Braun- looking like second half 2014

[rickh150]

Standing even further away from plate ....

Hitting any type of fastball to right field..

Fouling off a bunch on late swings....

He is not himself.

Thumb??? Intercostal??

[Pugger]

Trying too hard? I wonder if he's feeling he has to carry the load now that we traded away so much of our meager offense...

[Invader3K]

He is having a bit of a down second half. Baseball-reference.com has him with a .714 OPS in the last 28 days. He is still flashing occasional power, so it's hard to say if it's an injury recurrence or if he's just pressing a bit at the plate.

[JohnBriggs12]

He's like me. Management isn't interested in putting a decent show on for fans, why should he?

[MrTPlush]

Standing even further away from plate ....

Hitting any type of fastball to right field..

Fouling off a bunch on late swings....

He is not himself.

Thumb??? Intercostal??

 

All those things were true before. Just before he was on a hot streak and now he isn't.

 

If he stood any closer to the plate he would just get busted inside on the corner. He can't hit the inside pitch so he is almost forced to stand far away. Before it wasn't a big deal because he could reach with his heavy/long bat for stuff on the opposite corner of the plate. Well now he can't and struggles heavily with stuff over there.

[Funketown]

Unfortunately I just think this is the nature of Ryan Braun 2.0. I haven't watched him closely this season, but if he's really just a .280/.340/.480 type of player at this point, I'd imagine having one or two month-long stretches of .725 OPS baseball in a season will be typical.

 

Looking at his batted ball stats, I'm surprised to see his Pull% a shade below 30%, this was around 40% for his first few seasons. So there's certainly something about that feeling that he's not getting around on the ball like he used to.

[clancyphile]

How much could be that opposing pitchers are trying to pitch around Braun since the Brewers don't have folks who can make them pay for doing so? For his early career, he did have Prince Fielder behind him, and in 2012, a full-strength Ramirez.

[JJHardy7]

At this stage of Braun's career, I don't think he can get by with pitchers pitching around him excuse. And if a full-strength Ramirez has an impact on Braun we are doomed.

 

I don't see why there are excuses for Braun. He's either not playing or he won't be the player he was.

 

I'm more curious to see if he will request that Brewers trade him. For all the things Braun has done wrong, I doubt he wants to be a part of a rebuilding project at what should be his prime years or just after prime years. I wonder if he will adjust his contract in order to be traded?

[Pugger]

At this stage of Braun's career, I don't think he can get by with pitchers pitching around him excuse. And if a full-strength Ramirez has an impact on Braun we are doomed.

 

I don't see why there are excuses for Braun. He's either not playing or he won't be the player he was.

 

I'm more curious to see if he will request that Brewers trade him. For all the things Braun has done wrong, I doubt he wants to be a part of a rebuilding project at what should be his prime years or just after prime years. I wonder if he will adjust his contract in order to be traded?

 

Would any team this side of perhaps the Yankees want anything to do with his baggage and salary?

[Patrick425]

He's like me. Management isn't interested in putting a decent show on for fans, why should he?

 

Seriously? Gee, I don't know...maybe because he is a professional baseball player and he should act like one. Maybe because he is getting paid $13 million this year and about $20 million a year for the next 5 years. I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt and believe that he does not have the attitude that you are suggesting. If he does have that attitude than I have absolutely zero respect for him or any professional athlete with that attitude.

[JJHardy7]

Would any team this side of perhaps the Yankees want anything to do with his baggage and salary?

 

That's why I'm wondering if we would re-work his contract to go to a winner.

 

If he gets on a hot streak again next year, I at least hope the Brewers pick up the phone when teams call.

 

I'm for a total rebuild and there is no point to having Braun around IMO.

[RockCoCougars]

I had an interesting discussion last night. Assuming that the Brewers place everyone on revocable waivers this month, what if Braun was claimed by say, the Giants? Do you think the Brewers would pull him back? Three years ago, it would be unfathomable that the Brewers would let someone have Braun for nothing, but now I'm thinking that they would let him walk.

[MrTPlush]

I had an interesting discussion last night. Assuming that the Brewers place everyone on revocable waivers this month, what if Braun was claimed by say, the Giants? Do you think the Brewers would pull him back? Three years ago, it would be unfathomable that the Brewers would let someone have Braun for nothing, but now I'm thinking that they would let him walk.

 

No one will claim him...If a team did the Brewers probably would not let him go. I just don't see them dumping Braun for nothing.

[Austin Tatious]

An injury prone Tulowitzki was just traded with a whopping multi year deal at $22 million per year contract for Jeff Hoffman, an elite pitching prospect, along with another young hard thrower with a live arm. Colorado had to take back another contract in Reyes.

 

Milwaukee is not playing for now and is jettisoning contracts, so there will be room in the budget for maneuvering, easily. Thus, Milwaukee will be in position to take back a contract for the privilege to get nice prospects, just like Colorado did.

 

Look around. Teams that are contending can't score runs. Braun is hitting .270 with 19 homers. He made the all star team. At the end of the year, he may be looking at .270, 30 and 100, or close to it, with a 2015 all star game appearance where he tripled. Let's root for that stat line at the end of the year to materialize.

[MrTPlush]

Braun now has a full no trade clause...unless we can somehow move him in August. Once he gets that no trade clause I would really doubt he would waive it...and if he did it would be at a high cost(picking up the option year).

 

Even if we can get past the no trade clause, the PED circus baggage, the fact he plays iffy OF defense, plays a not so premium position, he is injury prone, and the fact we would have to take on/eat money do you really see the Brewers making that kind of trade? We won't get a package like the Rockies got and I just can't see the Brewers throwing him away for what would look like peanuts to fans. Despite all that has happened Braun still has a massive following. Trading him would probably enrage A LOT of casual fans and disinterest them.

 

I just think there are too many road blocks for a deal to ever materialize.

[tmwiese55]

Yes he's cooled down from the May hot streak, did we really expect 1.000 ops going forward. I've generally watched most games from May until now and still think he's consistently hitting the ball hard, I'm not about to look up the BABIP the last month or so but I would guess it's lower. As far as the hitting to right field thing, the vast majority of pitches he gets are low and outside so he doesn't really have a choice. IMO, it's actually a sign at how 'professional' of a hitter he is that he's been able to make this adjustment and still get hits and hits the ball hard a lot, including doubles and homers.

[pacopete4]

Don't look now but he's heating up again.

[Pugger]

He may have a no trade clause but after a month more of this losing every day Braun might rethink that. It can't be any fun to go to the ball park every day knowing you're most likely gonna lose. Again.

[Boomer5]

Braun wouldn't have signed the extension with us had he known we would go Astros/Cubs rebuilding. The Brewers wouldnt have offered the extension had they had all the information they have now.

 

The Tulo model is template we can use for an August trade; take back about half the obligation in a contract and receive one or two high end prospects. With all the OF prospects we have now, the plan is pretty clear that we will be moving on from Braun in the near future.

 

They almost have to trade him in August so the no trade clause doesn't execute. That will knock down the package in return of course because teams arent stupid. Most teams arent stupid that is.

[tmwiese55]

After everything that has gone down I would bet he's fine being traded to a winning team. I mean, do you think he really loves Milwaukee? SoCal guy that went to college in Miami. We drafted him and controlled him until he was at least 30 so he had to embrace it as best he could, but it's not like he fits the midwest. He has at least one kid in LA now too, trade to the Dodgers and I'm sure he'd jump on it.

[Boomer5]

After everything that has gone down I would bet he's fine being traded to a winning team. I mean, do you think he really loves Milwaukee? SoCal guy that went to college in Miami. We drafted him and controlled him until he was at least 30 so he had to embrace it as best he could, but it's not like he fits the midwest. He has at least one kid in LA now too, trade to the Dodgers and I'm sure he'd jump on it.

 

Agreed. They have the prospects and the bad contracts to find a Tulo package in there somewhere.

 

Win-Win

[JJHardy7]

I've asked this before, but never got an answer (sorry if I missed it). How many guys how have been suspended of PEDs have been traded? I don't want to turn this into a PED discussion, but I just think expecting a Tulo deal just isn't going to happen since I think teams will be hesitant to trade prospects for PED guys. Sign them...sure...but take on the $$$ and give up prospects...that could blow up in your face if that player gets in trouble again.

[tmwiese55]

Yasmani Grandal for the Dodgers was a PED guy, I think in the same thing as Braun but I could be wrong. Difference is he's young and doesn't have a big salary. I can't think of any known guys with big contracts that were traded. But really there has been enough successful FA signings of guys that the fear has to be slowly going away.

 

The way to do it would be to take back a Crawford or Ethier type contract from that so the financial burden isn't as bad, just like how Reyes went to Colo.

[reillymcshane]

Braun is sitting on an .830 OPS. He's had a .799 OPS since the all star break (51 ABs), and a .744 OPS in July. Maybe he's struggling a little, and maybe it's a physical thing, but guys go through this kind of stuff. Just the nature of the game. I haven't watched a ton of games lately, but I thought he's looked okay.

 

We all wanted Braun to come back and be the .900+ OPS guy of yesteryear, but I don't think many of us felt that was realistic. Personally, I was hoping to get an .850 OPS from him, play 140+ games. I'd say he's done pretty well. Nothing great, but good. He's hit for more power than I anticipated, but less average.

[JohnBriggs12]

If Ethier weren't already a 5 and 10 guy and able to nix it, a swap of Braun for Ethier would make some sense. Braun's still better and slightly younger but the gap in performance is narrowing and Ethier's deal is shorter.