Brewers sign Brett Anderson to a one year deal

[BrewBalls]

In regards to Burnes vs May: why not have both? I have hope for Burnes as a bounce back candidate, however usually when a players goes from being lights out throughout most of their entire pro career to an 8 something ERA in both MLB & MiLB, there is something going on that fans are not privy to (arm issues, off the field issues).

 

May is 21, has 6 years of control, and has electric stuff...

I agree having both would be beneficial moving forward. But by doing so it leaves a gaping hole at the back of our bullpen and puts immense pressure on Knebel returning to his old form. We literally will have gone from a three headed monster to a limping one headed one in less than two years. I’d be looking for LA to add more to their offer to pull the trigger on this deal.

[BrewBalls]

 

We were very fortunate last season that a discarded SP by the Pirates, pitched like an Ace for us down the stretch for us to get the wildcard..

 

Fortunate, or did our front office correctly identify a candidate to outpitch their "pedigree" due to some analytical/mechanical/technical change they were able to implement? Why, when the Brewers have an astoundingly good track record of doing so, do we continue to assume these things are flukey? And why can't a guy like Anderson be a pitcher they've similarly identified as a candidate to be the second coming of Wade Miley due to something they've found as well?

 

When it repeatedly happens over and over, maybe it isn't actually a fluke...

 

I highly doubt that Stearns/front office expected Lyles to pitch like an Ace when they traded for him. At that time the rotation was decimated with injuries and he was just a stopgap trade, no one expected him to pitch the way he did which is why I said it is very fortunate.

 

If the Brewers had thought highly of Lyles, they wouldn't have let him go after the 2018 season. They were not willing to pay a cheap one year $2M+ to get him back for 2019.

 

And the Brewers not re-signing Lyles after last seasons Ace performance, shows that they think it is a fluke performance. 2 years $16M contract ($8M per year) is low even for a #2, but the Brewers were not willing to pay that.

 

Same with Miley, the Brewers did not re-sign him after the 2018 season shows that they think his performance is a fluke.

First of all, the Brewers traded for Lyles because most pitchers on the trade block were being overvalued and had extremely high asking prices. Which means Stearns isn’t interested in overpaying for short term success.

 

The Brewers didn’t bring Lyles back after 2018 because they were hoping their young guns would continue progressing and solidify their spots in the rotation and guys like Lyles are always available (i.e. signing Gio and trading for Lyles).

 

Lyles peripherals showed his numbers were significantly aided by luck and that he wasn’t overly dominant in that “ace” span. Furthermore if Stearns assessment of Lyles wasn’t accurate other teams would have jumped at the opportunity to sign a “ace” caliber starter for longer than 2 years and 8MM per. In contrast, Pomeranz actually WAS dominant after the trade and was rewarded for it in free agency.

 

Miley was another pitcher who was lucky in 2018 and part of 2019 before falling off a cliff and being left off Houston’s playoff roster.

[3and2Fastball]

It is not a realistic plan to win a World Series without some top flight starting pitching

 

This isn't actually true though. Last year the Nationals won based on clutch hitting late in games, they were out pitched for most of the playoffs and kept coming back late in games. The year before Sale was ineffective and they relied heavily on the bullpen to save them though they at least had one SP with a great series in Price. The year before that the Astros slugged their way to a victory. The Cubs arguably were carried by pitching but the year before that was a Royals rotation that was pretty awful and it was all about the bullpen. Top flight starting pitching has not been what has been winning these World Series lately. It would be great if we developed/traded for a couple really good pitchers but it is completely realistic to win without them as well. That just isn't how the postseason is generally won in baseball these days. The teams with the best pitching haven't really done all that great in the playoffs in recent years.

 

Strasburg 14 IP in World Series & World Series MVP with a 2.51 ERA in WS. 0.00 ERA in NLCS

Scherzer 10 IP in World Series and 3.60 ERA in WS. 0.00 ERA in NLCS. 1.13 ERA in NLDS.

 

Those 2 are the primary reason the Nationals won it all. That and Josh Hader, but that’s a different story, isn’t it? !

 

I understand that in recent years teams like the Red Sox & Royals have won it all relying heavily on relief pitching. Relief pitching year to year is very volatile. The teams in the World Series this year both had 2 legit aces, and I believe that will be the trend in postseason Baseball, with of course occasional exceptions, over the next several seasons...

[xisxisxis]

It is not a realistic plan to win a World Series without some top flight starting pitching

 

 

This isn't actually true though.

I'll repeat a post from a different thread:

 

The 2019 Milwaukee Brewers had a starter fWAR of 8.7

The 2018 Milwaukee Brewers had a starter fWAR of 8.7

 

Both teams played in the post-season.

 

Two World Series winners from recent past had lower starter's fWAR: KC Royals (8.6 in 2015) and SF Giants (8.5 in 2014)

It should be clear right now what David Stearn's idea of an optimal starting rotation will look like.

[BrewBalls]

It is not a realistic plan to win a World Series without some top flight starting pitching

 

This isn't actually true though. Last year the Nationals won based on clutch hitting late in games, they were out pitched for most of the playoffs and kept coming back late in games. The year before Sale was ineffective and they relied heavily on the bullpen to save them though they at least had one SP with a great series in Price. The year before that the Astros slugged their way to a victory. The Cubs arguably were carried by pitching but the year before that was a Royals rotation that was pretty awful and it was all about the bullpen. Top flight starting pitching has not been what has been winning these World Series lately. It would be great if we developed/traded for a couple really good pitchers but it is completely realistic to win without them as well. That just isn't how the postseason is generally won in baseball these days. The teams with the best pitching haven't really done all that great in the playoffs in recent years.

 

Strasburg 14 IP in World Series & World Series MVP with a 2.51 ERA in WS. 0.00 ERA in NLCS

Scherzer 10 IP in World Series and 3.60 ERA in WS. 0.00 ERA in NLCS. 1.13 ERA in NLDS.

 

Those 2 are the primary reason the Nationals won it all. That and Josh Hader, but that’s a different story, isn’t it? !

 

I understand that in recent years teams like the Red Sox & Royals have won it all relying heavily on relief pitching. Relief pitching year to year is very volatile. The teams in the World Series this year both had 2 legit aces, and I believe that will be the trend in postseason Baseball, with of course occasional exceptions, over the next several seasons...

Tell that to the Dodgers who had three legit ace caliber pitchers (Kerahaw, Buehler and Ryu) to go along with a potent offense and solid bullpen. So let’s just all admit you need good pitching and hitting along with some good fortune/luck to win the WS.

[SRB]

Crazy how much discussion there has been about how the Brewers need to add an ace starting pitcher, and yet not a single post that I've seen explaining how we could realistically do that.

 

Trade Hader + Arcia... somebody like Dustin May from the Dodgers comes to mind as a potential ace in return for Hader....

 

The key there though is that May is a potential ace. You are paying a lot for a guy who could conceivably turn into an ace down the line, but who is ranked so highly as a prospect more because he has a decent chance of being at solid #2/3. You are making the 2020 team worse to gamble on a player's upside, even though May is more likely than not to never become a true ace, and is that what people actually want?

 

If it is likely that May is going to be the type of ace pitcher people want in 2020 or 2021, then the Dodgers are not going to trade him, plain and simple.

[JDBrewCrew]

Robert Murray

@ByRobertMurray

·

7s

Brett Anderson’s contract with the #Brewers, per source: one-year, $5 million. $200K for 100 IP; $400K for 125 IP; $600K for 150 IP; $800K for 175 IP.

[stalton]

Robert Murray

@ByRobertMurray

·

7s

Brett Anderson’s contract with the #Brewers, per source: one-year, $5 million. $200K for 100 IP; $400K for 125 IP; $600K for 150 IP; $800K for 175 IP.

I like those incentives. I'm assuming CC will not be continually plugging him into the rotation if he is inadequate

[stalton]

Robert Murray

@ByRobertMurray

·

7s

Brett Anderson’s contract with the #Brewers, per source: one-year, $5 million. $200K for 100 IP; $400K for 125 IP; $600K for 150 IP; $800K for 175 IP.

I like those incentives. I'm assuming CC will not be continually plugging him into the rotation if he is inadequate

[JosephC]

In the last 10 years, Anderson has only hit the 100 innings pitched mark three times. So if history is any indication, there is probably less than a 50% chance that the Brewers will be paying out any incentives on this one.

[JosephC]

In the last 10 years, Anderson has only hit the 100 innings pitched mark three times. So if history is any indication, there is probably less than a 50% chance that the Brewers will be paying out any incentives on this one.

[KeithStone53151]

Robert Murray

@ByRobertMurray

·

7s

Brett Anderson’s contract with the #Brewers, per source: one-year, $5 million. $200K for 100 IP; $400K for 125 IP; $600K for 150 IP; $800K for 175 IP.

 

Does that mean he totals at $800k for 175 IP? Or do those add up, so he'd get an additional $2m for 175 IP?

[KeithStone53151]

Robert Murray

@ByRobertMurray

·

7s

Brett Anderson’s contract with the #Brewers, per source: one-year, $5 million. $200K for 100 IP; $400K for 125 IP; $600K for 150 IP; $800K for 175 IP.

 

Does that mean he totals at $800k for 175 IP? Or do those add up, so he'd get an additional $2m for 175 IP?

[monty57]

Robert Murray

@ByRobertMurray

·

7s

Brett Anderson’s contract with the #Brewers, per source: one-year, $5 million. $200K for 100 IP; $400K for 125 IP; $600K for 150 IP; $800K for 175 IP.

 

With the way the Brewers use starters, it's hard to rack up innings. In 2019, Davies led the team with 159.2 IP. Chase Anderson had 139, Woodruff 121.2, Houser 111.1, and everyone else was under 100 IP.

 

Granted, there were injuries and under-performance issues leading to those totals, but I doubt he hits 175 IP. If he does, it's probably well worth the bonuses he'll receive.

[monty57]

Robert Murray

@ByRobertMurray

·

7s

Brett Anderson’s contract with the #Brewers, per source: one-year, $5 million. $200K for 100 IP; $400K for 125 IP; $600K for 150 IP; $800K for 175 IP.

 

With the way the Brewers use starters, it's hard to rack up innings. In 2019, Davies led the team with 159.2 IP. Chase Anderson had 139, Woodruff 121.2, Houser 111.1, and everyone else was under 100 IP.

 

Granted, there were injuries and under-performance issues leading to those totals, but I doubt he hits 175 IP. If he does, it's probably well worth the bonuses he'll receive.

[RollieTime]

Robert Murray

@ByRobertMurray

·

7s

Brett Anderson’s contract with the #Brewers, per source: one-year, $5 million. $200K for 100 IP; $400K for 125 IP; $600K for 150 IP; $800K for 175 IP.

 

Does that mean he totals at $800k for 175 IP? Or do those add up, so he'd get an additional $2m for 175 IP?

 

They add up and he will get $2 million for 175 innings pitched.

[RollieTime]

Robert Murray

@ByRobertMurray

·

7s

Brett Anderson’s contract with the #Brewers, per source: one-year, $5 million. $200K for 100 IP; $400K for 125 IP; $600K for 150 IP; $800K for 175 IP.

 

Does that mean he totals at $800k for 175 IP? Or do those add up, so he'd get an additional $2m for 175 IP?

 

They add up and he will get $2 million for 175 innings pitched.

[djoctagone]

a reminder that brett anderson can file for free agency after the world series, or retire.

[djoctagone]

it's the day after the conclusion of the world series. brett anderson is a free agent. the brewers have an exclusive five-day window to negotiate a new deal with anderson.