Green and Gamel to waivers; Gamel claimed by Cubs; Gamel non-tendered by Cubs

[rondoman]

What order did waiver claims work for this? Worst record to best? Did Gamel really get claimed that early?

 

I would have kept Gamel...no need IMO to throw in the towel on a player at this stage (I am under the assumption a roster spot wasn't needed). The injury bug was very unfortunate for him...a shame really.

I believe worst to best in the same league, and then worst to first in the other league. What I don't know is whether they are using 2012 or 2013 records at this point in the season.

 

I'd imagine it is this year. When guys are placed on waivers during the season it goes by current record so I would think it would be the same after the season. Doubt they would go back to a whole season before.

 

I did read this though and agree with interleague play they should do it worst to first and quit the league designations:

 

Baseball has undergone a number of changes and advancements in the last 20 years, but none of them has had more impact on how Major League Baseball is structured than the decision to have interleague play. Bud Selig's creation has had far-reaching repercussions. Teams now play more than one-tenth of their regular seasons against clubs from the opposite league, effectively destroying the illusion that National League ball and American League ball were somehow separate species of the same genus. Selig soon followed that decision by eliminating the separate league offices that each policed half the game, and freed the umpires to work across the game, eliminating everything distinct about the two entities, with the exception of the Designated Hitter and the stupid waiver rule.

 

When a player is put on waivers (traditional or trade waivers; it doesn't matter) by his club, every team is able to submit a claim on him. But the order claims can be made starts with the worst record in the player's own league, before any team on the other side of this ridiculous league distinction gets a shot. So if the Nationals briefly went crazy and became fed up with Bryce Harper, the Atlanta Braves, with their MLB-leading 72 wins, would get the claim before the 37 win Houston Astros in the American League. This flies in the face of basic logic. One of the purposes of the waiver system is for players not good enough to play for one team to get a chance to play on another club, and to improve the competitive balance of the league by allowing clubs at the bottom of the standings to get better cheaply. It keeps clubs like the Diamondbacks, who have needed corner outfield help all season from getting in on the Alex Rios action. All this remnant of the old system does is create an artificial barrier between players and the teams that can best use them.

[TheCrew07]

Well the Cubs do have a spot open at 3B, after the crown jewel of the Garza trade, Mike Olt hit .168 at AAA.

 

The Cubs won't have a hole at 3B for all that long, Kris Bryant appears to be everything he was advertised as pre-draft from BA:

 

Bryant has shown huge raw power since his high school days in Las Vegas, and has blossomed into college baseball's premier slugger. He posted a 1.081 OPS and nine homers as a freshmen, then a 1.154 OPS and 14 long balls as a sophomore, but he has taken his game to new heights as a junior, posting a 1.357 OPS and 25 home runs (seven more than any other Division I player) through 49 games. Opponents have pitched him very carefully, but he has remained patient, posting a 56-31 walk-strikeout mark. Bryant's best tool is his plus-plus righthanded power, allowing him to launch towering shots over the light standard in left field or hit balls over the fence to the opposite field. He has adopted a wider base and a simpler approach at the plate this year, and he has impressed scouts with his ability to turn on inside fastballs or go the other way with sliders over the outer half. His plate discipline and ability to consistently barrel up a variety of pitches make him a safe bet to be at least an average hitter, and many scouts think he'll be better than that. Bryant's arm gives him another above-average tool. His athleticism gives him at least a chance to stick at third, although he'll need plenty more repetitions to master the position. Some scouts project him as a prototypical right fielder. He has average speed and can be faster under way, and he has shown good instincts in right and center.

 

Bryant may not stick at 3B, but his early returns weren't Braunesque over there either.

Ryan Braun:

[pre]Year Age Tm Lg Lev Aff G CG Ch PO A E DP Fld% RF/G lgCS% PO Rctch Rtz

2005 21 2 Teams 2 Lgs A-Rk MIL 3B 39 119 24 82 13 6 .891 2.72 0[/pre]

 

Kris Bryant:

[pre]Year Age Tm Lg Lev Aff G CG Ch PO A E DP Fld% RF/G lgCS% PO Rctch Rtz

2013 21 3 Teams 3 Lgs A--A+-Rk CHC 3B 31 92 21 65 6 5 .935 2.77[/pre]

 

If Gamel ever comes close to reaching his ceiling as a hitter I'll be pissed they waived him. I do understand that good organizations at the top of their talent cycle can't really afford to wait around on guys with talent to develop, but the Brewers aren't a "good" organization, nor are we at the top of our talent cycle.

[DHonks]

after serious knee injuries slowed Jason Kubel, he's been pretty good. I really hate losing Gamel when we have no 1b currently and no 3b after 2014 (he's really not a 3b anymore, but he could have been a fill-in)

[TooLiveBrew]

I think you can pretty safely read between the lines that Corey Hart is Doug Melvin's plan at 1B next season.

[chickinbrickin]

I think you can pretty safely read between the lines that Corey Hart is the Doug Melvin's plan at 1B next season.

 

That is unfortunate.

[Mass Haas]

if green clears waivers, he remains property of the brewers as this is the first time he's been outrighted and he has minor league options remaining.

i'm reading reports that green can elect free agency if not claimed. is it due to minor league service time?

 

he's never been outrighted off the 40-man before . . . isn't he forced to accept the minor league assignment?

 

Yes, pro career began in 2006.

[igor67]

Roster decisions of this sort are more involved then mentioned so far. One has to factor in the likelihood of losing the player, which presumably is lower at this point in the season. The crunch caused in the near future by other players who would be added in the offseason. The quirky fact that we actually played nearly all of our 40- man this year, and with only a couple of exceptions all of them out played Gamel. The money difference is pretty small, it is not 1 million dollars at best it is the difference between his salary and the league minimum which would be half that, still it is something. Similarly the risk of losing Gamel is offset by the probability of finding a similar guy floating around who needs a chance. I was rooting for the guy, but he know profiles as a waiver wire guy. Fransisco is merely one example. I wouldn't bet on either one being terribly useful next year at this point, but that kind of is the idea. I can't bemoan this as a loss of talent, when we have a lot of other guys who are at least producing something and/or have a better chance of producing something soon. Let's take what tiny sliver of roster flexibility this provides work through the offseason, and then grab the best lottery tickets that might plausibly fill out the roster at the end instead of holding spots for lottery tickets.

[502 to Right]

Are one of these precious roster spots being held by one certain Yuniesky Betancourt?

[RightFieldCoder]

[sarcasm]You act like it's weird to hold a roster spot for your starting first baseman.[/sarcasm]

[JohnBriggs12]

I think you can pretty safely read between the lines that Corey Hart is the Doug Melvin's plan at 1B next season.

 

That is unfortunate.

 

I don't think that is necessarily the case. I think Melvin would prefer a lefty hitter at 1B for obvious reasons if they deal Aoki, which is why Francisco is still in the picture. There are some left handed hitting 1B FA who won't break the bank, and there are some that could be had via trade too.

[trwi7]

[sarcasm]You act like it's weird to hold a roster spot for your starting first baseman.[/sarcasm]

 

[sarcasm]He can also play every other infield spot. I guarantee 29 other teams would love it if their starting first baseman could play all over the infield.[/sarcasm]

[BarneyStinston]

Gamel had more than enough chances with the Brewers. It was time for him to go somewhere else.

In the last 2 years, I don't see much of a chance given at all. 75 PA in 2012? 148 PA back in '09. When you're out with an injury, there is no chance.

 

This is a guy who hit .304/.376/.498/.873 with 105 HR in 7 seasons in the minors. 28 home runs back in 2011. The guy had ACL tears, not shoulder tears. He still should be able to hit.

[coolcool]

Are one of these precious roster spots being held by one certain Yuniesky Betancourt?

 

No. Yuni plays for the Royals in even years.

[502 to Right]

Are one of these precious roster spots being held by one certain Yuniesky Betancourt?

 

No. Yuni plays for the Royals in even years.

 

 

Whew! That's a relief.

 

 

 

 

 

 

So I'm assuming that no one claimed Taylor Green?

[Invader3K]

In the last 2 years, I don't see much of a chance given at all. 75 PA in 2012? 148 PA back in '09. When you're out with an injury, there is no chance.

 

This is a guy who hit .304/.376/.498/.873 with 105 HR in 7 seasons in the minors. 28 home runs back in 2011. The guy had ACL tears, not shoulder tears. He still should be able to hit.

 

He's had a chance to make the club every year. It's not the Brewers' fault he keeps getting hurt. That was my point.

[Outlander]

Agreed, he was given plenty of chances, getting handed the first base job two years in a row. Sure it is not really Gamel's fault for getting hurt but it is not the Brewers fault either. That old saying that you don't lose your job to injury is garbage as pretty much every athlete loses their job when they are injured, even Peyton Manning.

[WV Brew]

Gamel's OPS in 2009, as mentioned the only significant number of plate appearances for him in the Majors, was .760. Hart's was .753 that year. Career minors: Gamel .873, Hart .856. I think many people are not giving Mat his due. He would be very likely to have a good season if he ever gets enough at bats. That said, we don't know the state of his health, the Brewers presumably do. If he has significant at bats with the Cubs next year, I, for one, will be upset.

[torts]

Gamel had more than enough chances with the Brewers. It was time for him to go somewhere else.

In the last 2 years, I don't see much of a chance given at all. 75 PA in 2012? 148 PA back in '09. When you're out with an injury, there is no chance.

 

This is a guy who hit .304/.376/.498/.873 with 105 HR in 7 seasons in the minors. 28 home runs back in 2011. The guy had ACL tears, not shoulder tears. He still should be able to hit.

 

Pretty sure a damaged/repaired ACL does, infact, impact how someone swings at the plate. your feet are planted but your knees still twist when you swing a bat.

[djoctagone]

So I'm assuming that no one claimed Taylor Green?

taylor green has been outrighted to the minor leagues, but he does have the right to declare minor league free agency after the world series.

[endaround]

Gamel's OPS in 2009, as mentioned the only significant number of plate appearances for him in the Majors, was .760. Hart's was .753 that year. Career minors: Gamel .873, Hart .856. I think many people are not giving Mat his due. He would be very likely to have a good season if he ever gets enough at bats. That said, we don't know the state of his health, the Brewers presumably do. If he has significant at bats with the Cubs next year, I, for one, will be upset.

 

Yep, Corey Hart was pretty crappy in 2009.

 

Gamel is 28, coming off two missed seasons due to injury, and likely limited to 1B at this point where even when he was healthy his bat there was just passable.

[rwa12]

Isn't Rizzo pretty entrenched at 1B in Chicago? I think this is the Cubs taking a look at a free reclamation project. Turn him into a backup/PH guy. If he was going to STL I would be worried.

[endaround]

Isn't Rizzo pretty entrenched at 1B in Chicago? I think this is the Cubs taking a look at a free reclamation project. Turn him into a backup/PH guy. If he was going to STL I would be worried.

 

Maybe? He can't hit left handed pitching leading to a bad 2013 as he was exposed. Though Gamel doesn't really help with that problem.

[JohnBriggs12]

Remembering back to the play Gamel was hurt on in LA, it was in part due to his inexperience both at the position and with the ballpark. He went all out for a foul ball down the line, got too close to the railing and had to awkwardly plant his leg to avoid it. While its admirable that he was going all out on the play, part of staying healthy is playing within your limitations. It was a bad break for him...and in hindsight I'm sure he would have just been content letting the ball fall harmlessly foul.

[fleehaw]

Gamel is 28, coming off two missed seasons due to injury, and likely limited to 1B at this point where even when he was healthy his bat there was just passable.

 

A very similar statement could be made with Hart.

 

Hart will be 32 before opening day next season. He is coming off surgeries on both of his knees while missing all of last year. He is likely limited to 1B at this point and even if healthy, is likely a middle of the pack 1B at best going forward. He will likely cost millions of dollars (~4-5M?).

[502 to Right]

Gamel is 28, coming off two missed seasons due to injury, and likely limited to 1B at this point where even when he was healthy his bat there was just passable.

 

A very similar statement could be made with Hart.

 

Hart will be 32 before opening day next season. He is coming off surgeries on both of his knees while missing all of last year. He is likely limited to 1B at this point and even if healthy, is likely a middle of the pack 1B at best going forward. He will likely cost millions of dollars (~4-5M?).

 

 

Corey Hart has an OPS+ of 130, 130, and 120 at the major league level from 2010-2012. That counts for a lot. Sure, he could be done due to his knees but at least he has a record of success at the MLB level to point to. Gamel does not.