3B in 2015 if A-Ram not re-signed

[reillymcshane]

There is no guarantee that Ramirez will be back in 2015. I think it's likely to happen, but again, no guarantee.

 

With that in mind, what are alternatives at 3B in 2015 if A-Ram doesn't return?

 

Free agents include Pablo Sandoval, Hanley Ramirez and Chase Headley. None of these guys is perfect. Ramirez might want to stay at SS and has been nagged by injuries over his career. Big Panda is probably your most consistent player who you could probably count on for 15-20 HR and a .280 BA. His weight has to be a concern, but despite his size, he's a quality fielder. At 28, he's the youngest of the 3B options. Headley had a monster 2012, but otherwise has been more of a 12-15 HR guy who will hit around .260ish.

 

What kind of contracts do you think these three will get?

 

Outside of free agency, I'll throw out a couple of buy low trade options:

 

I think Mike Moustakas from KC is a good change of scenery candidate.

 

Another guy is Matt Davidson of the ChiSox. He's a former top 100 prospect who had a terrible year at AAA (he hit .199), but coming into 2014 profiled as a decent power type bat.

 

Any other ideas? I'd love a guy like Big Panda, but the cost (in money and years) is probably prohibitive. I like finding low buy types who won't cost a lot to acquire. In many ways, I'd rather take a risk on them than overpay for bigger name players.

[jerichoholicninja]

If Ramirez isn't back, I can see them going after Headley. He's been in a free fall that few seasons and may be looking for a 1 year deal.

[monty57]

I think there is a very good chance that Ramirez is not back next year. We'll probably know by next week, as they are going to make a decision soon after the season's over.

 

If he leaves, I wonder if the Brewers realize that they cannot plug all the holes this offseason, and rather than spending tens of millions trying, they instead let Clark play 1B and Rogers play 3B. Trade off Gallardo and Lohse, for some prospects, letting Fiers, Nelson, Thornburg, Smith, Jungmann, etc fill out the rotation behind Garza and Peralta, and play out next season with an eye toward the future.

 

But, that's probably just a pipe dream. More likely, they'll sign Headley (who will be 31 next year) and LaRoche (who will be 35) to 3 yr/$45MM deals to man the corner IF positions.

[superfly]

Lohse and Gallardo are going nowhere...wish people would stop throwing that line out there. I want Gallardo to go somewhere, but it's unrealistic. Thinking in the mind of DM, we will eye Headley and sign James Shields, who is a good pitcher on the tail end of his prime (like Lohse, Looper, Suppan, Wolf).

[TURBO]

Sandoval is completely over rated in my opinion. His weight will always be a concern and doesn't seem like the kind of guy who cares about it too much or he would adjust.

 

Headley, I want no part of, none! He had one good season, and is another guy that will be signed based on that one good season and name recognition because of it. There is no way he will be worth the contract he will get, especially to us, who have to watch every dollar we spend.

 

Hanley is a wild card, but he sure is injured a lot.

 

I think our best bet is Aramis, and i believe he will be with us one more year.

[nate82]

Sandoval is completely over rated in my opinion. His weight will always be a concern and doesn't seem like the kind of guy who cares about it too much or he would adjust.

 

Headley, I want no part of, none! He had one good season, and is another guy that will be signed based on that one good season and name recognition because of it. There is no way he will be worth the contract he will get, especially to us, who have to watch every dollar we spend.

 

Hanley is a wild card, but he sure is injured a lot.

 

I think our best bet is Aramis, and i believe he will be with us one more year.

 

For the reasons you state above is the reason why I believe Aramis will not be with the Brewers for one more year. Aramis is going to want a multi year deal so you are looking at Ramirez at 2-3 years at $12m a year minimum.

 

I believe Aramis is going to turn down his portion of his option and become a free agent. He will also turn down a QO even though it is going to be more than what he will make in a free agency deal. I could see the White Sox giving Aramis a 2-3 year deal around $12m a year and him leaving the Brewers.

 

This then leaves Hanley, Sandoval, and Headley as the next best remaining 3B and it is not known for sure if Hanley will move to 3B so you maybe limited to Sandoval and Headley at 3B. If Mark A is going to spend on a FA and he will then I would rather see them go after Sandoval than Headley.

 

Book it the Brewers will offer Sandoval a contract of 5-6 years with an average salary around $18-22m a year. This just feels like a Mark A move and hopefully the Giants just extend Sandoval before the Brewers can make this deal happen.

[TURBO]

5-6 years of 18-22 million for Sandoval? I surely hope not... That would be insanely stupid.

[jerichoholicninja]

Shields? Sandoval?

 

Mark like to make flashy free agent signings but those are way above his pocket book. Those guys are getting big money from the typical big money teams.

[Roderick]

For the reasons you state above is the reason why I believe Aramis will not be with the Brewers for one more year. Aramis is going to want a multi year deal so you are looking at Ramirez at 2-3 years at $12m a year minimum.

 

I believe Aramis is going to turn down his portion of his option and become a free agent. He will also turn down a QO even though it is going to be more than what he will make in a free agency deal. I could see the White Sox giving Aramis a 2-3 year deal around $12m a year and him leaving the Brewers.

 

This then leaves Hanley, Sandoval, and Headley as the next best remaining 3B and it is not known for sure if Hanley will move to 3B so you maybe limited to Sandoval and Headley at 3B. If Mark A is going to spend on a FA and he will then I would rather see them go after Sandoval than Headley.

 

Book it the Brewers will offer Sandoval a contract of 5-6 years with an average salary around $18-22m a year. This just feels like a Mark A move and hopefully the Giants just extend Sandoval before the Brewers can make this deal happen.

 

ARam will not turn down the ~$15.0M QO, unless he hates Milwaukee that much to give up millions of dollars just to get out of town. He is going to have to discount his price quite a bit to get a 2-3 year contract from someone that has to give up a 1st round pick. He would probably just play for the Brewers for one more year and then sign one year deals as he goes.

 

I sure hope the Brewers don't give Sandoval that type of contract.

[JohnBriggs12]

Sandoval has a career .945 OPS in Miller Park. Small sample to be sure, but just sayin.

[nate82]

 

ARam will not turn down the ~$15.0M QO, unless he hates Milwaukee that much to give up millions of dollars just to get out of town. He is going to have to discount his price quite a bit to get a 2-3 year contract from someone that has to give up a 1st round pick. He would probably just play for the Brewers for one more year and then sign one year deals as he goes.

 

I sure hope the Brewers don't give Sandoval that type of contract.

 

He will if he want's a multi year deal. Not every player is going to want to sign for the biggest dollar amount. If that were true then why did Nelson Cruz turn down his QO last off season and why did Morales do the same?

 

The answer is simple really they wanted multi year deal contract not just a one year contract where they would be in the same boat the following year. This is the reason why Aram will turn down the QO. There is also more risk for the player to just sign one year deals as they go because the next season they may not find anyone interested in them. Ramirez will sign for less per year for a longer termed contract.

[3and2Fastball]

I think the Brewers will throw big money at the Kung Fu Panda, but some other team will out-bid us

[MNBrew]

 

ARam will not turn down the ~$15.0M QO, unless he hates Milwaukee that much to give up millions of dollars just to get out of town. He is going to have to discount his price quite a bit to get a 2-3 year contract from someone that has to give up a 1st round pick. He would probably just play for the Brewers for one more year and then sign one year deals as he goes.

 

I sure hope the Brewers don't give Sandoval that type of contract.

 

He will if he want's a multi year deal. Not every player is going to want to sign for the biggest dollar amount. If that were true then why did Nelson Cruz turn down his QO last off season and why did Morales do the same?

 

The answer is simple really they wanted multi year deal contract not just a one year contract where they would be in the same boat the following year. This is the reason why Aram will turn down the QO. There is also more risk for the player to just sign one year deals as they go because the next season they may not find anyone interested in them. Ramirez will sign for less per year for a longer termed contract.

You cited Nelson Cruz & Kendrys Morales as guys who turned down QO's b/c they wanted multi-year deals. Well, they still only got 1-year deals, so I'm a bit lost on how that helps prove your point.

[Outlander]

I think his point still stands as they didn't take the qualifying offer because they assumed somebody would give them a multi year deal. Unfortunately for them nobody did because of the draft pick. If Ramirez doesn't pick up his side of the option I think he would get a multi year deal because it would be a bad business decision to give him the qualifying offer as he is not a 14-15 million dollar player anymore. Therefore, no draft pick attached to him.

[monty57]

I think his point still stands as they didn't take the qualifying offer because they assumed somebody would give them a multi year deal. Unfortunately for them nobody did because of the draft pick. If Ramirez doesn't pick up his side of the option I think he would get a multi year deal because it would be a bad business decision to give him the qualifying offer as he is not a 14-15 million dollar player anymore. Therefore, no draft pick attached to him.

 

Agree. People are acting as if it's a no-brainer to throw a truckload of money at Ramirez. It's natural for players to slow down as they age, and Ramirez admitted to getting tired as this season went on. He's not the player he's been throughout his career... that's why most players in the history of baseball have retired by his age. I don't think the Brewers should spend 15-20% of their team payroll on him.

 

However, other teams can see this as well, and recent history shows that teams are unwilling to give up the draft pick unless it's an elite player. For that reason, I think that if the Brewers offer the QO, they will probably be stuck with a fading Ramirez at around $15MM. I wouldn't do it, but if the Brewers think he's worth the money, they should exercise their side of the option. If they don't, then they shouldn't risk offering the QO.

 

A smart move by Ramirez would probably be to decline his side of the option. If the Brewers offer the QO, he's kind of forced to accept, because he's not good enough for a team to give up their pick, so he'd end up sitting out until July before someone signs him. But, accepting QO would give him a raise over what he'd get under his current contract. If the Brewers don't offer the QO, he will probably be able to get a multi-year deal that will be less per year, but will guarantee him more than $14MM over the contract, assuring him that even if he fades away, he'll still get more money. Plus, AL teams will probably offer him more because they can DH him.

 

The exception to this is if he somehow knows that the Brewers are declining their side of the option, in which case he should definitely exercise his half to get the $4MM buyout. This is probably why Melvin got a little upset when reporters started writing about what the Brewers were going to do.

[JohnBriggs12]

If Ramirez turns down his side of the option that would be the perfect scenario for the Brewers in my opinion as that would save them the entire $14 million. For the most part Ramirez earned his salary the last 3 seasons but the Brewers never reached the postseason. I don't see him as being a critical piece going forward either.

 

While I can dream the Brewers land Sandoval, the most "Brewer-like" move that's out there would be for them to sign Kelly Johnson, another 30 something high strikeout guy with some pop, but who's useless in a platoon because he hits lefties better than righties.

[TooLiveBrew]

I'd be interested in taking a look at Headley as well. He's a good defender & a switch-hitter, & if he's available at a decent price I think he'd be a good buy-low candidate. You could then slide Aramis to 1B, improve your defense, & hopefully help Ramirez stay on the field more.

[fondybrewfan]

If Aram doesn't come back I think 3B gets filled via trade.

 

Arod anyone

[brewerfan82]

If Aram doesn't come back I think 3B gets filled via trade.

 

Arod anyone

 

Sounds good. Move Braun to first. Trade Khris Davis for A-Rod. Sign Nelson Cruz and Melky Cabrera to fill the corners. Offense fixed!

[Kelbysdaddy]

I just saw an article on bleacher report suggesting that the A's may look to trade Donaldson this off season. Nelson/Coulter/Roach get it done?

[jerichoholicninja]

I just saw an article on bleacher report suggesting that the A's may look to trade Donaldson this off season. Nelson/Coulter/Roach get it done?

 

Maybe, but no way would I want to see that.

[Roderick]

I just saw an article on bleacher report suggesting that the A's may look to trade Donaldson this off season. Nelson/Coulter/Roach get it done?

 

Why, because he couldn't reach that grounder last night?

 

If the A's are looking to shop him, the Brewers have to be at least interested. He would be under control for ages 29-31 at a cost of whatever his arby comes in at. I don't know anything about his defense. Do the A's have some hotshot coming through to make Donaldson expendable?

[jerichoholicninja]

I don't want to see those 3 traded for Donaldson. I think he's a good player, and wouldn't mind seeing the Brewers try and acquire him, but he's not worth those guys. I don't know why the A's would want to trade him anyway, he's cheap and in his prime years. Even if they do have a stud 3B coming along they could move him to 1B, OF, or DH.

[Outlander]

I just saw an article on bleacher report suggesting that the A's may look to trade Donaldson this off season. Nelson/Coulter/Roach get it done?

Maybe, it is the type of move I think Melvin is willing to make.

[TheCrew07]

I just saw an article on bleacher report suggesting that the A's may look to trade Donaldson this off season. Nelson/Coulter/Roach get it done?

 

You want to acquire 3 years of an average 3B who's about to hit the backside of his career for 6 years of an average MLB starting pitcher in Nelson, and 6 years of our best hitting prospect who profiles best at the corners?

 

Boo!