Speculating about the unseen Battle Brewing between Stearns & Attanasio

[3and2Fastball]

If the young Brewers keep winning Mark A is gonna want to put the pedal to the metal and be buyers at the deadline, I really have to believe that.

 

Stearns has to be feeling cautiously optimistic about how, so far, his rebuild is moving ahead of schedule. MLB is increasingly a young man's game, and with young players, you never know when things will click and they turn the corner. It is just a 1/4 of the way through the season but it seems clear that the Brewers have enough offense to at least contend for a wildcard

 

I have to believe that Stearns' longterm plan for sustained success included trading Braun, Garza if he pitches like he has this season, maybe even Guerra, maybe another relief pitcher (Feliz was a wildcard) for even more prospects. That plan might be changing slightly or at least could be being altered somewhat day by day.

 

And then I just have to speculate that Mark is putting pressure on or dropping major hints or asking pointed questions along the lines of "if we're still in it in July how do we improve our pitching and make a run at this?"

 

It'd be fascinating to be a fly on the wall in the Brewers front office right now. I see a battle brewing. I don't see Mark A just being willing to give up all control. I think Stearns is too smart to divert majorly from his plan, but he is young and might not be able to resist.

 

Thoughts?

[pacopete4]

My thoughts are how in the world are we to know what either of them are thinking? I get that you are speculating but there just no basis for anything said about either of them, let alone speculating the a "battle" is brewing between them.

[MrTPlush]

My thoughts are how in the world are we to know what either of them are thinking? I get that you are speculating but there just no basis for anything said about either of them, let alone speculating the a "battle" is brewing between them.

 

Yup...if anything it points to Attanasio having zero control. He has let Stearns do whatever he wants.

[3and2Fastball]

My thoughts are how in the world are we to know what either of them are thinking? I get that you are speculating but there just no basis for anything said about either of them, let alone speculating the a "battle" is brewing between them.

 

Human behavior is at least somewhat predictable based on past actions as well as comments. It is pretty clear that Mark A pushed Doug Melvin to be all in for as many years as they could and was at least early on a meddling type owner (Suppan signing?) and relatively impatient and prone to kneejerk reactions in both the media and elsewhere. Stearns is from the deeply analytical new school brought in to do a rebuild.

 

Again it is just speculation, but it is reasonable to suggest that Stearns will be pressured to be buyers at the deadline in ways that might divert from his longterm plan, and it will be interesting to see what happens.

[liveforoctober]

My thoughts are that Attanasio would be a fool to go start telling Stearns what to do with the ballclub. Other than a Prince/Braun/Gallardo run a few years back we are currently in the best position we have been in as a team, in nearly 3 decades. Furthermore, the team salary is 50-60% of what it was when we made that run years ago. Mark A is making great money, fans interest in the team is on the rise, and the valuation of his investment is clearly ticking up.

 

He made a great decision in bringing in Stearns. Sit back and let the man work. This is kind of crazy conjecture if you ask me.

[3and2Fastball]

He made a great decision in bringing in Stearns. Sit back and let the man work. This is kind of crazy conjecture if you ask me.

 

I hope you are right! Sincerely I do. I can sum it up very simply: I don't trust Mark to just leave well enough alone.

[FVBrewerFan]

Yea, this also assumes Mark A can't adapt to different circumstances. As long as we're purely speculating, I would speculate he is on board with whatever Stearns wants to do. Mark A is a smart man and realizes this team is at a different place than it was when he first bought the team.

 

Shiny new stadium, new Owner, a core of players in their prime, 25 + years removed from 1982 WS season, etc. We can debate it, but it did make sense to try to "go for it" at that time. This season is very different, and I think Mark A is 'all in" on Stearns plan to build a team that can have sustained success.

[monty57]

It seems from interviews I've seen over the past few seasons that Attanasio had an epiphany of sorts after the team collapse, followed by the horrendous start to the next season. He's a smart guy, and it seems that he realized that he was wrong and needed to change his ways.

 

In his "day job," he has to be very formulaic, but like many people, he didn't "follow his own prescription" in his early years with the Brewers. Sort of like a doctor who smokes. After his "epiphany," he brought in someone who runs a team in much the same way his bond managers would run a portfolio, so I don't see a reason he would alter a winning formula. I think he'll view this much more as a business than a hobby going forward, allowing his "five star manager" to do his job.

[Warning Track Power]

If Attanasio begins to intervene in the day-to-day operation of this organization, after Stearns has completely rebuilt the farm system in two years, I foresee Stearns being gone in very short order. I also agree that after the 2014 meltdown, Attanasio had an epiphany about how to build a small market team. In fact, given his success in less than two years, I imagine Attanasio is already preparing for how he can keep Stearns in Milwaukee for a significant amount of time.

[A Swing and A Drive]

Brewers Owner Mark Attanasio is not going to get involved too much with roster management unless finances are involved, IMO.

 

I believe he has as much or more confidence in GM David Stearns as the day he hired him.

 

I don't feel Brewer fans have to worry about him micro-managing the GM position. He's simply not in the position of an owner of an MLB franchise to make a quick buck. I think he's truly in it to win a World Series.

 

I think Brewer fans would be surprised on the low amount of drama that's probably really involved in this.

 

For example, it's not going down like this:

 

Phone rings in David's office...

He answers.

 

Mark A: "Great job David, it's May 23rd and the Brewers are in first place."

David S: "Thank you, Mark. Very happy about the competitiveness of our team so far this year."

Mark A: "Well, there is only one thing left to do?"

David S: "What's that?"

Mark A: "WIN....THE.....WHOLE....FOCKING...THING!"

David S(smiliing): "Umm....I appreciate the enthusiasm but...(dramatic pause)...Mark, you know how when Craig tells Jonathan Villar that if there is nobody out and he isn't 100% sure if he can stretch his in-the-gap double into a triple or not? Yeah, well Craig says that in Jonathan's mind he's not just thinking 3 or considering how many out there are, he ACTUALLY BELIEVES he can score. This is kinda like that, Mark."

 

LOL

[MadScientist]

Not sure there will be much of a battle. They both want a winning ML team over the long haul, and they both want rings. Given the fickle nature of the game I can't see Stearns selling if the Brewers are in first or in a WC position at the ASB. Similarly if the Brewers are a little below 500 at the ASB, I don't see Attanasio pushing to be a buyer. In between is a little trickier, but if they do chose to be buyers, I don't think Stearns will spend any more than he can afford to lose.

[homer]

I think Mark A cares about attendance. As long as there are people in the seats he'll let Stearns do whatever he wants.

[3and2Fastball]

I think Mark A cares about attendance. As long as there are people in the seats he'll let Stearns do whatever he wants.

 

Which is why he might argue against selling at the deadline especially after a hot start, and especially if that means trading Braun which cuts into not only ticket sales but merchandise sales

[homer]

I think Mark A cares about attendance. As long as there are people in the seats he'll let Stearns do whatever he wants.

 

Which is why he might argue against selling at the deadline especially after a hot start, and especially if that means trading Braun which cuts into not only ticket sales but merchandise sales

 

Depends. Brewers are averaging same number of fans per game as last year and that's before school has let out. They might be in a good enough position financially at the deadline where Mark won't care one way or the other.

[FVBrewerFan]

Another conversation is see happening in July:

 

DS: "Mark, should we abandon the plan to make sure attendance doesn't go down by 5% in September?"

 

MA: "No."

[wildcat2237]

MLBtraderumors.com posted the following about Stearns approach:

 

Brewers GM David Stearns talked about his team’s promising start and what it might (or might not) mean for his deadline planning, as Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel writes. Stearns is undeniably pleased with the fact that his club sits atop the NL Central standings, and didn’t shy away from the possibility that the wins could continue to come sooner than had been anticipated. But he also suggested that the imperative of sustainable building would largely remain the same. “The plan is to consistently win major league games over a period of years,” he said. “If that process begins a little bit sooner than people expected, that’s great. And we’ll react accordingly. But it doesn’t change our strategy; it doesn’t change our plan.”

 

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2017/05/central-notes-zambrano-brewers-robert-gose.html

 

I find it refreshing to say the least. Doesn't sound like Stearns is going to make any dumb knee jerk trades. The plan is success over the long haul and not just a 2 or 3 year window.

[Roderick]

I think Mark A cares about attendance. As long as there are people in the seats he'll let Stearns do whatever he wants.

 

Which is why he might argue against selling at the deadline especially after a hot start, and especially if that means trading Braun which cuts into not only ticket sales but merchandise sales

 

Why do people assume that a player being traded or lost to free agency will effect ticket sales? The stuff I have read is that fans care much, much more about a winning team versus specific players. If the team is winning they will find new players to like.

 

If the Brewers are in the thick of the wildcard at the end of July, and we were to trade Braun for a proven reliever, plus get a prospect or two for down the road, and bring up Brinson, I don't think ticket sales are going to drop an iota.

[pacopete4]

“The plan is to consistently win major league games over a period of years,” he said. “If that process begins a little bit sooner than people expected, that’s great. And we’ll react accordingly. But it doesn’t change our strategy; it doesn’t change our plan.”

 

Could we read into this being that they may make a move for this years team? The rest of it reads like many want with a complete rebuild no matter what but I found this comment interesting.

[tmwiese55]

I think Mark A cares about attendance. As long as there are people in the seats he'll let Stearns do whatever he wants.

 

Which is why he might argue against selling at the deadline especially after a hot start, and especially if that means trading Braun which cuts into not only ticket sales but merchandise sales

 

Why do people assume that a player being traded or lost to free agency will effect ticket sales? The stuff I have read is that fans care much, much more about a winning team versus specific players. If the team is winning they will find new players to like.

 

If the Brewers are in the thick of the wildcard at the end of July, and we were to trade Braun for a proven reliever, plus get a prospect or two for down the road, and bring up Brinson, I don't think ticket sales are going to drop an iota.

 

I'd say it isn't so much that people are saying "I'm going to see Braun or X player". It's more that if you trade your best hitter it just makes your team worse, if the team is worse less people come out. And second, it's telling everyone you're not trying to win right now which again generally turns some fans off in the time being. Yea knowledgeable fans will be fine with it as they see the big picture, but still might hold off on actually going to games. I know it does for me.

[MrTPlush]

Some of you guys act like Attanasio was this horrible person who destroyed the franchise. What exactly did he do that was so darn bad? He wanted to keep trying to compete after a few years of success. He lobbied for a few pretty minor additions over a couple years. The team competed in 2007, 2008, 2011, 2012, and 2014. After an awful start in 2015 he decided to allow a teardown.

 

You guys act like he handed out $200mil contracts, traded all our prospects away, and doomed us for a decade. He delayed the rebuild by a few years, big whoopie. Attanasio gets a lot of flak just for delaying a rebuild a few years seeing if he could etch another postseason appearance into history.

 

Wondering if doomsday is upon us seems a bit extreme in my opinion. Mark Attanasio is a pretty smart man judging by the size of his wallet. I think he understands the rebuild is a good idea. I could understand getting worried once this crop of players starts going on the decline...but jesh.

[Patrick425]

If the Brewers are in the thick of the wildcard at the end of July, and we were to trade Braun for a proven reliever, plus get a prospect or two for down the road, and bring up Brinson, I don't think ticket sales are going to drop an iota.

 

I get rebuilding, but I don't get wasting opportunities when they present themselves. If the Brewers are fringe wildcard contenders in July, then I could probably get behind a trade like this one. However, if they somehow found themselves in 1st place by 4 or 5 games, as a fan I would expect them to trade some of those future pieces to get proven talent and solidify their position for a post season run this year. If the point of rebuilding is to possibly be in contention at some point down the road, why would you waste the opportunity when you know you are in contention now?

 

I think there are many that want to believe that there is some magical rebuild formula that will allow the Brewers to contend for 4, 5, 6+ years. Remember not that long ago when the Brewers had all that home grown talent on the roster? They already had a one time #5 BA prospect in Ben Sheets on the team, then they added a #8 and #11 in Weeks and Fielder along with a #16 in Gallardo. They had other highly touted prospects like Hart and Hardy join the MLB team around the same time. Seemed like it was going to be a golden age with possibilities of contending for several years in a row. In reality the success was a sporadic (2 playoff appearances), Fielder eventually became not affordable (and not really a good fit in the NL), Weeks never really fully lived up to his prospect status and had injury issues, same with Gallardo. Sheets became injury prone. Hart fizzled out.

 

In reality, I'm not counting on the Brewers to be in solid contention in July. However, if they are, I don't understand why you would not ride that success because you are afraid of risking future success that may or may not happen.

[tmwiese55]

Very good post TPlush. I can't believe the contingency on here who acted like going for it in those years was wrong and like those go for it trades of Greinke and Marcum. Who more or less act like we should've kept trading for the future. They were up 1-0 in the NLCS with home field there and in WS with a team that was really good at home. They built a team that easily could've won the WS that year. Barring a bullpen collapse 2012 would've been darn good chance too. I can see they argument they could've started rebuild in 2013 instead but really you're nitpicking at that point and they did think future and traded Greinke. Keep in mind that was also before Braun suspension and injuries started.

[Oxy]

It might be worrisome to "buy" at the deadline if we were a fringe contender with a roster full of aging veterans and a depleted farm system. That isn't this team, though, and we aren't at the deadline yet.

[danzig6767]

I think Mark A cares about attendance. As long as there are people in the seats he'll let Stearns do whatever he wants.

Which is why he might argue against selling at the deadline especially after a hot start, and especially if that means trading Braun which cuts into not only ticket sales but merchandise sales

The Brewers have the lowest payroll in the league, about 40 million lower compared to it's peak of over 100 million. Attendance could hypothetically go below 2 million and Attanasio would still make a fortune this year with all of the other revenue streams also factored in besides just attendance.

 

Trading Braun would drop the payroll even lower and money saved would far far eclipse the very tiny amount the Brewers might lose in Braun jersey sales. As for attendance, Braun doesn't draw more than a minuscule sliver. People in this city simply enjoy coming to the ballpark, especially on nice summer days/nights. Hell, last year the Brewers drew 2.3 million fans, 16th best in the league even though they only finished 73-89.

 

At minimum the Brewers very likely will draw as well as last year, regardless if Braun were kept or traded and in turn Attanasio will rake in huge profit totals given the low payroll. The only thing which i could see causing him to balk at a move or moves which went against winning this year is his strong competitive nature, but i think he's grown as an owner and understands better now vs the past when he was more impulsive, as often is the case when a new pro sports owner takes over a team and they want to be heavily involved with their toy.

[FVBrewerFan]

If the Brewers are in the thick of the wildcard at the end of July, and we were to trade Braun for a proven reliever, plus get a prospect or two for down the road, and bring up Brinson, I don't think ticket sales are going to drop an iota.

 

I get rebuilding, but I don't get wasting opportunities when they present themselves. If the Brewers are fringe wildcard contenders in July, then I could probably get behind a trade like this one. However, if they somehow found themselves in 1st place by 4 or 5 games, as a fan I would expect them to trade some of those future pieces to get proven talent and solidify their position for a post season run this year. If the point of rebuilding is to possibly be in contention at some point down the road, why would you waste the opportunity when you know you are in contention now?

 

I think there are many that want to believe that there is some magical rebuild formula that will allow the Brewers to contend for 4, 5, 6+ years. Remember not that long ago when the Brewers had all that home grown talent on the roster? They already had a one time #5 BA prospect in Ben Sheets on the team, then they added a #8 and #11 in Weeks and Fielder along with a #16 in Gallardo. They had other highly touted prospects like Hart and Hardy join the MLB team around the same time. Seemed like it was going to be a golden age with possibilities of contending for several years in a row. In reality the success was a sporadic (2 playoff appearances), Fielder eventually became not affordable (and not really a good fit in the NL), Weeks never really fully lived up to his prospect status and had injury issues, same with Gallardo. Sheets became injury prone. Hart fizzled out.

In reality, I'm not counting on the Brewers to be in solid contention in July. However, if they are, I don't understand why you would not ride that success because you are afraid of risking future success that may or may not happen.

 

Well, right there you proved it to yourself. That's why it's important to continue to add talent to the system, so we're not relying on a handful of players. Keep improving the system, and you'll have more talent across the board at the MLB level, and every level down the system. So if someone fails, there's someone waiting in the wings.

 

Is any of that a guarantee? Of course not. But we're seeing a glimpse of what could be this year, with the OF situation. Now imagine if the plan is carried out in full, where this depth exists at nearly every position- including pitching. That's how they CAN be competitive for years, and yes, still make strategic trades and FA signings.

 

As for this season, need to see how it plays out for another two months. I mean, if they're 20 games over .500 at the end of July I have no problem tweaking the plan. But it would take a lot for me NOT to trade Braun, Garza, anyone at all in the BP, Broxton, Villar, or anyone else if the right offer is made.