2025 MLB Season

[18thandWells]

"Is my job to win a World Series," Attanasio said, via Bob Nightengale of USA Today, "or is my job to provide a summer of entertainment and passion and a way for families to come together?"

[CreightonWarrior]

You're fooling yourself if you thought the brewers having a better record meant they were going to beat the dodgers in this series.

[tower912]

I wouldn't have said it so harshly, but yeah.  The Bewers have been a well run organization for years.  They are doing at the MLB level what Shaka is striving for at MU.  They are identifying and developing talent and putting a really good team on the field year in and year out WITHOUT getting into those bidding wars.  They should be celebrated and embraced.

But you cannot expect to beat another elite team by getting 5 hits in two games. 

[The Sultan]

You're fooling yourself if you thought the brewers having a better record meant they were going to beat the dodgers in this series.

I completely understand why the Dodgers were favored, but really, stop acting as if they never had a chance. Not one player or coach thought that. 99% of the fans felt the same.

But now they are down 2-0 we have people complaining? GMAFB.

[Uncle Rico]

The Brewers have always had a razor thin margin both on and off the field. Everyone gets that.

48 hours ago, no one was really complaining about this though. Yet now we have Scoopers calling MLB a "farce" and claiming that the owners "don't give a crap about the product."

As soon as any adversity strikes, we have fans that fall into the "It'S uNfAiR!!11!!" mindset that plagued this franchise (as well as the city) for so long. Have some pride and stop complaining - this team had the best record in franchise history. And now you're bitching and moaning?  It's really a losers mentality.

I don't disagree.  I said at the deadline to go out and get Suarez or any kind of slugger to augment the lineup.  I'll say it this off-season, you need to add a power bat or two. 

Max Muncy is going to be a free agent this off-season and the word is, the Dodgers will let him walk.  He can play 1B, 2B and 3B.  He can hit home runs.  He'll be 36 next year, so he ain't getting a long-term deal but he'd be a great, versatile player on the Brewers.  There are ways to augment a small-market team.

If they stand pat in the off-season and expect a Turang/Frelick leap from Ortiz/Durbin, I think that's malpractice to the team.

[18thandWells]

If the Brewers can get one of these stupid rich teams to take on Yelich's remaining contract, that would free-up 20% of Milwaukee's entire payroll.

[cheebs09]

The optimist in me saw the Phillies come a hit away from winning two in LA to tie the series at 2-2. There's very little so far that would indicate the Brewers can do that, but scrap out Game 3 and maybe you get some confidence.

The Brewers won by having a large number of quality starters that could fill in during the year, a steady bullpen, and an offense that generated opportunities.

The playoffs are a different animal and they are running into a team that has an All Star starting rotation and an offense that has gone cold.

[tower912]

A whole lot of teams with payrolls way higher than Milwaukee's are done for the season.  Knocked out of the playoffs or didn't even make the playoffs.   Silly to wear the payroll disparity as a badge of honor on the way to 97 wins and then pull a 180.

[The Sultan]

A whole lot of teams with payrolls way higher than Milwaukee's are done for the season.  Knocked out of the playoffs or didn't even make the playoffs.   Silly to wear the payroll disparity as a badge of honor on the way to 97 wins and then pull a 180.

Yep. They just beat a team with $100 million more in payroll, and now we have fans complaining and whining two games later???

Cmon...

[Shaka Shart]

Especially when the white Sox basically just hand you blue chip players like Andrew Vaughn

[MUBurrow]

In the long view, payroll disparity is an explantion more than an excuse. But its a bad look to take the long view emotionally in the middle of a series.

[Uncle Rico]

Yep. They just beat a team with $100 million more in payroll, and now we have fans complaining and whining two games later???

Cmon...

To be fair, that Cubs team plays at Wrigley.  Lord knows what tha does to a players body by September. 

[The Sultan]

To be fair, that Cubs team plays at Wrigley.  Lord knows what tha does to a players body by September. 

They're pickled.

[Uncle Rico]

They're pickled.

With Bears weather right around the corner, they can be kept outside then.

[TSmith34, Inc.]

Even Rudi Stein knew when to take one for the team.

Not really, Buttermaker kind of forced him into it. Twice.

[wadesworld]

You're fooling yourself if you thought the brewers having a better record meant they were going to beat the dodgers in this series.

Exactly.  Take a look at the number of innings pitched by Dodgers starting pitchers this year and let me know if they would've had a better record than the Brewers.

Some baseball fans here: Regular season success no longer means anything to the Brewers.  Do something in the Playoffs.

Those same people: The Brewers had the best record in baseball.  Now you're saying they can't compete with a team they finished 4 games better than?

A major sport having no salary cap is, has been, and always will be absurd.  I'm not complaining about what the Brewers are, nor am I complaining about what the Dodgers do (they should take advantage of a system that lets them buy titles).  I'm just stating the reality that the Brewers cannot compete with this Dodgers team.  Nobody can.  They're winning the World Series this year without any real fight, and they'll win it again next year if they're healthy come September and October for the 3rd time in a row.

I actually don't hate this Dodgers team at all.  Shohei, Betts, and Freeman are all awesome players who seem like genuinely good people.  I don't find really anyone on their team (other than maybe Muncy because his success in 2018 against the Brewers) unlikeable.  But they have a ginormous competitive advantage.  It'd be absurd to say otherwise.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

I don't disagree.  I said at the deadline to go out and get Suarez or any kind of slugger to augment the lineup.  I'll say it this off-season, you need to add a power bat or two. 

Max Muncy is going to be a free agent this off-season and the word is, the Dodgers will let him walk.  He can play 1B, 2B and 3B.  He can hit home runs.  He'll be 36 next year, so he ain't getting a long-term deal but he'd be a great, versatile player on the Brewers.  There are ways to augment a small-market team.

If they stand pat in the off-season and expect a Turang/Frelick leap from Ortiz/Durbin, I think that's malpractice to the team.

I've been telling people that my number one wish for the Brewers offseason is a left handed power bat that can play both corners. Sets up a nice committee with Vaughn, Durbin, and Bauers. I didnt know Muncy was going to be a FA. I think he would make a ton of sense.

Only other question I have is Collins. I don't know that he can replicate his success. I don't love any of the outfielders in the pipeline and will never trust Mitchell to stay healthy.

[wadesworld]

Pretty mean thing to say about Robin Yount.

Not really.  It just goes to show how insane the Dodgers are.

Yount had a 162 game average WAR of 4.4 and a career OPS of .772.  Freeman's 162 game average WAR is 4.8 and his career OPS is .897.  Betts's 162 game average WAR is 7.9 and career OPS is .881.  Shohei's 162 game average WAR is 5.6 and his career OPS is .957.

[18thandWells]

Not really.  It just goes to show how insane the Dodgers are.

Yount had a 162 game average WAR of 4.4 and a career OPS of .772.  Freeman's 162 game average WAR is 4.8 and his career OPS is .897.  Betts's 162 game average WAR is 7.9 and career OPS is .881.  Shohei's 162 game average WAR is 5.6 and his career OPS is .957.

I'll admit I didn't look at 162 average WAR. Suck it, Robin!

[Uncle Rico]

I've been telling people that my number one wish for the Brewers offseason is a left handed power bat that can play both corners. Sets up a nice committee with Vaughn, Durbin, and Bauers. I didnt know Muncy was going to be a FA. I think he would make a ton of sense.

Only other question I have is Collins. I don't know that he can replicate his success. I don't love any of the outfielders in the pipeline and will never trust Mitchell to stay healthy.

Expecting Collins to repeat this season would be poor roster management.  The free agent class isn't great, so they'd have to shop the trade market. 

[wadesworld]

I wouldn't have said it so harshly, but yeah.  The Bewers have been a well run organization for years.  They are doing at the MLB level what Shaka is striving for at MU.  They are identifying and developing talent and putting a really good team on the field year in and year out WITHOUT getting into those bidding wars.  They should be celebrated and embraced.

But you cannot expect to beat another elite team by getting 5 hits in two games.

This is a pretty good comparison.  Like the Brewers, I expect Marquette to be good every year, maybe even great every so often.  But like the Brewers, I don't expect a national (World Series) title.  Some teams can spend more on their rosters, and that becomes too much to overcome.

And like the MLB, the NCAA going to a free for all was absurd.  At least now there's a ceiling (although teams will just cheat).

[wadesworld]

I'll admit I didn't look at 162 average WAR. Suck it, Robin!

However you want to look at it.  For his 20 year career, if you just take that year's WAR and divide the total by the 20 years he played it comes out to an average of 3.875.  Freeman's would be 4.025 average, Betts's would be 6.267 average, and Shohei's would be 4.413 average.  And those three include a 60 game season in 2020.

[18thandWells]

Betts hasn't had a WAR over 4.8 in two seasons, but he's going to average over 6.2 for the next 9 years?

[Pakuni]

Not really.  It just goes to show how insane the Dodgers are.

Yount had a 162 game average WAR of 4.4 and a career OPS of .772.  Freeman's 162 game average WAR is 4.8 and his career OPS is .897.  Betts's 162 game average WAR is 7.9 and career OPS is .881.  Shohei's 162 game average WAR is 5.6 and his career OPS is .957.

Probably need to let things play out a bit here. Yount's numbers really tanked his last few years in the league, when he was 35, 36 and 37 years old and already had 2,500+ games under his belt, not to mention some serious injury issues.
Betts is 32. Freeman just turned 35 last month. Shohei is 30.
It's pretty certain all three see their production drop when they pass 35, and that will lower their career averages. No idea whether they dip below Yount's, but they'll almost certainly be a lot closer.

[18thandWells]

The Dodgers have such a high payroll, no one ages.