Where is Domingo Going?

[brwrsfan]

If Braun can actually play 1b (he says he can), and we can acquire another starter (Cobb??), and we can flip Broxton or Phillips for a bullpen guy...lot of if's, but if we can do all that, keeping Santana makes a ton of sense and a lineup that is very, very scary.

[Warning Track Power]

Interesting thought...

 

I assume Stearns and FO are weighing the possibility of the DH being implemented in the NL in 2019. I don’t know if this needs to wait until the next collective bargaining agreement but this might be a reason to hold Domingo. Imagine 2019 where the Brewers could put out a lineup of:

 

Cain CF

Yelich LF

Braun DH

Shaw 3B

Santana RF

Thames 1B

Pina C

Walker/Villar 2B

Arcia SS

[wildcat2237]

Interesting thought...

 

I assume Stearns and FO are weighing the possibility of the DH being implemented in the NL in 2019. I don’t know if this needs to wait until the next collective bargaining agreement but this might be a reason to hold Domingo. Imagine 2019 where the Brewers could put out a lineup of:

 

Cain CF

Yelich LF

Braun DH

Shaw 3B

Santana RF

Thames 1B

Pina C

Walker/Villar 2B

Arcia SS

 

w00f.

[SRB]

Mike Clevinger has taken over as my #1 dream acquisition for Santana.

[pacopete4]

Mike Clevinger has taken over as my #1 dream acquisition for Santana.

 

Not sure he gets enough ground balls for Stearns to target. But I do think he would be an interesting guy to target since he’s got a lot of remaining control.

[NOMAAM]

Mike Clevinger has taken over as my #1 dream acquisition for Santana.

 

 

If he cuts down on the Walks he could be a front end starter. They really eat up his pitch count.

[BrewCrewForever]

We need the DH in the NL ASAP. Lineup would be sick.

[JohnBriggs12]

They can move Braun to 1B part of the time so then Aguilar becomes expendable. What do you do with Aguilar? See if you can get a reliever or some low level lottery pick type prospects for him or does he end up with the same fate as Gennett last year? Cut at the end of camp and immediately claimed?

Seems like he'd be a nice fit in Colorado.

[coolhandluke121]

They can move Braun to 1B part of the time so then Aguilar becomes expendable. What do you do with Aguilar? See if you can get a reliever or some low level lottery pick type prospects for him or does he end up with the same fate as Gennett last year? Cut at the end of camp and immediately claimed?

Seems like he'd be a nice fit in Colorado.

 

Gennett, maybe. But Jason Rogers is another possible comparison. Either way, I agree 100% that he is expendable. You can't waste a roster spot on an emergency 1b and ph who does nothing at replacement level except slugging, and even that's projected to be roughly at replacement level at best by pretty much everyone except some Brewers fans.

 

Braun/Thames is a perfect platoon with Braun getting some corner outfield starts. Vogt and Perez are the emergency fill-ins for their respective sides of the platoon because they're on the team for other reasons anyway.

 

Santana can stay but personally I prefer Phillips as the full-time RF. I think Stearns greatly values defense and speed. I don't think analytics fully capture the intangible benefits of that sort of thing, and it appears Stearns agrees. I'm glad he's trying to exploit that market inefficiency and I'm very hopeful that Santana will be traded for a nice pitching prospect.

 

I think Stearns and Counsell also wisely value having an extra reliever, especially with a number of starters who aren't likely to eat a lot of innings for a variety of reasons. I'm excited about what they're doing.

[pacopete4]

If Santana isn’t staying, then Phillips ain’t starting. Not unless there’s injury out there. And if Santana isn’t staying, Aguilar will be the platoon most likely at 1B. Phillips will be a 4th OF and get his share of ABs and a defensive replacement at times. Pretty much no matter how this shakes out, Phillips isn’t starting. Unless injury occurs.

[PeaveyFury]

I think the important thing to remember about this team if Santana is traded is that based on rest and Braun's durability history, a guy like Phillips as the 4th OF is likely to get a solid amount of starts. Factoring the typical nagging-type injuries that any team can expect, he could feasibly get a solid amount of PT this year.

[pacopete4]

I think the important thing to remember about this team if Santana is traded is that based on rest and Braun's durability history, a guy like Phillips as the 4th OF is likely to get a solid amount of starts. Factoring the typical nagging-type injuries that any team can expect, he could feasibly get a solid amount of PT this year.

 

Cain too. He’s been banged up over his career. If Santana is moved, Phillips will do well with playing time. As long as he produces.

[coolhandluke121]

If Santana isn’t staying, then Phillips ain’t starting. Not unless there’s injury out there. And if Santana isn’t staying, Aguilar will be the platoon most likely at 1B. Phillips will be a 4th OF and get his share of ABs and a defensive replacement at times. Pretty much no matter how this shakes out, Phillips isn’t starting. Unless injury occurs.

 

You're missing one of the most important variables in the equation. Their pitching staff would clearly benefit from an extra reliever, and if Braun can play 1b, it would be a waste of a roster spot to keep Aguilar. That extra reliever is going to add more value to the team than playing Braun in RF over Phillips and giving Aguilar ~50 starts. Perez's versatility makes him a lock for a roster spot ahead of Aguilar.

 

They had 13 pitchers at times last year and also nearly turned their season around and made the playoffs by using the bullpen all the time in September instead of a traditional 6 inning starter + 2-3 relievers plan for every game. Their rotation is once again not going to give you a ton of innings so it makes sense to use a lot of relievers. I'm confident that's what they're looking for and it's the right move.

[adambr2]

I think the important thing to remember about this team if Santana is traded is that based on rest and Braun's durability history, a guy like Phillips as the 4th OF is likely to get a solid amount of starts. Factoring the typical nagging-type injuries that any team can expect, he could feasibly get a solid amount of PT this year.

 

Here's the catch-22 on that. Phillips is the perfect 4th OFer, but he's also a really good sweetener to an OF needy team. We can afford to part with both and ride it out with Broxton and Perez as our 4th and 5th OFer. It's not ideal, obviously you'd rather keep Phillips but neither of the other two move the needle much in a trade. If you need to include Phillips with Santana to get someone like Archer, you do it.

 

The Indians owe Michael Brantley $12M this year before he becomes a FA. There's not much surplus value there on Brantley, so if you took him and his contract and gave the Indians Santana and Phillips, what could you expect back?

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

I think the important thing to remember about this team if Santana is traded is that based on rest and Braun's durability history, a guy like Phillips as the 4th OF is likely to get a solid amount of starts. Factoring the typical nagging-type injuries that any team can expect, he could feasibly get a solid amount of PT this year.

 

Cain too. He’s been banged up over his career. If Santana is moved, Phillips will do well with playing time. As long as he produces.

 

If both Broxton and Santana are moved, Phillips will likely get near-regular playing time. Another guy to keep an eye on is Kyle Wren. He isn't young anymore, but profiles as a solid defender at all three outfield positions, and is a good speed/contact guy at the plate. A team could do much, much worse for a 4th/5th outfielder. The question is whether it is feasible to carry another guy who strictly plays the outfield when guys like Villar, Sogard, Perez and Thames can also play out there reasonably well in a pinch. Stearns seems to be putting a premium on defense, and Wren is light years better as a defender than Villar, Sogard and Perez.

[pacopete4]

If Santana isn’t staying, then Phillips ain’t starting. Not unless there’s injury out there. And if Santana isn’t staying, Aguilar will be the platoon most likely at 1B. Phillips will be a 4th OF and get his share of ABs and a defensive replacement at times. Pretty much no matter how this shakes out, Phillips isn’t starting. Unless injury occurs.

 

You're missing one of the most important variables in the equation. Their pitching staff would clearly benefit from an extra reliever, and if Braun can play 1b, it would be a waste of a roster spot to keep Aguilar. That extra reliever is going to add more value to the team than playing Braun in RF over Phillips and giving Aguilar ~50 starts. Perez's versatility makes him a lock for a roster spot ahead of Aguilar.

 

They had 13 pitchers at times last year and also nearly turned their season around and made the playoffs by using the bullpen all the time in September instead of a traditional 6 inning starter + 2-3 relievers plan for every game. Their rotation is once again not going to give you a ton of innings so it makes sense to use a lot of relievers. I'm confident that's what they're looking for and it's the right move.

 

Using your bullpen a ton in September is something you can do because the rosters expand. Let’s not over think this one too much here. Aguilar played a large role for the Brewers last year and could again next year if certain players are moved. They aren’t carrying 13 pitches all season long.

[tigerbrew]

Seems like the interested teams not are giving the Brewers enough value for a Domingo trade. Since we are going for it this season, I think it would be better to keep Domingo's bat in the lineup and try to sign Darvish. Could be better to buy a top pitcher than trade Domingo + top prospects for one.

 

Move Braun to 1B/DH/4th OF and platoon with Thames. LF - Yelich, CF - Cain, RF - Santana.

 

Go with a lineup of Cain, Yelich, Santana, Shaw, Braun, Sogard, Pina and Arcia, or alternative lineup of Cain, Yelich Santana, Shaw, Pina, Thames, Arcia and Sogard.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

Seems like the interested teams not are giving the Brewers enough value for a Domingo trade. Since we are going for it this season, I think it would be better to keep Domingo's bat in the lineup and try to sign Darvish. Could be better to buy a top pitcher than trade Domingo + top prospects for one.

 

I understand speculating, but this is strip mall psychic reading-level. How could you possibly know what other teams are offering for Domingo? For all we know, Stearns has multiple offers on the table for him, and is taking hid time and researching the best one. The fact of the matter is, Santana is a tough fit for the way this team is looking to be constructed.

[djd1228]

Mike Clevinger has taken over as my #1 dream acquisition for Santana.

 

Clevinger would be awesome. Fits the same window as our recently acqiured OFers too.

 

I dont buy a trade for Salazar, i dont think Stearns is the type of GM to take on injury risk for no reason. You get one of the top cost controlled guys like Archer, Clevenger, Fulmer etc for him even if it means paying more.

 

I think we underestimate the return Stearns will be looking for in a trade for Domingo, especially to an AL team. Hes not Yelich, but if he strictly DHs he's worth ~1 fWAR less than him and hes even considerably cheaper than Yelich is over the next 5 years.

[coolhandluke121]

Aguilar played a large role for the Brewers last year and could again next year if certain players are moved.

 

That's what I'm afraid of. It's unreasonable to expect an OPS much above .800 even if he does platoon. That's terrible for a guy who does nothing at replacement level except hit a few long balls. Let's not waste 3 months of crucial pa's before admitting the obvious and realizing he's another Matt Clark/Jason Rogers, as the available evidence overwhelmingly suggests.

 

I'm okay with Braun in RF and Thames/Aguilar at 1b if and only if Santana and Phillips are needed together to fetch a terrific young player at a position of great organizational need. Mejia would work.

[wallus]

Any thoughts on trading Santana, moving Braun to first and then platooning Phillips/Broxton in right? That outfield defense would be outstanding.

[pacopete4]

Any thoughts on trading Santana, moving Braun to first and then platooning Phillips/Broxton in right? That outfield defense would be outstanding.

In that senario you are sitting Thames for Phillips. While it could happen at times, it’s highly unlikely if Thames is on the roster.

[pacopete4]

Aguilar played a large role for the Brewers last year and could again next year if certain players are moved.

 

That's what I'm afraid of. It's unreasonable to expect an OPS much above .800 even if he does platoon. That's terrible for a guy who does nothing at replacement level except hit a few long balls. Let's not waste 3 months of crucial pa's before admitting the obvious and realizing he's another Matt Clark/Jason Rogers, as the available evidence overwhelmingly suggests.

 

I'm okay with Braun in RF and Thames/Aguilar at 1b if and only if Santana and Phillips are needed together to fetch a terrific young player at a position of great organizational need. Mejia would work.

 

Aguilar OPS’d .837 overall and .889 vs. LHP last season. Again, you’re selling him short. You need guys who can come off the bench in the NL and deliver. Aguilar did that time and time again last season.

[BrewersAA]

Aguilar played a large role for the Brewers last year and could again next year if certain players are moved.

 

That's what I'm afraid of. It's unreasonable to expect an OPS much above .800 even if he does platoon. That's terrible for a guy who does nothing at replacement level except hit a few long balls. Let's not waste 3 months of crucial pa's before admitting the obvious and realizing he's another Matt Clark/Jason Rogers, as the available evidence overwhelmingly suggests.

 

I'm okay with Braun in RF and Thames/Aguilar at 1b if and only if Santana and Phillips are needed together to fetch a terrific young player at a position of great organizational need. Mejia would work.

 

Aguilar OPS’d .837 overall and .889 vs. LHP last season. Again, you’re selling him short. You need guys who can come off the bench in the NL and deliver. Aguilar did that time and time again last season.

 

Plus we need as much Jesus on this team as we can get to make a run!

[adambr2]

I just can't believe we seem to be having so much trouble finding a taker for a 25 year old with a .371 OBP and an OPS near .900 who makes half a million bucks.

 

I know he's not a treat to watch in the field but goodness, they have the DH over there.