Why does everyone want to trade Hart?

[RockCoCougars]

OK, I've been thinking about this since the Atlanta rumors after the break in 2010... this morning I was reading the JS posts on the Aoki bid. Basically every other post mentioned 'and trade Hart'. I just don't get it. Yes, he's streaky at the plate, and he's not Dwight Evans in right field, but to me, some of the trade proposals I've seen for Hart are horrible. You've got a guy who should be right in the middle of his prime, off two seasons with 25 homers, and probably most importantly seems to enjoy playing in Milwaukee and has signed a team friendly contract. What am I missing? The whole thing kinds of reminds me of how everyone was dumping on Weeks after 2007, but this is far less justified.

[theavrock]

Completely agree with this. IMO people in general really undervalue what Hart brings to the table. I want him to stick around as long as possible because he is undervalued for whatever reason making the production we get out of him cheap in comparison.

[Bnowell4evr]

I'm just convinced we have some really dumb fans.

[Nottso]

I'm just convinced we have some really dumb fans.

and that.

[jjfanec]

Moving Hart only made sense when we didnt have any pitching. He was about to cost a decent amount of money and was up and down for a while. Now he has become more consistent and we have pitching. No need to trade him

[DuWayne Steurer]

The last 2 years, Hart has been among the top 30 hitters (by OPS) among qualifiers, in all of baseball. Not only that, he's relatively inexpensive. Yes, he plays an offense-premium position, and is at absolute best, mediocre defensively. But having cost controlled, top-30 production is something in the Brewers favor. I'm also baffled by the at least dozen or so trade proposals every few months in which we're always giving away Hart for an inferior player or players. Doesn't make any sense.

[joepepsi]

His offense has been overshadowed by Braun and Fielder for most of his career. On a lot of teams he'd be hitting in the middle of the order.

 

His OPS the last two years is .866 and his home run pace is 30+ a season with 90+ rbis if he were playing 150 games both years. That ranks him a better hitter than Ryan Howard, Mark Teixeira, Arod, over the same period.

[Invader3K]

I've been saying for a while that I think Corey Hart is one of the most underrated position players in all of baseball. He brings good hitting, power, and speed (although yes, he's gotten a bit slower). For a right fielder, he is a special player. Some on here pan his defense, but these are the same folks that seems to think only about six players in MLB history are capable of playing center field. He's not great with the glove, but I would call his defense average. For his contract and age, he is still a good value to this team. Unless some team is willing to trade a high quality shortstop or something for him, there's absolutely no reason to deal him at this juncture.

[Mass Haas]

Folks also forget that Hart can refuse any trade until after the 2012 season that moves him to a team that trains in Florida -- part of his contract...

[PrinceEatMeat]

Yeah, I agree with everyone here. Hart will look a lot better to people this year with Fielder gone. More people will realize how valuable he actually is offensively. I wouldn't trade him now. I do agree that most of the people who wanted him traded wanted pitching in return, which we no longer need. Doesn't make any sense to trade him now. We need his offense pretty desperately in my opinion. If it is because of Aoki, then move Hart to 1B or trade Morgan. Hart is too valuable to the team at this point to trade him.

[sheetskout]

I'm convinced some people simply don't like Hart. Maybe it's his streakiness, maybe it's his mannerisms. But I compare Hart very strongly to Jason Werth. Milwaukee fans should be thanking their lucky stars that we have him under this contract. Hart is in the top two or three RF's in the National League.

[dadofandrew]

Most people don't realize Hart was one of the top 30 offensive players in the game. He's been overshadowed by Braun and Fielder, many casuals have no idea he'd be the best hitter on 10-12 teams, and a #3/4 hitter on many others. He's been far better than Cuddyer, who was a sought after FA, and far younger.

 

What's funny is, if he were dealt, the public would want a RH middle of the order bat who could hit 25 HR's. They always want what they do not have.

[Kelbysdaddy]

think about the free agent contracts over the last couple years to comparable outfielders and then tell me we should trade him. he's easily better then werth and i'd (personally) take him over crawford.

[BrewCrewForever]

We have been lucky to have Hart be the 3rd or 4th best hitter on our team the past few years. He would be the first or second best on other teams. Very undervalued player, no doubt. Does his defense drive me nuts sometimes? Yes. That is really my only complaint. And that might be grasping at straws.

[TheCrew]

For as much as he is making this coming season, he needs to make it through the year healthy - too much time missed over the past 2 seasons.

 

That said, only way I'd trade him at this point is if it was in order to free up $ to sign Prince - and I'm not even sure that would be a good move in the long term.

[BREWCREW5]

Hart is easily been overshadowed by Braun and Prince. Could it be to that Hart is incredibly Chewbacca looking and isnt the most handsome guy on the team (being serious)?

[paul253]

Moving Hart only made sense when we didnt have any pitching.

Like after next year? I actually want him traded for a few reasons. Yes he is a good hitter, but I've never seen someone struggle so much hitting 5th only to succeed hitting first or second. Is this because Braun and Fielder were behind him and he saw better pitches? Who knows, but I think his inability to hit 5th or 6th hurts his offensive value. I also think his defense is terrible. And it looked like it got worse this past year. Plus, his value is still pretty high. Teams that are looking for an outfielder may feel the same way most of you feel about him and overpay for him. I don't think anyone wants to trade him just to trade him. If you can get good value back. The Brewers are going to need pitching after this season. Jungmann and Bradley are probably three years away and that's assuming they both turn out. I've always thought Atlanta would make a good trade partner because they want an outfielder and they have a ton of pitching. Finally, the few positional prospects we have at the top of the system are all outfielders. Schafer and Gindl could probably compete for a position now. I think Khris Davis will turn it around next season in AA and he could ready soon. Plus Gamel could always play right field. And that Japanese guy if he signs. And freeing up that $20 million or so he is still owed could go a long way towards helping us stay competitive. So for me, it's not one major reason I want to trade him. It's like four or five that kind of add up.

[DHonks]

Hart is not a problem offensively, but many of us do get extremely upset with his horrible defense. He has negative value as an outfielder. His arm is underrated, but his range is awful, his jumps are awful, and it appears he struggles to track balls (often losing balls in lights) likely due to his refusal to wear prescription eyewear.

 

If we could get slightly less offensive production and significantly better defense--at a fraction of the cost--then it would make sense to at least consider moving Hart in the right deal

[JohnBriggs12]

I'm convinced some people simply don't like Hart. Maybe it's his streakiness, maybe it's his mannerisms. But I compare Hart very strongly to Jason Werth. Milwaukee fans should be thanking their lucky stars that we have him under this contract. Hart is in the top two or three RF's in the National League.

 

But what happened to Werth when he went from maybe the number 3-4 guy in a lineup in Philly to being designated "the guy" in Washington? His production fell off dramatically. Assuming because Hart has put up some good numbers in a lineup that also include Fielder and Braun that he can do the same in a lesser lineup is fuzzy thinking. He's already got a history begging out of the 5 spot in a lineup. That wouldn't bother a true star in the game. It just might be that his value may never be higher because he's more comfortable being a complimentary player.

[dadofandrew]

Hart's about 4 runs below average per UZR and DRS. He isn't even close to being a liability, compared to an Adam Dunn or Brad Hawpe types, who made millions in the game. Willingham isn't good enough to play RF, and Cuddyer is far worse, and they each had teams lining up to run them out there. Again, corner OF's don't make their cash playing D, and worrying about a guy slightly below the norm is just being nitpicky.

[GAME05]

1. Hart is our most tradeable asset and it's fun to play GM

2. people enamored with Aoki as if he's going to be immediatly better than Hart, making Hart expendable

 

 

if Hart was making $15M per i'd have a different opinion of him. but he's a huge bargain at $9M and i certainly don't have any desire to see him leave the team. i can't envision any trade at all that would bring back the value per dollar that Hart already gives us.

[paul253]

i can't envision any trade at all that would bring back the value per dollar that Hart already gives us.

 

I think any trade that brings back a pitching prospect with 2-3 type stuff would be a fair deal. That's why I like Atlanta as a trade partner. Whether or not Atlanta would trade any of their pitchers (Beachy, Minor, Delgado, Teheran, Vizcaino etc) is another question.

[TooLiveBrew]

I think this thread's premise is great. I agree that Hart has been & will continue to be a nice piece of the puzzle for the Brewers. And honestly, if he wanted to sign another multi-yr. contract & move to 1B (I know he's mentioned he doesn't want to play 1B now... just conjecturing about the future) eventually, I think he'd be a good player to sign long-term. I think he can be counted on to maintain his production well into his mid-30s. He may not have aged well as a fielder or athlete, but he's aged pretty well as a hitter.

[Raw Biz]

i can't envision any trade at all that would bring back the value per dollar that Hart already gives us.

 

I think any trade that brings back a pitching prospect with 2-3 type stuff would be a fair deal. That's why I like Atlanta as a trade partner. Whether or not Atlanta would trade any of their pitchers (Beachy, Minor, Delgado, Teheran, Vizcaino etc) is another question.

I agree. I've never been a big Corey Hart fan (and I've stated it many times). I know the guy can hit and he has value but there's just something about him I don't like. I think his terrible defense (or at least terrible routes/arm accuracy), love of the low-and-away slider, insistence on batting 1st or 2nd, and sudden lack of speed all contribute. That being said, I would only trade him if we got fair value and I think Atlanta has a lot of pitchers that could provide fair value.

For me, pitching and defense is the most important. It seems like all of our "big" prospects are corner OF/1B types so I think we could find someone to replace Hart. Sure they might not hit .280 with 25 HR right away but Hart didn't either and I don't think we'd need them to. If we could get someone like Beachy, Minor, etc. for Hart, I would have to think hard about pulling the trigger, especially if Braun isn't suspended and we sign Aoki. My ideal situation would be to keep Hart until at least the deadline to see where we're at. If we're out of it, pull the trigger. Otherwise if Aoki/Gindl/Schafer have good years, then trade Hart next offseason.

[Invader3K]

I think calling Hart's defense "terrible" is ridiculous hyperbole. Do you guys watch outfielders on other teams?