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Rebuild Rebuilding

When the Brewers embarked on their rebuilding campaign, first under President Doug Melvin during 2015 and then under GM David Stearns, the common fan and analyst rebuilding model was the scorched-earth, tear-it-to-the-ground, “tank” rebuild. This rebuilding model was ostensibly perfected by the Houston Astros and also practiced by the Chicago Cubs, where the assumption is […]

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Recycle the Rebuild: The Great Non-Move

Last year, I criticized Brewers GM David Stearns for his lack of midseason moves to address a starting pitching rotation that became greatly diminished down the stretch. The criticism was a part of a general frustration that the club had not done enough to reach the playoffs. After executing a very swift rebuilding effort (that […]

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Where are the Trades?

Brewers GM David Stearns was affectionately labeled “Slingin’ Stearns” by Brewers fans upon taking helm of the organization. The young GM blazed a new roster by making deals at a furious pace, and some of his first trades remain his greatest hits (for example, the Jonathan Villar trade is still as good as the Travis […]

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Revisiting the Sabathia Trade

Throughout the offseason, I have worked toward developing a Benefit-Cost Analysis tool that monetizes MLB production and Overall Future Potential (OFP) in order to judge trades and assess franchise surplus value. Consistently testing this tool with Brewers rebuilding or counterbuilding moves, as well as problematizing the tool by assessing 2017 trades (such as the Brian […]

Investing in Executive Structure

One of the curiosities of the 2016 Brewers rebuild withstood the trade deadline. Mysteries about whether Jonathan Lucroy would be traded (he would), relievers would be traded (they would), starting pitchers would be traded (nope!), any position players would be traded (Aaron Hill), or any top prospects graduated to the MLB (Welcome, Orlando Arcia!) were […]

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The Brewers By Elo Rating

FiveThirtyEight followed their fascinating NBA and NFL franchise value Elo Ratings by introducing such ratings for MLB franchises. Their published results are fascinating because they blend zero-sum judgments of each team (when the Brewers beat the Nationals, for example, the Nationals lost exactly the same number of points that the Brewers gained) with weighted predictions […]

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Top Brewers Storylines of 2015: Carlos Gomez GoGos to Houston

The most significant Brewers storyline that involved an actual transaction was the trade deadline blockbuster that sent center fielder Carlos Gomez and right-hander Mike Fiers to Houston. After the Brewers’ deal with the Mets fell apart, Milwaukee shook hands with Houston and received a package of players headlined by top-100 prospect Brett Phillips. As our own […]

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Top Brewers Storylines of 2015: Stearns In, Melvin Out

The number one story here at Baseball Prospectus Milwaukee has been the reorganization of the front office in the wake of the Brewers’ dreadful 2015. On September 21st, general manager Doug Melvin transitioned to an advisory role within the organization and made way for a new GM, David Stearns, formerly the assistant general manager for […]

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K-Rod Traded To Detroit: Stearns Has No Favorites

Since acquiring him from the New York Mets in the summer of 2011, the Milwaukee Brewers have inked Francisco Rodriguez to four separate contracts, including the two-year, $13 million deal with a club option that he signed prior to the 2015 season. His inevitable return to Miller Park has been an ongoing joke within the Brewers’ […]