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Brewers set catching rotation

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Craig Counsell

Milwaukee Brewers manager Craig Counsell unveiled his catching rotation plans for the upcoming season and barring injury, veteran Erik Kratz is the odd man out.

The Brewers aren’t expected to break spring training camp with more than two catchers, but the 38-year-old Kratz gives them insurance if something were to happen with either starter Yasmani Grandal or his top backup Manny Pina.

“It’s a tough spot for Erik; we understand that,” Counsell said on Wednesday.  “He made a very meaningful contribution. Acquiring Yasmani kind of put us in that spot.

Grandal started 110 games and played in 135 games for the Dodgers last season.  Manny Pina made 84 starts for the Brewers while Kratz started 54.

The Brewers first official workout with pitchers and catchers was cut short on Thursday by rain.  There is more precipitation in the forecast today.

Erickson returns to manage Timber Rattlers

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Matt Erickson

The Milwaukee Brewers announced their minor league coaching staffs on Thursday and Appleton native Matt Erickson will return to manage the Class A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers for a ninth straight season.

Erickson, who was the Timber Rattlers hitting coach in 2009 and 2010, has been with the Rattlers since the team’s affiliation with the Brewers began.  The Timber Rattlers have been to the Midwest League playoffs three times under Erickson’s direction.  Wisconsin won the 2012 Midwest League Championship with Erickson at the helm.  He is the longest-serving manager in the history of Appleton Professional Baseball.  His regular season record with the Rattlers is 536-574 (.483).

Erickson will be joined by former Brewers relief pitcher Jim Henderson, who pitched for the Timber Rattlers in 2009.  He was named the Timber Rattlers pitching coach for the 2019 season.  Dave Joppie, who managed the Kane County Cougars in 2004 and 2005, enters his third season in the Brewers organization as the hitting coach of the Rattlers.

Henderson made his MLB debut on July 26, 2012 against the Washington Nationals, the organization with which he started his pro career.  Henderson appeared in 111 games over three seasons with the Brewers and collected 31 saves.  He pitched in 44 games for the New York Mets in 2016, his final season in the majors.  This will be his first full-season as a coach in the Brewers minor league system.

AUDIO: Matt Erickson is glad to be back for a 9th season with the Timber Rattlers :22

Stearns, Schlesinger land promotions from Brewers

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David Stearns

The Milwaukee Brewers recent success on and off the field has landed two key front office figures promotions.

David Stearns helped lead the Brewers to within one win of the World Series, was promoted from General Manager to President of Baseball Operations and General Manager.  Stearns first joined the Brewers in 2015.

Schlesinger just announced a new 15-year ballpark naming rights deal on Tuesday, was promoted from Chief Operating Officer to President of Business Operations.  He will be entering his 17th year with the team.

Both Stearns and Schlesinger were both given raises and contract extensions in their new positions.

The promotion of Stearns made perfect sense in a number of areas for the Brewers.  A number of teams had shown interest in hiring Stearns.  His new promotion will keep other teams from trying to steal him away from Milwaukee.

Grandal signs deal with Brewers

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Yasmani Grandal passed his physical on Monday and was introduced to local media on Tuesday at Miller Park.  His deal will pay him $16 million this season with a mutual option for $16 million in 2020.  There’s also a guaranteed $2.25 million buyout if either side declines.

Grandal passed on a $17.9 million qualifying offer from the Dodgers and turned down a four-year, $60 million offer from the Mets.

Grandal has led all major-league catchers with 73 home runs over the past three seasons.  He hit 24 home runs for the Dodgers last season.

Brewers get Free Agent Grandal on a one-year deal

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The Milwaukee Brewers got some offensive catching help when they agreed to a one-year free agent deal with free agent Yasmani Grandal on Wednesday.

The deal is for one season and will pay the former Dodger $18.25 million, which makes him the highest-paid player on the Brewers roster in 2019.

Grandal struggled against the Brewers in the NLCS last season, but is still considered one of the top players at his position in the game.  It’s also an offensive upgrade after the Brewers split catching duties last season between Manny Pina and Erik Kratz.

Grandal hit .241 with 24 home runs and 68 RBI in 140 games last season.  In seven seasons, he’s a .240 lifetime hitter with 113 home runs and 339 RBI.

Grandal is considered one of the better catchers at framing pitches, but he’s committed 43 passed balls over the last four seasons.  That tops the majors.  He hit .139 in 14 postseason games last year.  He was 2 for 11 with six strikeouts and committed three passed balls against the Brewers in the NLCS.

The Brewers will surrender their third-highest draft pick as compensation for Grandal.  The Brewers have already given up a Competitive Balance Round A pick to Texas for reliever Alex Claudio.

 

Brewers acquire left-handed reliever from the Rangers

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The Milwaukee Brewers have acquired left-handed pitcher Alex Claudio from the Texas Rangers in exchange for Competitive Round A pick in the 2019 First-Year Player Draft.

Claudio, who turns 27 on January 31, is 13-6 with a 3.20 ERA and 12 saves in 208 career games (2 starts) over five Major League seasons, all with Texas.  He went 4-2 with a 4.48 ERA and 1 save in a team-leading 66 games (1 start) in 2018.  Claudio led the Rangers in appearances for the second straight season.

Claudio posted a 1.80 ERA over his last 11 appearances in 2018 (10 ip, 2 er) as opponents hit just .206 during that stretch.

Brewers sign Nelson

The Brewers avoided arbitration with right-handed pitcher Jimmy Nelson, signing him to a $3.7 million deal for next season.

Nelson missed all of last season while rehabbing from right shoulder surgery.  He’s expected to go to training camp this spring as a full participant.  He’ll be battling with a big group of starting pitchers for spots in the rotation.  That group includes Jhoulys Chacin, Chase Anderson, Zach Davis, Corbin Burnes, Brandon Woodruff, Freddy Peralta, Junior Guerra and Adrian Houser.

It’s possible the Brewers will take it slow with Nelson, but barring any setbacks, he is expected to pitch in Milwaukee this coming season.

Brewers meet with catcher at winter meetings

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The Milwaukee Brewers have both of their catchers back for the upcoming season, MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy reported the Brewers met Monday with free-agent Wilson Ramos at the Winter Meetings in Las Vegas.

The 31-year-old Ramos was named to the American League all-star team before being traded from Tampa Bay to Philadelphia.  He hit .306 with 15 home runs and 70 RBI in 382 at bats.  He’s considered a better offensive catcher than Manny Pina and Erik Kratz.

Ramos also reportedly met with the New York Mets.

The Brewers don’t have as much flexibility in their budget, but GM David Stearns said principal owner Mark Attanasio is open to expand the payroll if the right opportunity comes along.

Brewers elect not to bring Schoop back

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Milwaukee Brewers GM David Stearns told reporters on Friday that the trade that brought Jonathan Schoop to Milwaukee for the final months of last season was a “bad deal”.

The Brewers weren’t willing to take a shot at arbitration with Schoop and didn’t offer him a deal for 2019.  It makes Schoop a free agent.

The Brewers also declined to make offers by the Friday deadline to left-handed relievers Dan Jennings and Xavier Cedeno.  They tendered contracts to all of their remaining arbitration-eligible players, including infielders Hernan Perez and Tyler Saladino.

Schoop played 46 games with the Brewers, but struggled.  He hit just four home runs and drove in 21 runs while striking out 41 times in 124 at-bats.  He earned $8.5 million last season and was projected to get around $10 million in his final year of arbitration.

The Brewers currently have 36 players on their 40-man roster, giving them some flexibility in free agency.

Brewers named Baseball America’s organization of the year

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Baseball America has named the Milwaukee Brewers its 2018 Organization of the Year.

“We honored the Brewers as our Organization of the Year not just because they had a very successful big league season,” said Executive Editor of BA J.J. Cooper.  “We try to ensure that our flagship award digs deeper than that.  The Brewers’ run to the National League Championship Series was built by successful player development, scouting and analytics departments.  We’ve been impressed with Milwaukee’s ability to develop and graduate prospects to the Major Leagues, as well as the Brewers’ ability to use their farm system to improve the Major League club, most notably with last year’s Christian Yelich trade.”

The award is selected by the staff of Baseball America.  The honor recognizes not only the success at the Major League level, but also the organization’s amateur, professional and international scouting, farm system and player development efforts. [Read more…]

Brewers finalize coaching staff

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The Milwaukee Brewers filled out their coaching staff on Monday, naming Andy Haines as the teams new hitting coach, Chris Hook as their new pitching coach and former pitcher Steve Karsay as the teams new bullpen coach.

Haines had been the assistant hitting coach of the Chicago Cubs and will replace Darnell Coles, who signed on as the new hitting coach of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Prior to working for the Cubs, Haines spent eight years with the Miami Marlins, spending time as a hitting coach and manager at the Class A and AAA levels.

Hook spent 11 years in the Brewers organization and replaces Derek Johnson, who surprised the Brewers after the 2018 season by leaving for the same position with the Cincinnati Reds. [Read more…]