David Stearns Free Pass??

[paul253]

Let’s also not forget his inability to trade Santana. Santana’s value has tanked and next year we’ll have the problem we had last year. Yelich. Cain. Braun. Santana. Phillips. Broxton. Now add Thames because Aguilar has to be an every day player at first base.

[82brewcrew82]

Why in the world are you convinced Castro could play SS? Is it because he was bad when he was a SS, or that he hasn’t played here in years?

It's better than his suggestion of putting Ryan Cordell there.

[Bulldogboy]

Let’s also not forget his inability to trade Santana. Santana’s value has tanked and next year we’ll have the problem we had last year. Yelich. Cain. Braun. Santana. Phillips. Broxton. Now add Thames because Aguilar has to be an every day player at first base.

Agreed. I have to think Stearns had a deal that fell through otherwise it made no sense to bring him back if he wasn't going to play everyday after last season.

[82brewcrew82]

Let’s also not forget his inability to trade Santana. Santana’s value has tanked and next year we’ll have the problem we had last year. Yelich. Cain. Braun. Santana. Phillips. Broxton. Now add Thames because Aguilar has to be an every day player at first base.

Agreed. I have to think Stearns had a deal that fell through otherwise it made no sense to bring him back if he wasn't going to play everyday after last season.

It's probably more likely that DS wasn't getting the value he felt (rightly) that he should be getting for Santana. If Santana rebounds to the level he was at last year, that will end up looking like a good move. Not sure how DS gets blamed for Santana completely collapsing in the first half. Nobody was predicting that.

[Devinep]

Why in the world are you convinced Castro could play SS? Is it because he was bad when he was a SS, or that he hasn’t played here in years?

It's better than his suggestion of putting Ryan Cordell there.

 

!!!

[StearnsFTW]

Welcome aboard Bulldogboy. His inability to land Machado was a major failure that can't be defended, especially when they were facing the Dodgers 7 times in 2 weeks coming out of the break.

This definitely should have been factored into the calculation for sure. These seven games it would be nice to have him on our side.

No, it should hot have. To make a trade for a player because an opponent you play a few times in the next week or two is after that guy is the kind of short sighted (and just plain dumb) move that Stearns has avoided. The decision to not trade for Machado can be, easily, well defended and no amount of stating one's opinion as fact will change that.

 

If this thing completely implodes again this year then I think there will be plenty of pressure on DS (and CC for that matter). Having said that, we all knew we were entering a rebuild and we all expected that rebuild to take five years. It's year three. It's a shame Nelson was hurt this year but that was a big loss. This team has holes but it isn't that far away and there are pieces in place to fix those holes.

 

This right here. Perfect.

[Boomer5]

You’re not rebuilding when you have a rotation of Chacin, Junior, and Anderson, and you sign Cain at 32. You’re trying to win now. While this last two week stretch has been awful, the fact is we are leading the WC race now so we are in fact winning. Holes plentiful, but winning.

 

He still has until the 31st to patch the holes we have so this thread is a bit premature.

[OnaBadger58]

You’re not rebuilding when you have a rotation of Chacin, Junior, and Anderson, and you sign Cain at 32. You’re trying to win now. While this last two week stretch has been awful, the fact is we are leading the WC race now so we are in fact winning. Holes plentiful, but winning.

 

He still has until the 31st to patch the holes we have so this thread is a bit premature.

Chacin, Junior, and Anderson are not win now players.

[homer]

I find it interesting that threads like this show up after a losing streak. Rarely do we see them after a hot streak.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

Welcome aboard Bulldogboy. His inability to land Machado was a major failure that can't be defended, especially when they were facing the Dodgers 7 times in 2 weeks coming out of the break.

This definitely should have been factored into the calculation for sure. These seven games it would be nice to have him on our side.

 

Is this satire? Playing the Dodgers seven times should not have had anything to do with whether or not we gave up precious prospects for Machado.

[Boomer5]

You’re not rebuilding when you have a rotation of Chacin, Junior, and Anderson, and you sign Cain at 32. You’re trying to win now. While this last two week stretch has been awful, the fact is we are leading the WC race now so we are in fact winning. Holes plentiful, but winning.

 

He still has until the 31st to patch the holes we have so this thread is a bit premature.

Chacin, Junior, and Anderson are not win now players.

 

I’m referring to age, not skill. Cain of course is a win now move because he is excellent but he is also 32.

 

As for the rotation, their age does not say 4-5 year window.

[jonescm128]

Maybe this isn't the right forum to write this, but the thing that bugs me the most, is after this recent swoon, a lot of people want Stearns to "stand pat" because we can't win the World Series. I see a lot of those takes over the last couple weeks.

 

We are leading the wild card race and people don't want Stearns to add to this team? Can we only be buyers and add to this team if we are 20 games over .500 and in first place at the all-star game? Geez...

 

Such a defeatist mentality.

[Boomer5]

The thing that bugs me the most, is after this recent swoon, a lot of people want Stearns to "stand pat" because we can't win the World Series.

 

We are leading the wild card race and people don't want Stearns to add to this team? Can we only be buyers and add to this team if we are 20 games over .500 and in first place at the all-star game? Geez...

 

Such a defeated mentality.

 

Agreed. We have been to the playoffs 4 times. We are deep in the hunt now so why not try to win?

[FVBrewerFan]

Maybe this isn't the right forum to write this, but the thing that bugs me the most, is after this recent swoon, a lot of people want Stearns to "stand pat" because we can't win the World Series. I see a lot of those takes over the last couple weeks.

 

We are leading the wild card race and people don't want Stearns to add to this team? Can we only be buyers and add to this team if we are 20 games over .500 and in first place at the all-star game? Geez...

 

Such a defeated mentality.

 

I don't want them to stand pat, I want them to sell. Last year too. My criticism of Stearns is that he's too close to the Bucks model. Sort of rebuild, sort of not. So we're left with a good team, but a team with more holes than can be fixed by a trade deadline deal or two.

 

COULD they win the WS this year? Sure. But very small odds. I rather build a more talented roster and have multiple years of realistic chances at winning it all. Not saying I'm right, or anyone here is wrong. Just stating what I want him to do.

[benji]

Sterns also did not pull the trigger on Gray, Quintana and Darvish. Even Arrieta would be questionable. I look forward to a rotation of Nelson, Anderson, Burnes, Peralta, Chacin, Guerra/Woodruff/Davies/Ortiz in 2019. Some of those guys could be packaged for Degrom or a Realmuto. I like the direction of the team. No GM is perfect, but so far I give him an "A" grade.

[jonescm128]

Maybe this isn't the right forum to write this, but the thing that bugs me the most, is after this recent swoon, a lot of people want Stearns to "stand pat" because we can't win the World Series. I see a lot of those takes over the last couple weeks.

 

We are leading the wild card race and people don't want Stearns to add to this team? Can we only be buyers and add to this team if we are 20 games over .500 and in first place at the all-star game? Geez...

 

Such a defeated mentality.

 

I don't want them to stand pat, I want them to sell. Last year too. My criticism of Stearns is that he's too close to the Bucks model. Sort of rebuild, sort of not. So we're left with a good team, but a team with more holes than can be fixed by a trade deadline deal or two.

 

COULD they win the WS this year? Sure. But very small odds. I rather build a more talented roster and have multiple years of realistic chances at winning it all. Not saying I'm right, or anyone here is wrong. Just stating what I want him to do.

 

 

But...we are leading the wild card. All you have to do is make the playoffs and anything can happen. Look at the teams that have played in the world series recently. A lot of 86-92 win teams, which is what the Brewers are. We have shown we can beat the best of the best, its just a matter of getting hot at the end of the year.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

Maybe this isn't the right forum to write this, but the thing that bugs me the most, is after this recent swoon, a lot of people want Stearns to "stand pat" because we can't win the World Series. I see a lot of those takes over the last couple weeks.

 

We are leading the wild card race and people don't want Stearns to add to this team? Can we only be buyers and add to this team if we are 20 games over .500 and in first place at the all-star game? Geez...

 

Such a defeated mentality.

 

I don't want them to stand pat, I want them to sell. Last year too. My criticism of Stearns is that he's too close to the Bucks model. Sort of rebuild, sort of not. So we're left with a good team, but a team with more holes than can be fixed by a trade deadline deal or two.

 

COULD they win the WS this year? Sure. But very small odds. I rather build a more talented roster and have multiple years of realistic chances at winning it all. Not saying I'm right, or anyone here is wrong. Just stating what I want him to do.

 

The issue I have with your philosophy is it is unclear as to when you decide, then, that you actually have a contender. If 18 games over .500 (or 12 games now) isn't an invitation to shoot for the playoffs, then when is it?

 

I guess I just think that selling now tells me "we are perpetually rebuilding, and will continue to be essentially a minor league team for playoff teams". That's '90s Brewers mentality, and I don't agree with it. You don't go out and trade for Yelich and sign Cain to all of a sudden start trading off MLB assets.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

No the Brewers are not close to the Bucks model. If you think that, you must not be following the Bucks closely as they are a train wreck from the GM's office to the court.

 

While we're discussing what's bugs us, what bugs me is that many fans have the patience of a gnat. The Brewers have answers in the pipeline, but those guys are simply not ready for MLB yet. The biggest problem the Brewers have is that many of their stop gap options wound up playing far better than anyone expected and it raised expectations too early. Guys like Aguilar and to a less extend, Shaw, were likely guys they thought could help keep seats warm. But then they performed at a level nobody really expected.

 

Prior to last season, NEXT season was the year most people were talking about fielding a competitive team. I know the response to that is that we should adapt and win the World Series right now, but I see that as abandoning what got you here in the first place. Development, better scouting and patience.

 

The team is fine. The organization is healthy. The fact of the matter is this team is not that spectacular, it is not Manny Machado away from glory. There is stuff Stearns whiffed on, like bringing Eric Sogard back, but this mantra is getting really old. It was the same stuff preseason when he didn't bring in any of the SP that ended up being colossal busts this year.

[FVBrewerFan]

Maybe this isn't the right forum to write this, but the thing that bugs me the most, is after this recent swoon, a lot of people want Stearns to "stand pat" because we can't win the World Series. I see a lot of those takes over the last couple weeks.

 

We are leading the wild card race and people don't want Stearns to add to this team? Can we only be buyers and add to this team if we are 20 games over .500 and in first place at the all-star game? Geez...

 

Such a defeated mentality.

 

I don't want them to stand pat, I want them to sell. Last year too. My criticism of Stearns is that he's too close to the Bucks model. Sort of rebuild, sort of not. So we're left with a good team, but a team with more holes than can be fixed by a trade deadline deal or two.

 

COULD they win the WS this year? Sure. But very small odds. I rather build a more talented roster and have multiple years of realistic chances at winning it all. Not saying I'm right, or anyone here is wrong. Just stating what I want him to do.

 

 

But...we are leading the wild card. All you have to do is make the playoffs and anything can happen. Look at the teams that have played in the world series recently. A lot of 86-92 win teams, which is what the Brewers are. We have shown we can beat the best of the best, its just a matter of getting hot at the end of the year.

 

Sure, anything can happen. I acknowledged that. It's all about the odds, and I rather have several years where the odds are much higher than "going for it" this year when the odds aren't very high.

[jonescm128]

No the Brewers are not close to the Bucks model. If you think that, you must not be following the Bucks closely as they are a train wreck from the GM's office to the court.

 

While we're discussing what's bugs us, what bugs me is that many fans have the patience of a gnat. The Brewers have answers in the pipeline, but those guys are simply not ready for MLB yet. The biggest problem the Brewers have is that many of their stop gap options wound up playing far better than anyone expected and it raised expectations too early. Guys like Aguilar and to a less extend, Shaw, were likely guys they thought could help keep seats warm. But then they performed at a level nobody really expected.

 

Prior to last season, NEXT season was the year most people were talking about fielding a competitive team. I know the response to that is that we should adapt and win the World Series right now, but I see that as abandoning what got you here in the first place. Development, better scouting and patience.

 

The team is fine. The organization is healthy. The fact of the matter is this team is not that spectacular, it is not Manny Machado away from glory. There is stuff Stearns whiffed on, like bringing Eric Sogard back, but this mantra is getting really old. It was the same stuff preseason when he didn't bring in any of the SP that ended up being colossal busts this year.

 

+1

[82brewcrew82]

The issue I have with your philosophy is it is unclear as to when you decide, then, that you actually have a contender. If 18 games over .500 (or 12 games now) isn't an invitation to shoot for the playoffs, then when is it?

 

I guess I just think that selling now tells me "we are perpetually rebuilding, and will continue to be essentially a minor league team for playoff teams". That's '90s Brewers mentality, and I don't agree with it. You don't go out and trade for Yelich and sign Cain to all of a sudden start trading off MLB assets.

Except that it's not unclear at all. It's when you can look at your team and know that you don't have five plus holes to fill. It's when you can reliably expect the majority of your pitching staff to go more than five innings regularly. The difference between the two philosophies is simple and your post shows it. You look at the record to tell you when its time. Some of us look at the make up of the team and the competitive environment. You think a playoff appearance is worth gambling the future on. We believe that the World Series is the goal and you don't sell your future until you have that team. If Machado truly were the missing link, I'd have advocated giving up Burnes for him.

 

And for the record, I as never "in the woodwork".

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

The issue I have with your philosophy is it is unclear as to when you decide, then, that you actually have a contender. If 18 games over .500 (or 12 games now) isn't an invitation to shoot for the playoffs, then when is it?

 

I guess I just think that selling now tells me "we are perpetually rebuilding, and will continue to be essentially a minor league team for playoff teams". That's '90s Brewers mentality, and I don't agree with it. You don't go out and trade for Yelich and sign Cain to all of a sudden start trading off MLB assets.

Except that it's not unclear at all. It's when you can look at your team and know that you don't have five plus holes to fill. It's when you can reliably expect the majority of your pitching staff to go more than five innings regularly. The difference between the two philosophies is simple and your post shows it. You look at the record to tell you when its time. Some of us look at the make up of the team and the competitive environment. You think a playoff appearance is worth gambling the future on. We believe that the World Series is the goal and you don't sell your future until you have that team. If Machado truly were the missing link, I'd have advocated giving up Burnes for him.

 

I started cheering for this team religiously in 1990, and I'm afraid that if we are going to hold the team to that standard to decide whether we are a contender, we'll never actually get there.

 

I'm by no means advocating playing fast and loose with our minor league depth to shoot for a Wild Card loss. There are smart ways to use the trade market to help the MLB team without destroying farm system depth. I guess I'm just getting sick of being told "Wait till next year."

[xisxisxis]

The issue I have with your philosophy is it is unclear as to when you decide, then, that you actually have a contender. If 18 games over .500 (or 12 games now) isn't an invitation to shoot for the playoffs, then when is it?

 

You have to know your talent. Was the great first half a result of "breakout" performances from a few players or is it more likely playing over their heads? Before the season started the Brewers were universally regarded (outside the Brewer fan base) as having less talent than the cubs and several of the NL wild card hopefuls. That was with Cain and Yelich. This season we've seen complete collapses from Santana & Arcia, Underperformance by Anderson countering another great season from Aguilar, regression from Braun, injuries to Thames, what we hoped/expected from Cain/Yelich and a fantastic first half from the Bullpen. Based on all of that it's not clear the teams record is reflective of the talent and they still have a poor splits against good/bad teams. Some of that screams luck/playing over their heads. I've been against giving up much for rentals because I don't see a playoff team in talent right now (at least with Burnes in the bullpen and Peralta in the minors). Sure, someone will throw out the 2015 Royals, but I don't buy a winning retirement strategy of putting all your excess money into lottery tickets waiting for the win and I don't buy trying to model a once in a lifetime teams run to a World Series...

[82brewcrew82]

I started cheering for this team religiously in 1990, and I'm afraid that if we are going to hold the team to that standard to decide whether we are a contender, we'll never actually get there.

 

I'm by no means advocating playing fast and loose with our minor league depth to shoot for a Wild Card loss. There are smart ways to use the trade market to help the MLB team without destroying farm system depth. I guess I'm just getting sick of being told "Wait till next year."

Hey, I understand. I've got 15+ more years invested in this than you do but again, your post says it all. Impatience and short sighted moves have been the recipe for disaster for this team up until now and it hasn't worked. Yet, folks want to follow the same recipe and gamble on a wild card spot so that they "might get hot" and win something worth winning. Why not let the rebuild play out? If you really sit back and look at the long term big picture, the pieces are coming together.

[sveumrules]

You think a playoff appearance is worth gambling the future on.

 

What future assets have been gambled in hopes of making a playoff appearance?