Brewers acquire Burke Badenhop from Rays for Raul Mondesi Jr.

[MNBrew]

I like this move. 4.5 years in the bigs & respectable control is pretty darn good compared to most of the guys essentially ejected from last year's 'pen who are now seeking employment elsewhere (or hospitals that are open).

 

I like the direction so far for next year's bullpen:

 

Axford

Henderson

Badenhop

Kintzler (likely)

[brewmann04]

yes nice move to add to depth of the Pen like to see the next additions to the Pen. I am very curious who they are going after as that veteran starter.

[markedman5]

and he has an option left in case he struggles for some reason......

[igor67]

Can't argue with picking up a number of guys fairly cheaply when it comes to bullpens and see what happens.

[hawing]

His middle name is Heinrich. That's Burke Heinrich Badenhop on our roster now. What more do you need in a Milwaukee name? It even ends in HOP.

[DHonks]

he's better than what we've let go...Parra, Loe, and Veras.

[TooLiveBrew]

60-70 IP of 3.50-ish ERA in relief for basically nothing. Good move!

Completely agree. I hope Melvin & Co. are able to stick to the trade market for the bullpen, as long as the prices are this reasonable.

[brewmann04]

I think DM will wait till at least the new year before he signs any Fa Reliever.

[PeteP]

I wonder what his knickname will be. Burk-ie? With a last name of Badenhop, I kind of wish his first name was Boris. Boris Badenhop? Vat ees eet Natasha..

 

Great trade though, can't wait to see what's coming next!

[Ennder]

If you think this guy is a sub 3.50 ERA guy you are completely kidding yourself and deserve what you get. If you expect him to be a mediocre backend bullpen guy then yeah it is a decent move.

[reillymcshane]

Let's hope he is used properly - unlike Loe. I think a lot of a reliever's success is how he is used.

 

Kameron Loe last year - Batters Faced:

Righties: 161 (.745 OPS)

Lefties: 114 (.843 OPS)

 

Badenhop:

Righties: 163 (.610 OPS)

Lefties: 80 (.844 OPS)

 

I realize our lack of a quality lefties forced us to use a guy like Loe when we didn't want to. But a team should recognize when a guy has a weakness, and not try and force someone into being something they are not. Like Loe being the '8th inning guy' back in 2011.

 

I also think that the inability of our starters to go deep in games really makes our relievers vulnerable. Tampa relievers threw about 50 less innings than our relievers. Those extra innings add up and force the team to trot out a guy like Loe more often than we want.

 

Still, I don't think it's just a coincidence that the Rays seem to have a good bullpen year-after-year, even as personnel change - sometimes dramatically. You need to use the guys you have as efficiently as possible.

[logan82]

Kameron Loe last year - Batters Faced:

Righties: 161 (.745 OPS)

Lefties: 114 (.843 OPS)

100 points of OPS isn't much of a split. I think you would see a similar split in OPS for all but the best starting pitchers and relievers.

[SRB]

If you think this guy is a sub 3.50 ERA guy you are completely kidding yourself and deserve what you get. If you expect him to be a mediocre backend bullpen guy then yeah it is a decent move.

Huh? From 2009-2012 (since Badenhop was converted to a RP, but including a couple starts):

 

265.2 IP, 3.73 ERA, 3.43 FIP, 3.61 xFIP

 

But part of that is in the AL, and last year he had a 3.03 ERA in the AL. Miller Park might be a touch more home run friendly (though not actually sure about that), but he's a groundball pitcher so wouldn't be a huge impact. I'd say an ERA around 3.50, if not below, is right on the money.

[endaround]

Kameron Loe last year - Batters Faced:

Righties: 161 (.745 OPS)

Lefties: 114 (.843 OPS)

100 points of OPS isn't much of a split. I think you would see a similar split in OPS for all but the best starting pitchers and relievers.

 

When most of that is in OBP, it is a huge split. Loe had issues with home runs from RHers last year. Loe for his career:

 

.302/.365/.473 vs LHers

 

.250/.308/.377 vs RHers.

 

Badenhop

 

.268/.361/.411

 

.259/.294/.361

 

This is another guy who shouldn't face LHers which is worrisome because Roenicke probably won't use him that way.

[dlk9s]

This move is fine with me, considering I had no idea Raul Mondesi, Jr. was in the Brewers' system and I don't know anything about his talent.

[Mass Haas]

This move is fine with me, considering I had no idea Raul Mondesi, Jr. was in the Brewers' system and I don't know anything about his talent.

 

Helena Brewers interviews with Mondesi Jr. and Sr. we linked to in July

[Ennder]

But part of that is in the AL, and last year he had a 3.03 ERA in the AL. Miller Park might be a touch more home run friendly (though not actually sure about that), but he's a groundball pitcher so wouldn't be a huge impact. I'd say an ERA around 3.50, if not below, is right on the money.

 

And I expect you to be happy with the move. But reading many sources a lot of people are buying into that 3.03 ERA as an expectation and that is not going to end well if that is your expectation. Obviously with RP you can get just about anything since the expected range of ERA for a 3.50 ERA RP over 60 innings is something like 2.50-4.50. He is a 6th/7th inning guy more than an 8th/9th guy and he is more of a matchups play. Still useful but I just hope people have realistic expectations.

[Mass Haas]

Three pages worth of MLB video archives featuring Badenhop in some manner

[Tedaldtada]

This move is fine with me, considering I had no idea Raul Mondesi, Jr. was in the Brewers' system and I don't know anything about his talent.

 

Mondesi Jr. is kind of a longshot guy. He has a cannon (10+ assists in short season), he has some power and he can run a little.

 

The approach is suspect and his play was always a bit out if control. Even worse, his hit tool is below average, so he will find it difficult to luck his way into good numbers ever.

 

If you want a Mondesi to watch for, make it Adalberto.

[craigharmann]

If this trade turns out half as good as the last son of a former major leaguer traded, I'll be happy.

[torts]

If this trade turns out half as good as the last son of a former major leaguer traded, I'll be happy.

 

you talkin' 'bout cutter?

[RobDeer 45]

I think it's a solid move but I don't think we can expect much more than an average bullpen arm. That's fine with me. I think most of the bullpen is a crap shoot anyway.

[monty57]

But part of that is in the AL, and last year he had a 3.03 ERA in the AL. Miller Park might be a touch more home run friendly (though not actually sure about that), but he's a groundball pitcher so wouldn't be a huge impact. I'd say an ERA around 3.50, if not below, is right on the money.

 

And I expect you to be happy with the move. But reading many sources a lot of people are buying into that 3.03 ERA as an expectation and that is not going to end well if that is your expectation. Obviously with RP you can get just about anything since the expected range of ERA for a 3.50 ERA RP over 60 innings is something like 2.50-4.50. He is a 6th/7th inning guy more than an 8th/9th guy and he is more of a matchups play. Still useful but I just hope people have realistic expectations.

 

That's certainly fair. Badenhop looks like a little better version of Kam Loe. I like that he doesn't walk guys, and I like that he does perform a task well (getting RHB out). However, if he is used incorrectly, he probably won't perform well.

 

Loe should never have been considered "the 8th inning guy." Roenicke is the guy who put him there and Melvin had to trade for K-Rod to get Loe out of that role. I would expect a "big name" added to the bullpen this offseason who will be the setup guy. If we don't get that "big name," I wouldn't be surprised to see a guy coming off a 3.03 ERA season cemented into the "8th inning guy" role, which could be disasterous.

 

As a 6th/7th inning guy who is predominantly used vs RHP, I like this pickup.

[JohnBriggs12]

They could roll the dice with Henderson at the 8th inning guy, but ideally I'd imagine they'd like a more experienced guy in that role. Maybe not a huge name, but a guy with some closing experience who's solid makes sense. That's why I've brought up Jon Rauch. Rauch has had his share of ups and downs, but he's been about as consistent as you'd expect a reliever to be, and he's got plenty of 8th inning experience, and has closed before too.

[craigharmann]

If this trade turns out half as good as the last son of a former major leaguer traded, I'll be happy.

 

you talkin' 'bout cutter?

 

Yeah, I guess I probably could have been a little more specific.