Looks like it's a good thing the Brewers kept their options open.
The Brewers were expecting a decision from Corey Hart last night, but didn't get one. Then they expected one this morning, but didn't get that either. They finally got an answer this afternoon, but I don't think it's the one any of us were expecting.
Hart has signed a one-year deal with the Mariners, according to Jon Heyman. Terms have not yet been disclosed. He'll head west to play for Seattle GM and longtime Brewers executive Jack Zduriencik, and could provide some power in the lineup behind fellow new acquisition Robinson Cano. The Mariners had a gap in their lineup following the free agent departure of 1B/DH Kendrys Morales.
With Hart off the market, the Brewers are probably likely to revisit some of their rumored trade conversations from earlier this week. They've supposedly had talks with the Mets regarding Ike Davis and Lucas Duda, the Marlins regarding Logan Morrison and the Giants about Brett Pill, and those are just the talks we know about.
The Brewers are not believed to be interested in free agents James Loney or Morales. Loney is believed to be seeking a three-year deal and signing Morales would cost the team their first pick in the 2014 draft.
In exchange the Marlins will receive right-handed pitcher Carter Capps. Capps was the Mariners' third round pick in the 2011 draft and has pitched in relief in the majors in each of the last two seasons, posting a 5.04 ERA over 71 appearances. He's still only 23 years old, and before the 2013 season John Sickels of Minor League Ball ranked him as the tenth best prospect in the Mariners organization.
With Hart and Morrison no longer available, the Brewers may be turning their attention to some options they'd previously dismissed. Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports the Brewers are turning their attention to former Rays first baseman James Loney. Loney is coming off a career year in 2013, where he appeared in 158 games and hit .299/.348/.430. He is 29 years old and believed to be seeking a three-year deal.
The Mariners have agreed to a one-year deal with free-agent first baseman/outfielder Corey Hart, according to CBSSports.com's Jon Heyman. What are the fantasy implications?
Hart, who has played the majority of his nine-year career in the outfield, will likely spend the bulk of his time in a first base/designated hitter role while in Seattle, but a shaky outfield currently consisting of Dustin Ackley, Michael Saunders and Abraham Almonte could lead to some time in the outfield.
According to Heyman, Hart is expected to hit behind Robinson Cano, whom the Mariners inked to the third-highest contract in MLB history prior to the Winter Meetings.
Moving from Milwaukee to Seattle is a signficant downgrade offensively. Dan Szymborski has already ran his ZiPS projections with Hart's change of scenery, and it's not pretty:
Corey Hart ZiPS in Seattle - 246/307/421, 18 HR, 52 RBI, 106 OPS+, 1.6 WAR in 120 games in right.
It does seem odd that Hart chose the Mariners over the Brewers on a one-year deal, as a better bet for offensive production is more appealing in Milwaukee. But, presumably, money talks.
Hart can hit both right-handed and left-handed pitching well, but the biggest drop-off will be in the power numbers. According to ESPN Park Factors, Miller Park increased home run production by almost 26 percent while Safeco decreased home run production by about 11 percent. If Hart's knees hold up, I think 25 home runs is still a possibility, but I'm not willing to count on the nearly 30 he averaged from 2010-2012. He also shouldn't be counted on to be a source of steals, given his recent injury history.
Hart's batting average has consistently been in the .270-.285 range since 2010, but his home and away numbers have been very different. Away from Miller Park, Hart has hit .262/.316/.446, compared to .291/.352/.539 in Milwaukee. I'm not expecting Hart's batting average to all of a sudden rebound in Safeco.
The move to Seattle should keep Hart safely outside of the top-40 outfielders. Like it does with Cano, the move decreases Hart's fantasy value.
Axford was one of the best closers in baseball in 2011, before struggling in 2012 and the first half of 2013, then rebounding after a trade to St. Louis in late August:
When Axford was non-tendered by the Cardinals last week, I did list home among the players I would be interested in seeing the Tribe kick the tires on, though without knowing the terms of this offer, it's hard to give a solid opinion on it. I'd be happy if it were a 1-year deal for $4 million or so, but unless the Indians are willing to go above $90 million in payroll for 2014, I'm against spending much more than that on any available relief pitcher.
The Mariners are hoarding first basemen, David Price doesn't like the rain (we knew this already, female drivers) and there's now a version of MLB fight club, agents only.
** Talks are "heating up" in the Davis market, as the Brewers, Pirates and Rays are all interested. Grand scheme of things: the Brewers, Pirates and Rays are going to be mentioned in talks with every valuable first baseman remaining.
DP will join the new gang in Seattle, but not for an extended period of time
David Price's agent, Bo McKinnis, is strolling the halls of Disney chatting about his prized pitcher, and relaying to the masses that Price would not consider an extension with the Mariners if he ended up there. Mind you, this doesn't apply to all teams, as Bo said that Price would consider extensions with other teams. Which ones were left a mystery (for now).
Off topic, but does anyone else just see an angry Bo Pelini any time the name Bo is mentioned now? Just me?
"The things you own end up owning you."
Tyler Durden, so poignant and meaningful at the Winter Meetings. In what just may be the most exciting event to occur at this year's Winter Meetings, there was a brawl between two agents in the parking lot of the Dolphin hotel at noon yesterday. Yes, noon.
Per Jeff Passan, "Two men tried to beat the crap out of each other, witnesses said, and one of them threatened to burn the other's house down." A "Stay the [expletive] away from my guy!" was yelled, kicks and punches were thrown, and well, according to a witness, "It was pathetic ... It was the worst fight I've ever seen."
Unfortunately, Scott Boras and HOVA were not identified as the two brawling agents.
Actual Winter Meetings decisions and whatnot
MLB ruled yesterday that home-plate collisions need to end, approving a ban in situations "which the baserunner plows over the catcher in an attempt to jar the ball loose." MLBPA approval is required for the change to officially be made for the 2014 season, with the rule being presented to the MLBPA in January. Even if they don't approve this, MLB can still unilaterally implement the rule for 2015.
- The Rule 5 Draft ends the winter meetings later today, with the Rays selecting 22nd. The 40-man roster currently has one opening.
- Baseball America posted their Top 10 prospects for the Rays, with Jake Odorizzi beating out Hak-Ju Lee for No. 1
- Gabe Kapler offered his analysis of whether the Rays should trade David Price: Hold out, don't settle for less than the Shields-Myers trade.
- Shortly after we reported the Rays' were in contact with the agent for former Expo, now knuckleballer, Tomo Ohka, it appears the Blue Jays have signed him to a minor league deal. The Orioles were also rumored to be interested.
The Taiwanese lefty is a very long shot to make the roster at this point.
This probably isn't the way the Brewers planned it, but it looks like they'll be coming home from Orlando today with just one acquisition from the Winter Meetings: Pitcher Wei-Chung Wang, who they selected from the Pirates in Thursday morning's Rule 5 Draft.
Wang is a 21-year-old native of Taiwan who has pitched just one professional season, appearing in 12 games (eleven starts) for the Pirates' Gulf Coast League (Rookie) team last season. He posted a 3.23 ERA over 47.1 innings and struck out eight batters per nine. Baseball Reference lists him at 6'1" and 160 pounds.
The Brewers must love Wang's potential, but he has to be considered a long shot at best to stick with this team: The organization is only allowed to keep him if he remains on the MLB roster through the 2014 season, or else they're required to offer him back to the Pirates for cash. Wang may have a brilliant future ahead of him, but it's hard to imagine he's ready to consistently face MLB hitters when he's never pitched above rookie ball.
Meanwhile, no Brewers were selected in the Major League portion of the draft.
An update on the first basemen the Rays have been tied to this winter. Focus moves to Loney, trade market includes Davis, Moreland, and Smoak.
A serious concern for the Rays finding a first baseman will be someone who can receive and scoop throws, allowing the Rays' excellent fielders to have no fear tracking down a difficult play and letting it fly. That's subjective, but important.
In part 1 we attached steamer projections for some context on offense for the available first basemen, and in part 2 we featured the new Fangraphs made/missed fielding charts.
In today's roundup, I'd like to discuss the value of receiving at first base, but that doesn't appear to be readily available. Heck, I can't even find a definitive answer as to whether it's calculated into UZR; however, Fangraphs does detail "scoops" in their fielding statistics, which is a function of DRS, so that we can use that as a plumb-line.
For each first baseman under consideration, I'll include their most recent year played regularly at that position, the number of games played, number of scoops tallied (as calculated by Mitchel Lichtman), scoops as a percentage of put outs (which says more about the infield throwing his way), and as if that wasn't subjective enough, I'll add the general consensus on each player's "Hands/Catching" from Tom Tango's annual scouting poll.
#Rays Friedman says progress in 1B pursuit, could be resolved in "next few days"
The Astros and Giant had emerged as players for Morse, who is hoping for $7-8M next season. Morse does not have a strong reputation as a defender or using his glove well, so the assumption is that wouldn't translate to first base either, though he can man the position.
According to this morning's rumors, the Giants should be the team to land the slugger who was hampered last season by a wrist injury.
Update: Morse is indeed signing with San Fran, and is expected to share left field with Gregor Blanco.
2012: 108 Games, 43 Scoops, 4.3%, average receiving
Since hearing the Rays were casting a "wide net" and including Reynolds in there interest, there's been no waves. Reynolds most recent action at first base came a year ago with average results.
We already worship Wade Boggs, isn't that enough? Even if Youk was willing to sign with the Rays, he has more banged up discs than the floor of my '94 Camry in high school. And he makes me tell bad jokes. Let's move along.
Corey Hart is likely making his return to the outfield, which may have influenced the free agent's decision to turn to Seattle and bat behind Cano. He's off the list. Then the Mariners went and snagged Logan Morrison for what Ian called the Rays equivalent of trading Alex Torres.
Both of these acquisition free up one important name for consideration:
He doesn't seem to be the nimblest of defenders, but Smoak favored well in Tango's scouting poll in the hands/catching category.
At the plate Smoak is also very interesting. His 12.3% walk rate last season placed 14th in all of baseball, while his road wOBA placed 14th among first basemen, coupled with a 119 Road wRC+, and Smoak is good for about 20 homeruns per season, but those are silver linings on a weak profile.
Let's stay in a vacuum and say Logan Morrison is the standard for first base trades moving forward.
If the Mariners were able to land Morrison for Carter Capps, a young, hard throwing reliever with high leverage potential, I think offering a lesser reliever with plenty of salary control and potential to stick in the pen now will do.
In my mind, sending Josh Lueke back to the Mariners for Smoak fits the model they've put forth. If they feel like that's not enough, the Rays could add Jose Lobaton to the offer and allow Seattle to place Zunino back in the minors (where he should not have left last season).
***
The other trade candidates still standing are probably the best receivers at first base available, after James Loney.
2013: 146 Games, 29 Scoops, 2.8%, average receiving
Tied to the Rays yesterday, he's less popular than Morrison with more than adequate range and receiving. Moreland's got power, he's got defense, he's got control, and he's available after the trade for Prince Fielder.
Moreland had a 16.5% HR per flyball rate last year, in line with Mike Trout and in the top-30. When he turns on a pitch, notably a pitch away, it gets crushed. Texas likes his power, and the team could still hold on to him for defense purposes and designated hit Prince Fielder along the way.
To pry him away from the Rangers, I would be willing to build a trade around Brandon Gomes, who Ian and I feel has strong potential to be a high leverage arm down the road. He is young has many years of salary control ahead. However, Texas will probably not motivated to trade until they know how full the outfield will be.
2012: 148 Games, 32 Scoops, 2.8%, average receiving
New York has been aggressive in trying to acquire talent for Ike, and reportedly asked the Brewers for No. 2 prospect Tyler Thornburg, who is expected to break into the bigs this season at the back of Milwaukee's rotation.
Not surprisingly, that didn't go over well.
Sounds like Ike Davis will remain a Met beyond winter meetings, but should get dealt this month.
Per Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com, Mets GM Alderson is keeping the cost high to acquire Ike: "Let me emphasize one thing: We're not in the business of giving players away."
If the concern is to find someone who can make their way into the rotation, the most I could see the Rays offering would be someone like Mike Montgomery, who needs refining at Triple-A. The rest of the rotation depth should stay in house.
We are 64 days away from pitchers and catchers reporting to Maryvale, giving Johnny Narron a couple of months to learn to write in Mandarin before the Brewers' newest addition reports to camp. The Brewers selected Taiwanese native lefty Wei-Chung Wang from the Pirates organization in this morning's Rule 5 Draft. Wang is 21 and was eligible to be selected because of a loophole dealing with his original contract, which was voided.
Wang will come to camp with an opportunity to make the Brewers' roster despite never having pitched above the lowest level of rookie ball. Brewers pro scouting director Zack Minasian told Tom Haudricourt the Brewers were comfortable with the move because of his upside, and noted that young players in Taiwan technically pitch professionally before coming to the US. John Sickels of Minor League Ball says "It seems like a long shot that he would stick, but give the Brewers credit for deep knowledge of the draft rules."
Maybe Wang can sit in Corey Hart's locker. The spot Hart has occupied for most of a decade became suddenly vacant yesterday when he signed a one-year deal with the Mariners. Adding insult to injury, the Mariners removed another of the Brewers' first base options from the equation by acquiring Logan Morrison from the Marlins.
Despite his previous statements about being willing to take a discount to stay in Milwaukee, Hart followed more money to Seattle. @Haudricourt reports his new deal with the Mariners features a $6 million base salary with $7 million in incentives, while his best offer from the Brewers was $4 million with $2.5 million in incentives. Hart texted Adam McCalvy to say the move to Seattle was "the best thing to do for me and my family."
Here's more on the Hart deal:
Jeff Sullivan of Lookout Landing has a look at the high-risk, high-reward situation of giving a significant contract to a player coming off a pair of knee surgeries.
@JPCadorin said letting Hart go "feels like a big mistake already" for the Brewers.
Lookout Landing wonders how Hart and Logan Morrison will fit in the lineup with the Mariners' incumbent first baseman, Justin Smoak.
@howiemag wonders how this will impact local reaction the next time an athlete suggests a hometown discout.
@AdamMcCalvy notes that Rickie Weeks is now the longest-tenured player in the Brewers' organization, having been selected in the 2003 draft.
In the end, the biggest side effect of Hart's departure might be a loss of time that could have been spent pursuing other options. Consider this tweet from before Hart's decision from Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish:
Agent who plans on meeting with #Brewers said he was told "schedule for today is uncertain at the moment". Hart really holding them hostage.
With Hart off the table, the Brewers will now have to look elsewhere to improve at first base. Yesterday Doug Melvin told Adam McCalvy he had "a few things on the table" but didn't expect a deal to be done before leaving the meetings today.
Even after missing out on Hart and Morrison, though, the Brewers still do not appear to be interested in former Mariner Kendrys Morales, who rejected a qualifying offer and would cost the Brewers their first round draft pick. (h/t @AdamMcCalvy) Grant Brisbee of Baseball Nation says the Yankees, who have already forfeited multiple picks, are now the only team that makes sense for Morales.
Earlier this week we also discussed Michael Morse as a possible replacement for Hart, but he's off the board now too: @JohnSheaHey reports he's signed with the Giants.
One thing is relatively certain: After spending most of a year with players playing out of position at first base, Doug Melvin appears convinced to find a true first baseman for 2014. Jaymes Langrehr had some fun with that in our Tweet of the Day:
I get what Doug Melvin means, but "I'd like to find a 1B who can play first" is pretty hilariously sad. Your 2014 Brewers, buy tickets NOW!
Melvin's comments about playing someone out of position at first base should also end the minor speculation about playing Rickie Weeks there. A rumor popped up this week suggesting the Marlins had interest in trading for Weeks, but @Haudricourt says there's "nothing to the rumors." He also said that the Brewers' best chance to move Weeks could come this spring, if he's healthy and playing well.
Khris Davis won't be moving to first either. Jonathan Judge of Disciples of Uecker wonders if we're making too much of Davis' initial hot streak in the majors, comparing it to infielder Donnie Murphy's run with the Cubs in 2013.
Meanwhile, every day the Brewers go without acquiring a first baseman increases Juan Francisco's chances of playing a meaningful role with the 2014 Brewers. Yesterday we looked at a home run he hit on July 5, the fifth longest by a Brewer in 2013.
Kevin Mattison is a 28-year-old, six year professional who has played 563 of his 635 minor league games in center field. He's a career .240/.317/.378 hitter in the minors and has spent parts of each of the last four seasons with the Marlins' AAA affiliate in New Orleans.
Catricala is 25 and a veteran of five MLB seasons. He spent 2013 in AA with the Mariners and A's organizations and hit .235/.292/.328 in 109 games.
Mattison and Catricala are both likely to play under a new manager in 2014. The Nashville Sounds announced that Rick Sweet has been hired to manage the team next season. The former big league catcher has managed 24 seasons in the minors as a member of seven organizations.
Meanwhile in Puerto Rico, Martin Maldonado went 1-for-3 with a run scored and two RBI in Mayaguez's 8-4 win over Carolina (box score). Hiram Burgos allowed a single earned run over 4.2 innings for the victors, while Irving Falu went 0-for-5 in the game.
In the Dominican Republic, Juan Francisco had a pair of hits in Licey's 5-1 win over Cibao (box score).
Elian Herrera was also in action yesterday, going 1-for-2 with a double and scoring a run in Oriente's 4-2, 12 inning loss to Escogido (box score).
Angels: Acquired Rule 5 selection Brian Moran from the Blue Jays for international bonus money. Astros: Acquired pitcher Anthony Bass and a PTBNL or cash from the Padres for a PTBNL or cash. The Padres' PTBNL was Rule 5 selection Patrick Schuster. Braves: Avoided arbitration with pitcher Jordan Walden (one year, $1.49 million) and signed pitcher Yunesky Maya to a minor league deal. Cardinals: Signed pitcher Angel Castro to a major league deal. Cubs: Acquired outfielder Justin Ruggiano from the Marlins for outfielder Brian Bogusevic. Mets: Signed pitcher Bartolo Colon to a two-year, $20 million deal. Nationals: Acquired reliever Jerry Blevins from the Athletics for a minor leaguer. Phillies: Are expected to sign pitcher Roberto Hernandez (fka Fausto Carmona). Pirates: Signed pitcher Charlie Morton to a three year, $21 million contract with a club option for 2017 (avoiding arbitration) and signed pitcher Edinson Volquez to a one-year, $5 million contract. Tigers: Designated pitcher Luis Marte for assignment.
The biggest news from this week's Winter Meetings may not have been a transaction. Yesterday MLB announced that they're changing the rules to eliminate collisions at home plate. The plate will now be treated like any other base, with runners required to slide in and catchers banned from blocking their way.
Beloit College alum and 1901 Milwaukee Brewer Tully Sparks, who would have turned 139.
Today is also the 33rd anniversary of one of the greatest trades in Brewers franchise history, as the Crew acquired Rollie Fingers, Ted Simmons and Pete Vuckovich from the Cardinals. We covered that event in Today in Brewer History last year.
Can you name the players that were Brewers for longer than Corey Hart?
By now you've likely heard the news that Corey Hart is moving to Seattle. Hart missed the entire 2013 season but still appeared in 945 games as a Brewer, the 14th most in franchise history.
As such, today's quiz practically wrote itself: How many of the Brewers who have appeared in 946 or more games can you name in three minutes?
This quiz also contains ten "bonus" answers, the top ten players behind Hart on the list.
Please post your score in the comments below, but also remember that comments on this post may contain spoilers. If you get all 13 answers correct, post your time along with your score in the comments.
If you've finished this quiz and would like another challenge, here are this offseason's other Thinkers:
We'll take a detour in this series to look at some of Corey Hart's best Brewers moments.
I apologize for the headline. I figure this week is my last chance to get all the Hart puns in.
With Corey Hart leaving for Seattle this week, I wanted to take a moment to remember some of his most memorable homers as a Brewer. Hart went deep 154 times in his 945 games for Milwaukee, the eleventh most in franchise history.
Starting out
Unfortunately I wasn't able to find video of Hart's first career home run, a blast off Jason Standridge of the Reds in his first appearance of the season on August 14, 2005. Hart hit two homers in the majors that year, then was back in the big leagues for 87 more games and nine home runs in 2006. Here's a link to his first one from that season, a pinch hit blast in a 10-5 Brewers win over the Diamondbacks.
The biggest day
Hart opened the season on the shelf in 2011 and when he came back his power was down, causing him to go homerless in his first 21 games. He rebounded in a big way on May 23, though, going deep three times against the Nationals in an 11-3 Brewers win. You can see all three homers here:
Leading off
It seems like a long time ago now, but Hart was the Brewers' leadoff hitter for much of the 2011 season. He started 62 games batting first that year, and led off a pair of games with home runs. The first one was an absolute bomb, going 443 feet to left center against Barry Enright and the Diamondbacks on July 19.
Going Deep
Hart's longest homer as a Brewer came last year, on May 20, 2012 against the Twins. Hart opened the floodgates for a 16-4 rout with this first inning blast, which traveled 449 feet:
Hart had four walkoff hits during his Brewers career, tying him for 16th place on the franchise's all-time list. Three of them were homers, meaning Hart has hit almost 4% of the walkoff home runs in franchise history by himself.
Two of them came during Hart's career year in 2010. The first is almost certainly the most notable, as he homered off Ryota Igarashi to break a scoreless tie in a pitching duel between Yovani Gallardo and Johan Santana of the Mets on May 28. Here's the highlight:
Hart had 21 homers at the All Star break that season, and the 21st was also a big one as he walked off with a come-from-behind victory on July 11:
Finally, in what turned out to be Hart's final month as an active Brewer in 2012, he hit his final Brewer walkoff. The Pirates were the victim again this time on September 1:
The last ones
We didn't know it at the time, but Corey Hart's final and second-to-last Brewer home runs came on the same day. On September 29, 2012 he took Dallas Keuchel deep twice for career homers #153 and 154, helping the Brewers to a 9-5 win over the Astros.
We're talking about first base and all the other bases in my weekly appearance.
The Brewers are headed home from the 2013 Winter Meetings, and today I'll be appearing on The Home Stretch with Justin Hull on 95.3 FM WSCO in Appleton at 3:30 today to wrap up the week and look ahead to the moves yet to be made. I'll be in studio with Justin for about half an hour (maybe more, depending on how things go) today taking your questions, which you can send in any of the following ways:
We are 63 days away from pitchers and catchers reporting to Maryvale, and this week the Winter Meetings came and passed without much action for the Brewers. Doug Melvin met with Mets GM Sandy Alderson one last time on Thursday before heading home, and everyone is back in Milwaukee this morning.
So, a week has passed and not much has changed. Josh Duggan of MLB Daily Dish has a breakdown of NL teams' needs following the week in Orlando and the Brewers' installment is pretty much what you'd expect: The Brewers still need a first baseman, would like to trade Rickie Weeks and could use more pitching.
With most of the opportunities to make a major splash this winter having moved on, it's becoming increasingly certain that the Brewers team that takes the field on Opening Day 2014 is going to look at lot like the team that finished the 2013 season. Miller Park Drunk came out of semi-retirement to voice a concern that this Brewers team risks becoming "just another team" without a compelling storyline.
The Winter Meetings weren't short on Rickie Weeks rumors, but they may have been short on truth about Weeks rumors. @Haudricourt asked Doug Melvin about reports the Brewers had discussed their second baseman with the Marlins, Braves and Blue Jays and received denials on all fronts.
The Brewers are not denying, however, that they're pursuing every possible avenue to improve at first base. Eno Sarris of FanGraphs has a look at the market value of non-elite first basemen and notes that, despite all of the hype and conversation about him, Logan Morrison was still acquired for a reliever.
Mark Reynolds' star has faded a bit, as the one-time 40 home run hitter batted just .220/.306/.393 in 135 games for the Indians and Yankees in 2013. Nonetheless, Benjamin Orr of Reviewing the Brew suggests the Brewers should consider him at first base.
Of course, adding Reynolds would do nothing to solve the Brewers' ongoing vacancy in the leadoff spot. Justin Schultz of Reviewing the Brew has a look at Jean Segura as a candidate to bat first.
In the minors:
Martin Maldonado went 1-for-4 with a double and Irving Falu went 1-for-4 and scored a run in Mayaguez's 4-3 win over Caguas in Puerto Rico last night (box score).
Meanwhile in the Dominican Republic, Juan Francisco went 1-for-4 in Licey's 5-4 loss to Aguilas (box score).
Elian Herrera had a rough night for Oriente, going 0-for-5 in their 5-2 loss to Cibao (box score).
Curt Hogg of Disciples of Uecker, by the way, has a post on Maldonado and what he could do to improve his stock following a difficult offensive year in 2013.
Around baseball:
Dodgers: Signed reliever Sam Demel to a minor league contract and acquired Rule 5 pick Seth Rosin from the Mets for a PTBNL or cash. Nationals: Designated outfielder Corey Brown for assignment. Pirates: Re-signed shortstop Clint Barmes to a one-year, $2 million contract. Rangers: Signed infielders Brent Lillibridge, Kevin Kouzmanoff and Josh Wilson and pitcher Armando Rodriguez to minor league deals. Red Sox: Designated outfielder Alex Castellanos for assignment. Rockies: Are expected to sign reliever Boone Logan to a three-year contract. Tigers: Signed pitcher Joba Chamberlain to a one-year, $2.5 million contract.
Today is also the second anniversary of the Brewers signing Aramis Ramirez as a free agent in 2011 and the 14th anniversary of the team sending Jeff Cirillo to the Rockies in a three-team trade in 1999. We covered those events in Today In Brewer History last year and two years ago, respectively.
The Miami Marlins accomplished their primary task in this year's Winter Meetings, but trading Logan Morrison did not accomplish the Fish's wanted goal of acquiring a third baseman for 2014.
The Miami Marlins came into the 2013 Winter Meetings with two goals:
1) Trade Logan Morrison 2) Find a third baseman for the 2014 season
Despite claiming that Miami would be patient with the Morrison process to find the best return, the Fish flipped-flopped on their position multiple times before finally trading Morrison away for Seattle Mariners reliever Carter Capps. The Fish looked for third baseman types but could not find any interesting trades. They also wanted to see what a number of teams, including the Milwaukee Brewers, would do. It was rumored that the Brewers' first choice was to bring back free agent Corey Hart, and that the team would turn to Morrison as their next option once Hart came off the market. Ironically, Corey Hart also signed with the Mariners, giving them a potential cadre of first baseman and only two places to put them.
As for Miami, their first task was supposed to help accomplish the second, but because teams were not necessarily offering help at third base, the Marlins decided to opt towards finding their bullpen help with Morrison. In Capps, the team found a right-handed reliever with a mid-90's fastball, strikeout capabilities, and harrowing platoon splits. In some ways, the franchise improved, and yet it was difficult to point to the return of Capps and say that the Garrett Jones signing from the previous week was justified.
The Fish secured Jones on a two-year contract worth $7.75 million during the Winter Meetings as well. The Marlins are apparently well aware of Jones's platoon concerns and would be interested in someone to bat for him versus lefties. One name that MLB.com's Joe Frisaro noted during the Winter Meetings was an ugly one: Delmon Young.
The Fish would still have an issue with having too many first-base-only players on their roster and no designated hitter to slot them into. With Greg Dobbs, a right-handed first baseman type, and Jones, the Fish would have no defensive flexibility behind them.
But one of the rumors that came about during the Winter Meetings was that Miami was interested in tradingJustin Ruggiano and Greg Dobbs. Dobbs makes the most sense, since he is terrible and, if the team does follow up on finding a platoon partner for Jones, he would be completely expendable as a bench-only lefty bat on a team suddenly full of lefties. Ruggiano and the memories of his magical 2012 season have already been traded, as the Chicago Cubs sent left-handed outfielder Brian Bogusevic in a mostly sideways move production-wise. The Marlins did gain an extra year of team control on a backup outfielder and shed another $1.3 million in salary by switching from Ruggiano to Bogusevic.
And all of that should be leading to Miami's next desired move, which is to acquire a third baseman. According to Joe Frisaro of MLB.com, Miami is searching for someone who can fill in at third base this season and be able to switch positions, if under team control, when Colin Moran eventually arrives, which could be as early as the middle of next season. The Marlins have been rumored to be in and out of the chase for Juan Uribe, but with his market apparently dwindling, perhaps he can lower demands and settle for a one- or two-year deal. The Fish still have plenty of pitching depth with which to acquire a third baseman, but there are so few available in the trade market that Miami would be unlikely to give up top prospects for them. Names to continue to look at include ErIc Chavez and Jeff Keppinger.
So the Marlins are not done at third base, and they are not finished looking to make moves. But with the Winter Meetings out of the way, many of the dominoes will begin falling fast, with a few of them holding out until January or February to finish up. The quest for a third baseman could be a long one, and the franchise needs to use its remaining salary room wisely if it wants to acquire help.
Friend of the site and baseball historian Chris Jensen has the last of a 12-part series on players born in Wisconsin.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Frequent BCB readers may recall that about a year ago I reviewed one of my favorite new baseball books, Chris Jensen's Baseball State by State. After reading the book I've asked Chris to join us for a 12-part series in 2013 on the best players born in Wisconsin. What follows is part 12 of that series. - KL
Whether you want to consider him a shortstop or an outfielder, Harvey Kuenn is the most notable Wisconsin player born in December. Although Kuenn played 826 games in the outfield compared to 748 at short, he was selected as Team Wisconsin's all-time best shortstop in Baseball State by State, edging out Tony Kubek.
Kuenn started his career as a shortstop for the Tigers, winning AL Rookie of the Year honors in 1953 after batting .308 and leading the American League with 209 hits and 679 at-bats. He was an All-Star in his first eight seasons, five of them as a shortstop.
As a shortstop Kuenn led the AL in putouts (twice) and assists, then later led AL outfielders in putouts and AL right fielders in fielding percentage. Kuenn set career highs in hits, runs, homers and RBI while playing short, so he's legitimately qualified to be the shortstop for the All-Time Wisconsin team.
Kuenn, who was born December 4, 1930 in West Allis, led the league in hits four seasons, going over 200 hits his first two years, and he also finished first in doubles three times. He led the AL in batting with a .353 average in 1959 and batted over .300 nine times in 15 seasons, including eight of his first 10 seasons. In a strange footnote to history, Kuenn made the last out in two of Sandy Koufax's four no-hitters.
Kuenn was part of a controversial trade in 1960 when he was traded to the Indians for their star slugger, Rocky Colavito. Although he batted .308 in his one year with the Tribe, Kuenn's skill as a singles hitter did not win over fans and he was traded at the end of the season to the Giants. He hit .304 in 1962 as the Giants won the pennant, then played four more years before retiring in 1966 with 2,092 hits and a .303 average.
He later gained notoriety as an interim manager, taking over for Buck Rodgers as the skipper of the Milwaukee Brewers in 1982. Kuenn guided the Brew Crew to a 72-43 record down the homestretch and won the AL pennant with a team that was known as "Harvey's Wallbangers" due to its hitting prowess. That Brewers squad, which featured Paul Molitor, Robin Yount, Ted Simmons, Cecil Cooper, Ben Oglivie and Gorman Thomas, slugged 216 home runs but fell 4-3 to the Cardinals in the World Series.
Three other Wisconsin players with December birth dates deserve mention: Joe Randa, Fred Merkle and Pink Hawley. Randa (born Dec. 18, 1969 in Milwaukee) ranks as Wisconsin's third-best third baseman behind Lave Cross and Ken Keltner. Randa, nicknamed "The Joker," collected 1,543 hits including 123 home runs during a 12-year career.
Merkle (born Dec. 20, 1880 in Watertown) spent his entire career being called "Bonehead" for a base running gaffe he committed with the Giants in the heat of the pennant race in 1908, failing to touch second as the trail runner while the supposed winning run was scoring. Given new life, the Cubs went on to win the pennant and a second consecutive World Series, although the team hasn't won another title since.
The problem with crucifying Merkle for his youthful exuberance was that touching the base under those circumstances seemed to be an optional thing in those days. Furthermore, it's not like it was the last game of the season-the Giants played 17 more games that year (including the makeup game) and won 11 of them. Still, an intelligent, skilled ballplayer spent the rest of his career getting asked about the cursed play instead of being appreciated for his many accomplishments.
Merkle helped lead three different teams to five pennants, but lost each time in the Series. He ended up with 1,580 hits, a .273 average and 60 homers, finishing in the top 10 in RBI five times and top 10 in homers four times. He ranks as the second-best first baseman in Wisconsin history, behind Ed Konetchy. Merkle Field is named in his honorin Watertownand he is also honored with a memorial monument at the Octagon House-Watertown Historical Society.
Hawley (born Dec. 5, 1872 in Beaver Dam) was listed as Wisconsin's fifth-best right handed starter in Baseball State by State. He played for five teams over a 10-year career, finishing with a 167-179 record and 3.96 ERA. He won 31 games for the Pirates in 1895 while leading the league with 441 innings pitched that season. He won 22 games for the Pirates the next season and later won 27 games for the Reds in 1898.
Chris Jensen is the author of Baseball State by State: Major League and Negro League Players, Ballparks, Museums and Historical Sites,which was published in 2012 by McFarland. It features a chapter on each state covering state baseball history, an all-time team, stats leaders, historic baseball places to see, future stars, player nicknames and the state's all-time best player.
While the two teams are still talking, Rosenthal also reports that Milwaukee is still unwilling to give up right-handed pitcher Tyler Thornburg in a potential deal.
The 25-year-old Thornburg has impressed Milwaukee, going a combined 21-19 with a 3.42 ERA over three years in the minor leagues. Thornburg continued to improve once he was promoted to the majors, where he went 3-1 with a 2.64 ERA in 10 starts and 16 relief appearances spread over the last two seasons. Thornburg has a good fastball that normally sits between 91-93 MPH and a big breaking curveball, normally around 78 MPH.
The Mets and Brewers reportedly talked about Ike Davis earlier in the week at the Winter Meetings. It was on Tuesday that Jim Duquette originally reported the Mets interest in Thornburg. According to Duquette, Milwaukee said no and—at the time—were told by New York that they "were out" on Davis.
With the Seattle Mariners acquiring both Corey Hart and Logan Morrisonearlier this week, the first base market thinned, leaving James Loney—who the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Tom Haudricourt tweeted may be out of the Brewers price range—and Ike Davis as the top options. While Davis is coming off of a difficult season (.205/.326/.334, 9 HR, 33 RBI in 317 at-bats), Milwaukee has needed a first baseman since Prince Fielder left the Brew Crew for free agency in 2012.
Even with the Mets acquisition of Bartolo Colon on Wednesday night, Sandy Alderson always tries to get the best possible return when making trades, and you can never have enough pitching.
The Brewers don't want to send their young, unproven right-hander to the Mets in exchange for their young, unproven first baseman.
With three teams reportedly interested in trading for Mets first baseman Ike Davis, you figure a deal will get done sooner or later, but nothing has solidified yet. At least part of the reason why is that the Mets want young pitching, and the Brewers don't want to give up one of their talented young pitchers.
Ken Rosenthal reported this morning that the Mets are asking for 25-year-old right handed pitcher Tyler Thornburg in exchange for Davis, but that the Brewers don't want to give him up. As a starter in Triple-A last season, Thornburg had a 5.79 ERA in 74.2 innings, but his peripherals were much more impressive. He struck out 10.49 batters per nine innings compared to 3.50 walks.
Working as as swingman in the majors, Thornberg saw his strikeout rate drop to 6.48 per nine while his walks stayed the same, but his ERA magically dropped to 2.03 thanks to an increase in strand rate and an unsustainable home run-to-fly ball ratio.
Seeing as how Thornberg hasn't yet proven himself in the majors, he would seem to be a fair piece to give up for Davis, who also hasn't proven that he is a viable starter in the long-term. However, if the Brewers don't want to give him up, the Mets may need to start talking more seriously with their other reported suitors, the Pirates and Rays.
We continue to play doctor with bad baseball teams, this week paying a house call to the Milwaukee Brewers.
Record: 74-88
The Brewers continued their post-Prince Fielder slide, dropping below .500 and finishing with their worst record since 2004.
Diagnosis: Missing time
When people claim to have been abducted by UFOs, they often report long stretches of time they can't account for, time when they were presumably being experimented on and meeting alien heads of state. This is not that. We know exactly where the Brewers' best players were for much of 2013 -- on the DL or sitting at home, suspended. Most of the key players in Milwaukee missed significant time, and the team was forced to scramble to fill in the gaps using players who weren't even remotely qualified.
Milwaukee has some of the best front-line talent in the game. Carlos Gomez may have been the most valuable player in the National League, Jonathan Lucroy is an exceptional defensive catcher who also is an above-average hitter, Jean Segura is one of the brightest young stars in the game, and Ryan Braun is Ryan Braun. Their canny acquisition of Kyle Lohse helped glue together a pitching staff that otherwise would have rivaled the Twins and Astros for ineffectiveness, and Marco Estrada continued to be an impressive scrap-heap pickup.
Braun, however, hit the DL with a hand injury in June, and then sat out the rest of the season because of his role in the Biogenesis scandal. Cory Hart missed the whole season. A left knee problem sent Aramis Ramirez to the DL twice, for more than 60 total days. Hamstring surgery ended Rickie Weeks' season in early August. Estrada also missed almost 10-12 starts with a hamstring injury. That's how you wind up with Yuniesky Betancourt starting 92 games (including 46 at first base!) and hitting .212/.240/.355 across more than 400 plate appearances.
Jonathan Lucroy ( Mark Hirsch)
Key Stat: .206/.259/.370
That's what Brewers' first basemen hit in 2013 in place of Corey Hart. It isn't that hard, generally, to find somebody to stand in the vicinity of first base who is capable of hitting a baseball. In the National League, first basemen posted a.770 OPS as a whole. In all of baseball, 62 players got into at least 20 games at first base, and 57 of them had a higher OPS than the sum total of the guys the Brewers trotted out there. In fact, one could seemingly trip and fall down and land on a first baseman who could hit his way out of a paper bag pretty darn easily. That the Brewers couldn't speaks to how fundamentally unprepared they were when their front-line talent went down, and how weak the upper minors were in their farm system. That 24-year-old Triple-A first baseman Hunter Morris never got a call to the majors despite the absolute trainwreck at the position spoke volumes about the team's confidence in its own prospects.
Hunter Morris(USA TODAY Sports)
Breakout: Jonathan Lucroy, Jean Segura, Carlos Gomez, and Marco Estrada
Lucroy finally got a full season in in 2013 for us to fully appreciate how amazing he is, not just as a hitter, but as one of the best pitch framers in baseball. Baseball Prospectus devoted an entire section of their pitch framing article to Lucroy saying "Trying to catch Lucroy's glove closing is like trying to watch a hummingbird's wings beat once." Lucroy is only 27 and the Brewers have him under contract for the next four years for an incredibly reasonable price, meaning he should be one of the most important pieces of the Brewers' eventual turnaround.
Like Lucroy, Segura combines an above-average offensive package with an above-average, up the middle defensive game, and is one of the best shortstops in baseball because of it. While his walk rate is pretty atrocious, Segura makes a lot of contact and uses his speed to create infield hits better than anyone in baseball. His 49 infield hits far and away led the league, his only competition being his teammate Norichika Aoki. The next closest National Leaguer was Starling Marte, with 31. Now, some of that was luck-driven, and Segura shouldn't count on another 50 extra hits in 2014. The only additional qualifier here is that Segura fell of hard after May, his production declining month by month (he hit .261/.292/.354 over his last 94 games), but with another year of experience under his belt, Segura figures to improve the rest of his offensive game as well and could be one of the best players in the National League for the next decade.
Carlos Gomez (Doug Pensinger)
Gomez built on his impressive 2012 by delivering another exceptional season wherein he upped his power game and provided Gold-Glove defense in center field. His change in approach, which has seen him go from a Segura-type ground-ball generating speedster to a player with above average power, has made him an incredibly valuable commodity in spite of striking out in almost a quarter of his at bats. His performance was inflated by a .344 BABIP that he won't repeat, so he may not be an MVP candidate again next year, but as long as his legs hold out, Gomez will remain one of the best centerfielders in baseball.
What a tremendous find Marco Estrada was for the Brewers. Finally getting a shot at the starting rotation in 2012, he has surpassed Yovani Gallardo to become the most dominant starter in Milwaukee. With a tremendous strikeout rate and impressive control that more than cover for his vulnerability to the long ball, If Estrada can stay healthy he could be primed for a huge season.
Breakdown: Yovani Gallardo and Rickie Weeks
A marked decrease in velocity may signal the end of Gallardo as an above average starter, who (according to Fangraphs) has declined in value every year since 2010. His fastball averaged just 90-91 MPH in 2013 and his strikeout percentage dropped by more than five percent to the lowest level of his career. Gallardo will be 28 by the time spring training gets going, and there's a good chance his velocity is gone for good. Whether he remains a productive starter going forward will depend on his ability to use his secondary offerings with more effectiveness or to generate ground balls, something at which he's become increasingly adept over the last four years.
Weeks finally had the injury bug beat, playing in all but 50 games from 2010-2012, though with increasingly poor results at the plate. Then this year? Freefall. Weeks missed most of the second half with hamstring problems and barely hit above .200 when he was in the lineup. Provided he doesn't get more than 600 plate appearances in 2014, Weeks has only one year left on his contract extension, which will pay him $11 million. The Brewers are rightly interested in giving Scooter Bennett a full-season shot at the keystone, so a trade wherein the Brewers eat a lot of Weeks' guaranteed money is pretty likely at this point. Don't bet on him rebounding.
Rickie Weeks (Jeff Hanisch-US PRESSWIRE)
Prescription: Punt
Punting isn't necessarily a surrender, but it's an acknowledgement that the odds of reaching the marker you need to get to just isn't realistic. The Cardinals just won the National League pennant and are coming back as strong -- or stronger -- than they were in 2013. The Pirates have young, dynamic talent and haven't suffered any major free agent losses. The Reds are slightly weaker but still have a terrific rotation and bullpen. Meanwhile, the Brewers have tried to slap a couple of veteran free agent band aids onto their roster in each of the last couple seasons, trying to limp back into the postseason. That model, however, is not sustainable, and given the lack of impact players in the upper levels of the farm system there is no realistic way this club pushes past the big three at the top of the division.
Where have you gone, Paul Molitor? Wisconsin turns its lonely eyes to you. (Getty Images)
Milwaukee has Segura, Lucroy, Gomez, and Braun under control through 2016, meaning they have an incredibly strong foundation of talent to build around. The trouble is that the supporting pieces just aren't there yet. Khris Davis, Caleb Gindl, and Scooter Bennett, all of whom surprised with promising 2013 performances, and all of whom deserve their extended shots in 2014, don't have the scouting reports that match their gaudy numbers, and could see some serious correction as the league wises up to them. The starting rotation of Lohse, Gallardo, Estrada, and Wily Peralta, which will presumably bolstered by Tyler Thornburg and/or Jimmy Nelson, doesn't have the front-line talent to match up with the rest of the division unless a couple of them take significant steps forward. Aramis Ramirez is a constant injury risk and could be gone after this year.
With Norichika Aoki already traded to Kansas City, this might just be the right time to retool for another run in 2016, when the Brewers' impact prospects in the low minors should be ready to contribute. Third base is a position of concern for the Red Sox, Yankees, Tigers, Indians, and Dodgers already, and Ramirez could be one of the most valuable commodities available right now. Weeks doesn't have a spot to play. Jim Henderson is a dominant closer, but he's already 31 and teams might jump on the chance to pick up an elite closer making the league minimum, especially when guys like Boone Logan are commanding more than $5 million per season, and Jim Johnson is getting $10 million. Even Ryan Braun, if he proves healthy and productive, has an entirely reasonable contract for the next seven years that might be movable in the right circumstances. By bringing in as much talent as possible, the Brewers won't be giving up on 2014 so much as strengthening themselves for 2016 and beyond, building the kind of depth they'll need to avoid having to plug holes with the likes of Yuniesky Betancourt ever again.
Another potential first base target for the Brewers came off the board today.
Early this week the Brewers said they weren't interested in former Rays first baseman James Loney, who was believed to be seeking a three-year deal. Then Corey Hart and Logan Morrison came off the board, and Doug Melvin met with Loney's agent anyway. Now all of that is moot because Loney is going back to Tampa.
Loney did end up getting his three-year deal, although the money is a bit less than had been expected. He'll make $21 million over the 2014, 2015 and 2016 seasons with the Rays, where he hit .299/.348/.430 with 13 home runs in 2013. Loney is a career .285/.340/.421 hitter over 1084 MLB games, and is 29 years old.
With Loney off the market, it seems increasingly likely that any upgrade at first base for the Brewers will come via trade. The Mets still seem like the most likely partner with Ike Davis or Lucas Duda to deal, but reports continue to say they're asking for Tyler Thornburg in return.
The move figures to have an effect on Ike Davis's trade value.
Your move, Milwaukee Brewers. The Tampa Bay Rays have signed veteran first baseman James Loney to a three-year, $21 million deal, according to Ken Rosenthal. Somehow, Loney was seen as a significant free agent at the position despite a career .285/.340/.421 slash line and 105 wRC+.
With Loney off the market, Ike Davis's value to teams in need of a left-handed first baseman—the Brewers and perhaps the Pirates—should increase. Earlier today, Rosenthal reported that the Mets did, indeed, ask the Brewers for young pitcher Tyler Thornburg. Milwaukee balked at the price, though there's certainly a chance that could change now.
Even with a back-to-back years with a brutal first half, Davis's career at the plate has been better than Loney's. He's hit .242/.334/.434, but when adjusted for park and league, his 112 wRC+ is superior. And Loney's single-season best is 15 home runs, which was back in 2007.
This week's lessons include the rough first baseman search for the Brewers, as well as the rest of the action in the Winter Meetings that led to the Brewers leaving Florida with very little to show for it.
The Winter Meetings were this week and the Brewers focus was on Corey Hart.
Miss any of the action from the Winter Meetings? Brew Crew Ball has you covered.
This offseason, the Brewers primary choice at first base had been to re-sign Corey Hart. Progress here had been slow as Hart worked to get medically cleared. Hart obtained that clearance last week, and the talk picked up quickly as the Winter Meetings began. The Brewers pushed hard to try to get Hart back, but there was some indecision on Hart's part. As time passed, the Brewers had to prepare other options, and reports came out that the Brewers were only going to wait until the end of the Winter Meetings for Hart's decision. With other options starting to get claimed, the Brewers didn't have much more time to wait.
The Brewers didn't have to wait until the end of the meetings for Hart's decision, though. The decision came out on Wednesday, and it wasn't what the Brewers were hoping for. Corey Hart had decided to sign with the Mariners over the Brewers. Even though Corey Hart was willing to take a discount to stay in Milwaukee, reports came out that the Mariners offer was nearly double of what the Brewers offered. In that circumstance, it would be hard for Hart to overlook that difference, and you can't blame Hart for taking the bigger offer.
The Brewers were also looking at other options for first base.
While the Brewers were talking to Hart, they were also looking at other possibilities to fill the first base position. A name that had come up before the week and kept coming up during the week was Ike Davis of the Mets. Reports came out that the Brewers were talking to the Mets to try to work out a trade. However, the Mets asking price (by reports, a deal would need to include Tyler Thornburg) were too high, and at least once the talks were reported as off. However, there are still reports coming out as of Friday that the Brewers and Mets are still talking.
Options are quickly disappearing this offseason, and the Brewers will need to find something or they will be in the same position they were in last season. Of course, they also need to be careful to avoid desperation, since that can lead to poor decisions (a.k.a. Yuniesky Betancourt).
A few other things did happen during the Winter Meetings.
While the first baseman search highlighted the Winter Meetings for the Brewers, it wasn't all that they looked at. A few other stories came up as the week progressed. The first story was about Tom Gorzelanny, who underwent shoulder surgery during the offseason. This news came as a bit of a surprise, and Gorzelanny is not expected to be ready to pitch until mid-March. That means he will llkely start the 2014 season on the DL. It's not the worst news, and definitely better to happen in the offseason, but it's still a bit of a surprise hit.
Even before the Gorzelanny injury, the Brewers were still looking at filling a spot or two in the bullpen for 2014. One name came up during their search, and it was a bit of a surprise: former Cubs closer Carlos Marmol. For now, it appears to only be a report of interest. The Brewers main focus last week was on the first base situation so talks here didn't go very far, though they could still develop.
Talk still continues on if the Brewers should give up 2014 and focus on rebuilding, but for what it's worth, the moves the Brewers have made (or haven't made) don't show an attitude of surrender. This was reinforced more earlier this week, when Doug Melvin confirmed that he's not looking to trade Aramis Ramirez, citing the lack of depth at third base as a reason. For better or worse, the Brewers appear to be heading into 2014 with the intention of competing, though there is always the trade deadline for trading players if needed.
The final action from the Winter Meetings came on Thursday, when the Rule 5 draft was held. The Brewers did make a selection in the draft, though it was an odd one: Wei-Chang Wang from the Pirates. Wang has not pitched above rookie ball yet, so his selection is very odd considering that the Brewers would have to keep him on the active roster through the 2014 season to retain him. It's too early to see what the Brewers are thinking here, so we will have to wait and see on this move.
