Is Miguel Cabrera a better 3B option than Braun? (Split from Marlins thread)

[Fear The Chorizo]

Man, I really don't like Cabrera. He seems like a whiney dude that has great ability but doesn't train hard or take anything too serious.

 

He's playing for a team that draws about 10k per game, and for an organization that has shown no long-term committment to its players. At his age (I believe he's younger than Fielder still, I know he's younger than Weeks), I can see plenty of reasons why he's become a bit jaded. We have to remember that the last time they were a great team, he was a rookie, and he's seen everyone but himself and Willis get shipped out of town since that season.

 

He may be out of shape and unmotivated, but every single team in baseball would die to have a player with his ability on their roster.

[Ennder]

Morgan Ensberg is a good fielding 3B who carries a very high OBP and can probably be had cheap so if he doesn't work out Hall can be the backup plan.

 

Weeks is still one of the worst 2B in baseball, Fielder is well below average at 1B, we simply do not have the time to hope Braun manages to just become bad instead of outright terrible like he was this year.

[brettac1]

I don't think Melvin's going to move Braun to make room for a guy like Ensberg. Cabrera yes, but not Ensberg.

 

Undoubtedly, though, the infield D is disastrous. It seems like the team is content to live with it at this point.

[endaround]

It could be worse of course, it could be the Marlins!

[joeyhepatitis]

If you ever saw Cabrera in a Brewers uniform he would definitely be playing 3rd base considering Braun would be in Florida teaming up with Hanley Ramirez to create the worst 3B/SS combo in the history of baseball.

[OglivieHomePerm]

Nate Silver blogs about Ryan Braun's Defense: http://www.baseballprospectus.com/unfiltered/?p=609

[Invader3K]

I guess after reading that blog post I am more open to the idea of moving Braun to the outfield. I just don't know if the Brewers organization feels the same way, or if it is feasible.

[Fatter than Joey]

I just don't know if the Brewers organization feels the same way, or if it is feasible.

 

I sure hope it is an option being weighed. I guess I just don't see the upside of Braun staying at 3rd -- and people seem to forget when Weeks got to do his butchering act, the Brewers were not going anywhere -- 2008 is a different story though.

 

Personally I would love to see a series of transactions where our OF is Braun/Hart/Weeks. I would feel really good about that.

 

EDIT: The other thing I don't know if Silver noticed was that Fielder was in both lists that Braun was is -- now we all know Fielder is stuck at 1b, we can't move him -- but I think then the Brewers have to come to the realization that you need better 2bs and 3bs making more accurate throws/getting to more balls. If we replaced Fielder with someone like Derrek Lee, I'd feel better about letting Weeks and Braun continue to flounder, but with Prince at 1b, a lot of the marginal plays will become errors/non-outs.

[Invader3K]

Braun/Hart/Weeks would be perfectly fine by me.

[splitterpfj]

While I see zero chance of Weeks and Braun both becoming outfielders, they'd really only need to acquire one new player to make that happen. Hall could move back to an infield spot, leaving either 2B or 3B to be filled from outside the organization.

 

With extra starting pitchers around, that's very doable.

[endaround]

The difference is that if Weeks has found his power again, the gap between him and an average hitting 2B is huge that it could make up for a below average defense. And while Weeks isn't good, hes not near Braun's level. (BP has him actually just below average. He isn't good in RZR but MGL doesn't have him among the bottom three defensively in the NL).

[bretsky07]

• • [li]Move Braun to LF, sign

  Mike Lowell at 3B, sit on Matt LaPorta for a year

• Move Bill Hall to 3B, Braun to RF, and Corey Hart to CF; LaPorta gets the opportunity to make the big league club out of spring training.
• Trade Bill Hall and Claudio Vargas for Joe Crede and Faustino de los Santos, move Hart to CF, Braun to RF.
  

[/li]

The three options from the bottom of the Nate Silver article linked above all sound great to me. If I had to choose I would probably take the second option. Corey looked pretty good in center, and Braun definitely does have a strong enough arm for RF.