Rickie Weeks

[TheCrew07]

I didn't have a problem with much of your post except for the part about Niemann, on average he's been a solid #3 in a tough division. He got stuck behind a loaded rotation for TB but made the most of his opportunity once he was given an extended shot.

 

He's been hurt the last 2 years but he wasn't a bust, and if you aren't able to stay healthy the Rays have enough depth that they aren't going to risk paying an injured player. I wish we had enough depth to pull that off.

 

Speaking of the Rays, former Brewer prospect (Greinke trade) Jake Odorizzi is off to a nice start with 6 scoreless.

[logan82]

Even during his prime, Weeks has been a frustrating player, because he would go months doing basically nothing at the plate, then have a 3-week stretch where he'd crush everything in sight to bump his numbers back up to respectibility, then go ice cold just as fast and randomly as his hot streak started. While many don't put emphasis on it, over his career he's been generally terrible with runners in scoring position.

Even when he wasn't hitting he was still getting walks and getting on base. When a guy like Segura or Gomez isn't hitting they contribute very little on offense.

 

He hit leadoff most of his career and he was pretty good in that spot.

[brewcrewdue80]

Has Weeks hit a ball hard yet this season? You read the play the play and its infield single, ground outs/Strikeouts. couple fly outs.

 

I think he's in line for a demotion to AAA.(He'll clear waivers no doubt to have done so) And then play every day to either show something that he's hitting the ball hard or just to come to terms his career is over and completely waive him. It feels like such a waste to keep him on the roster to sit on the bench, bring him in to bat and for him to just ground out or strikeout. He can't hit the ball in the gaps or over the fence when he can't square up on anything thrown his way.

[PrinceFielderx1]

Release him. He's wasting a roster spot.

[pogokat]

from the amount of playing time he's getting, i sadly think he might be first to go...

 

at some point, Braun's current inability to play everyday i going to cause the Brewers to need more than one backup outfielder---and Lyle Overbay shouldn't be it. In fact, Overbay shouldn't really be on the team either.

 

Weeks is a mess, and the Brewers aren't even really playing him, so why keep him around?

[logan82]

Has Weeks hit a ball hard yet this season? You read the play the play and its infield single, ground outs/Strikeouts. couple fly outs.

 

I think he's in line for a demotion to AAA.(He'll clear waivers no doubt to have done so) And then play every day to either show something that he's hitting the ball hard or just to come to terms his career is over and completely waive him. It feels like such a waste to keep him on the roster to sit on the bench, bring him in to bat and for him to just ground out or strikeout. He can't hit the ball in the gaps or over the fence when he can't square up on anything thrown his way.

You can't demote him. If the Brewers try he can tell them to pound sand, take his money(for the whole year), and play elsewhere.

[TURBO]

It is pretty telling what the Brewers think of Rickie when they pinch hit him, then put in a complete new player in to play defense...

 

Who in their right mind takes out a guy with 2 doubles in the game, in that situation, and replaces them with a guy who can't hit or field better than the guy being replaced. That was a senseless substitution.

 

He is nothing but worthless, we need to accept that, and outright release him. Keeping him on this roster does nothing but block another player who could be helping us in some manner.

 

I'm actually a Rickie fan, but winning ball games is more important than keeping a guy on the roster for reasons that do not help us win.

[JohnBriggs12]

Well I'm glad that some of you are coming around to what I've been saying since, oh, last October? Is there any other reason beside his contract that he's still on the team?? When Gennett came in last year and the team actually improved, the message was clear. All the arguments that focused on Gennett's ceiling, his modest minor league record, and his struggles vs. lefties over a very small sample were red herrings. The fact is Gennett is competent at this time and Weeks is not. This really has nothing to do with long term projections for Gennett. Those are yet to be determined. Sad to think a guy at 31 is done, but Rickie is not the first nor will he be the last to have lost it earlier than most.

 

I'm not overly exorcised about it because at least Roenicke has been giving all the starts vs. RHP to Gennett. Once they started the season with Weeks, I figured it would take 6-8 weeks to reach the correct conclusion and release him as it did with Suppan several years ago. I just hope on the rare occasion, that he does something positive, it will help the team.

 

Since this thread is about Weeks, I'll just say I echo pogokat's comments on Overbay as well.

[brewcrewdue80]

Has Weeks hit a ball hard yet this season? You read the play the play and its infield single, ground outs/Strikeouts. couple fly outs.

 

I think he's in line for a demotion to AAA.(He'll clear waivers no doubt to have done so) And then play every day to either show something that he's hitting the ball hard or just to come to terms his career is over and completely waive him. It feels like such a waste to keep him on the roster to sit on the bench, bring him in to bat and for him to just ground out or strikeout. He can't hit the ball in the gaps or over the fence when he can't square up on anything thrown his way.

You can't demote him. If the Brewers try he can tell them to pound sand, take his money(for the whole year), and play elsewhere.

 

If he tells the team to pound sand and take his money for the whole year. Isn't the team who picks him up on the hook for whatever Weeks is owed remaining? And that to me is where I was thinking he can go play in AAA because no team is going to pick him up for the 10.5mil or so remaining this year and get stuck with that tab. Now, If I'm correct, then Weeks finding a way to get on a playing field so to build on to next year for a potential contract is necessary for him. He chooses the pound sand route and sits all year he won't get anything but a minor league deal next year and the failure to make that team means retirement for him....Or the Japan Route which I posted he'll be there while Yuni is on a ML team next season.

So once removed from the team, if Weeks wants another Baseball contract beyond 2014 he has to play in AAA for Milwaukee.

[SoupTown]

If he is released (waivers) and is claimed, the other team pays. But if he clears waivers he becomes a free agent. The Brewers must pay the 10 mill. As a free agent he can sign for 500k if he wants to play MLB (but no team, I think will take him). If he does sign at league min, that amount would come off the 10 mill the Crew pay.

[logan82]

What Souptown said, except Jeff Suppan got signed after we released him. I have a hard time believing no MLB team would sign Weeks.

[Fear The Chorizo]

regardless of what happens to Rickie this season, I think it's safe to say he's not reaching the # of plate appearances needed for his option year to kick in as long as Scooter stays healthy. I'm thinking the Brewers are shopping him and hoping like heck they can get a team to at least pick up some of his 2014 salary - or give them a prospect with a little upside if the Brewers eat that money. If they can't get a trade partner and either injuries or performance forces the Brewers to free up his roster spot, they'll just release him before too long.

[jerichoholicninja]

If he clears waivers, some team will sign him for the minimum. His bat is still better than a lot of other 2nd basemen in the league.

[Invader3K]

Hopefully Gennett keeps playing competent baseball and makes it an easy decision for the Brewers.

[brewcrewdue80]

If he is released (waivers) and is claimed, the other team pays. But if he clears waivers he becomes a free agent. The Brewers must pay the 10 mill. As a free agent he can sign for 500k if he wants to play MLB (but no team, I think will take him). If he does sign at league min, that amount would come off the 10 mill the Crew pay.

 

Ok thanks for the clear-up. It's sad they can't send him down to AAA to get every day ABs. He's being paid regardless. I mean if I'm him, what's better when playing for a contract next year? 10PAs a week? Or getting 24PAs in front of scouts to garner attention from other teams or maybe even force the Brewers hand if he began hitting .300+ with Power down there.

 

But maybe he's washed up completely and has retirement on his mind already so it doesn't matter one bit to him.

[monty57]

Kudos to Roenicke for quickly realizing that Overbay and Weeks should not get much playing time. I just wish Melvin would have figured that out a month or so ago. I think he was trying to get some trade value built up for Weeks so he could flip him, but that concept has completely flopped, so it's time to just cut ties.

[ebmackenzie]

Don't you think it is time for Rickie's agent to start saying things like, "Hey start shagging some balls in the OF and see if you can play some 3B if you want to keep collecting checks"?

 

Versatility would not kill him.

[brewmann04]

That would be smart but i am not feeling that Weeks value will any higher unless a team losses a 2nd baseman.

[SRB]

If the front office has enough faith in Gennett (not sure I do, personally...), I'm guessing the time they try to unload Weeks is closer to the All-Star Break. Even teams that are desperate for a 2B are not going to want him now because of his vesting option. Nobody wants him to hit 600 PA. If it's closer to the midpoint of the season, a desperate team can play him everyday and not have to worry about the option anymore.

[monty57]

I do not think Weeks has any trade value, even if we eat all of his salary, so I'll just ask the same thing I said during Spring Training. Do we have another option that would be valuable enough to make the team dump Weeks?

 

Other than pitching, we don't really have much talent at Nashville, so we don't really have anyone pushing Weeks off the roster. One scenario I see that would cause the team to dump Weeks is if Braun's thumb injury makes him sit often, then we'd need another OF, so Gindl becomes more valuable to the roster. Another scenario would be if Taylor Green continues to play well for a month or two, they could bring him up, but he'd probably replace Overbay before he'd replace Weeks.

 

I said above that it's time to cut ties with Weeks, but until a good replacement option emerges, I think he'll be a Brewer.

[Fear The Chorizo]

With Kintzler going on the DL, if the Brewers continue to not use Wang, I can see them going with an extra reliever on their roster and just dropping Weeks - no offdays for another 10 days, and even though Lohse almost threw a CG some of the key relievers still need breaks from time to time. I really hope the pen doesn't get fried to start the year.

 

If Weeks isn't released to make room for a reliever, than I agree that unless an injury forces the Brewers to further shuffle the roster, he's around until a better internal option is available to take his place.

[ewitkows]

I think Overbay will be cut loose before Rickie. I just don't see us keeping 2 first basemen for much longer

[JohnBriggs12]

That ball that Weeks hit the other night where Davis failed to tag up might have been the best contact he's made with runners in scoring position in two years.

 

I don't see any changes being imminent. Neither Weeks or Overbay is playing enough to make a definitive judgement until around Memorial Day. As long as they are winning, it's hard to argue they should be replaced. The best bat going at Nashville right now is Velez who is raking but who when he had a chance to show something in Arizona couldn't buy a hit. I can see them opting for the aging vet with experience over the career minor leaguer with a hot AAA bat.

[brewcrewdue80]

I think more than likely, Weeks stays on the roster until the AS break give or take 2weeks. By then the team has paid over half his salary. Other teams have had their chance to ask about him should their own 2b get injured for a 60day or longer DL stint. You cut bait at that point and Rickie's remaining contract. You likely see a team take the risk to claim him on waivers(maybe) or at least sign him and you save that amount at least. Meantime, you've opened a roster spot for the stretch run to complete the season for a Bullpen guy or more versatile Bench Bat. But there's no way aside from a Weeks resurgence he plays on this team for the full 2014 season.

[SRB]

I think Weeks is more valuable to the 2014 Brewers than some of you are giving him credit. I could seem him playing a lot more down the stretch, especially if Gennett is mediocre or worse. The reason they don't want to use him very much early in the season is because of his vesting option.