What could Braun bring from the Dodgers?

[MKE81]

Dodgers get:

OF-Ryan Braun

IF-Jonathan Villar

 

Brewers get:

RHP-Brandon McCarthy

RHP-Brock Stewart

 

Does that sound like a fair deal to you guys?

We'd be extremely fortunate to land that offer

[MrTPlush]

That actually is a pretty fair trade. If that was the deal and we didn't have to take a penny back I would take it pretty fast. Calhoun is a solid prospect(one of the top 2B prospects) and Smith looks to have the making of an every day catcher.

 

Of course I wouldn't expect you guys to understand because it seems you guys tend to overlook contract length, size of contract, age, and injury history when it comes to Braun. If you look at Braun while ignoring age/money tied to him yah it probably looks like a joke. While Braun may be a diamond he is not the best quality one at this stage in his career.

[Austin Tatious]

From Nick Cafardo today. https://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/redsox/2016/12/17/nick-cafardo-why-chris-sale-delivery-works-for-him/j5slTzAgR7miJUAsQoAgHM/story.html

 

"3. Ryan Braun, LF, Brewers — The Brewers would listen on Braun but there hasn’t been much interest despite his reasonable long-term contract and the fact he’s been a very good player since putting his PED use behind him. One team executive reasoned, “When a guy with that contract has been busted once, it’s hard to commit those dollars and those player resources because if he gets busted again, you lose all of your guys and you lose Braun. Nobody is saying he’d do it again, but while he’s a very good impact player, it’s just a tough one.”

[MilwaukeesBest]

Of course I wouldn't expect you guys to understand because it seems you guys tend to overlook contract length, size of contract, age, and injury history when it comes to Braun.

 

Comments like this are why many on this forum do not like your posts as you are extremely condescending. In reality, no one knows anything about trade rumors and proposals more than the next guy.

[splitterpfj]

Obviously, the Brewers want more than what they've been offered, and just as obviously, no one has stepped up with that offer - OK then, Braun's a Brewer.

 

I'd prefer a good deal, for more young talent, but I'd much rather watch Braun play for the Brewers than watch a trade happen for guys the Brewers really don't believe in. I can't see David Stearns taking a deal he doesn't like, and I can't see Stearns walking away from young talent that he thinks is worth getting. (That HE thinks is worth getting - don't get married to somebody's ranking or projection).

 

I'd still bet on a trade, even if it doesn't come this offseason.

[wallus]

Of course I wouldn't expect you guys to understand because it seems you guys tend to overlook contract length, size of contract, age, and injury history when it comes to Braun.

 

Comments like this are why many on this forum do not like your posts as you are extremely condescending. In reality, no one knows anything about trade rumors and proposals more than the next guy.

 

Yep, you can say the same thing without intentionally or unintentionally being a dbag.

[MadThinker88]

Obviously, the Brewers want more than what they've been offered, and just as obviously, no one has stepped up with that offer - OK then, Braun's a Brewer.

 

I'd prefer a good deal, for more young talent, but I'd much rather watch Braun play for the Brewers than watch a trade happen for guys the Brewers really don't believe in. I can't see David Stearns taking a deal he doesn't like, and I can't see Stearns walking away from young talent that he thinks is worth getting. (That HE thinks is worth getting - don't get married to somebody's ranking or projection).

 

I'd still bet on a trade, even if it doesn't come this offseason.

 

A year ago at this point I figured there was no way the Brewers would be able to move Braun and that the contract would be an anchor attached to the neck of the franchise.

 

Now that it appears he might be movable, I think the Crew needs to make the trade before Braun tweaks his back, hurts his hand, etc AGAIN (even if during workouts/ spring training/ etc).

 

Further, once the 10/5 rights are fully in place for him, I think the possibility of moving him narrows even more. Yes, Ryan has a list of teams he would accept a deal to but think of that in reverse. He has to give a list of so many teams, even if he really doesn't like said place. He might only like half or a quarter of that list, but he has to provide X number. Those clubs off the list are those he has ZERO interest in going to. Once 10/5 is in place for Ryan, it could be team A or team B and that is it. Such a limited market would be extremely difficult for DS to maneuver in.

 

My fear is DS (and most Brewer fans) OVER VALUE Braun and as such, viable trade packages have been rejected/ passed over. I'm not suggesting DS deal Braun for bag of balls, but a deal worth 85 cents on the dollar is better than a deal worth 50 cents or 25 cents on the dollar (be it from Dodger/ Giants/ etc).

 

I look at this off season as the last 'close to value trade opportunity' exit on the tollway. Once it is passed, we are committed to keeping Braun come hell or high water.

[markedman5]

But since you have no idea what Stearns is asking you are just guessing.

 

Teams might be trying to low ball the Brewers on Braun due to the reasons stated .....sometimes there isn't a deal to be made.

 

I'm ok with keeping Braun if that's how it works out.

[MKE81]

That actually is a pretty fair trade. If that was the deal and we didn't have to take a penny back I would take it pretty fast. Calhoun is a solid prospect(one of the top 2B prospects) and Smith looks to have the making of an every day catcher.

 

Of course I wouldn't expect you guys to understand because it seems you guys tend to overlook contract length, size of contract, age, and injury history when it comes to Braun. If you look at Braun while ignoring age/money tied to him yah it probably looks like a joke. While Braun may be a diamond he is not the best quality one at this stage in his career.

If you think that's a fair trade then you're out of your mind.

 

Regarding everything none of us understand regarding Braun, lets discuss quickly. 4yrs 76M (80M with buyout or 5th year option). This is a good price in today's market, and the future, for a player of his talent. His contract ends when he's 36 unless it's picked up the final year. Players of Braun's ability don't fall off a cliff at age 35-36. Even if he drops to 280/345/840 his final year or so he's still better than A LOT of other OFs and his contract in 3-4yrs will still be a bargain. Injuries. He's had the same injuries forever - slightly nagging that cause him to miss a few games here and there and usually one DL stint. He had 2 surgeries over the past few years and neither have affected him since. He's still had 506+ AB his entire career (outside of 2013 - suspension) and the past 3yrs he's played in 83%+ of games. He's coming off an AS 2015 and great/even better 2016. Explain to me where these injuries show him trending downward? He's not a pitcher. Pitchers who have had arm issues carry more risk given throwing a ball is one of the, if not the, most violent and strenuous acts one can do with their arm (general speaking, not just baseball related). Braun is arguably a Top 10 MLB OF present day based on performance and showing no signs of slowing down. A team gets Braun for 4yrs. That's called control and there's value in that. You act like he's 36 now still with 4yrs/100M on contract while also missing 50 games annually.

 

The supposed trade in Sept was returning a 26yr old Puig (proven AS talent), McCarthy (proven MLB pitcher) + 2 good prospects but you somehow think a fair deal includes 0 established MLB players + 2 prospects - one being a Top 90 2b who can't field with a below average arm and speed and the other being a 21yr old catcher who was unimpressive in A/A+ in 50 games this year as a first year pro with a scouting report of strong defense/arm with zero power and potentially an average hit tool (more OBP than actual hit) while still being 4yrs away from MLB level. Yeah, ok, if you say so.

 

Notice how you conveniently forgot to list the most important part of trading Braun? HIS NO TRADE CLAUSE combined with his affinity for the Brewers org and this city. Only 5-6 teams are options without his approval. The teams he's ok going to will no doubt try to use that as leverage given the current state of the Brewers org (ie dumping high performing vets or players who will block other prospects and receive young, controllable talent). "Hey Stearns, if you want Braun off your team and young talent for him then this is what we're offering otherwise you're stuck with him for 4yrs." That's absolutely a part of, even if a smaller part. Braun shrunk his own market and earned the right to do so.

 

Finally, pick a date/place next season and we'll watch a game together because I will guarantee that you'll be watching a different game than I will. You have no idea how to evaluate talent or analyze one's skill set with your eyes - scouting plays a significant role in all trades. It's why you reference WAR for anything and everything. All I have to do is cite our quick conversation regarding Brett Phillips leg kick, which you clearly displayed your lack of knowledge on the purpose of a leg kick. It literally almost doesn't get any simpler than that. All you do is read "rumors" and WAR lines then recite as if it's fact somehow "proving you're correct".

 

I/We don't understand Braun's situation? Please

[And That]

A team gets Braun for 4yrs. That's called control and there's value in that.

To what extent it is true or not is hard to tell, but yesterday's Cafardo piece on Braun notes that there is some devaluation of Braun's control due to the impact a second positive test for PEDs could have on his ability to contribute in the coming years.

[MillerParkSouth]

Braun has been "clean" for the past 3 seasons. I don't think that the talk about another potential failed test is anything but teams trying to drive the ask down.

[adambr2]

Control is great when it's cheap and for a young player. When it's for a 33 year old at 19M a year, 4 years of control doesn't carry nearly as much value.

 

Braun would be much easier to trade right now without all that control. He's a lot better fit for most teams as a short-term investment than a long-term one.

[MrTPlush]

Yup I said that deal could potentially be fair if we were picking up no money. With all the baggage and money there isn't a lot of surplus value.

 

I didn't mention the no trade clause, but yes another great example of why the value isn't there.

 

The August trade included more because we were taking McCarthy(total salary dump) to get more. We also have no idea who the prospects were as one couldn't even be agreed upon. Could have been Calhoun/Smith.

 

If we pick up money that deal is probably pretty light(depending on how much we take on), but I was assuming it was straight up for those two. At which point that might be where his value lies. It seems a lot are stuck on what his value "should" be not what it appears to be. I think Braun should net a De Leon etc, but it's looking like MLB teams are not near that.

 

Lastly as mentioned the control is more a bad thing than a good thing. Every team would prefer it be 2 years not four years.

[jerichoholicninja]

A team gets Braun for 4yrs. That's called control and there's value in that.

To what extent it is true or not is hard to tell, but yesterday's Cafardo piece on Braun notes that there is some devaluation of Braun's control due to the impact a second positive test for PEDs could have on his ability to contribute in the coming years.

 

Anything PED related is nothing but a load of crap made up by a writer or a bald faced lie from an insider. Look at all the guys that have tested positive and still gone on to sign multiyear contracts.

[MNBrew]

A team gets Braun for 4yrs. That's called control and there's value in that.

To what extent it is true or not is hard to tell, but yesterday's Cafardo piece on Braun notes that there is some devaluation of Braun's control due to the impact a second positive test for PEDs could have on his ability to contribute in the coming years.

 

Anything PED related is nothing but a load of crap made up by a writer or a bald faced lie from an insider. Look at all the guys that have tested positive and still gone on to sign multiyear contracts.

Right. By Cafardo's logic, shouldn't the same speculation apply to EVERYONE who's tested positive for PEDs? It means pretty much nothing.

 

A) It's just as true of a statement to say it could happen again with any of those guys as it is to say it could happen for the first time for anyone who hasn't ever previously tested positive. So how is Braun different? Really, why should anyone EVER be paid what their on-field numbers thoroughly justify in terms of market-based value? I mean, they could get busted for PEDs....

 

(I get the black eye Braun earned at the time, but it's usually the media and not front-office types who only settle for believing the headlines without applying critical/deeper thought -- especially coast-based media who tend to give teams in the Central time zone only the occasional cursory glance.)

 

B) Similar "baggage" of other players by and large hasn't stopped them from getting new and sometimes large contracts. Why do we only remember the "biggest" names at the time of the Biogenesis scandal? By the logic presented, we should view Yasmani Grandal with the same skepticism with which others view Braun. What about Peralta? Melky? What about others who cheated and later either fessed up or were busted? Why not "golden" Yankee alum Pettite, who still seems to walk on water with the media -- why should we believe him? But certainly we can't believe that Braun's actually honestly & legitimately clean!

 

If Braun's "baggage" only ever remains fully and increasingly further in the past, then it will have proven to be absolutely inconsequential -- a total non-real issue for the remainder of his career. That well could prove to be the outcome -- just as could the doom-and-gloom predictions of PED recurrence and/or impending/inevitable regression which some posters take as indisputable gospel.

[MNBrew]

That actually is a pretty fair trade. If that was the deal and we didn't have to take a penny back I would take it pretty fast. Calhoun is a solid prospect(one of the top 2B prospects) and Smith looks to have the making of an every day catcher.

 

Of course I wouldn't expect you guys to understand because it seems you guys tend to overlook contract length, size of contract, age, and injury history when it comes to Braun. If you look at Braun while ignoring age/money tied to him yah it probably looks like a joke. While Braun may be a diamond he is not the best quality one at this stage in his career.

Wow. It would be one thing if you simply stated that you disagree, but ripping the masses just because they have a differing viewpoint . . . .

 

We all are entitled to our opinions, but that's the extent of our expertise, regardless of whatever means by which we inform and justify them.

 

Using the kernels of your logic, if Dombrowski called Stearns last year to offer David Ortiz for Hernan Perez and an A- pitching prospect if the Brewers would pay Ortiz's full 2016 salary, Stearns should've hung up on him if he didn't accept only Tyrone Taylor as the return since the Brewers would've picked up all of Ortiz's contract and Ortiz is 40 years old, can only DH, and has a growing history of worsening foot issues.

[monty57]

From MLBTradeRumors.com:

 

After the Brewers nearly dealt outfielder Ryan Braun to the Dodgers in August, there was a report that the two teams would revisit talks during the winter. There hasn’t been much offseason chatter regarding Braun, though, and one team executive told Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe that clubs are wary of his past performance-enhancing drug use. “When a guy with that contract has been busted once, it’s hard to commit those dollars and those player resources because if he gets busted again, you lose all of your guys and you lose Braun,” the exec said. “Nobody is saying he’d do it again, but while he’s a very good impact player, it’s just a tough one.” Braun served a 65-game suspension for PEDs in 2013 and later admitted to using them during his NL MVP-winning season in 2011. He returned from the suspension in 2014 to post so-so numbers (by his standards), but the 33-year-old has gone back to being a high-end offensive performer since. Braun is owed $76MM over the next half-decade, including a $4MM buyout in 2021.

 

Could be posturing, but sounds like the past PED use is having an effect on his value.

[A Swing and A Drive]

From MLBTradeRumors.com:

 

After the Brewers nearly dealt outfielder Ryan Braun to the Dodgers in August, there was a report that the two teams would revisit talks during the winter. There hasn’t been much offseason chatter regarding Braun, though, and one team executive told Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe that clubs are wary of his past performance-enhancing drug use. “When a guy with that contract has been busted once, it’s hard to commit those dollars and those player resources because if he gets busted again, you lose all of your guys and you lose Braun,” the exec said. “Nobody is saying he’d do it again, but while he’s a very good impact player, it’s just a tough one.” Braun served a 65-game suspension for PEDs in 2013 and later admitted to using them during his NL MVP-winning season in 2011. He returned from the suspension in 2014 to post so-so numbers (by his standards), but the 33-year-old has gone back to being a high-end offensive performer since. Braun is owed $76MM over the next half-decade, including a $4MM buyout in 2021.

 

Could be posturing, but sounds like the past PED use is having an effect on his value.

 

 

This is the elephant in the room that Brewer fans simply ignore because of the fact Braun was a key part of the team(s) the ended this franchises 26-year long playoff drought. I get that.

 

However, I think Braun lost a ton of respect and trust around MLB when he didn't take responsibility when caught as a PED user and instead threw the PED sampler delivery guy Dino Laurenzi, Jr under the bus, in attempt to save face.

 

If you were an MLB owner, would you feel comfortable investing Braun's contract commitment/risk to this type of character?

[brewerfan82]

OK so I'm not the first person to suggest this but haven't seen much discussion of it either.

 

Given that Stearns is accumulating very high-upside middle infielders (Dubon, Diaz) who will soon be in the mid-to-upper minors, what's the chance Braun and Villar go to the Dodgers (or somewhere else) in a blockbuster? I think the likelihood of that is low, but let's say for a moment it happens. What could the Brewers get back?

I wouldn't be opposed to this (assuming the return value warrants it obviously). If Stearns wants to make a deal happen, it puts him in a unique position to offer a package for a big bat and a second baseman (and even a pitcher if Guerra's included) without raising their payroll the next couple years (Braun + Villar + Guerra = ~$20m/yr, Puig + McCarthy/Kazmir = ~17-23m/yr). I'm not sure they'd be able to land a bat like Braun's once they trade whatever it takes to get Dozier.

 

As for what would it take? It'd take a huge package coming back. If you're going to trade Villar you need to get close to the value back that you'd expect as if you'd kept him for another productive year, otherwise you keep him. In addition to Puig + Kazmir/McCarthy, I'd start with something along the lines of DeLeon, Calhoun, Buehler, and Smith. Ideally Bellinger would be in there too, I just don't know if he's completely off limits at this point. So it's more likely a combination of 2-3 other lower level prospects DS likes would round out the package. If adding someone like Guerra gets Bellinger included in the talks, I wouldn't be opposed to that either. It's a lot for the Dodgers to give up, but you're getting 4 years of Braun, 4 pre-FA years of Villar, and possibly 5 pre-FA years of Guerra, and you're not taking on extra payroll. For the Brewers you're getting your new top pitching and second baseman prospects, both with AAA-plus experience, another highly touted arm and another good catching prospect. If you somehow get Bellinger into the deal as well, that's possibly another top-20 prospect whenever the new rankings come out, and he fills a huge 1st base hole in the organization. Also, I still think you're buying Puig low, who could break out and return a nice package on his own. Braun's value is only going to go down from here (let alone our negotiating power with his 10-and-5 rights), and while some may see this as selling early on Villar, he could just as easily have a down year and everyone will be complaining that he was another missed opportunity to sell high with. Same goes for Guerra, who's age makes him even less valuable for the Brewers to risk holding onto.

 

Not sure if I'm overvaluing our guys, but I thought this was an interesting idea and I think that's what I'd need to hear to discuss including Villar with a team like the Dodgers. I don't think Villar is a guy we need to move, but if we can get a guy like Calhoun (and a butt load of prospects) who will be able to take the helm in a year and hold fort until Diaz comes up, I can live with Scooter at 2nd for another year (in which we're not competing anyways). I'm not sure anyone's going to take Gennett off our hands, so in some ways, it may make sense to at least listen to offers for Villar. If you're blown away, go for it.

[MrTPlush]

That actually is a pretty fair trade. If that was the deal and we didn't have to take a penny back I would take it pretty fast. Calhoun is a solid prospect(one of the top 2B prospects) and Smith looks to have the making of an every day catcher.

 

Of course I wouldn't expect you guys to understand because it seems you guys tend to overlook contract length, size of contract, age, and injury history when it comes to Braun. If you look at Braun while ignoring age/money tied to him yah it probably looks like a joke. While Braun may be a diamond he is not the best quality one at this stage in his career.

Using the kernels of your logic, if Dombrowski called Stearns last year to offer David Ortiz for Hernan Perez and an A- pitching prospect if the Brewers would pay Ortiz's full 2016 salary, Stearns should've hung up on him if he didn't accept only Tyrone Taylor as the return since the Brewers would've picked up all of Ortiz's contract and Ortiz is 40 years old, can only DH, and has a growing history of worsening foot issues.

 

Well yah I wouldn't want to give up an A- pitching prospect for David Ortiz. What is wrong with that? However that example is a bit troubling because his contracts have been short and cheap in recent history not really a good comp for Braun.

[MrTPlush]

I am sure the PED issue has some kind of negative effect. He gets popped again and you lose him for 2/3 of a year. Sure you get the money back, but teams are also trading prospects. So such things have to be taken into consideration. Most of the value one is trading for is for the next to years. If he lost almost a full season that would eat a ton of the value you were trading for. That being said is this really a major concern? That seems a bit surprising.

[JosephC]

Braun + Villar to the Dodgers does make a ton of sense if the Dodgers strike out on Dozier. But I do think the Dodgers will get that deal done.

 

If Braun goes to LA it's almost certain that the Dodgers will want to included Puig in the deal as it was in August. It also makes sense that the Dodgers will want to dump Kazmir or McCarthy on Milwaukee and McCarthy makes a lot more sense for the Brewers as he is only owed half of what Kazmir is still scheduled to be paid.

 

If you trust the Steamer projections then you can expect nothing back from LA as I already jokingly detailed on the last page. Steamer projected Braun as a 1.7 WAR player in 2017 despite him being a 4.4 WAR (Baseball Reference) player in 2016, Villar as being a 1.0 WAR player in 2017 (3.9 WAR in 2016) and Puig being a 2.9 WAR player in 2017 despite the fact that he didn't combine for that total in 2015 (1.1) and 2016 (1.4) combined.

 

I'd project the following WARs to each of the major leaguers through their controlled seasons:

Braun = 4.0, 3.2, 1.9, 1.0 (4.4 WAR in 2016)

Villar = 2.5, 2.5, 2.5,2.5 (3.9 WAR in 2016)

Puig = 1.7, 1.8, 1.8 (1.4 WAR in 2016)

McCarthy = minimal to negative (negative WARs in both 2015 and 2016)

 

Using Reilly's estimate of 1 WAR = 8.4 million in 2017, 1 WAR = 8.8 million in 2018, 9.2 WAR in 2019 and 9.6 WAR in 2020, the values of players is as follows:

Braun = 88.84 million

Villar = 90 million

Puig = 46.68 million

McCarthy = 0

 

Put Villar's 2017 salary as 0.6 million and then estimate the arbitration years using the 40/60/80 estimate, and then credit Puig as making 14 million in 2017 and 2018 and then 80% of his worth in 2019 (arbitration year). Braun is guaranteed 80 million over the last four years of his contract. When subtracting earnings the surplus value for each player is:

Braun = +8.84 million

Villar = +47.6 million

Puig = +19.43 million

McCarthy = -20 million

 

So with the Brewers giving up +8.84, +47.6 and then eating 20 million on the McCarthy contract, the Brewers "contribution" to the deal is 76.44 million. The Dodgers surrender 19.43 million in Puig so the Brewers should get approximately 57.01 million back in prospect surplus value.

 

While Bellinger is possible I just don't see the Dodgers including him in any deal that doesn't return elite MLB starting pitching. De Leon is possible too but I don't think they'd trade him in a "perfect fit" deal. I don't think a Braun deal represents that but a Dozier deal would. The Dodgers would be locking themselves into Braun long term and I just don't think Villar would be nearly as attractive to them as a 2B that hit 42 home runs last year.

 

Alex Verdugo's surplus value is +38.2 million and he's probably the highest rated player the Dodgers would be willing to let go. I'd probably say 7-11 on MLB.com's top 30 list probably get assigned a surplus value of about 10 million. After that I'd put surplus value at about 5 million.

 

So I'd guess:

 

Dodgers get:

OF-Ryan Braun (+8.8)

IF-Jonathan Villar (+47.6)

(total = +56.4)

 

Brewers get:

OF-Yasiel Puig (+19.43)

RHP-Brandon McCarthy (-20)

OF-Alex Verdugo (+38.2)

RHP-Walker Buehler (+15.6)

OF-Starling Heredia (+5)

(total = +58.23)

[Jose Cardenal1]

JosephC

 

Substitute Y.Alvarez instead of Verdugo and I would take that deal.

[pacopete4]

If you were an MLB owner, would you feel comfortable investing Braun's contract commitment/risk to this type of character?

 

 

Yes. Because I, like many, can see growth in individuals. Braun made a mistake. Either on his own or listened to the wrong set of people telling him to throw people under the bus. Either way, he paid for it and ever since, he has done nothing but be a model citizen. ie. Starting a family, charity work, calling Brewers fans, showing up at just about every event, being a good leader in our own clubhouse (knocking down Lucroy's crap comments a year ago). So yes. I wouldn't hesitate to add a Ryan Braun to my team.

[jerichoholicninja]

From MLBTradeRumors.com:

 

After the Brewers nearly dealt outfielder Ryan Braun to the Dodgers in August, there was a report that the two teams would revisit talks during the winter. There hasn’t been much offseason chatter regarding Braun, though, and one team executive told Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe that clubs are wary of his past performance-enhancing drug use. “When a guy with that contract has been busted once, it’s hard to commit those dollars and those player resources because if he gets busted again, you lose all of your guys and you lose Braun,” the exec said. “Nobody is saying he’d do it again, but while he’s a very good impact player, it’s just a tough one.” Braun served a 65-game suspension for PEDs in 2013 and later admitted to using them during his NL MVP-winning season in 2011. He returned from the suspension in 2014 to post so-so numbers (by his standards), but the 33-year-old has gone back to being a high-end offensive performer since. Braun is owed $76MM over the next half-decade, including a $4MM buyout in 2021.

 

Could be posturing, but sounds like the past PED use is having an effect on his value.

 

 

This is the elephant in the room that Brewer fans simply ignore because of the fact Braun was a key part of the team(s) the ended this franchises 26-year long playoff drought. I get that.

 

However, I think Braun lost a ton of respect and trust around MLB when he didn't take responsibility when caught as a PED user and instead threw the PED sampler delivery guy Dino Laurenzi, Jr under the bus, in attempt to save face.

 

If you were an MLB owner, would you feel comfortable investing Braun's contract commitment/risk to this type of character?

 

Yes. And twice on Tuesday. And Braun was correct, the testing guy screwed up. Whether that made a difference in the result or not that was Braun's defense and it was true.

 

Melky Cabrera formed a fake company as his alibi for his failed test and he's signed multiple multiyear free agent contracts since.

 

Seriously, the only people who care about PED's are the media and some fans.