Brewers acquire Erik Kratz for PTBNL or cash; Bandy DFA'd [6/16 Update: PTBNL is Wendell Rijo]

[hurricanecrush]

I've noticed something about the roster construction on this team on the last few spots. When they have minor league depth not already on the 40 man roster, they seem really averse to risk losing any of it. They don't promote their own to the 40 until they absolutely have to or imminently will have to, like with Wilkerson late last year.

 

They almost always go outside the organization to fill these spots -- examples just since the beginning of 2017 include Franklin, Webb, Asher, Saladino, Kratz, Berry, Brooks...I'm probably missing a couple. There haven't been many exceptions -- Wang and Sogard come to mind.

 

While I get this to some extent, depth doesn't really do you any good if you never plan to use it. And from a position of making this place somewhere guys want to play, I'd like to see us give more opportunities internally. It's got to be frustrating for guys like Orf, Bethancourt, and Nick Ramirez to consistently perform well enough to earn a big league shot and be continuously bypassed by mediocre journeymen outside the organization.

 

They always seem to want a couple 40 man spots to be completely expendable.

I think they kind of have to do it this way. You have to have some flexibility for situations where you have several injuries at a certain position or complete ineffectiveness at a position. If they get to a point where they have “value” in all 40 spots, they could be in a situation where they have to DFA someone they really don’t want to, to make room for an immediate need.

[clancyphile]

I've noticed something about the roster construction on this team on the last few spots. When they have minor league depth not already on the 40 man roster, they seem really averse to risk losing any of it. They don't promote their own to the 40 until they absolutely have to or imminently will have to, like with Wilkerson late last year.

 

They almost always go outside the organization to fill these spots -- examples just since the beginning of 2017 include Franklin, Webb, Asher, Saladino, Kratz, Berry, Brooks...I'm probably missing a couple. There haven't been many exceptions -- Wang and Sogard come to mind.

 

While I get this to some extent, depth doesn't really do you any good if you never plan to use it. And from a position of making this place somewhere guys want to play, I'd like to see us give more opportunities internally. It's got to be frustrating for guys like Orf, Bethancourt, and Nick Ramirez to consistently perform well enough to earn a big league shot and be continuously bypassed by mediocre journeymen outside the organization.

 

They always seem to want a couple 40 man spots to be completely expendable.

 

After thinking about this, I think it makes sense to a degree.

 

Having the 38th, 39th, and 40th slots "flexible" (i.e., players you can cycle through) has two benefits.

 

1. There is always a chance that you can pick someone up on waivers who will really catch fire and have a huge hot streak. See Perez in 2015-2017 and Sogard in 2017 for a examples of this, as well as Saladino and Choi this year. On the pitching side, see Dan Jennings. That may make a win or two of difference over a season. The Crew was within one game of the playoffs last year. Perez has gone, IMO, from one-year wonder to a crucial piece on the bench.

 

2. When you have a very hot prospect you need to bring up, like Josh Hader, Freddy Peralta, etc., it may not be a bad idea to have someone you don't mind jettisoning.

[djoctagone]

the player has been named. infielder wendell rijo has been sent to the yankees to complete the trade for erik kratz.

[CheeseheadInQC]

Good luck to Rijo. He was one of my favorite deep sleepers heading into the season, but he kind of got lost in the shuffle with Moore and Hager getting off to absurd starts and Hiura getting a pretty quick promotion. Similar to Eric Hanhold last year, he might not be looked at as a top tier prospect, but I wouldn't be shocked if he improves enough to earn a big league shot someday.

[CheezWizHed]

I'd put money down that Kratz has a higher WAR in the last month than Rijo will have in a career. Good trade.