Comments on: All Questions Answered: Trade Deadline 2015

By: G.J.

G.J. — Wed, 29 Jul 2015 20:12:23 +0000

Can you offer any insight on why the speedy Reed isn’t playing in CF?

By: J.P. Breen

J.P. Breen — Wed, 29 Jul 2015 19:52:49 +0000

Thanks y’all. That was a solid couple hours of a question-and-answer session. We’ll end it here. Let’s do it again sometime, yeah?

By: J.P. Breen

J.P. Breen — Wed, 29 Jul 2015 19:51:58 +0000

The biggest issue for teams with Ryan Braun isn’t the salary or the expected performance; it’s the off-the-field baggage that comes along with Braun. As much as Brewers fans don’t want to admit it — because we’ve seen that post-suspension Braun can produce at a high level — the PED baggage will keep teams from being interested in Braun on the trade market. Perhaps it changes in a couple years once it becomes further removed from people’s consciousnesses, but as of now, he’s essentially untradeable for the Brewers.

By: J.P. Breen

J.P. Breen — Wed, 29 Jul 2015 19:45:56 +0000

As mentioned above, I think Parra brings back a prospect that will move into the Brewers’ top-10. He’s been one of the best outfielders in all of baseball this year, and while he’s a rental, he represents a significant upgrade for many clubs. The number of teams vying for his services will also improve the Brewers’ likely return.

By: J.P. Breen

J.P. Breen — Wed, 29 Jul 2015 19:44:31 +0000

Mark Attanasio is very involved in the decision-making process in Milwaukee. I think his reluctance to engage in a fire-sale, though, isn’t as tied to business concerns as it is his inability to deal with losing. Any total rebuild will almost certainly require a handful of dreadful seasons, and Attanasio has said that he doesn’t want to own a losing club. That, I think, has been the driving force behind this constant need to compete. His competitive streak necessitates the chance of winning. The business benefits of avoiding a “rebuild” are just icing on the larger cake.

It’s largely speculation on my part, but I’ve been told by many that Attanasio is very involved in decisions and constantly pushes for contention. He wants to win. He wants to attend meaningful baseball games in September and October at Miller Park. He lives and dies with the performance of the club. He’s a die-hard fan. In some ways, I don’t blame him for such an attitude, but it’s obviously unrealistic for a team like Milwaukee to be in contention every single season. He must show a willingness to sell when necessary.

By: Brian S

Brian S — Wed, 29 Jul 2015 19:42:28 +0000

If Ryan Braun finishes out the year at the same pace he has been on so far, do you see the Brewers attempting to trade him in the offseason? If so, do you feel that Braun has any trade value or would the Brewers be looking primarily for a salary dump?

By: J.P. Breen

J.P. Breen — Wed, 29 Jul 2015 19:37:06 +0000

For multiple reasons, I don’t think Mike Fiers ends up in Toronto. He’s cheap and under team control for four more years, as you mentioned, so the Brewers have little motivation to move him unless they acquire a ton of talent. Similarly, the Blue Jays are interested in Fiers because they perceive him to be a lower-tier option to the studs on the market, but again, given the four years of control, the Brewers aren’t about to let him go for cheap. Thus, if the Blue Jays are going to have to overpay to acquire Fiers, why wouldn’t they just target someone like David Price — who is far better than Fiers and would similarly cost a require a top-end piece like Alford?

All in all, I don’t see Fiers going anywhere this summer.

By: J.P. Breen

J.P. Breen — Wed, 29 Jul 2015 19:32:30 +0000

I’ve been high on Michael Reed for several years. I had him in my top-10 prospects heading into the season. I always thought he was as sure-fire fourth outfielder for a big-league club, but he’s seemingly increased his stock to be a potential starting right fielder.

I still like Taylor better for several reasons: (1) Taylor can legit handle center field, which increases his value ceiling; (2) Taylor is more than a year younger than Reed; and (3) Taylor has room to grow and develop, while Reed is more of a physically maxed-out player that isn’t relying on potential. For fans who value big-league probability more than potential impact, Reed is understandably attractive. It’s just a mistake to sleep on Tyrone Taylor just because he’s not hitting for much power as a 21-year-old in Double-A. I know Orlando Arcia is raking at only 20 years old in Biloxi, but he’s a Dude and is one of the best prospects in baseball … so one shouldn’t compare Taylor’s development to that of Arcia.

By: J.P. Breen

J.P. Breen — Wed, 29 Jul 2015 19:27:19 +0000

Banda has improved his stock over the past 12 months, for sure, proving that Arizona was correct for coveting him last season. He’s compiled a 3.69 ERA with strong peripherals.

Still, Banda isn’t overpowering and doesn’t have a large margin for error as a starter. He does have three pitches and throws strikes, but he’s more control over command at this point and will need to learn how to live on the corners and rely on his changeup to be effective at the higher levels. I don’t think he’d threaten to be a top-10 prospect in many organizations right now, and I do think it’s safe to suggest the Brewers will get a top-10 prospect from a team’s org. The Brewers will have their pick of packages for Parra, based on reports, and should be able to acquire at least one prospect with a better ceiling than Banda — who I think is a potential back-end starter, at most. It’s been great to see him continue his positive development, though, and wish him the best of luck in Arizona.

By: J.P. Breen

J.P. Breen — Wed, 29 Jul 2015 19:21:08 +0000

I’ll go out on a limb and say Gomez is not on the Brewers roster for Opening Day 2016. I still think Segura remains on the team because the Brewers value him higher than other clubs.