Mike Minor almost a Brewer

[JDBrewCrew]

*The Rangers at one point thought they were close to sending Minor to the Brewers, and also made a strong run at free-agent right-hander Charlie Morton before signing Lance Lynn."

 

https://theathletic.com/718689/2018/12/17/rosenthal-allure-of-the-2019-20-free-agent-class-yanks-shopping-andujar-happs-confidence-more-notes/?redirected=1

[reillymcshane]

*The Rangers at one point thought they were close to sending Minor to the Brewers, and also made a strong run at free-agent right-hander Charlie Morton before signing Lance Lynn."

 

https://theathletic.com/718689/2018/12/17/rosenthal-allure-of-the-2019-20-free-agent-class-yanks-shopping-andujar-happs-confidence-more-notes/?redirected=1

Interesting. I think it further demonstrates that the team wants a left hander in the rotation.

[bill hAll Star]

It also interests me because Minor seems to be another guy that could/should go in shorter spurts than being counted on to go 6+ innings. Might be another sign that they are going to blur the starter/reliever line more.

[KeithStone53151]

It also interests me because Minor seems to be another guy that could/should go in shorter spurts than being counted on to go 6+ innings. Might be another sign that they are going to blur the starter/reliever line more.

 

I had a bit of a discussion with another guy on this. I think the Brewers still go with a standard rotation, but want as many long relievers as possible. The primary basis is we simply can't afford to pay an elite starter, so instead we are going to get a bullpen full of multi-inning relievers to help cover the innings. That doesn't mean piggybacking starters or any wacky crap like that. We'll still probably stick with a standard 5 man rotation, but with a bullpen of 4-5 relievers that can easily go 2-3 innings...we have a better chance to be able to cover innings if starters only end up going 4-5 innings per start a couple days in a row.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

It also interests me because Minor seems to be another guy that could/should go in shorter spurts than being counted on to go 6+ innings. Might be another sign that they are going to blur the starter/reliever line more.

 

I had a bit of a discussion with another guy on this. I think the Brewers still go with a standard rotation, but want as many long relievers as possible. The primary basis is we simply can't afford to pay an elite starter, so instead we are going to get a bullpen full of multi-inning relievers to help cover the innings. That doesn't mean piggybacking starters or any wacky crap like that. We'll still probably stick with a standard 5 man rotation, but with a bullpen of 4-5 relievers that can easily go 2-3 innings...we have a better chance to be able to cover innings if starters only end up going 4-5 innings per start a couple days in a row.

 

This is where I fall on it too. I think the Brewers would love to have a rotation of guys that can go 7 strong every time out, but that just financially isn't going to happen unless we see a full recovery from Nelson and quick maturity from Burnes and Woodruff. I think there is a possibility that they do end up acquiring an ace-type pitcher, but even if they do, that is only one spot in the rotation. Having guys in the pen that can effectively go multiple innings is an effective way to mitigate the youth/durability question marks that they'll have in the rotation.

[amt2138]

Kind of funny that Mike Minor has a similar repertoire to Alex Claudio with about 7-8 MPH added on to everything. I would be very interested to see Minor playing in the Brewers system and see what we can get out of him. Between his velocity from the left hand side with that slider and change I think the Brewers could get more out of him than just being a once through the order type guy.

[ebmackenzie]

Between his velocity from the left hand side with that slider and change I think the Brewers could get more out of him than just being a once through the order type guy.

 

2018 splits would indicate that he was golden through the order the first time (pitch count 1-25 .200 BA / 1st Plate appearance .208 BA) but struggled in the middle. The 6 times he went into the 7th inning, he got killed. His 1.121 WHIP and his 3.8 WAR seems to indicate that little needs to be changed. Suter had a better WHIP and about the same ERA (4.44 to Minor's 4.18) but his WAR was .5

 

The stat that jumped out at me (and honestly I don't know if this is just a truism) is Minor's stats when hitters went to right field. Opposite field RHB .306 OPS and Pulled LHB .636 OPS means when the ball went elsewhere the batters were Willie Mays.

[HiAndTight]

Between his velocity from the left hand side with that slider and change I think the Brewers could get more out of him than just being a once through the order type guy.

 

2018 splits would indicate that he was golden through the order the first time (pitch count 1-25 .200 BA / 1st Plate appearance .208 BA) but struggled in the middle. The 6 times he went into the 7th inning, he got killed. His 1.121 WHIP and his 3.8 WAR seems to indicate that little needs to be changed. Suter had a better WHIP and about the same ERA (4.44 to Minor's 4.18) but his WAR was .5

 

The stat that jumped out at me (and honestly I don't know if this is just a truism) is Minor's stats when hitters went to right field. Opposite field RHB .306 OPS and Pulled LHB .636 OPS means when the ball went elsewhere the batters were Willie Mays.

 

 

Aside from 6 outings in which he appeared in the 7th inning being a tiny sample size, it's not really the middle of the game. If you get 6 strong, great.

 

Not sure where Suter figures in to this though. He's not an option for next year and if he were, he's not a guy I'd freel great about getting the ball every 5th day.

[SRB]

My guess is that they wanted him as a multi-inning LH RP rather than a SP. His stuff plays up way better out of the bullpen.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

My guess is that they wanted him as a multi-inning LH RP rather than a SP. His stuff plays up way better out of the bullpen.

 

I'm guessing that the Brewers discussed both Minor and Claudio with the Rangers, and the Brewers determined that they'd get more bang for the buck with Claudio, even though the trade price was likely substantially higher. Now that extra $8 million or so that would have been allocated to Minor can go someplace else.

[Eye Black]

In hindsight, Mike Minor would have been an excellent acquisition this off-season. The Rangers now sit at 42-36 and don’t look like sellers unless things go south over the next month. It would be fascinating to know the details of the offer and how close this really was to happening. There is no doubt Minor’s trade value is quite a bit higher now than it was this past off-season.

[JosephC]

Stearns would have been better off busting out the pocketbook (in terms of money and prospects), and paid the premium for Minor on this one. Would like to say that Claudio has just been one of the top victims of the juiced ball this year (HR/FB rate had been highly variable but had sat around 10%, but this season it has ballooned to 23.1%), but it's hard to make that argument with a poor xFIP of 4.86. Hopefully Claudio will pitch much better down the stretch, but as of now it's looking like a rare misstep for Stearns. I'm not a big fan of the K rates and think strikeouts are highly over-valued in today's environment, but here is a good example of a K rate that probably should have steered the GM in a different direction.

 

Interesting choice for Brewer fans in terms of they payroll aspect. If the Brewers $$$'s were limited to having pick between the two, which would have been a better pickup?

Mike Moustakas = .280/.359/.583/.942, 22 HR, 48 RBI, 138 OPS+, 3.0 bWAR, 2.7 fWAR

Mike Minor = 6.48 innings/start, 2.52 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 2.94 K/BB, 3.70 FIP, 4.25 xFIP, 197 ERA+, 5.2 bWAR, 2.5 fWAR

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

Stearns would have been better off busting out the pocketbook (in terms of money and prospects), and paid the premium for Minor on this one. Would like to say that Claudio has just been one of the top victims of the juiced ball this year (HR/FB rate had been highly variable but had sat around 10%, but this season it has ballooned to 23.1%), but it's hard to make that argument with a poor xFIP of 4.86. Hopefully Claudio will pitch much better down the stretch, but as of now it's looking like a rare misstep for Stearns. I'm not a big fan of the K rates and think strikeouts are highly over-valued in today's environment, but here is a good example of a K rate that probably should have steered the GM in a different direction.

 

Interesting choice for Brewer fans in terms of they payroll aspect. If the Brewers $$$'s were limited to having pick between the two, which would have been a better pickup?

Mike Moustakas = .280/.359/.583/.942, 22 HR, 48 RBI, 138 OPS+, 3.0 bWAR, 2.7 fWAR

Mike Minor = 6.48 innings/start, 2.52 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 2.94 K/BB, 3.70 FIP, 4.25 xFIP, 197 ERA+, 5.2 bWAR, 2.5 fWAR

 

Well ... Moose has arguably been this team's 2nd offensive MVP so far, so things would look pretty rough taking him out of the lineup. It would have, however, opened a spot for Hiura to be starting every day at 2B, though, so perhaps the drop-off in production wouldn't have been hugely significant. Minor's numbers would sure look good solidifying the staff right now.

[clancyphile]

Stearns would have been better off busting out the pocketbook (in terms of money and prospects), and paid the premium for Minor on this one. Would like to say that Claudio has just been one of the top victims of the juiced ball this year (HR/FB rate had been highly variable but had sat around 10%, but this season it has ballooned to 23.1%), but it's hard to make that argument with a poor xFIP of 4.86. Hopefully Claudio will pitch much better down the stretch, but as of now it's looking like a rare misstep for Stearns. I'm not a big fan of the K rates and think strikeouts are highly over-valued in today's environment, but here is a good example of a K rate that probably should have steered the GM in a different direction.

 

Interesting choice for Brewer fans in terms of they payroll aspect. If the Brewers $$$'s were limited to having pick between the two, which would have been a better pickup?

Mike Moustakas = .280/.359/.583/.942, 22 HR, 48 RBI, 138 OPS+, 3.0 bWAR, 2.7 fWAR

Mike Minor = 6.48 innings/start, 2.52 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 2.94 K/BB, 3.70 FIP, 4.25 xFIP, 197 ERA+, 5.2 bWAR, 2.5 fWAR

 

Well ... Moose has arguably been this team's 2nd offensive MVP so far, so things would look pretty rough taking him out of the lineup. It would have, however, opened a spot for Hiura to be starting every day at 2B, though, so perhaps the drop-off in production wouldn't have been hugely significant. Minor's numbers would sure look good solidifying the staff right now.

 

Perhaps... I'll say this much - 2019 Moose is an immense asset playing every day.

 

I'd probably lean towards Moose, even with Minor's performance.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

Stearns would have been better off busting out the pocketbook (in terms of money and prospects), and paid the premium for Minor on this one. Would like to say that Claudio has just been one of the top victims of the juiced ball this year (HR/FB rate had been highly variable but had sat around 10%, but this season it has ballooned to 23.1%), but it's hard to make that argument with a poor xFIP of 4.86. Hopefully Claudio will pitch much better down the stretch, but as of now it's looking like a rare misstep for Stearns. I'm not a big fan of the K rates and think strikeouts are highly over-valued in today's environment, but here is a good example of a K rate that probably should have steered the GM in a different direction.

 

Interesting choice for Brewer fans in terms of they payroll aspect. If the Brewers $$$'s were limited to having pick between the two, which would have been a better pickup?

Mike Moustakas = .280/.359/.583/.942, 22 HR, 48 RBI, 138 OPS+, 3.0 bWAR, 2.7 fWAR

Mike Minor = 6.48 innings/start, 2.52 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 2.94 K/BB, 3.70 FIP, 4.25 xFIP, 197 ERA+, 5.2 bWAR, 2.5 fWAR

 

Well ... Moose has arguably been this team's 2nd offensive MVP so far, so things would look pretty rough taking him out of the lineup. It would have, however, opened a spot for Hiura to be starting every day at 2B, though, so perhaps the drop-off in production wouldn't have been hugely significant. Minor's numbers would sure look good solidifying the staff right now.

 

Perhaps... I'll say this much - 2019 Moose is an immense asset playing every day.

 

I'd probably lean towards Moose, even with Minor's performance.

 

They guy is having a career year with the bat in what's been a very nice career so far. To get that type of production at 2B, especially at the contract he signed for, is pretty dang nice. It's easy to see why Stearns has been interested in him for awhile. That bat is a great fit for Miller Park.

 

Back to Minor ... I agree that I would have loved to see what the Brewers offer was on him, and if it involved the Rangers paying down any of his salary.

[danzig6767]

Stearns would have been better off busting out the pocketbook (in terms of money and prospects), and paid the premium for Minor on this one.

Could have instead simply shelled out five million to Wade Miley, which is pocket change for a competent starting pitcher.

[clancyphile]

Stearns would have been better off busting out the pocketbook (in terms of money and prospects), and paid the premium for Minor on this one.

Could have instead simply shelled out five million to Wade Miley, which is pocket change for a competent starting pitcher.

 

Gio would have been about that as well... and we'd have had him from the start of the season, not after he spent two months in Scranton in front of folks who worked at Dunder-Mifflin.

[adambr2]

There's always coulda woulda shoulda when it comes to free agency. Every team in baseball is wishing they had signed Charlie Morton right now, and some catcher needy teams probably wish they had pursued Grandal.

 

Especially with pitching though, it's sometimes apples and oranges. Part of the appeal for Miley coming here may have been the familiarity of Derek Johnson, and we can't say for certain that he would have continued his success coming back here again.

[TURBO]

There's always coulda woulda shoulda when it comes to free agency. Every team in baseball is wishing they had signed Charlie Morton right now, and some catcher needy teams probably wish they had pursued Grandal.

 

Especially with pitching though, it's sometimes apples and oranges. Part of the appeal for Miley coming here may have been the familiarity of Derek Johnson, and we can't say for certain that he would have continued his success coming back here again.

 

but Derek Johnson is not the reason our pitching has sucked butt...He has nothing to do with what is happening this season with our pitching staff.

[danzig6767]

There's always coulda woulda shoulda when it comes to free agency. Every team in baseball is wishing they had signed Charlie Morton right now, and some catcher needy teams probably wish they had pursued Grandal.

 

Especially with pitching though, it's sometimes apples and oranges. Part of the appeal for Miley coming here may have been the familiarity of Derek Johnson, and we can't say for certain that he would have continued his success coming back here again.

He's pitching fine in Houston without Johnson.

[adambr2]

There's always coulda woulda shoulda when it comes to free agency. Every team in baseball is wishing they had signed Charlie Morton right now, and some catcher needy teams probably wish they had pursued Grandal.

 

Especially with pitching though, it's sometimes apples and oranges. Part of the appeal for Miley coming here may have been the familiarity of Derek Johnson, and we can't say for certain that he would have continued his success coming back here again.

He's pitching fine in Houston without Johnson.

 

That wasn't really my point. I didn't say Miley can't succeed with anyone but Derek Johnson. My point was that we don't know if Miley would have preferred to come back here over Houston if the money was equal, and we don't know for certain that he would be having the same success he's having in Houston, either.