Brewers plans for 2011 and after

[TooLiveBrew]

What if Cain or Schafer takes off and Gomez flops going into 2011? We've essentially flipped one of the better SS in the game for...? I realize that's a worst case scenario from a Gomez...

 

Well, yeah. What if Cain gets hurt again & Schafer can't hit past AA? Then we've made a nice, high-upside acquisition for CF who's only 24 & already a premium defender. You can't evaluate personnel moves in worst-case scenario 'what ifs' imo. And if all three guys do well in 2010, the Brewers have the 'problem' of having too many good CFs, which will be valuable ammo on the trade front.

 

 

What would have been wrong with a stop gap CF as Cameron initially was meant to be?

 

Obviously the team needed the money to spend on pitching. Of course you object to that as well, but that's what happened this offseason.

[TheCrew07]

Perhaps I'm just not being clear.

 

I think the best way I can put it is this... I think DM is interested in doing whatever it takes to put the best MLB team together for a single season where as I'm concerned with building the most solid organization possible. I'm probably different around here in that I'm willing to sacrifice wins with the MLB for a season if I think the organization would be better off in the future for it. I don't have to "win now", as it's been clear to me for a long time that the organization didn't have the pitching to go with this first wave of talent. It's not even about spending money, I'd gladly spend money on a FA position player, I feel they are infinitely better value on the dollar than pitchers are. What irks me is that in an effort to win today, Melvin continues to work through FA which is what is truly limiting his payroll flexibility. We have significant money tied up in the bullpen, we have significant money tied into our 5th starter... those issues bother me personally, and I don't see the trend going away, in fact I see it repeating itself as we cycle back around with Wolf. The rotation is horrible again, he's the best pitcher the team can afford, but he's an aging pitchability guy without much margin for error... I see a pattern of behavior here going back to DM's tenure in Texas. I think it's safe to say that while DM is captain of the ship, he's really only focused on the MLB team for a given season, and leaves the organization building to his scouting director be it Z or Seid.

 

This idea of organization vs team building is probably the single biggest reason I'm into the minors and I didn't want to acquire Sabathia and wanted to move Hardy. It's not an "I told you so", it's that I feel the organization is limiting it's potential the way's it been operating. I would have sacrificed the playoffs in 08 to acquire a long term pitching solution, I was willing to sacrifice Hardy's 2009 production for a long term pitching solution, because I felt that long term solution would mean better things as other positions were upgraded. Was acquiring Sabathia in the cards all along or a reactionary move because Yo got hurt? I'd feel better about that deal if I felt it were Melvin's plan all along to blow prospects on a rental and "go for it", but I don't think it was. People vehemently disagreed with me prior and after the Sabathia trade and all last winter in regards to trading Hardy, continually turning my ideas into Hardy vs Escobar debates which they were never meant to be. I probably just don't express myself well enough to make people understand what I'm trying to say.

 

Gomez could very well figure it out and become a good player but that's not really the point I was trying to make. In the end Hardy was moved as his lowest possible value, flipped for a player with potential but who's never even sniffed a .700 OPS in 3 seasons of varying ABs, who plays a position where the organization is already loaded. I'm really not concerned about the hole left behind from Cameron departing, I'm concerned about the rotation where we don't have enough impact talent now and the possibility of having to replace Bush, Parra, and Suppan for 2011 with only Bulter, Jones?, and possibly Rivas ready as internal options for 2011... does he sign another FA pitcher again in 2011? I'm a Manny Parra guy, I want to believe that in 2010 he starts to approach his vast potential as a pitcher, but when you look at the trends in his stat lines, he's descending as he matures which scares the crap out of me. I really felt that Hardy was worth a Buchholz type pitcher prior 2009, so to step down to Gomez, regardless of his talent, just doesn't sit well with me. Prior to 2009 Hardy was an impact talent and we didn't get impact talent in return, we didn't get an organizational need in return, we got a team need in return and we simply cut salary at 2 positions and lowered production at 2 positions to overspend money on our position of greatest need, which also happens to be the least best value per dollar in baseball.

 

I realize the organization is judged completely on MLB team's wins and losses, and rightly so. However, is there even a net gain here replacing Looper, Cameron, and Hardy with Wolf, Escobar, and Gomez? Is the organization in a better a position now that it was prior to 2009? Someone posted a something about Looper winning 14 games and would Wolf really be an improvement in the transaction forum... I think we've gotten so used to bemoaning Win/Loss records in regards to pitching that an excellent point was missed... as bad as Looper was the team won more of his starts than they lost, somehow they found a way. Ultimately it's all about wins and losses, so while Wolf won't give up as many runs in his starts as Looper did (I hope), there's no guarantee the offense will do as well his starts either, so the net gain might actually be negligible in the end. While I fully understand that on paper Wolf should be at least 2 wins better than Looper, I'm not convinced the actual results will bear that out with a different lineup behind Wolf. Knowing Hardy would eventually be gone I was hoping for Buchholz type/Cameron and instead we have Wolf/Gomez... who would we rather have? I believe going year to year with the MLB roster and spending money in FA actually has had a negative effect on the performance of the MLB team in the end, the drop off from 2008 to 2009 didn't have to be as extreme as it was, and I sincerely hope the end result in 2010 is better than I think it will be.

[logan82]

I think the best way I can put it is this... I think DM is interested in doing whatever it takes to put the best MLB team together for a single season where as I'm concerned with building the most solid organization possible.

 

Melvin's job is to balance both. If the Brewers suck really bad in any one year or over a couple years, he is out of a job.

[TooLiveBrew]

In the end Hardy was moved as his lowest possible value

 

This is an argument you've made before. Perhaps I just haven't retained your answer, but if you trade Hardy after 2008, who is your starting shortstop for the Brewers in 2009? I don't mean "you" generically, in the hypothetical sense. Who do you, GM Crew07, specifically (ie by name) bring in to play SS fulltime for '09, a season in which the Brewers were trying to compete for the division & Wild Card? I apologize if this comes across as hostile... not my intent whatsoever -- I just want to pick your brain.

 

Heading into 2009 (not in hindsight now), with no way of knowing that Hardy would hit at or below replacement level, what SP-via-Hardy-trade + SS combo do you feel would have been a notable upgrade from keeping Hardy at SS (who I think it's fair to say just about everyone expected to OPS around .800) + signing Looper (who pitched well below expectations last season as best I can tell).

[Ennder]

Escobar was not an option as starting SS in 2009 so I hope that isn't the answer.

 

If I'm going to have a glut of talent at any position I want it to be at SP, if I have to have a glut at a position other than SP I want it to be OF. That is by far the easiest position to work with extra talent. Having other options at CF is not some sort of problem unless Hart remembers how to hit and the Brewers decide they want to keep him. A lot of things have to go just right for Gomez to be some sort of negative assuming he produces at a decent level.

[joshua502000]

I am just curious in this whole Prince's value and how much he should get paid. I wonder how much in ticket sales, merchandise, leadership, and fans that Prince generates for the team? I mean he is worth more than what he puts up in stats. That being said, yes I can see a trade that brings in a player that could provide those same traits but bottom line there is something to be said for him being home grown!

[Invader3K]

I am just curious in this whole Prince's value and how much he should get paid. I wonder how much in ticket sales, merchandise, leadership, and fans that Prince generates for the team? I mean he is worth more than what he puts up in stats. That being said, yes I can see a trade that brings in a player that could provide those same traits but bottom line there is something to be said for him being home grown!

I think if he signs an extension this off-season, it would really endear him to the fans. Wisconsin sports fans usually appreciate that sort of thing. I would wager that yes, Prince is a draw at Miller Park as well. People like the dingers, after all.

[ILuvDaBush]

How does King Felix's recent contract extention affect what we could expect from a Prince extention? Both are considered to be "hard sells" on being locked up. Would you tear up his current contract and reward him with a similar contract instead? In essence, it would be a 4yr/$68M extention ($17M after his $11M salary this year). I think this would be a phenomenal deal for both sides, and it would keep the Fielder/Braun dual threat alive for the next 5 years.

[WV Brew]

The Brewers are the only team that can sign Prince to an extension now. If he gets hurt in the next year or two, he could end up with nothing. Therefore, the Brewers should be able to sign him for less than any other team now. The longer they wait, the less that is true. It may already be too late. I'm just afraid the Brewers will back to the Royals, Pirates pack unless they have both Prince and Braun. With both of them, they will always be a factor. With one gone, I'm afraid they will struggle. I have zero confidence Melvin will get enough in a deal. I'm afraid he will come up with 3 or 4 Gomez type players.

[thebruce44]

How does King Felix's recent contract extention affect what we could expect from a Prince extention? Both are considered to be "hard sells" on being locked up. Would you tear up his current contract and reward him with a similar contract instead? In essence, it would be a 4yr/$68M extention ($17M after his $11M salary this year). I think this would be a phenomenal deal for both sides, and it would keep the Fielder/Braun dual threat alive for the next 5 years.

 

I don't think the two are comparable at all since Prince is an every day player. Prince would probably be using Texiera as a basis for his contract extension. If the Brewers don't want to match or beat that, I think Boras will advise him to wait it out since some team might.

[Invader3K]

Just heard Brian Anderson on "The D-List" this afternoon. Someone called and asked him about Prince. He insinuated that Melvin may already be working on an extension with Boras, but that Melvin and the Brewers are being tight lipped and absolutely will not get into "negotiating through the media" with Boras. He also said that Mark Attanasio is adamant about not trading Fielder and wants to keep him here. He said that Attanasio loves Prince.

 

Might not mean much, but it's interesting to hear.

[logan82]

The Rockies' offers were spurned in 2008 when Holliday was poised to enter his contract year, and Colorado ended up trading him to the A's that November. The Rangers traded Teixeira, a first baseman, to the Braves in July 2007 after he and Boras reportedly passed on an eight-year, $140 million extension. Teixeira was 27 at the time, and a season and a half removed from free agency.

For now, Fielder is following a similar path. Texas and Teixeira agreed on a two-year, $15.4 million deal in January 2006 that bought out two of Teixeira's arbitration-eligible seasons and left him with one remaining. It was very similar to the two-year, $18 million pact between Milwaukee and Fielder in December 2008. Fielder will earn $10.5 million in 2010 in the second year of that deal.

Most of the article makes things look pretty bleak in regards to resigning Fielder. Link

 

1. The market, and baseball's revenue at the time. In other words, how many teams a) will need a first baseman in the winter of 2011-12 and b) could support Fielder's salary demands? The Yankees, with Teixeira under contract through 2016, would presumably be out. Which brings us to:

2. The Pujols Factor. Plus the Howard Factor and the Adrian Gonzalez Factor, for that matter. All three fellow first basemen are lined up with Fielder to be free agents following the 2011 season. The topic of an extension for Pujols has already been raised in St. Louis, and if a deal is indeed struck, it could both help and hurt Fielder, Gonzalez and Howard as they seek the richest deal. Help, because it would reduce the number of premium players available at the position, and hurt because a hometown discount for one could theoretically set a lower bar for Fielder and Howard.

3. Age. Fielder is only 25 today, and he would be 27 as a free agent. Howard and Pujols will each turn 32 during the 2011-12 offseason.

4. The status of baseball's Basic Agreement. The current agreement runs through Dec. 11, 2011, and any significant changes could alter the landscape for teams and free agents.

[monty57]

I think the best way I can put it is this... I think DM is interested in doing whatever it takes to put the best MLB team together for a single season where as I'm concerned with building the most solid organization possible.

 

Do you honestly believe that the franchise as a whole, from Rookie ball through the majors, is not better today than it was before Melvin arrived? I think the pre-Melvin years were fraught with worrying about the majors, which is why we failed to sign Garciaparra, Giambi, etc. I've read a lot of your posts, and have agreed with many of the things you have said, but you seem to have made up your mind that Melvin is not a good GM, and now have yourself convinced that he has done (and continues to do) all wrong. From all the media coverage on the Hardy situation last year, I would have to believe that Melvin at least saw what the market was for him, and obviously didn't pull the trigger. I also have to believe that Melvin has tested the market on many of his other players, and has not found deals to his liking that would produce a young, stud pitcher, which happens to be the most valuable commodity in baseball at the moment.

 

I think the Brewers / Melvin are thinking both for the long-term and for the short-term, as they must. We "sacrificed wins" a few years ago, when we tore down the major league team and built for the future with our drafts of Fielder, Weeks, etc. Now we have a MLB team that has a realistic shot of making the playoffs, with a farm system that will be capable of supplementing the major league team for the foreseeable future. In other words, we have become a good franchise (not just a good team).

 

I don't think the two are comparable at all since Prince is an every day player. Prince would probably be using Texiera as a basis for his contract extension. If the Brewers don't want to match or beat that, I think Boras will advise him to wait it out since some team might.

 

Then wouldn't Felix have used Sabathia's deal as a basis for his extension?

 

Just heard Brian Anderson on "The D-List" this afternoon. Someone called and asked him about Prince. He insinuated that Melvin may already be working on an extension with Boras, but that Melvin and the Brewers are being tight lipped and absolutely will not get into "negotiating through the media" with Boras. He also said that Mark Attanasio is adamant about not trading Fielder and wants to keep him here. He said that Attanasio loves Prince.

 

That's good to hear. Maybe nothing becomes of it, but it would be a real shame if the Brewers didn't at least make a reasonable attempt at retaining someone who could well be one of the best players to ever don a Brewers uniform.

[TheCrew07]

Heading into 2009 (not in hindsight now), with no way of knowing that Hardy would hit at or below replacement level, what SP-via-Hardy-trade + SS combo do you feel would have been a notable upgrade from keeping Hardy at SS (who I think it's fair to say just about everyone expected to OPS around .800) + signing Looper (who pitched well below expectations last season as best I can tell).

Sorry for the slow response TLB, I replied to your PM. I thought I made it clear that Escobar was the replacement player and said as much at the time (hence the Hardy vs Escobar debates all last winter) Escobar is not a significantly better player coming into 2010 than he was coming in 2009, that's not what AAA is really about despite contrary opinions floating around this board. Escobar was as ready at the start of 2009 and he was in August, in fact he's pretty much the same player he was at AA. He's still a flashy defender that makes some bonehead decisions who's aggressive at the plate and doesn't walk much. I didn't expect Hardy to flop, in fact I was counting on the opposite, I wanted any trade to be good value for both sides. I liked players like Buchholz, Niemann, and so on... players that would require significant value to attain and the team could use Hardy's services... I liked the options to acquire starting pitching much better before the Sabathia trade, but following that deal, we didn't have many options left to acquire said pitcher, the team does have a finite number of expendable assets to work with.

 

The 2 holes in Esky's offensive game are his selectivity and power at the plate, but he was a player who was clearly ascending as I tried to point out numerous times (remember the MLE discussions?), all of the trends in his career stat lines were positive as he was moving up and facing better competition, that's not something that happens all that often with prospects. He wasn't rushed at all, in fact the organization gave him plenty of room to find his game as he's been in professional baseball since age 17.and progressed mostly 1 year at a time. It helped that Hardy was in front of him I'm sure, that made it easier for the organization to be patient with him. As far the AAA seasoning angle, AAA is a different style of pitching than AA, that's the only difference really between the 2 levels, it's a pretty linear progression from AA to AAA. AAA isn't a prospect proving ground, it's a storage place for depth. In addition I also thought that Escobar wouldn't make another significant jump in his offensive game until he faced MLB pitching and posted as much, and I still believe he won't develop power until he quits messing around with winter ball, if he wants to add more that is, something the organization appears to be discouraging.. I'd like to believe that his stay in MLB is the reason he was more selective in winter ball, but it could have been that the pitching was just that bad he couldn't swing either.

 

I'm not a big believer in stacking up players in AAA awaiting playing time at the MLB level when there are obvious and glaring needs elsewhere with the MLB team (Escobar/Hardy, Gamel/McGehee). Looking at the rotation prior to 2009 it was clear we had a hole in the rotation and it was clear we would need to replace at least Suppan and Bush for 2011, so bye the time 2011 rolled around we'd have 3 holes to fill. Of our 3 most productive players in Hardy, Braun, and Fielder I think it was obvious who the most expendable player of that trio is/was, and his value would rapidly decline as he became a glorified rental. You have to give value to get value so I was willing to move Hardy and play Escobar to acquire a piece of the pitching puzzle as I believe pitching is greater than offense, and that AAA wouldn't sufficiently challenge Escobar enough for him to make a significant improvement in his game. The way I saw it, and still see it, it was a win/win... the only downside was trading my favorite Brewer. Fast forward a year to this off season and I was hoping a McGehee + package would be enough to land a young unproven starter with upside, instead we once again went the FA route, this time signing 2 FA pitchers. I wonder if when the organization talks about trading hitting for pitching, they really mean trading hitting for rental pitching, because we certainly haven't seen any trades for longevity in the rotation in quite a while.

 

Obviously I'm not a fan of trying to patch the rotation 1 year at a time and/or the whole FA pitching market in general, I feel we just end up back in the same place, having the same discussions year after year. I want longevity because longevity ultimately creates the flexibility the organization so desperately needs.... my dream would be to end up where TB is with their MLB rotation, they had too many players and were able to move Kazmir and Jackson, and they still have Davis waiting for a rotation slot. Suppan is a league average 5th starter... great... but why would I or anyone else want him to be the highest paid pitcher on the team who happens to be our worst starter? Why would we want that money ultimately ending up in the bullpen where there is even less value on the dollar? Unfortunately this will typically be the cycle when we sign any pitcher in his mid 30s to a multi year contract, we can only afford 2nd and 3rd tier FA pitching, those players just don't have much margin for error late in their careers, they are only heading down in the rotation, they won't ascend towards the top.

[Ennder]

Escobar was as ready at the start of 2009 and he was in August, in fact he's pretty much the same player he was at AA

 

You are way underrating what another year in the minors does for a player. Escobar starting last year would have almost certainly been a disaster offensively. The only way I could have been upset with Melvin is if he went into last year with Escobar as the starting SS and no real backup options if he struggled, that would be the absolute worst plan he could have had.

 

Trading Hardy and picking up a 1 year option at SS like an Orlando Cabrera could have worked though. Of course Melvin did explore trade options for Hart and Hardy before the season and just didn't find the right deal so this is almost all hindsight anyway.

[logan82]

Then wouldn't Felix have used Sabathia's deal as a basis for his extension?

 

Boras isn't his agent.

[Bench Coach]

He also said that Mark Attanasio is adamant about not trading Fielder

and wants to keep him here. He said that Attanasio loves Prince.

Maybe this idea is out there, but for the last few years we have been drawing 3 million fans. Also, if I remember right, we signed a new TV deal though I don't think the terms ever came to light. Is it possible that over the last few years part of the reason they wanted to keep some flexibility with payroll is to maybe put some aside every year toward a Prince extension? This isn't the first that I heard that Attanasio wants to keep Fielder here, is there a chance he has something up is sleeve. I know, not very likely, but nice to dream.

 

Otherwise, as much as I want to keep Fielder, I am afraid that doing so will make it difficult to have a winning ball club. Not unless we can start drafting and developing pitchers right now. I really wish there was a way to keep him and put quality pitching around the offense.

[Invader3K]

Otherwise, as much as I want to keep Fielder, I am afraid that doing so will make it difficult to have a winning ball club. Not unless we can start drafting and developing pitchers right now. I really wish there was a way to keep him and put quality pitching around the offense.

 

Well, the Brewers do have a lot of young talented pitching under control, it's just all in the lower minors. Hopefully by 2011 some of those guys will be on the cusp of the big leagues.

[Ennder]

http://www.minorleagueball.com/2010/1/4/1233988/milwaukee-brewers-top-20-prospects

 

Brewers have 5 SP that were graded B- or better by minorleagueball. Those are all considered likely to make some sort of impact in the majors. They also have 4 more that ranked C+ which have a chance for at least a bullpen role if nothing else. They have 11 more ranked as C prospects of which usually a couple sneak into a major league role though most are misses. We have quite a bit of pitching depth in the minors now, we just have to get by until we see which ones pan out.

 

The team has an exceptionally deep minor league system right now. The one weakness being not much in the way of can't miss stud prospects.

[monty57]

Thanks for the link, Ennder. It's nice to see all the RHP/LHP among the top prospects. There's a lot to be hopeful for. A few years ago, Jeremy "Cheech" Jeffress (I like that) would still have to be ranked one of our top pitchers. Now he's the 29th prospect (15th ranked pitcher) in the system. It will be very nice to see some homegrown (and cheap) talent in our rotation, so we can break the cycle of signing the Randy Wolfs and Doug Davises of the world.

 

On topic, this article helps show why I think Prince could be signed to an extension. We'll have average/above average talent at most every position on the field. Therefore, using the money to sign three $6-8MM players would basically replace a good players with a slightly better players, which seems unnecessary. We seem to be at a stage where we could sign someone like Prince to a higher dollar contract for a few years. There is obviously risk, but he seems to carry less risk than other players may, at least while he's in his 20's. He seems pretty durable, and it seems unlikely he'll pull a Bill Hall and forget how to hit once the contract's signed.

 

Mark A. is very good with numbers. If he thinks we can afford to sign Prince to a contract extension, I believe him.

[JohnBriggs12]

Adding to Ennder's point, I think it's going to be very important for at least one or two pitchers in the system to step forward and be knocking on the door by the end of this season and a year from now we're looking at them as factors in Milwaukee in 2011. Rivas and Rogers are 24 now (or Rogers will be later this month) should be the likely candidates. They need one or both to earn their way to Nashville by midseason. Rogers needs to be able to throw more innings.

 

The next group behind them, Arnett, Bucci, Scarpetta, Odorizzi, Heckathorn etc. is were the depth really lies. Hopefully, they stay healthy one of those guys is a factor by 2012 and most are by 2013.

 

If that scenario plays out, then the payroll can be re-allocated less to mid rotation veterans and more to keeping star players in the fold.

[strawbossisevil]

I agree with Ender (in his response to Crew07), plus one has to consider the fact that the sooner Escobar comes up, the sooner his Arby clock starts. What that means for the Brewers is that they would have had one year less of Escobar in his prime when he's likely to be a better hitter. Just for that reason alone, keeping Hardy was the right reason.

 

Not to mention, we were competing for a playoff spot, and Hardy was expected to be a big offensive contributer in that playoff run.

Also, I don't see this as a cycle that needs to be endlessly repeated, as you state. The reason we have been signing FA starters is two-fold. 1) Our farm system has failed to produce quality SP prospects. 2) Few teams are willing to trade their above average pre-arby pitching prospects. What we need is a wave of prospect pitchers to arrive, and that wave is hopefully on its way. Hopefully, by 2011/2012 we'll be able to take a break from signing FA pitchers.

[monty57]

Adding to Ennder's point, I think it's going to be very important for at least one or two pitchers in the system to step forward and be knocking on the door by the end of this season and a year from now we're looking at them as factors in Milwaukee in 2011. Rivas and Rogers are 24 now (or Rogers will be later this month) should be the likely candidates. They need one or both to earn their way to Nashville by midseason. Rogers needs to be able to throw more innings.

 

The next group behind them, Arnett, Bucci, Scarpetta, Odorizzi, Heckathorn etc. is were the depth really lies. Hopefully, they stay healthy one of those guys is a factor by 2012 and most are by 2013.

 

If that scenario plays out, then the payroll can be re-allocated less to mid rotation veterans and more to keeping star players in the fold.

Agreed, JB. Next season, Suppan and Bush are gone. We will still control Yo, Parra, Wolf and Davis if the option is excercised. We should be able to fill in that one rotation spot and have a decent 2011 staff. If more than one can compete for a MLB spot, then we don't excercise Davis' option, or we let Parra go if he's still not cutting it. We are hopefully almost through with having to sign FA pitchers, and that will be a good thing.

 

One name you forgot to mention is Mike Jones. I think he has a good chance to be on the major league roster at some point this season. On Rogers, I would guess that he'll be on more of a "normal" rotation this year, and hopefully his arm's up to the task.

 

 

[endaround]

Stupid arguments about not resigning Fielder care of Tom Haudricort: If the Brewers sign Fielder at $20m/year (likely on the high side but I'll let that go) in 2012 "the Brewers would have some $35 million committed to three players (Fileder, Braun, and Wolf)". Can anyone explain how that's really different from this year when the Brewers have $30m invested in three players in Suppan, Hall and Hoffman except you know those three in 2012 are going to be worth about 8-12 wins and the three this year might break 2 if Hoffman is really, really good?

[monty57]

Risk reduction is an important thing for me. Any long term contract is risky, especially high dollar long term contracts. Prince is a player that is not likely to flame out during the tenure of the contract. That helps reduce the risk. Since every team needs to take some risk, I'd rather that risk go to your best players, and ones that are less likely to be "fluke" players or injury risks.

 

Braun and Fielder are two relatively low-risk players. Wolf is less risk than Suppan, and I hope we don't regret the signing in a few years. Hopefully we can do more Braun-style singings with the best player(s) in the next crop, as I see the risk in signing someone like Lawrie to an 8 year/$40MM contract more beneficial than signing an average-ish 32-year-old to a 3 or 4 year $40MM deal.

 

Of course, we have to stay within budget, and I think Melvin's smart enough to consider that when making long-term decisions.