Brewers sign Mark Reynolds (Minor League Deal)

[pogokat]

and his obp was terrible in all but that season in his hometown...

[fondybrewfan]

I guess I don't buy the whole "being in his hometown increased his performance" thing. Doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. I don't know what happened last year but I still think he is capable of putting up an 800 OPS in the big leagues if given the chance. But I am also completely OK giving him at least a couple months in AAA to start 2014 in hopes that he rediscovers 2012. Not sure how Morris, Halton, and Jason Rogers being on the same team is going to work though.

[brewtank34]

...I am strongly upset with Doug Melvin and Mark A this offseason. They held their hand too much on Cory Hart and that blew up in their face. By doing so, they left themselves with absolutely no options....

 

Let's hope that a 30 year old Reynolds can produce enough at the 7 hole. Go Crew.

Do you really think they should've thrown the money toward Hart that Seattle did? That's what it would've taken to keep him. And I think that approach would've been patently absurd. They already gave him $10M last year and got ZILCH for it! Seattle's signing of Hart could be good, but given Hart's injuries last year and no MLB playing time since then, like your comment about the Brewers' approach to Hart, it stands to blow up in their face as badly or worse as what you believe was the Brewers' approach could do on the Brewers.

 

....).

 

I wasn't speaking about Cory Hart. I would not have come even close to signing Hart for what Seattle did. Massive overpay. I was talking more on the lines of making a trade for Price and extending him to a long term deal immediately. BIG splash like that.

[And That]

Adam McCalvy ‏@AdamMcCalvy

The transaction was made official after the Brewers faxed contract information to MLB and a picture of Melvin's middle finger to Hunter Morris.

I'm impressed that Hunter Morris owns a fax machine.

[And That]

I like the signing, except for the part where he fills in at third base.

 

He played 9 innings at 2B last year... yikes. I might have to track down that video.

[RobDeer 45]

I was talking more on the lines of making a trade for Price and extending him to a long term deal immediately. BIG splash like that.

 

 

Do you really think that was a possibility? I don't know, seems like quite a long shot. Depletes the system and then makes 3 prospects worthless. Not to mention handcuffing the organization money wise. I don't think we can expect the Brewers to make any big splashes when it comes to signing veterans long term. All we can hope for is to develop young talent (through draft and trades) and hope to extend them a few years past arbitration.

[JohnBriggs12]

I guess I don't buy the whole "being in his hometown increased his performance" thing. Doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. I don't know what happened last year but I still think he is capable of putting up an 800 OPS in the big leagues if given the chance. But I am also completely OK giving him at least a couple months in AAA to start 2014 in hopes that he rediscovers 2012. Not sure how Morris, Halton, and Jason Rogers being on the same team is going to work though.

 

I would assume the Nashville outfield will include Rogers in LF and Halton in RF. Morris will play 1B. Halton played 48 games in RF for Nashville last year. Rogers has played some in LF in his career. Still, any one of the 3 that breaks out with a big year would have to be in the running for 1B in 2015.

 

I'd like to see them try Halton at 3B. What would they have to lose? He played one game there in 2012 and one inning there for the Brewers last year.

[sveumrules]

I guess I don't buy the whole "being in his hometown increased his performance" thing. Doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. I don't know what happened last year but I still think he is capable of putting up an 800 OPS in the big leagues if given the chance. But I am also completely OK giving him at least a couple months in AAA to start 2014 in hopes that he rediscovers 2012. Not sure how Morris, Halton, and Jason Rogers being on the same team is going to work though.

 

What makes you think he is capable of putting up an OPS of 800 in MLB when he hasn't been able to do it in 3 of his 4 minor league seasons?

 

There were 13 qualified first basemen last year in MLB who put up an OPS of 800 or above. Their minor league OPS ranged from 809 to 1052. Morris is at 808 career, though he started professionally at age 21. The only guys in his range for their minor league careers were Edwin Encarnacion (809), Adrian Gonzalez (813), Brandon Moss (829), Freddie Freeman (838) and Mike Napoli (848). Though all five of them started in the minors between 17 & 18 and had made the majors well before their 25th birthdays.

[Bikeage77]

Well, the Brewers better hurry up to design a Reynolds bobblehead!

[SRB]

Mark Reynolds is a MLB player who once hit .260/.349/.543 and garnered a few MVP votes (and even now fills a valuable platoon role and if nothing else is a much better option for Yuni B's old job of "HR power off the bench").

 

Hunter Morris is a 1B-only prospect who is the wrong side of 25 and yet has struggled to crack a .770 OPS in the minor leagues.

 

I know which one deserves Melvin's middle finger!

[djoctagone]

does this thread really deserve to be in the major league forum?

[MVP2110]

does this thread really deserve to be in the major league forum?

 

Considering he is going to 99% be on the major league team I would say so

[JohnBriggs12]

does this thread really deserve to be in the major league forum?

 

Considering he is going to 99% be on the major league team I would say so

 

Exactly. He'd have to be awful in Arizona not to make the team. The chances of that are around 1% but even if that did happen, he'd be released. Barring a rehab assignment, he won't spend a day in Nashville.

[liveforoctober]

Admittedly I'm excited for the soon to be legend of MKE Mark Reynolds when he goes 3-16 with 8 Ks and two game winnings HR's in the first week of the season.

 

This has Branyan potential to me on the scale of cult following possibility.

[BarneyStinston]

Reynolds is not as overly cheap as one might expect. $2 million if he makes the club, and $500K in incentives. All for Major League's strikeout king. Hell, even Ike Davis was only $3.5 million, with much better defense. At least we have a backup 3rd baseman who is a defensive butcher.

[brewcrewdue80]

Put it this way Mark Reynolds is the Alex Gonzalez+Yuni Betancourt signings of last offseason rolled in to 1 player.

I'll take Reynolds whiffs at 4 pitches per AB vs watching Yuni pop/ground/fly out on the very first pitch 40% of the time.

[MNBrew]

Adam McCalvy ‏@AdamMcCalvy

The transaction was made official after the Brewers faxed contract information to MLB and a picture of Melvin's middle finger to Hunter Morris.

This post is not on Adam McCalvy's Twitter feed and I doubt it ever was. I think Melvin speaks to that with these two quotes from today's JSOnline story, which twice quotes Melvin saying that Reynolds is NOT being handed the job, but that he has to win it:

 

"I talked with Mark, and he's not afraid to have to beat out somebody for a job," Melvin said. "He's looking forward to the challenge. He's a confident guy."

 

"I just told him who we have — Juan Francisco and some of the younger guys," Melvin said. "I said we might still look at somebody else. His experience gives him a little bit of an edge over some of our guys. All you can do is lay it out for him."

 

link: http://www.jsonline.com/sports/brewers/mark-reynolds-is-latest-first-base-option-b99186266z1-240961171.html

[sveumrules]

"I said we might still look at somebody else." It's going to make for some fun reading round here when DMGM inks Kendrys Morales to the Kyle Lohse special a couple two tree weeks before spring training. Hey, who knows, maybe giving up first round picks for proven MLB veterans will become the new market inefficiency and they'll make a movie about it.

[TooLiveBrew]

"I said we might still look at somebody else." It's going to make for some fun reading round here when DMGM inks Kendrys Morales to the Kyle Lohse special a couple two tree weeks before spring training. Hey, who knows, maybe giving up first round picks for proven MLB veterans will become the new market inefficiency and they'll make a movie about it.

http://i.imgur.com/zwqfZd5.gif

[brewmann04]

Is Jeff Baker still out there as a FA? I still waiting on that Reliever with closing experience to be signed.

[PrinceFielderx1]

I'm still very confused why people think Hunter Morris has a future with the Brewers at 1B when he clearly doesn't according to the Brewers organization.

[gregmag]

Wait . . . when did "the Brewers organization" say that Hunter Morris has no future with the team? I doubt he's our future 1b, but he's going to get at least another year to put himself in or out of the running.

 

I like this move a lot better than signing Hart for the money Seattle gave him, a bit less than conning the Mets into taking someone we don't want for Davis. As Soup, I think, pointed out, the difference with Davis is that he has at least a bit of upside. But not enough to pry even Thornburg loose. I'm glad DM didn't panic and came up with a decent patch job.

 

We have enough bats at AAA that this is a good moment for a stopgap solution. In six months we should have a lot more useful information about Morris, Halton, Rogers, and Green, and for that matter Denson if we're looking farther ahead. If all the AAA guys wash out, then we can look for a longer-term fix next winter.

[brewcrewdue80]

Wait . . . when did "the Brewers organization" say that Hunter Morris has no future with the team? I doubt he's our future 1b, but he's going to get at least another year to put himself in or out of the running.

 

I like this move a lot better than signing Hart for the money Seattle gave him, a bit less than conning the Mets into taking someone we don't want for Davis. As Soup, I think, pointed out, the difference with Davis is that he has at least a bit of upside. But not enough to pry even Thornburg loose. I'm glad DM didn't panic and came up with a decent patch job.

 

We have enough bats at AAA that this is a good moment for a stopgap solution. In six months we should have a lot more useful information about Morris, Halton, Rogers, and Green, and for that matter Denson if we're looking farther ahead. If all the AAA guys wash out, then we can look for a longer-term fix next winter.

 

Agreed to this post. Davis good or bad comes with a 3year likely salary escalating commitment on a high risk/potential reward deal that was going to cost a low risk/solid reward player. Meanwhile, Hunter Morris still gets a year to season and join the club, Juan Fran gets to have his look extended with that supposed new approach, Kendry Morales may or may not be signed until after the June Draft so who knows? maybe he is the 1b fix come late June. And if Reynolds/Juan Fran fail, the Morris experiment never develops, next offseason is where we can address 1b once again with I dunno out of a list of potential FAs....Maybe even Hart!? There is no doubt Reynolds will be better than the 1b for Milwaukee last season. No Doubt. Is it going to be great? No. but the cost will be 2-2.5mil. Value in money spent. This 1year deal is a true band-aid and a good use of one under the team's current 1b situation. It doesn't cost 2 or 3years commitment while blocking the team's Minor's prospects due to that contract.

[endaround]

This still allows the Brewers to get Davis if the Mets finally determine that Davis's $3.5 million is better spent on bringing in Drew at short. Davis is a much better defender. The left handed part would also help.

 

Steamer Projections:

Reynolds: .225/.325/.436

Davis: .238/.340/.439

Young: .279/.331/.400

 

Young doesn't make sense as full time 1B. As a platoon player and utility infielder, he would have been better for the team.

 

In house:

Morris: .241/.287/.419

Halton: .246/.304/.391

Rogers: .241/.303/.371

Francisco: .238/.297/.442

 

Semi-in house (or why isn't Gindl a bit taller):

Gindl .256/.320/.409

 

Freely Available at one point:

 

McGehee: .241/.306/.386

 

That does assume McGehee's BABIP isn't really in the .250 range. He can (could) actually play 3B unlike Reynolds. McGehee got $1.1 million so $2.5 million for Reynolds is far from crazy.

[TURBO]

I'm still very confused why people think Hunter Morris has a future with the Brewers at 1B when he clearly doesn't according to the Brewers organization.

 

link?