Brewers Trade for Mike Moustakas, Royals receive Phillips and Lopez

[jjfanec]

The overvaluing of Philips here is kind of crazy. Keon broxton was ahead of him this year. He is a 4th outfielder. Lopez isn't good.

[PinaMadness]

[SRB]

Steamer rest of season projections:

 

Manny Machado, .358 wOBA

Mike Moustakas, .340 wOBA

Brian Dozier, .337 wOBA

Jonathan Schoop, .327 wOBA

Asdrubal Cabrera, .324 wOBA

Eduardo Escobar, .317 wOBA

Jonathan Villar, .305 wOBA

 

Twins are probably asking too much for Dozier considering he is having a poor season so you really have to bank on a rebound, like the projection systems.

[homer]

IMO the prospects we traded were all expendable. But they were never going to get any one decent and controllable in return so a rental is about as good as you could do.

 

As for Moose, he's having a down year but even given that he is still MUCH better than the guys he is replacing. It's a risky move to shift Shaw to 2nd but a risk worth taking.

[timpep]

This trade makes me wonder if Braun was serious about playing 2nd base earlier in the year.

[MrTPlush]

Really the most important thing is that Moose can hit well and Shaw can play some acceptable defense. It would help our offense and team so much.

 

Though I guess this means Arcia is likely going to be a second pitcher the rest of the year in our line-up? Not sure what is out there and we would even make another addition up the middle? Catcher? Probably dreaming...I just don’t like still having two black holes outside of the pitcher.

 

Regardless I predict the acquisition of a starter.

[StearnsFTW]

We have a bar league softball infield minus Arcia

 

And Moustakas.

[yfinn6]

Not to divert too much from the topic, but almost wonder if it makes sense for Arcia to hit somewhere in the lineup other than right before the pitcher. Having two "sure outs" back-to-back is sort of a killer. Then again, hitting Arcia anywhere else could be inning killers just as easily.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

We're better than we were yesterday. How much better will be seen. I like the move as I think Shaw will be just fine at 2B and we need a bat. We got one. One with pop that doesn't strike out much. Brett Phillips was never going to do anything in Milwaukee as he wouldn't play, and everybody knowing that likely limited his value as a trade chip.

 

We improved the offense without giving up anything substantial.

[MrTPlush]

Not to divert too much from the topic, but almost wonder if it makes sense for Arcia to hit somewhere in the lineup other than right before the pitcher. Having two "sure outs" back-to-back is sort of a killer. Then again, hitting Arcia anywhere else could be inning killers just as easily.

 

The only way to fix that is to replace him honestly.

[SRB]

Not to divert too much from the topic, but almost wonder if it makes sense for Arcia to hit somewhere in the lineup other than right before the pitcher. Having two "sure outs" back-to-back is sort of a killer. Then again, hitting Arcia anywhere else could be inning killers just as easily.

 

I'm sure the front office is making these moves with the expectation that Arcia will be closer to a .300 wOBA hitter the rest of the way. He did go on an impressive tear at AAA after all.

[OnTheBlack]

Offense has been a on again off again problem all season. We all wanted a bat at 2B & I say Shaw’s bat is huge improvement there. Same time we keep a big power bat at 3B. Moose doesnt walk much but he also doesn’t K too much.

 

I think DS & CC both know enough about baseball to trust their decision to make this trade based on Shaw needing to play 2B. They started in May having him take ground ball over there & think they have prepared for this option a bit.

 

I’m interested to see how it plays out. I like it for fact we need offense in the middle of infield. Defensively we will see. With Arcia up, Shaw at 2B is only real weak spot.... before Arcia came up.... 2B & SS were wide open for opposing teams to attack up middle...

 

Jury out but as of know I support & like the trade. DS hasn’t steered me wrong yet

 

No, and I respect that, but this move still on it's face seems desperate. Also, this is the first time Stearns has had a contender...and a team that was expected to be one. So....I'll support it, but there are obvious reasons to be skeptical. I just have a little trouble seeing Shaw playing on the edge of the grass, a hard hit ball to Arcia and him being able to turn two, or him having much range. His arm won't be an issue...

 

We shall see. Maybe he'll surprise us and play only slightly below average D out there or even average. Just gonna have to wait and see how it goes.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

I think desperate is a stretch. Stearns has brought in head-scratcher players that have turned out really well for the Brewers. His moves are very calculated. If he were desperate he would've given up more for Machado when he had the chance.

 

I think the research team sees something in MM that favored him doing well in MP and fitting in with our offense. I don't see desperation, I see a low-risk, high-reward move.

[xisxisxis]

Does this make the Brewers a better team today? Yes

 

Does this increase the likelihood that the Brewers make the playoffs? Yes

 

Does this increase the likelihood that the Brewers might win a game in the playoffs? Yes

 

Does this make the Brewer a better team for next year? Nope

 

My initial disappointment with the trade is not getting controllable talent for next year. Maybe the Orioles wanted too much for either/both of Gaussman and Schoop... Rentals do have a benefit and the prospects we gave up are not in the Brantley/Cruz category of ceiling... Phillips has a hole in his bat the size of a watermelon and Bat holes are the hardest to fix... If defense will be effected, but the difference from (Shaw-2B) + (Mouse-Shaw) > any other combination we have and as pointed out, the Brewers use a lot of IF shifting so I expect on some occasions Mouse & Shaw will be side-by side and Arcia will be covering most of the 2B side... Overall we may lose a few DP and give up a few more singles in the hole, but with some creative placement of the IF we can minimize the defensive issues... Mouse gives us another high OPS/low OBP bat so if we get a team hot streak starting game 163, who knows...

 

Long-term, we will have both Burnes and Peralta in the rotation mix for next year and, hopefully, a fully recovered Jimmy Nelson. We will still need to upgrade 2B/C/SS and as I pointed out in another thread, there are a ton of FA 2B coming and there are a few options at C on the FA market for upgrades to either of those 2 positions, so I am more comfortable kicking those issues down the road...

[SRB]

Does this make the Brewers a better team today? Yes

 

Does this increase the likelihood that the Brewers make the playoffs? Yes

 

Does this increase the likelihood that the Brewers might win a game in the playoffs? Yes

 

Does this make the Brewer a better team for next year? Nope

 

My initial disappointment with the trade is not getting controllable talent for next year. Maybe the Orioles wanted too much for either/both of Gaussman and Schoop... Rentals do have a benefit and the prospects we gave up are not in the Brantley/Cruz category of ceiling... Phillips has a hole in his bat the size of a watermelon and Bat holes are the hardest to fix... If defense will be effected, but the difference from (Shaw-2B) + (Mouse-Shaw) > any other combination we have and as pointed out, the Brewers use a lot of IF shifting so I expect on some occasions Mouse & Shaw will be side-by side and Arcia will be covering most of the 2B side... Overall we may lose a few DP and give up a few more singles in the hole, but with some creative placement of the IF we can minimize the defensive issues... Mouse gives us another high OPS/low OBP bat so if we get a team hot streak starting game 163, who knows...

 

Long-term, we will have both Burnes and Peralta in the rotation mix for next year and, hopefully, a fully recovered Jimmy Nelson. We will still need to upgrade 2B/C/SS and as I pointed out in another thread, there are a ton of FA 2B coming and there are a few options at C on the FA market for upgrades to either of those 2 positions, so I am more comfortable kicking those issues down the road...

 

One way it could make the team better in 2019 is if Shaw shows he can play a credible 2B.

 

The front office presumably sees some opportunity there, and you obviously can't try Shaw at 2B if it mean's you're starting Perez and Villar (?) as our everyday 3B in the interim.

[3and2Fastball]

I didn't read the whole thread, so forgive me if this was already covered:

 

Baseball Reference lists Moustakas as having a $15 million mutual option for 2019. Does this mean he isn't a 2 month rental & the Brewers can keep him for next season?

[buckybrewer232]

I'm in the minority here, but I'm excited by the move and think it might actually work out. First of all the upgrade offensively is huge, and Moustakas could hit a lot of bombs in Miller Park.

 

Shaw is not going to be a good 2nd baseman, but with all the shifts the range needed by a 2nd baseman isn't what it used to be. There will be some mistakes here and there, but ultimately they have seen enough of Shaw that they feel the increase offensively outweighs the drop defensively.

 

Also, they are going to limit his exposure there as much as possible. Saladino or Perez is going to start at 2nd against all lefties. Any game with a small lead and a defensive replacement will be in after the 6th inning. Also, Aguilar has started a little fall back to earth. I'm expecting some occasional games with Shaw or Moose playing 1st base as well.

 

The cost doesn't bother me a bit. The comment that we gave up 2 top prospects is laughable. I like Phillips, but he hasn't really shown the ability to be more than a 4th outfielder at this point. Lopez is a non elite reliever. The cost is nada.

 

I trust Stearns over the experts on here.

[SRB]

Another thing making it easier to give up Phillips: I didn't realize Domingo had rebounded to a .287/.413/.448 line in AAA. He's only a year older than Phillips and if the front office still thinks he has a role in our future then where does Phillips play.

[xisxisxis]

One way it could make the team better in 2019 is if Shaw shows he can play a credible 2B.

 

The front office presumably sees some opportunity there, and you obviously can't try Shaw at 2B if it mean's you're starting Perez and Villar (?) as our everyday 3B in the interim.

Not the best option as there is a shortage of 3B options and over 10 FA 2B coming out next year. The numbers say to move Shaw back to 3B and pick up a FA 2B... And put Perez and other IF options back into a reserve role.

 

 

Baseball Reference lists Moustakas as having a $15 million mutual option for 2019. Does this mean he isn't a 2 month rental & the Brewers can keep him for next season?

 

mutual = both must say yes or it's a no...

[SRB]

One way it could make the team better in 2019 is if Shaw shows he can play a credible 2B.

 

The front office presumably sees some opportunity there, and you obviously can't try Shaw at 2B if it mean's you're starting Perez and Villar (?) as our everyday 3B in the interim.

Not the best option as there is a shortage of 3B options and over 10 FA 2B coming out next year. The numbers say to move Shaw back to 3B and pick up a FA 2B... And put Perez and other IF options back into a reserve role.

 

 

Baseball Reference lists Moustakas as having a $15 million mutual option for 2019. Does this mean he isn't a 2 month rental & the Brewers can keep him for next season?

 

mutual = both must say yes or it's a no...

 

The 2018-19 3B market looks better than the 2B market to me.

 

Ideally they could convince Moustakas to exercise his one-year option, so they could do 3B Moose, 2B Shaw for another year until Hiura is ready to take over and Shaw can shift back over to 3B. I'm sure Moustakas will test the market though.

[RollieTime]

I haven’t really seen it mentioned yet, but the Brewers already do a ton of shifting so I could definitely see Shaw staying to play second base this season and switching back over to third base after the season. There are times every game where Shaw is playing shortstop. There are other times where he is shifted over as the third infielder on the right side of the infield. I understand the concerns about his range, but I think Arcia was brought back up to be the ball hawk for this defense and move all over the infield.

 

As it was all season, Shaw would move over from third and play near second base for lefty pull hitters. For righty pull hitters, Shaw will play up the middle like he does for lefty pull hitters as it is. I can’t recall Shaw making many mistakes during the extreme shifts that the Brewers do frequently throughout the game.

 

Arcia would be used as the guy in shallow right field on the extreme shifts for lefty pull hitters, where our traditional second baseman would be. Then Shaw gets shifted to his all too familiar place playing up the middle as the third infielder on the right side.

 

I could see the Brewers being successful using Arcia as the guy moving into the position requiring the most range for each specific batter. With Stearns being an analytics guy and with all of the shifting the Brewers already do, I’m confident that he and the coaching staff will adjust players accordingly on defense, possibly in a way that we have not seen before, to put them in the best position to make plays and be successful.

[PeaveyFury]

But there was NO market for Moustakas last year, which is why he's making $6.5 mil this year. I don't think it's completely crazy to think he'd do the 15 mil option. If not, he may still be interested in returning for a reasonable multi-year.

[dlk9s]

I have no real opinion on the trade (I trust in Stearns' judgment; it may work, it may not), but did anyone think two years ago that we would have dealt Broxton and Phillips in the same year?

 

EDIT: OOPS! I meant Brinson. Those B-names, man, amirite?

[yfinn6]

Broxton?

[3and2Fastball]

Considering how well Corey Ray has played in AA this year, the Brewers likely saw Phillips as a 7th Outfielder at best over the next 3-4 years. Considering the upcoming 40 Man Roster crunch, they needed to move Phillips.

 

Moustakas makes the Brewers better. I'm happy about that. Similar to Cain, he has a proven track record in deep postseason runs, too, which is something I like a lot....