Keep an Eye on the 40-Man Roster

[splitterpfj]

The Brewers signed 37 players from the 2016 draft. The Brewers traded for six, eventually seven young players before the deadline, and this, obviously after many trades last season, and last offseason.

 

Look at the 40-man, and tell me what you see, or more importantly - what you do not see.

 

One benefit to trading for younger talent, guys further down the chain, is they won't take up a 40-man spot for a while, which means the team can stack more talent, and have more to work with, while those kids sort themselves out.

 

Of the players Milwaukee just traded for, including the Aaron Hill deal, only Andrew Susac is on the 40-man. Who is on the 40? A lot of AAAA types, and a few guys on the big club who are clearly nearing the end.

 

What's my point? Watch that list change over the next year, and then the next one - as those top prospects begin to join Orlando Arcia on that list, you'll know the worst of the rebuild is almost over - all this young talent will be knocking on the door. With talent spread now from top to bottom in the system, once the kids start to hit the 40-man, they should continue to come, a few at a time, for several years.

 

That list will tell you when it's about to be fun in Milwaukee again.

 

http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/MIL/2016-roster.shtml

[And That]

Among the players the Brewers who will need to be protected from this winter's Rule 5 draft are:

 

Lewis Brinson

Josh Hader

Brett Phillips

Tyrone Taylor

Garrett Cooper

Nate Orf

Kyle Wren

Angel Ortega

Javier Betancourt

Wei-Chung Wang

Angel Ventura

Victor Roache

Miguez Diaz

Taylor Williams

 

They obviously won't put all of these guys on the 40-man roster, maybe just the top three, but roster management is going to become a very important issue for the Brewers in the coming years. There simply won't be room for the Andy Wilkins and Jake Elmores of the word. Which is a good thing.

[splitterpfj]

They obviously won't put all of these guys on the 40-man roster, maybe just the top three, but roster management is going to become a very important issue for the Brewers in the coming years. There simply won't be room for the Andy Wilkins and Jake Elmores of the word. Which is a good thing.

 

Yep, some of the focus will have to shift from adding as much young talent as possible, to choosing wisely from the talent you've got.

 

Ironically, losing a guy you still like in the Rule 5, is a sign your team is doing very well in talent development.

 

Look at the 40-man - Arcia is there, but Brinson, Hader, Ray, Phillips, Ortiz, Bickford, Diaz, Diplan, Peralta, etc - the real meat of the newly-minted, "#1 Farm System" is not there. There will be a big push from the bottom on that list, starting after this season.

 

"Choose wisely."

[djoctagone]

we saw last season that david stearns opted to add many players to the 40-man in september and let them play, rather than wait until the offseason. of course, injuries and a stubborn matt garza contributed to that . . .

[1992casey]

Doug Melvin would still have been in charge last September.

[Outlander]

I guess I look at it a little differently. I see the 2017 rule 5 eligible guys and don't see a lot of additions (maybe 3-5), a sign that the rebuild is far from over and there will be plenty of AAAA and veteran types on this team in 2017.

[splitterpfj]

I guess I look at it a little differently. I see the 2017 rule 5 eligible guys and don't see a lot of additions (maybe 3-5), a sign that the rebuild is far from over and there will be plenty of AAAA and veteran types on this team in 2017.

 

My point is not that things will be nosey in 2017 - I think 2017 will be the low point for the MLB team. My point is, the Brewers have this much improved supply of talent coming, and almost none of it has even hit the 40-man yet. These guys will begin to hit the 40-man a few at a time, so keep an eye on it as the transition occurs.

 

You'll know the good times are coming again when that list has moved from what it is, to what it will be - no, that will not be anywhere near complete in the next year, it's really just beginning.

[Mudville9]

I wouldn't be surprised to see DS starting to deal away minor pieces that might not fit into his plans for a bullpen arm or something that has a chance at being traded for lower minor league guys at deadlines.

 

This might have been something going through the Indians minds at the deadline this year. Try and give uup pieces that you don't need for a run and still keep major pieces. That way you keep the building blocks and have a little 40 man flexibility.

[Ennder]

Looking over the current 40 man roster and DL, I'd be surprised if 6 players on that list are a part of the next competitive Brewers team. It might only be 2 or 3.

[FVBrewerFan]

Yea, there's some border line guys it would be nice to add. AAAA guys like Cooper, Wren, Orf, but at least they're younger and better than the ones currently on the 40. Then there's guys like Taylor, Roache, Williams, Diaz that I don't want to give up on quite yet.

 

But looking over the current 40, should be relatively easy to protect anyone that's borderline. And once that's done, yes that will already be an improvement over the current 40 man roster. As Splitter said, should get real interesting starting next year at this time.

[Fear The Chorizo]

Starting next year, the pile of quasi-prospects that are struggling to develop in the upper minor league levels that aren't DS guys (Tyrone Taylor, Victor Roache, Coulter, etc, etc) are going to be exposed to Rule V and outright release to make room for younger prospects. Next year will truly be make or break for a lot of guys that people around here have been hoping take that next step with the Brewers.

[JohnBriggs12]

Flores likely will lose his spot after the season along with Wilkins and Elmore. Middlebrooks is almost certain to as well as he has nowhere to play now that Arcia is up. I would expect Nieuwenhuis to be dealt this month too. That's 4-5 spots right there. Rivera, Cecchini, and Reed might not be worth keeping on the roster either. Remember Perez was taken off the 40 man last year and he had a much better year in 2015 than a guy like Flores did this past year. Who knows about Broxton?. While he's shown flashes recently, he'll be 27 next year with a load of CF talent just behind him. I'm sure they'd like to build some trade value for him.

 

That's just the non-pitchers.

 

What we will see less and less are guys who are eligible to become FA rather than accept minor league assignments opting to stay in the loaded Brewer system. Better opportunities will be elsewhere.

[MNBrew]

Briggs makes a good point. There will inevitably guys they like that they want to keep in the organization but who are almost assuredly not attractive enough to be Rule V fodder this winter, much in the Hernan Perez mold last winter.

 

Rowen, Scahill, Elmore, Middlebrooks, Flores, Wilkins, Houser (only because of TJ surgery) are first names that come to mind, with Cecchini quite possibly, too.

 

Capuano, Goforth, Nolin, and Nieuwenhuis would also seem to be on far from sure footing re: returning to the Brewers' organization next year, too, each for different reasons.

 

Boyer is on a one-year contract, FA-eligible at season's end.

 

Add that all up and you get potentially as many as 13 guys who may not have 40-man spots by the Winter Meetings.

 

I think Rivera's still liked within the organization. He really should've spent all of '15 in AA (Brewers' IF injuries moved him up to AAA for 2 months) which would mean playing all of '16 in AAA is right in line. So I think he's far from a fallen star in the organization's eyes. . . . I never understood the love for Taylor. Reed seems to bring more to the table. Neither's exactly lighting it up this year, but I'd think Reed's more likely a part of the team's future than Taylor (and I wouldn't care if Taylor proves me wrong). Some of the Roache/Taylor/etc. crowd will be guys we get a little something for -- deal sweeteners if nothing else -- as guys who aren't far from being seen as high-ceiling prospects (or at least as guys having 1 or more high-ceiling tools).

 

There will likely be ample other player movement, though who knows who that will involve.