Braun's comments: Latest: Braun Issues Statement, "Wasn't trying to call anybody out"

[JohnBriggs12]

Inappropriate.

 

Walk into your boss's office and tell him how he should perform his job - let me know how it works. Macha coaches. Melvin acquires players. Braun plays baseball.

 

Of course Braun wants to empty the entire system to get better pitching. That would benefit him the most. Melvin does what benefits the club the most.

Braun has a longer contract than Melvin. If I had more job security than my boss, I'd certainly feel freer to suggest changes.

 

Personally I like it. When Braun signed his deal, he basically said he wanted to be the face of the franchise and he's done everything he can to promote this team, the city, and it's a big reason they are drawing huge crowds. In short, Braun gets it.

[Invader3K]

Yeah, I agree with those saying that it's nice to not hear the usual "athletespeak" and that Braun is basically just saying what everyone is thinking anyway. It's been no secret since before the season started that the Brewers would have to go out and get another starting pitcher if they want to remain competitive this year.

 

I also think that since Braun is the only one who has stepped up to the plate, put his money where his mouth is, and actually signed a long term contract, he has a bit more right to say what's on his mind. At least I think that is how the average fan sees it.

[Fatter than Joey]

They know there is no way we're making the playoffs with extended periods of time with Burns and McClung in the rotation.

 

But why rip on guys like Burns? -- Burns is what he is, a short-term stop-gap. Parra got sent down, Bush is on the DL, and I would hope Braun had the common sense to realize that DM isn't planning on hooking his wagon to the Burns horse. Burns is a guy you give the ball to, hope for the best, and know in the back of your mind, that he is going to get sent down to AAA again at some point.

 

I guess I think/hope Braun is calling out DM -- which I am ok with, rather than calling out his teammates.

[fondybrewfan]

I have no problem with it, he is being captain obvious, I am sure pretty much every player on the team feels the same way (except for the guys who could possibly get shipped out)

 

I think our offense would be fine if Hardy or Hart were traded for a starting pitcher. Obviously we would need to find someone to replace Hart but its not like he is ir-replaceable at this point. Escobar would bring less power than Hardy but a ton more speed and probably equal to superior defense.

 

McClung is obviously better served in the bullpen based on his two starts and Burns appears to be nothing more than a AAAA starter. Getting Bush back will help, there is no way Melvin can possibly expect Parra to come back and be that difference maker either.

 

I am hoping that he can trade for a starter that is also under contract for 2010 in order to bridge the gap to our minor leaguers who should be ready in 2011. We could really lose our entire rotation, san Gallardo, by opening day 2011, so we could use some stability for sure.

[DuWayne Steurer]

I don't have a problem with Braun saying specific areas of the team need to step it up. I do have a problem with Braun publicly saying "I want some of my teammates replaced"

 

There's ways you can say things without coming off as a dick. Brauny didn't reach that level here.

[RobDeer 45]

When Braun talks people will listen. I like that he is very selective when speaking and gets right to the point. Until now he's always taken a lot of the blame himself. This time it really upset me that he called out the pitching. It would be similar to a WR calling out a teams defense. That can cause huge problems in the locker room! The pitchers are going to be a close group and now I bet a lot of those guys have some strong feelings towards Braun. Just think about how that would make you feel. Especially because the team has put most of their stock in the offense and not towards pitching and defense. The offense should be a lot better than the pitching, that's where our biggest weapons are! We all knew that going in to the season that the bats would have to carry us through the tough times. That being said we do need help but I just don't know if we can get it without depleting our farm system. Remember the only way we can win is through smart drafting and bringing these guys up through the system. We can't compete in the FA market or by trading up, we just can't do it that way.

[brewmann04]

I got no problem with what Braun said ,heck we all know that true and your Not going to win with a McClung and Burns In your Rotation.I like the Idea him speaking his Mind and he is the Vocal leader of the Team and wished he would have said they needed another Bat also.

[SoCal Brew Crew Fan]

I find nothing wrong with his comments. I think by reading both TH & McCalvy's articles you can get the full picture of what he is saying. He wants to put pressure on DM to do a deal, but seems to acknowledge the difficulty in that. He realizes the Cubs starters were better than ours this weekend...well, they were. McClung & Burns may have value, but they aren't the guys you want out there every fifth day. He has also called himself out in the past. The guy wants to win, and I respect that.

 

Braun may be a guy who talks the talk, but I think he does it in a constructive way that isn't just piling on a teammate. He's simply avoiding the baseball cliches and stating the things that we can all see. I find it refreshing. Plus let's face it...Braun walks the walk.

[jeffy]

Reactions:

 

DM - now looking to trade Braun for a #1 starter

 

McClung - wants to pitch batting practice

 

Burns - wants to watch Braun take BP, with McClung on the mound

 

http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

 

 

[naivin]

I like the comments for the simple fact they do put the attention exactly where it should be at this point in the season...the General Manager. Given the direct line Braun seems to have to Attanasio as well, I suspect this will get his attention, and DM will probably be getting it from both directions (if he isn't already), as well as motivate Attanasio to deal with the financial aspects needed to get a deal done.

[owbc]

I know he's right, but I still don't like the comments. It's one thing to call out the hitters, but Looper, Suppan, and Gallardo have all pitched well, so he is specifically calling out the replacements.

 

The other problem is that one of his teammates probably has to go in order to make a trade--and we all know the 3 or 4 players who are rumored in all the trades. I was thinking that Braun straight up to the Blue Jays for Roy Halladay would make a fair trade and solve the problem...

[SeriesFinale]

I like the comments for the simple fact they do put the attention exactly where it should be at this point in the season...the General Manager. Given the direct line Braun seems to have to Attanasio as well, I suspect this will get his attention, and DM will probably be getting it from both directions (if he isn't already), as well as motivate Attanasio to deal with the financial aspects needed to get a deal done.

Well, it's like what Too Live Brew said earlier: do you really think Doug and Mark A weren't aware of the situation before Braun talked about it in the press?

[joepepsi]

Last 10 games the Brewers have scored 47 runs and given up 47 runs. Surprise! They are 5-5 through that span. They have been shutout twice and in two other losses scored 1 and 2 runs respectively. The only loss where they scored more than 2 runs was the Cubs opener when they scored 5 well after the game was already lost.

 

I find Braun's openess refreshing, but in this instance he's a bit out of line blaming the pitching staff. Every pitching staff struggles with injuries and ineffectiveness at some point in the season. The truth is the offense has been terrible for some time now, except for McGehee, Prince and Braun. He should be challenging his fellow hitters to play better instead of calling out the pitchers.

 

He should be saying something like, "I know our pitching is struggling somewhat right now, but it's our job as hitters to pick them up. We haven't been doing that."

[naivin]

Well, it's like what Too Live Brew said earlier: do you really think Doug and Mark A weren't aware of the situation before Braun talked about it in the press?

No, I don't think that at all, but now Braun has talked about it in the press, and take a look at the reaction it has gotten. The focus from the outside is now squarely on those two guys. Not sure that was really the case 24 hours ago.

[brewmann04]

I would think Melvin and macha knows we need another bat in that order to add a bit more constiency to that Lineup.

Prince an Ryan can't do it all and Casey has been a hugh bonus but we see what he has in August and September when we need him.

[TheCrew07]

Short of trading Hardy for a starter, what else was he going to do this off season or thus far? Seriously, some of the same names that wanted no part of trading Hardy are now calling out DM? There's no having it both ways, the team is already up around the 90 million threshold, was he realistically supposed to spend 170 million on Sabathia? Over 100 on Burnett? Sabathia's 20 mil offer became Hoffman (my thoughts on spending on the bullpen are well known), Looper, and Cameron, there's isn't a pile of gold sitting in the corner waiting to be spent.

 

Have we lost sight of the fact that we're still the smallest market in baseball that manages to maintain a 90 million payroll? The team has stretched about as far as it can go. Unloading the farm for Haren doesn't make sense, and Z has to be willing to take the right deal from us for Bedard or it's not happening. Maybe Toronto would be willing to part with a couple of very successful young arms between AA and AAA but I'm not sure how realistic that is given the severe injuries suffered by Marcum and McGowan last season. By the way, if you want evidence as to why you shouldn't push young arms look no further than Toronto's string of serious injuries to it's young starting pitching over the years.

 

There's no magic way to fix pitching depth other than to trade for it, and we've spent prospects on rentals the last 2 years. This situation was entirely predictable given the past moves the team made, where was top of the rotation talent going to come from without trading for it? The free agent market? Who are we going to outbid? We were always going to be in this situation until the kids work their way up, and we're 2-3 years away from an influx of pitching talent. We needed to move prospects or a position player for a talented pitcher that we'd control for 3 or more years, and we did neither.

 

He acquired Sabathia and many of you got your playoff appearance that you so high cherished, this was the cost... if making the playoffs meant that much to you then you should be alright with a mediocre rotation this season. Likewise if you didn't want to trade Hardy this off season, then you should be alright with what we have. We'll have a minimum of 3 and maybe 4 (depending on Parra) rotation spots open in the next 2 years, where are those pitchers going to come from? We have nice back of the rotation depth in AAA and AA, how do we acquire meaningful talent to bridge the gap to Braddock, Peralta, Scarpetta, etc?

[naivin]

Well TheCrew07, then its very simple...its time to sell and get ready for next year, because if they don't do something they will be about a .500 team.

 

I'd call Kenny Williams because with Podsednik in LF and Dye in RF, I am sure he'd have an interest in Cameron...he can have him for nothing if they will take Bill Hall off our hands as well. See if you can get anyone to take a look at Suppan to eat some innings...again very little required in return, just get the contract off the books. Get Parra back up here immediately to try to figure it our against MLB hitters in a low pressure environment and be ready to contribute next year. Trevor Hoffman has value. So does JJ Hardy who is probably not part of the Brewers future.

[BADGERJOBOB]

I guess I don't see why so many people think we are 1 pitcher away from being a playoff team. Our only good pitcher didn't hardly pitch last year and can't be expected to continue to throw this many innings all year. If we do trade for a pitcher, it better for a young pitcher and not a rent-a-player. Right now I would be looking harder at trading Prince than I would be at adding a rent-a-player. I would think Prince could bring good value in return. JJ might be able to as well.

I agree that we are more than one player away from making a legit run. Moves needed to be made in the off-season and they weren't, right or wrong, I don't want to debate that but anyone who thought this pitching staff was average to above average heading into this season had blinders on. And the hitting well, I can't believe anyone expected better out of that department as well. Too many hit or miss players that results in lots of 6 plus run outputs but also lots of 0/1 run outputs. Two major weaknesses heading into the season besides starting pitching were never addressed, another legit left handed bat and a player with a high on-base percentage who could lead-off.

 

We need to live with what we have and hope that Hart and Hardy to get red hot for the entire second half of the year to help out Braun and Fielder and get some better more consistent pitching from 2 of the following 3: Bush, Suppan, Parra.

 

Braun is a compeititor and wants to win now but he should not have said anything. All he is doing is putting more pressure on Melvin to trade away valuable prospects that will hurt this team in future years. I probably don't make any moves this year, buy or sell, unless we fleece another club.

 

Up until this year, I would have gladly traded Prince for something good in return but he has stepped it up another level and I would really prefer to just sign him to an extended contract. Our 3 core playres should be Braun, Fielder and Yo. If any trades are made, we need to trade away a JJ and/or Hart and get an on-base machine with good defensive skills out in center field for next year and a legit number 2 pitcher would go a long, long way. I would trade both for one or the other and open up the checkbook for the other piece of the puzzle. Parra still has hope to be a legit 3. Looper, Bush and Suppan should be 5s and we only need 1 of those in the majors, not 3 but for next year at least one of them needs to be in a different uniform. Really need to just cut bait with Suppan provided we find a better option. I feel the boos at home are just getting inside his head way too much, as evidenced by his horrible home numbers compared to away numbers.

[MJLiverock]

No problem at all with his comments.

 

1. He was asked a question and answered it honestly.

2. Players make comments all the time in all sports about improving the team thru trades or the draft. These guys are professionals, no ones feelings are hurt, no one is crying themselves to sleep in their giant pillow tonight.

3. These comments are probably making more noise on this website than in the locker room. These guys are competitive people, I've played on plenty of teams, good and bad, and there are always coments about improving areas or bringing in the back ups. It is a fact of playing competitive sports.

[naivin]

I probably don't make any moves this year, buy or sell, unless we fleece another club.

Huh? If you believe the Brewers are not capable of going to the playoffs, why would you not sell? Cameron, Hoffman, Hardy, Suppan, Kendall, Hall, Counsell are all guys that would seem to have no place in the Brewers future. Not saying all of those guys have value (some have negative value), but some most certainly do and to not try to use that to fortify the future would be kinda silly.

[brewmann04]

Well we did not give up any Pitching to Get CC last year,It just that the Brewers have not been able to help from their draft of Starting Pitchers be it (not working out or Injury) Right Now it looks like the Brewers are stuck because their top Pitching Prospects are in the Lower Levels and won't be able to help for a while. If the Brewers do trade any of their Starters IE Hart or Hardy it has to be for Young Major league Ready Pitching.

[JoeHova]

I can certainly understand Braun's frustration, most fans seem to be feeling quite a bit of that and we aren't even on the team. I'm sure it's even worse for the players. However, where Braun is wrong (in my opinion) is in thinking that the other players and the front office don't also share his frustration. Kicking guys when they're down has always been considered classless. Prince took a much more conciliatory tone in some recent comments about the upcoming Cards series: "It's important, but it's still a long season. Hopefully, we can come out all right, but if not, that's just the way it is. I don't want to put too much pressure on the situation. It's early. We have a long way to go."

[lcbj68c]

We needed to move prospects or a position player for a talented pitcher that we'd control for 3 or more years, and we did neither.

 

I stated a couple of weeks ago that DM seemingly sat on his hands this offseason and I still got a red mouth from the lashing I took. The best way for this "small market" team to build and compete is through off-season moves. Once in 25 years, a CC Sabathia type opportunity will come along. I think that mid-season trade last season got some people assuming that DM can do anything when it comes to a deadline deal and that simply isnt true.

 

Moves needed to be made in the off-season and they weren't, right or wrong, I don't want to debate that but anyone who thought this pitching staff was average to above average heading into this season had blinders on. And the hitting well, I can't believe anyone expected better out of that department as well. Too many hit or miss players that results in lots of 6 plus run outputs but also lots of 0/1 run outputs. Two major weaknesses heading into the season besides starting pitching were never addressed, another legit left handed bat and a player with a high on-base percentage who could lead-off.

 

Well said Badger Bob, and because DM didn't adequately prepare during the 2009 off-season, we are now stuck in a position of having to overpay with prospects, which a majority of posters seem to think all of them are going to pan out and we cant give any of them away. The other majority think some schmuck GM out there is going to give up MLB starting pitching for a couple of guys in A ball, that doesn't happen either. Maybe none of that 2010-2011 starting pitching crop will pan out....just as our starters in MILB haven't panned out for the eternity of time. Why is the 2011 crop any different?

 

So now, be prepared to either whine about DM overpaying with your beloved prospects, or whine about DM trading away your beloved favorites in JJ Hardy. I'll take the stance and whine that DM put himself in this position by not doing enough Circa April 2009. The Weeks injury hurt the hitting department. I think we'd be tops in runs scored if it wasn't for the Weeks injury. Starting pitching is the problem, but without healthy guys in contract years on rebuilding teams (ala Sabathia), it's just too late to do anything now.

[SeriesFinale]

Well, it's like what Too Live Brew said earlier: do you really think Doug and Mark A weren't aware of the situation before Braun talked about it in the press?

No, I don't think that at all, but now Braun has talked about it in the press, and take a look at the reaction it has gotten. The focus from the outside is now squarely on those two guys. Not sure that was really the case 24 hours ago.

Everyone everywhere, outside, inside, whatever, was well aware the Brewers could use another starter--and another bat for that matter--before Braun talked about it. Even if they weren't, what is the purpose of BRaun "putting the focus" on them? How is that helpful in any way? Oh, "he tells it like it is"! Woopity-do. There are plenty of times when it pays not to.

 

To be fair, I don't think he was necessarily calling DM or Mark A out.

[mkm13]

Well we did not give up any Pitching to Get CC last year

I said this many times last year and early this year, but it does not matter that we did not trade away pitching prospects. The issue is we gave away prospects (trading chips) that we no longer have. Those "trading chips" could have been used to get a young pitcher...instead of a rent-a-player. We are at a point with position players where we really can't afford to trade away prospects without creating a hole somewhere.

 

That is why it was nice to have Laporta, because we could use him to trade for a position we could have used long term...but we no longer have that luxery.