy to be playing and living the majority of the time back in the USA.
Brewers going hard
switch hitter with pop, good defense as well. I like it
Good D?? -8.WAR for his career.
That lineup right now would be sick if they got Smoak. Narvaez is a good backup plan for Grandal, and getting Urias to secure the double play duo of Urias and Hiura is good. They have really improved… but they need STARTING PITCHING….
Plus Avisail Garcia… I almost forgot.
Huira is an awful defensive 2B, he doesn’t add anything to that double play duo other than offense.
I only said it was good because it was a secure lockdown for the brew crew. 2b and ss. Never said that the defensive combo was good.
Ry the stunner. Awesome. Go cubbies. 4th place is all yours
Well you could make the argument the rotation will be better than last year.. Coming out of spring training last year the projected starters were Chacin, Woodruff, Peralta, Davies, and Burnes. At the end of the year only Woodruff was left and he still missed a significant amount of time.. Anderson, Lindblom, Woodruff, Lauer, and Hauser. are now the projected starters. Better than the patchwork rotation the Crew worked with through the majority of the year.
I would do a bad contract for bad contract with the Brewers and Mets plus it looks like the Brewers still need a 3b I would do Davis,Familia and Gimenez or Mauricio for Hader and Braun. Than trade Braun to the Dodgers for Pederson and Ruiz. Trade Stroman to the Angels for minor leaguers.
This saves them some $$ in a Stroman & Familia to sign another RP or 2 (Betances and Hudson) and gives the Mets now 3 Rp’s, a good CF and a young C that they need.
The OF would be Cespedes,Pederson and Conforto and when Cespedes gets hurt they put Nimmo in LF. Rotation w/o Stroman. deGrom,Syn,Porcello,Matz and Wacha.
Braun to the Dodgers for Peterson and Ruiz???? If Braun could get that kind of return why wouldn’t Milwaukee just make that trade?
Could possibly be one of the worst starting staffs in baseball
I just made the case this rotation is already stronger than what they trotted out last year. You know last year, when they made the postseason? But yeah good comment there Andi Meyer
Yeah, I don’t get it. These offensive/positional player moves are good, but they need help in the rotation. They will never make a splash for a starting pitcher. Always relying on value finds in the come-up bins for the pitching staff.
The offense is quietly coming together. Smoak, Huira, Yelich, Braun, Cain. If Urias can put it together that’s a pretty strong offense.
And Avisail Garcia.
The only problem is you can’t start Garcia, Smoak, Braun, Cain, and Yelich on the same day.
Having depth is never a problem. You can start 4 of 5 everyday and whoever is on the bench will be a great late game pinch hitting option. Not to mention Braun will miss his usual 25% or games and Cain will get more days off
With 26 players and RPs having to face 3 batters, I think a decent bat or two off the bench will be critical.
No offense, but we have acquired too many guys that I’ve seen commentors slotting in as the “26th man.”
And we already had some potential “decent bats off the bench” in Braun, Garcia, Gamel and Cain, since they can’t/won’t all play everyday.
Smoak is probably going to be a very underrated signing, seems like a good fit. But I’m surprised so much work has been done with the offense without addressing the starting pitching. Seems like every year they go into the season trying to hide the problem rather than fixing it by signing/trading for starting pitching.
It’s because it costs so damn much.
There are Justin Smoak type options for the rotation. The Cardinals just swung a deal to bring in the most dominant pitcher in Korea for less than 10 mil for two years, pretty much the exact same deal Smoak just got.
You don’t have to get the top tier guys to fix your starting pitching when you have so little starting pitching to begin with.
I think the brewers signed the best Korean pitcher last year in Josh Kindbkohm ; )
I think the brewers signed the best Korean pitcher last year in Josh Lindblom ; )
Yikes. I rely too much on autocorrect. Facepalm.
I think Lindblom was the one who won the MVP overseas.
Woodruff, Houser, Anderson, Lauer, Lindblom is probably the rotation going into S.T. Then there’s Peralta, burnes and possibly Suter as fill-ins for injuries or poor performance. Also, Devin Williams could give extended innings out of the pen or as an opener.
The depth is there, its a matter of who performs and who doesn’t. Should be able to shuttle a few back and forth to the minors as well (I don’t know who has options or how many off the top of my head, but the way Stearns operates, I know he has guys with options).
In this group, mostly who doesn’t.
When you guys say Anderson, are you guys talking about Chase Anderson (who is a Blue Jay now via trade), or am I just not remembering the Anderson you guys are talking about?
Brett Anderson
I mean, if you think that’s a good enough rotation to get you through the year and deep into the playoffs, more power to you I guess. I personally see that as a bottom of the league rotation and would be bracing myself as a Brewers fan knowing it’s going to be year three of bullpen overusage. Granted it’s still early, but seems like there’s still a lot of outstanding problems there that keep carrying over every year.
It’s not like this is the first off-season where our potential starting rotation doesn’t look like world beaters. I think most brewer fans have learned to brace for a very possible bottom 1/3 rotation.
I just don’t see where the surefire improvement for the rotation was going to come from, without grossly overpaying, this off-season.
Somehow, the last 2 years we managed to overcome it. To be honest, I’m more worried right now at what the defense behind them, and the offense will be in 2020.
And yet, despite those problems carrying over every year, they’ve gone further in the playoffs the last two years than the Cubs. Even with the Cubs rotation earning about 75% of the Brewers total payroll.
Stupid autocorrect!
Always making me say thongs that I didn’t Nintendo!
Well ya, because they have had a good offense and bullpen. But the rotation has been a bit of an afterthought and it’s hard to win in October without one. Even improving the rotation to just average keeps your bullpen fresher for the stretch run. Hader for example was running on empty at the end of last year and he’s not going to be able to keep up the volume he’s had forever.
But yet in October of 2018 they were one game away from the World Series with an afterthought of a rotation. And you weren’t watching the Brewers closely in 2018 then. The offense sputtered at times and pitching carried.
While a good rotation helps, there are a lot of flashy names with 100 million dollar contracts that have 0 world series rings. Overspending on starting pitching isn’t something the Brewers can ever get wrong if they made a leap. Having efficient pitching is far more important and what the Brewers have to rely on.
I’ve said a few times now, that after the Suppan, Lohse and Garza deals the brewers (I think Attanasio specifically, since I think all 3 were guys he wanted) may be a little hesitant to dole out larger contracts to starting pitchers.
Re: flashy names with big contracts..im still laughing a little that Harper jumped ship from the Nats, and then they win it all without him.
for $5M..NOT
Finally some good news for the jays this offseason, NO MORE SMOAK!!!
Brewer fan enjoy having a runner at 3rd with less than 2 out and watching Smoak strike out time after time!!!
The actual stats would be interesting to see, but a lot of us brewer fans feel like we’ve led all of MLB in FAILING to score any runs with RISP & less than 2 outs for at least the last 2, maybe 3 years.
So if nothing else, we’re kinda used to it.
Smoak last year with a runner on third and less than 2 outs:
23 PA
.188/.391/.250
5 BB
5 K
somehow 11 RBI
Sac flies! he was the only hitter pitchers would game plan in Tor before bichette came up and thats why he had such a high OBP. Pitchers gave him nothing all year because he was their most accomplished hitter so he took the walk and hit pitchers pitches into bad luck. He’s just a member of the supporting cast now so he should do better when pitchers focus on the better hitters.
Nope, apparently base hits are now irrelevant, according to most fans, thus his constant strikeouts are just fine. SMH
I was thinking the same thing. Hahaha
Not sure what Smoak offers at all over bringing back the warrior Thames. Seems stupid.
Smoak on the water.
(Thames…River Thames..water…there’s something there.)
no more puns.
A fire in the sky.
that joke flamed out
If only Fiers played for Milwaukee…
He did.
I’m convinced you’re a 13 year old girl who thinks everything is stupid. “This is stupid, this is dumb, my parents are lame, the GM is stupid, let’s sell this team”. Do us a favor and stop being a fan already
A couple of million less dollars.
If this means they are planning to play Healy at third, I find it hard to support this signing.
Lotta offseason left.
As of now probably..in some type of platoon with Sogard (I’m not thrilled with that idea either)..?
Healy, Urias, Sogard can all play 3B plus I don’t think they are done. Remember the rosters expand by 1 this year so Healy could just end up being a power bat off the end of the bench most games.
I hated watching him at first with the Jays, but he’s been one of my favourites in recent years. Shame to see him go, but I’m glad it’s to a team like the Brewers. I hope he does well there and you’ll be getting a pretty decent player who is a very underrated defender. Didn’t even take 24 hours for you to take two of my favourites from this season…
Sigh….Tigers would’ve been a nice landing spot. 1B most days, DH when Miggy takes a day off. Nice bench bat on days he needs some rest. Wonder if they will look at Cron or Thames…though I think Thames might have signed already…Reds?
No thames hasn’t.
Yeah, just noticed Brewers might be interested in resigning him.
Long time Jays fan here. Smoak is solid. At 33, it’s a bit too early to be saying he’s washed up. Think he had more of a down year last season than anything. Not expecting all-star Smoak. But a guy who still can help a ball club. Glove at 1st is a sure thing, and he can still hit the long ball.. he’s a solid get for a club looking to win. Smoak will be alright in Milwaukee.
Solidly below average….for a 1B he’s a below average hitter and poor defender. Oh and he’s already 33…
If he bounces back he won’t be below average, he was last season, and still belted his fair share of home runs. While the glove has been underrated for many years around baseball. If he bounces back, which he is capable of, with some guys in that lineup who will make the pitcher work, unlike the children he was playing with in Toronto.. Smoak definitely can be a very “solid” signing for the Brewers.
He’s not a poor defender. He’s easily a top five defensive first baseman. And if the bat bounces back, he’s a well above average first baseman, even if he’s not near the top tier.
did the Brewers just sign 15 people this week? jeez. lol
would rather have Cron tho
It is too bad Milwaukee doesn’t support it’s team. Brewers are back to dumpster diving to fill out a roster.
doesnt support its team? You’re an idiot.
I think that one went over your head.
Fans have thrown tons of cash at the organization in recent years and attendance is great.
How can you say that? Why, we just picked up two pitchers from the KBO! You know, where players go when they’re not good enough to make it in the bigs…. oh,um,nevermind.
Do the Passans and Rosenthals of the world pay for their breaking information? I know they supposedly don’t, but it is weird to me how so often one will break something like the contract value then minutes later the other guy will scoop the breakdown of salary vs buyout. If one guy was getting intel from a source wouldn’t that guy just like tell him everything? Or maybe the reporters communicate with each other and agree one guy will break one part of the story and one guy another part? Latter scenario is too conspiratorial so I am sticking with the paying the sources.
Their source could be anyone connected to the Team.
An asst GM maybe who knows the contract is about to get signed so he texts Rosenthal
Maybe it’s the secretary, she (or he) overheard the phone call and texts Passan.
Whoever it is likely gets a kickback for correct information.
Or it could simply be that they each have a different source on the team that has the different info.
Employee A calls one reporter to report a team is signing someone but they don’t know the terms of re deal. Reporter posts the story. The other reporter calls Employee B who supplies the terms.
Smoak isn’t much, and has huis minuses. But 5M isn’t much either. Sterns got surplus value here.
Again……..
and hes probably not done. $$$MoneyBall
Man, people are hating on this sign, and many others that the Brewers have made. I like what they are doing. And who is to say that the Brewers dont go out there and make a move for a big starting pitcher?
One thing us Brewer fans know is, we have no idea what the front office is interested in doing until they make a move. They could have something in the works, we just dont know. They landed Cain a few years back with not a SINGLE rumor was tossed around about it. So people need to relax and let the front office do their thing.
The guys that they let walk or traded are better than Smoak. Thames, Aguilar, Shaw. I don’t get the Brewers, they won’t compete with what they’ve done next year.
Did you see what Aguilar and Shaw did last year?
I think they got him for his defense more than his bat. Huira is not good over there at second. Smoak will help that side of the infield.
Not to mention their 2019 fWAR compared to their projected 2020 fWAR is now 0.0 after this signing. Stearns got them back to even (projected I know) while spending 25M less.
The Brewers have not added one player if the quality of Moose or Grandal.
Look at Narvaez’s splits last year. Offensively he’s very comparable to Grandal. Power will only go up in Miller also. Smoak (based on the last 3 years) is also an upgrade over Thames. Garcia was a really steady addition and so was Sogard. Lineup is much more balanced this coming year and the rotation got much better at the bottom. Still don’t have an Ace per say but 1-5 is better overall quality.
Aguilar was good for exactly half a season. After the All-Star break in 2018, his bat was a limp noodle. Shaw was solid for a couple of seasons but was completely useless last year. Thames you could make an argument for but Smoak is more affordable.
I wonder what the chicken littles on MMO think of this one?
Smoak’s bat is slowing down. He can come back if he has chemical help. His best years with the Jays were under the care of a counsellor and presumably an exception to adderall.
The Brewers got Smoaked on this deal.
In all seriousness though, he’s a nice platoon option at 1B with Braun. If they have some injuries in the OF and Braun needs to go back out on the grass, I think Smoak can handle the full-time work at 1B. Probably in line for about 500 PA’s either way, if he stays healthy.
$5M for a crappy player that is already 33?? WTH is wrong with the Brewers??
Do you know baseball or?
Smoak is a good pickup for the Brewers. He will get on base and is very strong with the glove. He makes his infielders look good by saving bad throws.
However, a lot of those numbers predicting a breakout are likely being misled by the fact that he is very susceptible to the shift when he bats LH; his desire to pull everything and lack of speed means he is hitting into shallow RF only to have the SS throw him out.
Very strong glove? Career -8.3WAR
He has a career -21 DRS at 1B. Considering it’s one of the easiest positions to play, he most certainly is not a strong defender.
Just proof that these made up defensive stats are crap.
Those numbers do not matter at all for a first baseman. Who cares if your first baseman is “rangy” or not. The fact is Smoak is the guy who saves your infield errors. Those don’t turn up on the score sheet, only by watching.
As bad as he was last year he was even worse in the 2nd half. Slash line .194/.318/.388. He’s done…
Played more than half the season hurt also
Guess count Thames out returning, I just I’m lost by the brewers to be honest, like they were so close & then a complete kinda turn around not bringing/shedding salary moves.
Moose/Grandal in the NL on 4 year deals would decimate this team in the long run, You need to look at it from another viewpoint. in 2 seasons, they would be begging for someone to take those guys.
Remember what happened to Lucroy? He fell off a cliff right around the age Grandal is now. I think they are trying to put together a competitive team now, while leaving the future open as well.
Look at the Pirates/Reds/Orioles/Royals. Their windows a few years ago were short, and then the decline REALLLLLY bad. We dont want 5 seasons of terrible contracts.
They aren’t going to put together a future competitive team unless they tear this one down before everyone is a free agent. The Brewers have one of the worst farm systems in the game.
The demise of the Royals, Orioles, and Pirates were not due to big contracts. It was due to a lack of a farm to replace departed players. Same issue the Brewers will run into in a couple years if they hang onto Yelich/Hader etc. til their deals are up.
Chris Davis isn’t a big contract that’s hampered the Orioles?
From 2017-2019 he’s slashed .242/.350/.470/.819 with a 119ops+ And 85 dingers while playing above average Defense at first. So before jumping to the conclusion that he’s garbage based on his .208 AVG. (likely result of bad 2nd half due to very inconsistent playing time) last season need to learn how to read offensive numbers. This guy can flat out hit when he gets hot, he should essentially replace Grandal in the lineup with his high on-base skills and power at a fraction of the price (obviously at a different position).
To quote the WWE tag team, the Street Profits, they’ve got “the Smoak.”
I am confused who is out of the picture ???
I thought Ryan Braun was moving to 1B ???
Braun/Smoak platoon for first. Braun will also get some spot starts in the OF on occasion.
Garcia/Gamel in left/right–Yeli takes the opposite position.
Cain in center of course.
Huira at second with Sogard bouncing around the infield.
Arcia/Urias/Healy im really not sure whats happening there. Id like them to get an established slugger for third though-Healy would make a good bench bat
Navarez/Pina split for catcher.
Braun has gallon off that bad he needs to be platooned ???
i dont believe braun will be platooned. He will be the regular day LF with obvious days off and spot starts at 1st. His bat cant be taken out of the lineup
Platoon isnt the right term. Braun will get his normal “scheduled days off” (not starting), which opens the door for 30-40 starts at whatever position he ends up at.
Some of us had hoped that the Tigers would sign him. I was among that group. after I read this from the article: ” Smoak chased pitches outside the strike zone less than nearly any hitter in MLB,” I realized the Tigers would never have any interest in the guy.
Anything beyond exit velocity with Statcast needs to be taken with a grain of salt.
“Statcast says I can mash!” Justin Smoak (and Randall Grichuk, Stephen Piscotty, Marcell Ozuna, etc.).
“Well the eye test and your actual batting line says you suck.” -Opposing pitchers.
What is doubly sad for fans is this huge volume of ‘short termers’ almost guarantees the team is dramatically different for next year and the year after. There are downsides to going cheap and losing fan favorites. Doing so is also an economic issue.
Hanging onto fan favorites is also detrimental especially in the long run. Gone are the days of Younts and Gantners playing for one team. As a fan it sucks no doubt but that’s the reality of the game today. Look at the Twins with Joe Mauer. Local boy, fan favorite, Twins had no choice but to sign him long term. That contract eventually became an albatross to the team.
Fans pay the bills. If decisions are not made to keep fan interest high on a team, you end up being one of those good markets but with poor attendance. They are everywhere in MLB. Milwaukee was one for years.
Winning is what keeps fans interested, not the players. There were times at County Stadium when attendance was in the mid teens even with Yount on the roster, that number became smaller when the calendar turned to September and they were 10 games back. With all the “roster turnover” now, Miller Park is still filled to capacity even on Sundays when the Packers play at the same time.
Strange offseason of moves by Milwaukee. Not sure if they have the horses on the mound to be near the top of the NL Central again. It appears the strategy will be for Counsell to make numerous double switches and move guys around even more than usual. We’ll see if it works.
Interesting that weak pitching is their top issue but you would have thought it was middle infielders. I like some of their adds for sure but without one more real SP stud they are destined for 3rd in the NL central.
Just like the last two years.
People marking the reds down already. Maybe finishing above .500 is where they should start before they start talking playoffs already.
Rather have seen the Brewers trade for Dominic Smith (1B Mets), especially since he’s controllable, has a good glove, can hit and has no place to play on the Mets with Alonso and a crowded outfield. As a Mets fan I’d hate to lose him but he deserves to start somewhere and the Brewers have a nice team.
With no evidence one way or the other, let’s say there was a phone call made to inquire about Smith’s availability…
In order for a deal to get done, both sides have to agree on the return. So maybe Stearns thought the Mets were asking too much, mets didn’t think it was enough, or who knows.
Maybe Stearns and co did some research and decided Smith wasn’t a fit, and never called. Maybe the mets just want to keep him.
Since coming out of S.Carolina U. with fanfare some 12 years ago, Smoak – drafted by the Rangers – has been one huge letdown. From the Rangers to Seattle and to Toronto he has been so underwhelming in his MLB career that he hardly registers a pulse. Now he is a 33 year old “journeyman” which the Brewers hope he can contribute in some manner.
He was anything BUT a letdown in Toronto. He really turned around and saved his career here. Are you paying any attention at all?
Us Jays fans are going to miss him, albeit understanding the Jays really dont have a good use for Smoak anymore (at $5 mil) And for Brewers fans they should be happy about this signing. He’s also been great in the clubhouse, has been a solid defender, and will provide leadership to the young guys.
He was great in Toronto. Letdown?
My goodness how many first baseman does this team need. I enjoy when this team is competitive!
The refrain a couple days ago was “Brewers have a HUGE hole at first.” Funny how things change
There’s that term “positive regression” again. It’s a made up fantasy sports term that’s really just an oxymoron.
With all the one year contracts, they will have to rebuild again next year.
Unless they fall out of contention early (very possible this year) and trade all these slightly usable pieces to contenders, in a weak attempt to rebuild their minors.
Either way it looks like the musical chairs will continue for a while.
As long as they are in one of the playoff seats when the music stops, that doesn’t really matter.
Do you pay attention to the deals or just say whatever comes to mind? The only 1 year deal signed has been Anderson. Lindblom was 3, garcia 2 (3yr option), smoak and sogard both have 2nd year team options.
2nd year team options have statistically become 1 year deals. 77.1% of them end up as one year deals.
Team options or player options? There’s a huge difference.
I’d much rather the team have the option to dump the player if they stink, or retain them if they played well, than the player holding all the cards.
ugh!
Anderson, Lauer, Lindblom, Narvaez, Urias, Healy, Smoak, Garcia, Sogard.
Combined salaries about $1 M more than just Garrett Cole.
Cole can win you 20 games on his own potentially, how about the rest of those clowns?
The Brewers will win more with those clowns and not Cole then they would with Cole and not those clowns.
Correction: the Yankees could potentially win 20 games when Cole is the starter. Or are you one of those fans who attribute a pitcher’s value on wins and losses?
Not with a bunch of $580k minor league scrubs because that’s all you could afford to fill out the remaining roster spots after paying Cole $35+ mil/year…
I mean, in the fantasy world where Cole (or any Ace or top position player) would ever sign with Milwaukee in the first place.
Those 9 players combined for 11.9 bref WAR last season, nearly double Cole’s (6.8).
Pretty efficient spending.
But…but…but the only way to win is to spend massively on the starting pitching above everything else
REEEEEEEEE SPEND BIG ON VOLATILE PITCHERS WHEN WE HAVE A TINY PARK REEEEEEEEEEE
How again was the world series won this year? Are you suggesting that Washington didn’t have quality starting pitching? Or the Astros for that matter? Or the year before with the Dodgers and the Red Sox? I know quality pitching is expensive, but that’s because it takes good pitching to win in the playoffs.
I’m far more frustrated with the MLB’s financial system than with Stearns. I’m sure he’s doing what he can with the resources he’s alloted, but dang, it’s been a frustrating offseason. Grandal was a beast, and Moose was rock solid too. Losing Davies is going to sting more than most people think too. He was usually a very solid starter.
Whatever, hopefully this new flock of nobody’s doesn’t lose 90 games….
*Cough* Salary Cap *Cough* *<| :-{) }