Brewers claim SS Josh Wilson from Diamondbacks; Saito to 60-day DL

[PrinceEatMeat]

Yep, he's going to be activated Friday.

[RobDeer 45]

I sometimes wonder if Melvin would make a big splash and get Reyes from NYM......maybe a pipe dream. Their owner just crushed him so maybe that will help lower his price.

[TheCrew]

I guess I don't have a problem with adding another backup infielder. But I'd rather just trade for a better one than pickup a guy like Wilson. Maybe they are planning on giving Counsell some more playing time now at SS and 3B, so an extra IF would come in handy.

That sounds nice but trade what and for who? I'd love Reyes, but I just don't think the Brewers have the guns unless they want to completely drain what little is left in the farm. Reyes is a difference maker and will not come cheaply since the Mets could just sit on him and take the picks.

[PrinceEatMeat]

I guess I don't have a problem with adding another backup infielder. But I'd rather just trade for a better one than pickup a guy like Wilson. Maybe they are planning on giving Counsell some more playing time now at SS and 3B, so an extra IF would come in handy.

That sounds nice but trade what and for who? I'd love Reyes, but I just don't think the Brewers have the guns unless they want to completely drain what little is left in the farm. Reyes is a difference maker and will not come cheaply since the Mets could just sit on him and take the picks.

There are plenty of other SS other than Reyes that are better than Wilson. Like say Brendan Ryan from the Mariners, Furcal, Bartlett, Ronny Cedeno, Hardy, etc. I think there will be plenty of cheaper options than Reyes available around the deadline.

[DuWayne Steurer]

SO............this guy is Betancourt with absolutely no power whatsoever. I get the 'warm body' argument, but this barely makes any sense.

[PrinceEatMeat]

Basically, Wilson is another Cruz. Maybe slightly worse, but I'm not sure yet. This move tells me that Melvin regrets not keeping Cruz. That basically sums it up. And to think, this all could've been avoided if he had just chosen to keep Cruz over Almonte. Erick Almonte of all people. Oh well I guess.

[derflotr]

Wilson may be on the active squad on Friday but I have to think this is a plug-in move. At least he can handle some IF positions in an emergency should RRR use Counsell early to PH. I'm sure the search for a competent SS is ongoing.

[MillerParkSouth]

I just don't understand why we need 3 SS on the 25 instead of just stashing this guy in Nashville.

[geddymd73]

Well, for one, i don't think you can't claim a guy off waivers and not put him on the active roster.

[endaround]

You can if he has options remaining.

[PrinceEatMeat]

Yeah, we just did that with Herrera. Wilson just doesn't have options remaining.

[danzig6767]

Yeah, we just did that with Herrera. Wilson just doesn't have options remaining.

What am i missing here?

 

Counsell barely even plays as it is and it's not as if Wilson is an improvement at the plate over Counsell amazingly. So did Melvin add Wilson just in case Betancourt got hurt with a serious injury, and Counsell is to old to play everyday if a situation like that happened?

 

Besides that, i just fail to see what purpose Wilson serves? Melvin says he wanted another righthanded bat on the bench for when Morgan gets back and Wilson bats righthanded, but adding Wilson means almost for sure that Boggs will be DFA. Boggs though can bat bat righthanded given he switch hits and he's a better hitter than Wilson.

 

So barring a serious injury to Betancourt, Wilson looks like his role will be almost entirely as a pinch hitter, but he's a near Nieves like brutal hitter. What in this equation/pickup am i missing to where it makes sense to others?

[MJLiverock]

Wilson may be on the active squad on Friday but I have to think this is a plug-in move. At least he can handle some IF positions in an emergency should RRR use Counsell early to PH. I'm sure the search for a competent SS is ongoing.

 

 

I'm not sure Counsell should be pinch hitting for anyone except a reliever at this point.

[geddymd73]

I really cannot imagine this guy hijacking a roster spot for the rest of the year, but that is what it looks like this is what Melvin wants to do. He really pulled the trigger too fast on a backup SS, and frankly I don't see this guy as a good pinch hitter at all in the majors.

It is going to be a shame, because I have a feeling that Boggs declines his DFA, as he almost did last time. I honestly think he has a lot more potential as a hitter than Wilson.

[danzig6767]

I really cannot imagine this guy hijacking a roster spot for the rest of the year, but that is what it looks like this is what Melvin wants to do. He really pulled the trigger too fast on a backup SS, and frankly I don't see this guy as a good pinch hitter at all in the majors.

It is going to be a shame, because I have a feeling that Boggs declines his DFA, as he almost did last time. I honestly think he has a lot more potential as a hitter than Wilson.

It would be hard for Boggs not to given Wilson's horrific .595 career OPS and coming off a season in Seattle last year where he somehow got 360 at bats and posted an amazingly bad .278/.294/.572 line. That's Will Nieves territory or Betancourt minus Yuni's power.

 

I understand that utility infielders rarely are good hitters, but we already have a utility infielder who hits poorly and barely plays. Man, once Morgan gets back, Boggs is DFA, and if Rivera is sent down also, our group bench players on days Morgan starts in center is going to be an absolutely brutal group of hitters.

 

Gomez/Kotsay/Nieves/Counsell/Wilson will be our bench most days that Morgan starts vs righthanders, assuming he's platooned with Gomez. That's one very ugly collection a hitters.

[PrinceEatMeat]

I don't understand Wilson over Boggs either. We really don't NEED another backup IF like Melvin seems to think we do. Unless someone gets injured, we are fine with just Counsell. I'd much rather have Boggs as our right-handed pinch-hitter. Wilson is just not a good option in that role at all. Frankly, he won't be any better than Almonte. In this situation, not sure why they didn't just wait for Almonte to come off the DL then.

[RightFieldCoder]

Oxy wrote:

---

I don't like carrying 3 catchers and only 1 backup IF.

We finally have 3 catchers so we can pitch hit for our catcher and still have the emergency C for extra inning injuries. And we do this when we finally have a C that I don't want to be pitch hit for. We already have 2 back up middle IF's. The problem is one of them is starting every day at SS

[Yeti73]

this guy sounds like Yuni with Kotsay's power. With Plush coming back, we need to make two moves now right?

[JohnBriggs12]

The only way this would make sense is if Counsell gave Melvin an indication he's considering retiring. Counsell is hitting just .204/.295/.222 and may realize he's hit the wall.

 

Wilson is a .956 fielder at SS (Betancourt is .970). He's got just 63 career RBI in 855 major league AB's. In short he's bad defensively and pathetic offensively.

 

I'd take either Maysonet or Farris over Wilson.

 

I know perhaps they'd like to give the slumping McGehee a day off now and then but I'd rather have Rivera, who's played all of 3 games at 3B in his pro career, plugged in there than such a weak bat as Wilson.

 

Honestly, I don't get the tinkering with the bottom of the roster. They've won 13 of their last 16. Everyone's contributed at least minimally. I just don't see what Wilson adds. It can't go over that well in the clubhouse either.

[MJLiverock]

The only way this would make sense is if Counsell gave Melvin an indication he's considering retiring. Counsell is hitting just .204/.295/.222 and may realize he's hit the wall.

 

 

I thought about that scenario too but wouldn't Counsell actually announce it at the same time as the pick up so they wouldn't have to shuffle the roster so much?

 

As others have said, this move is baffling. Boggs can at least play outfield defense better than Kotsay and is a switch hitter. A third poor hitting middle infielder for the team doesn't add a lot to the bench or flexibility. Morgan comes back and either Boggs or a catcher goes. If Nieves is gone, RR probably won't use Rivera as a RH pinch hitter so without Boggs the bench is very LH'd and poor with Counsell, Kotsay, Morgan, or when Morgan plays, Gomez as the RH pinch hitter with Wilson. Kotsay by default would be the top PH'er which isn't too bad and is the role I envisioned him in, not much power though. But after that? Yuck. Especially when Morgan is playing, leaving Gomez as probably the next best option.

[PrinceEatMeat]

Counsell isn't the kind of guy that would leave his team mid-season. If he's gonna retire, it'll be after the season is over.

[Warning Track Power]

What is the story with this bench? It lacks any type of rational thought in its overall composition. Individually, I can understand Kotsay as the 5th OF/PH, Gomez as a late inning D replacement/PR and Counsell as the versatile good D at 2B, SS, 3B. But there is no need for Wilson, nor is there a need for 2 catchers. As has been mentioned ad nauseum, Rivera or Kottaras are fine as a backup C as they won't see much playing time with Lucroy being a stud, but Nieves holding down any kind of roster spot is laughable to the point of tears. And Wilson seems to be the IF equivalent of Nieves.

 

Look at Colorado and that is a bench. Spilborghs is a legit OF with D and pop, Morales is about as good as Kottaras, Wigginton/Jose Lopez are solid if unspectacular, Giambi is a beast to face at anytime. I'm not saying we can match them, but there is a bench that strikes fear in me and any one of those guys could spot start for a week and you'd feel ok about it. How good will we feel if Lucroy were to get hurt again? Or if Kotsay had to become a more regular player than he is now? Or if Wilson/Counsell were manning 3B if McGehee went down? I just don't get the bench on this team at all this season. Additionally, when the Reds can throw out a Hanigan, Renteria, Fred Lewis, Chris Heisey combo...it makes me worry about any type of injury to any regular and what it will do to our chances this season.

[Thurston Fluff]

Doesn't it seem like the player is the last to accept declining skills. IF anything I would say it's the Brewers who saw Counsell as too old. I have no idea if they do but it would make some amount of sense to go this route if they believe Counsell hit the age wall.

[brwrsfan]

I just don't see Counsell retiring mid-season. Granted, he's been bad and appears to be at the end of the road, but it just seems like he's a guy that won't quit on his team. Plus, he can still be useful. He still plays decent defense at three different spots on the infield.

 

If Counsell did go, I'd much rather give Maysonet or Farris a shot over Josh Wilson. He's actually a significant step DOWN from Betancourt on both offense and defense.

[Warning Track Power]

To be honest with you guys, I think the remedies for the bench are really simple and maybe it would take a little more work in the end than I think to accomplish them but I would be much happier with the following:

Backup C: Rivera or Kottaras, Nieves DFA. I know I just said it but him being on this team amazes me. No great defensive skills and is so far from the Mendoza Line, that the Line is a dot to him
Backup IF: Counsell. He's here for 2011 no way around it. Deal with a new backup in 2012. Still brings good D so I don't have such a bad taste in my mouth.
4th OF: Gomez. I'm fine with him as the D replacement and PR. He brings a defensive skillset few have. He's valuable.
5th OF: Kotsay. Same as Counsell. I don't mind him in this role at all. He has been better than I thought he would be.

For the 5th spot on the bench, I would do one of three things:

1. Trade for a Hardy-type SS and make Yuni B the backup at SS for the rest of the season and buy him out at the end of the year. At least in the backup role, Yuni B could theoretically be a power hitting PH, something they lack now. I would be ok with that bench. Not in love with it but ok with it. I think this is our best option for a decent bench as the next two do not address the inequalities of IF/OF backups.
2. Bring Brendan Katin up. As it doesn't appear the Brewers have any plan for him to be part of the organization long term, what would it hurt to put him on the bench as the power bat? Him and Kotsay split the 5th OF/PH role depending on situation. Boggs is in the role now but I am not in love with him like some are.
3. Sign Branyan. It's the IF equivalent of what Katin would bring. Backup Prince solely and in a severe pinch, backup McGehee for a day if Casey were to get hurt during a game.

It all seems so simple from the outside looking in. I am so concerned that this bench, as composed now, will kill us at some point.