USATSI_11004851_168381442_lowres_1

Grading the System 3

The splash happened: For two-and-a-half years, Brewers fans and analysts wondered aloud what it might take for GM David Stearns to trade an impact prospect at the trade deadline. The debate softened somewhat during the 2017-2018 offseason, as Stearns certainly proved himself capable of parting with (several) impact prospects. This transaction was always explained away, […]

USATSI_10905129_168381442_lowres_1

21: The Trap

In a much-publicized scheduling crunch, the Brewers are headed on a trek in which 21 games will be played in the 20 days leading to the All Star Break. Any baseball fan will look at their favorite team’s schedule for such an occasion and grimace. That the stretch’s extra contest comes at the cost of […]

USATSI_10882873_168381442_lowres_1

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 […]

USATSI_10652341_168381442_lowres

Villar is the Answer at Second

The 2018 Brewers should hit. Barring a major Spring Training trade, they’re set to enter the season with the deepest lineup in recent Milwaukee history. The lone remaining area of uncertainty is at second base, where incumbents Jonathan Villar and Eric Sogard figure to squabble for playing time, each trying to prove that their respective […]

USATSI_10250424_168381442_lowres

Who’s on Second?

Spring Training is upon us. It seems the Brewers have moves to be made regarding their crowded outfield and solid-but-underwhelming starting rotation but the rest of the roster is presumably set. Earlier this offseason, second base was a primary concern for Brewers fans. Most assumed that GM David Stearns would bring back midseason acquisition Neil […]

USATSI_10247726_168381442_lowres

Jonathan Villar and High-Risk Gambles

It should come as no surprise for me to say that the Brewers are not favorites to win their own division.  PECOTA’s projections have been released today, and the Brewers are projected to be an 83-win team, or six wins worse than the Cubs.  Their 83-win projection puts them in the same range as the […]

USATSI_10290981_168381442_lowres

What if the Brewers Don’t Sign Neil Walker?

This offseason has been infamously slow, and the Brewers have made only minor adjustments to their big league roster thus far.  A flurry of moves are undoubtedly still to come, as Yu Darvish, Jake Arrieta, and J.D. Martinez still remain unsigned. But with spring training about five weeks away, the chance that the Brewers have […]

USATSI_10266286_168381442_lowres

Roster Surplus and Depth Questions

The 2018 Milwaukee Brewers are in quite a strange position, representing the bundle of contradictions that defined their uncanny 2017 campaign. On the one hand, the organization dropped a “rebuilding” narrative in 2015, meaning that industry writers, analysts, and fans alike did not expect the club to compete, let alone contend, for several years; on […]