Corey Hart gets 3 year, $26.5 million contract extension

[areacodes]

From Buster Olney's twitter:

 

Heard this: Corey Hart's extension from Milwaukee, over three years, is for $26.5 million.

[SoCal Brew Crew Fan]

I think the Brewers handled this well. They probably tested the waters enough to know Corey's value in the market. They didn't get any valid offers at this point. He appears to be undervalued in the marketplace since nobody believes his production is sustainable. They have a player who wants to be here, and they sign him to a reasonable contract. I give Melvin credit here. I also give him credit that despite a sketchy track record of FA signings, most of the terms have been shorter in nature and don't completely crush the franchise if they don't work out.

[giffted1]

I didn't expect to hear this when I logged in this morning. Awesome. It's kinda cool to see that Corey was actually sincere in his wishes to stay in Milwaukee.

 

ESPN is reporting that its 3/$26.5. If so, that seems like a great deal for the Brewers.

[joepepsi]

Great deal. I'm happy for him. Call this revisionism if you must, but Hart wasn't been as bad as we think the previous two season. In 2008, September was really the only horrid month. In 2009 he slumped for 5 weeks from early May to June 11th, then was hitting pretty well until the appendicitis attack. Once he returned in September he clearly wasn't up to snuff, but that was probably due to post surgery recovery.

 

At worst he's a league average offense corner RF'er. At his best he's an All Star capable of near-MVP type numbers. This isn't a Bill Hall deal.

[reillymcshane]

Honestly, I didn't see this one coming.

 

As folks have said, I think the plan will be to trade Prince for young pitching, move Lawrie to 3B, with a target for 2012, and give Gamel a shot at 1B. I'd go after Weeks now for an extension.

 

Nice that Hart could amicably come to terms with the Crew.

[thebruce44]

If it's $25 million, is this a bad sign for Prince / Boras? Is someone really going to guarantee Prince $100 Million more than we're guaranteeing Corey Hart, when Hart is coming off a better season than Prince at the plate (and Hart being more valuable on defense and at the plate than Prince)?

Not to be picky, but Prince has been better at the plate and on defense than Hart as of this morning. Prince (.388 WOBA/-5.1FLD) Hart (.387 WOBA/-8.1FLD). While the numbers on this contract seem good I still am not sold on Hart. I see him as a 1.5-2 win player going forward with the potential to have a 3ish win year at some point in the contract. Is that worth around $9 mil per? Probably to most teams, but I think we could get similar value for those 3 years from a cheaper, cost controlled player who isn't a mental breakdown away from swinging at 55' sliders again.

[Oldcity]

Three years is nice and short. Can't really complain about this one. I agree that if they're set on moving Gamel from third, I'd like to see Lawrie to third and Weeks extended.

 

Ideally Braun would go to 1B, but I don't expect that to happen.

[PilprinBuddha]

What I like about this deal is it indicates we are not in tear down mode. It is a solid deal for all parties. If He maintains his level of play its a great deal for the Brewers.

 

I like signing Weeks to a contract as well.

 

What this also assures...Prince is gone...now its just a mtter what we can get for him.

[Oldcity]

Wow. I see it's really only a two year extension, as it includes next year when he was under contract anyway. I really like that. They're on the hook for three total years instead of four.

[valpocrewsader]

Ugh, Melvin is really doing everything possible to no longer make me a Brewers fan. Davis and Wolf in the off season, and now three more years of watching Corey pretend to be an outfielder. A Weeks deal will be the icing on the cake. It's almost enough to not even want to go to the ballpark anymore.

[JohnBriggs12]

If it's $25 million, is this a bad sign for Prince / Boras? Is someone really going to guarantee Prince $100 Million more than we're guaranteeing Corey Hart, when Hart is coming off a better season than Prince at the plate (and Hart being more valuable on defense and at the plate than Prince)?

Not to be picky, but Prince has been better at the plate and on defense than Hart as of this morning. Prince (.388 WOBA/-5.1FLD) Hart (.387 WOBA/-8.1FLD). While the numbers on this contract seem good I still am not sold on Hart. I see him as a 1.5-2 win player going forward with the potential to have a 3ish win year at some point in the contract. Is that worth around $9 mil per? Probably to most teams, but I think we could get similar value for those 3 years from a cheaper, cost controlled player who isn't a mental breakdown away from swinging at 55' sliders again.

I know a lot of posters on here are those that think recently created "player value stats" such as WOBA, are the "be all and end all" of stats. Sorry, but there is no one stat, even those that purport to define a players value that accurately defines a players contribution to a team for the simple reason that it's impossible to create an all in one formula for every player in every role. The role of a leadoff hitter is vastly different than a cleanup hitter. Does anyone who has watched the Brewers this year honestly think that Fielder has contributed more offensively than Corey Hart? Where in those stats do they take into account going from 1st to 3rd on a single or scoring from 2nd on a base hit, or hitting in the clutch? To think he has, you have to believe in stats such as WOBA with a fervor that is religious in nature and that's my biggest problem with those that rely on those numbers. Baseball isn't a religion and no stat is dogma.

 

I'm not saying Hart is a better offensive player than Fielder. Fielder rarely faces anything but left handed pitchers after the 6th inning. Teams pay extra special attention game planning vs. Fielder. But it's clear that Hart has produced more than Fielder has in 2010. No made up stat convinces me otherwise.

[Fatter than Joey]

Hopefully we're not buying high on one of our own players.

 

I think we did exactly that.

[kramnoj]

Probably to most teams, but I think we could get similar value for those 3 years from a cheaper, cost controlled player who isn't a mental breakdown away from swinging at 55' sliders again.

 

It's easy to say could. Which specific player would this be. and what would you do with the money saved?

 

The Brewers don't have anyone ready to replace Hart, and they aren't going to be hurting for money over the next few years either. This may not be the most efficient use of money, but I think it is a reasonable way to use the resources available to the Brewers.

[giffted1]

Ugh, Melvin is really doing everything possible to no longer make me a Brewers fan. Davis and Wolf in the off season, and now three more years of watching Corey pretend to be an outfielder. A Weeks deal will be the icing on the cake. It's almost enough to not even want to go to the ballpark anymore.

For some reason I get that feeling that if Melvin was fired and his replacement made this exact same move, you'd be singing his praises.

[PrinceEatMeat]

I'm very excited about this. It's good to see that our players want to be here. Braun, Gallardo, and now Hart. Weeks will probably be next. I'm also thinking that Gamel goes to 1b, and Lawrie moves to 3b. McGehee will likely be traded in the off-season or at the deadline next year now. It'll be nice to have all of out position players under control for at least 3 years then too.

[bill hAll Star]

For a guy that has been trashing Melvin all over this board the past few days and isn't a huge Hart supporter I still say...

 

Nice value contract. I worry Corey falls back into a bit of an abyss but as long as he remains patient at the plate and doesn't dog it too much on defense (maybe it just looks like he is sometimes), this is an amazing contract.

[dlk9s]

Ugh, Melvin is really doing everything possible to no longer make me a Brewers fan. Davis and Wolf in the off season, and now three more years of watching Corey pretend to be an outfielder. A Weeks deal will be the icing on the cake. It's almost enough to not even want to go to the ballpark anymore.

This is one of the things that really irks me about a lot of fans. So many people expect the Brewers to go out and get perfect players at every position. There aren't many guys that are fantastic in the field and at the plate. Those that are are very, very expensive.

 

There was a question posed by someone a while back about how the Brewers can improve their defense. One way is to provide further training for our current players, but we all know that probably won't go very far. The other way is to sign a bunch of plus defenders. The problem is, if they find plus defenders who are affordable, they won't be strong at the plate.

 

The Brewers simply aren't going to be able to field a team full of "complete" players. Sacrifices have to be made in some areas. Management knows that Corey isn't a tremendous outfielder, but they determined that his bat was worth the extension.

[GAME05]

what i don't get is why not wait until near the end of the season to see if he has a second-half slump again? i don't mean that not in terms of not extending him, but because another second-half slump might turn him from a $9M/per guy to a $7M/per guy and we can save a little on the contract.

 

it's hard to complain about that length of a contract, though. for all the troubles the Brewers apparently had with Hart's agent, agreeing to 3 years seems pretty friendly to me.

 

if i put a GM hat on, i can see this extension as somewhat necessary. if you'd have traded Prince in the offseason plus having Hart and Weeks in their last years, you'd have a fan base really scared that the stars are going to all be sold off or just gone after 2011. but extending Hart and Weeks beforehand, you can say to the fans that moving Prince was tactical to get some pitching and fans won't freak out as much. plus i think of not resigning Molitor for $4M, which was a reasonable asking price then. if fans see Hart signing somewhere in 2012 for $9, the Brewers just end up looking cheap.

[Tbadder]

If Corey keeps his current production for sometime, well then, the young man sold himself short. If he regresses then we don't lose much. But the real upshot here is more pressure on the minor league system to produce young cheap starters--and I can't see that happening. This does nothing to improve the team. If the idea is simply to hold the current pattern then kudos all around. If they were forced because no one will trade pitching for hitting then so be it--a pig's purse is better than a pig's ear. Assuming Fielder ISN'T traded that means we can spend more money in the offseason on Suppan/Wolf types. That's exciting. I'm glad that Gamel is seemingly back in the picture.

[wibadgers23]

I think the signing of Hart coupled with Gamel and Lawrie moving to other positions spells the end for Casey McGehee as a Milwaukee Brewer. There just simply is not enough room for him in the infield. Gamel will hopefully be at 1b and Lawrie at 3rd. Wonder what that line-up would look like.

[monty57]

I'm glad to see that Hart wanted to be in Milwaukee. All the talk that no one ever wants to play in Milwaukee is getting tedious. That said, I'm worried about this deal and agree with the posters who have said that we just bought high on Corey Hart. A couple months ago, many posters felt that $4.8MM was way too much to pay for a player as bad as Hart, and after a few hot months, many are happy that we're guaranteeing him $9MM a year in 2012 & 2013.

 

If he has truly "found it," and is going to continue his torrid 2010 pace, then this is a good deal. If he reverts to his 2008/2009 full season numbers, than this deal will fall into the Bill Hall contract range. I hope the former is true. I worry that in 2012/13 we'll be screaming for the Brewers to DFA Hart and let Gindl/Schafer/Davis/someone else take over in RF.

 

That said, it does answer some questions and give us some clarity going forward. Hart will be in RF next year with Gamel likely at 1B (why move Hart to a position he hasn't played for years simply to replace him with someone who's never played OF?). Cain should be in CF, so barring any big trades outside of Fielder, our 2011 offense is basically set. It'll probably be a bit worse than this season, but still in the upper half of offenses in the NL.

[reillymcshane]

I have my issues with Hart, but to be honest, the Brewers don't have anyone to replace him, unless they move Gamel or Lawrie there.

 

I hope Hart's improvement is real. Even if he regresses a little, it's not a bad deal.

 

I hope it sends some messages to the fans and the team that we are serious about keeping decent players. As I said before, I hope we can sign Weeks. After that, it's identifying pitchers and making a few trades to try and fill rotation holes.

[Mr QL]

TRADE HIM FOR A 24 YEAR OLD A BALLER!

 

Glad we got Corey locked up for a few more years.

[TooLiveBrew]

I really don't think they are going to move Corey to 1st. He's an All star in RF and he hasn't played 1st base since what AA? 6 or 7 years ago. Brewers would be dumb to do that.

 

Hart has been an All-Star because of his bat. He's been a bad RF, and if UZR is any indication, he's gotten/getting worse. I would love to see him at 1B provided he keeps hitting.

 

I think this is a decent extension though. Like Stevo noted, it's basically a two-year deal.

[davego]

After reading this thread, are we assuming Lawrie @ 3rd already for 2011? I thought he might be the 2012 starter @ 3rd, but not 2011.