Freddie Freeman?

[JohnBriggs12]

Talk of the Braves shopping Freeman was the "talk of the Arizona Fall League".

 

Now if the Brewers could unload Braun's contract somewhere, seems to me it would make sense to pursue Freeman who's 5 years younger and a similar per year deal that runs through 2021 when he'll be just 31. Might take a Lara, Taylor and one or two quality young arms but Atlanta's looking to unload salary.

[pacopete4]

Adding Freeman with Braun would be the 3-4 punch this team has missed since Fielder left. If Mark A wants to open up the pocket book and trade for this guy, by all means get it done. We'll get prospects back from Lind and Lucroy enough to stock the farm.

[MrTPlush]

It would take more than you mentioned. At least Arcia, Phillips, or Clark. Plus two-three more quality prospects. Expensive or not that is an elite player in his prime years.

[pacopete4]

It would take more than you mentioned. At least Arcia, Phillips, or Clark. Plus two-three more quality prospects. Expensive or not that is an elite player in his prime years.

 

I think if it costs that much, you have to pass. If you could get this done without giving up Arcia, then maybe.

[BrewBalls]

I would be willing to trade anybody besides Arcia, Phillips, Clark or Lara. Those are the three I feel should be part of our core as we continue to rebuild. Would D. Lopez, Taylor, Harrison and Diplan be enough?

[MrTPlush]

I would be willing to trade anybody besides Arcia, Phillips or Lara. Those are the three I feel should be part of our core as we continue to rebuild. Would Clark, Taylor, Harrison and Diplan be enough?

 

Value wise I think one elite prospect(Top 40), another highly regard prospect(Top 100), one prospect close to the Top 100 if not in there, and a promising lower minors type player.

 

There would be so much interest if he hit the market. It would take an earth shattering deal to get him. Even what I said may be to little. Hard to know when these kind of deals don't happen.

[bill hAll Star]

This is exactly the guy we need to get to 75 wins.

[JohnBriggs12]

This is exactly the guy we need to get to 75 wins.

 

Freeman is signed through 2021 and just turned 26. Trading for him wouldn't be about 2016, though he would help no doubt. He would be a third cornerstone player to go with Phillips and Arcia.

 

If Lara, Taylor, and two arms won't do it, then how about Santana, Lara or Clark and any one arm not named Lopez or Hader?

[bill hAll Star]

This is exactly the guy we need to get to 75 wins.

 

Freeman is signed through 2021 and just turned 26. Trading for him wouldn't be about 2016, though he would help no doubt. He would be a third cornerstone player to go with Phillips and Arcia.

 

If Lara, Taylor, and two arms won't do it, then how about Santana, Lara or Clark and any one arm not named Lopez or Hader?

 

He might get us to 75 wins all the way through 2021. I like Freeman, but he is not that good. His offensive numbers are barely better than Adam Lind's. Give him the benefit of the doubt for not getting to platoon as much and playing in a slightly tougher park, but it's going to cost way too much to get him - and he'll have no supporting cast when (we hope) the Cards/Pirates/Cubs are actually beatable in a few years.

[MrTPlush]

I guess this is all a bit silly since the odds we trade Ryan Braun's salary is pretty close to zero and the Brewers can't afford to have $40mil tied up to just two players.

 

I think the offense will be fine in the future. I would rather commit all that salary to a top of the rotation pitcher when the time comes if I were to spend it.

[pacopete4]

 

I think the offense will be fine in the future. I would rather commit all that salary to a top of the rotation pitcher when the time comes if I were to spend it.

 

This is probably the more logical and common sense approach the building a winner. It just would be nice to find a Freddie Freeman type hitter when they are young. Good approach, has power, plays solid defense.

[reillymcshane]

20 HRs and a .285 BA at 1B - good, not great. At this point in the rebuild, you don't unload top prospects for a solid player - you develop these kinds of players yourself. Or, once you are ready to contend, then you trade for a guy like Freeman to fill holes in the team. He'd fit well in Boston (assuming they dumped Hanley) or St. Louis - teams that are aiming to contend now.

 

If you could get him on the cheap - sure - great move. Give it a try. But Atlanta isn't stupid. He's a good player and will require a decent return.

[bill hAll Star]

The problem is that the strategy seems to be, "plug this guy in at 1B, plug this guy in at C, plug this guy in at SS, plug this guy in at LF, etc. etc. and we're all set!" The issue is that in the pipeline, players end up being overrated by their home fans, getting injuries, busting, etc. On top of that, you may get Freeman in his prime, but now you have to worry about Braun or Lucroy (or whichever other supporting cast members you bring in) falling off a cliff in this window. You have to have perfect luck/planning to get all of those prime windows to join up.

 

I know that most are not advocating this as the "must play" winning strategy to go out and have Freeman plugged in at 1B, but we need to have a mass wave of players ready to play and waiting in the AA/AAA wings in a few years. Dump 4 prospects out for Freeman, you are now lessening the chances that he has any sort of supporting cast. Sure, you can say, "but we have Phillips in CF, so we're set there" and so on, so forth...but there will be busts. Give me a wave of 20-30 exciting or valuable players in 2018. I'd rather have a Cardinals (best case) or Rays type scenario where no matter who we lose to attrition, free agency, injury...there is a positive WAR guy ready to come up. When we were in a competitive window, I'm OK shortening the farm system to fill a hole, but not now.

[BrewBalls]

I think the offense will be fine in the future. I would rather commit all that salary to a top of the rotation pitcher when the time comes if I were to spend it.

 

I agree. Trading Lucroy, Lind and K-Rod just to send out prospects for Freeman seems counterproductive. By 2019, we could be working with a lineup of:

C- ???

1B - Braun

2B - Sardinas

SS - Arcia

3B - Gatewood

LF - Coulter

CF - Phillips

RF - Santana

 

With players like Clark, Harrison, Lara, Orimoloye and Denson close behind. Then if you estimate a few of the following pitchers can crack the rotation (Lopez, Hader, D. Williams, Medeiros, Davies, Kirby, T. Willliams, Wagner and Ponce) this team could compete going forward with the addition of a top of the rotation arm. Our future looks pretty bright if you can look past the next couple of seasons.

[3and2Fastball]

Freeman is not yet an Elite player. If you platoon him and start him only vs RHP and lift him anytime a lefty specialist comes in and adjust his stats to a better hitting era then maybe maybe he can be looked at as an elite player. His OPS+ in the last 3 years has been 140. If he was platooned that could be higher. Playing in Miller Park and being platooned it could be really higher. And he has only just completed his age 25 season

 

It is an intriguing subject.

[billymac]

He'd cost too much of the farm system. By the time we are competitive again, we'd have wasted 3 of his prime years. Would have been nice to have when Prince left, but we are far from that position.

[reillymcshane]

Freeman is not yet an Elite player. If you platoon him and start him only vs RHP and lift him anytime a lefty specialist comes in and adjust his stats to a better hitting era then maybe maybe he can be looked at as an elite player. His OPS+ in the last 3 years has been 140. If he was platooned that could be higher. Playing in Miller Park and being platooned it could be really higher. And he has only just completed his age 25 season

 

It is an intriguing subject.

If you're platooning a 1B, I don't think you can call him elite.

[3and2Fastball]

Freeman is not yet an Elite player. If you platoon him and start him only vs RHP and lift him anytime a lefty specialist comes in and adjust his stats to a better hitting era then maybe maybe he can be looked at as an elite player. His OPS+ in the last 3 years has been 140. If he was platooned that could be higher. Playing in Miller Park and being platooned it could be really higher. And he has only just completed his age 25 season

 

It is an intriguing subject.

If you're platooning a 1B, I don't think you can call him elite.

 

That is certainly a valid opinion. I think maximizing production based on platoon advantages is pretty solid, especially when you factor in less & wear & tear over the course of a 162 game season.

 

Freeman's career splits vs LHP is .253/.337/.391 .... the OBP is OK but the SLG % is below replacement level, especially considering how many big right hand hitting 1B's out there crush LHP's

[bill hAll Star]

So you're probably going to deplete the depth at 2-3 other positions in your farm system that you've just been building up to get a guy that is just a tick above Adam Lind? Somebody that we can't really give a supporting cast to (due to what is going out in this trade) so that he can be on a ~4 year, $85 million deal in 2018 when things get going again...pass. We can just find our own Freeman in a trade or draft in the meantime.

[3and2Fastball]

In my opinion the smartest thing to do is search out and find incredible young affordable pitching (obviously easier said than done). At this stage of a rebuild, Freeman is a luxury the Brewers cannot afford

[trwi7]

So we start the rebuild by trading Gomez and Fiers for prospects. Then let's say Atlanta only trades Freeman for the four prospects we acquired for Gomez and Fiers. So we do that and then what? We're exactly where we were. Farm system depleted. MLB team still not good. It's a completely pointless move at this point to be acquiring MLB assets.

[DuWayne Steurer]

Freeman is not dreadful vs. LHP, and certainly doesn't *need* to be platooned, but he's not someone the Brewers really need to consider targeting. He's going to be expensive, both in terms of dollars, and what they'd have to give up to get him. He's not very good defensively (according to most metrics) and as others have said, he's not an *elite* first baseman, but he's going to get paid like one, starting in 2017. Not a guy the Brewers should be targeting.

[3and2Fastball]

A .391 SLG % vs LHPs is, indeed, dreadful for a 1B

 

For reference, Yuniesky Betancourt had a .402 SLG % vs LHP. Elian Herrera has a .375 SLG % vs LHPs. Allowing Freeman to get significant at-bats vs LHPs is a misuse of a roster