2023 MLB Thread

[Hards Alumni]

The rebuild? This is what the Brewers are going to be. They are going to be competitive and hope to snag a Wild Card spot or a division title and see what happens.

There may be a time and a place to trade Yelich, but its not now.

They're a team that will always be built cheap and around prospects.  Burness is super gone the moment he can get out of town, and Yelich is an expensive asset that hasn't lived up to his contract.

They'd just be doing their due diligence by off loading them while loading up on players with potential and small contracts.

[MU82]

Not saying anyone here, but I'm always perplexed when fans of a legitimate playoff contender wants their team to be sellers at the deadline.

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

They're a team that will always be built cheap and around prospects.  Burness is super gone the moment he can get out of town, and Yelich is an expensive asset that hasn't lived up to his contract.

They'd just be doing their due diligence by off loading them while loading up on players with potential and small contracts.

Yelich not living up to his contract doesn’t mean he’s still not valuable or the best option available.

[PGsHeroes32]

Julien might challenge Ohtani for MVP.

[Uncle Rico]

Appears Burnes has found it again.

Brewers need to add bats but what’s going to be available looks pretty sad

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

5/6 on the road against two playoff hopefuls is a great way to start the second act

[CreightonWarrior]

It’s been a fun debut for Frelick

[Uncle Rico]

Fire Counsell said some ball knower

[HutchwasClutch]

It’s been a fun debut for Frelick

Hard for one guy to impact a game more than that.  Drove in half the teams runs, almost half the teams hits, and likely prevented an inning where the Braves would have blown the game open.  Sensational. 

[HutchwasClutch]

Not saying anyone here, but I'm always perplexed when fans of a legitimate playoff contender wants their team to be sellers at the deadline.

100% agree.  I’m not very optimistic about the Brewers chances either, especially all their injuries. But sellers for a team in first who just went 5-1 against your primary division contender?! Plus, baseball postseason recently has produced teams that get hot at the right time and do something special even though regular seasons looked nothing special and they weren’t in the conversation of best teams on paper. Recent championships for the Braves and Nationals showed that. 

I’m not at all predicting that’s going to be this year’s Brewers, but let’s see what might happen. This is a team in its 54th season with one World Series appearance and zero titles. 

[DegenerateDish]

When White Sox pitchers strike out 14 or more batters in a game this season, their record is now 0-10.

[Dr. Blackheart]

When White Sox pitchers strike out 14 or more batters in a game this season, their record is now 0-10.

Is KenHa finally gowne?

[MU82]

Rizzo with first HR since May 20. Wow.

[PGsHeroes32]

Rizzo with first HR since May 20. Wow.

At this point he will take anything

But it was a homer vs the worst pitcher in baseball and it was only a homer at Yankee stadium. Would not have been a homer in any of the other 29 parks haha

[JWags85]

It’s been a fun debut for Frelick

I saw replays of his first hit and the least surprising thing is that Adames was the one to make sure to grab the ball for him.

[MUfan12]

100% agree.  I’m not very optimistic about the Brewers chances either, especially all their injuries. But sellers for a team in first who just went 5-1 against your primary division contender?! Plus, baseball postseason recently has produced teams that get hot at the right time and do something special even though regular seasons looked nothing special and they weren’t in the conversation of best teams on paper. Recent championships for the Braves and Nationals showed that. 

I’m not at all predicting that’s going to be this year’s Brewers, but let’s see what might happen. This is a team in its 54th season with one World Series appearance and zero titles.

They shouldn't sell, but at this point, I don't know if I'd buy either. There's too many holes in that lineup.

[MU82]

The Athletic's Jim Bowden had a "mailbox" article today, and was asked about the Brewers possibly trading Burnes. His answer:

The Brewers are not trading Burnes; they are planning to contend with him as their ace. They are buyers this year and they’re looking for a bat, although they could stand pat and just promote from within, like they did Saturday when they called up Sal Frelick, who had one heck of a debut.

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

Yeah, of course they are buyers. They are not only winning the NL Central, but have the third best record in the NL so a Wild Card is a real possibility.

Not to mention they have one more year of Burnes under their control. They can see what happens in the off-season or just go into next year with him and see what transpires.

[MUfan12]

Not to mention they have one more year of Burnes under their control. They can see what happens in the off-season or just go into next year with him and see what transpires.

I'm fine keeping Burnes if Mark decides that he's gonna actually allow Arnold to go get some dudes. If not, they're capped at winning a bad division.

[JWags85]

The Rays have lost 14 of 18 in July and have losing streaks of 7 and 5 games this month...yet they still have the 3rd best record in baseball and are 2 games behind Baltimore for best record in the AL.  Puts into perspective what an INSANE start to the year they had.

[PGsHeroes32]

The Rays have lost 14 of 18 in July and have losing streaks of 7 and 5 games this month...yet they still have the 3rd best record in baseball and are 2 games behind Baltimore for best record in the AL.  Puts into perspective what an INSANE start to the year they had.

Still a good team but I knew they would crash down to earth.

They have like 7 guys with seasons that heavily imply needles usage. That wasnt gonna hold. And they still have like 3 starting pitchers, one be GlASSnow

[cheebs09]

I'm fine keeping Burnes if Mark decides that he's gonna actually allow Arnold to go get some dudes. If not, they're capped at winning a bad division.

It kind of feels that is their strategy. Be just good enough to win a bad division and hope to get hot in the playoffs.

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

Rizzo with first HR since May 20. Wow.

He partially credits changing his walk-up song to a Taylor Swift song.

[wadesworld]

I'd trade Burnes if the deal was right.  I wouldn't be calling teams hoping to find that deal, but you'll get the biggest return at this trade deadline.  The Brewers stink.  They just stink less than the Reds, Cubs, Pirates, and Cardinals.  If Woody gets healthy I guess a rotation of Burnes, Woody, Freddy, and Miley/Houser/Teheran could make things interesting in a Playoff series, but we've seen it just about every year since 2018, you need to be able to score SOME runs down the stretch of a season and in the Playoffs.  The Brewers are 22nd in home runs, 27th in OPS, and 28th in slugging.  The Brewers would need a middle of the lineup bat plus another power hitter to contend.  They aren't giving up Chourio or Frelick, so they'll only be adding around the margins by buying.  They aren't making a Championship Series this year.

[MUfan12]

It kind of feels that is their strategy. Be just good enough to win a bad division and hope to get hot in the playoffs.

Brewers fans were so starved for success, that they were great with that strategy. And Mark loved it because he didn't have to stretch much financially.

At this point, especially with the public being asked to fund the ballpark again, it shouldn't fly. They've wasted some real opportunities to win a pennant by not taking advantage of this window of controlled starting pitching.