Milwaukee Brewers 2011-12 Offseason

last updated 4/4/12

MILWAUKEE BREWERS 2012 
For 2011 Opening Day roster, click HERE. For End-of-Season roster, click HERE.

*Players on the 40-man roster: BOLD.
*Players who are injured: +
*Players who are Out of Options: ##
*Baseball America '12 pre-season prospect rankings: BLUE #
*Baseball Prospectus '12 pre-season prospect rankings: GREEN #  

'MLBDepthCharts Magazine' includes this roster projection feature but includes additional info, such as player age, 2011 level and stats, 2012 salary and contract info in an easy-to-read, printer-friendly pdf file and excel spreadsheet.

*40-man roster total (39) 

*Projected 2012 Payroll: est. $100,000,000 according to MLBDC Magazine

OPENING DAY ROSTER (*indicates left-handed batter **indicates switch-hitter)
Starting Lineup (Click HERE to see last 7 lineups)  
1 2B Rickie Weeks
2 CF Nyjer Morgan* 
3 LF Ryan Braun
4 3B Aramis Ramirez
5 RF Corey Hart 
6 SS Alex Gonzalez
7 1B Mat Gamel* ##
8 C Jonathan Lucroy

Bench 
C George Kottaras* ##
1B/OF Travis Ishikawa*
IF Cesar Izturis**
OF Norichika Aoki*
OF Carlos Gomez

Starting Rotation 
1 RHP Yovani Gallardo 
2 RHP Zack Greinke
3 LHP Randy Wolf
4 RHP Shaun Marcum 
5 LHP Chris Narveson ##

Bullpen 
CL RHP John Axford 
SU RHP Francisco Rodriguez 
SU RHP Jose Veras ##
MID RHP Kameron Loe ##
MID LHP Manny Parra ##
MID RHP Tim Dillard ##
LR RHP Marco Estrada

Disabled List
Pitchers
RHP Brandon Kintzler + UPDATE 3/29 - placed on 15-Day DL, retroactive to March 26th (forearm)

Optioned to Minors
Position Players 
C Martin Maldonado BA#18

2B/3B Taylor Green* BA#8 BP#5

IF Eric Farris BA#27
OF Caleb Gindl* BA#13 BP#13
OF Brock Kjeldgaard
OF Logan Schafer* BA#6 BP#12

Pitchers 

RHP Michael Fiers BA#12 BP#10
RHP Santo Manzanillo BA#11 BP#11
RHP Mike McClendon

RHP Wily Peralta BA#1 BP#1  

RHP Mark Rogers BA#19 BP#18
RHP Cody Scarpetta BA#7 BP#9
RHP Josh Stinson
LHP Zach Braddock

Major League Free Agents 
Position Players 
1B Prince Fielder* (1/24: signed w/DET)
1B/OF Mark Kotsay* (11/15: signed w/SD)
SS Yuniesky Betancourt (12/20: signed w/KC)
IF Craig Counsell*
IF/OF Jerry Hairston, Jr. (12/5: signed w/LAD)

Pitchers
RHP LaTroy Hawkins (12/7: signed w/LAA) 
RHP Takashi Saito (12/12: signed w/ARI) 

Minor League Free Agents 
Position Players 
C Shawn Riggans
1B/OF Jordan Brown*
IF Felipe Lopez**
IF Anderson Machado**
IF Josh Wilson (11/22: signed w/ATL)
OF Brandon Boggs** (11/22: signed w/PIT)
OF Brendan Katin

Pitchers 
RHP Mark DiFelice
RHP Sean Green (1/23: signed w/TEX)
RHP Jim Henderson
RHP Robert Hinton (1/28: signed w/BAL)
RHP Justin James
RHP Zack Segovia
LHP Sam Narron
LHP Mitch Stetter (1/23: signed w/TEX)

Lost in Rule V Draft/Lost off Waivers/Traded
•1B/3B Casey McGehee UPDATE 12/12 - traded to Pirates
•3B Zelous Wheeler UPDATE 3/29 - lost off waivers to Orioles
•RHP Eulogio De La Cruz ##  UPDATE 3/16 - lost off waivers to Cubs
•LHP Lucas Luetge UPDATE 12/8 - taken by Mariners (Rule V)

MILWAUKEE BREWERS 

OFFSEASON PREVIEW posted 10/17/2011

The Brewers will head into the offseason minus free agent superstar Prince Fielder, leaving one gigantic hole in the middle of the lineup. Although they are expected to try and re-sign the 27 year-old first baseman, Fielder is expected to command well over $100M on a long-term deal and no one is giving the Brewers much of a chance. Whoever replaces him will have big shoes to fill. Internally, former top prospect Mat Gamel is the likely choice although there is talk that Corey Hart could move to first base from the outfield, which would give the team the option of pursuing a corner outfielder. An opportunity to hit behind MVP candidate Ryan Braun in the lineup is a strong selling point for any free agent.

Gamel is one option to replace Fielder at 1B. 

Picture courtesy of Icon Sports Media, Inc.

Finding a replacement for Fielder is likely the top priority but it could be a case where they bring in multiple additions to try and make up for the loss. Shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt is unlikely to have his $6M club option picked up and third baseman Casey McGehee's job is not safe after a very disappointing season (.626 OPS). So the Brewers can potentially go into 2012 with three new starters in the infield to go along with second baseman Rickie Weeks. Ideally, they could also improve defensively after their playoff debacle that earned them nicknames such as the 'Milwaukee Brew-errors'. Nyjer Morgan and Carlos Gomez are likely to share time in center field again while Jonathan Lucroy returns behind the plate.

The entire starting rotation returns and even though offseason acquisitions Zack Greinke and Shaun Marcum didn't pitch well in the playoffs, they were a big reason for the team's improvement in 2011. Along with Yovani Gallardo, Randy Wolf, and Chris Narveson, the Brewers' rotation had the 6th best ERA in the National League. And there's some decent starting pitching depth in the high minors, including Michael Fiers, Wily Peralta, and Amaury Rivas. None are future top-of-the-rotation starters but they could probably help out if needed.

While most of the offseason talk will be focused around the lineup and Fielder, the bullpen is also going to need some work. Once the team officially declines the $17.5M mutual option for setup man Francisco Rodriguez, they will have three relievers to replace or re-sign. Veterans Takashi Saito (2.03 ERA, 10 Hld) and LaTroy Hawkins (2.42 ERA, 20 Hld) are both free agents, leaving closer John Axford without much proven help. Kameron Loe figures to once again be in the mix for a late-inning role and Marco Estrada should return in some capacity. There are plenty of other options that have had success in the big leagues but many of them (Manny Parra, Mitch Stetter, Brandon Kintzler) finished the season on the disabled list. With Rodriguez expected to look for another closer's job elsewhere, I'd expect GM Doug Melvin to aggressively pursue a reliable setup man to take his place.

•UPDATE 10/19 - Melvin shot down the idea that Hart would move to first base. So cross that off the list of options for now.

•UPDATE 10/30 - Betancourt and Rodriguez had their options declined for 2012.

•UPDATE 12/5 - Manager Ron Roenicke expects McGehee to be in the lineup, either at third base, or possibly first if Fielder isn't re-signed.
•UPDATE 12/7 - After failing to find a suitable multi-year deal on the free agent market, Rodriguez has accepted arbitration. He'll return on a one-year deal, although he could be shopped to a team in search of a closer.
•UPDATE 12/8 - The team had been reportedly pursuing free agent Jimmy Rollins but he's likely heading back to the Phillies. With limited options remaining, they have agreed to sign Alex Gonzalez to be their starting shortstop in 2012.
•UPDATE 12/12 - Former Cubs third baseman Aramis Ramirez has reportedly agreed to a three-year deal.

Offseason Needs: First Base 

Potential Position Battles: TBD 

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