Is 2020 Braun’s last year in Milwaukee?

[pacopete4]

I'm confused. What could the franchise have done for him in regards to a fan send off?

[Jopal78]

Yes, Braun seemingly always has some nagging injury but that perception isn't the whole story. Since Counsell's first full season as manager (where he started a specific plan for keeping him healthy) Braun has played in 547 of the teams 708 games. Which translates out to 77.2%. Exclude the crazy 2020 season and he played in 78.3% of the regular season games across the 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 seasons.

 

Over the same time period '16-'20 his OPS is .839, throw out to oddball 2020 season, and its .844. His talent has not eroded significantly with age, he's still very productive and he's the best player the franchise has ever had. I assume if Braun intends to play in 2021 he will be back with the Brewers. If MLB decides to add the DH for 2021, all the better.

[Oxy]

Yes, Braun seemingly always has some nagging injury but that perception isn't the whole story. Since Counsell's first full season as manager (where he started a specific plan for keeping him healthy) Braun has played in 547 of the teams 708 games. Which translates out to 77.2%. Exclude the crazy 2020 season and he played in 78.3% of the regular season games across the 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 seasons.

 

Over the same time period '16-'20 his OPS is .839, throw out to oddball 2020 season, and its .844. His talent has not eroded significantly with age, he's still very productive and he's the best player the franchise has ever had. I assume if Braun intends to play in 2021 he will be back with the Brewers. If MLB decides to add the DH for 2021, all the better.

 

 

Whoa, Nellie. I woulda let it slide if at least you had said the best "hitter" the franchise ever had, although I would still disagree.

[Jopal78]

Yes, Braun seemingly always has some nagging injury but that perception isn't the whole story. Since Counsell's first full season as manager (where he started a specific plan for keeping him healthy) Braun has played in 547 of the teams 708 games. Which translates out to 77.2%. Exclude the crazy 2020 season and he played in 78.3% of the regular season games across the 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 seasons.

 

Over the same time period '16-'20 his OPS is .839, throw out to oddball 2020 season, and its .844. His talent has not eroded significantly with age, he's still very productive and he's the best player the franchise has ever had. I assume if Braun intends to play in 2021 he will be back with the Brewers. If MLB decides to add the DH for 2021, all the better.

 

 

Whoa, Nellie. I woulda let it slide if at least you had said the best "hitter" the franchise ever had, although I would still disagree.

 

It's true. Braun is a better offensive player than Yount. Molitor may be a better pure hitter, but Braun has approximately 150 more extra base hits than Molitor in 900 fewer at bats. It's difficult to draw a conclusion on stolen bases as they don't have the emphasis they had 30+ years ago. As for Defense, neither Molitor or Braun are known for defense. Yount played a couple of different defensive positions, but the last 9 years of his career his defense became average or slightly below average. Also with Yount, you take the good and the bad. He "hit the wall" when he turned 34 and his offensive game collapsed. Braun, on the other hand, is still a good hitter at 36.

[SeaBass]

Braun is also one of the few leaders in the clubhouse and that's a value that can't be measured in statistics. I think he's a little more vocal and a little more comfortable being a leader than Yelich at this point in each of their respective careers. Unless all the stuff I read about his effect on the rest of his teammates is only feel good journalistic fluff, but it feels like it has the ring of truth. I think he'd be worth keeping around another year at a modest salary.

[pacopete4]

I do wonder how Yelich handles a Braun retirement. That clubhouse is starting to get short on talent, leadership, and some of that "swag" that made it special over the last few seasons.

[TURBO]

I do wonder how Yelich handles a Braun retirement. That clubhouse is starting to get short on talent, leadership, and some of that "swag" that made it special over the last few seasons.

 

I want Braun back on a team friendly contract so he can get a proper send off. Love or hate him, he deserves it!

 

I think he can be productive as a DH only playing 4 or 5 times a week.

 

Keep his SWAG for one more year! He is what, 40 hits shy of 2000, be nice if he can get that in Milwaukee. Regardless of what his wife wants, I'm sure Braun himself would like to have that 2K hits.

[djoctagone]

david stearns guesses that ryan braun will take a few months before coming to a decision on 2021.

[Dean Machine]

I do wonder how Yelich handles a Braun retirement. That clubhouse is starting to get short on talent, leadership, and some of that "swag" that made it special over the last few seasons.

 

I want Braun back on a team friendly contract so he can get a proper send off. Love or hate him, he deserves it!

 

I think he can be productive as a DH only playing 4 or 5 times a week.

 

Keep his SWAG for one more year! He is what, 40 hits shy of 2000, be nice if he can get that in Milwaukee. Regardless of what his wife wants, I'm sure Braun himself would like to have that 2K hits.

 

I was talking to him once at Spring Training and I asked him something and his answer to me was, " Well you probably like baseball more than I do" which made me a bit sad and made me think at the time - maybe 10 years ago that he wouldn't stick around when the contracts started getting smaller.

[RollieTime]

I think Braun will be back in Milwaukee for one more year. He was still a productive hitter and would be a nice bat to have in the lineup. I also do not see him playing for any other franchise. He will either play another year in Milwaukee or retire. I think not being able to have a proper goodbye with the fans as well as being close to 2,000 career hits will give him that baseball itch one more time.

 

Braun is a Brewers great and should have one more season to show us all who the most clutch man in Brewers history is.

 

I think something like a 1/$5 million contract would be fair and well worth it. As a 5 or 6 hole hitter, we could do much worse. He is still a good hitter.

 

Edit to add that I fully expect the DH to remain in the NL with Braun hopefully being able to play 5 or possibly 6 days per week with not needing to play in the field.

[josh]

I’d be surprised if he comes back. There’ll be more cost-effective options, and this front office is not going to be emotional about it.

 

Heck, I’m not, either. I like Braun a lot. But I’m fine with saying goodbye.

[wntrtxn21]

I think Braun will be back in Milwaukee for one more year. He was still a productive hitter and would be a nice bat to have in the lineup. I also do not see him playing for any other franchise. He will either play another year in Milwaukee or retire. I think not being able to have a proper goodbye with the fans as well as being close to 2,000 career hits will give him that baseball itch one more time.

 

Braun is a Brewers great and should have one more season to show us all who the most clutch man in Brewers history is.

 

I think something like a 1/$5 million contract would be fair and well worth it. As a 5 or 6 hole hitter, we could do much worse. He is still a good hitter.

 

Edit to add that I fully expect the DH to remain in the NL with Braun hopefully being able to play 5 or possibly 6 days per week with not needing to play in the field.

 

Braun proved once again this year that even with a very short season and many days off he still couldn't hold up. He only played in 39 games and he had to leave 3 of those games early because of injury. He is way to risky to waste $5M on, especially if Stearns is cutting payroll again. Vogelbach did a nice job and deserves to get the first look at DH if the NL continues with the DH. Plus he's only making the lg. minimum.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

I think Braun will be back in Milwaukee for one more year. He was still a productive hitter and would be a nice bat to have in the lineup. I also do not see him playing for any other franchise. He will either play another year in Milwaukee or retire. I think not being able to have a proper goodbye with the fans as well as being close to 2,000 career hits will give him that baseball itch one more time.

 

Braun is a Brewers great and should have one more season to show us all who the most clutch man in Brewers history is.

 

I think something like a 1/$5 million contract would be fair and well worth it. As a 5 or 6 hole hitter, we could do much worse. He is still a good hitter.

 

Edit to add that I fully expect the DH to remain in the NL with Braun hopefully being able to play 5 or possibly 6 days per week with not needing to play in the field.

 

Braun proved once again this year that even with a very short season and many days off he still couldn't hold up. He only played in 39 games and he had to leave 3 of those games early because of injury. He is way to risky to waste $5M on, especially if Stearns is cutting payroll again. Vogelbach did a nice job and deserves to get the first look at DH if the NL continues with the DH. Plus he's only making the lg. minimum.

 

You likely never want Dan Vogelbach taking an AB against a left-handed pitcher, though, if you can help it. His splits are pretty extreme, to the point where he needs to be used as a platoon option at either DH or 1B.

 

You know who has historically been great against left-handed pitching, though ...

[wntrtxn21]

I think Braun will be back in Milwaukee for one more year. He was still a productive hitter and would be a nice bat to have in the lineup. I also do not see him playing for any other franchise. He will either play another year in Milwaukee or retire. I think not being able to have a proper goodbye with the fans as well as being close to 2,000 career hits will give him that baseball itch one more time.

 

Braun is a Brewers great and should have one more season to show us all who the most clutch man in Brewers history is.

 

I think something like a 1/$5 million contract would be fair and well worth it. As a 5 or 6 hole hitter, we could do much worse. He is still a good hitter.

 

Edit to add that I fully expect the DH to remain in the NL with Braun hopefully being able to play 5 or possibly 6 days per week with not needing to play in the field.

 

Braun proved once again this year that even with a very short season and many days off he still couldn't hold up. He only played in 39 games and he had to leave 3 of those games early because of injury. He is way to risky to waste $5M on, especially if Stearns is cutting payroll again. Vogelbach did a nice job and deserves to get the first look at DH if the NL continues with the DH. Plus he's only making the lg. minimum.

 

You likely never want Dan Vogelbach taking an AB against a left-handed pitcher, though, if you can help it. His splits are pretty extreme, to the point where he needs to be used as a platoon option at either DH or 1B.

 

You know who has historically been great against left-handed pitching, though ...

 

So you would want Stearns to commit at least $5M for a severely injury prone guy to play against lefties? When in all probability Stearns will be once again cutting payroll? That $5M would be better used to pay for a starting 3B or 1B rather than a part-time DH that can never be counted on to be available to play.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

I'd just like to point out that Braun coming back for 2021 in no way ensures he's getting a "proper send off" at this rate. It could be the same crap again next year. It's probably time to move on. When we can pack the house again, have Braun weekend and roll out the red carpet for him.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

So you would want Stearns to commit at least $5M for a severely injury prone guy to play against lefties? When in all probability Stearns will be once again cutting payroll? That $5M would be better used to pay for a starting 3B or 1B rather than a part-time DH that can never be counted on to be available to play.

 

The Braun portion of my post was more in jest, even though I think we all know that if Braun did come back next year, his role would likely be larger than the skinny side of a DH platoon. But I do think they can probably find a right-handing hitting DH option much cheaper. My main point was more that Dan Vogelbach should not be looked at as a full time DH option moving forward.

[Jopal78]

 

So you would want Stearns to commit at least $5M for a severely injury prone guy to play against lefties? When in all probability Stearns will be once again cutting payroll? That $5M would be better used to pay for a starting 3B or 1B rather than a part-time DH that can never be counted on to be available to play.

 

Name 3 starting caliber corner infielder free agents that could be signed for 5 million dollars/season. For comparison, Sogard and Smoak, were set to make 5 million in 2020. Hell, Ryan Braun probably wouldn't come back for 5 million dollars anyways. Given the ever escalating salaries in MLB, 5 million dollars isn't much.

[Eye Black]

So I’ve been wondering...

 

The Brewers first three games next year are at home against the Twins (they play Thursday, Saturday, Sunday). Is there any chance the team would entertain working out a deal with Braun where he came back for a swan song at home in front of fans to start the season (assuming fans are back in the stands), with the understanding he would retire following that first weekend? It doesn’t happen very often, but has occurred before (Ichiro’s Mariners retirement at the start of 2018 is the most recent example I can think of). I don’t think it’s likely, but I guess could be a creative way to bridge the gap. Another more organic way to approach it is they could bring him back with clauses allowing for contractual adjustments if he decides to retire mid-season.

[AJOHNSON104]

I would think if he comes back it would have to be very incentive filled. Games played, AB's, etc.

[djoctagone]

So I’ve been wondering...

 

The Brewers first three games next year are at home against the Twins (they play Thursday, Saturday, Sunday). Is there any chance the team would entertain working out a deal with Braun where he came back for a swan song at home in front of fans to start the season (assuming fans are back in the stands), with the understanding he would retire following that first weekend? It doesn’t happen very often, but has occurred before (Ichiro’s Mariners retirement at the start of 2018 is the most recent example I can think of). I don’t think it’s likely, but I guess could be a creative way to bridge the gap. Another more organic way to approach it is they could bring him back with clauses allowing for contractual adjustments if he decides to retire mid-season.

you have to consider the ramifications of bringing in a replacement. in the scenario that you are outlining, braun would be placed on the voluntary retired list. he could not be replaced by a player sent out on optional assignment, because that player would not have met the requisite 10 days (position player) or 15 days (pitcher) on optional assignment. even if a player is placed on optional assignment early in spring training, the 10 or 15-day clock doesn't start ticking until major league opening day.

 

thus, the replacement for braun would have to be a player from outside of the organization, or a player on a minor league contract. if it was a player on a minor league contract in major league camp with more than six years of service who finished the previous season on a club's 40-man roster or 60-day injured list, that minor league player would need a special retention clause added to his contract guaranteeing that his contract would be purchased on the fifth day of the season--not on opening day.

 

the replacement could also be a player placed on the injured list in spring training, who conveniently is able to be activated the day braun goes on the voluntary retired list. but, you can't time injuries or illnesses, so that's not a viable plan.

 

to that point, if the brewers happened to have an exhibition game or two at american family field prior to opening day (which is not uncommon), they absolutely could have braun as a non-roster player in the starting lineup--and could employ the designated hitter if agreed upon by the opposing club(s) if the dh is not in place for the 2021 season.

[MrTPlush]

First, Braun would actually have to care about such a thing. Braun does not give off the vibe of someone who wants to come back for 3 days to have some farewell tour. Maybe if the team begged him to do it he would consider it, but I can't see there being a ton of motivation to do it. If Braun is done, he is done. He is going to watch the sun set on the pacific from his Malibu mansion as he watches his super model wife play with his kids in the pool. Exactly as you would expect any California born athlete to do after a roller coaster 14 year career.

[RightFieldCoder]

First, Braun would actually have to care about such a thing. Braun does not give off the vibe of someone who wants to come back for 3 days to have some farewell tour. Maybe if the team begged him to do it he would consider it, but I can't see there being a ton of motivation to do it. If Braun is done, he is done. He is going to watch the sun set on the pacific from his Malibu mansion as he watches his super model wife play with his kids in the pool. Exactly as you would expect any California born athlete to do after a roller coaster 14 year career.

This. If he wants to retire why would he go through sprint training and get into baseball shape to play a handful of games and retire? He's either going to commit to try to play the entire year or not show up to training.

[pacopete4]

I fear for what we will replace him with. Injuries aside, he has played a crucial role in many close games over quite a few playoff runs for us. If a Garcia-type player is the replacement idea for a guy like Braun, it's going to be awhile before we do anything of substance again.

[MrTPlush]

I fear for what we will replace him with. Injuries aside, he has played a crucial role in many close games over quite a few playoff runs for us. If a Garcia-type player is the replacement idea for a guy like Braun, it's going to be awhile before we do anything of substance again.

 

It shouldn't be hard to replace 36 year old Braun. He has that veteran experience, but honestly he wasn't that good last year. Compared to this year he is essentially going to get replaced by Lorenzo Cain in the OF.

 

I would say it isn't hard to find decent OFers, but Stearns paid Garcia $10mil on a multi year deal so the man in charge can still mess it up. Gotta be smarter than that as a small market if we are throwing money at corner OFers in FA.

[3and2Fastball]

The Brewers have a ton more problems and issues going on with their franchise than being concerned with whether Ryan Braun comes back.

 

I do wonder how Yelich handles a Braun retirement. That clubhouse is starting to get short on talent, leadership, and some of that "swag" that made it special over the last few seasons.

 

This year’s Brewers seemed like the most “anti-swag” team I’ve ever seen in the modern era. I’m concerned they are being built in Counsell’s image. And if they continue building the pitching staff, that could actually work. But man oh man what a boring, uninspiring team to watch. This year’s Braves remind me a little of the 2018-2019 Brewers. Loose, energetic, a mix of colorful characters and swag.

 

Ken Macha would’ve felt right at home with the 2020 Brew Crew.