Milwaukee Brewers: Offseason Quiet Yet Productive
By Tim Boyle
The Milwaukee Brewers’ offseason has been a quiet yet productive one. Although they failed to sign any major free agents or do anything else to put the franchise in a position as obvious World Series favorites in the NL, they got the job done. The Brewers went the opposite direction of many teams and tried to get better in a much softer manner.
One of the big moves the Brewers had this offseason was trading starting pitcher Yovani Gallardo to the Texas Rangers. In return, the Brewers received three young players who could be anything from the next Robin Yount to the guy that washed Matt Mieske’s jock strap. Most likely, this trade was more about getting some sort of a future for Gallardo rather than only a draft pick once he hits free agency after the 2015 season.
Trading away one of their best pitchers is certainly not something any team should do when they have the playoffs in their immediate plans. The Gallardo trade was about more than a playoff push this season as it allows Jimmy Nelson a better chance at making the starting rotation. The Brewers seem high on the kid and it’s time he gets his chance.
Last year in Triple-A, Nelson was 10-2 with a 1.46 ERA. With the Brewers, Nelson struggled with a 2-9 record and 4.93 ERA. Growing pains are expected with most rookies — especially pitchers — and the Brewers’ thinking might have been to get it out of the way as soon as possible. For all we know, they’re over with and this season is the start of his success.
One other notable change to the starting rotation was the trade of Marco Estrada to the Toronto Blue Jays. In this trade, the Brewers actually got someone to help them immediately. Coming over from Toronto for Estrada was first baseman Adam Lind.
Lind has slowed down significantly since his career year in 2009. Between battling injuries and just obtaining a chance to play, Lind appears as if he’s swinging a much better bat nowadays. In 239 games over the last two seasons, Lind is hitting .301 with a .366 OBP. His home run power is significantly lower than it once was and it is a bit of a disappointment to see. His ability to get on base, however, is rather impressive.
Since Prince Fielder left after the 2011 season, the Brewers haven’t had a reliable first baseman they could count on with the bat. They’re hopeful a change of scenery is all Lind needs to play at the level he once did.
Finally, there’s an important subtraction the Brewers made this offseason. This move was perhaps the most significant and symbolic move. The Brewers decided not to re-sign former first round pick Rickie Weeks, letting him walk for free agency. After spending parts of 11 seasons with the Brewers as their second baseman, Weeks is now a member of the Seattle Mariners.
The time Weeks spent in Milwaukee was rather disappointing. He finishes his stint there with only a .249 batting average and not very many noteworthy accomplishments. For the first time in a decade, Opening Day for the Brewers will not feature Weeks at second base. Instead, the Brewers have handed the position over to Scooter Gennett. So far Gennett’s future looks like a promising one. Through his first 206 games played in 2013 and 2014, Gennett is hitting an even .300, including 31 doubles in 2014 to show off his gap power.
Not much else changed from last year for the Brewers. Kyle Lohse and Matt Garza are still the veteran presences in the starting rotation. Ryan Braun and Aramis Ramirez are still there to provide the bulk of the power along with Jonathan Lucroy. The catcher’s breakout 2014 season is plenty for him to build on and fans to simultaneously look forward to in 2015.
The Brewers did a lot this offseason. It just happened to be not very buzz-worthy. Nonetheless, they have been productive under the radar.