Longtime Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun’s future has been in question since the club declined his 2021 option at the start of the offseason. While the Brewers and Braun have been in contact since then, no deal appears imminent, and retirement seems like a legitimate possibility for the 37-year-old.
“I’m continuing to work out and stay in shape, but I’m not currently interested in playing,” Braun told Adam McCalvy of MLB.com in a text message. “I am enjoying my family and focused on other business interests for now but appreciate the interest I’ve received and will continue to regularly stay in touch with the Brewers.”
Braun has been a Brewer for his entire career, which started in 2007, but the six-time All-Star doesn’t look like an ideal fit for their roster at this point. That’s, of course, assuming the Brewers won’t line him up in the corner outfield on a regular basis. Braun split last year between right and designated hitter, but the Brewers have Avisail Garcia as an RF, while it doesn’t look as if the DH will return to the National League in 2021. Braun could perhaps get time at first base, though the Brewers will primarily turn to Keston Hiura there after signing second baseman Kolten Wong in free agency.
Even if the Brewers had an obvious opening for Braun, it’s debatable whether he’s effective enough anymore to occupy one. While Braun is among the most decorated sluggers in recent memory, he struggled to a career-worst .233/.281/.488 line with eight home runs in 141 plate appearances during an injury-limited 2020. The Brewers then decided to turn down a $15MM mutual option in favor of a $4MM buyout.
I think the Angels should have signed him instead of Fowler, assuming that Braun would be willing to play in LA.
It would be neat to see Braun catch on with an AL team (where he could DH) and have a great year.
rodcannon? No it would not be neat. Let him live with trumpet boy form a liars club.
Neat. What a meatball.
Get a life cecelidog
Awe….. The Cheater might be hanging them up? Shucks.!
Come to ATL to hang out in the minors or on the bench waiting for an opportunity, ala Dudevall.
No.
I second that “no”
Dump Carpenter sign him to the Cardinals!!
Please no.
Does anyone hear the part about not interested in playing. See Ya
Likely a save face line. Saying the right things because no one is interested in him. If an offer comes, he’d jump at it. Otherwise his retirement papers would already be in the commissioner’s office.
He wrote that at the same time Curt Schilling wrote his “remove me from the ballot” letter.
Too funny
I definitely think he can be an MVP type player with some more HGH for sure. So why hang it ^
He’s not interested in playing – code for no one wants me. However also said he has other business interests – a second coming of Balco labs?
Book writing: How to cheat in life and not get caught…but when you do, what not to say or do…
There seem to be a lot more well known players who have gone unsigned this offseason. I wonder what’s the market looking like for guys like Mitch Moreland, Billy Hamilton, Edwin Encarnacion, Ian Kennedy, and Jason Kipnis, just to name a few.
Still expecting Moreland to at a minimum get an invite to Jet Blue Stadium.
ok you mentioned Billy Hamilton. Here is a question what is better a walk or bunt single , then a stolen base OR a double? To me if I’m Hamilton I’m doing that every game. He should have over a 100 stolen bases a year. Not to mention the batters behind him will see more fastballs. That guy has cost himself millions of dollars. Ricky says it works for him. plus with his defense. These kids just don’t make sense now a days
He notoriously can’t bunt. Oh the Reds fans never shut up about it. To me his only value was letting someone else get on and pinch run him and defensive sub him late. To answer your rhetorical question. I’d want an at bat that cost the pitcher as much physical exertion as possible…with the most chance of error.
that’s how I feel too kids gotta learn to be coached and work hard at it but at the same time owners need to quit trying to manipulate service time bring them up when ready no matter what
End of the line. Retirement time.
Come be a bench bat for the Braves .. word
No.
Look back into his history and you’ll change your mind on that.
Relax. I know his history, I’m not too serious, not to mention it isn’t gonna happen. I don’t think it would be the worse to have his kid of bat on the bench but he has a attitude overall and his roid history makes me ultimately want to stay clear
Speed/ stolen base guys are great if they can actually get on base. Unfortunately Hamilton’s OBA sucks.
I always thought he could steal 100 bases a season and NEVER take an at bat maybe. Freakish speed…roll him out as a pinch runner.
Braun doesn’t get anywhere near the hate he deserves. The guy is a certified POS, end of story.
Amen to that
Agreed
No. 3 on the Tribe’s all-time HR list. I think his cheating days started early when he saw where his dad put the Afikoman! .
Who likes this guy and why is he still in the headlines?
This dude lied and got away with it
SMH
He was suspended- how is that getting away with it?
Did he keep the MVP trophy? His first suspension was overturned when he threw the collector under the bus. Then he got suspended a second time. Dirtbag.
He is a prime example why guys cheat. He has made over $100 million dollars with basically no ramification. The benefit far outways the consequence.
Karma is the lie they use to keep you inert and to distract you so you don’t feel the hand in your pocket.
As long as it’s her hand
I understand your thought process, but in no circles (maybe Milwaukee, I don’t know) is he a celebrated athlete. These guys trade fake numbers for integrity and ultimately, after their playing days, they pay the price. Baseball is a fraternity and a guy like Braun is ostracized. Ask Sammy Sosa.
True, but he still got to collect those paychecks. Yes, the people that follow baseball closely will know he’s a tool, but when he’s done playing and living his life, none of that will be of significance. He gets to roam free and spend that “hard earned” money and live a nice life. Also, he gets the pension.
bruinbull – his family knows he made millions cheating. Rah rah.
Selfish bottom feeder that he is.
If you still think millions makes a person happy? You will lose.
“Life is tough. Some people don’t make it.”
Sammy even ostracized by his race. So sad.
The only AL team that could legitimately give him regular AB’s as a DH is Oakland. Somehow i see them signing Choo or Encarnacion instead.
As for not being interested in playing: i think that is more the opposite, lack of interest in him for anything other than maybe a minor league invite to spring training
It would be poetic if the Astros signed him.
“No one’s interested in signing me, so therefore I’m not interested in playing” is how I read that. The league will do just fine without you.
Grow up people. He’s no worse than McGuire,Bonds, Sosa, Rodriquez and countless others. Every one who freaks out about him “lying” has probably lied too
I have lied. But it didn’t cost someone’s job nor did I do it in the national press nor did it gave me millions of dollars.
@Jgwi2az: You sound just like an Astros fan.
I have more respect or the Astros than I do for Braun.
He’s just banging around some ideas.
Don’t forget to mention Roger Clemens by name. As a long time Cubs fan, I’ll be glad to see Braun call it quits. He was not quite a Cubs killer but certainly an annoyance. Happy Retirement!
Grow up people. Dahmer’s no worse than Bundy, Gacy, Cruz, Ramirez and countless others. Everyone who freaks out about him “eating faces” probably has brains in their freezers too.
Grow up people. Consequences are things we made up for children.
joshtolled. Brilliant.
Why can’t people on this site spell “McGwire”?
rsox? To bother you.
Because I don’t care how it’s spelled, really.
jgsaw. Not that loud.
Jgwhatever…
Can’t judge someone who lied if you’ve ever lied, huh?
So there’s no scale?
Just anything anyone’s ever done wrong is totally equivalent?
Give me a break, how spoiled is everyone that they seriously think it’s their right to have no accountability?
In the real world, actions have consequences that adults have to face.
And there is a difference between a little lie like when ya wanna get off the phone and destroying another person’s life to distract from the fact that you’re a cheater
Doing the former doesn’t disqualify one from judging the latter
Plus could you imagine a lawyer using that argument in court?
“Well, I’m sure you’ve lied once in your life your honor, so you must acquit”
♂️
And his 2012,2013 and 2015 seasons were pretty good without “cheating”. I’m sure he was tested repeatedly
It’s not just that he’s a cheater. He’s a huge a**hole.
Orioles should sign him.
I loved to hate braun because he owned my team every year.
He cheated, got away with it many times probably, got big contracts, got caught, didn’t admit it, tossed a working guy under the bus, continued to cash his checks and play in MLB.
He could have salvaged his name to a great extent if he had just found out the annual earnings of fired employee, sent him a check for that amount, then made sure his agent leaked it to the public. (pretax $123mil+ over his career, pretax the fired guy maybe $100k)
He had dinner with the sample handler and his family after getting suspended. This was in an article after it happened years ago. I’m sure he paid the guy or settled with him financially.
Not saying he wasn’t a dick for how it went down but I think he did the best he could after that time. People can grow, he was a respected teammate too. Plenty of other cheaters and many who deny it, he isn’t much if any different than those before or after him.
Strange. If this was Alex rodgriuez, the yankees would give him a 10 year contract and you fans rave about monster seasons in Arlington.
Wouldn’t mind the braves add Braun as a bench Bat.
No we wouldn’t. Speak for yourself.
He should retire. Guy has been terrible without PEDs, and believe me, I’m not being biased. He’s practically a no name now.
PEDs was one thing, lying about it was worse. It’s hard to have a lot of respect for this guy.
2015-2016 comes to mind, he was still a very good bat post PED’s
I dont know what makes people believe so strongly that peds still arent in the game to a solid extent. We went from the mid 80s to the mid 00’s and didnt really even talk about basic steroids…let alone advanced enhancers.
Of course, they will always be around. And they are in all aspects of life(other sports) with this much money or incentive on the line.
Exactly. It’s like this foreign substance issue the sports media wants to make into a massive deal. They’re having trouble igniting it because so many knowledgable baseball people are kind of saying, “Well, no kidding.” When haven’t pitchers loaded the ball? I think we all just casually draw the line in what gamesmanship is. George Brett got busted tarring the bat up to make it harder. I used to chalk my arm before I took the mound…yeah made it harder to pick up the ball…hahaha
Boo this “man”
It’s remarkable how many perfect people there are in one sports chat
There’s perfect, then there’s imperfect, then there’s fifty feet of crap, and then there’s Ryan Braun.
And then there’s Carlos15.
If I’m a celebrated baseball player and I pull his stunt…yeah…you got permission to rag me all you like. He didnt just cheat he used his power to cause harm in a working persons livelihood and then he got popped…cmon now.
Hello, I’m Church Lady and welcome to Sports Chat!
Lying Ryan Cheater Braun needs to disappear to the same cave holding Raphael Palmeiro.
I don’t get how some people on this site are defending Braun. Please explain how it is alright for him to ruin a guys life to cover up his cheating.
Probably because their time has been wrapped up following him. It reminds me of how abused people make excuses for their abusers.
I will always believe it was a huge travesty that his 2011 NL MVP trophy wasn’t vacated after he tested positive following that season. That award should have been handed to its rightful owner – Matt Kemp. I’ve had zero respect for Braun since then, and don’t anyone even mention the HOF even jokingly for this loser
You just did. He’s nowhere close to a HOF. A year before Biogenesis he had numbers that would project to a HOF career. He’s barely been a Starter value since.
Yea i dont have a hugh issue with him being on the juice. Im sure alot of people here would “GAS UP” for millions of dollars and a mahor league career. That being said its the other stuff i have an issue with. He probably would be good on a young team, he could help teach the guys what not to do plus some good hitting advice id imagine and if hes playing well at all get traded for 1 last play off run. I dont see it happening tho
I would gas up if it would have helped me make millions. I mean yeah it would have shrunk my junk but I’m already hung like a field mouse so my wife couldn’t get more disappointed lol . atleast I’m honest
Damn. There’s honest and then there’s honest.
Stubby’s itty bitty nubbin.
It is wonderful that you don’t fret about your wee wiener. Why should you? Soon enough we’ll all be dead.
I just dont see it. Hes the type of older former star you let retire…he doesn’t strike me as the veteran gamer like a Ryan Zimmerman type.
The Hall of Fame should hire an architect to design a wing that’s shaped like a needle. They can put up plaques for all the PED losers in the needle part and at the end of the one way needle there’s a door that puts you outside, knee deep in it. Then all the idiots who think those clowns should be in the Hall of Fame can visit their heroes and end up with it all over their shoes. Smells like spleen syrup.
Call it the Hall of Shame.
That would include most players in the last 20 years.
They’re already in. Vlad took them and the Expos knew it.
Who Cares about Ryan Braun.
His momma.
Me. But I’m also mom.
Ryan Braun was a great entertainer and had better morals than most of the performers today. Yeah let’s sing WAP. Let’s listen to critiques of eminem etc etc.
Let’s see what part of the Federal Legislature isn’t lying, spin doctoring, inside trading and on and on.
Exec branch lol
Dude ran his gear and ESPN played it out in the media.
This dude took peds and Bud Selig let him slide
Any team would enjoy having him. Great teammate and still has a bit left in the tank. Gotta give him rest days but whoever signs him(hoping the Brewers still) if it’s for a good price will be happy.
giannisandbrain? Oatmeal brain.
Braun will always be remembered for one thing, and it has nothing to do with hitting baseballs.
Yes. He’s the first mlb player to accuse a lab tech of being anti-semitic.
The Angels are underachievers and will continue to be.
Based on what the last 60 years?
I could give 144 million reasons why Braun doesn’t care if he ever plays again.
Number 1, he sucks
I mean its not like Braun ever worked with the mafia to traffic cocaine into the Milwaukee region to distribute at Gold’s gym to pay off gambling debts.
@ dock_elvis
No, he chose the less honourable route….
and Pete Rose won’t get in the HOF even if he buys a ticket.
Ironic you shilling for another paragon of virtue
Dowd had the goods on Pete. Pete’s lucky it was just tax evasion he got time for. People can say MLB messed him around, but they covered up a much worse scandal probably. The FBI and DEA almost had a fender bender doing surveillance on Pete. Betting on the game was likely his least charge…and one the game could use to pacify everything else. Johnny Bench is absolute in Pete’s not being on the Hall…that’s ok with me.
Should work for the MLB drug testers
His 2021 future depends on the Universal DH.
My favorite was back in late 2016 when Brewers fans were saying the Dodgers would have to part with basically their entire farm system to trade for Braun. And that they would have to attach “top prospects” to get the Brewers to take Puig even though the Brewers had already claimed him on August waivers which means if the Dodgers wanted to, they could have dumped Puig and his contract on the Brewers without having to give up any prospects.
Maybe the Astros will hire Ryan Braun to be the drummer in their Garbage Can Band.
He’s also got $18M coming to him in annual $1.8M chunks over the next 10 years even if he never lifts a finger for work ever again.
I don’t see him being signed by a club in contention, I don’t see him being signed for a significant amount of money by anybody.
It’s pretty clear to me he’s gonna retire with his $1.8M a year over the next decade and just manage the money he’s already made, since even if he did continue to play it, again, probably wouldn’t be for a contender and also he won’t produce enough to make any significant gains on any potential career milestones.
Other than the possibility he LOVE playing baseball, I don’t see any practical reason for him to continue playing.
My favorite part of Ryan Braun was when Aaron Rogers vouched for him.
I hear FedEx is hiring.
So we can comment on Braun who is a lying, POS cheater but we can’t comment on Omar Visquel who is a lying, POS abuser. You got some weird standards MLBTR.
Some people would defend Visquel and the back and forth would get nasty. Good decision not to allow those comments.
Sad. A guy his age can carry a weapon on the battlefield. But cannot carry a bat on the ball field.
The issue with Braun is you can’t get a full season out of him anymore. He’s best suited for an AL team w/DH, at this point. The upside of having him is he is a legit big game player. Thrives in a pennant race. IF you can keep him fresh for September…
I’m sick of you people you guys act like one person who did steroids/PEDS is a bad person so you might as well call Yasmani Grandal a cheater and Nelson Cruz and Alex Rodriguez and Starling Marte and Robinson Cano and Tim Beckham and Dee Gordon and Freddy Galvis and Melky Cabrera all these baseball players might as well be bad people and cheaters if you want to just call Ryan Braun one because you’re a hater.
People don’t rag on Braun for the PEDS. They rag on him for his behavior after he got caught.
Who says we don’t. People who get on him for PEDS also get on others as well. I realize you can’t change the past of baseball, so those who cheated decades ago and got into the hall of fame can’t be taken out, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t stand against now and hope for a cleaner game.
Yeah, I worded that poorly. The point I meant to make is that Braun draws extra vitriol because of his reaction when caught rather than just his being caught.
Character is revealed in the face of adversity, and his character (or lack thereof) was revealed.
Hilarious that you include A-Rod in there. A-Rod is one of the most disliked and called out players for his PED use.
Braun has cheated his way to a very nice career. May be time to start thinking about what mass doses of testosterone does to your body and for your health.
Braun would fit in Boston. Roided out DH’s get streets named after them there.
Maybe fed ex is hiring
He still owes Matt Kemp his MVP trophy.
Lmao…Angels fans preaching about cheating?…no mirrors handy?
@bhambrave so what you don’t get some people are calling him a cheater so you might as well call all these people cheaters Yasmani Grandal a cheater and Nelson Cruz and Alex Rodriguez and Starling Marte and Robinson Cano and Tim Beckham and Dee Gordon and Freddy Galvis and Melky Cabrera that’s not even half and I’m referring to @rememberthecoop
Yes they are all cheaters. But the article is about Braun, not them. So what’s your point?
13 years and $144MM made. Retired and enjoy golf.
Braun would still have some value. Look at his stats since 2012. Not great, but still better than the MLB average:
brewmaths.com/2019/02/11/is-brauns-decline-real-a-…