Milwaukee Brewers

The Milwaukee Brewers and free-agent third baseman Mike Moustakas reportedly agreed to a one-year deal Sunday.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported the news, noting the contract is pending a physical. Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported the deal is worth $10 million.

This comes after Jon Heyman of MLB Network noted the Los Angeles Angels, as well as "possibly" the San Diego Padres and Philadelphia Phillies, were interested in him before his decision to return to the reigning National League Central champions.

Moustakas, 30, split the 2018 season with the Kansas City Royals and Brewers. He hit .251/.315/.459 with 28 home runs and 95 runs batted in, putting up his second straight 2-plus-WAR season, per FanGraphs. 

A two-time All-Star, Moustakas played 934 of his first 988 MLB games with the Royals. He was an instrumental piece of the team that led Kansas City to its first World Series title since 1985 but has found a tepid market each of the last two offseasons.

After lingering unsigned into March last year, Moustakas re-signed with the Royals on a one-year, $6.5 million deal. Kansas City shipped him off to Milwaukee at the deadline as the Brewers searched for help in the postseason. 

"Everything happens for a reason," Moustakas told reporters. "I tore my knee up a couple of years ago, and I got to be there when my daughter was born. (Last) offseason, I got to see my son born. I was able to sign back with Kansas City; I got traded (to Milwaukee) and (went to) the postseason again."

After never hitting more than 22 home runs in a season from 2011-2016, Moustakas has hit 66 over the last two years. His increased power has been a major factor in keeping him effective, and a second straight year of solid numbers likely made Milwaukee more comfortable with the commitment.

The Milwaukee Brewers added infield depth Saturday when they agreed to a deal with Brett Lawrie. 

Lawrie announced his agreement with the Brewers on Instagram:

"Life has been a little weird for me this past couple years. To be honest it's been lonely. I worked my whole life to achieve my dreams. I've shared a locker room with 25+ men ever since I've been 19 years old & I blinked and it all disappeared. I've put more effort into finding the people I thought knew what was best for me than any of you could understand . It wasn't until about a week & a half ago I received a call from my agent & shortly into that call I got word that something could be “Brewing”. Yesterday I got the best news of my life & I am beyond excited to share with you that I am signing with the “Milwaukee Brewers”. Im so ecstatic for this opportunity of a lifetime and I cannot thank the Brewers enough for believing in ME when no 1 else would."

The Chicago White Sox announced his release in March 2017, and he quickly garnered interest around the league, with Jim Bowden (of ESPN at the time) reporting the New York Mets, Toronto Blue Jays, Kansas City Royals and Tampa Bay Rays were all looking into adding the second baseman.

However, Lawrie didn't play during the 2017 campaign and sat out all of last season. He was drafted 16th overall by the Brewers in 2008 before being traded to the Toronto Blue Jays two years later for starting pitcher Shaun Marcum.

Lawrie was at his best when he played for the Blue Jays from 2011 to 2014, although he hit a career-high 16 home runs with the Oakland Athletics in 2015. He turned heads in 43 games during his first season with a slash line of .293/.373/.580 and nine home runs in just 150 at-bats, but he was not the same player in 94 games for Chicago in 2016.

He slashed just .248/.310/.413 alongside 36 RBI, with his 12 home runs and fifth straight season of double-digit long balls something of a saving grace.

Lawrie possesses some speed on the base paths, as his 41 career stolen bases indicate, and he is versatile in the field with experience at second base and third base during his career.

He used to be a prominent defender and was responsible for a combined 31 total defensive runs saved above average in 2011 and 2012, per FanGraphs, but that mark fell to minus-six in 2015 and minus-four in 2016. 

Despite recent struggles, Lawrie is just 29 years old and demonstrated solid production and promise early in his career. The 78-84 White Sox were not constructed to win in 2016 during Lawrie's one season with the team, and his production suffered.

Even though Lawrie hasn't been in the Brewers organization for eight years, some members of the 2010 front office are still with the team. Former general manager Doug Melvin, who drafted Lawrie, is serving as a senior advisor. 

Ideally for Lawrie and the Brewers, a return to his roots will help him rediscover his previous form, especially in the field. If he does, he will be an under-the-radar signing who will boost Milwaukee's lineup after the team advanced to Game 7 of the National League Championship Series in 2018. 

The Milwaukee Brewers aren't out to knock the Chicago Cubs from the National League Central throne. They already did that in 2018. Their goal for 2019 is to keep the status quo.

This explains their interest in Madison Bumgarner. According to Jon Morosi of MLB.com, the San Francisco Giants have had "substantive communication" about the ace left-hander with the Brewers, who represent his "most likely destination" in a trade.

It's not guaranteed that the Giants will indeed move Bumgarner. There thus far hasn't been any indication that they hired general manager Farhan Zaidi away from the Los Angeles Dodgers just so he could carry out a rebuild. They seem to be more in a retooling mode.

Besides which, Bumgarner's trade value is compromised. The 29-year-old is set to make $12 million in 2019, which will be his final season before free agency. And over the last two years, he's struggled with shoulder and hand injuries as well as diminishing returns on the mound.

The Brewers have a shot at Bumgarner, however, because they have three young pitchers who pique San Francisco's interest:

Source: In initial Madison Bumgarner trade talks with #Brewers, #SFGiants indicated that a young starting pitcher — Corbin Burnes, Brandon Woodruff or Freddy Peralta — would need to be part of offer for deal to occur. @MLB @MLBNetwork

— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) January 8, 2019

As much as the Brewers, who won 96 regular-season games en route to the National League Championship Series in 2018, are surely loath to part with Corbin Burnes, Brandon Woodruff or Freddy Peralta, there only seems to be room for one of them in the club's starting rotation anyway. They could do worse than moving one to put a pitcher with Bumgarner's credentials in that spot instead.

Bumgarner is a four-time All-Star who was the only pitcher in MLB to top 200 innings with an ERA under 3.00 each year between 2013 and 2016. He also owns a 2.11 ERA in 16 career playoff appearances, seven of which came when he turned into a destroyer of worlds in the 2014 postseason.

Things haven't been as great for Bumgarner over the last two seasons. His injuries have limited him to 38 starts. And while he's managed a respectable 3.29 ERA, that masks worrying trends with his fastball velocity and strikeout rate.

Bumgarner historically hasn't fared as well away from home, either. His road ERA (3.35 ERA) is more than half a run higher than his home ERA (2.69). The disparity was far wider in 2018.

However, following a year in which they struggled to get innings out of their starting rotation—12th in the NL with 847 total—the Brewers may simply be enthused with the workload Bumgarner could handle if he stays healthy in 2019. Given that his last two injuries occurred due to a dirt bike accident and a line drive and not wear and tear, any such notion is not misguided.

The Brewers also have the means to potentially boost Bumgarner's performance, starting with their catching corps.

As reported by Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Brewers agreed to a one-year deal with Yasmani Grandal on Wednesday. Baseball Prospectus rated him as MLB's best framing catcher in 2018. Grandal will share time with either Erik Kratz or Manny Pina, who also rated highly in framing.

Neither Buster Posey (surprisingly) nor Nick Hundley were particularly good in that department in 2017 or 2018, and the price Bumgarner paid was mainly within the strike zone. Here's how his rate of in-zone strike calls has progressed since 2016:

• 2016: 89.7%
• 2017: 85.2%
• 2018: 85.7%

Grandal and company would be up to the task of getting Bumgarner more gimme strikes. That would allow him to pitch ahead in the count more often, which would only help resuscitate his strikeout rate.

Otherwise, it's encouraging that he has been reclaiming his roots as a ground-ball pitcher of late. Keeping that up will only help him keep balls in the yard. Milwaukee's defense could do the rest for him. It was the fourth-most efficient defensive unit in MLB last year. The Giants tied for 13th.

To take it from FanGraphs' projections for 2019, acquiring Bumgarner wouldn't actually do much for the Brewers' standing in the NL Central. They're projected for 79 wins, tied for the fewest of any team in the division.

Yet, a skeptically raised eyebrow is warranted. 

Grandal, who's averaged a .799 OPS and 24 home runs since 2016, joins a lineup that will once again feature NL MVP Christian Yelich, Lorenzo Cain, Jesus Aguilar, Travis Shaw and Ryan Braun in 2019. They've also added Alex Claudio and his ground-ball magnetism to a Josh Hader-led bullpen that emerged as baseball's best by the end of last season. At worst, Milwaukee's rotation will gain healthy versions of Jimmy Nelson (a breakout star in 2017) and Zach Davies for 2019.

Even sans Bumgarner, that doesn't sound like a team that's doomed for a drastic tumble. If the Brewers can indeed tab him to be their as-yet-undetermined No. 1 starter, a second straight run at 95-win territory will be in order.

Meanwhile, the Cubs' trade prospects are limited by having the National League's worst farm system. Likewise, their free-agent prospects are hindered by the heavy luxury-tax bill they're set to incur in 2019. They're almost certainly not going to add Bryce Harper to an offense that broke down in 2018. Heck, even adding a reliever to their vulnerable bullpen seems like a tall order.

There's therefore a solid chance that the Cubs will roll into 2019 hoping for better results from essentially the same roster they had in 2018. It could work, but they'll be in trouble if familiar weaknesses crop up again. Rather than a realistic target, a second straight 95-win season could be their best-case scenario.

In effect, the Brewers have a real chance to get comfortable atop the NL Central. A trade for Bumgarner would bring them just the cushion they need to do so.

          

Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference, FanGraphs, Baseball Savant and Baseball Prospectus. Payroll data courtesy of Roster Resource.

Free-agent catcher Yasmani Grandal and the Milwaukee Brewers reportedly agreed to a deal, The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reported Wednesday.

Per Yahoo Sports' Tim Brown, Grandal's contract with the Brewers is for one year and $18.25 million.

Grandal spent the last four seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers but hasn't quite established himself as a particularly consistent presence at the plate. During his time with L.A., Grandal hit .238 with a .790 OPS.

That said, he does offer quality pop in spots and has cranked at least 22 home runs in three of the last four seasons.

Grandal's real value comes behind the plate, where he serves as one of MLB's premier defensive backstops.

According to FanGraphs, Grandal's 45 defensive runs saved are the most by any catcher dating back to 2015.

On top of that, Grandal accumulated 11.2 wins above replacement during his tenure with the Dodgers—good for third among catchers behind Buster Posey (15.5) and J.T. Realmuto (14.2) over that stretch.

If Grandal can maintain that kind of production in Milwaukee, the Brewers will no doubt be thrilled with their investment as they continue to tweak their roster in hopes of making a pennant push.

The Brewers were one win away from advancing to the World Series last season, losing to the Dodgers in the NLCS. Their catchers combined to hit .237/.294/.363 with 16 homers, so Grandal represents a significant upgrade with the bat in Milwaukee's lineup.

Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield will be among a number of athletes and celebrities coming together to raise money for victims of the California wildfires and Nov. 7 shooting at the Borderline Bar and Grill.

Per TMZ Sports, Mayfield will join a group that includes reigning National League MVP Christian Yelich, Basketball Hall of Famer Reggie Miller, Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jared Goff, actors Charlie Sheen, Rob Riggle, Mira Sorvino and others in a charity softball game at Pepperdine University on Jan. 13.

Yelich, who is from Thousand Oaks where the shooting occurred, told TMZ last month he helped to organize a charity group to help out victims of the tragic events in California.

"We tried to put together a California Strong charity just to raise money to help people out and get them back on their feet in any way we can," he said. "Just lend a helping hand in a time of need."

Per Kristin Lam of USA Today, 85 people died and 11 were still missing as of Dec. 3 as a result of the Camp Fire, which destroyed nearly 14,000 homes in Northern California.