Brewer Minor League Free Agency Eligibles After the 2011 Season -- Latest: Sanchez, Mercedes, De La Rosa Re-Sign

[Mass Haas]

Following is a list of players who are free to leave the organization in mid-October when minor league free agency begins. These players and the Brewers could agree to sign an additional one-year minor league deal to extend the relationship. Or the Brewers could add the player to the 40-man roster, thus extending the "ownership" of the player.

 

A player who has exhausted all seven years of his original minor league affiliation to the organization that signed him is eligible. Here are the Brewers farmhands who have been with the organization for their full commitment (or even longer in the case of Anderson De la Rosa and Robert Hinton, who have been Brewers for eight seasons). We've been following these three guys their whole careers.

 

C Anderson De La Rosa (RE-SIGNED FOR 2012)

RHP Robert Hinton

OF Brendan Katin

 

Other potential (and likely) free agents:

 

IF Erick Almonte

C Patrick Arlis

OF Brandon Boggs

OF / 1B Jordan Brown

C Dayton Buller

RHP Darren Byrd

IF Andy Gonzalez

RHP Sean Green

RHP Jim Henderson

RHP Justin James

IF Felipe Lopez

INF Anderson Machado

SS Edwin Maysonet (RE-SIGNED FOR 2012, SPRING TRAINING INVITE)

RHP Roque Mercedes (RE-SIGNED FOR 2012)

LHP Sam Narron

C Shawn Riggans

C Mike Rivera

RHP Jesus Sanchez (RE-SIGNED FOR 2012)

UT Juan Sanchez

RHP Zack Segovia

SS Hainley Statia (RE-SIGNED FOR 2012)

LHP Chase Wright

 

If you believe a player is listed in error or have an addition, let us know. We believe we're close, but don't claim to be 100% accurate.

[Mass Haas]

Once a player's original affiliated contract is terminated, should a player then subsequently be signed by the Brewers, the deal is normally signed to cover the remaining years left until minor league free agency is earned. So if a player spent four seasons with another organziation and was then released, the Brewers would sign that player to a contract worded in such a way that the Brewers would retain rights to the player over the next three seasons.

 

For instance, Brevard County reliever Bradley Blanks made his affiliated debut last year in the Phillies' system but was subsequently released. The Brewers signed him out of independent ball this year and retain his rights over his final six "obligated" years (2011 - 2016). Blanks doesn't become a minor league free agent this October just because his initial affiliated contract was terminated.

[Mass Haas]

Now, for each of the past two October's, the Brewers have taken a player from their potential free agent list and locked them up by adding them to their 40-man roster. In 2009, IF Adam Heether was added. That didn't work out so well, but we wrote this last year in the 2010 version of this thread:

 

As for the other potential free agents, you'd have to think that catcher Martin Maldonado will be offered a deal to come back, but probably not a 40-man roster spot, so it will be Maldonado's call, and he could be in some demand in the open market. He only turned 24 last month.

 

We don't know exactly how it went down, but Maldonado's agent wisely didn't just have Maldonado extend his minor league contract, if it was offered. So the Brewers slapped 40-man status on him, now looking like a wonderful decision.

 

***

 

The only player on this year's list the Brewers might be tempted to remotely consider for a 40-man roster spot is 25-year-old Huntsville switch-hitting SS Hainley Statia (season and career stats), the former longtime Angel farmhand who Milwaukee signed just before he was about to begin an independent league season this past April. He'd be a nice little sign on another minor league contract, but beyond that, no, not a 40-man spot.

 

***

 

I could see catcher Anderson De La Rosa agreeing to yet another minor league deal, and the Brewers offering it. After getting yanked down to Huntsville yet again this year, slider specialist Robert Hinton won't likely be so anxious to come back for year nine.

[Mass Haas]

Please be patient on discussing Rule 5 protection possibilities.

 

That will involve a list of players still under Brewer control for 2011, so it will be a separate thread from this one, and the players listed above won't cross over to that list.

 

We'll have that thread out for some time next week.

 

***

 

Something to keep in mind is that the initial list here doesn't currently include players who may be dropped from the current 40-man roster this fall, and who would have enough service time to qualify for free agency.

[JohnBriggs12]

I would think Maldanado's spot on the 40 man is pretty secure.

[dadofandrew]

That's a mighty weak list. Jordan Brown would be my #1, Mike Rivera #2. Mercedes, Segovia, and Henderson would probably be the rest of my top five, based solely on velocity.

[Mass Haas]

I would think Maldanado's spot on the 40 man is pretty secure.

Absolutely, and I'm trying to see where I implied otherwise. I think you mistook my text copied from last year for a current analysis.

 

 

[Kelbysdaddy]

kind of a bummer katin never really got a shot. if only he didnt strike out SO much. hes got a big arm from the out field and huge power. i think he probably will resign though.

[And That]

Katin's knee problems haven't helped him either.

[monty57]

I've always liked Katin, but I think his best bet will be to look elsewhere. The Brewers have had opportunities to bring him up in the past and have passed. Now that we've got some younger OFs moving up in the system, I don't see Katin ever getting MLB time with the Crew.

 

I could see them bringing Narron back if he'll sign another minor league deal, although 2011 may have been his best shot at getting in the MLB rotation, and they chose Estrada and de la Cruz instead. Next year, more of our young starters would pass him up, so he may want to go to a team that would get him a better chance at the bigs.

 

Guys like Boggs and Mike Rivera are good to have at AAA just in case, but certainly not worth a 40-man spot.

 

All in all, if we lost everyone on that list, I don't think we'd be hurt too badly.

[CheezWizHed]

I'm guessing Hinton would get a 40-man spot if there is one available, but even he wouldn't be a high priority. I would think a few of those guys will stick around, since the Brewers seem to like them and they have little shot of making the MLB level anywhere (e.g. Rivera and Arlis - the human yo-yo)

 

The rest will either re-sign or the Brewers will sign some other MiLB FA of similar value to fill the spot.

[Mass Haas]

The only player on this year's list the Brewers might be tempted to remotely consider for a 40-man roster spot is 25-year-old Huntsville switch-hitting SS Hainley Statia (season and career stats), the former longtime Angel farmhand who Milwaukee signed just before he was about to begin an independent league season this past April. He'd be a nice little sign on another minor league contract, but beyond that, no, not a 40-man spot.

According to Baseball America this week, the Brewers and Statia have agreed to a new minor league deal for 2012 -- nice.

[Southern Leaguer]

We were at the last Stars game of the season and Statia was taken out of the stadium in an ambulance after being hurt on a slide into second base. Any updates on the nature of the injury? Miranda tweeted something the next day about Statia being scheduled for surgery but that was the last I heard about it.