Corey Hart - Realistic re-sign value. Should we even try?

[fondybrewfan]

I think he was referring to platooning Halton and Morris which seems to make some sense especially if Aoki is traded.

 

Of the two I would bet on Morris as the long term answer. Hes got some nice power; maybe a 20 HR a year guy in MLB. He can take a walk. A little inconsistent this year though and probably is best served to stay in AAA until September call ups. I don't think he will ever be a consisent .900 OPS guy that is ideal at 1st; but an .800-.850 OPS isn't that bad.

[brewcrewdue80]

Saw this on MLBTR:

•After having knee surgery, Corey Hart is now out for the season, and it's unclear what his future holds, reports Todd Rosiak of the Journal Sentinel. He's a free agent this offseason, and he'd like to stay with the Brewers. Due to the injury, it likely won't take a large financial commitment for Milwaukee to keep him. "I’ve talked to my agent. This is my home – I’ve been them almost half my life," says Hart. "I’d like to continue as long as they’ll let me. This might have been the silver lining to let me stay here – maybe a lower salary with incentives helps my case."

 

Morris's line on the 4th:Let's put this down for now. And come back every 2 weeks.

Hunter Morris YTD: .244/.333/.492/.826

17/2b 2/3b 15HR 39RBI 33BB 61K

 

At the break: .241/.319/.496/ .811 in 351PAs

17/2b 2/3b 19HR 51RBI 34BB 72K

[igor67]

There is still a lot of time left, but regardless of how you look at next season a lower base with incentives for Hart looks like a very attractive plan. Clearly there is some risk that Hart might be done like Sexson was after his run. However, the following assortment have all had a chance to make a case to be the guy: Halton, Gamel, Crush Davis, Fransisco, and Morris. Without rehashing every guys issues and strengths its fair to say none of them are prospects that you just hand the reigns to and none has grabbed the opportunity and refused to let go. Fransisco has performed the best, but he looks like a platoon guy. Morris hasn't been bad, but if he can't maintain what he's doing now after jumping up that line starts to look as suspect as what we've been trotting out.

[JohnBriggs12]

The problem in assessing guys like Halton is that he goes like 1 for 12, and Roenicke sticks Yuni back in there. Francisco had a little power surge there for a week or so, but isn't his natural position 3B? He doesn't look real natural at 1B and he can't hit lefties. Morris' OPS is down considerably from AA to AAA. It's still okay and the HR totals are there, but there's certainly questions whether he's more Jeff Liefer than he is Adam LaRoche.

 

Hart is a bit of a gamble and even with an incentive laden deal, it's going to cost more to keep him. But if he can prove he's healthy, then it's possible he can put up numbers approaching his career norms.

[brewcrewdue80]

I just don't get the point in bringing Hart back for 1 year with the other options to use? At best, he becomes like KRod and becomes viable in trade next year. At worst, he's Alex Gonzalez ruined and costing the team 1+million to be waived after 60games and thus using our options anyhow.

 

This isn't an 85-90win team next season with the question mark of who's going to man 1b? A veteran like Hart? Or, the unproven options of Gamel,Morris, Halton, and Green?

The team should fully expect more regression from Braun/ARam/Weeks/Aoki/Lohse on top of Hart's. It's called aging. This requires exciting young prospects to join the team to negate that less expected production from those players. Morris is the best bat to do so in the organization at the moment. Only Hart's return blocks that. If the team decides to bring back Hart, then they must remove Gamel,Green, and Morris this offseason with that logic of keeping him. Heck, why bother keeping Morris in the first place? May as well trade him tonight, clearly has no future.

[markedman5]

I'll let Melvin figure out if he wants to keep Corey.....In this day and age of going wherever the money takes you I just appreciate Corey's love for Milwaukjee and the Brewer organization.

 

He will always be one of my favorite Brewers

[Mr Southpaw]

Just say no!

[GAME05]

as good as he is a a defensive 1B, i just have a hard time seeing him get any playing time with Gamel and Morris playing the position next year. and as a bench player, only being able to play RF and 1B isn't particularly valuable.

 

i wonder if a lot may rest on whether or not Aoki gets traded. if he does, we could have a need for Hart in RF, even if Gamel gets some time at the position (which i doubt).

 

at the worst, we'd be able to get him on a pretty cheap deal next year. i'll celebrate his return just on the fact that as an offensive player, he's worth more than the $5M he'll probably get on a one-year "prove you're healthy" contract.

[TooLiveBrew]

I know I'm repeating myself, but the idea of Hart in RF for more than a spot start here & there just isn't realistic imo. His knees simply won't hold up.

[torts]

if Hart was healthy and the brewers were in the same situation record-wise, he'd be in Pittsburgh by the end of the month

[RockCoCougars]

I think that there is a very good chance that Ramirez is in the mix next year at first.

[Roderick]

I think that there is a very good chance that Ramirez is in the mix next year at first.

 

I am a little leery about putting all our eggs in the Juan Francisco at 3B basket. But if ARam can't move....

[JohnBriggs12]

I know I'm repeating myself, but the idea of Hart in RF for more than a spot start here & there just isn't realistic imo. His knees simply won't hold up.

 

Are you an orthopedist? I'm not either, but surgery is supposed to correct a problem not render him a cripple at age 31. I think it's way premature until we see him to speculate where he can play. Knees can and often are rehabbed.

[RWeeksFan23]

I think that there is a very good chance that Ramirez is in the mix next year at first.

If Ramirez is our 1B next year, what do you do with Morris, Gamel, and Halton? We have an abundance of 1B even excluding Ramirez being in the mix.

[HiAndTight]

I said it in another discussion. I would be very upset if the Brewers signed Hart to play 1b next season. There's zero advantage to it.

My assumption of money is likely in the Josh Willingham price range. 3yrs/21million. Or shorter value of 2/16 1/8 or 1/9.

 

That is money that personally, I'd want to be used for Segura's contract extension locking him up. It won't work that way since Segura even if extended today won't make more than 1.5mil next season or a combined 7mil next year and the year after. But, if I was going to set aside some payroll money for Segura, not signing Hart would be the very first thing I do.

 

Morris/Gamel will be everyday first base next year. Really just Morris. I expect him to be a September callup getting his feet wet and after Spring Training next season roll in to 1b for the season.

The premise right now is Morris doesn't look ready. He has all of July. All of August. All of September if need be to show something that he looks ready. Morris has flashes of good streaks down there, and I'm sure it will occur more often as he sees that pitching another time through and another time through making adjustments.

 

So why sign Corey Hart?

 

I wouldn't be surprised to see the Yankees sign him to a lucrative 2 year deal maybe 2/22. It makes a lot of sense as they are constructed. Whether Hart plays 1b with Texiera DH'ing or the opposite Hart at DH/Tex at 1b.

 

 

I don't like this logic that we have to pay Segura 1 or 2 million dollars next year if we're signing him to a long term deal as it lessens his desire to sign the extension and give away FA years. I'd rather we just save the money from Hart, give him a 10 million dollar signing bonus up front to entice him into the deal.

 

However as that's not how it works, I believe that Corey Hart is a good bet to take back next year, and if we were to sign him(and I believe he's made it clear he wants to be here) I'd have to insist the Brewers at least have the option of 2 years of team control in the event that he picks up where he left off.

 

2 years 5 million guaranteed in year 1 with 2-3 million in incentives with a 8 million dollar option or a 1 million dollar buyout.

 

 

 

And I'd be extraordinarily surprised to see the Yankees sign him to play 1st and DH when they have players(like Jeter) who may fill in that DH spot, and they've made no secret about the fact that they want to get down to believe 189 million dollars or at least as close as possible next year so they don't have to pay the luxury tax.

 

I think Hart has earned a shot at a show me type contract, and I think the Brewers have earned the right to demand an option for a second year if he does in fact, "show them," after everything.

 

 

And like with all of these types of moves, the low risk/high reward type moves, in the back of your mind you have to have the thought that if he does come back strong next year he's a trade asset while Morris gets a little more time in AAA.

 

He's not exactly having a banner season down there. He's now hitting .236 with a .311 OBP. I think Mat Gamel would be able to perform better if his knee is healed(and it'd be a REAL flukey injury if he injured it again...in the same place a third straight year next year.

 

I'd expect Morris to get that cup of coffee, but I don't think he'll be ready for the everyday job next year based on how he's performed in AAA. If we want a guy who strikes out a lot, hits for big power, you've already got Francisco on your roster. Over 162 game schedule based on what he's done for the Brewers he'd hit 32 HR's with very similar slash lines and Francisco is just one year older.

[HiAndTight]

I know I'm repeating myself, but the idea of Hart in RF for more than a spot start here & there just isn't realistic imo. His knees simply won't hold up.

 

Are you an orthopedist? I'm not either, but surgery is supposed to correct a problem not render him a cripple at age 31. I think it's way premature until we see him to speculate where he can play. Knees can and often are rehabbed.

 

 

No, I just think he's taking the information he has and coming to a logical conclusion.

 

Hart was never a very good RF'er, and he'd be coming off 3 knee injuries, two of which on each knees that knocked him out for the season. Repeatedly suffering knee injuries and then asking a guy who's lost a great deal of speed and athletic ability to move BACK out to a more physically demanding position after those injuries just SEEMS illogical.

 

The "are you an orthopedist," as clever as it may be, could just as easily apply to everyone on here who goes to a baseball game and then comes back from one experience and gives a "scouting report," or takes prospect rankings and says, "if we trade so and so we have to get this prospect back." Are you a GM? Are you a scout?

 

 

And I don't believe that anyone said he was a cripple, but repeated surgeries on the same joint often times suggest a larger underlying issue. And that is something I DO have personal knowledge of. I was a former athlete, had several surgeries on my knees, shoulder and hip before I was 30 and they were to relieve pain, not repair myself so that I could go back and do the same things I could do previously(which in Hart's case is something he wasn't even that good at previously, ie, playing RF).

 

I would say that moving him back to RF at this point is LIKELY not in the Brewers play(at LEAST on a full time basis). But hey...I'm not Doug Melvin....just using my powers of deductive reasoning.

[brewcrewdue80]

Here's my biggest concern.

 

See Mat Gamel 2012 and...2013.

 

That was on 1 bad knee coming back from Surgery.

Now we want to take the risk Corey can play long enough having BOTH bad knees coming back from surgery? Look at ARam with his knee situation? It's bad enough to go on the DL multiple times. Knees aren't to be messed with! They end careers in a hurry across all sports. How many times have players been successful and regained full form after having knee surgery? Vs. how many disappointing returns and loss in ability to flat out having to retire?

This is the NL no DH, that would be the only situation I'd feel comfortable in bringing back Corey is to safely have the DH to plug him in to if he just can't cut it fielding.

[djoctagone]

the brewers have made signing corey hart a priority, per hart's agent.

[Warning Track Power]

I am a little disheartened by the comments "there has to be a fit from both sides..." I think that is a little bit of agent speak but rings hollow to me. With Hart having just collected $10 million for sitting on the bench, I think his offer of taking less than market value should be honored. I by no means am saying that he should have a drastic cut to say $3 million but I am saying that there is an obvious fit on both sides and that any "negotiation" should simply be over just how much of a drop from $10 million/year is fair.

[torts]

Corey Hart Could Make Decision Tonight

By Charlie Wilmoth [December 10 at 7:59pm CST]

Free agent first baseman Corey Hart could agree to terms with a team tonight, MLB.com's Adam McCalvy tweets. Earlier this week, a report indicated that the Brewers were prioritizing re-signing Hart. They also have a need at first base. Hart, meanwhile, has said he would be willing to take less money to stay in Milwaukee.

 

Hart missed the 2013 season and has recently had surgeries on both knees. He hit .270/.334/.507 for the Brewers in 2012. The Brewers currently have Juan Francisco atop their depth chart at first base.

[brewtank34]

Is it conceivable that the Brewers will sign Hart AND trade for LoMo or Ike Davis as a left handed platoon/bench option? It would be nice to add some power lefties if possible.

[brewerfan82]

I think getting a nice LH bat for the bench would be almost necessary if we resign Hart. I know he's old, hasn't been rumored for the Brewers and is probably best suited for an AL team at this point, but after perusing the free agent list, I kind of like the idea of trying to get Raul Ibanez as a power hitting LH off the bench. He could provide days off for Davis in left and Hart at first and provide insurance in case Davis doesn't pan out. With that said, I don't see this happening, lol.

[502 to Right]

I think getting a nice LH bat for the bench would be almost necessary if we resign Hart.

 

I would bet that Doug Melvin thinks he already has that person on the roster--Juan Francisco.

[Warning Track Power]

I think getting a nice LH bat for the bench would be almost necessary if we resign Hart.

 

I would bet that Doug Melvin thinks he already has that person on the roster--Juan Francisco.

Not according to tweets indicating the Brewers will pivot to Ike Davis or Logan Morrison in the event they don't re-sign Hart. Francisco just isn't an option and the Brewers stated that 1B is the priority this offseason. Why say that and why put yourself out there if Francisco was already your fallback option?

[ilikewisco]

Not according to tweets indicating the Brewers will pivot to Ike Davis or Logan Morrison in the event they don't re-sign Hart. Francisco just isn't an option and the Brewers stated that 1B is the priority this offseason. Why say that and why put yourself out there if Francisco was already your fallback option?

 

He was saying Francisco as the LH bench option, not the starter at first.