2014 off season

[nate82]

Let's be realistic here. The true path Melvin and Co. take would be this:

 

Pick up Aoki's option

Trade BOTH Scooter Gennett and Khris Davis to Baltimore for the 2years left in Arb Bud Norris. Creating a great combo of Chris "Chrush"/ and Khris "Khrush" Davis in their lineup.

Weeks stays on the team at 2b with Bianchi/Yuni being the backups.

Hart will be resigned.

 

Melvin & Co. will see the Norris acquisition the difference maker to their Starting rotation. Expect healthy ARam/Hart/Weeks to return to the lineup and hit at All-Star level ability and all this will result in a Playoff berth.

 

Proving once again, Melvin can't get away from the old and play the young. Sacrificing 12years of Davis/Gennett for 2 of Norris. Wasting 1 yr of Schafer/Gindl by keeping Aoki. And in the process leaving way more questions on what the future of what this team looks like in 2015 when all the vets leave. But hey, they are reactionary run organization not Proactive with a look to the future run organization. Theyll patch a team together someway for 2015 when it gets here.

 

For trying to be realistic this is rather unrealistic. The only part that is realistic is the last sentence. There is no way the Orioles would accept that deal or even think about doing that trade unless there was a starting pitcher with at least a #2 upside in that deal. Gennett and Davis are platoon players not everyday players so I don't see why the Orioles would want to give up 2 years of Norris for basically bench players. The Orioles already have someone in their farm system that is better than Gennett and is younger in Jonathan Schoop. Davis would struggle to find any playing time in the Orioles OF and would be regulated to a platoon role.

 

I am struggling to see the reality in your post other than the parts about Weeks and Hart. I don't see Melvin trading for anyone as there isn't much to trade to get value back. Davis is probably the best player to trade to get value back if he continues on his hot streak which I doubt he will. Davis is a nice 4th OF but you would have to get lucky and have a team over pay for him the Rays would be an interesting team to talk to in terms of a trade. I would try to get a #3 type of a starting pitcher upside for Davis which would be a little bit of an overpay.

 

Ramirez so far has increased his stock the Brewers would still have to pay the buy out in a trade but you could see a decent prospect or two in return for him. Ramirez might be the hottest name this off season as there is virtually zero quality free agent 3B. I don't expect a trade involving any of Gomez, Braun, or Lucroy though I would definitely listen on Gomez and Lucroy as Braun is just to toxic and teams are just going to low ball offer on him. One of Lohse or Gallardo will be traded if the right deal is out there. I doubt there will be though Toronto looks to be an intriguing trade partner for Gallardo but that would be a quantity over quality type of a trade. The market for Lohse will be smaller than Gallardo's so I don't see him being traded as the value in the trade wouldn't be enough to make the trade. Other teams that would be interested in Gallardo would be the Yankees, Red Sox, A's, Mets, Padres, Giants, Dbacks, Jays and the Rangers while for Lohse you have ???. I can't really think of a team that would be interested in Lohse maybe the Braves or the Royals but I believe both of those teams would rather have Gallardo than Lohse. Lohse is probably the least likeliest player on the Brewers to be traded and that has more to do with the teams than it will have to do with what Melvin wants in return.

[igor67]

Monty is pretty much dead-on. We can count on 1 surprise move probably, Melvin seems to be pretty good at pulling one of those that no one sees coming. He'll grab a few low priced FAs and one of those will stick as well. Aramis, Weeks, and Gallardo all seem like candidates for the surprise move its the trading partner and return that people will miss-on.

[brewcrewdue80]

Let's be realistic here. The true path Melvin and Co. take would be this:

 

Pick up Aoki's option

Trade BOTH Scooter Gennett and Khris Davis to Baltimore for the 2years left in Arb Bud Norris. Creating a great combo of Chris "Chrush"/ and Khris "Khrush" Davis in their lineup.

Weeks stays on the team at 2b with Bianchi/Yuni being the backups.

Hart will be resigned.

 

Melvin & Co. will see the Norris acquisition the difference maker to their Starting rotation. Expect healthy ARam/Hart/Weeks to return to the lineup and hit at All-Star level ability and all this will result in a Playoff berth.

 

Proving once again, Melvin can't get away from the old and play the young. Sacrificing 12years of Davis/Gennett for 2 of Norris. Wasting 1 yr of Schafer/Gindl by keeping Aoki. And in the process leaving way more questions on what the future of what this team looks like in 2015 when all the vets leave. But hey, they are reactionary run organization not Proactive with a look to the future run organization. Theyll patch a team together someway for 2015 when it gets here.

 

For trying to be realistic this is rather unrealistic. The only part that is realistic is the last sentence. There is no way the Orioles would accept that deal or even think about doing that trade unless there was a starting pitcher with at least a #2 upside in that deal. Gennett and Davis are platoon players not everyday players so I don't see why the Orioles would want to give up 2 years of Norris for basically bench players. The Orioles already have someone in their farm system that is better than Gennett and is younger in Jonathan Schoop. Davis would struggle to find any playing time in the Orioles OF and would be regulated to a platoon role.

 

I am struggling to see the reality in your post other than the parts about Weeks and Hart. I don't see Melvin trading for anyone as there isn't much to trade to get value back. Davis is probably the best player to trade to get value back if he continues on his hot streak which I doubt he will. Davis is a nice 4th OF but you would have to get lucky and have a team over pay for him the Rays would be an interesting team to talk to in terms of a trade. I would try to get a #3 type of a starting pitcher upside for Davis which would be a little bit of an overpay.

 

 

My post is pretty much sarcasm on the running theme I read on BNet of RRR's refusal to play young players, and Melvin giving him the old Vet's to continue to manage that way.

 

As to your assumption Gennett/Davis is worthless to Baltimore?

Brian Roberts and Nate McClouth are both FAs this year. 2b/LF Seems like a good fit for them to do my trade idea.

You talk about Schoop being strictly 2b when prior to this season he also dabbled at 3b(Blocked forever by Machado) and SS(Blocked by Hardy at the moment) Will Schoop join Baltimore next season vs. having a ready Gennett to play 2b for them? Finish 2014 and guess who's a FA? Hardy. Who plays SS for Baltimore? So I am being realistic with that trade idea. Folks talk about Davis being a bit more suited for DH Something that Brian Roberts played tonight and Danny Valencia the night before.... So thanks for shutting down my idea being completely "unrealistic" when I find it to fill a couple major holes for Baltimore heading in to next season.

 

What I should have said/added to that was Milwaukee throws in a SP in the deal...Estrada? but that to me seemed beyond overpay on Milwaukee's part.

 

 

Edit Adding: I came up with Norris because much like Shaun Marcum he has 2 years left in arb to go. And to me Norris is a poor man's Marcum so I figured hey Norris equals Marcum as to Davis and Gennett equaling Lawrie. A continuance of letting our roster age and get older.

[brewmann04]

I think the brewers will trade Weeks even if it for a lower level prospects.I also think they nove Aoki but after the start of the 2014 season.I think the Stint on the DL has done YO good as for Lohse think he be on the block. I like to keep Gennett at second for a full season.

[Roderick]

....I think the Stint on the DL has done YO good as for Lohse think he be on the block. ....

 

The only way they trade Lohse is if they throw in the towel (which no one thinks MA will do), then they should also trade ARam and Aoki and get rid of Weeks to whoever will take the least cash included.

 

I say that because after this year, I don't see them trusting a rotation of Gallardo, Estrada, Peralta, and two of Thornburg/Hellweg/Nelson to get us to close to a wildcard.

[brewmann04]

Yes i totally forgot that Aram is still here past this season.

[monty57]

...then they should also trade ARam and Aoki and get rid of Weeks to whoever will take the least cash included.

 

I think they should do that regardless of other moves. Ramirez is making $20MM for the final year of his contract!! It would be wonderful for the Brewers to get out from under that contract, and even better if they could get some talent in return. Most likely, the only way they could trade Ramirez would be to eat a substantial part of the contract, which would make trading him less appealing, but there's always hope that the free-spending Dodgers would trade for him.

 

Aoki should be traded because he'd probably bring some talent back, he's walking after the season, and we have Davis, Gindl and Schafer all MLB-ready and able to fill his shoes.

 

If anyone would simply take Weeks' salary off our hands, he should be dealt, even if the player we get in return is immediately jettisoned from the system. I don't see any trade of Weeks happening because no one would trade for him. More likely, he'll either start the season in a platoon with Gennett, or will simply be cut with the Brewers eating his contract. It may just depend on whether the Brewers prefer Weeks or Francisco on the bench. It is always possible they'll send Gennett back to AAA, but that may lead to a fan mutiny if Gennett continues to play well through the rest of the season.

[brewcrewdue80]

Let's get this correct. ARam IS NOT making 20mil next season. He's making 16mil. And in the 2015 offseason it would cost Milwaukee 4mil to buy out of the 14mil ARam would make in 2015 if they wouldn't keep him for that season. Personally, I see the Yankees as ARam Suitors in trade with ARod looking gone for all of 2014. And you wonder on 2015 if ARod/ARam become a quasi-DH/3b on that season depending who's legs allow them to take the field while the other DHs.

 

If that happens I luv the idea of Lucroy 4th with returning Hart then at 1b 5th, Gomez 6th and Gennett 7th in the lineup.

 

This especially with Lucroy taking over the leadership part of this team(over Braun) and batting him 4th then for next season as letting him fully take the weight on his shoulders of batting cleanup and showing what it means to be a leader.

[monty57]

Let's get this correct. ARam IS NOT making 20mil next season.

 

That is why I said "making $20MM for the final year of his contract." However you want to say it, unless he is traded he will play one more year for the Brewers and the Brewers will pay him $20MM. Because of this, I would like to see him traded. He is not worth $20MM for a season, and that is exacerbated for a smaller market team like the Brewers, especially when they probably aren't even a .500 team with him on the roster. Plus, he's still one tweak away from knee surgery.

 

If they could get someone to pay the contract, they should do the deal. If they can get someone to pay the contract and give them something of value in return, it will be a coup. Personally, I don't think they'll get enough interest in him in order to trade him, but maybe if they eat some of the contract, they could get a team to take him. But at some point, if you have to pay for him anyway, and you're not getting anything in return, it would make more sense just to let him play for the Brewers.

 

That's where I was going with my posts above. If they can get rid of some dead money contracts then great. If not, they don't have any franchise-altering moves to make, so they should play out the season without doing anything else to hamper the future (signing another older FA to an eight-figure per year, multi-year deal, or trading away any prospects who project to help the Brewers MLB squad in the future). After 2014, several big money contracts will be off the books, and they can start to climb uphill from there.

[Outlander]

With the lack of any third base prospect even close to the majors I wouldn't automatically assume the Brewers wouldn't pick up the option in 2015. If he is healthy next year and puts up productive numbers that he has put up in 2012 and 2013 when healthy, $10 million extra isn't bad for one year. Of course if he has a productive and healthy 2014 he may decline the 2015 option and look for another contract in 2015. Either way I would not lump the $4 million into 2014.

[Roderick]

Let's get this correct. ARam IS NOT making 20mil next season.

 

That is why I said "making $20MM for the final year of his contract." However you want to say it, unless he is traded he will play one more year for the Brewers and the Brewers will pay him $20MM.

 

Obviously this isn't probable, but, if ARam stays healthy and has a decent season next year and the Brewers still don't have any other decent options, he may just still be with the team in 2015. True, his cost will be $14M, but the real cost is $10M as the $4M option is gone regardless. If he doesn't merit $10M on the market from anyone, the Brewers can renegotiate to an amount less than the $10M for just 2015. Of course if he is having a decent season next year, unless the Brewers are in it, they will trade him.

[paul253]

Can you imagine how the Brewers could turn around the state of their farm system if:

 

1) They trade Gomez

2) They have a top 6 pick

 

I know people don't like the idea of trading Gomez, but other than Segura and Lucroy Gomez is the only guy who can bring back that prospect with #1 potential. I see Danny Hultzen pitched a few innings right before his team's season ended. If he is healthy I'd love to have him. Maybe a trade of Gomez for Hultzen and Carter Capps. Hultzen is a lefty and would immediately compete for a spot in the rotation.

[DHonks]

I'm with Monty. I don't see us trying to trade Ramirez unless it's to free up salary. I would imagine we'll try to package Weeks, Aoki, and a reliever for an overpriced starting pitcher with bounce-back potential and in a walk-year. I'd be interested in bringing back Hart on a cheap incentive-laiden deal. I'd consider Gamel the utility IF now that he's back in baseball drills. Green will likely be in AAA. Halton will be in AAA playing all over. Gindl belongs in the majors, but either a big league pseudo-platoon or AAA starter seems likely. Francisco needs to lose 30-40 lbs, then I'll talk about bringing him back.

[brewmann04]

Doug think they will go all out and try to move Weeks.Maybe Aoki if they can get something in return even if it a few minor league prospect.