Never Mind Pitching Maybe they need to target a Bat

[MNBrew]

I'm emotionally exhausted watching the Brewers the past 3+ weeks, and it's mainly because the hitting has been so poor. I hate stretches like this where a lone run is a major accomplishment, a walk or a single is the best rally we can put together (outside of the first inning), and anytime we give up a lead -- no matter at what point in the game but esp. from the 4th inning onward -- it feels like I'd have better odds of winning the Powerball than the Brewers have of coming back to tie or take the lead. Most of our recent wins feel like they've been scratched-and-clawed for, hanging onto a 1- or (rarely, it seems) 2-run lead for dear life and praying the bullpen doesn't collapse.

 

Lately it seems the more we need runs, the less likely we are to get them across -- and often the more likely our hitters are to punch a little dribbler straight at an IF or OF . . . or just strike out, which they seem to being doing worse and worse at these days (esp. Villar, Broxton, Thames, etc.).

 

When Braun and Arcia are hitting pretty well and no one else in the lineup can consistently make contact (it was Shaw & Santana & Pina in some combination before them) -- much as I wish the bullpen were better and especially that they'd finally send Jacob Barnes to the minors to get his act together (sheesh, he's been terrible!) -- it just feels hopeless even when it's (hopefully) likely just a phase.

 

I get it, we're not this bad of a team overall. The 59 wins to date are no fluke, but . . . . What I'm getting at mainly is that while the moves to augment the talent level in the bullpen have been nice to see, my greater preference would be to see an August move -- preferably two -- for a bat. Rentals are fine. Granderson's no savior and Kinsler's (and Phillips') best days are well behind him, but some of the struggling young guys could stand to be challenged and a little change to the team's makeup at the plate might help -- granted, most likely would be short-term, but that's fine by me if it doesn't interfere with the big-picture path the team's on.

 

On the flip side of all this, it's hard not to figure they're just going to have to play themselves out of it. We're still rebuilding and that "grow through it" approach is part of the deal. But until progress happens and they start playing a little more like before, it's just plain painful.

[pacopete4]

I just don't understand why a move at second wasn't made. If you weren't going to stick with Villar and let him figure it out over the next 50 games, than why not a Kinsler/Phillips? Sogard is not a good MLB player and if Stearns/CC didn't have that foresight than boy are we in trouble. Those couple of guys I mentioned wouldn't cost us the farm and they'd give us a professional player.

[JosephC]

The more I watch this team, the more it appears that Stearns just didn't believe this team would have what it takes to make the playoffs even after a couple additions. Considering the 9-16 record since the All-Star break, it looks like he was probably right. Or maybe he thought they might just have enough to make the playoffs, but one injury could completely derail that. That lineup last night was flat out ugly after subtracting Shaw (best wishes to him and his family). They don't have a leadoff hitter so Santana is moved to the top. His OBP plays well there but his SLG is basically wasted since the two spots ahead of him are a terrible OBP Broxton and the pitcher's spot. Pina has done a great job for the Brewers this year but a cleanup hitter? Perez and his .263/.292/.436/.728 as a 5 hitter? Maybe the team gets lucky and hits a pitcher on his off-night, but I don't see a lineup like that hitting MLB pitching on a consistent basis. Sure it's only one game but that's a real ugly lineup for a team that is 1.5 game behind in the division.

[FVBrewerFan]

The more I watch this team, the more it appears that Stearns just didn't believe this team would have what it takes to make the playoffs even after a couple additions.

 

Well, yea. Let's remember this team wasn't built to make a run for the WS this year. But he added pieces like Thames and Shaw to at least put a competitive team on the filed, and see what happens. And I don't think that has changed. As bleek as it looks today they're still 1 1/2 games out.

 

Maybe the bats come around, maybe they don't. But these threads had dozens of pages about acquiring a SP. Now it has turned to a bat, as though nobody ever wanted a pitcher. Truth is, would adding a Kinsler change anything? Really? Anything is possible I guess, but I don't think so.

 

I get there's emotions involved. I turned off the game a couple times during these Twins games myself. Easy to have cries of "Do something! Anything!" But when that something doesn't make sense, never a good idea to make a move just for the sake of making a move.

[benji]

With Contreras going on DL and likely out until end of September, I wonder if Sterns takes a more aggressive approach to obtaining a 2b replacement. The division is wide open now.

[pacopete4]

With Contreras going on DL and likely out until end of September, I wonder if Sterns takes a more aggressive approach to obtaining a 2b replacement. The division is wide open now.

 

Has been for the entire season. Hasn't made him do a dang thing other than find a couple secondary bullpen arms that are eh, other than Swazak so far. Don't expect a thing to be done other than MA to count the money rolling in from the attendance this season.

[benji]

Well advance metrics like 3rd order wins etc had the Cubs still with great odds of winning the division. Not sure how much Contreras's loss changes the math, but it is a huge hit for them.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[FVBrewerFan]

With Contreras going on DL and likely out until end of September, I wonder if Sterns takes a more aggressive approach to obtaining a 2b replacement. The division is wide open now.

 

Has been for the entire season. Hasn't made him do a dang thing other than find a couple secondary bullpen arms that are eh, other than Swazak so far. Don't expect a thing to be done other than MA to count the money rolling in from the attendance this season.

 

Yes!!! I agree, I sure hope you're right.

[bill hAll Star]

With Contreras going on DL and likely out until end of September, I wonder if Sterns takes a more aggressive approach to obtaining a 2b replacement. The division is wide open now.

 

Has been for the entire season. Hasn't made him do a dang thing other than find a couple secondary bullpen arms that are eh, other than Swazak so far. Don't expect a thing to be done other than MA to count the money rolling in from the attendance this season.

 

Yes, yes...the guy that gave $40 million to Jeff Suppan is just in it to roll in the profits right now.

[tmwiese55]

Yea that's funny. This board has generally picked on MA for being 'win now' for longer than they should've been. Now bashing him fro not being 'win now' before we should. Heck there was that thread on the main board about the fight between MA/DS because MA would want to go for it so bad. One month later after the team is doing poorly (basically proving them right not to go for it) and now MA is cheap and won't go for it. Cmon yall, chill on the overreactions.

[FVBrewerFan]

Very simply, it's the back-up QB effect. Mark A, Stearns, and CC should always be doing something different. Mark A is stupid for throwing around money on aging vets, now he's cheap. Stearns is praised for rebuilding, now scorned for not making enough deals for a .500 team. Some people have never agreed with a single pitching change CC has ever made. The beat goes on.

 

If someone believes they should have, or still should be, buyers that's fine. But this continual sniping at management sounds like a hot take on the Jim Rome Show or something.

[pacopete4]

I've never been for a full rebuild so before you start in on someone, realize a few things. MA could very well call Stearns up and say the play on the field, rebuild or not, is in unacceptable. Go find us another second baseman or go find us another pen arm. This wouldn't kill the rebuild nor would it destroy his bank account. This has nothing to do with trying to trade for a blue chip pitcher and mortgaging the farm.

[adambr2]

I've never been for a full rebuild so before you start in on someone, realize a few things. MA could very well call Stearns up and say the play on the field, rebuild or not, is in unacceptable. Go find us another second baseman or go find us another pen arm. This wouldn't kill the rebuild nor would it destroy his bank account. This has nothing to do with trying to trade for a blue chip pitcher and mortgaging the farm.

 

They've already traded for 3 pen arms in the last month, one of them being a setup man. How many more pen arms do you want him to acquire? They are already carrying 2 guys in the pen that they've traded for.

 

And MA absolutely should not say that to Stearns. He should congratulate him on what he's done and tell him he trusts his judgment. Setting yet another precedent now and overriding Stearns in his decision making process the first year that we start to have success again would be very undermining and a big mistake.

[pacopete4]

I've never been for a full rebuild so before you start in on someone, realize a few things. MA could very well call Stearns up and say the play on the field, rebuild or not, is in unacceptable. Go find us another second baseman or go find us another pen arm. This wouldn't kill the rebuild nor would it destroy his bank account. This has nothing to do with trying to trade for a blue chip pitcher and mortgaging the farm.

 

They've already traded for 3 pen arms in the last month, one of them being a setup man. How many more pen arms do you want him to acquire? They are already carrying 2 guys in the pen that they've traded for.

 

And MA absolutely should not say that to Stearns. He should congratulate him on what he's done and tell him he trusts his judgment. Setting yet another precedent now and overriding Stearns in his decision making process the first year that we start to have success again would be very undermining and a big mistake.

 

We disagree on this one. It's Marks team. If he wants a two-bagger that actually plays like a pro ball player, he should be able to voice that without hurting Stearns feelings. Stearns has struck out on a pen and second base this season. I'm not saying I wouldn't have gone with Villar but it's hurt this team. He has an opportunity to remedy that for the last two months and there he sits, twiddling his thumbs watching Sogard play like a bum. If I'm MA this is unacceptable. Again, it's okay to disagree. And this isn't calling out Adam but we seem to jump down too many people's throats around here when it's a differing opinion. That's gotta stop or these boards are no better than anywhere else.

[brewmann04]

it the owner money he has the ability to add when he wants.

[trwi7]

We disagree on this one. It's Marks team. If he wants a two-bagger that actually plays like a pro ball player, he should be able to voice that without hurting Stearns feelings. Stearns has struck out on a pen and second base this season. I'm not saying I wouldn't have gone with Villar but it's hurt this team. He has an opportunity to remedy that for the last two months and there he sits, twiddling his thumbs watching Sogard play like a bum. If I'm MA this is unacceptable. Again, it's okay to disagree. And this isn't calling out Adam but we seem to jump down too many people's throats around here when it's a differing opinion. That's gotta stop or these boards are no better than anywhere else.

 

If Mark wants that, he should fire Stearns and be the GM himself. Otherwise he should shut the hell up and let Stearns do what he feels is right for the team. That's the reason Mark hired him in the first place.

[adambr2]

I've never been for a full rebuild so before you start in on someone, realize a few things. MA could very well call Stearns up and say the play on the field, rebuild or not, is in unacceptable. Go find us another second baseman or go find us another pen arm. This wouldn't kill the rebuild nor would it destroy his bank account. This has nothing to do with trying to trade for a blue chip pitcher and mortgaging the farm.

 

They've already traded for 3 pen arms in the last month, one of them being a setup man. How many more pen arms do you want him to acquire? They are already carrying 2 guys in the pen that they've traded for.

 

And MA absolutely should not say that to Stearns. He should congratulate him on what he's done and tell him he trusts his judgment. Setting yet another precedent now and overriding Stearns in his decision making process the first year that we start to have success again would be very undermining and a big mistake.

 

We disagree on this one. It's Marks team. If he wants a two-bagger that actually plays like a pro ball player, he should be able to voice that without hurting Stearns feelings. Stearns has struck out on a pen and second base this season. I'm not saying I wouldn't have gone with Villar but it's hurt this team. He has an opportunity to remedy that for the last two months and there he sits, twiddling his thumbs watching Sogard play like a bum. If I'm MA this is unacceptable. Again, it's okay to disagree. And this isn't calling out Adam but we seem to jump down too many people's throats around here when it's a differing opinion. That's gotta stop or these boards are no better than anywhere else.

 

Well first of all I think it goes without saying if I offer a contrary opinion to you, I disagree with you. Certainly it's ok to disagree, but I'm not sure where I jumped down your throat. I simply pointed out that Stearns has acquired 3 relievers in the last month including one high leverage reliever and asked what more he should have donr there at this point. I understand you were speaking more in general rather than calling out me specifically but I'm not really sure what it was about my post that brought you to make that point.

 

Now to your other points, to me, it's not about Stearns' feelings at all. It's about the job he was hired to do, and if Mark A plans on going all Jerry Jones on him every time the team has a weakness, there's no point in him being here.

 

Of course Mark A. has a voice at the table. I'm sure he's inquired about the pen and 2B in the last month and discussed with Stearns what could be done for a reasonable price and without compromising long-term goals. But there is a big, big difference between that and telling Stearns, "This is unacceptable, find us another 2nd baseman", which is in fact undermining Stearns.

 

I also think as fans we often tend to look at things a little more simplisticly than they really are. We see a weakness and wonder, why don't they just fix it, when the reality is often a little more complicated. For instance, Villar. He's 26 and was coming off a fine 2016. So what happened? Was he just a fluke last year, or is he just having a down year now? I'm sure they'd like to get a little more data between now and the end of the season to try to determine that, because they're always still looking at the big picture, too. So they go out and get Kinsler tomorrow and Villar basically sits on the bench the rest of the season. Now what do you do with him going forward?

 

And Sogard has been back less than 3 weeks. While his regression isn't surprising, I'm sure they did consider how good he was in the first half too in hopes that maybe he could spark things at 2nd. That hasn't happened, but I think it's unfair to say Stearns has just twiddled his thumbs for 2 months, when at the time of the deadline Sogard had been back just a week. I'm sure they were hoping for Sogard to at least continue to be adequate or for Villar to start to show 2016 form again, and neither one of those has happened. It's still possible a move gets made, but it isn't nearly as cut and dry as we make it out to be. Trading for a 2nd baseman 2 months ago would have been giving up quite early on a controllable 26 year old who was a 3 WAR player last year. You can't just quit on every player who has a bad half of baseball. That's how we ended up with Travis Shaw.

[pacopete4]

You can't just quit on every player who has a bad half of baseball. That's how we ended up with Travis Shaw.

 

I'll just speak to your first response which is I wasn't calling you out individually or really you at all. It is the tone of these boards lately is that if you have anything against the current GM, you are an idiot. And that is not how we should be operating. It's turning off people from actually posting their thoughts and opinions. That's not saying people can't respond to it but we should be able to do it with a little more class than some have been doing around here.

 

For the most part I have loved what Stearns has done but there has been some alarming things for me. He might overvalue his prospects. I'm not sure we have one "blue chipper" on our prospect list. Maybe Hader, I don't know. So in that case, I was disappointed when a move wasn't made to help this current team win now and still a little disappointed that a piece can't be added for relatively cheap. Another was the pen he has built this past offseason and the guys he has made adjustments with. They stink. I hope he sees that. I hope he learns from it going forward. Whether it is spending more money in the offseason or using some of the other guys we have in the system for pen arms. I don't know but that is why he gets paid the big bucks.

 

The reason I quoted what I did from you is that I wanted to make it clear that a move for a 2B right now, as a two-month rental is not giving up on Villar. I would dump Sogard and tell Villar to buckle up because you are going to play all over the diamond and you'll be coming off the bench every single night as a pinch hitter. And then next season, I'd give him another crack at the job. If they aren't going to acquire anyone, then just play him. Because he holds the most value going forward of any of the Sogard, Perez's of our team. So if winning right now is not the top priority, you might as well play the guy that can bump his value so you can continue on your rebuilding phase.

[bill hAll Star]

It's entirely possible that teams are asking for a little bit more than we think on Phillips, Kinsler, and now Walker or that some of them didn't make it our way on waivers.

 

I'm not sure I'd even blame Mark if he didn't want to burn $5 million Phillips, Walker, or Kinsler (Kinsler makes you decide on either $8 million for this year + buyout or 13 million if you keep him around) for very modest upgrades on what Hernan offers you at 2B. Hernan is a plus defender there and maybe loses a bit in OBP compared to those guys (and more in power to Walker).

 

Mark clearly is willing to pay when the team is contending but if he said he didn't want to pay $5-15 million to win our 79th game this season instead of the 78 that we'll probably end up with without adding a 2B...I mean, that's pretty reasonable to me. I'd be happy to hear that Stearns is advising him of this.

[Humans Need Water]

You can't just quit on every player who has a bad half of baseball. That's how we ended up with Travis Shaw.

 

I'll just speak to your first response which is I wasn't calling you out individually or really you at all. It is the tone of these boards lately is that if you have anything against the current GM, you are an idiot. And that is not how we should be operating. It's turning off people from actually posting their thoughts and opinions. That's not saying people can't respond to it but we should be able to do it with a little more class than some have been doing around here.

 

For the most part I have loved what Stearns has done but there has been some alarming things for me. He might overvalue his prospects. I'm not sure we have one "blue chipper" on our prospect list. Maybe Hader, I don't know. So in that case, I was disappointed when a move wasn't made to help this current team win now and still a little disappointed that a piece can't be added for relatively cheap. Another was the pen he has built this past offseason and the guys he has made adjustments with. They stink. I hope he sees that. I hope he learns from it going forward. Whether it is spending more money in the offseason or using some of the other guys we have in the system for pen arms. I don't know but that is why he gets paid the big bucks.

 

The reason I quoted what I did from you is that I wanted to make it clear that a move for a 2B right now, as a two-month rental is not giving up on Villar. I would dump Sogard and tell Villar to buckle up because you are going to play all over the diamond and you'll be coming off the bench every single night as a pinch hitter. And then next season, I'd give him another crack at the job. If they aren't going to acquire anyone, then just play him. Because he holds the most value going forward of any of the Sogard, Perez's of our team. So if winning right now is not the top priority, you might as well play the guy that can bump his value so you can continue on your rebuilding phase.

Maybe people on this site, regardless of their opinion or beliefs, should provide evidence to back their reasoning and line of thought. Holding an opinion or belief using inaccurate information and blatantly disregarding all variables involved should be called out. Calling that out isn't disrespecting or negating the relevance of one's overall opinion or belief. (side note: why is it ok for you or anyone else here to make negative/undermining comments toward Brewers players/coaches/GM for their actions or comments but not ok for someone to do the same to you guys?)

 

Regarding the first bold sentence, it's inaccurate (see above paragraph). Swarzak was acquired at the deadline as a setup man and he's been excellent thus far in then pen, which was THE biggest area of need. Regarding the second bold sentence, the pen wasn't assembled to compete for a division title nor did anyone expect Nelson/Chase to actually pitch to their potential nor the Cubs to perform way below their skill level (and now suffering injuries). Knebel, Barnes, Hughes, Drake, Torres have been in the pen the entire year - Barnes, Hughes, Drake, Torres have been relatively solid for the most part but had games/streaks where they just get rocked, hence their ERA being what it is. Knebel has been able to avoid all that and be pretty consistent (he also has a 5.3 BB9 and nobody says a word about his control issues yet people pound away at Hader for is). Stearns has made adjustments from Feliz, Marinez, Scahill, Peralta to Hader, Swarzak, Jeffress (Webb was acquired as a long-term play). How do those 3 guys "stink" compared to who they replaced considering 2 of those guys are our best pen arms along with Knebel? (Again, see above paragraph).

 

Acquiring Kinsler means we'd pay 7.5M, including his 2018 5M buy-out, while giving up a prospect as well. Phillips would be owed like 3.5M as a rental, which is less than half of Kinsler, and could make sense if you believe Villar can't somewhat get back on track the final 2 months (with Perez mixed in as well). And we'd have to give up a prospect for that too.

 

You've stated twice now in the past 24 hours that we wouldn't have to give up the farm or it would be relatively cheap. Except you have no idea what the actual cost would be to acquire either player. Neither Kinsler or Phillips guarantees a sizable upgrade over the next 2 months because we don't know how Villar/Perez will perform nor would it be a game changing acquisition, most likely. 5 days ago you wanted Granderson in CF and you've been silent since....

[pacopete4]

 

Maybe people on this site, regardless of their opinion or beliefs, should provide evidence to back their reasoning and line of thought. Holding an opinion or belief using inaccurate information and blatantly disregarding all variables involved should be called out. Calling that out isn't disrespecting or negating the relevance of one's overall opinion or belief. (side note: why is it ok for you or anyone else here to make negative/undermining comments toward Brewers players/coaches/GM for their actions or comments but not ok for someone to do the same to you guys?)

 

You don't have all the answers, just like I don't. Most all on this section of the forum is speculation. Just because you toss around a bunch of mumbo jumbo regarding having evidence, doesn't actually mean you have any.

 

Regarding the first bold sentence, it's inaccurate (see above paragraph). Swarzak was acquired at the deadline as a setup man and he's been excellent thus far in then pen, which was THE biggest area of need. Regarding the second bold sentence, the pen wasn't assembled to compete for a division title nor did anyone expect Nelson/Chase to actually pitch to their potential nor the Cubs to perform way below their skill level (and now suffering injuries). Knebel, Barnes, Hughes, Drake, Torres have been in the pen the entire year - Barnes, Hughes, Drake, Torres have been relatively solid for the most part but had games/streaks where they just get rocked, hence their ERA being what it is. Knebel has been able to avoid all that and be pretty consistent (he also has a 5.3 BB9 and nobody says a word about his control issues yet people pound away at Hader for is). Stearns has made adjustments from Feliz, Marinez, Scahill, Peralta to Hader, Swarzak, Jeffress (Webb was acquired as a long-term play). How do those 3 guys "stink" compared to who they replaced considering 2 of those guys are our best pen arms along with Knebel? (Again, see above paragraph).

 

I have stated in other posts that it is well known that this pen wasn't assembled with top notch pen arms. But other than the Swarzak trade (after seeing him pitch well for 2/3 of a season) Stearns has whiffed on the pen. I applaud him for going out and getting him but Drake, Feliz, etc... have been horrid and cost this team dearly. If he had hit on a closer or another arm or two in the pen, maybe, just maybe we would be in a better spot this season than we are right now. Most won't care because well, rebuilding. So he gets a free pass at this season. That's fine. But for me, I don't like giving away seasons. This season is a perfect example of why you don't do that. This division could/can be won. Again, all hindsight and I don't have all the answers for it but I would hope that he learns from the moves he has made. I don't think there's really anything wrong with saying that. He will have his mistakes. This year's pen moves have probably cost them a legit opportunity at the central division.

 

Acquiring Kinsler means we'd pay 7.5M, including his 2018 5M buy-out, while giving up a prospect as well. Phillips would be owed like 3.5M as a rental, which is less than half of Kinsler, and could make sense if you believe Villar can't somewhat get back on track the final 2 months (with Perez mixed in as well). And we'd have to give up a prospect for that too.

 

You've stated twice now in the past 24 hours that we wouldn't have to give up the farm or it would be relatively cheap. Except you have no idea what the actual cost would be to acquire either player. Neither Kinsler or Phillips guarantees a sizable upgrade over the next 2 months because we don't know how Villar/Perez will perform nor would it be a game changing acquisition, most likely. 5 days ago you wanted Granderson in CF and you've been silent since....

 

Maybe adding Kinsler at the price tag doesn't make sense for this team. But a guy like Phillips would. I have said and talked about both sides of this. Either play Villar the rest of the way or make a move for a guy. Playing Sogard just is silly. We know what he is. Good story for a month but it just wasn't going to continue. I can't stand Perez in a starting role. He shouldn't have one until he can figure out some patience at the plate. Super utility role or trade him.

 

And do I have to post daily to want to acquire Granderson? I still would take him. He would be a great piece to have for this team. A left-handed bat with some punch and gets on base at a decent clip. He could play a lot in CF and fill in for Braun/Santana on their days off. Broxton is in a bit of a hot streak right now but in a week, his swing will probably have more of a breeze than Lake Michigan. It's just who he is.

 

You don't have to act like the smartest person in the room to have dialogue.

[bill hAll Star]

Hernan Perez seems to be mostly taking over at 2B and is nearly a wash with Brandon Phillips. You'd be paying $4-5 million to get a guy that strikes out a little bit less.

 

Broxton has been just as hot as Granderson of late and they have similar. A platoon may be the best of worlds but you're paying $5 million for a platoon upgrade on a guy that is a bad defender in CF which is probably where they'd play him.

 

I've actually expressed interest in overpaying for upgrades in 2018 and '19 given the rest of payroll is so low, but that's $10 million for 2 guys that may not even be upgrades on a team that seems to be not very good.

 

I hope that Mark is willing to overpay a bit for stuff over the next 2 years but at this point in the season I'm fine if he doesn't want to dump $10 million into upgrades that we aren't even sure are upgrades on a team that currently has an 8% chance at the playoffs per TeamRankings.

[brewerfan82]

For those under the impression that Stearns is sitting on his hands, this from Adam McCalvy / MLBTradeRumors:

 

The Brewers “are constantly monitoring the waiver wire,” revealed Stearns, who’s optimistic that he’ll be able to add outside help in the coming weeks. “I wouldn’t put it as a definite, but I certainly think it is a possibility that between now and the end of August we are able to pull something off,” he said. Milwaukee is specifically looking to breathe life into its sputtering offense, according to McCalvy, which aligns with their reported interest in Tigers second baseman Ian Kinsler. The veteran might not even make it to the Brewers via waivers, though, and McCalvy relays that the team has failed in its attempts to add players via claims this month. When the Brewers have claimed players, clubs ahead of them in the waiver pecking order have either beaten them to the punch or the players’ teams pulled them back.

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2017/08/nl-rumors-brewers-giants-cards-phillies.html

[pacopete4]

Hernan Perez seems to be mostly taking over at 2B and is nearly a wash with Brandon Phillips. You'd be paying $4-5 million to get a guy that strikes out a little bit less.

 

Broxton has been just as hot as Granderson of late and they have similar. A platoon may be the best of worlds but you're paying $5 million for a platoon upgrade on a guy that is a bad defender in CF which is probably where they'd play him.

 

I've actually expressed interest in overpaying for upgrades in 2018 and '19 given the rest of payroll is so low, but that's $10 million for 2 guys that may not even be upgrades on a team that seems to be not very good.

 

I hope that Mark is willing to overpay a bit for stuff over the next 2 years but at this point in the season I'm fine if he doesn't want to dump $10 million into upgrades that we aren't even sure are upgrades on a team that currently has an 8% chance at the playoffs per TeamRankings.

 

There is a chance you add those guys and nothing changes. But you just never know the trickle down effect of those two players added in August. You add two guys that are professionals to say the least and maybe, just maybe, the rest of the team starts clicking again as well. $5-10 million is no chump change but when your payroll is $60+ million and you've had good attendance numbers during this season, I think MA could justify doing this to see if this would spark this team and get them hot again. As I'm typing this, I'm sure Broxton and Villar will catch fire and all will be golden, but chances are, they won't. Gotta try when the opportunities are there and I feel as though this was an opportunity to make the playoffs.

[bill hAll Star]

Hernan Perez seems to be mostly taking over at 2B and is nearly a wash with Brandon Phillips. You'd be paying $4-5 million to get a guy that strikes out a little bit less.

 

Broxton has been just as hot as Granderson of late and they have similar. A platoon may be the best of worlds but you're paying $5 million for a platoon upgrade on a guy that is a bad defender in CF which is probably where they'd play him.

 

I've actually expressed interest in overpaying for upgrades in 2018 and '19 given the rest of payroll is so low, but that's $10 million for 2 guys that may not even be upgrades on a team that seems to be not very good.

 

I hope that Mark is willing to overpay a bit for stuff over the next 2 years but at this point in the season I'm fine if he doesn't want to dump $10 million into upgrades that we aren't even sure are upgrades on a team that currently has an 8% chance at the playoffs per TeamRankings.

 

There is a chance you add those guys and nothing changes. But you just never know the trickle down effect of those two players added in August. You add two guys that are professionals to say the least and maybe, just maybe, the rest of the team starts clicking again as well. $5-10 million is no chump change but when your payroll is $60+ million and you've had good attendance numbers during this season, I think MA could justify doing this to see if this would spark this team and get them hot again. As I'm typing this, I'm sure Broxton and Villar will catch fire and all will be golden, but chances are, they won't. Gotta try when the opportunities are there and I feel as though this was an opportunity to make the playoffs.

 

Yeah, those pros pro professional [insert more cliches] ball players have really provided a trickle down spark to the Braves and Mets, respectively, this season.

 

There is a post that they are actually trying to add and if they traded for Phillips or Kinsler tomorrow I'd be fine with it given that it is Mark's money and not mine...but I cannot fathom getting worked up about this and actually thinking that these moves will do anything.