Brewers sign Jackie Bradley Jr. (2-year/$24M with player option after first year.)

[jerichoholicninja]

Cain doesn't need to nor should he be playing 140-150 games at his age. Yelich needs to be in the lineup everyday. Bradley, Cain, and Garcia will get more than enough AB's rotating through.

[homer]

For some reason, when I hear the name Jackie Bradley, Jr it makes me think of this SNL skit with Martin Short:

 

[MrTPlush]

Random JBJ observation: he is very much a spray hitter.

 

 

 

I find myself Wondering what the distance was on that outlier home run to deep right center field. Because that must have been a monster shot

 

https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/sporty-videos?playId=c030e4e9-949d-4518-b0d8-cc8d55babbcd

[pacopete4]

I'll go back to my 2015 Royals comp. They were maybe just above league average on offense (guessing). Everyone goes one way, might be a smart move to go a different direction. We shall see.

 

I think this is a very good comparison for right now. Pitching and defense will lead the way with this team and we hope that their offense is about on par with the rest of their careers. You get that and this is going to be a fun summer of baseball.

[PeaveyFury]

It's okay to criticize the Brewers beat writer if you want. I think we all are ignorant of what his editors expect in terms of scope and depth of his reporting. However, there's nothing inaccurate in this piece, only a misinterpretation of his writing perhaps from a quick skim of the article initially which is what the USA Today stands for.

 

I'm actually a JS subscriber, so hopefully that addresses any concerns you may have regarding my reading habits.

 

For the record, here is the full quote regarding payroll:

 

With no gate revenue during the 60-game season last year, commissioner Rob Manfred said clubs lost more than $3 billion collectively. Sources indicate the Brewers’ losses for the year were somewhere between $70 million and $90 million. Beyond that, they have no idea what limits might be placed on total attendance for this year, creating further budgetary concerns.

 

Accordingly, there are payroll constraints as president of baseball operations David Stearns prepares for the 2021 season. Thus, the lack of activity, though Stearns said other reasons have been in play as well.

 

So, I suppose it's fair to say that Tom doesn't state that payroll will be reduced. But it's strongly implied there, no? "Accordingly, payroll constraints for 2021" certainly doesn't imply a payroll INCREASE, does it?

 

On Twitter, Tom has repeatedly noted that the Brewers would be severely handcuffed financially for 2021, and they've basically debunked that notion over the past few weeks. I think Tom made a number of assumptions based on what he thought he knew about the Brewers' intentions this year, and was incorrect. The issue is, he rarely provides much actual insight on the team and when he does try to write an article like this, it's basically invalidated days later. It's astounding that national guys continually find a way to scoop the literal ONE reporter that covers the Brewers in this state, who, as you noted, should hypothetically have 30 years worth of goodwill and sources to provide 'scoops'. It implies an inability or unwillingness to actually provide such reporting.

 

Overall, a bit of an odd hill to choose to die on. This seemingly morphed from a conversation about the Brewers' payroll and 'cheapness' of the team to a defense of Haudricourt, which puzzles me.

[Eye Black]

Off the top of my head they’re down 40+ million from last year... Haudricourt still has the math right, even if you don’t like him.

 

Unfortunately, your 'off the top of your head' numbers are incorrect. Per Fangraphs:

 

2020 Final Payroll: $102 million

2021 Payroll: $105 Million

 

https://www.fangraphs.com/roster-resource/payroll/brewers

 

Obviously the reader isn’t supposed to take him literally when he says they aren’t “going to sign anyone”.

 

Says you, I suppose. Obviously, the article meant 'of significance' or 'for significant dollars'. We can go line by line through the article, if you'd like to actually analyze Tom's intent. Point is, Tom put out an article that was almost immediately disproved. Trying to spin it as otherwise at this point is just a puzzling attempt to explain away bad journalism.

A similar thing happened in 2012. Haudricourt said in the off-season following the 2011 season that the Brewers wouldn't be able to exceed the previous year's $95 million payroll. Within a week or two of his reporting the Brewers had signed Aramis Ramirez and ultimately had a payroll over $100 million for the 2012 season.

[MadThinker88]

Hmmmm Good pitching. Very good defense. Questionable offense.

Are the Brewers becoming a warped version of Cleveland??

 

2020 CLE = Great pitching (especially in rotation) & a couple very good relievers, very good defense overall, a couple good hitters and a historically poor offense in the OF. Final record 35-25 (94.5 wins over 162 game schedule).

 

2021 MKE = Very good pitching overall (rotation & bullpen), very good defense overall, a couple of good hitters, questionable offense from some INF spots.

Final record ????

[MrTPlush]

The overlay on MP looks like 5-6 doubles that result in HRs. Possibly 2 outs become doubles. That outfield in Boston if I recall the fence is basically player height so easy to "rob" a HR. But at same time in MP it may just bounce of wall or still be caught..

 

Yah, but on the flip side it won't take into considerations the fact Miller Park is much smaller in CF/RF and the outfielders can cover a lot more of the overall field...thus less balls dropping for singles/doubles. Of course the ballparks he will play in are totally different.

 

It is a fun exercise...but I don't know it really says much. People always think a guy will hit more homers coming to Miller Park and so often it doesn't really equate to that. Just looking at his HRs and their distances on baseball savant when he hits them, he REALLY hits em out.

[brewers4eric]

I'm not the biggest fan of this signing, but I think it gives us the flexibility that we'll need in the outfield for 162 games. I like Tyrone Taylor, but some combination of Yelich, Cain/Bradley and Garcia/Bradley each night looks pretty good on paper. I thought that Garcia was totally miscast as a center fielder in 2020 and it impacted his offensive game. Platoons always look good on paper but you need both halves of a platoon to perform.

 

I guess we'll know if defense was the way to go by the all star break. I was a big fan of the 1992 Brewers, but the offense was just sickening for me to watch in 2020. Fifty years of home runs, strikeouts and deploying multiple DH's all over the field hasn't exactly worked out all that well. I'm willing to watch and see what happens.

 

Go Brewers.

[monty57]

Truly spending money to me, is increasing the payroll consistently, and never dropping it down below a certain level

 

Just a hunch, but do you work for the government?

[PeaveyFury]

Hmmmm Good pitching. Very good defense. Questionable offense.

Are the Brewers becoming a warped version of Cleveland??

 

2020 CLE = Great pitching (especially in rotation) & a couple very good relievers, very good defense overall, a couple good hitters and a historically poor offense in the OF. Final record 35-25 (94.5 wins over 162 game schedule).

 

2021 MKE = Very good pitching overall (rotation & bullpen), very good defense overall, a couple of good hitters, questionable offense from some INF spots. Final record ????

 

Interesting stuff, thanks for posting.

 

I do think it's worth noting that the Brewers' F.O. appears to be banking on the idea that defense may be undervalued in the open market and offered the 2021 team the best opportunity to improve for the money they had available.

[bergstein24]

Pretty cut and dry quote from Counsell here

 

Craig Counsell: "Lorenzo is our center fielder."

 

[OldSchoolSnapper]

To be trying to win, you have to arbitrarily hit a number that's higher than the one from last year. Context be damned. If you want to get better, just throw money at whatever is there.

[monty57]

LF: Yelich (145) Garcia (17)

CF: Cain (110) JBJ (52)

RF: Garcia (94) JBJ (68)

 

Yelich (145) JBJ (120 vs RHP) Garcia (111) Cain (110)

 

Plenty of starts for all four even without the DH.

 

I brought this quote over from the thread in the "Rumors" forum, because I thought it was pretty good. We don't know how injuries will affect things, but everyone will need days off, especially coming off a 60-game season in which Cain only played five games.

 

Bradley knows what he's getting into, so he has to be alright knowing that he's not playing every day. Cain is going to need quite a few days off with his age and having not played in a while. Garcia won't be asked to play CF, and will get a lot of his plate appearances against LHP.

 

I think Counsell will do a good job of keeping everyone fresh, and keeping everyone happy. Plus, we will have an injury or two, and will still field starting-caliber players when that happens. On paper, signing another OF might not seem to make a lot of sense, but our team is undoubtedly better with this signing, and there really wasn't anyone else out there who could have significantly "moved the needle" any more than Bradley.

[markedman5]

Pretty cut and dry quote from Counsell here

 

Craig Counsell: "Lorenzo is our center fielder."

 

 

yep...when Lo is in the lineup he will be in center.

 

Adam McCalvy

@AdamMcCalvy

·

14m

Craig Counsell can't talk directly about Jackie Bradley Jr., but here's what he said: "We don't have any fourth outfielders. We have a lot of starting outfielders and we have to figure out how that works. ... But there's playing time, absolutely."

[Warning Track Power]

Hmmmm Good pitching. Very good defense. Questionable offense.

Are the Brewers becoming a warped version of Cleveland??

 

2020 CLE = Great pitching (especially in rotation) & a couple very good relievers, very good defense overall, a couple good hitters and a historically poor offense in the OF. Final record 35-25 (94.5 wins over 162 game schedule).

 

2021 MKE = Very good pitching overall (rotation & bullpen), very good defense overall, a couple of good hitters, questionable offense from some INF spots.

Final record ????

While I anticipate the Brewers offense to return to superstar level (Yelich), career form (Garcia, Narvaez) and somewhere in between 2019-2020 (Hiura), I anticipate the Brewers winning a lot of 3-2 and 4-3 type games. This team reminds me a lot of the SF Giants teams of the early 2010s with Bumgarner, Cain, and Lincecum assuming Woodruff and Burnes are the aces they showed in 2020.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

Hmmmm Good pitching. Very good defense. Questionable offense.

Are the Brewers becoming a warped version of Cleveland??

 

2020 CLE = Great pitching (especially in rotation) & a couple very good relievers, very good defense overall, a couple good hitters and a historically poor offense in the OF. Final record 35-25 (94.5 wins over 162 game schedule).

 

2021 MKE = Very good pitching overall (rotation & bullpen), very good defense overall, a couple of good hitters, questionable offense from some INF spots.

Final record ????

 

Good comparison. Brewers are kind of bizzarro Cleveland, with a patchwork infield and solid, albeit high priced OF. For years Cleveland has been great in the infield, but their neglect of the OF has arguably kept them from taking that next step. We'll see soon if the Brewers infield is a letdown.

[sveumrules]

1. I have never seen a pitching and defense Milwaukee Brewers team and I am 38 years old

 

In 2018 the Brewers finished 5th in ERA, 2nd in Defensive Runs Saved & scored the 12th most runs en route to Game 7 of the NLCS.

 

Over the last four years the Brewers rank 9th in ERA, 7th in DRS & 15th in runs scored.

 

Pitching & defense has kind of been Stearns & company's MO.

[Eye Black]

My initial thoughts on the signing:

 

1. I have never seen a pitching and defense Milwaukee Brewers team and I am 38 years old.

I agree that heading into a season I've never said to myself, "this team is focused on pitching and defense." There have been some exceptions where they ended up good in those categories.

 

Although it was maybe unexpected at the time, the Brewers led the American League in lowest runs allowed in 1992 with just 604 runs against. The next closest American League team allowed 653 runs (Twins).

 

I also think you could qualify the 2018 team as solid-to-good in both categories.

[adambr2]

He is a great compliment to Garcia/Cain in my opinion. A bit pricey, but in the end he will still probably have over 400 ABs.

 

If you are simply looking at small sample size stats from 2020 or are living in the year 2016 this is probably a lot more exciting to you. A closer look at his three years prior to 2020 tells us an average offensive player overall is probably a more realistic expectation. Of course if he sits a bunch versus lefties he may end up looking a bit more favorable in a platoon situation.

 

400 ABs? Goodness, for 12M a year plus an opt out I would sure hope so. Hernan Perez got 400 ABs.

[brewers888]

I realize I am the only one that doesn't like this signing but I don't like so much of our monetary assets tied up into one position (outfield) when we are likely to have the weakest left side of the infield in the league and very likely an offense that struggles to get hits much less score the runs necessary to win enough.

[Austin Tatious]

Fun fact. I wonder what percentage of our entire payroll comes from the outfield? Has to be astronomical.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

I realize I am the only one that doesn't like this signing but I don't like so much of our monetary assets tied up into one position (outfield) when we are likely to have the weakest left side of the infield in the league and very likely an offense that struggles to get hits much less score the runs necessary to win enough.

 

So you've said!

 

Fortunately, 4-2 wins count the same as 8-6 wins.

[monty57]

He is a great compliment to Garcia/Cain in my opinion. A bit pricey, but in the end he will still probably have over 400 ABs.

 

If you are simply looking at small sample size stats from 2020 or are living in the year 2016 this is probably a lot more exciting to you. A closer look at his three years prior to 2020 tells us an average offensive player overall is probably a more realistic expectation. Of course if he sits a bunch versus lefties he may end up looking a bit more favorable in a platoon situation.

 

400 ABs? Goodness, for 12M a year plus an opt out I would sure hope so. Hernan Perez got 400 ABs.

 

Well, our OF consists of Cain ($17M), Yelich ($14M), Bradley ($12M), and Garcia ($10.75M). They are the four most expensive players we'll have on the team in 2021, and one of them has to sit at the start of every game.

[brewers888]

How many games did this team go into the 5th inning or later before getting its first hit of the game. Besides Yelich I don't think we can count on one other hitter being above average for their position. I believe that Hiura can be that guy but he won't be if he doesn't count down on the strikeouts.

 

Its great that Stearns is the anti Melvin in regards to prioritizing pitching and defense but I think he is too focused on defense at the expense of hitting the baseball. We don't need to be a beer league softball team but geez this offense is weak.