What are our next moves?

[Madhawk23]

Now that we've gotten past the July trade deadline, what are our next moves?

 

Will we trade guys like Torres and Boyer in August? I'm assuming we'd only get back a lower-level mid-prospect (see Malik Collymore) in return for either of those guys, but we might as well at least try to get something, right? Does anyone else have a shot to get traded in August? What are the odds of any of our bigger names (Braun, Thornburg, Carter, Guerra, Nelson) getting dealt before 8/31? I've never completely understood the August waiver deadline. I know that guys have to clear waivers before you trade them to any team, and if they are claimed by a team then you can only work with that one team on a deal. Is that right? But that teams will claim a player just to block him from being traded to another team?

 

Also, looking ahead to the offseason - how active do you think we'll be on the trade market? I see that there is another thread specifically on Scooter and his value. Let's hope he finishes strong these final two months and continues to prove that he can hit lefties. I'd also love to see Nelson turn things around here and put together a strong final two months, which might give us some value there.

[JohnBriggs12]

Carlos Torres still has 2 more years of control even though he's 33. The guy is in amazing shape, not unlike Latroy Hawkins who was a valuable reliever into his 40s. It's not a slam dunk that he gets traded. With Smith and Jeffress gone, Torres is going to get late inning high leverage work that could increase his value for next year.

 

There might be a market for Boyer, but the return would be negligible.

 

I believe they'll try and find a taker for Nieuwenhuis which is why he's going to continue to see regular playing time against RHP.

[reillymcshane]

Now that we've gotten past the July trade deadline, what are our next moves?

 

 

Possibilities:

 

- Cut Garza at some point. He's got probably 10 starts left in the season, and if he's still doing poorly at the end of August, just let him go. It allows us to add another person to the 40 man roster who deserves a look in the majors in September, such as Wren or Suter or whomever. If Garza has a great August you figure it out from there. But no one is going to want him, and I don't want him locking up a rotation spot for long. I'd rather have guys who have a potential future in Milwaukee getting those starts.

 

- Explore trades for anyone who slips through waivers who has some modicum of value - Braun, Boyer, Torres, Nieuwenhuis. Trouble is that most of our guys (Garza is the exception) will get claimed. So we can only deal with that one team. Sure we can try, but in reality, those are tough deals. Best is if a guy get all the way through waivers, but as I said, I think most of these guys have some value and someone will claim each of them. Boyer and Nieuwenhuis are probably the most likely to get through waivers. If you can deal them for a lottery ticket, great.

 

- Start looking for late season picks up - we got Guerra last year in September, if I recall correctly.

 

- Just let the kids play and see who rises up to the top.

[Boomer5]

Braun and maybe Garza. Both will pass waivers most likely.

 

Junior and the bullpen buys will never pass through waivers with their small contracts and insane demand for pitching.

[pogokat]

 

Possibilities:

 

- Cut Garza at some point. He's got probably 10 starts left in the season, and if he's still doing poorly at the end of August, just let him go. It allows us to add another person to the 40 man roster who deserves a look in the majors in September, such as Wren or Suter or whomever. If Garza has a great August you figure it out from there. But no one is going to want him, and I don't want him locking up a rotation spot for long. I'd rather have guys who have a potential future in Milwaukee getting those starts.

 

 

I think Stearns use of Aaron Hill shows how they will approach Garza---there just isnt a reason to dump him completely until after august 31st 2017, so i imagine the Brewers will continue to try and get something out of him. Who knows, maybe he'll move to the pen and be lights out and be worth an actual prospect at the deadline next year. That is worth a try before dumping him for sunk cost.

[pogokat]

Braun and maybe Garza. Both will pass waivers most likely.

 

Junior and the bullpen buys will never pass through waivers with their small contracts and insane demand for pitching.

 

I'm almost certain they will move at least one more reliever

[FVBrewerFan]

As much as we would all like Garza gone, it's not going to happen. Not all bad, he can eat innings the rest of this year and next. He actually hasn't been horrendous since he's come back, just bad.

 

That's fine for now. The Brewers have been on an unbelieveable healthy streak for SP the past two years. Not so bad to have Garza around, since there's no much on the way for next year. Suter yes, he'll get a chance. Maybe Hader at some point. But that's only 7 SP.

 

If Garza goes back to being horrible, has a bas attitude or whatever he can always be cut at any time.

[tmwiese55]

There was an article on CBS mentioning Braun and waivers. The guy thought he'd be likely to clear because teams would be afraid the Brewers would let him go, didn't make any sense to me. Teams like the Dodgers, Giants, and others with tons of money should claim in a second and hope MKE just lets him walk. His contract is cheaper than anything they can sing in FA anytime soon.

[And That]

There seemed to be a connection between Braun and Atlanta right before the trade deadline, insinuating that they offered to trade for Braun for a very small return to the Brewers. But the Brewers rebuffed them and they went and got Kemp instead. To that end, I'm not so sure he even gets past Atlanta on the waiver wire, as they can take another shot at getting Braun for a deep discount.

[Roderick]

Will we trade guys like Torres and Boyer in August?

 

Will Torres even clear waivers? I assume some team will pick him as they want him or to block another team - but won't give full value. I was surprised he wasn't traded at the deadline, which means I assume Stearns planned on paying the arby to keep him next year. If he is $950K this year, can I assume arby would be $1.5M?

[ZBTMP]

I would guess few GMs have the flexibility to add $80 million in future commitments without some kind of review and ownership approval. His contract may be market or slightly below market, but I think he clears if for no other reason than chief baseball decision makers probably are reluctant to sit down with ownership to review the potential financial implications of claiming Braun.

[ZBTMP]

Im still holding out hope that our next moves are to announce that the excess revenue from maintaining the lowest payroll in the majors is being used to buy a Carolina League and International League Affiliate and move spring training into a state of the art facility out of the ghetto of Phoenix (Yes, I know its not "that bad").

[Boomer5]

Braun and maybe Garza. Both will pass waivers most likely.

 

Junior and the bullpen buys will never pass through waivers with their small contracts and insane demand for pitching.

 

I'm almost certain they will move at least one more reliever

 

How will our relievers clear waivers? They are all so cheap and the market is insane for any reliever with a pulse.

[reillymcshane]

Braun and maybe Garza. Both will pass waivers most likely.

 

Junior and the bullpen buys will never pass through waivers with their small contracts and insane demand for pitching.

 

I'm almost certain they will move at least one more reliever

 

How will our relievers clear waivers? They are all so cheap and the market is insane for any reliever with a pulse.

Especially a guy like Torres, who is pitching really well.

[JohnBriggs12]

 

Possibilities:

 

- Cut Garza at some point. He's got probably 10 starts left in the season, and if he's still doing poorly at the end of August, just let him go. It allows us to add another person to the 40 man roster who deserves a look in the majors in September, such as Wren or Suter or whomever. If Garza has a great August you figure it out from there. But no one is going to want him, and I don't want him locking up a rotation spot for long. I'd rather have guys who have a potential future in Milwaukee getting those starts.

 

 

I think Stearns use of Aaron Hill shows how they will approach Garza---there just isnt a reason to dump him completely until after august 31st 2017, so i imagine the Brewers will continue to try and get something out of him. Who knows, maybe he'll move to the pen and be lights out and be worth an actual prospect at the deadline next year. That is worth a try before dumping him for sunk cost.

 

 

I don't get your logic nor the comparison to Hill. Hill had rebound written all over him. He'd done in twice before and wasn't all that old. Besides if just a veteran bench bat he had uses if enough of his contract was swallowed. Garza on the other hand has been arguably the worst starting pitcher of those that have essentially been continuously part of a rotation since start of 2015. His last two less than awful starts should earn him 2-3 more, but that should be his window, not the end of August 2017. Eventually they need to make room for pitchers who deserve a shot in the rotation. They don't have to go out and pay for his replacement, but it would benefit them greatly to see guys at the major league level in 2017 that could be and Garza is taking a spot. Even if he rebounded enough that another team would take a chance on him and offer you a small piece, that doesn't offset the lost opportunity to see younger arms. Maybe he'll have enough decent starts yet in 2016 that you could package him in a deal but he's going to have negative trade value so if you package him with a desired player, the return for that player will be less.

[reillymcshane]

There was an article on CBS mentioning Braun and waivers. The guy thought he'd be likely to clear because teams would be afraid the Brewers would let him go, didn't make any sense to me. Teams like the Dodgers, Giants, and others with tons of money should claim in a second and hope MKE just lets him walk. His contract is cheaper than anything they can sing in FA anytime soon.

One problem is that several of the big market teams have exceeded the luxury tax threshold last year, and will end up paying significant penalties by crossing that line again this year (it was $189M last year - don't know what it will be in 2016). The Dodgers and Yankees are in the 50% tax bracket on any overage (they've crossed the line four years in a row or more). The Red Sox and Giants also paid the luxury tax last year as well, so anything over the threshold will cost them a 30% premium since it will only be their second year in a row crossing the line. If a team crosses the threshold for the first time, the penalty is 17.5% of the overage.

 

This doesn't mean a team won't claim Braun, but it might give a few of them pause to do so. The Giants, for instance, already have around $160M dedicated to about 12 guys next year, and they just might not want the additional salary. Again, doesn't mean they wouldn't do it, but they might think long and hard about it.

 

In the end, I agree that someone would likely want Ryan, but it might not be as clear cut as we think.

[3and2Fastball]

I don't expect big moves for the rest of the season.

 

Biggest moves will be Winter Meetings trades of Braun, Gennett, maybe Thornburg, maybe Nelson, maybe Guerra. And then the 2017 Draft will be interesting as always.

[MillerParkSouth]

I'm still shocked that Torres and Boyer didn't get moved in July. I think it might be tough to get Torres through waivers for the previously mentioned reasons. I'd love to get a lottery ticket or two for Boyer, Neuenheis, etc.

[jdw42434]

If Braun cleared waivers, then I would hope the Brewers would be willing to eat a good chunk (up to 1/2) of his contract in order to get the best prospects possible. It's not like they will be spending it on anyone else the next 2-3 years.

 

Same for Garza, although even if we ate most of his, unless he pitches well the next couple weeks, I doubt we get much for him.

 

A move I would like the Brewers to consider, would be if Puig did well in AAA the next few weeks, would be to trade for him. I wouldn't want to give up any good prospects for him, but would take on his contract & maybe send them a reliever who cleared waivers or a medium prospect.

[JosephC]

I'd be shocked if Garza hasn't already been put on waivers (Monday) and cleared (today).

[MrTPlush]

I'm still shocked that Torres and Boyer didn't get moved in July. I think it might be tough to get Torres through waivers for the previously mentioned reasons. I'd love to get a lottery ticket or two for Boyer, Neuenheis, etc.

 

Torres would get claimed. Doesn't mean we can't trade him, but a team with a good bullpen contending would claim to block other contenders.

 

Boyer's stats suck. No K's and lots of hits.

 

Kirk N. Should be an interesting case.

[rickh150]

Doesn't MLB have a 10/5 rule, meaning a player with 10 years of service time and 5 consecutive years with said team cannot be traded? With Braun wouldn't his 10th year be this year? I know he came up in May of 2007, I believe, so not a full year there, and the PED suspension knocked off some time too. According to Cotts, Braun has accrued 8.1 years of service time before the 2016 season started.... Not sure how accurate that is.... Any help with rule or Braun's service time would be appreciated.

 

Anyhow, the decision or unofficial Brewer deadline to move Braun could possibly be this offseason (or the deadline next season). After 10 years, we'd be letting him dictate where he goes to an extent, if we wanted a trade. Or he could just say I'm staying put and collect his 19 million per year.

 

To me this offseason will be very intriguing because of Braun. I hope he is kept because he is old bones and has so much history with the franchise. The 2008 and 2011 seasons are a lot about him, really. More importantly, he's been surprisingly somewhat healthy and productive. However, my heart and mind are playing tug of war here too. If we can get a couple top prospects back without eating much salary, that seems like a logical and fitting move as we rebuild.

 

Our next big move is Braun, to trade or not to trade..... and the countdown to 10 years of service time continues, which is coming up sooner than we think.

[LouisEly]

I've never completely understood the August waiver deadline. I know that guys have to clear waivers before you trade them to any team, and if they are claimed by a team then you can only work with that one team on a deal. Is that right?

There are four possible outcomes:

 

1) Player is put on waivers, another team claims player, claiming team is given player (see Alex Rios, 2009; not common)

 

2) Player is put on waivers, another team claims player, current team pulls player back (most common)

 

3) Player is put on waivers, another team claims player, current team says will pull player back unless something is offered in return, trade is made but can only be made with claiming team

 

4) Player is put on waivers and clears waivers, subsequently can be traded to any team afterwards

 

There is a limit to the number of players a team can place on waivers in a day (I believe it is 3-5). Generally you want to put your big contracts and injured players out first as they are least likely to be claimed. With guys such as Torres and Nieuwenhuis you wait; if the market was there someone would have traded for them at the deadline. You wait in hopes that a market develops (injuries to a contender) increasing demand. With younger players it doesn't matter much; someone will claim them, and rarely will they offer enough in return to want to make a trade, so they just end up getting pulled back.

[trwi7]

According to Cotts, Braun has accrued 8.1 years of service time before the 2016 season started.... Not sure how accurate that is.... Any help with rule or Braun's service time would be appreciated.

 

He's at 8 years, 129 days of service time right now. 172 days is a full year of service time, so he'll be over 9 years of service time when the season is over. I don't think he'll get to 10 years before the trade deadline, so yeah, if we're going to trade him, this winter or next summer will be the ideal time to do it before his 10/5 rights kick in.

[3and2Fastball]

"The no-trade protection in Ryan Braun’s contract allows the star outfielder to block a deal to every team besides the Angels, Diamondbacks, Dodgers, Giants, Marlins and Padres, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reports"

 

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2016/05/update-on-ryan-brauns-no-trade-list.html