David Stearns comments on upcoming offseason

[adambr2]

https://www.brewcrewball.com/2019/10/4/20899187/david-stearns-addresses-pending-free-agents-possible-non-tenders-during-end-of-year-press-conference

 

Some summaries:

 

- Non-commital on arbitration decisions coming up on Shaw, Arcia, and Nelson. Basically will have to evaluate and decide. Said they need to get better SS production in the future both offensively and defensively.

 

- Coaching staff will be evaluated to determine if changes are needed but Counsell (probably not surprisingly) is on solid ground and Stearns is pleased to have stability there.

 

- Will be in contact with Lyles and Pomeranz.

 

- Wants to bring back both Grandal and Moose, but acknowledged it could be tough depending on their market.

 

- Optimistic on a bounceback 2020 for Burnes and Peralta. Not sure where they'll fit. Suter's role for 2020 still TBA as well.

 

- Plan is for Grisham to be on the MLB team next year, but unsure if it will be as a starter or in another role. Wouldn't answer if Braun will be considered at 1B.

 

- Roster rule changes for 2020 will have a big impact on offseason and roster strategy.

[MrTPlush]

The only take away that seemed noteworthy was the Arcia comments.

 

Openly critiquing his play last year (after already doing it in season) is pretty intriguing. Especially saying we need to get better on defense too. If we aren’t happy with his defense either how could we possibly go with him as the starter? Also makes me wonder if Perez is toast as that answer wasn’t exclusively towards Arcia.

 

The rest was common sense or just GM babble.

[pacopete4]

Maybe Stearns and Counsell shouldn’t of ran out Villar, a 162 game, 4-WAR player.

[TigerUppercut]

Maybe Stearns and Counsell shouldn’t of ran out Villar, a 162 game, 4-WAR player.

 

A couple things here. Yes, Villar had a nice season. With that said hindsight is 20/20, I'm not sure anyone really questioned the move at the time and it's much easier to put up those kind of numbers 40 games back of contention.

[MrTPlush]

Maybe Stearns and Counsell shouldn’t of ran out Villar, a 162 game, 4-WAR player.

 

A couple things here. Yes, Villar had a nice season. With that said hindsight is 20/20, I'm not sure anyone really questioned the move at the time and it's much easier to put up those kind of numbers 40 games back of contention.

 

I would almost venture to say at least 50% didn’t like that trade or found it confusing at best. Many didn’t like the Villar inclusion.

 

It was a pretty questionable move even before Schoop ended up a joke for us and Villar played well with the Orioles.

[brewmann04]

I don't mind an upgrade at all @SS. I would like Drew back would upgrade the Bullpen. I think Braun and Thames will be a nice platoon . I still think either Freddie or Burnes will be in next year rotation. i can't see Grandal coming back ,maybe Moose .I also expecting . Trade

[MrTPlush]

I don't mind an upgrade at all @SS. I would like Drew back would upgrade the Bullpen. I think Braun and Thames will be a nice platoon . I still think either Freddie or Burnes will be in next year rotation. i can't see Grandal coming back ,maybe Moose .I also expecting . Trade

 

I was trying to figure out who made you so angry and why you were trying to get past the filter...took me a second.

[pacopete4]

Maybe Stearns and Counsell shouldn’t of ran out Villar, a 162 game, 4-WAR player.

 

A couple things here. Yes, Villar had a nice season. With that said hindsight is 20/20, I'm not sure anyone really questioned the move at the time and it's much easier to put up those kind of numbers 40 games back of contention.

 

Hindsight is 20/20 but if we keep shipping players off as they enter prime years we will continue to see more and more Villar situations.

[DuWayne Steurer]

Maybe Stearns and Counsell shouldn’t of ran out Villar, a 162 game, 4-WAR player.

 

A couple things here. Yes, Villar had a nice season. With that said hindsight is 20/20, I'm not sure anyone really questioned the move at the time and it's much easier to put up those kind of numbers 40 games back of contention.

 

 

I certainly questioned trading him for a 2nd baseman when we already had like 5 of them on the roster.

[FVBrewerFan]

Stearns dissapointed with how season ended, wants to improve the team next season. Oh, and expects the sun to rise in the east.

[3and2Fastball]

Maybe Stearns and Counsell shouldn’t of ran out Villar, a 162 game, 4-WAR player.

 

A couple things here. Yes, Villar had a nice season. With that said hindsight is 20/20, I'm not sure anyone really questioned the move at the time and it's much easier to put up those kind of numbers 40 games back of contention.

 

I definitely did. Villar had no future in Milwaukee though, it seemed clear that the coaching staff ran out of patience with him. I am a huge Stearns fan though, he gets way more tight than wrong.

 

Intrigued as to where/who exactly he is going to get more offensive & defensive production out of SS though? Didi Grogorius is a free agent, but barely had more offense than Arcia this year. Do we have enough player ammo to trade for a Shortstop?

 

As is typical of every single offseason that I've been a Brewers fan: we need more pitching!

[Jaylyn]

I don't mind an upgrade at all @SS. I would like Drew back would upgrade the Bullpen. I think Braun and Thames will be a nice platoon . I still think either Freddie or Burnes will be in next year rotation. i can't see Grandal coming back ,maybe Moose .I also expecting . Trade

 

I was trying to figure out who made you so angry and why you were trying to get past the filter...took me a second.

You weren't the only one who had to stare at that a minute before he got it!

[owbc]

Arcia and Villar have quite a bit in common. The Brewers gave up on Villar at age 27. Arcia just turned 25.

 

Can the Brewers afford to wait for Arcia’s breakout season?

[Pugger]

How many seasons has Arcia been our starting SS? I think what you see with him is his ceiling. He is a pretty good fielder but not a good enough hitter for my liking. Too inconsistent and strikes out too much IMO. I wouldn't be opposed to an upgrade there.

[MrTPlush]

Arcia and Villar have quite a bit in common. The Brewers gave up on Villar at age 27. Arcia just turned 25.

 

Can the Brewers afford to wait for Arcia’s breakout season?

 

Technically Villar broke out in his age 25 season...but he also didn’t get an opportunity before then. So not sure that would be all that accurate, every player is different anyway. Should we still be waiting for Alcides Escobar to break out?

 

My opinion is we clearly are not going to change Arcia. Maybe a change of scenery helps...but I doubt he improves here. We have tried for years with zero improvement.

[LouisEly]

I don't recall Villar playing a passable SS, and we have a better 2B in Hiura. Villar was moved to 2B for a reason.

 

If Villar can't play SS, then what are we hand-wringing about?

[MrTPlush]

I don't recall Villar playing a passable SS, and we have a better 2B in Hiura. Villar was moved to 2B for a reason.

 

If Villar can't play SS, then what are we hand-wringing about?

 

He plays half his time at SS right now. He did play a passable SS. Most scouts thought he could stick at SS if his bat played. He got moved the 2B because we had no 2B and a great young SS.

[liveforoctober]

I don't recall Villar playing a passable SS, and we have a better 2B in Hiura. Villar was moved to 2B for a reason.

 

If Villar can't play SS, then what are we hand-wringing about?

 

This has been my argument all season to folks who have questioned the Villar move. If Villar stays, does Hiura come up? Villar was able to play shortstop, but it wasn't a great sight... so I don't think that combo would have worked.

[TURBO]

I was against trading Villar at the time for Schoop. Not really against trading him though. He was in CC's doghouse, that much was obvious. He wasn't coming out. So having him rot on our bench wasn't preferable. At that time, trading him (due to being on CC's craplist) had to happen.

 

Had we kept Villar at 2B, there is a chance that Hiura would have already been traded, so there is that.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

I didn't mind trading Villar at the time but a LOT of people did, and vocally blasted that trade.

[clancyphile]

Maybe Stearns and Counsell shouldn’t of ran out Villar, a 162 game, 4-WAR player.

 

Villar was playing well enough, and Arcia poorly enough, that in 2016, Arcia should not have been called up. In fact, Arcia clearly had holes that AAA pitching was exposing.

 

Put it this way, his OPS went from .800 in Hunstville to .723 in Colorado Springs. A 77-point drop. Playing half the time in what was arguably professional baseball's most hitter-friendly environment. That's kind of the opposite of Brent Suter posting sub-4.00 ERAs in similar circumstances in that same timeframe.

 

Villar was doing well enough that the Crew could afford to be patient with Arcia. Instead, the Crew rushed Arcia, and we got the mess we got in 2017/2018.

[homer]

Plenty of people on this site breathed a sigh of relief a year after Villar turned down the multi year extension.

[adambr2]

Plenty of people on this site breathed a sigh of relief a year after Villar turned down the multi year extension.

 

Not really at the time. Most people realized that 20M or so on a multi year deal for Villar was not going to make or break us.

 

When he stunk it up for 6 months afterward, of course.

[Brewcrewin07]

Jon Morosi

@jonmorosi

·

4m

Carlos Subero (@csubero

), the @Brewers

highly regarded first base coach, was mentioned to me recently as a possible @MLB

managerial candidate in this hiring cycle. Subero will manage Venezuela at the upcoming @WBSC

Premier12. @MLBNetwork

[adambr2]

I personally can't imagine that 1B coach is a really tough position to replace.