By now you’ve heard and read the rumors about the Brewers and the Mets. You should understand that these are rumors and that 
they leave a large gap between the Mets THINKING about getting Braun and the Mets ACTUALLY getting him. Should the Brewers be on their course to make this move you’d have to imagine that Sandy Alderson, Jeff and Fred Wilpon and Terry Collins would all be elated. The question here, is WOULD Met fans be? In case you haven’t heard the train of logic follows thusly:
- The Mets are looking to move Ike Davis
- The Brewers are looking for a powerful first baseman
- The Mets are looking for an outfielder (or two)
- The Brewers are willing to move one of their outfielders to make room for Khris Davis
- The Brewers would prefer to trade Ryan Braun over Norichika Aoki (or Carlos Gomez)
- The Mets could trade Davis to the Brewers for Braun
I’ll believe it when it happens, but I think there is a significant amount of concern should Alderson manage this type of coup. Would it even be a coup at the end of the day? Let’s look at the facts:
- Braun is 30 years old and signed through the next 7 years
- The average cost of his contract is $16 Mil
- In 7 years in the majors he has an OPS of .938
- He’s a 5-time All Star
- He’s a 5-time Silver Slugger
- He’s won the Rookie of the Year in 2007
- He won the MVP award in 2011
- He’s averaged a 5.1 WAR
- He is also a confirmed PED user who previously denied accusations
When it comes down to BASEBALL… I don’t think there is a solid argument against Braun. He hits for average and power and even boasts some solid speed numbers. To add to this, prior to the 2011 off season he was a model citizen and ambassador to the sport. He was cleared of charges prior to 2012 on a technicality but again found himself in the cross-hairs of Bud Selig’s misguided witch hunt in 2013. He served out his suspension quietly and apologized to the media and the fans for his actions.
All this being said; I can understand why Milwaukee would be looking at Braun as the guy on the chopping block. He’s currently the Brewer’s highest paid player and they’ll be looking at needing to re-sign Jean Segura and Gomez in the not-too-distant future. That, and the fans of Milwaukee are hurt by Braun lying to them blatantly. It’s the type of thing where it would sting everyone a little less were he to get a change of scenery.
Is (the Mets’) Davis, really, enough to get the star outfielder? My gut says no. My mind says no. BUT… maybe. The key here is that Alderson does not want to sign any “$100+ Mil Contracts” so the larger question is, COULD the Brewers be convinced to eat $15-$20 Mil of that contract? The answer is always, “For a price.” My bet is that price begins with Rafael Montero and might end with a few other people or prospects joining the fray. There would still be a rather large question remaining. Could Braun handle New York?
I listened to part of WFAN’s interview with Alex Rodriguez yesterday and I was struck by something. I don’t like A-Rod… I don’t root for A-Rod… yet… I think that Selig is the one who is in wrong. I’m not without my ulterior motives, I’d like the Yankees to be paying checks to the Rodriguez estate until judgment day, but he still had the ability to win me over. Like Rodriguez, Braun would be looked at by certain fans as persona non grata in New York and he’d need to learn to “Play the game”. Baseball players in New York need to play more than baseball… they need to learn to play the media game and I wonder how Braun would handle the seething hatred he’d be sure to catch when he came to town.
I’m willing to find out.
Dave I am curious as to who started the rumor? Are there not other teams that are a better fit? Ike was awful last year and the Brewers would be taking an enormous gamble if Davis flops again this year. Why take the chance when they don’t have to? Too much to risk when Braun is going to play his butt off to prove to the fans and his teammates that he can still be an effective team leader and player.
As could imagine, my answer is absolutely no. I would bet every dollar I own he’s been doping his entire career. Like with cockroaches, where there is one there is many. His one positive was only the tip of what is almost certainly a career of cheating. His numbers mean nothing.
Every time I see Braun or Arod, the only thing comes to mind is Lance Armstrong, the most tested athlete in sports history. 500 negative tests and one shady result. He doped for a decade.
In any event, the Brewers would be foolish to try to deal Braun now at the lowest value he has and who is under a long contract with time to build his “clean” (which I dont believe he will stop since he is likely and addict) record. You couldnt give him or Cruz or Peralta to me.
So my question is, if the Mets payroll is now down to 25M, from the original 40M, and they just signed Chris Young for 7M, that leaves 18M total to spend. Even if they did trade for Braun, how much left will they have? They still need a shortstop not named Furcal, and at least another starting pitcher.
BTW… Isn’t Young more of a platoon type player. Does that mean he will split time with EY? If that’s the case, I would have rather just signed Marlon Byrd for the 2yrs 16M. Is it possible the Mets would look to turn Young around to be included in another deal? Maybe for someone like CarGO?
Thoughts??
From a baseball standpoint, it would certainly be a coup for the Mets. From a fan perspective, I can see vitriol towards him because of the PEDs. I can also see a disaster waiting to happen re: the media. Is NY ready for Braun? I think NY is probably ready for anything, really. I just don’t think Braun is ready for NY.
The rumor seems to be nothing more than a fairy tale, anyway.
This reminds me of a similar situation:June 15, 1983: Keith Hernandez traded by the St. Louis Cardinals to the New York Mets for Neil Allen and Rick Ownbey. We all know how that turned out.
Mets: Braun
Brewers: Davis, Montero, Puello
I’d start there.
Let’s say we put a value for Braun at 100 since most fans still believe he’s still able to produce at a high level. Davis who is a GIGANTIC question mark get’s 10. Montero who has not even pitched yet in the big leagues gets 20 for potential. Puello another PED user gets 10 simply because you have to suspect his numbers and wonder how long has he been using. Creates a world of doubt doesn’t it? I know my numbers are purely conjecture but try to put yourself in the shoes of the Milwaukee GM and you’ll get a better prospective on what you propose. You offer three question marks for one proven MLB Player. Try Murphy, Duda and Syndergaard. If you feel a twitch in your stomach and start to feel sick then it’s a fair deal for both teams.