Brewers sign Neftali Feliz to 1 year/$5.35MM deal; Latest: DFA'd on June 14th

[DuWayne Steurer]

Brewers name Knebel the closer. Good. Hope he does well in the role.

[adambr2]

Brewers name Knebel the closer. Good. Hope he does well in the role.

 

Well, it won't be tonight if they need one, guessing that would be Barnes. But good news regardless.

[ClosetBrewerFan]

So who is our future closer? Is it Knebel in the near and long term? The Brewers are not grooming anyone in the minors based on stats this year. Will it be a failed starter? Who has the stuff in the minors that would make a good closer? Hader? Taylor Williams? F. Peralta? Supak?

[DuWayne Steurer]

So who is our future closer? Is it Knebel in the near and long term? The Brewers are not grooming anyone in the minors based on stats this year. Will it be a failed starter? Who has the stuff in the minors that would make a good closer? Hader? Taylor Williams? F. Peralta? Supak?

 

It wasn't going to be Feliz regardless. He was on a one year deal, and probably wasn't going to be a Brewer next year. There's no reason Knebel shouldn't be expected to be the closer. Give him the job until he can't do it. Then try someone else.

[adambr2]

So who is our future closer? Is it Knebel in the near and long term? The Brewers are not grooming anyone in the minors based on stats this year. Will it be a failed starter? Who has the stuff in the minors that would make a good closer? Hader? Taylor Williams? F. Peralta? Supak?

 

They have a lot of possibilities. Knebel is probably the favorite at the moment. Hader and Taylor Williams for sure have a chance. Maybe even Bickford or Medeiros. They don't need to groom anyone to be 'closer', Just let things run their course down on the farm and they have enough power arms that one of them is going to end up standing out as the right fit.

[jerichoholicninja]

Never understood the Wily to the pen desire. He can't throw strikes. He'd go out and do the exact thing everyone is already complaining about.

 

Because he exactly fits the profile of starter turns into RP. Walks don't hurt as much as a RP, you can throw even harder and fastball+slider is a viable combo. Peralta screams bullpen guy with every single skill he shows. I don't know about closer since he can't get out lefties, but he would be so much better in the pen than as a starter. Guys with 2 pitches just don't do well as starters.

 

OPS by time through lineup

 

.725, .754, .818.

 

OPS at 75+ pitches is .871.

 

He doesn't have the stamina or arsenal to be a starter.

 

Walks don't hurt as much as a RP? Have you seen what happens when our bullpen walks guys?

[Ennder]

I didn't say they don't hurt, it just isn't as bad in the bullpen. The game is full of completely acceptable RP who walk too many guys but do everything else well. With a starter it is going to catch up to you too often as you get deeper into the game. Peralta's skills play as a RP, they simply don't as a SP unless he figures out the curve or change up and that just seems unlikely at this point.

[ZBTMP]

It wasn't going to be Feliz regardless. He was on a one year deal, and probably wasn't going to be a Brewer next year. There's no reason Knebel shouldn't be expected to be the closer. Give him the job until he can't do it. Then try someone else.

 

Unfortunately with the current arbitration system there is millions of dollars of reason. The system rewards the save stat.

The Brewers would be financially better served, probably better off in the W-L column and Knebel would have more value as an asset, if Feliz would regress his HR rate and Corey could be used in high leverage situations earlier regardless of who the better player is.

Agreed that these motivations are poorly intended, but in a system that leaves the Brewers with an annual 9 figure revenue gap they are at further disadvantage if they do not push that line.

[danzig6767]

I didn't say they don't hurt, it just isn't as bad in the bullpen. The game is full of completely acceptable RP who walk too many guys but do everything else well. With a starter it is going to catch up to you too often as you get deeper into the game. Peralta's skills play as a RP, they simply don't as a SP unless he figures out the curve or change up and that just seems unlikely at this point.

Maybe Willy would be a better reliever than starter, but i think he'd struggle in either role because his lack of command is a consistent issue.

 

I could see using him as a long reliever, but not a guy regularly in high leverage close game situations given he walks to many hitters and gives up to many hits after getting behind in the count. He also struggles vs lefties because he can't command his slider enough and hanging sliders to are bad news in general, but especially vs left handed batters.

[superfly]

Building Knebels value now (hopefully) so they can flip him for a haul at the deadline and go back to Feliz if nobody else presents themselves IMO.

[adambr2]

Knebel has 5 years almost of cheap control remaining. They better get blown away if they are going to deal him.

[JohnBriggs12]

An argument could be made that Feliz is saving wear and tear on pen by making sure game ends in 9 one way or the other.

[brewcrewdue80]

Maybe with 1inning stints his bbs would decrease. Same with Nelson if he moved to pen. Just based on the two's first time through the order vs beyond. Just seems the logical move to make by now

[MrTPlush]

Building Knebels value now (hopefully) so they can flip him for a haul at the deadline and go back to Feliz if nobody else presents themselves IMO.

 

Or have a good closer on the next contending team? We can't just keep flipping players non stop. At some point you have to hold valuable assets to make your team good. This is currently a .500 ballclub competing. If this team is very close or above .500 you could think about competing next year quite easily considering we have a lot of talent almostnready for the show and lots of freed up money.

 

I get that relievers can have a lot of value, but if we want to win lots of games a good bullpen is so important and trying to piece one together is a risky business.

[superfly]

Building Knebels value now (hopefully) so they can flip him for a haul at the deadline and go back to Feliz if nobody else presents themselves IMO.

 

Or have a good closer on the next contending team? We can't just keep flipping players non stop. At some point you have to hold valuable assets to make your team good. This is currently a .500 ballclub competing. If this team is very close or above .500 you could think about competing next year quite easily considering we have a lot of talent almostnready for the show and lots of freed up money.

 

I get that relievers can have a lot of value, but if we want to win lots of games a good bullpen is so important and trying to piece one together is a risky business.

 

I'm on your side, but if the market gets hot again and Gleyber Torres/Adam Warren type packages (obviously Knebel isn't Chapman but you get the point) come flying in I wouldn't think twice. Bullpen pitches are generally up and down year to year unless they're truly elite.

[MrTPlush]

Building Knebels value now (hopefully) so they can flip him for a haul at the deadline and go back to Feliz if nobody else presents themselves IMO.

 

Or have a good closer on the next contending team? We can't just keep flipping players non stop. At some point you have to hold valuable assets to make your team good. This is currently a .500 ballclub competing. If this team is very close or above .500 you could think about competing next year quite easily considering we have a lot of talent almostnready for the show and lots of freed up money.

 

I get that relievers can have a lot of value, but if we want to win lots of games a good bullpen is so important and trying to piece one together is a risky business.

 

I'm on your side, but if the market gets hot again and Gleyber Torres/Adam Warren type packages (obviously Knebel isn't Chapman but you get the point) come flying in I wouldn't think twice. Bullpen pitches are generally up and down year to year unless they're truly elite.

 

That is the problem though he wouldn't get that impressive of a package. He is largely unproven lacking much of a track record. I doubt sticking him in the closers role is going to bring in good enough prospects to justify trading him. If he is good enough to get a big haul we should look to not trade him because he is that good.

 

To me it really depends on if you think he is just having a career year or not. If you think he is a reliever who can be a lockdown guy for multiple years he is probably a guy we should keep. It really helps competing every year if you have a few guys at the back end to solidify it yearly vs. shuffling the entire thing all the time. Nothing like a great team being flushed down the toilet cause the bullpen is a dumpster fire.

 

Regardless I doubt he is traded at the deadline as teams won't buy into his stats/results at that point fully. More likely a winter trade if anything at all.

[JohnBriggs12]

Building Knebels value now (hopefully) so they can flip him for a haul at the deadline and go back to Feliz if nobody else presents themselves IMO.

 

Or have a good closer on the next contending team? We can't just keep flipping players non stop. At some point you have to hold valuable assets to make your team good. This is currently a .500 ballclub competing. If this team is very close or above .500 you could think about competing next year quite easily considering we have a lot of talent almostnready for the show and lots of freed up money.

 

I get that relievers can have a lot of value, but if we want to win lots of games a good bullpen is so important and trying to piece one together is a risky business.

 

I'm on your side, but if the market gets hot again and Gleyber Torres/Adam Warren type packages (obviously Knebel isn't Chapman but you get the point) come flying in I wouldn't think twice. Bullpen pitches are generally up and down year to year unless they're truly elite.

 

The Brewers are at the point in the rebuild where they won't sell off assets unless it's to make room for the prospects who are upgrades. Knebel is the least likely to be dealt.

[patrickgpe]

Feliz was (thankfully) DFA'd today to make room for Garza. I know Suter was sent down after the game, presumably for Garza, so I think another roster move needs to be made.

 

Moves have been fast and furiour of late, but I think i am right?

[Outlander]

Suter was the 26th man yesterday then sent down and Espino called up after Woodruff was put on the DL so no further moves are necessary at this point.

[monty57]

Feliz was (thankfully) DFA'd today to make room for Garza. I know Suter was sent down after the game, presumably for Garza, so I think another roster move needs to be made.

 

Moves have been fast and furiour of late, but I think i am right?

 

Glad to see they're willing to eat the money and get rid of Feliz. As to Suter, I believe he was the 26th man, which was allowed because the team played a double header. Once the double header was over, they needed to get back to 25 men on the active roster, so no corresponding move was necessary.

[patrickgpe]

thats right, you are correct. I forgot.

[rcc]

Thank you Stearns. Just cut your losses. Maybe he will hook up with another club and the money will be subtracted from the rest of that contract.

[brwrsfan]

Glad he's gone. Long overdue. Hopefully not the only one.

 

Glad we made a move, though I wish it was for someone other than Espino to be up here. I really don't understand why they won't bring up Wang, he seems to fill a need the team desperately has.

[DHonks]

Someone may claim Feliz, which would save us some money

[patrickgpe]

Someone may claim Feliz, which would save us some money

he has done nothing to indicate to any team he can pitch in late inning situations. Why would any team claim him and be on the hook for basically 2/3rds of 5.35MM. I could see him signing a minor league deal with someone once he clears waivers at most.