Where do we go from here?

[tmwiese55]

Things like dropping 25 mil on two FAs right before the season? Or I guess that doesn't count as we need more

[Fear The Chorizo]

Stearns did such a bad job with the Farm that it’s tough to see what we can do next year short of hope we get bounce back years and better health.

 

Since Stearns took over almost 4 years ago, two of his own draft picks (Hiura and Burnes) have made it to the majors and made a significant impact. Burnes has been terrible this year but there's no denying he was key to their 2018 run and still possesses the arm talent to be a MLB pitcher. He took a collection of blocked prospects based on the timeframe when they'd have required addition to the Brewers' 40 man + Yamamoto and turned it into Yelich, who still has a decent shot at back to back NL MVPs with a few more years of team-friendly control remaining, and several other low level prospects he traded for have also made it to the majors (Peralta, Nottingham). Other prospects like Ortiz, Modeiros, and Phillips were only valuable until they stepped foot on a MLB field or even upper levels of the minors, as their on-field results make them afterthoughts.

 

The Brewers system was pretty well regarded a few years ago, but those same prospects who made up a big part of its higher ranking that Stearns likely dealt at peak (or marginally higher) value have largely proven to be duds. Who cares if the 2016-2017 prospects in the system that gave them a top 5 or top 10 ranking back then are no longer around when they can't actually play at the MLB level?

 

That is hardly a bad job with the Farm - he used the farm to get the MLB club to a home NLCS game 7 last year, and on paper had a more talented roster heading into opening day 2019. Had Stearns not done the same things with the farm that he did, the Brewers don't have Yelich and are in the unenviable wasteland of MLB afterthoughts. I don't love their chances this year given how poorly they've played as a collective unit since the calendar turned to June, but they at least have pieces to build competitive rosters around - and as for the farm, its strength is in the lower levels that are the product of recent drafts. The poor system rating today is largely due to a lack of young talent in its upper levels that can be directly linked to the last couple poor drafts made when Melvin was GM.

[tmwiese55]

As well as so many guys recently called up that don't count anymore like Huira, Grisham, Burnes, Peralta, Woodruff, and even Hader. Good post imo. Generally seems to have a good eye on which prospects he really values and thinks are good and which ones he thinks for lack of a better word 'expendable'. So far he hasn't been burned too much on prospects out. Although I'd expect one of the MIA guys to pan out well for them, one just has to, but for Yeli it is what it is

[adambr2]

No, I’m too impulsive to lead a franchise.

 

You don't say.

[clancyphile]

Stearns did such a bad job with the Farm that it’s tough to see what we can do next year short of hope we get bounce back years and better health.

 

Since Stearns took over almost 4 years ago, two of his own draft picks (Hiura and Burnes) have made it to the majors and made a significant impact. Burnes has been terrible this year but there's no denying he was key to their 2018 run and still possesses the arm talent to be a MLB pitcher. He took a collection of blocked prospects based on the timeframe when they'd have required addition to the Brewers' 40 man + Yamamoto and turned it into Yelich, who still has a decent shot at back to back NL MVPs with a few more years of team-friendly control remaining, and several other low level prospects he traded for have also made it to the majors (Peralta, Nottingham). Other prospects like Ortiz, Modeiros, and Phillips were only valuable until they stepped foot on a MLB field or even upper levels of the minors, as their on-field results make them afterthoughts.

 

And Stearns got value for all of them.

 

The Brewers system was pretty well regarded a few years ago, but those same prospects who made up a big part of its higher ranking that Stearns likely dealt at peak (or marginally higher) value have largely proven to be duds. Who cares if the 2016-2017 prospects in the system that gave them a top 5 or top 10 ranking back then are no longer around when they can't actually play at the MLB level?

 

That is hardly a bad job with the Farm - he used the farm to get the MLB club to a home NLCS game 7 last year, and on paper had a more talented roster heading into opening day 2019. Had Stearns not done the same things with the farm that he did, the Brewers don't have Yelich and are in the unenviable wasteland of MLB afterthoughts. I don't love their chances this year given how poorly they've played as a collective unit since the calendar turned to June, but they at least have pieces to build competitive rosters around - and as for the farm, its strength is in the lower levels that are the product of recent drafts. The poor system rating today is largely due to a lack of young talent in its upper levels that can be directly linked to the last couple poor drafts made when Melvin was GM.

 

Which did have an effect this year in the lack of young depth to handle injuries and ineffectiveness.

 

That said, Stearns has done very well in that regard. In the low minors, I'm excited to see what Ethan Small, Antoine Kelly, Henry Medina, and others can do.

[SeaBass]

I think they need to add talent when and where they can, and not make stupid deals like unloading Aguilar for a fringe arm. Those kinds of deals are dumbfounding.

For the record, Eric Sogard is out slugging Aguilar in Tampa Bay by 160 points (.541 to .380) in just about the same number of games since each were traded there. For the season Sogard is slugging over 110 points better (.489 to .375).

 

Eric Thames has the exact same OPS as Aguilar vs. LHP (.627) this season, albeit in less than half the at bats.

 

No, I don't think trading Aguilar was anywhere close to dumbfounding. This new version of Jesus Aguilar is a pure singles hitter, completely dependent on batting average, in a big lumbering body that can only play 1st base. No thank you.

 

To Aguilar's credit he's hitting .300 with a .379 OBP (including 1 double and 1 HR) with Tampa Bay through 18 games. Again though, his usefulness is dependent on whether he can keep that batting average up. His career stats don't suggest a .300 BA is sustainable.

 

A singles hitter in and of itself isn't a bad thing but ideally that guy would also play solid defense at a premium position or two and have more speed than an average snail. You'd think he'd hit a few more doubles just by accident but he seems to be allergic to extra bases and has been all season long.

[bill hAll Star]

I'm pretty sure we can just get Jesus Aguilar back when he's non-tendered by the Rays given that he's out of options and probably will be nudged off the MLB roster by their plethora of young position players.

 

He may survive with the 26 man roster, maybe.

[Jopal78]

Well, this is the worst pitching staff Stearns has put forth since taking over as GM. Part of the poor quality of the pitching staff has been from injuries. Teams simply don't have quality high leverage relievers growing on trees when a player like Knebel suffers a major elbow injury.

 

Another part of the reason their pitching staff is so poor is because Stearns knows that in order to be competitive year to year the Brewers absolutely have to be able to develop their own front line starting pitching. He made the decision to put a rotation together for 2019 of young pitchers with upside to see what he has. He found a good one in Woodruff while Burnes and Peralta have flopped so far.

 

A third part is that he could have hedged his bets and retained Wade Miley and Gio Gonzalez for 2019, but after the decision is made to roll with the three young pitchers I assume they didn't feel the price tag ($5 million for Miley $3 million initially for Gonzalez) was worth it.

 

I can't really criticize the above two decisions because they're the correct ones for the long terms, but by the same token Stearns owns what he's left with. A rotation lacking quality battle tested talent, and a thin bullpen. I wouldn't anticipate a spending bonanza on free agents to plug the holes in the offseason, rather they'll likely saddle up in 2020 with some combination of Davies, Anderson, Woodruff, Houser, Burnes, and Peralta with a mid-tier veteran starter on a short term contract for added stability.

[brewmann04]

I like the idea of the 3 young guns and think EVERONE was stunned by Corbin collapse. it starting to look like a 4th young gun in Houser is finding a nice groove so maybe their hope. Also this offense has been very disappointing as well which has helped this team to have this current record.

[mtrebs]

Well, this is the worst pitching staff Stearns has put forth since taking over as GM. Part of the poor quality of the pitching staff has been from injuries. Teams simply don't have quality high leverage relievers growing on trees when a player like Knebel suffers a major elbow injury.

 

Another part of the reason their pitching staff is so poor is because Stearns knows that in order to be competitive year to year the Brewers absolutely have to be able to develop their own front line starting pitching. He made the decision to put a rotation together for 2019 of young pitchers with upside to see what he has. He found a good one in Woodruff while Burnes and Peralta have flopped so far.

 

A third part is that he could have hedged his bets and retained Wade Miley and Gio Gonzalez for 2019, but after the decision is made to roll with the three young pitchers I assume they didn't feel the price tag ($5 million for Miley $3 million initially for Gonzalez) was worth it.

 

I can't really criticize the above two decisions because they're the correct ones for the long terms, but by the same token Stearns owns what he's left with. A rotation lacking quality battle tested talent, and a thin bullpen. I wouldn't anticipate a spending bonanza on free agents to plug the holes in the offseason, rather they'll likely saddle up in 2020 with some combination of Davies, Anderson, Woodruff, Houser, Burnes, and Peralta with a mid-tier veteran starter on a short term contract for added stability.

 

Normally I would have agreed with the three young starters approach, but I really believed that after last season, that 2019 was going to be the year they were going to really push for a World Series. So in my mind they should have left two of the young guys in the bullpen and kept Miley. This would have allowed them to interchange the young guys if they struggled while still keeping the bullpen (their biggest strength) intact. While it may have hindered potential progress with the young starters, it would have been worth the risk for a WS push in my opinion. I could have gone either way with resigning Gio. Signing Grandal to a one-year contract gave the impression of a WS push, but the three young starters contradicted this. I guess this is why the 2019 team is full of contradiction with good offense and pitching both lining up infrequently.

[mtrebs]

Well, this is the worst pitching staff Stearns has put forth since taking over as GM. Part of the poor quality of the pitching staff has been from injuries. Teams simply don't have quality high leverage relievers growing on trees when a player like Knebel suffers a major elbow injury.

 

Another part of the reason their pitching staff is so poor is because Stearns knows that in order to be competitive year to year the Brewers absolutely have to be able to develop their own front line starting pitching. He made the decision to put a rotation together for 2019 of young pitchers with upside to see what he has. He found a good one in Woodruff while Burnes and Peralta have flopped so far.

 

A third part is that he could have hedged his bets and retained Wade Miley and Gio Gonzalez for 2019, but after the decision is made to roll with the three young pitchers I assume they didn't feel the price tag ($5 million for Miley $3 million initially for Gonzalez) was worth it.

 

I can't really criticize the above two decisions because they're the correct ones for the long terms, but by the same token Stearns owns what he's left with. A rotation lacking quality battle tested talent, and a thin bullpen. I wouldn't anticipate a spending bonanza on free agents to plug the holes in the offseason, rather they'll likely saddle up in 2020 with some combination of Davies, Anderson, Woodruff, Houser, Burnes, and Peralta with a mid-tier veteran starter on a short term contract for added stability.

 

Normally I would have agreed with the three young starters approach, but I really believed that after last season, that 2019 was going to be the year they were going to really push for a World Series. So in my mind they should have left two of the young guys in the bullpen and kept Miley. This would have allowed them to interchange the young guys if they struggled while still keeping the bullpen (their biggest strength) intact. While it may have hindered potential progress with the young starters, it would have been worth the risk for a WS push in my opinion. I could have gone either way with resigning Gio. Signing Grandal to a one-year contract gave the impression of a WS push, but the three young starters contradicted this. I guess this is why the 2019 team is full of contradiction with good offense and pitching both lining up infrequently.

[mtrebs]

Well, this is the worst pitching staff Stearns has put forth since taking over as GM. Part of the poor quality of the pitching staff has been from injuries. Teams simply don't have quality high leverage relievers growing on trees when a player like Knebel suffers a major elbow injury.

 

Another part of the reason their pitching staff is so poor is because Stearns knows that in order to be competitive year to year the Brewers absolutely have to be able to develop their own front line starting pitching. He made the decision to put a rotation together for 2019 of young pitchers with upside to see what he has. He found a good one in Woodruff while Burnes and Peralta have flopped so far.

 

A third part is that he could have hedged his bets and retained Wade Miley and Gio Gonzalez for 2019, but after the decision is made to roll with the three young pitchers I assume they didn't feel the price tag ($5 million for Miley $3 million initially for Gonzalez) was worth it.

 

I can't really criticize the above two decisions because they're the correct ones for the long terms, but by the same token Stearns owns what he's left with. A rotation lacking quality battle tested talent, and a thin bullpen. I wouldn't anticipate a spending bonanza on free agents to plug the holes in the offseason, rather they'll likely saddle up in 2020 with some combination of Davies, Anderson, Woodruff, Houser, Burnes, and Peralta with a mid-tier veteran starter on a short term contract for added stability.

 

Normally I would have agreed with the three young starters approach, but I really believed that after last season, that 2019 was going to be the year they were going to really push for a World Series. So in my mind they should have left two of the young guys in the bullpen and kept Miley. This would have allowed them to interchange the young guys if they struggled while still keeping the bullpen (their biggest strength) intact. While it may have hindered potential progress with the young starters, it would have been worth the risk for a WS push in my opinion. I could have gone either way with resigning Gio. Signing Grandal to a one-year contract gave the impression of a WS push, but the three young starters contradicted this. I guess this is why the 2019 team is full of contradiction with good offense and pitching both lining up infrequently.

[PeaveyFury]

I know injuries are a part of the story for everyone, but you really have to wonder where this team would be if Woodruff hadn't been injured. I think it's plausible to think things would look a lot better than they do now otherwise.

[PeaveyFury]

I know injuries are a part of the story for everyone, but you really have to wonder where this team would be if Woodruff hadn't been injured. I think it's plausible to think things would look a lot better than they do now otherwise.

[PeaveyFury]

I know injuries are a part of the story for everyone, but you really have to wonder where this team would be if Woodruff hadn't been injured. I think it's plausible to think things would look a lot better than they do now otherwise.

[JohnBriggs12]

I don't think this year has been a total failure, but it shows how they can't afford to have guys they are counting on fail spectacularly or get injured. Shaw's lost year did open the door for Hiura though the decision to send Hiura back down after his first stint was costly as they failed to take advantage of an easy schedule in June and part of that was trying and failing to get Shaw going.

 

I'm not so sure that even if all went as planned that they could have overcome the Dodgers or even the Braves or Nats in the playoffs. Right now I see the Nats as the main threat to the Dodgers. But they need to keep trying. Is Braun to first base the answer? Or should they make a move and try and get a guy like Jose Abreu and keep a outfield with 4 legit bats rotating?

[JohnBriggs12]

I don't think this year has been a total failure, but it shows how they can't afford to have guys they are counting on fail spectacularly or get injured. Shaw's lost year did open the door for Hiura though the decision to send Hiura back down after his first stint was costly as they failed to take advantage of an easy schedule in June and part of that was trying and failing to get Shaw going.

 

I'm not so sure that even if all went as planned that they could have overcome the Dodgers or even the Braves or Nats in the playoffs. Right now I see the Nats as the main threat to the Dodgers. But they need to keep trying. Is Braun to first base the answer? Or should they make a move and try and get a guy like Jose Abreu and keep a outfield with 4 legit bats rotating?

[JohnBriggs12]

I don't think this year has been a total failure, but it shows how they can't afford to have guys they are counting on fail spectacularly or get injured. Shaw's lost year did open the door for Hiura though the decision to send Hiura back down after his first stint was costly as they failed to take advantage of an easy schedule in June and part of that was trying and failing to get Shaw going.

 

I'm not so sure that even if all went as planned that they could have overcome the Dodgers or even the Braves or Nats in the playoffs. Right now I see the Nats as the main threat to the Dodgers. But they need to keep trying. Is Braun to first base the answer? Or should they make a move and try and get a guy like Jose Abreu and keep a outfield with 4 legit bats rotating?

[JohnBriggs12]

Well, this is the worst pitching staff Stearns has put forth since taking over as GM. Part of the poor quality of the pitching staff has been from injuries. Teams simply don't have quality high leverage relievers growing on trees when a player like Knebel suffers a major elbow injury.

 

Another part of the reason their pitching staff is so poor is because Stearns knows that in order to be competitive year to year the Brewers absolutely have to be able to develop their own front line starting pitching. He made the decision to put a rotation together for 2019 of young pitchers with upside to see what he has. He found a good one in Woodruff while Burnes and Peralta have flopped so far.

 

A third part is that he could have hedged his bets and retained Wade Miley and Gio Gonzalez for 2019, but after the decision is made to roll with the three young pitchers I assume they didn't feel the price tag ($5 million for Miley $3 million initially for Gonzalez) was worth it.

 

I can't really criticize the above two decisions because they're the correct ones for the long terms, but by the same token Stearns owns what he's left with. A rotation lacking quality battle tested talent, and a thin bullpen. I wouldn't anticipate a spending bonanza on free agents to plug the holes in the offseason, rather they'll likely saddle up in 2020 with some combination of Davies, Anderson, Woodruff, Houser, Burnes, and Peralta with a mid-tier veteran starter on a short term contract for added stability.

 

The lesson from this is that spending an extra $5 million would have been well worth it. And with this team 5th in the NL in attendance and on pace to easily surpass 3 million, this was not the time to penny pinch.

[JohnBriggs12]

Well, this is the worst pitching staff Stearns has put forth since taking over as GM. Part of the poor quality of the pitching staff has been from injuries. Teams simply don't have quality high leverage relievers growing on trees when a player like Knebel suffers a major elbow injury.

 

Another part of the reason their pitching staff is so poor is because Stearns knows that in order to be competitive year to year the Brewers absolutely have to be able to develop their own front line starting pitching. He made the decision to put a rotation together for 2019 of young pitchers with upside to see what he has. He found a good one in Woodruff while Burnes and Peralta have flopped so far.

 

A third part is that he could have hedged his bets and retained Wade Miley and Gio Gonzalez for 2019, but after the decision is made to roll with the three young pitchers I assume they didn't feel the price tag ($5 million for Miley $3 million initially for Gonzalez) was worth it.

 

I can't really criticize the above two decisions because they're the correct ones for the long terms, but by the same token Stearns owns what he's left with. A rotation lacking quality battle tested talent, and a thin bullpen. I wouldn't anticipate a spending bonanza on free agents to plug the holes in the offseason, rather they'll likely saddle up in 2020 with some combination of Davies, Anderson, Woodruff, Houser, Burnes, and Peralta with a mid-tier veteran starter on a short term contract for added stability.

 

The lesson from this is that spending an extra $5 million would have been well worth it. And with this team 5th in the NL in attendance and on pace to easily surpass 3 million, this was not the time to penny pinch.

[JohnBriggs12]

Well, this is the worst pitching staff Stearns has put forth since taking over as GM. Part of the poor quality of the pitching staff has been from injuries. Teams simply don't have quality high leverage relievers growing on trees when a player like Knebel suffers a major elbow injury.

 

Another part of the reason their pitching staff is so poor is because Stearns knows that in order to be competitive year to year the Brewers absolutely have to be able to develop their own front line starting pitching. He made the decision to put a rotation together for 2019 of young pitchers with upside to see what he has. He found a good one in Woodruff while Burnes and Peralta have flopped so far.

 

A third part is that he could have hedged his bets and retained Wade Miley and Gio Gonzalez for 2019, but after the decision is made to roll with the three young pitchers I assume they didn't feel the price tag ($5 million for Miley $3 million initially for Gonzalez) was worth it.

 

I can't really criticize the above two decisions because they're the correct ones for the long terms, but by the same token Stearns owns what he's left with. A rotation lacking quality battle tested talent, and a thin bullpen. I wouldn't anticipate a spending bonanza on free agents to plug the holes in the offseason, rather they'll likely saddle up in 2020 with some combination of Davies, Anderson, Woodruff, Houser, Burnes, and Peralta with a mid-tier veteran starter on a short term contract for added stability.

 

The lesson from this is that spending an extra $5 million would have been well worth it. And with this team 5th in the NL in attendance and on pace to easily surpass 3 million, this was not the time to penny pinch.

[Fear The Chorizo]

Well, this is the worst pitching staff Stearns has put forth since taking over as GM. Part of the poor quality of the pitching staff has been from injuries. Teams simply don't have quality high leverage relievers growing on trees when a player like Knebel suffers a major elbow injury.

 

Another part of the reason their pitching staff is so poor is because Stearns knows that in order to be competitive year to year the Brewers absolutely have to be able to develop their own front line starting pitching. He made the decision to put a rotation together for 2019 of young pitchers with upside to see what he has. He found a good one in Woodruff while Burnes and Peralta have flopped so far.

 

A third part is that he could have hedged his bets and retained Wade Miley and Gio Gonzalez for 2019, but after the decision is made to roll with the three young pitchers I assume they didn't feel the price tag ($5 million for Miley $3 million initially for Gonzalez) was worth it.

 

I can't really criticize the above two decisions because they're the correct ones for the long terms, but by the same token Stearns owns what he's left with. A rotation lacking quality battle tested talent, and a thin bullpen. I wouldn't anticipate a spending bonanza on free agents to plug the holes in the offseason, rather they'll likely saddle up in 2020 with some combination of Davies, Anderson, Woodruff, Houser, Burnes, and Peralta with a mid-tier veteran starter on a short term contract for added stability.

 

The lesson from this is that spending an extra $5 million would have been well worth it. And with this team 5th in the NL in attendance and on pace to easily surpass 3 million, this was not the time to penny pinch.

 

The Brewers had their highest opening day payroll by far this year, I have a hard time saying what they did this offseason as penny pinching.

[Fear The Chorizo]

Well, this is the worst pitching staff Stearns has put forth since taking over as GM. Part of the poor quality of the pitching staff has been from injuries. Teams simply don't have quality high leverage relievers growing on trees when a player like Knebel suffers a major elbow injury.

 

Another part of the reason their pitching staff is so poor is because Stearns knows that in order to be competitive year to year the Brewers absolutely have to be able to develop their own front line starting pitching. He made the decision to put a rotation together for 2019 of young pitchers with upside to see what he has. He found a good one in Woodruff while Burnes and Peralta have flopped so far.

 

A third part is that he could have hedged his bets and retained Wade Miley and Gio Gonzalez for 2019, but after the decision is made to roll with the three young pitchers I assume they didn't feel the price tag ($5 million for Miley $3 million initially for Gonzalez) was worth it.

 

I can't really criticize the above two decisions because they're the correct ones for the long terms, but by the same token Stearns owns what he's left with. A rotation lacking quality battle tested talent, and a thin bullpen. I wouldn't anticipate a spending bonanza on free agents to plug the holes in the offseason, rather they'll likely saddle up in 2020 with some combination of Davies, Anderson, Woodruff, Houser, Burnes, and Peralta with a mid-tier veteran starter on a short term contract for added stability.

 

The lesson from this is that spending an extra $5 million would have been well worth it. And with this team 5th in the NL in attendance and on pace to easily surpass 3 million, this was not the time to penny pinch.

 

The Brewers had their highest opening day payroll by far this year, I have a hard time saying what they did this offseason as penny pinching.

[Fear The Chorizo]

Well, this is the worst pitching staff Stearns has put forth since taking over as GM. Part of the poor quality of the pitching staff has been from injuries. Teams simply don't have quality high leverage relievers growing on trees when a player like Knebel suffers a major elbow injury.

 

Another part of the reason their pitching staff is so poor is because Stearns knows that in order to be competitive year to year the Brewers absolutely have to be able to develop their own front line starting pitching. He made the decision to put a rotation together for 2019 of young pitchers with upside to see what he has. He found a good one in Woodruff while Burnes and Peralta have flopped so far.

 

A third part is that he could have hedged his bets and retained Wade Miley and Gio Gonzalez for 2019, but after the decision is made to roll with the three young pitchers I assume they didn't feel the price tag ($5 million for Miley $3 million initially for Gonzalez) was worth it.

 

I can't really criticize the above two decisions because they're the correct ones for the long terms, but by the same token Stearns owns what he's left with. A rotation lacking quality battle tested talent, and a thin bullpen. I wouldn't anticipate a spending bonanza on free agents to plug the holes in the offseason, rather they'll likely saddle up in 2020 with some combination of Davies, Anderson, Woodruff, Houser, Burnes, and Peralta with a mid-tier veteran starter on a short term contract for added stability.

 

The lesson from this is that spending an extra $5 million would have been well worth it. And with this team 5th in the NL in attendance and on pace to easily surpass 3 million, this was not the time to penny pinch.

 

The Brewers had their highest opening day payroll by far this year, I have a hard time saying what they did this offseason as penny pinching.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

The Brewers had their highest opening day payroll by far this year, I have a hard time saying what they did this offseason as penny pinching.

 

This false narrative that the Brewers are pinching pennies is only coming from a few posters that refuse to acknowledge that fact.