Gomez Extended

[Schlitz001]

I guess I'm in the minority, this deal stinks. This is terrible bang-for-our-buck considering other options. Just an example of being foolish with money. The guy can't even get on base. $8 M per year for three years? The more I think about it, the more it ticks me off. A complete waste within the confines of our budget. Complete waste.

 

I agree, this deal blows and I'm actually surprised by the amount of love for this deal. We are talking about a platoon player with a .294 career OBP making $9 million in as a 30 year old. Is his body going to hold up with his aggressive style of play? Don't get me wrong, I love having him on the team and love his excitement level, but last years 19 HRs seems like a fluke compared to his career numbers. This is the same Carlos Gomez that everybody hated just a few years ago. Well played Boras.

[JohnBriggs12]

I love this deal. There's not many guys who are as fun to watch play as Carlos Gomez in all of baseball. His attitude is infectious as well. That day of the tragic sudden death of the Brewer employee in the bullpen, Gomez got on base with the game tied in the bottom of the 9th, induced about a dozen throws to first, before finally taking off. Montero's throw went into CF and Gomez took off for 3rd, inducing another errant throw, allowing him to trot home with the winning run. I've been watching baseball a long time and never saw a game end like that.

 

I feel confident the Brewers invested wisely for what figures to be Carlos Gomez' prime years. I'm stoked.

[brewcrewdue80]

I guess I'm in the minority, this deal stinks. This is terrible bang-for-our-buck considering other options. Just an example of being foolish with money. The guy can't even get on base. $8 M per year for three years? The more I think about it, the more it ticks me off. A complete waste within the confines of our budget. Complete waste.

 

I agree, this deal blows and I'm actually surprised by the amount of love for this deal. We are talking about a platoon player with a .294 career OBP making $9 million in as a 30 year old. Is his body going to hold up with his aggressive style of play? Don't get me wrong, I love having him on the team and love his excitement level, but last years 19 HRs seems like a fluke compared to his career numbers. This is the same Carlos Gomez that everybody hated just a few years ago. Well played Boras.

 

30years old and worried on body holding up for 2016? @9mil? We've got players in the minors who are hoping to make the team by the time they are 27. I only get worried about age when 32-34 hits.

 

Am I fan of this contract? Yes/No. The team locked up a plus defender. But, to me like Rickie, the cost of this contract means he will be the Brewers #6 batter in the lineup or higher. I'm okay with him as a #6 but any higher, I don't like it. Now, to make Gomez #6 when Hart returns isn't probable so then he's #7. Obviously, with Weeks/Aoki days off he bats 1 or 2. Still, what I see is that he's not likely to see 600PA in any of the 4 years and that to me means liklihood that his numbers when it's said and done, wont make the deal look good.

 

There are positives in Gomez's batting growth since 2011. The power while questionable on being legit to say 19HRs again, I'd say 14 is reasonable and not over-estimating. The speed has always been there and it's just having a green light on the paths to see 30SBs or more.

 

I'm okay with this 3year extension as we had discussed the whole QO to him potential(13+mil for 1Year!) The team has Aoki/Lucroy/Segura/ and Braun for that matter at undervalued contracts. So if you want to be upset at 8mil/yr avg. when he has 4.3mil this year that Arby pretty much dictated, you're looking at a 3.7mil raise over his "Deemed" value. I see 5mil value easily on Gomez's Defense so then we're at 3mil/yr of potentially saying as overpay. For how the rest of the team is made up, between those 4, I see nothing wrong with the deal. It's not a deal that hurts the team financially on 3mil. overpay or less on a season.

[Raw Biz]

I think people are underestimating the impact Gomez has on defense. He's probably worth $5 million/year alone in CF if he's starting just about every game. And yes he doesn't get on base a lot, but when he does, he wreaks havoc (sometimes not so good but mostly great). So his baserunning is probably worth another $1 million/year. Last year he hit 20 hrs. I'd say that's worth at least $2 million. Sure he might not repeat that but he could probably do 12-15 again for sure.

 

Obviously this is all very unscientific but I really think, as some posters have pointed out, this is fair considering his defense and speed alone. And guys don't tend to lose their speed until right around the time his contract will be up. So it's already pretty fair and if he hits like he did last year, it could be a steal.

[JohnBriggs12]

Boras had 2 top CF ready to hit the market next year. He also represents Jacoby Ellsbury. That would have depressed the market for both of them. Gomez had expressed desire to stay, so Boras focused on getting him a deal now. That makes his other client more valuable. It could also be that Boras is courting the good graces of the Brewers in hopes it helps him sell the Brewers on Lohse.

 

Brewer fans respond to Gomez, and vice versa. It's a great day.

[StearnsFTW]

The Brewers are so going to regret this.

 

I hope I'm wrong.

 

All the reasons to think this one blows up in their face are there. He's cracked a .300 OBP once. Boras actually let a client sign 1 year from free agency. Seriously, what does that tell you?

 

 

He's worth the contract at last year's #s IMO. The scary thing is, what is he worth with a .325 OBP? Waaay more. And I know that's a stretch, it's just that his upside is so, so high.

[jerichoholicninja]

If we get 2012 Carlos it's probably fair. If we get the Carlos from the rest of his career it stinks.

[Invader3K]

The way I see it, Gomez is the Ozzie Smith of center field. He doesn't hit that great, but it doesn't matter. You're paying him for his glove and his speed.

[Raw Biz]

The way I see it, Gomez is the Ozzie Smith of center field. He doesn't hit that great, but it doesn't matter. You're paying him for his glove and his speed.

 

Well said. Any offense is a plus. The guy is that good defensively (not Ozzie Smith good but comparatively to the rest of the CF in the league).

[brewtank34]

While I must say I'm quite surprised by this move due to Schaffer waiting in the wings, I have to admit that I've been wanting GoGo to remain a Brewer. I see some real good attributes in him such as the desire to succeed. From all the interviews I've read about him this year, he took this offseason and just focused on watching pitches come in. He's already showing this spring that he's taken that practice and making it work for him. His OBP this spring is off the chart and I'm hoping it will carry into the season. If he can raise his OBP to over .320, I'm seeing amazing things for him and the Crew.

He's one of the best CF's in the game and he is now showing the confidence in his offense to really break out. I have all the trust in him and want him to succeed. I'm hoping I don't just have my Brewer Goggles on, but all in all, he shows to have all the tools we need.

Now we can use Schaffer as trade bait...as well as Gindl or Davis. This makes us much more versitle as an organization. Nice move Doug!!

[MVP2110]

Its a decent move. If he plays like he did last year he is definately worth it. if he regresses back to his old ways hes probably around more of a 6 mil player. So not a horrible overpay. If he continues to improve it is definately a great move. He is a 5 tool player and we now have 3/4 of our lineup locked up for atleast 3 seasons allowing us to maybe make some of our upper level prospects available for trade or depth

[nate82]

I don't agree with this move but I can see the reasoning behind it. The contract is not all that bad though I would rather pay Schafer to play CF at league min than pay Gomez the salary he will be getting. It is not a bad move and the contract is fine it is just not something I would do unless there is another move to be made. Schafer to the Rays for Niemman is probably my guess here. I don't really agree with that as I believe this trade is a couple years to late.

 

At least the Brewers now have some depth in the OF and well we can see what the Twins got this past off season with their depth in the OF. The Twins got some nice players in return for their depth in the OF from the Phillies and the Nationals.

[James Zumstein]

We have quantity of OF's in our upper minors, but a lot of experts aren't convinced that they are necessarily quality, at least as far as being everyday players. I personally really like what I've seen so far from Logan Schafer, plus I still think Gindl and Kris Davis could contribute to a winning MLB team, but I don't think anyone can say for certain that they any of them will become .750-.800 OPS players over a full season. I think more fans would feel confident that Gomez can produce day in and day out, which at the amount we signed him for, makes it a good deal.

[Ennder]

Contract is an absolute steal if he plays anything like he did in 2012. If he does repeat 2012 for the next 4 years he will be worth at least 2 times what he is earning. If he regresses back to 2011 style stats just over a full year it is only a small steal. He has to drop all the way back to 2010 numbers for this deal to have any chance at being bad.

[danzig6767]

If we get 2012 Carlos it's probably fair. If we get the Carlos from the rest of his career it stinks.

 

I think you undervalue the year he had last season compared to what that is worth in today's salary structure.

 

Now obviously this wouldn't happen, but if hypothetically Gomez was on the free agent market and it was guaranteed that he would repeat each year a .770 OPS, 37 stolen bases, and also provide his normal stellar defense, he'd get significantly more than a 3yr/24 million dollar deal.

 

So both sides took a calculated risk here. If Carlos ends up having a season similar to or even better than last season, he'd have been able to command significantly more than this contract. If instead he regresses back to his .650 OPS levels, then the Brewers will have overpaid some, but at least the defense and elite base running would keep the contract from being some major blunder.

[nate82]

Contract is an absolute steal if he plays anything like he did in 2012. If he does repeat 2012 for the next 4 years he will be worth at least 3 times what he is earning. If he regresses back to 2011 style stats just over a full year it is only a small steal. He has to drop all the way back to 2010 numbers for this deal to have any chance at being bad.

 

Taking into consideration what Upton and even Bourn got this year in free agency this is an absolute steal. Gomez if he did hit free agency would have easily gotten a 4 or 5 year deal worth on average $10-14m a year. Gomez projects to be about the same as Upton maybe a little bit less than Upton offensively over the next 4 years. Value wise Gomez is on par with Upton and if you compare the contract Gomez received to what Upton got it basically makes this a steal for the Brewers. I agree that Gomez would have to play at his 2010 numbers for this to be a bad investment for the Brewers.

 

Again I don't really agree with this but it is not a bad deal for the Brewers when you consider what he could have gotten in FA.

[Ennder]

I expect Hart to walk at this point considering the injury and the fact he is pretty replaceable from within. I don't think Schafer profiles as much more than a 4th OF so it doesn't bother me that we blocked him.

[logan82]

I don't care what Gomez would have made in FA. That is pretty much irrelevant. This deal makes no sense because we have Schafer already in the system who by many accounts plays really good defense in CF and can actually get on base. Seems like a waste of money.

 

I hope he finally develops some plate discipline.

[BrewCrew8682]

I don't care what Gomez would have made in FA. That is pretty much irrelevant. This deal makes no sense because we have Schafer already in the system who by many accounts plays really good defense in CF and can actually get on base. What a waste of money.

 

Except that it isn't irrelevant. If Gomez performs even close to what he did last year, he will continue to carry a lot of value. It isn't like he couldn't be traded for someone of value if he has a good year or 2 and Schafer is knocking down the door. It also allows us to consider trading Schafer if both continue to perform well. Fact is, we are better off having both of them as long as Gomez can meet or exceed his contract. If we continued to let (youngish) players walk that were willing to sign below their market value we will be worse off as a team, regardless of who we have waiting behind them. It's about keeping the value with the team and not letting it walk away for nothing.

[logan82]

I don't care what Gomez would have made in FA. That is pretty much irrelevant. This deal makes no sense because we have Schafer already in the system who by many accounts plays really good defense in CF and can actually get on base. What a waste of money.

 

Except that it isn't irrelevant. If Gomez performs even close to what he did last year, he will continue to carry a lot of value. It isn't like he couldn't be traded for someone of value if he has a good year or 2 and Schafer is knocking down the door. It also allows us to consider trading Schafer if both continue to perform well. Fact is, we are better off having both of them as long as Gomez can meet or exceed his contract. If we continued to let (youngish) players walk that were willing to sign below their market value we will be worse off as a team, regardless of who we have waiting behind them. It's about keeping the value with the team and not letting it walk away for nothing.

It is irrelevant because we have a cheaper in house option. We didn't need to spend the money.

[reillymcshane]

I think the signing shows how much the team thinks of Schafer as an everyday player.

 

I'm not judging Schafer. I honestly haven't seen the guy enough to do that. I just have stats and online reports to view. Most scouts have pretty much seen Logan as a platoon or 4th OF in the majors. But you have to just believe that the team doesn't see him as anything special. Just my interpretation.

[chewy522]

Personnaly, I completely agree with the signing. I don't think Gomez is the type of player that you should look at his career norms because he was rushed to the bigs and learned alot on the fly. He has been improving drastically so using stats from 3 years on ago becomes way less meaningful. To me, last year (especialy in the second half), he passed the eye test. He (and the coaching staff) stopped trying to change him into a slap hitter or on base guy and just let him be himself. Obviously he is capable with the glove and base running, but it appears he is "getting it" hitting wise and his numbers reflect that a bit. I think the Brewers struck at the perfect time. They have some actual production to base this contract on as opposed to pure potential, yet they made the offer before he completely proved himself.

[PrinceFielderx1]

I think the signing shows how much the team thinks of Schafer as an everyday player.

 

I'm not judging Schafer. I honestly haven't seen the guy enough to do that. I just have stats and online reports to view. Most scouts have pretty much seen Logan as a platoon or 4th OF in the majors. But you have to just believe that the team doesn't see him as anything special. Just my interpretation.

 

I'm personally really high on Logan Schafer, but this move is forcing me to take a step back and maybe agree with you. The only thing I thought that Gomez has on Schafer was the power difference and a little bit better glove. However, Schafer has better plate discipline and is a smarter base runner (1st to 3rd etc). They both have great defense, and speed. Slight edge to Gomez, because he's proven more in the Majors and the potential is still there for improvement. It's a close call. Is that difference worth 24 million that was just committed? You make the call.

 

I'd like to see Gomez improve more on plate discipline and base running. He doesn't need to improve that much on these to be worth 7-8 million a year.

[Ennder]

While Gomez makes dumb mistakes on the bases he is still one of the better overall baserunners in the game from all metrics and it shows when he plays, he takes a lot of extra bases and doesn't get thrown out all that much comparatively.

[joepepsi]

He's entering his age 27 season and coming off his best year yet. An affordable contract that is very tradeable at any point of its duration should Schafer assert himself or the team tank.