[BirdWatcher]

With the trading deadline coming up in just a few days and with the Brewers showing signs of being able to contend this season (will report on later, but most recently the Brewers took 2 of 3 from 2nd place Brooklyn to narrow the gap a bit more, and Charlotte continues to struggle), there are a number of big questions the team needs to answer for this season and especially for next season.

Let's start with the veteran players who might be gone next year (or sooner.)
1- Antonio Puente, right fielder. I've detailed this one pretty well already but just a few more facts to consider. First of all, one of the owner's requests this year was to upgrade at right field. And thus far, with all of his struggles at the plate, somehow Puente is ranked among the top 4 right fielders in the league. Which makes the owner happy. Do I keep him until the end of the season just to appease the owner and then unload him? Possibly. On the other hand, he continues to not hit home runs (which is his best skill as a hitter, presumably) and to strike out way too often. With Ryan Rodgers having returned from the injured list, I'm finding myself sitting Puente more and more just to get playing time for Andrew Kennedy, Pat Rondeau (both of whom are having fine seasons) and youngster Joe McPhillips. Would it be better to just unload Puente now and give Rondeau the starting right field job for the remainder of 1972? Maybe.

2- Miguel Solis, closer. Solis, now considered a fragile pitcher and age 32, missed most of the second half of the last two seasons due to serious arm injuries. And yet, he's pitching fantastic again this year, as he always has in a Brewers uniform. As team prankster he also helps keep the clubhouse loose. His contract expires at the end of this season. We have a plethora of good relief pitching prospects hanging around at AAA and AA, several of whom have been bouncing back and forth between Denver and Chester (AAA). I've been finding myself throwing him out there as often as possible just to see if he might suffer another major arm injury (not really wanting it to happen, of course) that would make the decision for me. We'll probably let him walk at the end of the season. But it's a tough decision to make.

3- Daniel Torres, starting pitcher. Torres, the winner of the last two ERA titles in the MGL and one of the most consistently good pitchers in Brewers history, is 37 years old and looking much diminished this year. He is under contract for one more season but the team has a buy-out option for 1973. We'll probably use it. Reluctantly. He is a team leader and one of the early rocks of the franchise. He will be missed.

4- Abel Pennington, starting pitcher. Pennington has been the Captain of the team for years. And a decent pitcher, as a number 4 or 5 guy. He was lost early this season to a serious arm injury and not expected to be healed until the off-season. This is his last year of arbitration eligibility. Catcher Kevin Curtis seems to be doing a great job taking over as the team leader, and young lefty pitcher Matt Helm is considered a captain. With Andrew Kennedy also a strong leader, Pennington is probably expendable at this point. Likely he will be non-tendered and allowed to test free agency.

5- Eric Singer, relief pitcher. Singer is a fan favorite and still a very talented reliever, even at age 34, and is under contract for the next 2 seasons, though the club has a buy-out option for 1974. On the other hand, Singer hasn't performed that well this year, was out with an injury for awhile, and is just now finishing up a rehab stint at AAA Chester. Most importantly, as mentioned above, we have a bunch of solid relief pitchers waiting for their chance to shine. Singer makes 200K per year. We could probably get about the same results out of 3 or 4 of our young guys making 20K. Seems silly to keep Singer at this point.


Having said all of that, here is one possible vision of what the roster looks like in 1973.

Starting rotation: Cheol-han Lee, Erik Sloan, Harry Lyerly, Steve Green, Matt Helm and/or Justin Peacock.
That gives us two bonafide aces, one righty (Lee) and one lefty (Sloan.) Lyerly, if he keeps doing what he's doing is a pretty great #3 guy. Green shows signs of potentially developing into a top of the rotation guy but is still a bit inconsistent at this stage of his career. His biggest weakness seems to be the long ball, which is odd given that all indications are that he should be solid in this area and that his teammate Harry Lyerly, who should give up a ton of HR's has been pretty darn good in that area this season. The young lefty Helm has shown good potential this year and likely would be the primary back-end of the rotation guy. But rookie Justin Peacock, with his 5-pitch repertoire, has at times been very good too and should be given a chance to compete for a rotation slot and/or settle into a long-relief role in the 'pen.

Bullpen: Jose de los Santos, Liann-wei Hua, Dave Duncan, Jaden Francis, Sam Pruiett, Jordan Stephens.
With the exception of closer/stopper de los Santos (who has been really mowing them down of late), this is a largely young and inexperienced group, but with good potential. Lefty Hua is quickly emerging as another potential stopper and at the least a very good set-up man. Jaden Francis, having been sent down to AAA earlier in the season after getting off to a horrible start, has returned and is doing a very fine job. Dave Duncan, in his limited opportunities last year, and in the 'pen all year thus far in 1972, has pretty much wowed with his great stuff and ability to avoid the long-ball. He struggles with control at times, but thus far it hasn't really hurt him. Pruiett has been waiting far too long for his opportunity, having had just a few brief periods of time on the active roster. Pruiett looks like he might be potentially the most talented of this group (other than de los Santos and Hua) and has been the name most often mentioned in trade proposals received leading up to the deadline. (Andrew Kennedy's name has come up quite a bit too.) Stephens is probably the least developed of this group but does have great potential should he develop his curveball to the extent thought possible. But perhaps more to the point is that Stephens is a fine hitter with some of the better HR power potential on the team and can play an acceptable third base. This makes him a very versatile component and greatly increases his chances of sticking.

Catchers: Likely nothing will change here. Multiple Gold Glove award winner Kevin Curtis (almost surely will get another at the end of this season) and Spencer Wilson make a fine combo. Wilson isn't quite the defender Curtis is, but he's no slouch in that area and is a better hitter overall. But they both can draw walks, both have good gap power and will hit their share of doubles, both are great character guys. Curtis is quickly emerging as the primary team leader and is a real fan favorite. Should anything happen to either of these two, we have several catchers at the higher levels of the system who could step in and likely do a good enough job, including AAA catcher Alex Hernandez, and Zacarias Martell, currently at AA and probably our best prospect at this position.

Infield: 1B- Bobby Erbakan, 2B- Jonathan Koch, 3B- Mike Foster, SS- Chad Brown. Utility/defensive specialist: Oscar Vargas.
The rookies- Koch and Foster- have shown great potential this season. Koch is a premium defender at second base and while his hitting has tailed off a bit after a good start, he still shows good skills and should at least be a useful bottom of the order bat. Foster, meanwhile, has surprised with the bat, hitting much better than could have been hoped at this stage of his development. He has good contact skills, good gap power, and flashes some above average HR power as well. His defense, especially given his cannon arm, is a plus too. Erbakan and Brown, of course, are pretty much the best position players on the team, great in the field and at the plate. Vargas remains a defensive wizard and while he is not much of a contact hitter he has good speed, good gap power, and will hit the occasional dinger.

Outfield: LF-Ryan Rodgers and Andrew Kennedy, CF- Joe McPhillips, RF-Pat Rondeau (and Andrew Kennedy).
Rodgers is the true superstar of the team and still very talented at age 33, but missed much of the first half of the season and hasn't really produced that much since. He does remain a very gifted defensive outfielder. Kennedy is a pure hitter with great gap power and just a little occasional pop. He is a solid defender both in left field and at first base and can play an acceptable right field as well though his arm is a bit weak for that position. McPhillips has often struggled at the plate this season, but is a premium defender, possesses great speed and running skills, and shows flashes of being a very dangerous hitter once he cuts down on his strikeouts and increases his contact skills a bit. He's young, he's learning, and he's a potential superstar in the making. Rondeau is arbitration eligible at the end of the season for the last time (rumor has it that a contract extension for 1973 is in the works as we speak). He is a great fielder, a great runner, a good contact hitter who can spray hits into the gaps and run all day. He won't hit many home runs that aren't of the inside-the-park variety. And he won't walk often. He's not a long-term answer as a starter and likely won't be with the team beyond 1973. But for now he is a valuable role-player.

As laid it out here that leaves a few roster spots up for grabs.
Likely this would mean one more back-up infielder and a fifth outfielder. If there is one thing the Brewers have plenty of it is young outfielders who could play at the big league level right now. Paul Mackins, who filled in for Rodgers the first half of this season, could be back. Josh Schaefer, the highest rated prospect among outfielders in the system, and a natural right fielder could certainly earn his first chance in Brewers purple. Troy bin Nadeem, who has had such a great season at AAA this year, certainly has at least earned a September call-up this year to show what he can do and audition for 1973. And, honestly, there are at least 3-5 more who could qualify.
As for another infielder, the guy who has earned it the most is third baseman Jose Careaga. He probably isn't going to be able to jump over Foster as our starter at this point, but he could be a starter on many WPK teams. He is a solid defender with a strong arm, an average hitter but one with a great eye and approach at the plate and a bit of pop in his bat, and a very hard worker. But he really only can play third and with Vargas very good at that position and reliever Jordan Stephens also a good option to fill in for Foster it is hard to see how Careaga fits. As far as versatility, minor leaguer Joe Willemse shows great promise as a tremendous defensive player at all infield positions other than first (just too short) and above average defensively in the outfield as well. Willemse is also very fast but unfortunately not a good base-stealer and just a slightly above average base runner. But he is also potentially a very good contact hitter (albeit, basically a singles only guy) who will rarely strike out. While Willemse profiles as a potential second-division starter he would likely be a very valuable super-sub and might eventually take over the role Vargas currently holds on the team.

So, that is what the team could look like without the 5 players listed above. It would certainly be a cheaper way to go but, depending particularly upon how McPhillips develops and whether Koch and Foster can build on what they have done thus far in 1972, it could be a very competitive team again. Not that we really need the cost reduction. The finances are fine, even if not unlimited. But it would help refresh and reload the team without, hopefully, the necessity of going into rebuild for the foreseeable future.

Tough decisions. But that's part of the fun.