2015 MLB Season Thread

[Vander Blue Man Group]

Just got to thinking bout the Brewers and Doug Melvin, and what appears to be a bad year, coupled with no apparent plan for the future, when it hit me. They have the potential to clean up at the trade deadline this year if they choose to do so. When you look at the likes of Lohse, Garza, Braxton, KRod, ARam, Para, Lind, maybe one or two other bullpen guys, all with contracts expiring this year or next, that is a lot of pieces that could (should) be moved and net pretty decent value in return, and may explain why they did so little/kept their powder dry in the offseason.

It at least gives me hope that there is a plan in place to rebuild the roster, and quite possibly a good one. Now, knowing how things typically go in Brewerland, half those guys will get hurt, and/or they will get hot for a month in June/July and get themselves into imaginary contention and screw the whole thing up.

With teams holding onto prospects more tightly then ever I'm not sure the Brewers could get any impact prospects for those guys. Gomez would be a different story.

[buckchuckler]

With teams holding onto prospects more tightly then ever I'm not sure the Brewers could get any impact prospects for those guys. Gomez would be a different story.

Pitching can always net guys.  Look at Samardzjia last season, he netted a top 10 prospect.  The Rangers got a good haul for Soria, Jake Peavy the year before netted the White Sox Avisail Garcia.

I would guess they could get a decent haul for Lohse, but Garza still has quite a bit of time and money on his deal.  The question becomes is 13 million or so for 3 years too much for a .500 pitcher with a career ERA about 4.  I wouldn't think he would get too much unless the Brewers ate quite a bit of the money.   

[jesmu84]

Kris Bryant day #2 was much better.

#BryantWatch

[RushmoreAcademy]

Kris Bryant day #2 was much better.

#BryantWatch

Beating out that 11th inning grounder was the difference in the game.
Happy for him that he can at least avoid awkward media questions for another day because people keep forgetting that the season is 162 games long.

[🏀]

And now Addison Russell Day.

[TallTitan34]

[TallTitan34]

[🏀]

Well done

[Vander Blue Man Group]

Soler, Rizzo, and Bryant went 9 - 12 last night with 2 BBs and a HBP, reaching base 12 times.  Castro, who is still just 25, went 2 - 4.  And Russell is coming up today.  My apologies in advance for the crassness but I am going to let Ron Burgundy sum up my current feelings as a Cubs fan:

[🏀]

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/the-untimely-collapse-of-the-milwaukee-brewers/

[chapman]

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/the-untimely-collapse-of-the-milwaukee-brewers/

Last paragraph nails it

This is the trap of indecisiveness. The Brewers never could figure out whether they were coming or going, unwilling (or unable) to commit to a rebuild or go full speed ahead on contention. What's left is a team that was built for mediocrity with a one-in-a-million chance of something more, and what's come up instead is something considerably less. They're not nearly as bad as what they've shown, it must again be said. But that's just accelerated the obvious, really. The team that was stuck in the middle now is firmly at the bottom, with no timetable or obvious plan to change that reality.

If you're going to compete, you don't cross your fingers while signing aging pitchers and trying to make a splash with...Adam Lind.  And if you don't commit to rebuilding, you're left with a still poor farm system, inadequate trade pieces, and a payroll that is awkwardly high for a small market club not making a real push to compete.

[CreightonWarrior]

Two grand slams given up by Fiers tonight.

[jesmu84]

Soler-Rizzo-Bryant-Castro come up in the top of the 9th, down 3, and win the game for the Cubs. And Russell went 0-5 with 3 strikeouts. But still.

Cubs infield tonight, Bryant-Castro-Russell-Rizzo, all under 25, all under club control through 2020. Plus Soler and Baez. Yes.

[jsglow]

Frankly I'd be happier if the Crew was doing this with a $35 million payroll. I'll wait to go to another game when stubhub upper decks are $3. Not worth any energy on my part at all.

[Vander Blue Man Group]

Soler-Rizzo-Bryant-Castro come up in the top of the 9th, down 3, and win the game for the Cubs. And Russell went 0-5 with 3 strikeouts. But still.

Cubs infield tonight, Bryant-Castro-Russell-Rizzo, all under 25, all under club control through 2020. Plus Soler and Baez. Yes.

Last night Soler, Rizzo, Bryant and Castro reached base 14 times.  Tonight the four of them only reached 11 times.  They better get their sh*t together. 

Not worried about Russell in the least (not that you were suggesting any worry was warranted).

[ronald dragon]

Cubs line up can hit top to bottom. Starting pitching has been real good too for the most part.  Middle relief and Lester (wtf?) have been shaky.

[Dr. Blackheart]

Two grand slams given up by Fiers tonight.

Brutal. Left in the 6th.  Bad pitching, managing, fielding, but at least some hitting.  0-4 in person this year.  Going for #5L tomorrow.

[Vander Blue Man Group]

Cubs line up can hit top to bottom. Starting pitching has been real good too for the most part.  Middle relief and Lester (wtf?) have been shaky.

Still have to imagine the dead arm set him back and Lester will be fine.

Losing Grimm and Ramirez has shortened the bullpen.  Hopefully Grimm returns soon. 

[RushmoreAcademy]

Soler-Rizzo-Bryant-Castro come up in the top of the 9th, down 3, and win the game for the Cubs. And Russell went 0-5 with 3 strikeouts. But still.

Cubs infield tonight, Bryant-Castro-Russell-Rizzo, all under 25, all under club control through 2020. Plus Soler and Baez. Yes.

Great game.  If Pitt had hit that 3 run triple last year, I'd have changed the channel.
It's finally fun to watch them again.

[MerrittsMustache]

It's amazing how much more fun baseball season is when your team isn't actively and openly trying to lose.

[chapman]

It's amazing how much more fun baseball season is when your team isn't actively and openly trying to lose.

I think trying to lose and accomplishing it might be better than your team actually intending to compete yet standing at 2-12 with a run differential 19 runs worse than the next worst team with nothing exciting in the upper levels of the farm.   

[Benny B]

Last paragraph nails it

If you're going to compete, you don't cross your fingers while signing aging pitchers and trying to make a splash with...Adam Lind.  And if you don't commit to rebuilding, you're left with a still poor farm system, inadequate trade pieces, and a payroll that is awkwardly high for a small market club not making a real push to compete.

Should have went for broke last year and brought in Morneau and Price, because that's where the Brewers ended up anyway -- broke.

Honestly, would anyone even notice if Jimmy Nelson or Wily Peralta wasn't on the team right now?

[GGGG]

This is why I think Melvin is the one that needs to go here.  When teams get this bad, they should either have a well stocked farm system either through trades or drafts.  The Brewers don't.  The Cubs and Astros got real bad, but have hope on the horizon.  The Brewers have a bad farm system and still have big contracts to pay.  (To be fair, the farm system has been moving up the rankings.  Baseball America has them at #19 this year.  They were #23 the year before and #29 before that.)

That's on Melvin.  A new manager might make for marginal improvements, but it isn't going to turn this ship around.

[wadesworld]

This is why I think Melvin is the one that needs to go here.  When teams get this bad, they should either have a well stocked farm system either through trades or drafts.  The Brewers don't.  The Cubs and Astros got real bad, but have hope on the horizon.  The Brewers have a bad farm system and still have big contracts to pay.  (To be fair, the farm system has been moving up the rankings.  Baseball America has them at #19 this year.  They were #23 the year before and #29 before that.)

That's on Melvin.  A new manager might make for marginal improvements, but it isn't going to turn this ship around.

+1

[MerrittsMustache]

The biggest mistake that Melvin made was trying to keep the magic going after the 2011 season. That season was the Brewers' shot and they came up short. Once the season ended, the window closed, primary because Prince was leaving. On top of that, Nyjer, Wolf, Axford and Hawkins weren't going to have career years again at their ages. They were all expendable. Marcum was a fragile pitcher who was also coming off a career year. He could have gotten a decent return that offseason. It's always better to let a player go one year to early as opposed to one year too late.

Now the team is scrambling to remain somewhat relevant because, like Sultan said, they have a bad farm system and big contracts on the books. How much brighter would the future look with Garza and Lohse replaced with a couple of young arms acquired in a deal (easier said that done, I know), to go along with having a 2013 mid-1st rounder in the pipeline (that was given up to sign Lohse).

As it stands now, the worst thing that happened to the Brewers' long-term success may have been making a run in 2011.