Brewers acquire Swarzak from White Sox for Ryan Cordell

[ClosetBrewerFan]

Yeah, this is a boring debate. We are in a race for first. Maybe we can all agree with that.

 

Also don't understand the rationalization that we were going to lose Cordell in the Rule 5 draft anyways. There are at least 10 players that could be dropped before Cordell and we don't have that many players we need to protect. Having an extra 40 man spot at the end of the year is great, but if that is just so we can protect Yadier or Espino... its not a huge benefit.

 

Just for the record: We have Sogard and Swarzak becoming FA, Peralta, Espino, Yadier, Drake, Torres, Vogt, and Susac + 1 open spot before I would drop Cordell.

[SomewhereInTime]

They are not in first place. The loss column is all that matters. You can make up wins but you can never reduce your losses. But to your point, being only one loss from the WS champion Cubs on July 26 is amazing.

 

I absolutely hope they win the division. That's a given. But more moves will have to happen besides Swarzak. Our rotation is now missing Garza and Guerra is pretty much finished. Im not sure when Anderson is coming back but they are still a starter short.

 

They are actually in first place though, you've used this logic multiple times but it really makes no sense. It would make sense with say 5 games left or something where the team could realistically win out but there are still 63 games to be played by the Cubs. If we both play to the same exact winning percentage the rest of the season we end up in 1st. No team in baseball is taking the Cubs record over the Brewers if given the choice today.

 

LOL I can't believe there's a debate on this. Winning percentage determines the standings. You are absolutely right. Either way though, it's not really going to matter, the number of games is going to even up by the end of the year unless one of them falls completely out of the race and a late rainout is never made up.

[JosephC]

Just throwing this out there. This isn't trying to convince anybody this trade was a good trade or bad trade. People who post in the transaction rumors forum know the "prospect surplus value" concepts that are discussed there. Not pretending to be an expert, but I'll make what I feel is a fairly reasonable guess about the prospect surplus values of the players in the Brewer's minor league system (including Hader and Suter since they are such recent graduates):

 

66.34 million - Lewis Brinson (hitter 11-25)

22.042 million - Corey Ray, Isan Diaz (hitter 76-100)

17.655 million - Josh Hader (pitcher 51-75)

17.441 million - Keston Hiura (back end of top 100 hitter/barely outside list)

17.1735 million - Luis Ortiz, Brandon Woodruff (between pitcher 51-75 and pitcher 76-100)

12.84 million - Corbin Burnes (back end of top 100 pitcher/barely outside list)

10.7 million - Brett Phillips, Trent Clark, Mauricio Dubon, Lucas Erceg, Tristen Lutz, Monte Harrison ("top 10 organizational prospect")

7.49 million - Phil Bickford, Marcos Diplan, Freddy Peralta (between "top 10 organizational prospect" and "role player prospect")

5.35 million - Jacob Nottingham, Cody Ponce, Jake Gatewood, Brent Suter, KJ Harrison, Trey Supak ("role player prospect")

2.14 million - all other prospects ("fringe prospect")

 

If the value of all the non-fringe prospects are added up, the total value of the top 23 players in the system is 311.447 million. After Cordell had been passed over by both Phillips and Brinson (with Cordell being 2 years older), I had downgraded him to the 5.35 million dollar category. So if he was still with the Brewers he'd be the 24th player on the list and would take the total prospect surplus value to 316.797 million. (5.35/316.797)*100 = 1.69%. Just one more way to evaluate the trade for what could be a rental reliever...the Brewers traded away approximately 1.69% of their total prospect value for Swarzak. Who knows, Cordell might go on to be a better player than any other player on this list. But currently it doesn't look like Stearns put a very big dent in the minor league system to land a rental reliever.

[JohnBriggs12]

Swarzak has one strike against him in my book. He's was traded for because the Brewers need him now, not tomorrow. Show up to work for goodness, you're not playing for a last place team now.

[djoctagone]

brett phillips optioned to make room for swarzak.

[BigDaddy1974]

Any more trades have to be made with the future in mind. Rentals make almost no sense for this team. I'm afraid they are the team many of us thought they were. Moves like Swarzak are useless at this point.

[JohnBriggs12]

Any more trades have to be made with the future in mind. Rentals make almost no sense for this team. I'm afraid they are the team many of us thought they were. Moves like Swarzak are useless at this point.

 

I don't think any thought the manager was this inept. Counsell's been exposed. Only way to idiot-proof a manager that doesn't have a clue how to juggle a bullpen is to have enough lock down relievers that even bad moves work out (see Ned Yost led Royals teams). Brewers aren't to that point yet.

[adambr2]

I can't help but wonder if the worst happens in the Cubs series, if Swarzak could find himself on the move again before the deadline.

 

If you're 4.5 back after the Cubs series, you might as well either find a quick buyer for Swarzak or try to extend him. Anything else would just be chasing unicorns at that point.

[Boomer5]

I can't help but wonder if the worst happens in the Cubs series, if Swarzak could find himself on the move again before the deadline.

 

If you're 4.5 back after the Cubs series, you might as well either find a quick buyer for Swarzak or try to extend him. Anything else would just be chasing unicorns at that point.

 

That would be a smart move. Rentals are worthless at this point.

[TJseven7]

He's no savior and will merely be in the mix anyway... per CC

[SomewhereInTime]

Any more trades have to be made with the future in mind. Rentals make almost no sense for this team. I'm afraid they are the team many of us thought they were. Moves like Swarzak are useless at this point.

 

I don't think any thought the manager was this inept. Counsell's been exposed. Only way to idiot-proof a manager that doesn't have a clue how to juggle a bullpen is to have enough lock down relievers that even bad moves work out (see Ned Yost led Royals teams). Brewers aren't to that point yet.

 

And yet he's probably the best manager they've had with in game decisions in a long time. Revisit the Macha/Roenicke/Yost days of mismanagement.

[Brewer Fever]

It's just a ridiculous argument. It's low hanging fruit for the chronic complainers to blame the manager when a decision goes wrong. I don't know how anyone can look at this team and say it hasn't overachieved. When the manager pulls the starter or one reliever and another reliever comes in and shuts down the rally, you never hear these same people praise the move. The problem is you don't know if the original pitcher would have gotten the same result. And it's the same when a move backfires. You just don't know if things would have gone equally sour the other way.

 

Manager calls for a sacrifice, the bunt is poor, the lead runner is thrown out. Let's blame the manager!

 

Manager let's batter swing away, no sacrifice, batter strikes out, runner isn't moved to scoring position, runner doesn't score on 2 out single, final out is made with runner stranded at 3rd. Let's blame the manager!

 

It's a pointless exercise. And it's pathetic cherry picking.

[TJseven7]

More like 2-1 lead handing the ball to scahill (worst pen arm) with hader hughes available.

Then scahill the next day bases loaded (this worked)

Remember 3rd straight day of Drake in extras.

Sending perez after 5 straight hits making a 2nd out on the basepaths after the santana ump debacle.

 

His attatchment to Torres Scahill Drake vs RH.... when he's had hader blazek hughes putting up zeros. Last night ignoring momentum and a jacked up Hader to go to hughes a contact pitcher vs a great hitter. It hasn't been after the fact on many of the choices... its been an instant WHY!

 

You've seen it in game threads often... bad choice worked out. Bad choice got hurt. Is it to much to ask for good decisions. I can live with bad results from good choices. Can't stomach bad decisions. I'm very pro stressing the pen when you have a likely win on the board knowing there will be games where you wear a L. CC white flags good opportunities to make sure he doesnt get stuck in the coming days.

[adambr2]

At least we don't have to debate whether or not we are in 1st place anymore.

[LouisEly]

Swarzak has one strike against him in my book. He's was traded for because the Brewers need him now, not tomorrow. Show up to work for goodness, you're not playing for a last place team now.

Until the physicals are completed, the medical records reviewed, and the paperwork signed off on, he's still property of the White Sox and they control where he is located.

 

Just because the media has reported a trade doesn't make it official.

[JosephC]

The Swarzak trade was made on the 26th and he was put on the 40-man roster yesterday. An article in the Journal-Sentinel said that Swarzak was with the Brewers before yesterday's game. Have to assume that it was the Brewer's decision not to put him in uniform for the game.

[patrickgpe]

its very rare for a traded player to show up the next day. although the image of Kevin Mench showing up mid-game to a hero's welcome will always be ingrained in my head.

players are people too, who have families, belongings to pack, etc. just think if you go transferred in your line of work to a new city, would you be able to be in your new office the next morning? throw in that the white sox were taking on a player on the DL, and i am not mad at him at all.

[adambr2]

An employee of the Yankees texted my brother and said of Swarzak "Congratulations, you just acquired the the worst human being alive " Said he's just an absolute jerk.

 

Lol. I know different people have different opinions and I'm not concerned about it, just thought I'd share.

[Boomer5]

An employee of the Yankees texted my brother and said of Swarzak "Congratulations, you just acquired the the worst human being alive " Said he's just an absolute jerk.

 

Lol. I know different people have different opinions and I'm not concerned about it, just thought I'd share.

 

Baseball players seem to generally have a weird sense of entitlement about them. So many unwritten rules. Can you imagine Harper behind closed doors?

 

I just saw an article in the Huffington Post about baseball having a bad cocaine problem. Take that for what it's worth.

[adambr2]

An employee of the Yankees texted my brother and said of Swarzak "Congratulations, you just acquired the the worst human being alive " Said he's just an absolute jerk.

 

Lol. I know different people have different opinions and I'm not concerned about it, just thought I'd share.

 

Baseball players seem to generally have a weird sense of entitlement about them. So many unwritten rules. Can you imagine Harper behind closed doors?

 

I just saw an article in the Huffington Post about baseball having a bad cocaine problem. Take that for what it's worth.

 

Wouldn't shock me at all.

[bork]

Looks like he's fitting right in with the rest of the bullpen.

[LouisEly]

Baseball players seem to generally have a weird sense of entitlement about them. So many unwritten rules. Can you imagine Harper behind closed doors?

Oh, there has been plenty of talk about the Nats brass wanting Harper gone for YEARS.

[Boomer5]

Baseball players seem to generally have a weird sense of entitlement about them. So many unwritten rules. Can you imagine Harper behind closed doors?

Oh, there has been plenty of talk about the Nats brass wanting Harper gone for YEARS.

 

I believe it. He would be intolerable as a teammate.

[Boomer5]

Looks like he's fitting right in with the rest of the bullpen.

 

That was a buy high pick up.

 

I think we all knew he would give up a run in that spot.

[djoctagone]

The Swarzak trade was made on the 26th and he was put on the 40-man roster yesterday. An article in the Journal-Sentinel said that Swarzak was with the Brewers before yesterday's game. Have to assume that it was the Brewer's [sic] decision not to put him in uniform for the game.

swarzak was activated before thursday's game against the nationals. he was in uniform . . . but when down by a dozen-plus runs, why would any manager in his right mind put him in?

 

swarzak was used yesterday in a situation that he was traded for. wasn't the best performance, but he got the job done.