Why the 2010 Milwaukee Brewers Will Suck
Editor’s Note: Yes, it’s that time of year again - the time for us to settle back into our protective bubble where the Chicago Cubs are destined for greatness, and every other team in the National League Central is bound for spectacular failure. If you’d care to check out last year’s fare:St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds, Milwaukee Brewers, Pittsburgh Pirates, Houston Astros. Already featured for 2010: Cincinnati Reds, Houston Astros.
The 2010 Major League Baseball season is nearly upon us, and that means two things: (1) we’re all so deprived of real baseball action that we’re willing to treat meaningless Spring Training games like they’re the playoffs, and (2) the prognosticators are out in full force. Yes, every sports publication in the world puts out a season preview. Some are interesting, some aren’t. For the most part, folks just don’t have the time necessary to do the kind of in-depth preview that is going to be of any use to a reader that actually follows the team being previewed.
So most previews end up being pretty surface level, and boring. Well, we’re not going to do that here at Bleacher Nation. It’s much more interesting (notice how I subtly pat myself on the back?) to simply examine why the team currently sucks and is going to suck in 2010.
So enjoy - we’ll be previewing the suckiness (suckosity?) of the other teams in the National League Central over the next five weeks. Up next, Bud Selig’s favorite beer-swillers, the Milwaukee Brewers. Read the full preview on why the 2010 Milwaukee Brewers will suck, after the jump.
ShareWhy the 2010 Houston Astros Will Suck
Editor’s Note: Yes, it’s that time of year again - the time for us to settle back into our protective bubble where the Chicago Cubs are destined for greatness, and every other team in the National League Central is bound for spectacular failure. If you’d care to check out last year’s fare:St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds, Milwaukee Brewers, Pittsburgh Pirates, Houston Astros. Already featured for 2010: Cincinnati Reds.
The 2010 Major League Baseball season is nearly upon us, and that means two things: (1) we’re all so deprived of real baseball action that we’re willing to treat meaningless Spring Training games like they’re the playoffs, and (2) the prognosticators are out in full force. Yes, every sports publication in the world puts out a season preview. Some are interesting, some aren’t. For the most part, folks just don’t have the time necessary to do the kind of in-depth preview that is going to be of any use to a reader that actually follows the team being previewed.
So most previews end up being pretty surface level, and boring. Well, we’re not going to do that here at Bleacher Nation. It’s much more interesting (notice how I subtly pat myself on the back?) to simply examine why the team currently sucks and is going to suck in 2010.
So enjoy - we’ll be previewing the suckiness (suckosity?) of the other teams in the National League Central over the next five weeks. Up first, the home of Fat Elvis: the Houston Astros. Read the full preview on why the 2010 Houston Astros will suck, after the jump.
ShareBud Selig is a Hero, a Champion, and is Quite Handsome
Apparently this week, ESPN analyst and podcaster Peter Pascarelli really screwed up. He screwed up so badly that he immediately released an expansive, contrition-filled, Tiger Woods-style apology. He screwed up so badly that he’s reportedly been removed from his podcast.
His screw up? He made a crack about Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig.
The offending quote - all traces of which have been thoroughly scrubbed from ESPN - essentially made light of the Brewers’ recent decision to erect a statue in honor Selig, and suggested that the pigeons of Wisconsin will have a new place to relieve themselves. Think what you will of Selig, but that’s kind of funny. It’s also incredibly innocuous.
But apparently not to ESPN. Pascarelli sprinted to record a “special edition” podcast the next day, profusely apologizing for his terrible judgment. And now, he’s unlikely to return to the podcast.
So what’s this really all about? Access! ESPN has it, and doesn’t want to lose it. Maybe this was a directive from the Commissioner’s office (unlikely), but it is more likely simply to have been an internal overreaction at ESPN - “Oh God, someone said something bad about Selig! Fix it or they’ll cut us off!”
I get it, I suppose, but this seems a bit over the top, no? Just to be safe, I want to reiterate how excellent I think Bud Selig is. You think ESPN can hook me up with an interview now?
ShareGrumble: The Cardinals Just Signed Felipe Lopez
It’s not a game-changer, but Felipe Lopez is a guy worth having on your team. And now he’s on the wrong team.
The St. Louis Cardinals reached an agreement with free agent infielder Felipe Lopez on a one-year, $2 million deal, a source told ESPN The Magazine’s Buster Olney.
The deal is still pending the completion of a physical, the source said.
Lopez batted .310, with a .383 on-base percentage, last season for the Diamondbacks and Brewers. The only other free agent on the market this winter who matched or beat him in both of those categories was Matt Holliday. ESPN.
If Lopez puts up similar numbers this year (though there’s reason to think he has no chance, given a highly elevated BABIP last year), the Cards will have just stolen a potential All-Star.
Either way, Lopez is versatile and solid with the glove. He’s valuable, even if he’s on the bench.
Crap.
ShareWhy the 2010 Cincinnati Reds Will Suck
Editor’s Note: Yes, it’s that time of year again - the time for us to settle back into our protective bubble where the Chicago Cubs are destined for greatness, and every other team in the National League Central is bound for spectacular failure. If you’d care to check out last year’s fare: St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds, Milwaukee Brewers, Pittsburgh Pirates, Houston Astros.
The 2010 Major League Baseball season is nearly upon us, and that means two things: (1) we’re all so deprived of real baseball action that we’re willing to treat meaningless Spring Training games like they’re the playoffs, and (2) the prognosticators are out in full force. Yes, every sports publication in the world puts out a season preview. Some are interesting, some aren’t. For the most part, folks just don’t have the time necessary to do the kind of in-depth preview that is going to be of any use to a reader that actually follows the team being previewed.
So most previews end up being pretty surface level, and boring. Well, we’re not going to do that here at Bleacher Nation. It’s much more interesting (notice how I subtly pat myself on the back?) to simply examine why the team currently sucks and is going to suck in 2010.
So enjoy - we’ll be previewing the suckiness (suckosity?) of the other teams in the National League Central over the next five weeks. Up first, the ward of the gentleman to the right: the Cincinnati Reds. Read the full preview on why the 2010 Cincinnati Reds will suck, after the jump.
ShareNo Mark Mulder for the Cubs - Or Anyone Else
There was a brief period of time where the Chicago Cubs were connected to potential reclamation project Mark Mulder, but it seems like that won’t be happening.
TMJ4 in Milwaukee is reporting that left-hander Mark Mulder has decided to hang up his cleats and retire from professional baseball.
Mulder has been long connected with the Milwaukee Brewers this offseason. The 32-year old southpaw was attempting to make a comeback to the big leagues, and most thought the most obvious destination was with his former pitching coach, Rick Peterson, in Milwaukee.
That never came to fruition, however, as the talks dragged on and on throughout the winter. The Brewers wished to see him throw off a mound before reaching out and agreeing to a minor league contract with performance incentives. Mulder did not showcase his stuff for the Brewers until early February, though no reports as to how that session went became immediately available. JSOnline.
If he does retire, Mulder’s legacy will be that of a promising young pitcher, derailed by injuries. Oh, and he’ll be one of the worst trades in Cardinals history. Mulder, who put up just one good season in St. Louis before succumbing to a myriad of problems, was traded to the Cardinals for Daric Barton (solid first baseman), Kiko Calero (very solid reliever), and … Dan Haren. Oops.
ShareSo, Why Didn’t the Cubs Consider Felipe Lopez?
The Chicago Cubs are done making any major moves this offseason, and therefore, are apparently going to head into the 2010 season with a Mike Fontenot/Jeff Baker platoon at second base (unless Starlin Castro absolutely destroys Spring Training, claiming the shortstop job, and bumping Ryan Theriot over to second). I’m not going to gripe about it, because I believe a properly-employed platoon could be successful.
That said, it still puzzles me why the Cubs didn’t even look at a guy like Orlando Hudson - solid defensively, and a natural fit at the top of the order. He did sign for a relatively healthy chunk of money, so perhaps he was always out of range. And it’s not like there is some other second baseman out there who is still unsigned, would thus come cheaply, and who could hit at the top of the order. Oh wait … that guy in the headline.
It’s been a tough offseason for Felipe Lopez. Yesterday, the free agent infielder fired Scott Boras, likely due to the fact that it’s February 14 and he remains jobless despite a strong 2009 campaign.
The switch-hitter signed a one-year, $3.5MM deal with the Diamondbacks last offseason. Lopez was productive in Arizona, hitting .301/.364/.412 until he was traded to the Brewers in mid-July. All Lopez did in Milwaukee was improve, hitting .320/.407/.448 in 66 games with the Brew Crew. In total, his .310/.383/.427 line combined with his strong UZR/150 of 7.6 at second base last season make for a desirable target. Or one would at least think.
Perhaps teams are scared off by Lopez’s .360 BABIP, which is substantially higher than his career mark of .323. His 10.4% walk rate is higher than his career mark of 9.2% as well, but even that number is above the 2009 league average of 8.9%. It may not be reasonable to expect a .383 OBP again, but in a market where we’ve seen Miguel Tejada sign for one year at $6MM, Orlando Hudson at one year and $5MM, and Pedro Feliz at one year and $4.5MM, it’s hard not to ask why Lopez is still looking for work. After all, he had a better all-around season than all three of those former free agents.
To this point, the only substantial interest we’ve seen in Lopez has been from the Cardinals, though they’ve dedicated a great deal of money to Matt Holliday and Brad Penny this offseason. Last we heard, St. Louis has $6MM-$7MM to spend, and they’ve got question marks in the infield that make Lopez a logical fit. MLBTradeRumors.com.
So as it turns out, there are solid reasons to avoid Lopez, despite his outstanding 2009 campaign. The elevated BABIP is a concern (when BABIP - batting average on balls put in play - spikes, it is usually a product of luck, and is not repeatable), and his career OBP is just .338. That said, he’s been at or above .343 in four of the last five seasons (a disastrous 2007 season is really dragging his numbers down). Lopez can play all over the infield, too.
It’s impossible to imagine Lopez having to settle for a non-guaranteed, minor league deal with a spring training invite - but if he does, the Cubs would be crazy not to reach out. Then again, at that level, virtually every team in baseball would be crazy not to reach out.
ShareCorey Hart Wins the First Arbitration, Does it Portend Trouble for the Cubs?
The Milwaukee Brewers and Corey Hart engaged in the offseason’s first arbitration this week, and the decision came back yesterday: victory for Hart, who’d requested $4.8 million, which was $650k more than the Brewers had offered. Given that Hart was just average last year (100 OPS+), and below average in 2008 (98 OPS+), the figure is both surprising and terrifying for a guy in his second year of arbitration.
“I’m ecstatic. To be honest I was surprised,” said Hart. “I walked out of there yesterday and told my wife that I didn’t think it was going to go our way. If you look at the numbers, they go the teams’ way more often than not. I felt like we had a good case, but when you sit there for two and a half hours listening to them say you’re not very good, it’s hard to feel very confident about it.
“It wasn’t fun, but I went in there expecting it to be worse. I actually got to talk to Gord [Ash, Milwaukee's assistant GM] right before it and he was very genuine when he said that regardless of what happened, I’m still the right fielder and they want me to have a good season. This was just business.” brewers.com.
Well, it’s easy to be kind when you win.
So what does this mean for the Chicago Cubs and Ryan Theriot?
I wouldn’t read too much into the decision here, as all of the arbitrations are independent, and we have no way of know what actually convinced the arbitrator that Hart was worth $4.8 million. The Cubs have a very good case for why Ryan Theriot, in his first year of arbitration, is not worth $3.4 million - he’s been average or below average offensively for a couple of his seasons, he regressed badly last year, he’s nothing special defensively.
Of course, that sounds very similar to the case the Brewers had against Hart.
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