Corey Hart gets 3 year, $26.5 million contract extension

[mletto157]

1. Cain - CF

2. Hart - RF

3. Weeks - 2B

4. Braun - LF

5. Gamel - 1B

6. Lawrie - 3B

7. Lucroy - C

8. Escobar - SS

9. Pitcher

Not bad; I actually really like the players in that lineup. I think I might switch Gamel & Hart... and then if you switch Escobar and the pitcher I think you'd really have something! But seeing Gamel, Cain, Lawrie instead of McGehee, Gomez, Fielder looks pretty nice actually. Maybe you won't get anywhere near the production of Fielder, but those other two will be significantly higher. Actually, anything to get Gomez out of the lineup would probably look good to me no matter what at this point. That black hole kills me every time.

[Sage]

Personally, I would put together a lineup like this.

 

1. Escobar - SS

2. Hart - RF

3. Weeks - 2B

4. Braun - LF

5. Gamel - 1B

6. Lawrie - 3B

7. Lucroy - C

8. Pitcher

9. Cain - CF

[trwi7]

Personally, I would put together a lineup like this.

 

1. Escobar - SS

2. Hart - RF

3. Weeks - 2B

4. Braun - LF

5. Gamel - 1B

6. Lawrie - 3B

7. Lucroy - C

8. Pitcher

9. Cain - CF

If anyone in that lineup should be batting 9th, it's Escobar.

 

 

[logan82]

Personally, I would put together a lineup like this.

 

1. Escobar - SS

2. Hart - RF

3. Weeks - 2B

4. Braun - LF

5. Gamel - 1B

6. Lawrie - 3B

7. Lucroy - C

8. Pitcher

9. Cain - CF

If anyone in that lineup should be batting 9th, it's Escobar.

 

Did Escobar have another good week hitting again? He starts to pop up on top of lineups every so often when he has a good week.

[Sage]

Personally, I would put together a lineup like this.

 

1. Escobar - SS

2. Hart - RF

3. Weeks - 2B

4. Braun - LF

5. Gamel - 1B

6. Lawrie - 3B

7. Lucroy - C

8. Pitcher

9. Cain - CF

If anyone in that lineup should be batting 9th, it's Escobar.

 

Did Escobar have another good week hitting again? He starts to pop up on top of lineups every so often when he has a good week.

I put him there because you know as well as I do that the Brewers view him as a leadoff hitter. Oh noes, he's struggled as a rookie! Let's give up on him, he'll never hit ever for the rest of his career and he deserves to be batting 9th.

I've always thought that Escobar could and should be a leadoff hitter. Once he has gotten a full year in the majors under his belt and has fully adjusted, he could be a very productive leadoff hitter.

[And That]

I agree that we're probably buying high on our own player, but it's really just a two-year extension for $19 mil. It shouldn't be concrete blocks to the payroll if he regresses, and there's a modest chance that Hart outperforms the deal, especially if he moves to first base.

 

I was surprised to see the announcement, and hope to be equally as surprised by a Weeks extension in the near future.

[1992casey]

In case anyone's wondering about the rule in the MLB Forum FAQ about posting full lineups outside of the designated lineup thread, we're dealing with a bit of a different animal here, i.e. a future lineup rather than the current one.

 

A topic dedicated to the 2011-2012 lineup might be a good idea if someone wants to start one. It might become an excellent idea if similar discussion starts to occur in multiple topics. In the meantime, we can go with the flow. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

[BrewCrewForever]

I think Corey Hart would be good batting 2, 4 or 5. Assuming Fielder is gone, which we all know he will be.

[davego]

Lawrie - 3B...I'll ask this again as I really don't know. Is he really ready for 3rd at the big-league level already in 2011? Wouldn't this cost the team a year of service time better used on the back end?

[monty57]

Sage, I hope Escobar does escalate to become a decent leadoff hitter. However, I wouldn't put Cain batting 9 after the pitcher. He seems like he could become a pretty good all-around hitter. He was hampered by injuries, but they don't seem to be affecting him anymore. Here's to Cain replacing Gomez in 2011!!

[boinsd]

I would not place Lawrie at 3rd at least for the 1st part of 2011. Along with Fall League he should y ready by all-star break

[trwi7]

I was surprised to see the announcement, and hope to be equally as surprised by a Weeks extension in the near future.

 

That may take a while.

 

 

Melvin said the Brewers have approached second baseman Rickie Weeks about doing a multi-year contract extension as well. Weeks can be a free agent after the 2011 season, and his having his best year.

Melvin said those talks were tabled because Weeks’ agent, Lon Babby, is in the process of getting out of the business and taking over as president of the Phoenix Suns. Once Weeks’ representation is settled, those talks will resume.

http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/99778974.html

[And That]

Words can not describe how much I don't want Weeks to sign with Boras. Stay away from Rickie, Prince.

[wibadgers23]

1. Cain - CF

2. Hart - RF

3. Weeks - 2B

4. Braun - LF

5. Gamel - 1B

6. Lawrie - 3B

7. Lucroy - C

8. Escobar - SS

9. Pitcher

I love it BrewCrew. Sign me up. 2011.

 

[wishicouldhit]

After hearing that hart wanted to say in Milwaukee and that gamel and lawrie were going to switch positions, i told my friend that Milwaukee should should sign hart to a 2 year extension. With that being said, i am surprised hart inked this deal but it seems like a fair amount of money.

Sign weeks to a similar extension, maybe an extra year. 5 mil 2012, 8mil 2012, 10 mil 2013 10or 12 mil in 1014. 4yr 32-34mil

As for Cain and Escobar in the line up, I would predict that they will be in the 1,2, or 8 spot. Which ever one has a better OBP (my guess Cain) will be at the top of the order. And Lawrie wont be will the brewers mid 2011

AND FIGURE A WAY TO GET SOME FRONTLINE PITCHING FROM 2011-2013

[Pudster13]

Hart was a player that most on these forums didn't even want to start in RF to begin 2010 (most wanted Edmonds to be starter), and was in serious jeopardy in being non-tendered by the Brewers.

 

Yet, now everyone is singing Melvin's praises for extending a player that is midway through a breakout season after 1 and 1/2 seasons of terrible baseball.

 

If you ask me, this smells like the Bill Hall contract part deux.

 

Now we have both corner OF spots (Braun, Hart) locked up for awhile, even though those spots are more easily filled on the cheap via free agency or through the Brewers farm system (Gamel, Lawrie, Cain, etc) than starting pitching.

 

Meanwhile, we have not just questions marks but actual holes in the #2, #4, and #5 spots in our rotation going into 2011 with no help above single A on the farm and a GM with a terrible track record of signing free agent starters. (Suppan, Looper, Davis, Wolf, etc)

 

Topple that with the fact that other major league teams are treating their major league ready starting pitching prospects like gold (Bumgarner, Hellickson, Minor, etc), and rightfully so, giving the Brewers little chance of landing a quality, cost-controlled young pitcher even in a Prince Fielder trade.

 

Add it all up and I'm not very convinced that this team can become contenders again in the near future.

[sbrylski]

I don't think this will end up being a good deal by any means. I don't blame them for doing it though.

 

If Hart wasn't already on the Brewers, and we signed him as a free agent to this contract in the offseason, I think most would dislike the signing.

 

We'll get some production out of him, but we'll wish we could spend that $10 million elsewhere in 2013.

[ELCABALLO45]

1. Cain - CF

2. Hart - RF

3. Weeks - 2B

4. Braun - LF

5. Gamel - 1B

6. Lawrie - 3B

7. Lucroy - C

8. Escobar - SS

9. Pitcher

That's basically what I thought about when I heard this news. 1-8 that is a pretty solid line up. Hopefully by 2012 we will have a couple of the young pitchers up and plus whatever we get for Prince and all of a sudden I'm starting to see a light at the end of this tunnel.

[Invader3K]

Like I said earlier, I think it's a risk, but it's a calculated one. Yes, by 2013 this contract may be regrettable, but it shouldn't be something that handcuffs the team from making other moves and signings. Basically, over all I'm not overly excited by this signing. I was firmly in the "Trade him now while his value is high," camp, prior to the July 31 deadline. However, since it seems like teams weren't willing to give up much, may as well keep him around and have some cost certainty.

 

Heck, barring a "no trade clause", they could possibly trade him in another season or two anyway.

[Rob]

Money breakdown, according to a THweet:

 

2011: $6.5M

2012: $9M

2013: $10

 

Perks:

- $1 million signing bonus

- "Limited no trade" (guessing he submitted a list of a few teams)

BP has Hart's value for the next 3 years at: 2011: $15.3 mil

2012: $12.9

2013: $13.1

2014-15: around $12

 

(fixed code --1992)

[BrewCrewForever]

Lawrie - 3B...I'll ask this again as I really don't know. Is he really ready for 3rd at the big-league level already in 2011? Wouldn't this cost the team a year of service time better used on the back end?

Yeah, I am not sure if he would be ready to start 2011, I was thinking more late 2011 or Opening Day 2012.

 

 

[Thurston Fluff]

Yet, now everyone is singing Melvin's praises for extending a player that is midway through a breakout season after 1 and 1/2 seasons of terrible baseball.

 

If you ask me, this smells like the Bill Hall contract part deux.

 

Cory's worst OPS for a season is .753 which is one point higher than Ball Hall's career OPS never in his entire career did he approach Bill Hall awfulness. His career OPS is 814. Even his year and a half of terrible baseball was not that terrible. In fact if he was only putting up those numbers this season he would be above the likes of Jay Bruce, Shane Victorino, Lastings Millage, BJ Upton, Melky Cabrera, Niger Morgan, Jason Bay, Carlos Lee, Skip Schumaker, and Jeff Francoeur. If that is the worst he is going to do then big deal. It wouldn't be good but far from useless like Hall or Suppan were. While there is a risk of him regressing to his former self but even if he does it wouldn't be nearly as bad as you're making it out to be.

[monty57]

There may be a reason the guys at BP aren't MLB GM's :-)

 

$15.3 MM would make him the 9th highest paid OF in MLB history (8th if you take out Manny Ramirez getting the top two average annual salary contracts)

 

Of the players in front of him, Ramirez is being shopped, as he's overpaid, Andruw Jones was benched while being paid $18.1MM/year, Vernon Wells is known as one of the worst signings around, I'd bet the Cubs aren't happy with Soriano's contract, Carlos Lee is weighing the Astros down. Overall, it doesn't look like a good idea to sign really good players to deals in the $15MM+ range. Corey Hart doesn't qualify as a really good player, so I don't know where BP is coming from.

 

Actually, the deal he received (3 years / $26.5MM or $8,833,333/year) is the 15th highest contract in history for someone with 4+ years of service time (any position, not just OF), so it's not a steal of a deal. I sure hope he's worth it.

 

All this courtesy of Cot's Baseball Contracts.

[valpocrewsader]

Cory's worst OPS for a season is .753 which is one point higher than Ball Hall's career OPS never in his entire career did he approach Bill Hall awfulness. His career OPS is 814.

You can't compare a SS to a corner outfielder this way.

 

God bless Pudster for his excellent post. Three or four months ago essentially no one liked Hart's 1-year / $5 million contract, many outright hated it, but now almost everyone loves his 3-year / $27 million dollar contract? Sigh.

 

Why must Melvin always freak out over career years and start writing checks!? Hall, Turnbow, Suppan, Wolf. I feel the odds are about 90/10 we'll be adding Hart's name to that list. It's so disappointing that a GM who was so good at doing much with very little can be so bad at doing more with more.

[Sage]

"Corey Hart, a well-below-average player in 2008 AND 2009, will earn $13 million for his age 31 season. #goodluckwiththat" - Keith Law

 

I hate Keith Law. He hates us. He can't even get his contract numbers right LOL

 

Anywho, I understand why people would rather have Cain as leadoff and Escobar batting 9th (in my suggested lineup, anyway). However, I'm only doing that because I don't think I would want a rookie leadoff hitter to start the season. Given, if throughout the season, Cain hits better than Escobar, by all means, switch them. With the pitcher batting 8th, the 9th and 1st spots in the order are very interchangeable. Either way, Cain > Gomez, and I just want him in the lineup, period.

 

As for Lawrie, I'm almost positive he'd be ready to start at the All-Star Break in 2011. He's already been in two Futures games, and has proved himself quite enough in the minors. The interesting thing about Lawrie, though, is where he would bat. In this year's Futures game, he was batting leadoff. He seems to have some nice speed, and seems like he would be a nice #2 hitter (but we have Hart there). Could Lawrie maybe bat leadoff (be sort of like Martin Prado this year for the Braves, being a great bat but with only above average speed)? I mean, looking at his minors numbers, he hasn't quite got as much power as you want from a middle of the order bat. He hits for average and gets on base well enough, with a SB% of 67% (47 of 70). I mean, with a little work, he could very well be a leadoff hitter.

 

1. Brett Lawrie - 3B

2. Corey Hart - RF

3. Rickie Weeks - 2B

4. Ryan Braun - LF

5. Mat Gamel - 1B

6. Jonathan Lucroy - C

7. Lorenzo Cain - CF

8. Alcides Escobar - SS

9. Pitcher

 

I looked at Alcides' splits this season (based on batting spot), and he has hit the best in the #8 spot (.260/.317/.338). He's been horrible everywhere else, except in the #2 spot (.279/.311/.419). I was debating whether to bat Cain or 6th or 7th, but I went with Lucroy 6th, for now. Thoughts on that lineup, and thoughts on batting Lawrie leadoff? (We really should just make a thread for future lineup ideas.)