What should be next for Hart? -- Latest: Platoon seems to be working (reply #137ish)

[sheethead]

I'm not sure what the question is...

 

Is Corey Hart flaming out?

[Invader3K]

I don't want to see Hart released yet because I'm not really confident that some combo of Gerut and Edmonds is really going to be the answer in RF. I don't really get why people are pining to see Gerut get more playing time. No, he's not a bad player, but he has no upside whatsoever. In my view he's a servicable 4th OF and that's about it at this point in his career. Edmonds seems to have proven himself this spring, but how many starts can you reasonably expect from him, given that he didn't play all of last year?

[TooLiveBrew]

No, he's not a bad player, but he has no upside whatsoever. In my view he's a servicable 4th OF and that's about it at this point in his career.

 

He's a LH bat that can handle CF fine, with a strong track record against RHP (.803 career OPS) in terms of CF. That's a valuable player who would at worst see the v. RHP half of a platoon role on the majority of big-league clubs. I don't understand the upside comment -- even if you're only talking the larger portion of a platoon role, .800 OPS + solid defense is hard to find in center. As a corner OF, he's certainly not as valuable, but overall I'm very glad Melvin picked him up (esp. for only TGJ).

 

 

Edmonds seems to have proven himself this spring, but how many starts can you reasonably expect from him, given that he didn't play all of last year?

 

This is another reason why I like having Gerut. Our OF is probably the area I'm most confident in heading into the season. We really are very strong there in terms of the 5 guys we have. Not many teams can boast that kind of depth. If Gomez takes any kind of step forward on offense this season, and Gerut/Edmonds/Hart are utilized in favorable matchups, we could easily be near the top of the NL or even MLB in terms of outfield production.

[Tbadder]

Hart is a dead man walking unless he starts hot. And given his troubles in spring training that looks unlikely. I agree that the fans are going to be brutal, and I really think that will affect him. He honestly hasn't gotten better, injuries or no, he's simply not adequate. Does he have a chance? sure. But how many wasted chances finally constitutes failure? In Hart case I think this year is the answer. His career is well and truly on the line. He better act like it.

[TooLiveBrew]

What's so bad about him if he only winds up being a LH-masher? Sure, we're overpaying him this year, but that's just how baseball's economics work. If he struggles against righties, we suddenly have a pretty strong platoon in RF.

[trwi7]

Bill Michaels was on 620 this morning. He said he talked to a long time scout down in Arizona and asked about Hart. The scout told him "He's done."

[Funketown]

What's so bad about him if he only winds up being a LH-masher? Sure, we're overpaying him this year, but that's just how baseball's economics work. If he struggles against righties, we suddenly have a pretty strong platoon in RF.

If he were a true lefty masher, a platoon with Edmonds in RF could be the solution. Here are Hart's LH/RH splits over the last two years, and career:

 

2008:

vs. Left: .281/.324/.473/.797

vs. Right: .263/.291/.454/.745

 

2009:

vs. Left: .248/.333/.356/.690

vs. Right: .264/.336/.437/.773

 

Career:

vs. Left: .290/.357/.486/.843

vs. Right: .266/.313/.463/.776

 

Looks like we may have some Anticuchos to go with our Gazpacho.

[Klements Bratwurst]

I was wondering if Melvin might release Hart in the next few days saving the $5 million and roll the dice with the free agent market or a trade for a righthanded outfielder. Jermaine Dye is still out there, correct? Could he be had for less than $5 million/ 1 year deal at this point? (Although his defense is pretty poor at this point in his career which would hurt) Anyone else that could be brought in and free up some money for a midseason trade? They don't have to pay Hart in this case, but Melvin has to make the decision fast. I am not saying that Hart is done, but considering the track record since late '08 and an average year in '09, it may make some financial sense to find someone else that could bring something more than Hart. Especially considering the drop off in offensive production from Cameron to Gomez, we don't need a hole in RF.

 

It isn't my money, but I don't know that I would pay $5 million for the small side a "Gerut/Edmonds/Hart" platoon. He could certainly figure it out, but I just have a BAD feeling about him. Even in Hart's best days, his production can be replaced, I would assume that with the uncertainty that he is showing now, it might be worth the gamble to cut bait and run.

[sheethead]

I agree. I don't see how Hart will come close to earning his paycheck this year, and since its not 100% guaranteed why not let him go? I just see the whole thing getting ugly, because he's looked awful this entire spring.

[Invader3K]

I guess one issue might be that Hart is probably somewhat liked by his teammates (not sure how close he is with Fielder, Braun, etc, just speculating), so you risk alienating the clubhouse somewhat. Still, they didn't mind trading Hall and then Hardy. Maybe it's time to cut ties with Hart and bring in another veteran on the cheap, ala Jim Edmonds.

[monty57]

At this point, if the Brewers were to let him go, he'd probably be replaced by Stern or Cain. If Hart were only going to be the RH part of a platoon (which I'd like, but I haven't heard anywhere but here), then he'd only see 200-300 PAs. The decsion would then be how much dropoff would you see from Hart to Stern/Cain over 200-300 PAs and would that be worth saving $5MM or so.

 

I highly doubt it will happen, as it would likely weaken the team in a year where playoffs are the goal, but that's considering Hart/Edmonds/Gerut are used correctly. As has been said discussing Suppan: if it costs us 1-2 wins, that could cost us the playoffs. I still see him as a .750 OPS guy with upside potential if he can put it together. However, if everyone who is watching him play do indeed feel that he is "done," as has been rumored to have been stated by several scouts, then I could see it happening. It would be a pretty monumental fall from grace for someone to go from as good as he was to washed up in a couple of years.

 

If it were to happen, platooning with Edmonds/Gerut may be a good way to wean Cain into the majors. I'd probably rather see a Cain / Edmonds / Gerut platoon in RF over seeing Hart as the everyday starting RF.

[pingman]

Melvin has too big of an ego to simply release Hart.....

 

Melvin dropped the ball by not conducting a complete & thorough investigation before offering Hart arbitration....simply not good business especially for a small market ball club

[Beast Light]

If the Brewers can save the $5MM by releasing him now, they need to do it. Hart will not even come close to living up to that salary and will be lucky if he is seeing regular playing time when we get to the all-star break.

 

Then again, I am biased. I really soured on the guy after his actions and resulting comments when the Brewers played the Phillies in the playoffs a couple of years ago.

 

A small market team like the Brewers cannot afford to waste salary. It may only be $5MM but this is money that could be thrown at Prince in hopes of getting him resigned.

[Fatter than Joey]

If the Brewers can save the $5MM by releasing him now, they need to do it.

 

The Brewers can't save $5MM by cutting Hart -- They would owe him 45 days termination pay. I don't know the exact percentage, but I believe they could save around $3.5M.

 

Melvin dropped the ball by not conducting a complete & thorough investigation before offering Hart arbitration....

 

I am all for blaming DM for anything that can stick -- but in all fairness, Gerut and Gomez are unknowns, and we weren't certain up until a week or so ago that Edmonds would stick on the MLB roster. I think we are stuck with Hart, until Gerut & Gomez show they can play fulltime in MLB.

[milwaukeesportsfan]

With the bad contracts that we are still paying off in Suppan and Hall, it makes me smile that Corey Hart turned down a long term contract offer. We really dodged a bullet on that one.

[trwi7]

Melvin is on WSSP right now. He was asked about the outfield. He mentioned Braun and Hart being starters and then mentioned how they have more left handers this year. Doesn't sound like Hart is going to be getting a ton of playing time.

[Klements Bratwurst]

Or perhaps, a trade or release is in the works with a signing of someone else? What a big fall for Mr. Hart if that happens. He did totally leave Hart out of the equation of who will start in the Outfield. "Braun, Gomez, and boy are we pretty lefthanded this year, so they will play a lot more than in past years....."

[Invader3K]

If he's not going to be the starter, he should be released. There's no reason to pay a bench guy on this team over $4 million when there are cheaper options out there.

[RyDogg66]

Another early K on a breaking ball from Kazmir. I dont know what options are out there aside from Stern, who has had a decent camp, but I am somewhat troubled that Corey Hart is going to most likely get substantial playing time for this team this year. If McGehee turns back into a pumpkin this offense could be pretty thin outside of the 3 and 4 spots.

[thumperden]

That's what I'm afraid of too RyDogg. There are too many if's on this roster to be considered a contender at this time.

[JohnBriggs12]

I think the Zaun/Kottaras combo should provide some offense as well as Escobar and certainly Weeks beyond Fielder and Braun. I still think McGehee will be adequate and they have some protection there if Gamel gets healthy. But that's not enough to be sure if they are getting little out of RF.

 

I still wonder why they aren't at least considering Jermaine Dye. He had an .894 OPS vs. lefties last year. True, he'd need to be removed late for defensive purposes but as a platoon partner with Edmonds, I'd think it's a better option than what they have.

 

I don't think they'll cut Hart because Attanasio has trouble with letting go of the home grown guys. When he was interviewed late last year, you could see how painful the thought of Hardy going elsewhere was. It hasn't been discussed much on here, but I suspect Attanasio is more meddling than we realize. We all remember it was dinner at the Attanasios that led to the signing of Suppan and he may be behind the keeping of Suppan.

[rluzinski]

I still wonder why they aren't at least considering Jermaine Dye. He had an .894 OPS vs. lefties last year. True, he'd need to be removed late for defensive purposes but as a platoon partner with Edmonds, I'd think it's a better option than what they have.

How do you know what they have or haven't considered? I'm guessing the reason why Dye is not a Brewer is the same reason he's not on any other team; he wants more money than what he's worth.

 

 

[Invader3K]

Apparently Macha is considering giving Edmonds the start in right field on Opening Day. You have to wonder if Edmonds gets off to a hot start, if Hart will just be relegated to a pinch hitter role. If that's the case, I think they should just release him (as I stated earlier).

[brewmann04]

I bet melvin looking at some type of move can't have Gerut and Hart out there who both are streaky hitters.

[owbc]

I suspect an outfield of Dye and Braun would be one of the worst defensive outfields in MLB. At least Hart is an average defender.