outfielders

[mancl]

For the sake of discussion, what right field options would there be if Hart was moved to lst?

[logan82]

Gamel

[paul253]

Heyward might be able to be had, though I would guess Hart would have to be part of the deal which I'd be fine with. The FA crop is weak. I think right field is all Hart's, otherwise you fill it from within with Gamel or Gindl or use some combination of Gomez/Schafer/Morgan out there. No power but great defense.

 

How about the five outfielders as Braun, Morgan, Gomez, Schafer, and Gindl? Half kidding, half serious. I think they need to trade Hart while his value is still high.

[DHonks]

I'd consider Gamel or Gindl in RF. I think one thing that hurts Hart--besides his lack of range--is that he doesn't wear his contacts. It explains why he gets bad jumps on balls, mis-reads them off the bat, and often loses balls in the light

[RockCoCougars]

Will the Yankees pick up Swisher? They will need some cash to keep C.C. He'd be ideal. Another one that I'd think about, though quite old would be Ibanez. Mayberry has put him in a numbers game there.

[reillymcshane]

You could try Gindl, but he's probably a platoon guy at this point - something we have in CF already. Don't know if that's a great idea.

[reillymcshane]

Will the Yankees pick up Swisher? They will need some cash to keep C.C. He'd be ideal. Another one that I'd think about, though quite old would be Ibanez. Mayberry has put him in a numbers game there.

 

 

Every thing I've read indicates the yanks will pick up Swisher's contract.

 

Ibanez is a terrible fielder. Fangraphs had his UZR at -18.9 this year. His WAR was -1.3. Just awful. He'll be 40 next year - we should avoid him like the plague.

[And That]

Sign Josh Willingham and have him platoon with Gamel. Or, ditto for Cody Ross. Or, ditto for Reed Johnson. Or, ditto for Juan Rivera.

[JohnBriggs12]

Sign Jason Kubel and Reed Johnson and platoon them in RF.

 

If you want a cheaper and very good defensive option, just sign Johnson and platoon him with Morgan. Then platoon Schafer with Gomez in CF..

 

Assuming for a second they did land Reyes, imagine the speed they'd have up and down the lineup with Reyes, Gomez, Schafer, Braun, and Morgan in the mix. That's not even counting a hopefully healthy Weeks.

[RockCoCougars]

I'd rather put Gamel at first and leave Hart in right with the Morgan/Gomez tandem to step in then platooning two mediocre guys. If Gamel falls flat, my guess is a vet 1st baseman can be had. I think you have to give him a chance to sink or swim for at least half a season though. I still think that Ibanez would be decent to have off the bench if you could get him on the cheap. The one thing this team is sorely lacking is a veteran power bat for pitch hitting.

[monkeyman343434]

I really like the idea of moving Hart to 1b next year, if they can go with good options in CF.

 

With Hart being drafted as a 1b, would there be any concerns about him needing time to adjust back to 1b, or would a winter and spring training be enough? I'd love to have a 6'6 target over there for the INF to throw at.

 

As a previous poster mentioned, I'd be fine with Braun in LF and 2 platoons in CF and RF. Braun - Morgan/Gomez - Schafer/RH stick (Ross/Johnson/Willingham/Katin?) You need 5 OF anyway, so why not get them all involved, but the offense could be seriously lacking in power.

[DHonks]

I'd only keep Hart in RF if he loses 20 lbs this offseason AND agrees to start wearing prescription eyewear. His not wearing contacts is quite possibly why he cannot track balls or get good jumps

[PilprinBuddha]

It seems like the chances of finding an left handed vet bat for the lineup may be easier in the OF than 1b.

I like Harts height at 1b.

[paul253]

How about Hart at first and Gamel in right? That would be to a better defensive situation. I'd rather let Gamel try his hand in right than to go with a platoon. Gamel would be playing most of the time anyway. I used to think that, at some point, the Brewers would have to see what Gamel can do. Now I'm pretty sure they're just going to, well, not ever give him a chance and either trade him or let him rot away on the bench.

[MNBrew]

I do think the athleticism factors favor Gamel in RF & Hart at 1B. But I'm 90% sure we then have a whole season of complaining about how lousy a defensive OF Gamel is and blah, blah, blah....

 

...which I'd settle for if, as DHonks noted, Hart would still lose the extra 20 pounds of bulk he's put on b/c his offensive game has NOT improved since he's done so, but his defense & especially his speed have definitely worsened.

[Hate those Rodents]

I think Hart has MVP qualities. I know some of you think "sell high" if it even is for him, but man the guy can be good and maybe he steps up two notches once Prince departs.

[PrinceEatMeat]

I wouldn't trade Hart. Not with Fielder gone. I think we need the potential that his bat brings in our lineup. He would look a lot better at 1B though. I'd be fine with him at 1B and Gamel and someone else out in RF.

[nate82]

I wouldn't mind if the Brewers signed Fukudome to play RF. I think he would fit perfectly in the lineup for the Brewers plus he would give the Brewers a LH bat in the lineup that the Brewers need plus he is not all that bad in the OF.

[Eye Black]

Assuming the Hart to 1B thought process, I wouldn't mind moving Morgan to RF and looking for a replacement in CF. It looks very likely that BJ Upton will be traded this off-season (will be a free agent in 2013). Not sure exactly what it would take to get him for one year, and I doubt the Brewers would be willing to give up what the Rays will ask (not to mention adding his $7 million in salary next year), but I could get excited about a Braun, Upton, Morgan OF next year.

[Hate those Rodents]

When we are looking at losing Fielder and likely a decent sized downgrade at first base offensively, we are not going to be in any position to put an above average defensive cf that is a slap hitter in right.

[nate82]

Assuming the Hart to 1B thought process, I wouldn't mind moving Morgan to RF and looking for a replacement in CF. It looks very likely that BJ Upton will be traded this off-season (will be a free agent in 2013). Not sure exactly what it would take to get him for one year, and I doubt the Brewers would be willing to give up what the Rays will ask (not to mention adding his $7 million in salary next year), but I could get excited about a Braun, Upton, Morgan OF next year.

Gomez for Upton would be a fair trade for both the Brewers and the Rays. I wouldn't want to see Morgan as an everyday player in RF. Keep the platoon going as Upton played rather well against lefties this year. Defensively it will be a loss but I like Upton's offensive abilities over what Gomez brings. If you move Hart to 1B the Brewers could always sign Fukudome and get another left handed bat in the lineup for about $6-8m a year.

[MNBrew]

Isn't Upton an All-Star caliber player? He sure isn't just overpriced filler or roster dung -- the sort often seen traded in bad-contract-for-bad-contract moves. Gomez for Upton isn't a remotely fair trade for Tampa.

[nate82]

Isn't Upton an All-Star caliber player? He sure isn't just overpriced filler or roster dung -- the sort often seen traded in bad-contract-for-bad-contract moves. Gomez for Upton isn't a remotely fair trade for Tampa.

Maybe Upton from 2008 sure he was an All Star but not since then.

Upton

2009: AVG .241 OBP .313 SLG .373

2010: AVG .237 OBP .322 SLG .424

2011: AVG .257 OBP .331 SLG .429

After just looking at those stats which are not all that great and then looking at Upton's defense he is not a All-Star caliber player anymore. Defensively Gomez is better and when you look at both defense and offensive production Gomez actually is a better player than Upton. Plus Gomez is going to have a lower salary so actually it is the other way around this trade really isn't fair for the Brewers as they are getting a player with lower quality. Offensively Upton is going to be better than Gomez but overall they are almost equal in value to a team.

[Bnowell4evr]

I like the idea of adding Andruw Jones as a RH platoon partner to Gamel if Hart would move to 1B. He rakes LHP, still plays + defense and most importantly would come cheap.

[ramssuperbowl99]

Isn't Upton an All-Star caliber player? He sure isn't just overpriced filler or roster dung -- the sort often seen traded in bad-contract-for-bad-contract moves. Gomez for Upton isn't a remotely fair trade for Tampa.

Maybe Upton from 2008 sure he was an All Star but not since then.

Upton

2009: AVG .241 OBP .313 SLG .373

2010: AVG .237 OBP .322 SLG .424

2011: AVG .257 OBP .331 SLG .429

After just looking at those stats which are not all that great and then looking at Upton's defense he is not a All-Star caliber player anymore. Defensively Gomez is better and when you look at both defense and offensive production Gomez actually is a better player than Upton. Plus Gomez is going to have a lower salary so actually it is the other way around this trade really isn't fair for the Brewers as they are getting a player with lower quality. Offensively Upton is going to be better than Gomez but overall they are almost equal in value to a team.

BJ Upton has been worth 2.4, 4.0 and 4.1 WAR the past 3 seasons. Carlos Gomez's career high in WAR is 2.6, and 17+ runs of that came from UZR. So this is just quite simply not true, and I find it especially amusing that you don't bother posting Gomez's offensive statistics, which give Upton a 40+ point OBP advantage. People don't like Upton because he was supposed to be a 7 win player and he's not, and he comes off as lazy, but he's a very good defender in CF, walks a ton, hits for some power, is a great baserunner, and even though it feels like he's been around for ever he's only about 1 year older than Go Go.

That said, I don't see him as a fit quite simply because the Rays are going to be able to stick Jennings in LF or RF, don't have many internal OF options to begin with, have a real chance to win the division next year, and don't need pitching (which is what the Brewers have to deal). Further, much of Morgan's and Upton's value comes from playing great CF defense, and we can only stick 1 guy in CF.

Personally, the guy I think makes sense is Andre Ethier. He's going to get about $12 M in arbitration this season, the Dodgers can't pay that and he won't have a ton of surplus value. In addition, he sparred with the front office and is coming off of a knee injury. Considering he's probably about a 2.5 win player, the Crew could take on his salary, give up a C+ prospect for him, and stick him at 1B.