Going deep in the outfield
Brewers general manager David Stearns sees playing time for four high-quality outfielders.
PHOENIX – How is a team going to find playing time for two Gold Glove centerfielders?
Milwaukee Brewers president of baseball operations David Stearns knew that would be the first question people would ask when news leaked that he had signed free agent Jackie Bradley Jr., a deal that the club made official Monday. After all, the team already had one stud in center field in Lorenzo Cain, who had two years remaining on a five-year, $80 million contract.
Stearns said he never viewed it as a difficult problem to solve, however.
“We’re constantly talking about various free agents, constantly exploring different trade avenues,” Stearns said. “It’s a player we’ve been exploring and talking to for some time, and the motivation is we think it makes us better.
“Just adding additional, reality quality players to our team is something we’ve tried to do here for many years. Adding somebody of Jackie’s caliber, both in terms of his play on the field, his impact in the clubhouse and to our community is something we’re excited about.
“As the offseason progressed and ultimately we got into spring training, this was something that made sense for both sides. We were able to structure it in a way that made sense for both sides, and we’re really happy he’s here today and out on the field.”
The structure is a first for Stearns because it includes an opt-out clause for the player. The full term of the deal is two years and $24 million, but Bradley, who turns 31 in April, can opt out after one year if he thinks it would be advantageous to go back on the free agent market.
“The truth is we don’t know if this is a one-year commitment or a twoyear commitment,” Stearns said. “That’s part of the structure of the deal is that it’s in the player’s hands. What we do know is we’re very happy to have him here for this year. I think he’ll see how the year goes, see what the environment looks like heading into next offseason. There will prob
ably be some uncertainty heading into next offseason as well.
“So, we’re going to take it literally year by year. It’s not something I’m going to worry about this year. I don’t think Jackie’s going to worry about it this year.”
Of asking for opt-out protection in the deal, Bradley said, "This was an unprecedented offseason. This was my first free agency so I don’t have anything to compare it with. I, personally, enjoyed it because I didn’t really focus on the things that were going on around me.
"I was able to spend a lot of quality time with my family and let (baseball) figure out itself. I was just relaxing and waiting for the opportunity. I was continuously staying ready and working hard. I got other offers but I just wanted to trust myself. I believe in my ability and my talent and I feel like this particular deal offers me a lot of flexibility."
The Brewers seemed set in their outfielder prior to signing Bradley, with Cain in center, Christian Yelich in left and Avisaíl García in right.
Cain has yet to get on the field because of a right quadriceps strain, but Stearns didn’t know that when he struck the deal.
Stearns explained how he sees four outfielders going into three spots in the batting order.
“We always care about depth regardless of the circumstances,” Stearns said. “If we look at three outfield positions, conservatively there are 2,100 plate appearances (over 162 games). That’s a lot of playing time. That’s a lot of plate appearances. We want as good of players as possible to consume all of those.
“So, now hopefully we’ll be able to have four really, really good players consuming those 2,100 plate appearances. That puts us in a really good spot. We understand it’s going to take ‘Lo’ a little bit of time to get going here; that doesn’t surprise us. It’s tough coming back from nearly a year away from the team. He’s been slowed a little bit with his legs; that also doesn’t really surprise us.
“Adding someone of this caliber to our mix there maybe takes a little bit of pressure off him, and then also helps protect us against the inevitable that we’re going to see over the course of the year. That’s something that (manager) Craig (Counsell) is really good at.
“Whether it’s Lo and Jackie, or Yelich or Avi, all of these guys are now going to be able to get the days off when they need them in order to keep them fresh for a full 162. And I think we need to remind all of ourselves that this is a full 162 this year.
“Guys get dinged and get hurt and a lot of guys play through it, and to be able to give a guy a day off when he needs it without really compromising what we have on the field is a real luxury for us right now.”
Just as the Brewers saw no issue with adding a fourth "starting" outfielder, Bradley said he saw no reason to look elsewhere for a job despite having other offers.
"I think I knew right away once they got into the mix that I was excited," said Bradley, who suited up in time to take some pre-game batting practice. "You look at this team, there’s a lot of great talent here so I was excited to sign and get here. I have full faith in all of our capabilities. We’re all going to get our opportunities. I just want to take advantage of it.
"It’s not something I have to worry about. I’ll leave that up to Craig and the people who are running the show. I’m going to be focused on helping the team any way I possibly can and wherever I’m playing, let’s go.
The Brewers’ two major outside additions – second baseman Kolten Wong and Bradley – are Gold Glove defenders, so the club figures to be stronger than ever in the field. Accordingly, Stearns was asked if he focused specifically on improving his team defensively or if these were just the best opportunities on the market.
“A little bit of both,” he said. “We weren’t a good enough defensive team last year. Part of that improvement needed to come through some personnel changes and part of it needs to come from players who were here last year having better defensive years. And then part of how the offseason unfolded, the best opportunities for us to improve our team largely revolved around defensive-oriented players.
“The other thing I’ll say, both Kolten and Jackie, yes, these are very talented defensive players but they also provide some nice lineup balance swinging from the left side. So, we do look at these guys as two-way contributors and they will impact our team on the defensive side of the ball. Our pitching staff ’s going to enjoy having them out there. But there’s also an offensive component to this that we think is helpful.”
Of finally donning a Brewers uniform midway through camp, Bradley Jr. said, "It was great. A breath of fresh air. To finally be out here and moving around, I’m glad to be here. I’m really excited for the opportunity and I’m going to have a lot of fun with these guys."
To make room for Bradley on the 40man roster, the Brewers moved infielder/outfielder Tim Lopes to the 60-day injured list with an oblique injury, which had not been previously disclosed.