3rd Base Candidates

[clancyphile]

Taking Seager's entire deal could work...

https://www.baseballtradevalues.com/trades/trade-19880/

 

Mariners get:

OF Tristan Lutz

 

Brewers get:

3B Kyle Seager

LHP Justus Sheffield

RHP Justin Dunn

 

Opening Day roster:

ss: Urias

2b: Hiura

lf: Yelich

rf: Garcia

c: Narvaez

1b: Smoak

3b: Seager

cf: Cain

pitcher

bench: Pina, Braun, Sogard, Gamel, Arcia

rotation: Woodruff, Dunn, B. Anderson, Lindblom, Lauer

bullpen: Hader, Knebel, Suter, Peralta, Houser, Sheffield, Claudio, Yardley

 

That's a 26-man to win the division.

 

I think you way, way, way over-value Lutz. Lutz has yet to reach AA ball and hit only .235 in low A Appleton and .245 in A+ Carolina. Lutz alone wouldn't even get Dunn much less all three even if they took on Seager's entire contract.

 

His value is at $14.7 million per BaseballTradeValues.com, the package Milwaukee gets back is about $13.5 million.

 

That said, I think Seager would benefit from the move to Milwaukee, based on park factors - T-Mobile Park has posted a multi-year factor of 93 hitting/94 pitching. Miller Park's park factor is 101/101. Seager posted a .789 OPS and an OPS+ of 112. Somewhat above average for a major leaguer.

 

Figure those will tip the balance somewhat.

[brewcrewdue80]

Taking Seager's entire deal could work...

https://www.baseballtradevalues.com/trades/trade-19880/

 

Mariners get:

OF Tristan Lutz

 

Brewers get:

3B Kyle Seager

LHP Justus Sheffield

RHP Justin Dunn

 

Opening Day roster:

ss: Urias

2b: Hiura

lf: Yelich

rf: Garcia

c: Narvaez

1b: Smoak

3b: Seager

cf: Cain

pitcher

bench: Pina, Braun, Sogard, Gamel, Arcia

rotation: Woodruff, Dunn, B. Anderson, Lindblom, Lauer

bullpen: Hader, Knebel, Suter, Peralta, Houser, Sheffield, Claudio, Yardley

 

That's a 26-man to win the division.

 

I think you way, way, way over-value Lutz. Lutz has yet to reach AA ball and hit only .235 in low A Appleton and .245 in A+ Carolina. Lutz alone wouldn't even get Dunn much less all three even if they took on Seager's entire contract.

 

His value is at $14.7 million per BaseballTradeValues.com, the package Milwaukee gets back is about $13.5 million.

 

That said, I think Seager would benefit from the move to Milwaukee, based on park factors - T-Mobile Park has posted a multi-year factor of 93 hitting/94 pitching. Miller Park's park factor is 101/101. Seager posted a .789 OPS and an OPS+ of 112. Somewhat above average for a major leaguer.

 

Figure those will tip the balance somewhat.

 

So we should be either getting less back in return or need to add some more value. So probably remove Sheffield yeah? Especially considering you are instilling Dunn immediately in to the rotation. Actually, I would wonder on the fact that pretty much both Dunn and Sheffield have passed prospect ranking barely as rookies that they are likely devalued far too much by the site. Both were top 100 prospects in 2018, Dunn still remains top 100 at 70. Considering Sheffield fell out of the top 100 and Lutz isn't then I'd guess Sheffield. Maybe you include Arcia to get Dunn. They non-tendered Beckam and have JP Crawford for SS who batted below .700OPS last season.

I'd also suspect that the 14.7mil value for Seager would increase playing in Milwaukee as mentioned above with ballpark factor. Maybe vs Lutz you make it Joe Gray depending on which of Sheffield or Dunn.

[clancyphile]

His value is at $14.7 million per BaseballTradeValues.com, the package Milwaukee gets back is about $13.5 million.

 

That said, I think Seager would benefit from the move to Milwaukee, based on park factors - T-Mobile Park has posted a multi-year factor of 93 hitting/94 pitching. Miller Park's park factor is 101/101. Seager posted a .789 OPS and an OPS+ of 112. Somewhat above average for a major leaguer.

 

Figure those will tip the balance somewhat.

 

So we should be either getting less back in return or need to add some more value. So probably remove Sheffield yeah? Especially considering you are instilling Dunn immediately in to the rotation. Actually, I would wonder on the fact that pretty much both Dunn and Sheffield have passed prospect ranking barely as rookies that they are likely devalued far too much by the site. Both were top 100 prospects in 2018, Dunn still remains top 100 at 70. Considering Sheffield fell out of the top 100 and Lutz isn't then I'd guess Sheffield. Maybe you include Arcia to get Dunn. They non-tendered Beckam and have JP Crawford for SS who batted below .700OPS last season.

I'd also suspect that the 14.7mil value for Seager would increase playing in Milwaukee as mentioned above with ballpark factor. Maybe vs Lutz you make it Joe Gray depending on which of Sheffield or Dunn.

 

I mis-typed:

https://www.baseballtradevalues.com/trades/trade-19880/

Seattle is getting $14.7 in surplus value in the trade by getting Lutz.

 

Milwaukee gets $13.5 million in surplus value between Seager (-$21.8 million, albeit I think that Miller Park improves his value via the park factors), Dunn ($16.6 million), and Sheffield ($18.7).

 

No objection to tossing Arcia in, to seal this deal. Maybe Seattle balks, but on surplus value... this has a shot.

[JosephC]

I think the chances of Seager being traded to the Brewers or anyone else is very small because of the option year. Seattle has been more than willing to eat significant chunks of money to clear payroll from their roster (Mike Leake, Edwin Encarnacion, Robinson Cano)...and yet Seager remains on the roster. I don't think anybody in baseball is interested in seeing the 2022 season turning from no obligation into a 15 million dollar year.

 

I also think Seager is one of those players where it's actually helpful to throw out all the advanced metrics and just go old-school. Over the last three years he's been a .236/.304/.436/.740 hitter. He will be entering his age 32 season. 17.333 million per season obligation over three years for a .304 OBP/.740 OPS?

 

Steamer is projecting Seager as a 2.4 WAR player in 2021, but the offensive component of that is 0.0 and the defensive component is 3.6...so almost all of his value comes from defense...corner infield defense (not centerfield, not shortstop, not catcher). For years I've heard Brewer fans rag on the Cubs for the Jason Heyward contract (appropriately so IMO), and I fail to see how different Seager would be? Clearly a big contract for what is now a defense first, mediocre offense corner player. Over the next three years the Cubs will be paying Heyward about an additional 4 million per season over what Seager would make, but Heyward still can get on base at a decent clip (.334 OPS over the last three seasons), has the flexibility to move and play centerfield if needed (although not very well) and is 1.5+ years younger than Seager.

[sveumrules]

I think you way, way, way over-value Lutz. Lutz has yet to reach AA ball and hit only .235 in low A Appleton and .245 in A+ Carolina. Lutz alone wouldn't even get Dunn much less all three even if they took on Seager's entire contract.

 

Lutz has been 2.5 years young for his level each of the last two years & still managed a 110 wRC+ in A ball & a 120 wRC+ in A+.

 

If you are just focusing on batting average without league context, OBP & SLG included you might be undervaluing Lutz.

[sveumrules]

I also think Seager is one of those players where it's actually helpful to throw out all the advanced metrics and just go old-school. Over the last three years he's been a .236/.304/.436/.740 hitter. He will be entering his age 32 season. 17.333 million per season obligation over three years for a .304 OBP/.740 OPS?

 

It's never a good idea to throw out advanced metrics, especially with someone like Seager who has played his entire career in one of the more pitcher friendly stadiums in MLB.

 

A .304 OBP/.740 OPS might look ugly on the surface, but it's still essentially league average (101 OPS+) once you consider Kyle's home park.

 

As for the glove, a run saved is just as valuable as a run scored. Last year JD Davis posted a 136 wRC+ with -9.0 defense for 2.4 WAR. Seager posted a 110 wRC+ with +8.3 defense for 2.4 WAR.

[clancyphile]

I think the chances of Seager being traded to the Brewers or anyone else is very small because of the option year. Seattle has been more than willing to eat significant chunks of money to clear payroll from their roster (Mike Leake, Edwin Encarnacion, Robinson Cano)...and yet Seager remains on the roster. I don't think anybody in baseball is interested in seeing the 2022 season turning from no obligation into a 15 million dollar year.

 

I also think Seager is one of those players where it's actually helpful to throw out all the advanced metrics and just go old-school. Over the last three years he's been a .236/.304/.436/.740 hitter. He will be entering his age 32 season. 17.333 million per season obligation over three years for a .304 OBP/.740 OPS?

 

Steamer is projecting Seager as a 2.4 WAR player in 2021, but the offensive component of that is 0.0 and the defensive component is 3.6...so almost all of his value comes from defense...corner infield defense (not centerfield, not shortstop, not catcher). For years I've heard Brewer fans rag on the Cubs for the Jason Heyward contract (appropriately so IMO), and I fail to see how different Seager would be? Clearly a big contract for what is now a defense first, mediocre offense corner player. Over the next three years the Cubs will be paying Heyward about an additional 4 million per season over what Seager would make, but Heyward still can get on base at a decent clip (.334 OPS over the last three seasons), has the flexibility to move and play centerfield if needed (although not very well) and is 1.5+ years younger than Seager.

 

Seager posted a .789 OPS in 2019, good for a 112 OPS+. Miller Park has taken the very good Yelich and turned him into an MVP. The so-so Seager could very well be average offensively for the duration the contract. It's not like's Orlando Arcia bad at the plate.

 

It's not ideal, and honestly, the Dunn/Sheffield portion of the return is what I view as far more important. Adding Dunn to the rotation, and thereby adding not just Sheffield, but Houser to the bullpen makes the pitching much better, though... and I think that overall, the deal is worth it.

 

Think of the aggregate of the Lutz-for-Seager-Dunn-Sheffield deal. A six-headed monster of Hader-Knebel-Suter-Peralta-Houser-Sheffield in the bullpen would be 2015 Royals good.

[Lathund]

I think you way, way, way over-value Lutz. Lutz has yet to reach AA ball and hit only .235 in low A Appleton and .245 in A+ Carolina. Lutz alone wouldn't even get Dunn much less all three even if they took on Seager's entire contract.

 

Lutz has been 2.5 years young for his level each of the last two years & still managed a 110 wRC+ in A ball & a 120 wRC+ in A+.

 

If you are just focusing on batting average without league context, OBP & SLG included you might be undervaluing Lutz.

 

He usually posts avg/obp only, ignoring power entirely. I suppose obp was excluded this time since Lutz reaches base at an above-average rate.

 

Lutz has been promoted a full level each season (Played both rookie ball levels in his rookie season before that), and likely will be again, and has been an above-average hitter at both, and is only 21. Probably ends up in RF, but he's a very toolsy guy who has so far been able to play CF, and is doing fine. It's correct that he doesn't get Dunn, but he's a good prospect and that BA-only analysis is very misleading.

[Eye Black]

Sort of funny, Kyle Seager and Nolan Arrenado have the exact same away OPS for their careers. A career .799 OPS on the road for each.

[LincolnDD]

I don't know that Seattle would be all that interested in sacrificing some solid pieces just to move salary. Doesn't feel like their MO. They've either taken slightly worse contracts back in some of their big contract deals (Bruce/Swarzak for Cano, Santana for Segura, Encarnacion for Santana) or paid a good chunk of what's remaining on others they traded (Leake, Encarnacion, Bruce).

 

They did attach Diaz to the Cano deal, but from what I understand, that was all about getting Jarred Kelenic.

[JosephC]

I also think Seager is one of those players where it's actually helpful to throw out all the advanced metrics and just go old-school. Over the last three years he's been a .236/.304/.436/.740 hitter. He will be entering his age 32 season. 17.333 million per season obligation over three years for a .304 OBP/.740 OPS?

 

It's never a good idea to throw out advanced metrics, especially with someone like Seager who has played his entire career in one of the more pitcher friendly stadiums in MLB.

 

A .304 OBP/.740 OPS might look ugly on the surface, but it's still essentially league average (101 OPS+) once you consider Kyle's home park.

 

As for the glove, a run saved is just as valuable as a run scored. Last year JD Davis posted a 136 wRC+ with -9.0 defense for 2.4 WAR. Seager posted a 110 wRC+ with +8.3 defense for 2.4 WAR.

 

A run created is the same as a run saved. But what percentage of a third baseman's opportunity to create/save runs comes from the bat?

 

I'll take Arenado as an example as he has the reputation as currently being the best two way third baseman. Over the last three years Arenado's wRC's are 126, 120, 124 for a total of 370. His DRS for those three seasons are 20, 5, 8 for a total of 33. So if wRC and DRS are to be believed, approximately 93% of Arenado's runs created/runs saved contribution comes from his bat.

 

Doing the same for Seager, his three year wRC numbers are 82, 60, 60 for a total of 202. His DRS numbers at third base are actually on the negative side: -2, -5, -1. So not only does all of his contributions come from a pretty mediocre bat, but the DRS figures raise a pretty good question as to how good his defense really is. His grand total after adding everything together is 194.

 

For comparison, lets compare Seager to Shaw over three years as to even include Shaw's 2019 disaster. Shaw's wRC = 94, 86, 17. The 3B DRS = 3, 9, 3. Total = 212. Shaw's raw runs created/runs saved figure over the last three years is better than Seagers.

 

I just think caution needs to be exercised when looking at average hitting corner players and then potentially overvaluing them based on their defensive contribution. Heyward is a prime example of that and I think Seager definitely could fall into the same category. I'd have no problem paying good money to a average hitting catcher, shortstop or centerfielder that brings a premium glove. But third baseman, the guy needs to hit much better if I'm making a 17+ million dollar annual commitment.

[Lathund]

A run created is the same as a run saved. But what percentage of a third baseman's opportunity to create/save runs comes from the bat?

 

I'll take Arenado as an example as he has the reputation as currently being the best two way third baseman. Over the last three years Arenado's wRC's are 126, 120, 124 for a total of 370. His DRS for those three seasons are 20, 5, 8 for a total of 33. So if wRC and DRS are to be believed, approximately 93% of Arenado's runs created/runs saved contribution comes from his bat.

 

Doing the same for Seager, his three year wRC numbers are 82, 60, 60 for a total of 202. His DRS numbers at third base are actually on the negative side: -2, -5, -1. So not only does all of his contributions come from a pretty mediocre bat, but the DRS figures raise a pretty good question as to how good his defense really is. His grand total after adding everything together is 194.

 

You can't compare the two stats like that. wRC is a raw stat, basically adding up all singles, doubles, walks etc. and using the linear weights derive how many runs that production will on average creates. DRS, UZR and FRAA are all stats that compare a player to the average at his position. If you want to compare runs saved/created straight up, what you should look at is wRAA, or weighted runs above average. That method also has flaws, but it's at least for the most part comparing apples to other apples.

[MilwaukeeBeers]

All I know is that a Healy/Sogard platoon would be downright depressing. I’m hoping for a big move coming in regard to 3rd base.

[JosephC]

 

DRS, UZR and FRAA are all stats that compare a player to the average at his position.

 

DRS is a "raw number." It is not a stat that compares a player to the average at his position.

 

There are components within DRS, such as plus/minus, that compares ranges between players.

 

But at it's "core," DRS is a raw number that provides a calculation for how many run a player prevents defensively (or contributes to the opposition if in the negative), just like wRC is a number that provides a calculation for how many runs a player contributes offensively.

[Lathund]

 

DRS, UZR and FRAA are all stats that compare a player to the average at his position.

 

DRS is a "raw number." It is not a stat that compares a player to the average at his position.

 

There are components within DRS, such as plus/minus, that compares ranges between players.

 

But at it's "core," DRS is a raw number that provides a calculation for how many run a player prevents defensively (or contributes to the opposition if in the negative), just like wRC is a number that provides a calculation for how many runs a player contributes offensively.

 

The number that shows up when you look at DRS on BBref or Fangraphs that you used (Such as the -5, -2 and -1 for Seager) is compared to the average. wRC is the total number of runs that all at the plate contribution adds up to. Again, wRAA is the comparable number to DRS as it compares wRC to the average wRC, though I don't believe that average is position specific.

 

If DRS simply added up runs saved overall, then the numbers would be much, much higher than the usual single-digit or low double digits that DRS usually ends up with. But it would make very little sense for a stat to do that, as that's essentially comparing a players defense to how many runs would score if there was noone at all manning that position.

 

Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) is a defensive statistic calculated by The Fielding Bible, an organization run by John Dewan, that rates individual players as above or below average on defense. Much like UZR, players are measured in “runs” above or below average, and Baseball Info Solutions data is used as an input. Since DRS is measured in runs, it can be compared easily with a player’s offensive contributions (wRAA or similar statistics).

 

[...]

 

DRS is as easy to read as it is difficult to calculate. DRS tells you how many runs better or worse that player has been relative to the average player at his position. A +5 DRS at third means the player is five runs better than the average third baseman.

 

From : https://library.fangraphs.com/defense/drs/

[NievesNoNO]

Anybody else think Urias opens as the starting 3B? I'm excited to see if he can make a bit of a jump. Maybe he becomes a lesser version of Jose Ramirez. That's be a big jump for this season but he seems to have the skill set to build from.

[82brewcrew82]

Anybody else think Urias opens as the starting 3B? I'm excited to see if he can make a bit of a jump. Maybe he becomes a lesser version of Jose Ramirez. That's be a big jump for this season but he seems to have the skill set to build from.

I think it's an option but I don't think it's written in stone yet. DS doesn't typically make his big strike until mid January. Maybe he does it again, maybe not. If not, then I'll worry about whether Urias will start at third.

[wntrtxn21]

Anybody else think Urias opens as the starting 3B? I'm excited to see if he can make a bit of a jump. Maybe he becomes a lesser version of Jose Ramirez. That's be a big jump for this season but he seems to have the skill set to build from.

 

Imo Urias was brought in for only one purpose, to be the starting SS. Arcia was the worst offensive SS in baseball 2 years in a row and the position needed an upgrade. Urias would be one of the worst offensive 3B and paired with the worst offensive SS, it would be disaster for the Crew. I truly believe Stearns will get a 3B once Donaldson signs somewhere and they make a decision on Bryant.

[adambr2]

Anybody else think Urias opens as the starting 3B? I'm excited to see if he can make a bit of a jump. Maybe he becomes a lesser version of Jose Ramirez. That's be a big jump for this season but he seems to have the skill set to build from.

 

Imo Urias was brought in for only one purpose, to be the starting SS. Arcia was the worst offensive SS in baseball 2 years in a row and the position needed an upgrade. Urias would be one of the worst offensive 3B and paired with the worst offensive SS, it would be disaster for the Crew. I truly believe Stearns will get a 3B once Donaldson signs somewhere and they make a decision on Bryant.

 

Yeah I agree. Urias is our starting SS. It would be utterly disappointing if our starting left side infield was Urias and Arcia.

[KeithStone53151]

Anybody else think Urias opens as the starting 3B? I'm excited to see if he can make a bit of a jump. Maybe he becomes a lesser version of Jose Ramirez. That's be a big jump for this season but he seems to have the skill set to build from.

 

Imo Urias was brought in for only one purpose, to be the starting SS. Arcia was the worst offensive SS in baseball 2 years in a row and the position needed an upgrade. Urias would be one of the worst offensive 3B and paired with the worst offensive SS, it would be disaster for the Crew. I truly believe Stearns will get a 3B once Donaldson signs somewhere and they make a decision on Bryant.

 

You make all good points and I almost completely agree...I think you and many others are underestimating the upside of Urias. At least that's the sense I get from this post and many others. Urias is certainly capable of being a 300 hitter. He'll lack the power you want at 3b without question, but the offensive production could be decent at 3b if he starts to figure it out at the MLB level. And everything about his profile indicates he will, and very soon.

 

All that said, I completely agree you don't want him starting at 3b. Even if he hits 300, his offensive production won't quite be what you want at 3b. It would be monstrous at SS, but maybe average at best at 3b. And I especially liked your point about Stearns making his move once Donaldson/Bryant get settled. I'm guessing we're at least a couple weeks away from that.

[brewcrewdue80]

Alright perused some stats and comparisons. Healy for his career at 3b has a .925 fielding pct. Castellanos had it at .955. Healy has a slightly better range factor but it's not by much. So, made me wonder a little bit on is Healy being brought in to play 3b?, or is he a platoon partner with Smoak? Healy is 6'5", his last 2 seasons are sorta reverse splits RHB better vs RHP worse vs LHP. Smoak is a switch hitter who bats much better from the RH side vs LHP. 6'4". So what you are getting if you platooned them are batters that cant be platooned against with pitchers. As Healy bats RH vs the LH as does Smoak. and Healy bats best vs RHP so you're not gaining the advantage there.

 

If you follow along, that leaves 3b completely open. Open to sign one of the two biggest remaining bats that play 3b between Donaldson or Castellanos. Castellanos considering how poor Healy has performed at 3b fielding would lead to believe having Castellanos defend at 3b not be an issue.

 

That brings me back to Castellanos is waiting on Donaldson's contract to set his contract. 4/80 for Donaldson would leave to think 5/60mil for Castellanos being younger and not coming with the value Donaldson has. Yes 40% less. Talking 1.5WAR vs 6WAR. It may even be something like 4/48 or 5/55 longer term. Now putting that down I think I gotta bump Donaldson to4/96 up to 4/104. Which maybe bumps Castellanos say 5/65 or 4/52mil.

 

Castellanos and Donaldson via Statcast would grade out essentially like this all of the last 5 seasons. JD: A+,A+,A,A,A+ and NC: C,B,B,B+,B

They both are very consistent what they'll bring with the bat it's just Donaldson is at God Level, and Castellanos is just below All Star level.

 

Now, if you could put me in Stearns' shoes I'd be begging for Mark A to let him offer 3/years for up to 90million to entice Donaldson to Milw. This is a bat that is the difference between Wild Card or Division win and sets up better to go on to the WS.

 

Unless Castellanos signs before Donaldson, I fully believe we will end up with one or the other. The big Domino is when JD signs.

[TJseven7]

Alright perused some stats and comparisons. Healy for his career at 3b has a .925 fielding pct. Castellanos had it at .955. Healy has a slightly better range factor but it's not by much. So, made me wonder a little bit on is Healy being brought in to play 3b?, or is he a platoon partner with Smoak? Healy is 6'5", his last 2 seasons are sorta reverse splits RHB better vs RHP worse vs LHP. Smoak is a switch hitter who bats much better from the RH side vs LHP. 6'4". So what you are getting if you platooned them are batters that cant be platooned against with pitchers. As Healy bats RH vs the LH as does Smoak. and Healy bats best vs RHP so you're not gaining the advantage there.

 

If you follow along, that leaves 3b completely open. Open to sign one of the two biggest remaining bats that play 3b between Donaldson or Castellanos. Castellanos considering how poor Healy has performed at 3b fielding would lead to believe having Castellanos defend at 3b not be an issue.

 

That brings me back to Castellanos is waiting on Donaldson's contract to set his contract. 4/80 for Donaldson would leave to think 5/60mil for Castellanos being younger and not coming with the value Donaldson has. Yes 40% less. Talking 1.5WAR vs 6WAR. It may even be something like 4/48 or 5/55 longer term. Now putting that down I think I gotta bump Donaldson to4/96 up to 4/104. Which maybe bumps Castellanos say 5/65 or 4/52mil.

 

Castellanos and Donaldson via Statcast would grade out essentially like this all of the last 5 seasons. JD: A+,A+,A,A,A+ and NC: C,B,B,B+,B

They both are very consistent what they'll bring with the bat it's just Donaldson is at God Level, and Castellanos is just below All Star level.

 

Now, if you could put me in Stearns' shoes I'd be begging for Mark A to let him offer 3/years for up to 90million to entice Donaldson to Milw. This is a bat that is the difference between Wild Card or Division win and sets up better to go on to the WS.

 

Unless Castellanos signs before Donaldson, I fully believe we will end up with one or the other. The big Domino is when JD signs.

 

Healy should be on the AAA roster at 1b. He should be a veteran stash player in case Braun gets hurt or fails at 1b. He is basically a free player. Comparing his 3b play, which shouldn't happen, to Castellanos doesn't alleviate the fact that Castellanos is a terrible defender at 3b.

 

If 3b isn't at least half open with Sogard playing part time there, I'm going to be livid. I also don't want a 30 million dollar old guy or a 15 million dollar LF playing 3b. Sure it's not putting Braun back at 3b, but its bad.

 

Hiura is terrible at 2b so far. Urias isn't a sure thing defensively at SS. You put a bad 3b defender out there too and this infield could be a complete circus.

[reillymcshane]

I am of the belief that the Brewers will trade for a third baseman, or sign someone such as Todd Frazier or Asdrubal Cabrera. Both are able to move around the diamond if necessary. Frazier could play 1B, Cabrera 1B, 2B and SS (obviously you don't want Cabrera playing SS, but he can in a pinch). Both could be had for a one (or at most two) year deal.

 

I think you'll see a lot of moving around of Sogard, Arias, Arcia and whomever we sign. Hiura is pretty much only a 2B, and Smoak is only a 1B.

 

On the trade side, I think someone like Johan Camargo would be ideal. Or David Fletcher, if the Angels are willing to let him go. Both players could move around the diamond as needed, but focus primarily on 3B. Again, if either player is available is one question. And the cost is another. But if something could be arranged, they would be options for the Crew.

 

If the Angels hold on to Fletcher and shift him to 2B (which I think they should), Tommy La Stella could be available. But he only has one year left before being a FA - and his output last year, while impressive, could be a fluke based upon previous performance.

 

A trade of Hader, obviously, wildly expands possibilities. But I just don't know if anyone is willing to give up what we want for him.

 

I want to stress that this is not something I advocate, but it is the solution that I think Milwaukee will use to fill our 3B slot.

[Fear The Chorizo]

I keep coming back to Kyle Seager - I think the Mariners are hoping a trade market develops for him after Donaldson signs somewhere...if he's healthy he would be a great fit playing in Milwaukee and hitting in the 5-6 slot of a lineup. Him opting to waive that automatic player option 3rd year of his contract if he's dealt to a contender makes him even more enticing if he's actually serious about it.

 

I'm also keeping an eye out on where Lindor winds up if he's traded - if the Dodgers bring him in they are going to probably look to trade Cory Seager or Justin Turner.

 

These dominos are going to take time to become available, but any of those three names would be significant upgrades at 3B for the Brewers. It's too early to tell what the pricetag would be with some of these guys, particularly if the Brewers are willing to take on a good chunk of Turner's or Kyle Seager's remaining salary. Cory Seager would probably cost the most in terms of prospect value and probably have the largest # of teams vying to trade for him.

 

Another factor slowing the 3B trade market down is what the Cubs are going to do with Bryant pending results of that grievance that is taking FOREVER to be resolved. I struggle to understand why the Cubs are looking to trade him regardless of the grievance outcome - that market crying poor due to their own luxury tax problems for signing guys like Heyward and Lester to these massive deals is hilarious. Unless there is truly bad blood with Bryant for the Cubs holding him back in the minors when they were terrible, I don't see how he leaves. Specific to the Cubs, is it me or have they had just a trainwreck of an offseason so far? They seem to be completely handcuffed in what they can do in terms of adding players via FA due to self-imposed payroll constraints, and that farm system doesn't have any immediate answers filling some gaping holes.

 

For now, the Brewers have in-house options to cover 3B, but Stearns will bring someone better in...it's more than likely a matter of being patient and waiting for better options to become available as this offseason progresses. That may actually trickle into next season at the trade deadline for some of the options I listed above (sans Bryant - no way he'd be dealt to the Brewers if he is traded).

[edfunderburk]

If we get to February & none of the other more prominent power-hitting options be available, I like LaStella from the Angels as an option for 3B