Brewers may shop Braun? Gammons says he's hearing so...

[And That]

If you could trade Braun for almost any of those pitchers straight up you would take it in a second.

I wouldn't. Especially not the guys with only a few years left on their contracts. I'm not going to dig through all of those contracts right now, but I don't think anyone from that group is signed for as long as Braun.

 

Again, a big part of Braun's value is his contract. He's not only signed through 2015, he's signed through 2015 incredibly cheaply. He's not the best hitter in baseball, or IMO even in the top 10. Top 20, probably. However, almost everyone around him is going to be making a lot more in the next five years. His conservative contract and the cost control that comes with it is a remarkable asset. The Brewers don't have many remarkable assets.

 

Braun for Lester comes close to being a good deal for both sides, but I still wouldn't do it due to the injury risk built in to trading for a pitcher. The extra win per season of value Lester would bring (if they both maintain constant production) isn't enough to mitigate both the injury risk and the extra year on Braun's deal. I do believe a reasonable person could see it the other way, though.

[RockCoCougars]

RockCoCougars wrote:Maybe it's the homer in me, but I don't think that I would trade Braun for anybody on your player list though Ramirez or Posey would be tempting. Mostly because Braun is better and/or cheaper/locked in for longer. As for the pitchers, I'd probably do it for Felix and Price and that's about it. I wouldn't roll the dice on Strasburg, that's for sure.

I was not meaning to trade an offensive player for Braun but trying to gauge his actual trade value among players with similar contracts. You must have missed that part, but if you are only willing to trade Braun for Felix or Price in all of MLB than you are probably being a bit of a homer.

Most of those guys aren't locked in for another 5 years, except for the ones who were rookies last year. I'm not rolling the dice and trading Braun for any rookie (though Posey would be tempting). Braun has a four year track record, many (if not, most) rookies who have big first seasons are pretty much flash in the pans. To trade Braun, you have to balance skill, age, contract length and contract amount. That's why I wouldn't trade him for most of the guys that you listed. Not even to mention that unless something cataclismic happens, you can pretty much pencil Braun in for the stats he had last year at minimum, pitching is risky- any of those pitchers are one injury away from taking a huge nosedive.

[PilprinBuddha]

I just don't see any way that trading Braun makes the team better on the field or financially. Makes no sense to me. I'd much prefer trading Weeks if we are going to deal a core player other than Prince.

If Prince was signed longterm....maybe...but that just is not happening.

[paul253]

I just don't see any way that trading Braun makes the team better on the

field or financially. Makes no sense to me. I'd much prefer trading

Weeks if we are going to deal a core player other than Prince.

I disagree. Fans in Milwaukee have become so accustomed to simply trading away the player that is about to walk away in free agency. Hence all the trade Prince, trade Weeks talk. And I am not bashing it, I do it too. But this organization has had a fundamental problem for about a decade now. It cannot develop it's own pitching. Ben Sheets' entire tenure here was wasted away by having nobody else in the rotation to help him out, and Yovani Gallardo's tenure has started the same way. Things seem to be looking up with the likes of Rogers, Jeffress, Rivas, Peralta, Scarpetta, Odorizzi, and so on, but a lot of these guys are still a few years out and quite frankly no prospect is a sure thing. If you can improve your team enough by trading away Fielder and/or Weeks and/or someone like McGehee who should have some decent value, then fine. But nobody is offering us what we need for Fielder, at least not that we know about (though you assume he would have been traded by now if they had offered it). So we can trade Fielder away for a number three and maybe improve by a couple of wins. We can wait around and see if Rogers and Jeffress have their breakout moments. We can hope than in three years Jake Odorizzi is going to be the next Yovani Gallardo. Or we can do something bold. Ryan Braun probably has about as much trade value as anyone in baseball. With his age, his numbers and his contract, we can get what we need in terms of pitching. Obviously the hitting will take a hit, and even more so a year later when Fielder leaves. But offense has never been a problem for us, and it tends to be much easier and cheaper to find than pitching. So if you can find two really good, young pitchers who are signed for multiple years, you really have to consider taking that offer. I personally wouldn't trade Braun for any one pitcher because one pitcher isn't going to do it. I know when I suggested trading Braun and Fielder and Villy for Lester and Bucholz and Lars Anderson people thought it was just a joke and it would never happen. And while agree that it is probably as close to being a zero chance (who knows if Boston would even take it) as there is, it's the exact type of trade I think this organization needs to consider in order to ensure the constant success of the team. Forget about P.R. If the team wins, people will come.

 

Don't get me wrong, I am not suggesting they put Braun out there to the highest bidder, but if a teams comes calling with a real offer, you have to listen.

[PilprinBuddha]

If a team is willing to overpay...yes...I'll agree with you. No one should ever be untouchable...I just don't see anyone overpaying enough for Braun...To me it would take an established #2 starter along with a AA or AAA guy who has #1 or #2 potential. Heck if Tampa offered Garza and Hellickson....I'd have to think long and hard.

[KCBrewerfan34]

Trading Braun is tough becasue you'll be losing Fielder and that's a ton of offense to replace. Never easy for the Brewers if they both were locked up and I would advovcate trading Braun because we would be able to get #2 or better for him IMO

[Invader3K]

Saw this comment from Tom Haudricourt on the JSOnline blog earlier this afternoon:

 

I highly doubt that Anthony Witrado is telling Peter Gammons that the Brewers are looking to trade Ryan Braun. I don't believe Mr. Gammons needs any help in putting his trade rumors out there, especially if the Red Sox are involved. Doug Melvin told me the other day he has not spoken to Boston GM Theo Epstein this off-season.

[PilprinBuddha]

So is he saying Gammons is making it up?

[craigharmann]

So is he saying Gammons is making it up?

That's what I was wondering in that. It seems like he's throwing Gammons under the bus.

[Invader3K]

I think that's what Haudricourt was at least insinuating.

[Invader3K]

Ken Rosenthal pretty much shoots down any talk of Braun being traded in his latest column here.

[endaround]

Rosenthal is as thinly sourced as Gammons. Braun is unlikely to be traded because he has a no trade clause which means he'd have to be paid to waive it and that just becomes a mess. And his contract really isn't that wonderful after 2011 so the idea that its a steal is off. 6/8.5/10/12(did he qualify as Super 2?) is good but this isn't Longoria we're talking about.

[PrinceFielderx1]

Rosenthal is as thinly sourced as Gammons. Braun is unlikely to be traded because he has a no trade clause which means he'd have to be paid to waive it and that just becomes a mess. And his contract really isn't that wonderful after 2011 so the idea that its a steal is off. 6/8.5/10/12(did he qualify as Super 2?) is good but this isn't Longoria we're talking about.

I don't believe that Braun is off the trade market. If Weeks, Mcgehee and Fielder are on it then Braun must be also, right? Rosenthal is thinly sourced, which is why I'm not going to take his word for it that Braun is off the trade market. It's not likely that Braun gets traded for the reasons you already mentioned. However, if there is any team that can pay Braun to waive his no trade clause it is Boston.

[kramnoj]

If Weeks, Mcgehee and Fielder are on it then Braun must be also, right?

 

Braun is different in that he is not in a walk year and that he doesn't have someone ready to replace him. There's not much reason to believe that Braun is actively being shopped, and there is reason to believe that others are.

[Invader3K]

I don't know where this "Rosenthal is thinly sourced" talk is coming from or is supposed to mean. Seems like he breaks a pretty good amount of stories (like the Peterson story just a few minutes ago as an example).