Milwaukee Brewers News Clips Monday, January 18, 2016
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Milwaukee Brewers News Clips Monday, January 18, 2016 MLB.com Crew avoids arbitration with all 3 eligibles Arcia on MLB Pipeline’s All-Defense Prospect Team Journal Sentinel Brewers come to terms with Smith, Segura and Peralta Brewers announce attendees for ‘On Deck’ event http://m.brewers.mlb.com/news/article/162024108/segura-peralta-smith-agree-to-brewers-deals Crew avoids arbitration with all 3 eligibles By Adam McCalvy / MLB.com | January 15, 2016 MILWAUKEE -- The Brewers avoided arbitration with all three of their eligible players ahead of the Friday deadline by agreeing to one-year contracts with shortstop Jean Segura and pitchers Wily Peralta and Will Smith. Smith will earn $1.475 million in 2016, according to a Yahoo Sports report, and Segura settled at $2.6 million, according to MLB Network's Jon Heyman. Peralta's salary was not immediately known, but for the Brewers, the bottom line was this: For the fourth straight year, they will not need to take any players to an arbitration hearing. "Sometimes hearings are necessary," said GM David Stearns, who has extensive experience in arbitration as an employee of both various clubs and the Commissioner's Office. "In this case, we were fortunate we were able to settle with all three. That's the preferable outcome, when you can get there." Two of Stearns' deputies, director of baseball operations Karl Mueller and manager of baseball operations Matt Kleine, handled negotiations with the players' representatives. Those discussions, Stearns said, never went beyond one-year proposals. Asked whether extension talks are possible with any of the trio, Stearns said, "We're always exploring those types of opportunities. A one-year deal does not preclude going back later and talking about it if both sides are interested." Had any of the three players remained unsigned as of noon CT on Friday, the sides would have formally exchanged one-year contract proposals and begun preparing for an arbitration hearing in February. The Brewers have only gone all the way to a hearing five times, most recently in 2012 with reliever Jose Veras. Smith was arbitration eligible for the first time as a "Super 2" player because he ranked among the top 22 percent of players with between two and three years of Major League service. His salary nearly tripled thanks to that status, from the $512,500 he earned last season while posting a 2.70 ERA in 76 appearances. Smith will have three more years of arbitration eligibility before he qualifies for free agency. Peralta and Segura will have two more arbitration years apiece. Segura, who turns 26 on March 17, was expected to draw the highest salary all along by virtue of spending the past three seasons as Milwaukee's starting shortstop, including an All-Star appearance in 2013. His production has dropped off, however, in the past two seasons, during which he has hit a combined .252/.285/.331. He'll get competition as soon as this season from top prospect Orlando Arcia, who is expected to begin the season at Triple- A Colorado Springs. Peralta, 26, was the Brewers' most valuable pitcher in 2014 but made only 20 starts in 2015 because of a ribcage strain. He is 35-37 with a 4.02 ERA in 90 career games, including 89 starts, and is a contender to start the Brewers' April 4 season opener against the Giants. Smith, 26, is positioned to play a critical role in the Brewers' bullpen in the wake of a trade that sent closer Francisco Rodriguez to Detroit. With K-Rod out of the picture, Smith and right-hander Jeremy Jeffress are the Brewers' most likely closer options for 2016, with another right-hander, Corey Knebel, also in the mix. Manager Craig Counsell has not publicly committed to any of those players as a leading candidate. http://m.brewers.mlb.com/news/article/161989384/byron-buxton-headlines-prospects-defense-team Arcia on MLB Pipeline’s All-Defense Prospect Team Twins' Buxton garners most votes for best defensive prospect By Jonathan Mayo / MLB.com | January 18, 2015 Baseball is often a game of numbers. Especially with the explosion of advanced metrics, a player's performance can be quantified in many ways. While strides have certainly been made in measuring defensive ability in the same manner, there is still more subjectivity when evaluating glove work. That doesn't mean defense and run prevention aren't important. If the offseason deals for pitching and the large contract Jason Heyward signed with the Cubs are any indication, keeping runs from crossing the plate has increased in value. It's not just crucial in terms of free-agent signings. Teams want to develop homegrown players who not only impact the game offensively, but with their gloves as well. Trying to figure out who the best defensive prospect in the game was the focus of the most recent Pipeline Poll of general managers, scouting directors and executives. It was abundantly clear just how subjective defense still is when the array of answers came in. There were a total of 21 responses that brought in 14 names. There was no clear-cut winner, but Twins outfielder Byron Buxton did lead the way. The top three: Name, Pos., Team, Votes Byron Buxton, OF, Twins, 5 Orlando Arcia, SS, Brewers, 4 J.P. Crawford, SS, Phillies, 3 See a pattern there? It actually was the one common theme in nearly all the responses. All but one of the baker's dozen of prospects mentioned a position up the middle. There were seven shortstops, three catchers and two center fielders. Opinions may greatly vary on the particular player, but it's obvious that finding good defenders up the middle is the key. "Defense up the middle is so valued because of the impact it carries," one general manager said. "The shortstop is the general of the infield, and the catcher may be the most impactful defender on the field. Defense matters, and up- the-middle impact can make or break a club." That got the MLBPipeline.com crew thinking. Taking these votes into consideration and doing our own internal work, we've come up with the 2016 All-Defense Prospect Team. Catcher: Reese McGuire, Pirates The 2013 first-round pick's bat hasn't come around just yet, but there's no question about his glove. McGuire is an outstanding receiver, with a strong and accurate arm to go along with rapidly developing game-calling skills. First base: Dom Smith, Mets While Smith, also from that 2013 first round, is a first baseman only, he has great hands and footwork around the bag to go along with an accurate arm. Infielders are going to love throwing to him at the big league level. Second base: Jose Peraza, Reds Sure, he's been traded twice in the span of five months, but that doesn't take away from his skills in the field. Peraza was a shortstop initially with the Braves, but he moved mostly because of the presence of Andrelton Simmons. He brings shortstop ability over to second, where he has the chance to be a plus defender. Third base: Matt Chapman, A's Finding guys who profile at the hot corner offensively while showing they can stick there defensively is tough. Chapman has the glove part down. He has one of the strongest infield arms in the Minors, and his hands and feet will work very well at third long-term. Shortstop: Orlando Arcia, Brewers Arcia was known as a glove-first guy when he began his pro career, but he has since raised his overall prospect profile by improving his offensive game considerably. The defense hasn't taken a back seat. Anyone who saw him play in the Futures Game knows that. Outfield: Byron Buxton, Twins Sure, he struggled offensively during his big league debut. But Buxton's defense didn't suffer and he can flat-out do it all in center field, with plus range and excellent instincts to go along with fearlessness and a cannon for an arm. Outfield: Albert Almora, Cubs The Cubs have made so much noise with prospects lately, Almora has gone a bit under the radar. He has future Gold Glove potential as well, maximizing just average speed with terrific jumps and routes. Almora's arm is strong and accurate, too. Outfield: Andrew Stevenson, Nationals A second-rounder in the 2015 Draft, scouts raved about his defense in center field while he was at LSU and during his pro debut. Some scouts put a 70 on the 20-80 scale for Stevenson's fielding. Buxton is the only one on this list with a 70 fielding grade. http://www.jsonline.com/sports/brewers/brewers-come-to-terms-with-smith-segura-and-peralta-b99652576z1- 365463261.html Brewers come to terms with Smith, Segura and Peralta By Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel January 15, 2016 In his first go-round as Milwaukee Brewers general manager, David Stearns will not have to worry about going to an arbitration hearing with any of his players. The Brewers came to terms on one-year deals Friday with all three of their arbitration-eligible players — shortstop Jean Segura, right-hander Wily Peralta and left-handed reliever Will Smith. Teams and players had until noon to reach agreements or exchange numbers for possible hearings in February. "Hearings are certainly warranted at times and can be a necessary part of the process, but when you can reach a settlement prior to exchanging figures, it allows everyone to focus on baseball, and that's what we want," Stearns said.