Brewers trade for 1B Rowdy Tellez from Blue Jays

[LouisEly]

19 hours ago, NBBrewFan said:

Tellez is ranked 20th in MLB for 1B based on fWAR (includes baserunning and defense, both of which he is bad).  A typical Brewers hitter that is good/great in one aspect and bad in the others.  

If I'm reading their stats correctly, it looks like 17 of the 19 1B ahead of him on that list have negative defensive values as well which seems rather odd.  The only 1B on that list with a positive defensive value is LeMahieu who has played more innings at 3B and 2B than 1B this year. 

I'm not the expert on Fangraphs defensive value, but if 18 of the top 20 qualified 1B have a negative defensive value that to me suggests that defensive value is compared to all players and not just 1B.  If that's the case, I don't think that's a good way to measure defensive value as if they compare to just 1B it would paint a much more neutral picture defensively.  Tellez's speed/range would be much more negative if he played another position but at 1B it's not that relevant or impactful.

[wntrtxn21]

On 9/4/2022 at 4:20 PM, adambr2 said:

Not trying to dog on Rowdy but I'm confused that anyone would be doing victory laps over him any point, much less understanding the seemingly cult following that he has. 

Rowdy Tellez is the very definition of "just a guy." He's Daniel Vogelbach with a little more pop and a little less ability to get on base. 

He's simply another body in the long line of "nothing special" 1st basemen that we've been penciling into lineup cards for the last 11 years who do some things well and other things not so much. 

Tellez is just fine as the Brewers' 1B. He is outperforming his contract and fits perfectly within the Brewers' budget. Of full time 1B he's 5th in HRs, 8th in RBIs, and middle of the pack in OPS.  Is he a Freeman or Goldschmidt, no, but they can win with him. Offensively 3B is a huge problem. CF is a huge problem. Catcher is a huge problem. Bullpen has become a problem to a lesser extent. Stearns needs to fix those long before he needs a new 1B.

[Outlander]

I would tend to agree, with limited resources there are other areas that need to be addressed. It would be nice to get an upgrade at 1B but not necessary. Might not be saying the same thing though in arbitration 3 in 2024.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

The trade and contract cost it would take to acquire a replacement wouldn't be worth the small incremental improvement they could theoretically get that that position, in my opinion. Tellez isn't a superstar, but he's just entering his prime years, and should be able to provide 30-35 HR power whole holding down that spot for the foreseeable future. 

[Jopal78]

19 minutes ago, Ron Robinsons Beard said:

The trade and contract cost it would take to acquire a replacement wouldn't be worth the small incremental improvement they could theoretically get that that position, in my opinion. Tellez isn't a superstar, but he's just entering his prime years, and should be able to provide 30-35 HR power whole holding down that spot for the foreseeable future. 

Not the foreseeable future, but next year. He's a free agent after 2024, thus as I posted earlier a stop gap that buys the team time to find a replacement, but they'll have to have some notion where they're going with the position by the end of next year. 

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

29 minutes ago, Jopal78 said:

Not the foreseeable future, but next year. He's a free agent after 2024, thus as I posted earlier a stop gap that buys the team time to find a replacement, but they'll have to have some notion where they're going with the position by the end of next year. 

I think he's likely the 1B for next year and 2024. I could see them dealing him at the 2024 deadline if he's still a productive hitter and the Brewers are not in the race. I would hope that there would be a ready-made replacement in the organization by then. That said, it remains quite disappointing that the team's player development arm continues to seemingly completely ignore the infield corners.  

[Jopal78]

4 hours ago, Ron Robinsons Beard said:

I think he's likely the 1B for next year and 2024. I could see them dealing him at the 2024 deadline if he's still a productive hitter and the Brewers are not in the race. I would hope that there would be a ready-made replacement in the organization by then. That said, it remains quite disappointing that the team's player development arm continues to seemingly completely ignore the infield corners.  

I don't think we're really disagreeing, barring a major roster shakeup, Tellez is likely to be the 1B in 2023. But they're most likely not going to sign him to a a contract extension so they will need another first basemen by the middle of 2024, or at the very  least an idea of who will play first base after Tellez is gone. 

I get why they ignore the corner infield; they're philosophy is if a player has the chops to play up the middle they can play anywhere on the diamond (like Jace Peterson). Plus, I think the reason they choose the athletic contact hitters is because "power" remains a relatively cheap commodity to acquire (like Rowdy Tellez, Renfroe, etc.).

[Robocaller]

8 hours ago, Jopal78 said:

 but they'll have to have some notion where they're going with the position by the end of next year. 

Not if they believe 1B like him can always be acquired for cheap. I think that's what they believe.