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

[rickh150]

http://insider.espn.go.com/blog/buster-olney/post/_/id/8223

 

Could Brewers add Donaldson at 3rd for Davis/Fiers?

Davis and Donaldson both lack some defensive skill...

A's looking for another power bat in OF after trading Cespedes

Both have appox. 4 years left...

Brewers need a 3B.....

Big bat with decent OBP

Ramirez could move to 1st and Parra to LF

Nelson is the 5

 

If we're looking to tweak the line-up and not do a overhaul, I'm for this.

Lineup changes....

Get Gennett and Braun in spots they both feel comfortable in. Gennett is a leadoff hitter that can make decent contact. Braun isn't the power threat any more so don't put him in the 3 (why RR put him in the 5, I don't know- extra pressure to hit for power, ya think?) Gomez can bat 3rd and is told to put on the brakes, and go base to base, because he plays too dumb to know better (definitely not leadoff). Clark could spell Ramirez at 1st, easing him into the position/leagure. Young Donaldson could be a MVP type player when healthy. Luc in the 6th takes some pressure off of him too. Remember he was an afterthought (8th hitter) in 2011. Gold glover batting 7th and a rejuvenated Segura at 8 to start season.

Gennett

Braun

Gomez

Ramirez

Donaldson

Lucroy

Parra

Segura

 

A's and Brewers coming off similar seasons..... could really help each other.

[TURBO]

That would be an overpay...

 

You want to move our current 3B to play 1B, a move that no one even knows if he would want to make, and could also cause us to lose him. I think Aramis has one decent year left, but if he is going to change positions, and he isn't on board with it, that is an issue.

 

If we get Donaldson and Ramirez bolts, we are still left with a hole at 1B.

 

In the meantime, you are giving up one of our top 2 power bats in Davis, and our best pitcher down the final stretch in Fiers?

 

No thank you...

[superfly]

Oh hell yes. Donaldson is one of the best lefty mashers in the league and is absolutely spectacular on defense. You get him out of that hellhole in Oakland and he could put up MVP caliber numbers. He did regress a bit this year from last, but still hit 30 bombs.

 

[TURBO]

So which is it? Is Donaldson good on defense, or not so good, I have heard it both ways...

[superfly]

So which is it? Is Donaldson good on defense, or not so good, I have heard it both ways...

 

23 errors, 43 double plays this year, but a dWAR comperable to Adrian Beltre in his gold glove years (2.7). Carrying an overall WAR between 7 and 8 his first 2 full seasons.

[vegasbrewcrew1993]

donaldson is hot and cold defensively. sometimes he makes ugly bloopers, but he's also capable of making incredible players. in general he's a very streaky player. when he's hot, he kills everyone. when he's cold he's terrible. i'd be fine with acquiring him because it'd be nice to have a talented young 3B. ramirez could be moved over to 1B. A's need a power OF after foolishly trading away Cespesdes. Davis' numbers aren't as good as Cespesdes and his defense isn't even in the same galaxy, but he's still an upgrade over Johnny Gomes. A's could always use a cheap and solid veteran pitcher like Fiers. They prioritize being 6 or 7 deep at SP.

 

Might as well pull the trigger since it seems like the Brewers intend on competing next year. Highly doubt a super competitive guy like Attanasio is going to be ok with staying put knowing that he's got a roster that has shown it can compete with the very best in baseball.

[TURBO]

Again, I highly doubt Ramirez would be on board with a position change this late in his career...

 

Aren't the A's already loaded with pitching talent? Something tells me they wouldn't even be in the market for a SP.

[jerichoholicninja]

The guy's super cheap for what he does and controlled for 3 more years. The A's are going to want a lot for him.

[vegasbrewcrew1993]

Again, I highly doubt Ramirez would be on board with a position change this late in his career...

 

Aren't the A's already loaded with pitching talent? Something tells me they wouldn't even be in the market for a SP.

ramirez isn't in a position to bargain. either he makes the switch or the brewers cut him. he's old and should be grateful milwaukee is paying him that much. sort of the same thing with braun. if they ask him to move to 1B he better do as told. A's were loaded with pitching before the big trades. beane likes having several pitchers to go to. next year they are looking at a rotation of

 

1. Gray

2. Samardzija

3. Kazmir

4. Parker

5. Griffin

 

Jesse Chavez and Drew Pomeranz are also available. Parker is coming off TJ surgery, his second one in the past few years. Who knows if he'll be back to normal. Griffin missed this season with elbow issues. Again who knows if he'll be the same. Fiers pitched well in what is traditionally a hitters park. Imagine what he'll do in the Oakland Coliseum? Fiers could step in and be a good #3.

[JohnBriggs12]

Donaldson may be able to mash lefties, but he won't face many in NL Central. Brewers need a lefty swinging hitting middle of the order hitter. I'd rather land either Sandoval or Headley and perhaps sacrifice a draft pick than weaken another position and deal Fiers, who's under control for several more seasons. Remember they don't have Gallardo or Lohse beyond next year. That being said, it's worth monitoring the situation.

 

If you make that deal, you certainly don't keep Ramirez. It would be even more important to bring in an Adam LaRoche and perhaps an OF too as I don't see Parra as an everyday guy.

[HiAndTight]

So which is it? Is Donaldson good on defense, or not so good, I have heard it both ways...

 

 

I was under the impression he was among the best in baseball defensively and a GG caliber defender.

[reillymcshane]

Headley intrigues me somewhat. PETCO always has suppressed his hitting. From 2011-13, he had a .848 OPS away and a .760 at home. Last season was not good, but he certainly improved when he got away from SD.

 

A few positives: no draft pick compensation, he's a very good defender, he's a switch hitter who hits lefties as well as righties (from 2011-13 his OPS was .805 as a left handed batter, .799 as a right handed batter). He also fills an organizational need.

 

Headley reportedly turned down a three year offer from SD in the $11-13 million a year range. After his weak hitting in 2014, I don't know if anyone will offer him that much (but hey, it only takes one person).

 

While no one expects Headley to hit like he did in 2012, I think getting out of PETCO will help a lot. I would guess he can hit .270 and get you 15 HR. And even if he doesn't quite do that, his glove will add value.

 

A two year deal for $10-11 million a year wouldn't be a bad risk. I'm betting, however, that someone gives him three years. That's probably the max I would push any offer to Headley.

[TooLiveBrew]

Yeah, I think I'd be willing to go 3 years on Headley, but he might well see a fourth from someone. That he's a good defender imo will make GMs more willing to go further out in terms of years.

 

So which is it? Is Donaldson good on defense, or not so good, I have heard it both ways...

 

 

I was under the impression he was among the best in baseball defensively and a GG caliber defender.

This is always what I've heard/read about him, but I definitely haven't watched him play myself much at all

[vegasbrewcrew1993]

Donaldson may be able to mash lefties, but he won't face many in NL Central. Brewers need a lefty swinging hitting middle of the order hitter. I'd rather land either Sandoval or Headley and perhaps sacrifice a draft pick than weaken another position and deal Fiers, who's under control for several more seasons. Remember they don't have Gallardo or Lohse beyond next year. That being said, it's worth monitoring the situation.

 

If you make that deal, you certainly don't keep Ramirez. It would be even more important to bring in an Adam LaRoche and perhaps an OF too as I don't see Parra as an everyday guy.

Would rather go after Sandoval. Headley is terrible. Fiers is far too inconsistent. In 2012 he looked great and fell apart completely a year later. Who says it won't happen again in 2015? His value is as high as it will ever be. Is Mike Fiers really a guy that the Brewers will be able to consistently depend on for the next few years? I lack faith in the guy. He's wildly inconsistent. It'd be great if good Fiers was here to stay, but it's just too much of a risk. Fiers could bring back a couple of nice pieces.

[vegasbrewcrew1993]

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!

Average 3B? Seriously? There's a reason he made it to the all-star game. Back to back years of solid defense with 20+ HR's and 90+ RBI's is average? I wouldn't think twice about giving up a scrub like Nelson for Donaldson.

[vegasbrewcrew1993]

That would be an overpay...

 

You want to move our current 3B to play 1B, a move that no one even knows if he would want to make, and could also cause us to lose him. I think Aramis has one decent year left, but if he is going to change positions, and he isn't on board with it, that is an issue.

 

If we get Donaldson and Ramirez bolts, we are still left with a hole at 1B.

 

In the meantime, you are giving up one of our top 2 power bats in Davis, and our best pitcher down the final stretch in Fiers?

 

No thank you...

khris davis isn't that good. a .244 average is horrible. donaldson has hit .255 and .301 the past 2 years. it would be a miracle if davis ever sniffed .300. donaldson plays in an extreme pitcher friendly stadium. since joining the A's he's hit 27 HR's at the coliseum. that's not easy to do.

[pogokat]

davis didn't look like it this year, but he hit for WAY over .300 at multiple levels in the minors. He had a good year, but actually underachieved considerably based on his previous major and minor league numbers. He could regress, but I would guess most projection systems will show him improving next year. I don't think the Brewers will trade Khris Davis without a Major piece coming back.

[vegasbrewcrew1993]

davis didn't look like it this year, but he hit for WAY over .300 at multiple levels in the minors. He had a good year, but actually underachieved considerably based on his previous major and minor league numbers. He could regress, but I would guess most projection systems will show him improving next year. I don't think the Brewers will trade Khris Davis without a Major piece coming back.

It's certainly possible, but minor league success doesn't always translate to MLB success. Many guys have posted great numbers in the minors only to end up flopping in the show. Look at LaPorta and Gamel. Beasts in the minors, crap in the big leagues. I'm not saying that Davis is anything like those guys. He's far better.

[TURBO]

Many guys have also posted great number in the minors and with time, posted great numbers in the Majors as well...

 

It's too early to close the book on Davis.

[monty57]

it would be a miracle if davis ever sniffed .300.

 

Only 16 players in all of baseball hit .300 or above this season, so if that's your mark of a good hitter, there aren't many good hitters in baseball.

 

Davis probably isn't a .300 hitter, but he is an MLB-caliber hitter. If I had to guess, I'd say he'll be a high-700's-to-low-800's OPS guy, with the OPS being SLG heavy. He probably won't be a superstar, but certainly a capable hitter. My concern with him isn't at the plate, it's that his arm isn't strong enough to keep runners from taking extra bases. He may end up being best suited for an AL team as a DH.

[TheCrew07]

Average 3B? Seriously? There's a reason he made it to the all-star game. Back to back years of solid defense with 20+ HR's and 90+ RBI's is average? I wouldn't think twice about giving up a scrub like Nelson for Donaldson.

 

Yea he's a little above average with the bat and good with the glove, but is going to be 29 next season. The Brewers really need to quit acquiring players in this age range, we should be should selling those types of players, not buying. Will he still be the same player at 31 as he was even in 2014? What's a realistic projection? I think over the course of those 3 years he'd be roughly average, if he was going to be that good why would the A's be looking to sell him? It's not like they have a 3B waiting, Renato Nunez is their best 3B prospect who will start 2015 in AA but is a hack defensively, he DH'd a 3rd of the games last year in A+.

 

I apologize that I don't wet myself because someone made an all-star team, hooray for a good half a season? By that measure shouldn't we keep Ramirez since he was also an all-star?

 

Finally Nelson is a scrub? I didn't realize... ohh that's right, simply because he didn't set the world on fire in his first extended MLB stint he sucks. Sure we have plenty of starting pitching options for 2015, but what about 2016 when Lohse, Gallardo, and Estrada are gone? Assuming Nelson is traded for the rotation we'll have the oft injured Garza who will be 32, Peralta will be 27, Fiers will 31, and Jungmann who will be 26. You could maybe add Thornburg who'd be 27 and has never pitched more than 150 innings in a season and 26 year old Tyler Cravy who profiles as #3 best case but has yet to eclipse 100 innings in any single season.

 

If Garza can stay healthy then you have a decent 1-2 with Peralta, Fiers just doesn't have stuff, nor does Jungmann, and then it's 2 pitchers who were injured this year and have bounced between the pen and the rotation.

 

If Donaldson would be a .850+ OPS type hitter for the 3 years he'd bere I could maybe see an argument but the truth is swapping out Ramirez for Donaldson doesn't make the Brewers a serious contender. The Brewers are not 1 player away, they aren't even 2 players away for what they can afford to spend. I don't think it's safe to assume the pitching staff will be as healthy and effective next season, swapping out better production at the corners might be worth 3-4 wins, but there isn't a huge upgrade to be had at 1B.

 

It would make more sense to try and recycle some of the older guys into younger talent than be buyers once again as we only have 1 year left with this roster as is. "Going for it" to come up short yet again only makes 2016 and beyond much more difficult to navigate. The Brewers were fortunate with injuries within the division in 2014 but moving forward the Pirates and Cubs will continue to ascend, the Cards are going to be good for at least the next handful of years, and the Reds will probably rebound some as well. The division is only going to get tougher, I believe it's foolish to think the Brewers are legitimate contenders basically maintaining the status quo.

[rickh150]

Well, I'd like to see the Brewers go for it yet in 2015.... make a few changes, a few deals, but for the present.... If Braun still stinks, we come up short again, we can look to take a step back in 2016 and 2017, deal Gomez, Peralta, etc.

 

The team still has too much talent not to go for playoffs.

[TURBO]

Well, I'd like to see the Brewers go for it yet in 2015.... make a few changes, a few deals, but for the present.... If Braun still stinks, we come up short again, we can look to take a step back in 2016 and 2017, deal Gomez, Peralta, etc.

 

The team still has too much talent not to go for playoffs.

 

I agree with this to a point... I do not want to trade any of our future talent, the guys that we are pretty sure are going to be future Brewers in 2 to 3 years. We trade Coulter and the like, and taking that step back is going to be for a lot longer time period.

 

I'm not against going for it one more year, but not at the cost of our young talent.

[vegasbrewcrew1993]

Average 3B? Seriously? There's a reason he made it to the all-star game. Back to back years of solid defense with 20+ HR's and 90+ RBI's is average? I wouldn't think twice about giving up a scrub like Nelson for Donaldson.

 

Yea he's a little above average with the bat and good with the glove, but is going to be 29 next season. The Brewers really need to quit acquiring players in this age range, we should be should selling those types of players, not buying. Will he still be the same player at 31 as he was even in 2014? What's a realistic projection? I think over the course of those 3 years he'd be roughly average, if he was going to be that good why would the A's be looking to sell him? It's not like they have a 3B waiting, Renato Nunez is their best 3B prospect who will start 2015 in AA but is a hack defensively, he DH'd a 3rd of the games last year in A+.

 

I apologize that I don't wet myself because someone made an all-star team, hooray for a good half a season? By that measure shouldn't we keep Ramirez since he was also an all-star?

 

Finally Nelson is a scrub? I didn't realize... ohh that's right, simply because he didn't set the world on fire in his first extended MLB stint he sucks. Sure we have plenty of starting pitching options for 2015, but what about 2016 when Lohse, Gallardo, and Estrada are gone? Assuming Nelson is traded for the rotation we'll have the oft injured Garza who will be 32, Peralta will be 27, Fiers will 31, and Jungmann who will be 26. You could maybe add Thornburg who'd be 27 and has never pitched more than 150 innings in a season and 26 year old Tyler Cravy who profiles as #3 best case but has yet to eclipse 100 innings in any single season.

 

If Garza can stay healthy then you have a decent 1-2 with Peralta, Fiers just doesn't have stuff, nor does Jungmann, and then it's 2 pitchers who were injured this year and have bounced between the pen and the rotation.

 

If Donaldson would be a .850+ OPS type hitter for the 3 years he'd bere I could maybe see an argument but the truth is swapping out Ramirez for Donaldson doesn't make the Brewers a serious contender. The Brewers are not 1 player away, they aren't even 2 players away for what they can afford to spend. I don't think it's safe to assume the pitching staff will be as healthy and effective next season, swapping out better production at the corners might be worth 3-4 wins, but there isn't a huge upgrade to be had at 1B.

 

It would make more sense to try and recycle some of the older guys into younger talent than be buyers once again as we only have 1 year left with this roster as is. "Going for it" to come up short yet again only makes 2016 and beyond much more difficult to navigate. The Brewers were fortunate with injuries within the division in 2014 but moving forward the Pirates and Cubs will continue to ascend, the Cards are going to be good for at least the next handful of years, and the Reds will probably rebound some as well. The division is only going to get tougher, I believe it's foolish to think the Brewers are legitimate contenders basically maintaining the status quo.

Someone is overly pessimistic. These team proved that they could hang with the best in baseball. If they're lineup hadn't been so terrible they would be playing today. I don't understand why Brewers fans have such an obsession with prospects, especially mediocre Brewer ones. I get it, we all wish the Brewers could rely on an awesome farm system, but let's not get carried away. Lol can't be a bunch of Ted Thompson's. Sorry if I don't wet myself over a scrub prospect that took forever to get to the majors and gets beat up by the Cubs. There's nothing electric or special about Nelson. Are the Brewers standards that low that scrubs like Nelson are regarded as talented? This team's rotation can match the best in baseball. They proved it. The bullpen was unhittable for a stretch. If the lineup had more patient hitters the Brewers could have easily won 95 to 97 games. Heck they were on pace for 91 to 94 even with such an inconsistent, impatient, and free swinging lineup. Having bums like Reynolds and Loserbay in the lineup so often hurt the team bad. Picking up another talented IF allows you to move guys around, which could help fix 1B. The A's aren't going to trade him. If they do at some point it's because they can't afford him. This is what the A's end up doing with a lot of their good players. Get something for them before their contract expires. Who cares if Donaldson will be 29 next year? Since when does being a year away from 30 mean your career is automatically going to fall apart? People get their panties in a bunch whenever an athlete hits 30. Aramis has been very productive WELL into his 30's. Several guys in baseball remain productive WELL into their 30's. 30 doesn't mean they're dead. Aaron Rodgers is 30 and he plays a violent sport. I guess that decline is coming in a week or so. Garza is 32. So what? Lohse is 36 and still kicks @ss. Lucroy will be 29 by next year's trade deadline. Should I expect a massive decline since the scary 3-0 is knocking on his door? Peralta's 27...and? Going by your standards, then Nelson is already a scrub since he'll be 26 next year and still will have barely any experience. By the time he's considered a ''young MLB veteran'' he'll be well over the hill according to you. Baseball is the one sport where you can get away with old age. No contact, no heavy hits. All of these obese pitchers are evidence of this.

[vegasbrewcrew1993]

it would be a miracle if davis ever sniffed .300.

 

Only 16 players in all of baseball hit .300 or above this season, so if that's your mark of a good hitter, there aren't many good hitters in baseball.

 

Davis probably isn't a .300 hitter, but he is an MLB-caliber hitter. If I had to guess, I'd say he'll be a high-700's-to-low-800's OPS guy, with the OPS being SLG heavy. He probably won't be a superstar, but certainly a capable hitter. My concern with him isn't at the plate, it's that his arm isn't strong enough to keep runners from taking extra bases. He may end up being best suited for an AL team as a DH.

I don't think there are a lot of good hitters in baseball today. Too many dumb free swingers like Gomez in baseball today. Gomez has all of the talent in the world, but he lacks discipline and still gets fooled to easily. How many smart and truly good hitters are there in baseball today? I'm talking about guys that are smart enough to lay off junk pitches most of the time. Only a handful....

 

Even Braun even his prime was a little undisciplined. Prince, as awesome as he was, swung at a lot of junk.