First Base 2014

[SRB]

I'm starting to think that Morales is not going to happen. Reynolds is playing too well, and Melvin is the type of GM that will just stick with that.

 

Even though I think they should sign Morales, for both this year and next.

[AZBrewCrew]

Add me to the camp of them not signing Morales as well. Overbay gets DFA'd and Morris comes up to ride the pine til Reynolds falls off. My theory at least

[JohnBriggs12]

I am fairly certain that the Brewers will sign Morales to play 1b for this season only. The corresponding move to free up a roster spot will be Overbay being DFA. If the Brewers are not able to sign Morales plan B is to bring up Taylor Green first and play him at 1B or 3B when Ramirez needs a day off. Plan C if it gets to that is to stay with Reynolds and Overbay at 1B.

 

I do not see the Brewers trading for a 1B it is Morales or an internal option at this point for the Brewers.

 

Boras will want this year and two more. With Ramirez' contract ending, they are going to need a solid veteran bat in the middle of the lineup next year too. I'd go 3 years. It should be reasonable 3 for $25 million range.

 

I think plan B is Morris replacing Overbay at some point. Doesn't look like Green is in their plans.

[3and2Fastball]

I think the Rangers will be going after Kendrys Morales with more money & more urgency than the Brewers

[Warning Track Power]

I am fairly certain that the Brewers will sign Morales to play 1b for this season only. The corresponding move to free up a roster spot will be Overbay being DFA. If the Brewers are not able to sign Morales plan B is to bring up Taylor Green first and play him at 1B or 3B when Ramirez needs a day off. Plan C if it gets to that is to stay with Reynolds and Overbay at 1B.

 

I do not see the Brewers trading for a 1B it is Morales or an internal option at this point for the Brewers.

Actually, I think Plan B or Plan C may be to acquire a 3B (Moustakas or Middlebrooks) to give Aramis time off multiple times per week while DFAing Overbay. Leave Reynolds at 1B and allow for that newly acquired 3B to back up at those positions as well. That new player would still probably get 2 starts per week be it at 3B and maybe 1 at 1B.

[Jose Cardenal1]

I am of the opinion that the Rangers will overpay for Morales, leaving the Brewers to figure out a 1b upgrade another way.

 

As soon as Morales signs with someone else I would cut Overbay and bring up Morris to see what he can do for a month or so before the trade deadline.

 

With the WC it is hard to say who will or won't be available. But besides needing a 1b the Brewers really need a LH power bat too so the focus needs to be on filling both with one player.

 

So if Morales is signed by the Rangers and Morris does not pan out I would target:

 

Adam Dunn (hopefully he still has a glove sitting around)

Ryan Howard (at this point the Phillies have to be [worried] with how much they owe him and will be happy to have someone pay a fraction of it)

Nick Swisher (off to bad start, currently on DL and 3 years left on contract but at least he has a hot wife)

Justin Smoak (not a huge upgrade but still an upgrade)

[TURBO]

Just read on rotoworld that the Yankees are interested in Morales too. If that is the case, we might as well move on to the next guy right now.

[Kelbysdaddy]

I say cut overbay and bring up morris now.

[docduany]

So the draft starts on Thursday, when can / will Morales be signed? (Not necessarily by the Brewers, but I would be ok with him coming to Milwaukee)

 

And yes, bring up Hunter and let Lyle leave with his big double as a nice going away memory.

[JohnBriggs12]

Ramirez' imminent return means Reynolds goes back to 1B where he'll get 2/3 of the starts. The Reynolds/Overbay combo has been just effective enough that unless Morris' numbers scream he's ready, they won't make that change. Morris' OPS is under .800 at AAA. That isn't knocking down the door and with Reynolds on pace for 30+ HR do you bring him up to sit most of the time?

[TURBO]

Latest on Morales:

 

According to CBS Sports' Jon Heyman, the Yankees are "believed to have reached out to" free agent Kendrys Morales.

 

Heyman adds that the Yankees are "thought to be awaiting the results of Mark Teixeira's medical re-evaluation before making a big play." Teixeira was given a cortisone shot Saturday for lingering soreness in his surgically-repaired wrist and will likely be placed on the disabled list if the injection doesn't do the trick. Morales is expected to sign shortly after the 2014 MLB Amateur Draft, which begins Thursday. He's been on the market since last November because his free agency is tied to draft pick compensation.

 

Source: CBS Sports

 

Jun 2 - 2:50 PM

[DuWayne Steurer]

Ramirez' imminent return means Reynolds goes back to 1B where he'll get 2/3 of the starts. The Reynolds/Overbay combo has been just effective enough that unless Morris' numbers scream he's ready, they won't make that change. Morris' OPS is under .800 at AAA. That isn't knocking down the door and with Reynolds on pace for 30+ HR do you bring him up to sit most of the time?

 

Reynolds may be on pace for 30+ homers, but he's also getting OBP at well below a .300 clip. 21 of his 25 RBI have come via the homerun, so when he isn't hitting homeruns, he is, by and large, virtually useless. His OPS is actually .020 points lower than our slap hitting 2nd baseman, one Scooter Gennett.

[TURBO]

CBS Sports' Jon Heyman hears that the Royals are "weighing a run" at free agent Kendrys Morales.

 

The Royals are last in the AL in runs scored, so it's not surprising that they are trying to upgrade their offense, but Heyman hears that they'd likely have to shed some salary to make a legitimate push. Billy Butler is one possibility, but given his struggles, they could be hard-pressed to find a match. Teams like the Yankees and Brewers are probably more realistic fits for Morales.

 

Source: CBS SportsJun 2 - 6:03 PM

[brewmann04]

brewers will not win against the yanks.

[Kelbysdaddy]

apparently the royals are interested in morales and would need to clear payroll to get him. article mentioned billy butler getting traded to make room. would be a nice move for Milwaukee.

[SRB]

Why would the Brewers want Butler, who is definitely a DH-only, and is pretty horrible now (like, worse than Overbay horrible), when we could just sign Morales in the first place?

[DuWayne Steurer]

Butler is terrible terrible terrible defensively, costs more than Overbay and Reynolds combined, and is sporting a .609 OPS this year.

[RockCoCougars]

I really don't see the need for Morales. I'm skeptical that he can step in mid season after not hitting live pitching for 8 months and provide an upgrade the rest of the way over what they have now. If it isn't broke, don't fix it. I'd rather the money be used for a utility guy/bench bat(s) and/or a reliever down the line. Morales is better suited for an American League team.

[SRB]

I really don't see the need for Morales. I'm skeptical that he can step in mid season after not hitting live pitching for 8 months and provide an upgrade the rest of the way over what they have now. If it isn't broke, don't fix it. I'd rather the money be used for a utility guy/bench bat(s) and/or a reliever down the line. Morales is better suited for an American League team.

 

Reynolds's HRs have kept the position above water, but I'd say having two 1B both with OBP <.300 at this point in the season constitutes being broken. If Reynolds's HR/FB% and defense come back down to earth just a little bit, we are going to have a sub-replacement 1B. Morales has the added bonus of moving Reynolds to a bench 1B/3B role, where he would be excellent.

 

The problem is, Reynolds looks pretty good right now, but if worse comes to worse and we need a 1B down the stretch, who is available? Morales is really the only option that doesn't involve giving away prospects.

 

Though I agree that above a certain price it will just make more sense to call up Morris and hope he is passable.

[trwi7]

I really don't see the need for Morales. I'm skeptical that he can step in mid season after not hitting live pitching for 8 months and provide an upgrade the rest of the way over what they have now.

 

They wouldn't sign him and put him in the majors right away. It'd be sign him, let him face guys in the minors for a couple weeks and then bring him up.

[JohnBriggs12]

Ramirez' imminent return means Reynolds goes back to 1B where he'll get 2/3 of the starts. The Reynolds/Overbay combo has been just effective enough that unless Morris' numbers scream he's ready, they won't make that change. Morris' OPS is under .800 at AAA. That isn't knocking down the door and with Reynolds on pace for 30+ HR do you bring him up to sit most of the time?

 

Reynolds may be on pace for 30+ homers, but he's also getting OBP at well below a .300 clip. 21 of his 25 RBI have come via the homerun, so when he isn't hitting homeruns, he is, by and large, virtually useless. His OPS is actually .020 points lower than our slap hitting 2nd baseman, one Scooter Gennett.

 

Morris' OPS at Nashville is .780, hardly proof that he would exceed the combo of Reynolds and Overbay. High OBP for Reynolds isn't really the objective down in the 7th spot in the order though his OBP is 80 points higher than his BA so he does take walks. Run production is and while most of his RBI are coming from HR, the fact is, he's hitting enough of them to end up with a significant number of RBI (he projects to around 75). Throw in the fact that when Maldanado catches, that Lucroy plays 1B, they are getting production there.

 

Would I prefer Morales' type bat in the order? Certainly. But the question is plan B. In my mind Morris has still to put up numbers that say he belongs in the big leagues playing everyday.

 

The Rangers and the Yankees needs at 1B are short term so they may only offer a deal for this year to Morales. Brewers on the other have a need at 1B beyond this year. So the advantage could be their willingness to offer Morales a 3-4 year deal.

[igor67]

I'm wondering give the lack of options that are actually measurably out performing what we have (or could have with giving Morris a shot) if it might be worth entertaining trying to shoot for bigger game. Would Arizona consider Goldschmidt on a retooling deal with pitching? I get the cost is higher, but it is the best target for making the team better and avoiding a slump to cost a playoff spot.

[monty57]

Hopefully, the bump in offense will come when Ramirez is back. If we can get the "hot in the second half" Ramirez, that will give us another .900 OPS hitter, and Reynolds will move to 1B everyday, taking Overbay's wet-noodle bat out of the lineup. Reynolds is certainly SLG-heavy, but his offensive production should be at least close to average. Not ideal, but not something that will sink us.

 

Of course, Ramirez still has to prove that age hasn't caught up with him. His injury is what's forcing Overbay into the lineup every day, and when he has been on the field, he's posted a .699 OPS. The key to the Brewer offense is whether Ramirez still has a good half-season of baseball in him. Let's hope so, because if he's healthy, we don't need a 1B upgrade, we just need to realize that Overbay should be off the roster.

[danzig6767]

 

The Rangers and the Yankees needs at 1B are short term so they may only offer a deal for this year to Morales. Brewers on the other have a need at 1B beyond this year. So the advantage could be their willingness to offer Morales a 3-4 year deal.

I don't like the idea of signing Morales for that long. Two years with maybe a vesting or buyout type of option for a third year would be the max i'd want the Brewers to go. He'll be 31 in a few weeks and not an athletic guy, i worry he could start declining in a year or two. So i want no part of him getting four years.

[DuWayne Steurer]

 

Morris' OPS at Nashville is .780, hardly proof that he would exceed the combo of Reynolds and Overbay. High OBP for Reynolds isn't really the objective down in the 7th spot in the order though his OBP is 80 points higher than his BA so he does take walks.

 

 

I didn't really say anything about Morris. I don't think he's doing anything to prove he's a long term answer.

 

Secondly, OBP should be an objective for every batter in the lineup, regardless of what their perceived 'role' is. A .280 OBP is poor, and if you can do something to improve that, you should.