Brewers Trade for Neil Walker

[Boomer5]

The Pirates didn't resign Walker because of back issues. Looking at his games played per season I see only two healthy years. I have no problem signing a "proven veteran" for a couple years but with Walker's injury history I don't know if he's the guy I'd want.

 

Agreed. He is going to be 32 next year, has back issues, and will make certainly more than $10M per year, and more likely closer to $15M+ per year. He is a legitimately solid player but only for a stretch run. He doesnt appear to be a good investment in a longer term deal.

 

We are only contending this year because everyone but Garza, Villar and Braun have had career years and even then we are two games over 500. The chances that our division will be this bad for the life of Walker's contact are limited.

 

Live with Dubon/Villar/Perez/Sogard/NRI until Hiura is ready which should be 2019. Senzel is getting close and he was drafted in 2016 and Id think his bat profiles to Hiura though he will have more power.

[OnaBadger58]

A little OT, but with Walker playing 2B, Villar is starting in CF tonight.

[Ennder]

We are only contending this year because everyone but Garza, Villar and Braun have had career years and even then we are two games over 500. The chances that our division will be this bad for the life of Walker's contact are limited.

 

Broxton was better last year than this year, Santana was close to as good last year but was hurt. Perez isn't as good as last year. The bullpen guys outside of Knebel are all having bad seasons compared to their last few. Very few players on this team are having career years with the SP being the most notable. It is a couple of guys who are in their growth stage having what seems like breakouts, a pair of starters who may or may not be legit and a bunch of guys having weaker years than we hoped.

[KeithStone53151]

We are only contending this year because everyone but Garza, Villar and Braun have had career years and even then we are two games over 500. The chances that our division will be this bad for the life of Walker's contact are limited.

 

Broxton was better last year than this year, Santana was close to as good last year but was hurt. Perez isn't as good as last year. The bullpen guys outside of Knebel are all having bad seasons compared to their last few. Very few players on this team are having career years with the SP being the most notable. It is a couple of guys who are in their growth stage having what seems like breakouts, a pair of starters who may or may not be legit and a bunch of guys having weaker years than we hoped.

 

The additions of Shaw and Thames were massive improvements over what we had at those positions last year. Can't forget about that. That and the starting pitching have carried this team to this point for the most part.

[TJseven7]

If Brinson could just come up next year and be a 280 hitter with solud obp w wouldn't care who we had at 2nd base. The issue is that they feel they need to lead off villar and he has been awful all year.

 

Question as i didnt follow him as closely last year... aka not watching game and gamecenter for pitch locations... but did he swing at crap last year like he does this year? He didn't walk alot last year but hes on pace to fall 27 short there while adding 32 ks. Lasik? Or has his plate discipline slipped that badly?

 

If thats the case for the drought year... I'd expect he could revert back to 2016... but he's showing next to no signs of getting it back yet.

[JosephC]

I'd be surprised if Stearns signed Walker for 2018 and beyond. To me it seemed like a strict rental type move. With Thames, Aguilar, Villar, Arcia and Shaw the Brewers already have five infielders all under team control for multiple seasons. They will look for a cheaper option to fill the sixth spot, and Dubon should at least be an additional insurance piece (at a minimum). They could deal one of those five infielders and that could open up a spot for Walker, but being where they are why deal a younger, controllable piece for an older veteran that will likely command over 10 million per season?

 

If the Brewers spend money this season it would more likely be moves like signing Nelson to a 4-5 year contract and making a couple 1-year, 6'ish million dollar deals on relievers (like Feliz, but hopefully these would be hits and not misses). Swarzak could be one of the relievers but he'd more than likely get a 2 or 3 year deal (would definitely prefer it just be 2 years considering the up-and-down nature of most relievers). Other significant investments on the cheaper end would be giving a long-term deal to Arcia (money early in the contract would be small but later in the deal would be pretty good) and grabbing a back end of the rotation starter for insurance (cheap Milone type, again hoping for a hit and not a miss).

[djoctagone]

the player to be named has been named. rhp eric hanhold.

[pacopete4]

Who?

[CheezWizHed]

Who?

 

I'm assuming that you know who as you follow the MiLB, but I'll list it out anyway for those that might not.

 

Former 2015 6th round pick, Eric is 23 years old and a starting pitcher at A+ this year. Last year he had a 4.81 ERA at Brevard. And this year a 3.94 ERA at Carolina. Neither of which is very good given the average offense for those leagues.

 

So in short, not a lot.

[pacopete4]

Who?

 

I'm assuming that you know who as you follow the MiLB, but I'll list it out anyway for those that might not.

 

Former 2015 6th round pick, Eric is 23 years old and a starting pitcher at A+ this year. Last year he had a 4.81 ERA at Brevard. And this year a 3.94 ERA at Carolina. Neither of which is very good given the average offense for those leagues.

 

So in short, not a lot.

 

Sorry, should have used blue in my first post. Yeah, not much given up here and that was sort of expected in this trade. Walker has been a nice addition to the team.

[Crash2303]

Although Walker has given us everything we hoped for since the trade and worth the seeming middling reliever who as CheezeWezHead said looks to be "not a lot". I would would give pause to that assessment. First of all he's a big 6'5", 220lb. it is not uncommon for taller pitchers to take a little longer in developing consistency as a lot more can be going on with their mechanics. but it's worth providing some context for his ERA mentioned above.

 

I posted this elsewhere before, but it seemed appropriate to bring up again here. Hanhold moved to the bullpen this year after starting last season and began the year horrendously! in his first 5 appearances, he gave up the following earned runs 2, 2, 2, 3, 5, 8 respectively. but since May 18 after his disastrous 8 run appearance, he's held hitters to a paltry 1.37 ERA w/ a 9 K/9 and about a 1.00 WHIP. it looks like he's found his stride putting his talented, big arm to use. at 23, could be a fast mover next year. either way, I wish him good luck with the rest of his career!

[patrickgpe]

not familiar with the name, but he profiles as the type of prospect I was expecting the brewers would give up.

 

not a nobody, but nowhere close to the organizations top 30.

[young guns]

[sarcasm]I thought it was supposed to be brinson or burnes like the mets fan said.[/sarcasm]

[reillymcshane]

Hanhold is a big guy who throws hard. Improved a lot this year. He's a ground ball pitcher - so someone looking for that kind of guy might find him intriguing. He still has a lot of work to do, but could potentially be a bullpen arm if he puts some things together.

[Brewer Fever]

Lol at reading wild speculation of names thrown out on Twitter and thinking the Brewers are sending anyone of significance as the PTBNL. Everyone go take a look at And That's top 100 list below. I would not be surprised at all if the player is someone not even on that list...

 

http://forum.brewerfan.net/viewtopic.php?f=64&t=35581&start=63

 

And how anyone could be mad at this is beyond me. There are 2 scenarios. One, Walker adds very little, our season plays out, miss the playoffs, he finds a new home next year, and we give up a player who fades out of everyone's consciousness. The other scenario is that Walker provides a huge lift at a position the team ranks dead last in baseball and helps a team that was 2 games out of first at the time of the acquisition, and propels them into the playoffs. Then 5 years from now people are taking about what a shrewd, zero cost pickup this move was. The upside is too great to even consider a downside. There just isn't one, unless you're worried about Mark A. paying a couple million in salary for the final 2 months.

 

Winds up being the guy who "And That" had ranked #50 on his list. Still LOLing at the poster who was buying into Twitter talk that it was Gatewood, Freddy Peralta, or Jacob Nottingham.

[ClosetBrewerFan]

All the Mets could really hope for is a lottery ticket and that is what this is. A lottery ticket that has an upside of a RP so probably not much of a reward. Who knows. It's worth the risk IMO to get Walker.

[Brewer Fever]

All the Mets could really hope for is a lottery ticket and that is what this is. A lottery ticket that has an upside of a RP so probably not much of a reward. Who knows. It's worth the risk IMO to get Walker.

 

Of course it was, there shouldn't have been any doubt of that

[CheeseheadInQC]

Wasn't Hanhold his draft year's "better stuff than results guy." If so, he never showed as much starting as the one from the year before him (Woodruff) or after him (Z. Brown), but this isn't a throwaway either. You could make a good case that he was the best prospect among the non-40 man minor league relievers (or second best, depending on what you think of Ramirez). Admittedly that isn't saying much, but it is something.

 

I wonder who the other two "lower level relievers" were who were supposedly on the list. The list of guys who'd be at the same level as Hanhold is fairly small, maybe two to four depending on how good of prospects Wuilder Rodriguez and Miguel Sanchez are supposed to be.