Braun- When do you DFA?

[FVBrewerFan]

Ok, to get this out of the way NO I don't think the Brewers should DFA Braun.

 

My question is at what point do you do so? IF he's hitting .600 OPS at the break? IF he's at .600 at the end of the season? Seriously asking what it would take.

 

As long as he's even .725ish he's serviceable. He looks lost now, which happens to every single player- but what if it's more long-term? You're stuck with either forcing play Braun because of his status and pay, or have him waste a roster spot on the bench.

 

Eating $40MM+ is a hard pill to swallow, but they also can't afford an unproductive player on the bench the next three years. This is no hiding Wang in the BP for a year, it's carrying a position player who can't hit for several years.

 

I do think he'll come around and be at least a serviceable player the rest of this season, but I just have a feeling at some point in the next 3 years he's going to really fall off. I just think it's a rather interesting question on when the Brewers would be willing to eat his salary, what it would take.

[AJOHNSON104]

Not gonna happen

[owbc]

Maybe he'll do us a favor and take some more PEDs. Only takes two more instances to get out of the contract!

[3and2Fastball]

You don't DFA Braun, you platoon him. Eventually he'll only play vs LHP.

[liveforoctober]

In a week of crazy overreactions ... this one takes the cake.

[pacopete4]

Tonight after the game if he doesn't hit a homer.

[FVBrewerFan]

In a week of crazy overreactions ... this one takes the cake.

 

How can asking a question be overreacting? I take it by your response your answer is never? No matter what he does the next three years, he will never be DFAd?

[MrTPlush]

I highly doubt Braun just fell off a cliff and is going to be a sub .700 OPS guy...there just is no way.

 

It would be almost impossible for him to be DFA'd. His history here, the huge contract, and most importantly he is made of glass so sticking him on the DL all the time would be really easy.

[adambr2]

I'm not a big Braun fan at all but his absolute worst case scenario for this year and next is to platoon against LHP.

 

If he's a compete disaster by his last year in 2020 you could make a business case for it. They did it with Suppan in 2010.

 

Even then I very much doubt they would do it based on his history and legacy here, it's not like they can save a penny by doing it so they may determine that the roster spot isn't worth the potential backlash.

 

In that case they would probably just stash him on the DL whenever they could in 2020 and use him off the bench when he's up.

 

But no unless Braun completely falls off a cliff by mid-2019 I see no way he gets DFAed in the next 3 years.

[istanbultaye]

When I saw this thread title, I thought it was a joke thread in response to the thread wanting to fire Counsell because the team had a really bad week defensively.

[adambr2]

In a week of crazy overreactions ... this one takes the cake.

 

He didn't overreact at all. He didn't say Braun sucks and we should release him. He even said he thinks Braun will be fine. He simply asked if Braun hypothetically nosedived in production over the rest of his contract at which point they would cut bait if ever.

[coolhandluke121]

I don't think it's completely out of the question eventually, but he'd have to have a really bad year and they'd have to want that roster spot pretty badly for someone else. That said, I'm at the point where I have just as much confidence as Aguilar as the RHB 1B, and I'm not an Aguilar fan at all despite his good start. As for LF, I don't think Yelich will be out long and I'd like to see Phillips by midseason, if not sooner.

 

I can tell you this: I would certainly be thrilled if he just retired out of the blue and the Brewers freed up that money and roster spot. If nothing else, we wouldn't have to hear about how he's still the best hitter on the team ad nauseum.

[dlk9s]

When do the Yankees DFA Giancarlo Stanton?

[jerichoholicninja]

Not until he's in the last guaranteed year of his contract. But I guess we could DFA him today and go with Hernan Perez in LF till Yelich is healthy.

[pacopete4]

We should probably ask TomH to ask Stearns.

[Outlander]

Probably mid season 2020 at the earliest. If forced to play the Jesus Aguilar role I think he could be effective and a nice bench bat at the end of the game. I know the Brewers have to pay him either way but still think he will be on the team all of 2018 and 2019 no matter what because of the money. If he was absolutely horrendous maybe they DFA after 2019.

[MrTPlush]

In a week of crazy overreactions ... this one takes the cake.

 

He didn't overreact at all.

 

When a player has a bad week and suddenly we have to start asking when he is going to be DFA'd is kind of overreacting. Hypothetical or not to even be wondering such a thing is jumping the gun by a year or so.

[topper09er]

What would it have taken for the Brewers to DFA Robin Yount? Same answer for Braun. If anything, Braun would retire first out of self-respect if he was hitting .100 at some future all star break, similar to Mike Schmidt

[tmwiese55]

As an aside. Pujols still has this year plus three more years at about 30 mil. Last three years OBP are 307, 324, and 286. 295 so far this year. He still gets his RBIs because Trout is in front him and he has DH to stay healthy. But man that contract is bad and everyone knew it from the second he signed it.

[topper09er]

As an aside. Pujols still has this year plus three more years at about 30 mil. Last three years OBP are 307, 324, and 286. 295 so far this year. He still gets his RBIs because Trout is in front him and he has DH to stay healthy. But man that contract is bad and everyone knew it from the second he signed it.

 

Good point, and they won't even bat him 6th in the order!

[markedman5]

It's not even April fools and we still get posts like this.

 

Every player goes through ups and downs during a season....numerous times.

 

Braun will be fine......and even if he some how forgot how to hit overnight they aren't eating 46 million dollars.

[adambr2]

What would it have taken for the Brewers to DFA Robin Yount? Same answer for Braun. If anything, Braun would retire first out of self-respect if he was hitting .100 at some future all star break, similar to Mike Schmidt

 

Why do people think this? When has a former great with many millions left on his contract ever retired early and forfeited all the remaining money? Schmidt lost $500K by retiring and was on a 1 year deal. Braun has millions and millions of reasons not to retire early.

 

He could hit .100 for the next 3 years and he would still stick around long enough to collect every last dime or force the Brewers to make the difficult decision to release him and still have to pay him. It simply doesn't happen the other way.

[tmwiese55]

Right, a 'retirement' would be a negotiation with the team in which he ends up with all or almost all of the money anyway but he retires to save face and to free up the roster spot. ARod did this basically.

[FVBrewerFan]

It's not even April fools and we still get posts like this.

 

Every player goes through ups and downs during a season....numerous times.

 

Braun will be fine......and even if he some how forgot how to hit overnight they aren't eating 46 million dollars.

 

No, they're not eating $46MM. I expected straw man responses like this. And yes, hitters (even the great ones) "forget" how to hit overnight. I'm not saying Braun has yet, but at his age it's not anywhere near impossible that happens before the end of his contract.

 

Someone mentioned Pujols, great example. The Angels will have to make a decision like this too. Except they have a lot more money and play in the AL with DH. Even at that they may very well move on from Pujols. Kemp is another example, there are always veteran contracts like this where cost can way exceed production.

[liveforoctober]

In a week of crazy overreactions ... this one takes the cake.

 

He didn't overreact at all. He didn't say Braun sucks and we should release him. He even said he thinks Braun will be fine. He simply asked if Braun hypothetically nosedived in production over the rest of his contract at which point they would cut bait if ever.

 

If Braun started the season 9-18 with 3 HRs and a .600 OBP this question would never have been asked. It was asked because he has started slow.

 

When is the correct time for Milwaukee to DFA Christian Yelich? Jimmy Nelson? Why aren't those fair questions?