This year's deadline

[StCroixCtyBrewer]

I go back and forth. On one hand I don't see how DS can look at this team and want to buy, but on the other hand I think you have to continue to go for it while you have Yelich or at least have him for pennies of what he's worth. If they decide to buy I hope they really buy, not just a soft buy.

[Jopal78]

They’re alive for the wild card, and if the team ever gelled (increasingly unlikely) they’re not buried in the division yet. However 100+ Games into 2019 they’re not a dominant club like last year, so I’d expect small additions to the team after the major deals have already gone down. Sergio Romo types on expiring contracts.

[Lathund]

An attempt by FiveThirtyEight at quantifying the benefits of being buyers/sellers based on playoff odds.

 

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-teams-that-should-be-buying-and-selling-at-this-years-baseball-trade-deadline/

[Eye Black]

An attempt by FiveThirtyEight at quantifying the benefits of being buyers/sellers based on playoff odds.

 

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-teams-that-should-be-buying-and-selling-at-this-years-baseball-trade-deadline/

Interesting analysis, but unfortunately this summary paragraph isn’t overly encouraging...

 

When it comes to teams on the buy/sell fence, the details of their trade options are important. The Milwaukee Brewers — who have just 84 wins of talent on their roster, a 40 percent chance of making the playoffs and 2 percent World Series odds — could only get a big surplus from buying if they were to somehow land an MVP-caliber player; otherwise, they’d get a lot more out of just selling assets and reloading for the future. By contrast, the Chicago Cubs would only make sense as sellers if they blew up everything and got a massive haul of prospect value back in return. But the Oakland A’s, St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Red Sox, in addition to the Nationals, could benefit from either buying or selling, as long as they commit to a strategy.5 In fact, for all of these teams, some kind of activity at the deadline is better than standing pat and doing nothing.

[Fear The Chorizo]

In all honesty, this year's Brewers team can't sell - they are 2 games from 1st in their division and in the mix for a WC berth...as frustrating as the past 6-7 weeks have been overall following this slide, playoffs are still well within their reach. I don't see any way the other NL Central teams actually get aggressive with upgrading their current rosters, either.

 

If I'm DS, I explore trades that can improve their overall roster flexibility (the Aguilar to Tampa trade is interesting if they can get a good return and Shaw is ready to come back up), and do a soft buy in picking up a couple late inning relievers. There's only 1 week left until the deadline, and by all accounts the market has been about as hot as the past few offseason free agency periods.

[Brewcrewin07]

I go back and forth. On one hand I don't see how DS can look at this team and want to buy, but on the other hand I think you have to continue to go for it while you have Yelich or at least have him for pennies of what he's worth. If they decide to buy I hope they really buy, not just a soft buy.

 

This I agree with 100%...if you are going to buy, you must buy big, otherwise, what's the point?? Might as well just stand pat then.

[PeaveyFury]

I go back and forth. On one hand I don't see how DS can look at this team and want to buy, but on the other hand I think you have to continue to go for it while you have Yelich or at least have him for pennies of what he's worth. If they decide to buy I hope they really buy, not just a soft buy.

 

This I agree with 100%...if you are going to buy, you must buy big, otherwise, what's the point?? Might as well just stand pat then.

 

Which is what many of us hope happens.

[NYChez]

In all honesty, this year's Brewers team can't sell - they are 2 games from 1st in their division and in the mix for a WC berth...as frustrating as the past 6-7 weeks have been overall following this slide, playoffs are still well within their reach. I don't see any way the other NL Central teams actually get aggressive with upgrading their current rosters, either.

 

If I'm DS, I explore trades that can improve their overall roster flexibility (the Aguilar to Tampa trade is interesting if they can get a good return and Shaw is ready to come back up), and do a soft buy in picking up a couple late inning relievers. There's only 1 week left until the deadline, and by all accounts the market has been about as hot as the past few offseason free agency periods.

DS will know a lot more after this weekend. Whether they're 5 games back or 1 game up will likely impact his decision making.

[jjfanec]

The issue with needing a starting pitcher is there are not many on the market that are significant upgrades and there a ton of teams with needs. Take the Twins for example. They have a lineup that could win a playoff series but their rotation and bullpen have started to show their true colors. They are one more bad Odorizzi start from having just 1 starter with an era under 4. Odorizzi is supposed to be their number 2 but over his last 7 starts his era is 7.99. They have just as big of need as the Brewers and better prospects. I just am trying to figure out what the Brewers would have to offer to get one of the few guys who could actually really improve our team if teams like the twins get in a bidding war

[nate82]

For the Twins I think Davies makes the most sense.

 

Davies won't cost a top prospect but a fairly good prospect can be expected. Something like Duran, Rooker and Thorpe.

[JosephC]

I go back and forth. On one hand I don't see how DS can look at this team and want to buy, but on the other hand I think you have to continue to go for it while you have Yelich or at least have him for pennies of what he's worth. If they decide to buy I hope they really buy, not just a soft buy.

 

This I agree with 100%...if you are going to buy, you must buy big, otherwise, what's the point?? Might as well just stand pat then.

 

If they take Hiura off the board, then I don't think they even have the ammo to buy big.

[Jopal78]

The issue with needing a starting pitcher is there are not many on the market that are significant upgrades and there a ton of teams with needs. Take the Twins for example. They have a lineup that could win a playoff series but their rotation and bullpen have started to show their true colors. They are one more bad Odorizzi start from having just 1 starter with an era under 4. Odorizzi is supposed to be their number 2 but over his last 7 starts his era is 7.99. They have just as big of need as the Brewers and better prospects. I just am trying to figure out what the Brewers would have to offer to get one of the few guys who could actually really improve our team if teams like the twins get in a bidding war

 

 

The team has played just poorly enough to be on the cusp of not controlling their own path to the post season. Therefore, I don’t think they are going to go “all in” on the 31st. Stroman, Bumgarner, Wheeler etc if they switch teams they won’t be coming to Milwaukee. I think we’ll see Matt Harvey or Shelby Miller pitching for the Brewers before any of them

[wntrtxn21]

For the Twins I think Davies makes the most sense.

 

Davies won't cost a top prospect but a fairly good prospect can be expected. Something like Duran, Rooker and Thorpe.

 

Duran still hasn't progressed beyond A+.. Rooker is an OF who is injured for the second time in 4 years..Thorpe is a pitcher who got shelled in AAA ball. Why would the Brewers trade their second best starting pitcher for any of those guys? Stearns get very little in return and loses a reliable #4.

[KeithStone53151]

With a lot of teams off today, I could see activity start to finally heat up. Maybe 1 or 2 trades today. I still think most teams are going to use their EOD standing on the 28th to make a firm decision and the chips will really start falling at that point.

 

Then again, with how these GMs like to posture...there may be radio silence and nobody starts really talking until 2-3 hours before the deadline.

[LouisEly]

I go back and forth. On one hand I don't see how DS can look at this team and want to buy, but on the other hand I think you have to continue to go for it while you have Yelich or at least have him for pennies of what he's worth. If they decide to buy I hope they really buy, not just a soft buy.

 

This I agree with 100%...if you are going to buy, you must buy big, otherwise, what's the point?? Might as well just stand pat then.

Not necessarily. Buying big means acquiring players with multiple years of control. A couple of Swarzak/Cedeno bullpen types who are impending free agents will not cost valuable prospects and can help with a playoff push.

 

Same with selling - they don't have to sell big. They can just sell impending free agents (Grandal, Moustakas) and look to the offseason to improve the ballclub to compete in 2020.

[Brewcrewin07]

I go back and forth. On one hand I don't see how DS can look at this team and want to buy, but on the other hand I think you have to continue to go for it while you have Yelich or at least have him for pennies of what he's worth. If they decide to buy I hope they really buy, not just a soft buy.

 

This I agree with 100%...if you are going to buy, you must buy big, otherwise, what's the point?? Might as well just stand pat then.

Not necessarily. Buying big means acquiring players with multiple years of control. A couple of Swarzak/Cedeno bullpen types who are impending free agents will not cost valuable prospects and can help with a playoff push.

 

Same with selling - they don't have to sell big. They can just sell impending free agents (Grandal, Moustakas) and look to the offseason to improve the ballclub to compete in 2020.

 

I don't necessarily think "buying big" means acquiring players with multiple years of control. I think it means different things to different people. To me, "buying big" means, buying more than one player that is a needle mover for THIS year. For example(and this is MERELY an example), you go get say two starters(let's just say Wheeler and Stroman), and two needle moving bullpen arms like say Will Smith and Jake Diekman. That's buying "big" to me, because it's multiple impact players to get them there this year, and not much control with any of them.

 

Big to me is both in quantity and quality, I don't consider the control remaining in that equation, because I personally look at things a year at a time, I worry about next year when it gets here. Just the way I have always looked at things with my sports teams.

[mlloyd10]

Where's HighHeat19 when you need him

[bjkrautk]

Same with selling - they don't have to sell big. They can just sell impending free agents (Grandal, Moustakas) and look to the offseason to improve the ballclub to compete in 2020.

 

I think you can make an argument for selling Moustakis if it allows you to obtain controllable, ML-ready pitching help, on the belief that Travis Shaw's rebound in AAA is legitimate. If Moose is only worth 1-2 WAR at 3B over August & September, you can make that up with a pitching upgrade, even if Shaw only plays at a replacement level (& failing that, you could consider playing Dubon at 3b, given the amount of shifting which the Brewers utilize).

 

Grandal is a tougher player to trade, since the offensive downgrade to Pina & Nottingham would be far more significant.

[trwi7]

I think you can make an argument for selling Moustakis if it allows you to obtain controllable, ML-ready pitching help

 

Why would you box yourself in with only accepting one specific demand? Get the best return you can regardless of position and regardless of how far along they are.

[Brewcrewin07]

I simply can't believe all the people that are willing to just give up on this year and trade Moose and Grandal. That baffles me..They are 2 games back...2! They sweep the Cubs this weekend and suddenly they lead the division..It can change just that quickly.

[A Swing and A Drive]

This team has too many holes, injuries and underachievers to likely play better baseball than the rest of the contending NL teams for the next 9+ weeks.

 

It's a problem.

 

On the brightside, we do have two of the most valuable players in baseball in Yelich and Hader, as well as a hot shot rookie in Keston Huira.

 

I will guess Sterns does a "soft buy" between now and the deadline.

 

Mike Leake and a random White Sox reliever sounds about right. lol

[pacopete4]

I simply can't believe all the people that are willing to just give up on this year and trade Moose and Grandal. That baffles me..They are 2 games back...2! They sweep the Cubs this weekend and suddenly they lead the division..It can change just that quickly.

 

And some of us are baffled that what you’ve watched the last 2-3 months hasn’t told you that this just might not be the team to go after it with. Being 2 games back, while nice, might as well be 10 with this team the way they’re playing right now. They might just not be very good. Realizing you have problems is usually the first step...

[Brewcrewin07]

I simply can't believe all the people that are willing to just give up on this year and trade Moose and Grandal. That baffles me..They are 2 games back...2! They sweep the Cubs this weekend and suddenly they lead the division..It can change just that quickly.

 

And some of us are baffled that what you’ve watched the last 2-3 months hasn’t told you that this just might not be the team to go after it with. Being 2 games back, while nice, might as well be 10 with this team the way they’re playing right now. They might just not be very good. Realizing you have problems is usually the first step...

 

Did ANYONE see coming what the Giants have done lately?? If you say you have, you are not being truthful. They aren't very good at all and yet, what have they done recently?? It happens ALL the time in baseball. What happens if the Brewers win say 5 or 6 in a row?? Can't say they won't, all it takes is a break here or there and boom..5 game winning streak.

[Brewcrewin07]

I simply can't believe all the people that are willing to just give up on this year and trade Moose and Grandal. That baffles me..They are 2 games back...2! They sweep the Cubs this weekend and suddenly they lead the division..It can change just that quickly.

 

And some of us are baffled that what you’ve watched the last 2-3 months hasn’t told you that this just might not be the team to go after it with. Being 2 games back, while nice, might as well be 10 with this team the way they’re playing right now. They might just not be very good. Realizing you have problems is usually the first step...

 

They are 6-4 in their last 10, including 2-3 from the Braves and 3 of 4 IN Arizona. Yes, they lost 2-3 at home to the Reds, but the Reds own the Cubs too. But regardless, they have a chance to sweep the cubs this weekend, then what?? Yes, the Cards are tied with them, so what?? Now they actually have to start playing real baseball teams (Oak, Cubs, Houston, LA), so they will fade.

[pacopete4]

I simply can't believe all the people that are willing to just give up on this year and trade Moose and Grandal. That baffles me..They are 2 games back...2! They sweep the Cubs this weekend and suddenly they lead the division..It can change just that quickly.

 

And some of us are baffled that what you’ve watched the last 2-3 months hasn’t told you that this just might not be the team to go after it with. Being 2 games back, while nice, might as well be 10 with this team the way they’re playing right now. They might just not be very good. Realizing you have problems is usually the first step...

 

Did ANYONE see coming what the Giants have done lately?? If you say you have, you are not being truthful. They aren't very good at all and yet, what have they done recently?? It happens ALL the time in baseball. What happens if the Brewers win say 5 or 6 in a row?? Can't say they won't, all it takes is a break here or there and boom..5 game winning streak.

 

As positive as your “what if” is, there is a negative “what if” that goes along back at you. No one knows what will happen but this team hasn’t given a single indication to be taken seriously. If you’re a GM of a team you don’t live in the “what if” world. A lot of people just don’t see this team as a contender. I’m not really sure why you have such issues with that.