Leading OFF
Conflict brews for baseball’s team with too much depth
PHOENIX – Two months have passed since that extraordinary winter day in Milwaukee.
Two months since the Brewers invested more than $120 million in two outfielders with the signing of free agent center fielder Lorenzo Cain and the acquisition of left fielder Christian Yelich from the Marlins.
Two months of swirling trade rumors that the Brewers would turn around and trade their outfield surplus for a starting pitcher, or at least grab a free agent starter, to contend with the Cubs for National League Central supremacy.
And two months since nothing happened.
The Brewers still have too many outfielders, too many first basemen and not enough starting pitching.
The Brewers’ supply problem threatens to frustrate at least one player each night who believes he should be starting, along with a couple of young outfielders who know they can play in the big leagues but are stashed away in the minors.
“It hasn’t been an issue, and I don’t anticipate it to be,” general manager David Stearns says. “I understand why it’s the topic of conversation. I get it. And it will continue to be. But from a practical perspective, it’s pretty easy for us to navigate.”
The Brewers aren’t counting on Ryan Braun to be an everyday outfielder, with plans to start him at first base at times. Eric Thames will be platooned at first base, playing primarily against right-handed starters. Domingo Santana, who hit 30 homers and drove in 85 runs last year, could be sitting when Braun is standing.
First baseman Jesus Aguilar, who hit 16 homers and had 52 RBI last year, might not even have a role. First baseman Ji- Man Choi might have been the biggest surprise of the spring but isn’t even guaranteed a job.
And prized young outfielders Keon Broxton and Brett Phillips will be stashed at Class AAA Colorado Springs.
“That’s the front office’s problem,” Thames said. “What’s tough is that we have so many guys who can all start. So you don’t know if this will be our roster all year, or they’ll be trading some of us, or what happens? It’s just one of those weird feelings because you really don’t know what’s going to happen.”
Logic tells us that the Brewers can’t keep the status quo, particularly if Braun stays healthy and productive. They must find a place for Santana in the everyday lineup. And Cain and Yelich are established everyday players, missing a com- bined 13 games all last season.
“I think everybody’s a little bit curious,” Brewers third baseman Travis Shaw said. “Depth is a nice problem to have, but I’m sure it sucks individually for a couple of guys.”
Broxton proved last year that he’s an everyday outfielder by hitting 20 homers and stealing 21 bases, and Phillips is one of the top outfield prospects in baseball, but there simply was no room at the inn.
“Everybody kept saying we were going to get a starting pitcher for the last two months,” Phillips said, “and we haven’t. So I’m a really good insurance piece. It would be stupid for me to sit here and kick myself in the head. When I do get my chance, I’ve got to be ready.”
The Brewers might have stunned everyone a year ago by sitting atop the NL Central at the All-Star break, but it’s hard to fathom them challenging the Cubs this year without acquiring a front-line starter. It would make perfect sense for the Brewers to package Santana, along with Broxton or Phillips, for a starter.
“We have depth in the outfield, every club sees that,” Stearns says. “And we had plenty of discussions. But it makes no sense for us to make a move unless we think it makes our team better. Good teams have more quality players than they do roster spots.
“Those aren’t always enjoyable conversations with those players, but it means you’re headed in the right direction. It means you’re a competitive ballclub.”
The Brewers would love to swing a trade for Rays ace Chris Archer, but that’s not happen- ing. Gerrit Cole would have made sense, but the Pirates were never going to trade him in the same division. The Cardinals have a wealth of starting pitching depth in the minor leagues, but they’re not going to trade with the Brewers, either.
So as it stands, the Brewers will go with Chase Anderson, Zach Davies, Brent Suter and Jhoulys Chacin and hope that Jimmy Nelson can return by midsummer from his labrum tear and rotator cuff strain.
It’s hardly a rotation that strikes fear, but then again, no one ever expected them to hang around all last summer, either. They were expected to be in full rebuild, losing 183 games in 2015-16, but someone forgot to tell them they were supposed to tank, going 86-76.
“We never set a time frame on how long this would take,” Stearns said, “but the players played exceptionally well and basically told us we were ready to compete.
“It’s a group of players that came together fast, developed even a little faster than we expected, and told the rest of baseball and this organization that we’re ready to win.”
So owner Mark Attanasio dropped $80 million for Cain, Stearns traded four minor leaguers — including top prospect Lewis Brinson — for Yelich and five years of control, and they’re now hoping their offense can overcome pitching deficiencies.
“Not everybody is going to be happy at stretches with their playing time,” Counsell says. “These guys want to play. And I want them to play. But I think they can be just as productive, if not more productive, at playing less games. At the end of the season, I don’t think you know the difference between playing 138 and 150 games. Look, something will happen to throw this out of whack anyway. But if everybody stays healthy and is performing so well that this becomes an issue, that means our team will be really good. And I’ll deal with that.”