Should the Brewers be a seller instead?

[DuWayne Steurer]

If anything at all, the tenor of this thread should tell the TS what the general fan base would think of a July sell off when they're in the middle of the playoff race.

[topper09er]

With some decent offseason roster management, we could still be a playoff team next year.

Fielder + Yuni + McGehee = 3.6 + (-0.5) + (-0.5) = 2.6 WAR thus far, so being conservative and doubling that = 5.2 replacement WAR needed for next year, spread among 3 players = 1.7 WAR/player at 3rd, SS and 1B. I would hope Gamel would provide at least 3 WAR on his own meaning it would not be very difficult to be just as good next year as we are this year.

[monty57]

With some decent offseason roster management, we could still be a playoff team next year.

Fielder + Yuni + McGehee = 3.6 + (-0.5) + (-0.5) = 2.6 WAR thus far, so being conservative and doubling that = 5.2 replacement WAR needed for next year, spread among 3 players = 1.7 WAR/player at 3rd, SS and 1B. I would hope Gamel would provide at least 3 WAR on his own meaning it would not be very difficult to be just as good next year as we are this year.

Well put. Someone mentioned earlier and I think it bears reapeating. It is a lot easier to upgrade a team with a number of star players and a couple black holes than it is to upgrade a team that is average across the board. Losing Fielder will hurt, but upgrading SS & 3B will help. Most of the rest of the roster will be back. Plus, the rest of the league will still be weak, especially if St Louis loses Pujols.

 

It's post-2012 I'm concerned about, but a lot can happen between now & then. Extending some SP would be a nice start.

 

[HiAndTight]

With some decent offseason roster management, we could still be a playoff team next year.

Fielder + Yuni + McGehee = 3.6 + (-0.5) + (-0.5) = 2.6 WAR thus far, so being conservative and doubling that = 5.2 replacement WAR needed for next year, spread among 3 players = 1.7 WAR/player at 3rd, SS and 1B. I would hope Gamel would provide at least 3 WAR on his own meaning it would not be very difficult to be just as good next year as we are this year.

I absolutely agree with you.

 

The hardest thing to watch this year is how adversely impacted our pitching staff has been by this pourous defense. I would imagine they would greatly benefit from an IF that doesn't play like an over 40 bar league softball IF allowing every slow hit GB to somehow find $@##$@.

 

I think this is a perfect oppurtunity to give this franchise a very slight face lift that could have some very significant impacts.

 

Gamel replacing Prince.

-Obviously the offense will take a large hit, but we saw some incredible glimpses from Gamel defensively at 1st base. His range is just laughable as compared to Prince, and his larger frame would be a godsend to our IF'ers.

 

Sign Jamey Carroll(2/8); Rafael Furcal(2/12)

Furcal starts at SS, though you need a good backup plan as he has not stayed healthy in some time. In comes Carroll who's the definition of consistency, and both of whom ar MUCH better than Betancourt defensively.

 

Taylor Green breaks camp with the big league team as the starting 3rd basemen. Another substantial upgrade over McGehee.

 

Lineup of

Furcal/Carroll

Morgan

Braun

Weeks

Gamel

Hart

Green

Lucroy

 

There really isn't $@##$@ in that lineup. Everyone should be looking at a .350 or so OBP with the possible exception of Hart who should be close.

 

And I think people are overlooking some of the arms we have coming up. Not front line rotation type arms, but arms that can absolutely help us out a great deal.

 

Guys like Fiers, Manzanillo, Rogers, and others could provide a very nice boost to the pen.

Guys like Thornburg, Scarpetta, Peralta(who I think is a future closer), Heckathorn, and others are a year further along and just a phone call away next year.

 

So the Brewers are going to have a SIGNIFICANT number coming off their books this year, and they're going to have a significant boost in revenue with the new TV deal set to kick in making a payroll over 100 million.

 

This could allow them to re-sign Grienke and or Marcum if they so chose, be aggressive in filling out the final pieces of the bench by adding guys like Willingham, DeJesus, JD Drew, whomever. BP arms like Ryan Madson, Johnathon Broxton on a 1 year deal, Darren Oliver, etc..etc..

 

And all the while we're going to be hoarding 1st round and supplemental round draft picks the next few years.

 

I just see absolutely no reason with an established rotation that has the potential to be dominant, a core of Braun and Weeks surrounded by the likes of Gamel, Green, Lucoy, Furcal, Hart..etc..etc..and money to spend that we can't actually improve on this years team.

 

The loss of Prince has everyone so damn scared, and I get that, but I hope the Brewers look at it as an opportunity to become a team a little less reliant on Prince and the long ball to a team that's more sound defensively and more balanced 1-8 in the lineup. And there is absolutely no reason that shouldn't happen.

[HiAndTight]

Well put. Someone mentioned earlier and I think it bears reapeating. It is a lot easier to upgrade a team with a number of star players and a couple black holes than it is to upgrade a team that is average across the board. Losing Fielder will hurt, but upgrading SS & 3B will help. Most of the rest of the roster will be back. Plus, the rest of the league will still be weak, especially if St Louis loses Pujols.

 

It's post-2012 I'm concerned about, but a lot can happen between now & then. Extending some SP would be a nice start.

I think a lot of us have echoed that sentiment. I've certainly been on that bandwagon for some time now.

 

And post 2012 is obviously concerning at this point, but if we're going to worry about what might go wrong, ie losing three fifths of our starting rotation, then certainly a little optimism is reasonable as well.

 

An ugly farm system today, can easily produce enough in two years to have a significant impact. I think Greinke is re-signed, but at that point we're looking at Thornburg, Peralta, Heckathorn and Scarpetta all being potential rotation options. Plus Jungmann and Bradley should be advancing toward the upper levels. Khris Davis, Sean Halton, D'Vontrey Richardson, Gennett and others should provide a clearer idea of what they offer.

 

Again, our system is weak, but it is not without potential impact players. We're not starting from scratch, we don't need to build an entire team.

 

 

I just think the stories of the post-apocalyptic 2012 Brewers, may be a bit pre-mature.

[dlk9s]

Hey, we're in first place again. Is it ok to not be sellers now?

[Invader3K]

Hey, we're in first place again. Is it ok to not be sellers now?

I hope so.

[Funketown]

To answer the original question:

 

NO!

 

For all I care they can trade Nashville's ballpark for a shortstop. Sell Telfair field to a Russian oil mogul if need be. Just go for it.

[RyDogg66]

Back in first place, call off the negotiations to sell of Fielder, Greinke and K-Rod!

[endaround]

Yuni still available for a bucket of warm spit! "Warm" is negotiable.