2012 First Baseman

[Bombers]

With Fielder's latest comments it got me thinking about it (not that I really want to think about 2012 right now) .... however, I read this article, and Aramis Ramirez says his time in Chicago is done. What about Aramis Ramirez for first base? Especially if he truley only wants a 3 year contract like the article says. 3 years $50?

[JohnBriggs12]

With Fielder's latest comments it got me thinking about it (not that I really want to think about 2012 right now) .... however, I read this article, and Aramis Ramirez says his time in Chicago is done. What about Aramis Ramirez for first base? Especially if he truley only wants a 3 year contract like the article says. 3 years $50?

Ramirez would be down my list. Don't let his numbers fool you. He was awful most of 2010 and only started hitting this year after the Cubs were well out of it.

 

Berkman would make tons more sense and he's looking for a one year deal. Plus you'd be taking him from your main rival. If I had to settle for a RH bat which isn't ideal, Cuddyer is a guy worth considering at a lot less than $50 million.

[Hate those Rodents]

How about Matt LaPorta in a full circle move? Might be a good buy low opportunity, the organization likely still likes him, and he might do well in a switch to the NL.

[PrinceEatMeat]

Definitely want Berkman. He can't agree with the Cards. I'd just pay him to play 1B for a few years.

[paul253]

If we had to go with a free agent I'd be ok with Berkman, but are we so against Gamel that we just have to go get a free agent? We'll let McGehee and Bentancourt go out there 5 days a week and suck it up but we won't give Gamel a shot in spring training to win first base?

[Cracked Bat Collector]

How about DLee? Not as good as he used to be but still 17 bombs this year and gold glove defense.

[Bombers]

I am all on board for Berkman if we can get him

[Kelbysdaddy]

BERKMAN!! BERKMAN!!! BERKMAN!!!! you think he's open to a 2 or 3 yr deal? i have always been a big gamel supporter but i dont think he can handle playing everyday next year. berkman hitting behind braun would be a pretty easy transition for braun.

[logan82]

We have $56m in payroll for 2012 in just 6 guys.(Greinke, Gallardo, Hart, Braun, Wolf and Weeks) Quite a few guys going to arby and even more in arby after 2012. Not sure we have the money for fat Elvis especially for 2 years.

[hurricanecrush]

fat Elvis

I always thought he looked more like Vince Gill

[dadofandrew]

Berkman might well get some team to give him 3y/$50-55M, which will seem like pennies compared to the $150M+ Prince and Pujols will get. He may even pitch himself as willing to DH to get some of the big market clubs involved, or he seems like a perfect fit for TEX.

[DuWayne Steurer]

We have $56m in payroll for 2012 in just 6 guys.(Greinke, Gallardo, Hart, Braun, Wolf and Weeks) Quite a few guys going to arby and even more in arby after 2012. Not sure we have the money for fat Elvis especially for 2 years.

Trade Wolf this off-season while he has some value, and free up some money. Heck, I'd be willing to throw in 2 - 2 1/2 mil, simply based on the production the Crew got from him this year.

[DuWayne Steurer]

How about DLee? Not as good as he used to be but still 17 bombs this year and gold glove defense.

I'd pass. He's failed to put up an .800 OPS the last 2 years, and he's going to be 36. He's really showing signs of decline, and a .750 OPS 1st baseman should be had at just about league minimum. There's really no reason the Brewers (or just about any team, in all honesty) shouldn't be able to find a 1B who can put up at least an .800-ish OPS.

[RockCoCougars]

Berkman apparently was willing to sign a one year deal with the Cardinals, but apparently they didn't offer enough. I'd give him a two year deal, no problem, but I bet a lot of teams would. I'd stay away from the other vet names in favor of Gamel.

[monty57]

We have $56m in payroll for 2012 in just 6 guys.(Greinke, Gallardo, Hart, Braun, Wolf and Weeks) Quite a few guys going to arby and even more in arby after 2012. Not sure we have the money for fat Elvis especially for 2 years.

Important point. We've increased payroll to become a mid-market team, but we're not a big market team, and can't be run like one. If we had a $100-something million payroll, then Berkman would be in the middle of the crosshairs of who I would target. Since we don't have a big market payroll, we absolutely need to have league minimum guys playing big roles on the team. Over the past few seasons, we've traded away many of our prospects with the potential to be MLB players, so the prospects we do have become that much more valueable. If we pay expensive veterans to play positions that guys like Gamel and Green could fill, we will crash & burn. Think Mets-style fire sales where we will have to give players away to anyone who will take the salary. I doubt this will happen, as we are owned by a money manager, and Melvin has been doing this a long time (and was let go by the Rangers because he didn't want to give A-Rod the $250MM contract).

 

We are losing a lot of salary off the books in Fielder, Hawkins, Saito, Counsell, Betancourt, K-Rod, etc. If Gamel and Green can play significant roles, and our bullpen can be bolstered by pre-arby guys, we should have some money next year, but if we do have money to pay for a veteran FA, I would look to fill a position where we do not have an in-house option ready to step in. That would be shortstop.

[JohnBriggs12]

If we had to go with a free agent I'd be ok with Berkman, but are we so against Gamel that we just have to go get a free agent? We'll let McGehee and Bentancourt go out there 5 days a week and suck it up but we won't give Gamel a shot in spring training to win first base?

That is a total non sequitur. This years team had an MVP candidate playing 1B and thus could afford below average production elsewhere.. Any way you cut it, Gamel is an unproven rookie who'll turn 27 in his rookie year. Unless you can guaranty a huge upgrade at 3B and/or SS, you'd be foolish to entrust the 1B job to a rookie. The issue is how do you shore up 1B irrespective of other positions. If you go out and sign Jose Reyes, obviously you stick with Gamel. But assuming at best you place another rookie in Green at 3B and just a guy at SS, that's not enough of an upgrade (if any at all) to offset a Fielder to Gamel downgrade.

[PrinceEatMeat]

Just saw on twitter that Berkman signed with the Cards. Too bad.

[StearnsFTW]

Well, Berkman's no longer an option. That sucks.

 

I guess I'd probably head to spring training with Gamel as the leader, unless I could sign a good left-handed hitting rightfielder and stick Hart at 1st.

[GamelToe]

McGehee will play 1B and Taylor Green will play 3B.

 

book it.

[monty57]

The issue is how do you shore up 1B irrespective of other positions.

 

No, because you have to keep the entire roster under a budget, so what you do at 1B has an effect on what you do with other positions. Since we have good hitting prospects who will be paid league minimum, I'd prefer to use Green/Gamel/McGehee at 1B/3B and use any available money on positions where we do not have a ready-made answer, notably SS and possibly the bullpen, where we will lose K-Rod, Hawkins and Saito.

 

I wouldn't be opposed to bringing in a good veteran bat who would mainly pinch hit, but could pick up some starts at 1B, but I wouldn't want to spend too much money there.

[dadofandrew]

I like Lee as a platoon half/veteran presence for a young LH 1B. Doumit and Nady are possibilities for that role as well, and have the versatility to play other spots as well.

 

Also, I may be the only one, but I think next year at this time we'll all be talking about what a steal Loney was, probably on a one year, $3M deal. His production away from Dodgers Stadium is astounding, and no one ever mentions it. I see him as a guy a lot like Cameron, who played his entire career in pitcher's parks, and whose numbers could have been 20% higher.

 

An 836 OPS with good defense is plenty solid, and Loney will still be at his peak next season, his year of 28. He also has a career 814 OPS vs. RHP. He's been miscast as an everyday player, and severely hurt by LA's ballpark.

[TooLiveBrew]

Even for as much as I love Gamel's offense, I think a mid-.800s OPS is about the highest I could predict for him, & iirc Loney is regarded well defensively.

 

The only problem I see is that Loney hasn't been close to that career road split since 2009. He just hasn't been an acceptable hitter at 1B for two years running now. While I'm aware most of the NL West is pitchers' parks, if Loney's only going to give you about an .800 OPS, just stick with Gamel because he'll do that too, cost a lot less, & probably has a higher offensive upside.

[Bombers]

If we had to go with a free agent I'd be ok with Berkman, but are we so against Gamel that we just have to go get a free agent? We'll let McGehee and Bentancourt go out there 5 days a week and suck it up but we won't give Gamel a shot in spring training to win first base?

That is a total non sequitur. This years team had an MVP candidate playing 1B and thus could afford below average production elsewhere.. Any way you cut it, Gamel is an unproven rookie who'll turn 27 in his rookie year. Unless you can guaranty a huge upgrade at 3B and/or SS, you'd be foolish to entrust the 1B job to a rookie. The issue is how do you shore up 1B irrespective of other positions. If you go out and sign Jose Reyes, obviously you stick with Gamel. But assuming at best you place another rookie in Green at 3B and just a guy at SS, that's not enough of an upgrade (if any at all) to offset a Fielder to Gamel downgrade.

I agree with JB. I just don't see a scenario where Doug Melvin and Ron Roenecke say, here you go Mat the bat, 1B is yours. Competition will be brought in and depending on money we might get someone with a little more insurrance. If we lock up 1 or 2 of Greinke / Marcum, we might not have any money left to get a bigger name so I would then look for platoon options.

 

[jerichoholicninja]

Mark Trumbo? He doesn't have a spot next year when Morales comes back.

[nate82]

Mark Trumbo? He doesn't have a spot next year when Morales comes back.

Trumbo does have a spot. Trumbo will play primarily 1B next year for the Angeles and Morales if he does come back will play almost entirely as the DH.