Stearns might give Brewer nation another January surpri

se."David Stearns does the unexpected one more time http://www.rockiesfanproshop.com/authentic-chad-bettis-jersey , and the month of January has become his magic month. Unless you dwell in caves, you know that the Brewers struck a trade for Christian Yelich and signed Lorenzo Cain last January. This year it is happening again. Yasmani Grandal signed a one-year contract for $18.25 million to join the Brew Crew. The Brewers are absolutely in “go-for-it” mode. The next step could be the signing of a second or third baseman.In whom might the Brewers be in heavy pursuit? One infielder off that market is Brian Dozier, who signed a 1-year, $9 million contract with the Washington Nationals. Even with that signing, the number of options in play for Stearns and Company is plentiful. In fact, there is more supply than demand, especially since Washington, Oakland, San Diego, Minnesota, and possibly Colorado (Daniel Murphy may play first base and leave an opening at second) have filled their infield needs.Free Agent Options:The most likely route for the Brewers to take is to sign a free agent from the large pool on the market. Just some of the options are:Mike Moustakas: Could the Moose be on the loose again in Miller Park in 2019? Of all the options available, he has the most power. His power should translate to Miller Park more than it did in Kaufman Stadium, even though that was not the case in a small sample in 2018. He has tremendous postseason experience that would be valuable for a 2019 run to playoff contention. We know he gels in the Brewers clubhouse, and has the California Strong affiliation and friendship with Christian Yelich, Ryan Braun, and Mark Attanasio’s son, Mike as well as his connection to Lorenzo Cain while with the Royals. This option might be about more than just performance for David Stearns. It might be about team chemistry and competitive makeup.Jed Lowrie: It looks like Lowrie will not be back for Oakland in 2019 with the acquisition of Jurickson Profar and Franklin Barreto waiting in the wings. Not many second basemen have been as productive at the plate as Jed Lowrie over the past couple of years. He slashed .267/.353/.448 with 23 home runs and a 122 wRC+ in 2018. Milwaukee has been connected to Lowrie, and this is another player Stearns is familiar with because of his former role in Houston. There is a real possibility in this acquisition.D.J. LeMahieu: At 30 years old, the former Rockies second baseman has won a batting title and demonstrates strong contact skills (12.6%-14.1% K% past three years). His slash in 2018 was .276/.321/.428. He would look good in a Brewers uniform, but he would likely require a longer term contract than Stearns is willing to give.Josh Harrison: Another versatile player, Harrison can play anywhere. He has been a Brewers nemesis, and bringing such a player to Milwaukee would be satisfying. Harrison had a great year in 2014 Adam Ottavino Jersey , and has been an above average player (1.2-2.6 WAR) from 2015-2017. The Brewers have shown interest.Marwin Gonzalez: Quite possibly the best utility player in the sport, Gonzalez is 29 years old and can play anywhere on the field including a competent shortstop. He is also a pretty good hitter. His 2018 slash was .247/.324/.409 at that was with a slow start. His 2017 was fantastic as his wRC+ was 144 and was a 4 win player. David Stearns is familiar with Gonzalez from his Astros days. Asdrubal Cabrera: The only thing this guy does is produce with the bat (wRC+ 120 in 2016, 112 in 2017, and 111 in 2018). He can play second, third, and shortstop (if we squint real hard). He is not a strong defender. Getting Cabrera on a one year deal might be a perfect bridge to Keston Hiura. There are other free agent options that the Brewers could consider, such as Neil Walker, Derek Dietrich, and Logan Forsythe. There might be an outside chance of a trade for the player Stearns is pursuing, such as Whit Merrifield, Jason Kipnis, or Joe Panik. Maybe the chatter of “heavy pursuit” isn’t real. The Brewers could quite possibly go into the season with a platoon of Hernan Perez and Cory Spangenberg. However, if Stearns and company are really in heavy pursuit of an infielder, another January surprise could be very exciting.Baseball statistics courtesy of Fangraphs MILWAUKEE (AP) — When Brewers slugger Christian Yelich takes the field against the Los Angeles Dodgers, he’ll have one group of Milwaukee fans rooting especially loud for his success: Serbian-Americans.The 26-year-old MVP candidate’s banner year has earned him plenty of new fans, including Serbians who are just now becoming aware of his heritage. Yelich’s paternal grandfather was Serbian.“Everybody is seriously super-stoked and really happy,” said Sinisa Torbica, 50, whose parents immigrated to Milwaukee from Serbia in the 1960s.Torbica, who makes a living as a translator, said he long thought Yelich might be of Serbian descent but wasn’t sure because the Americanized spelling differs from the more usual Jelic surname. Torbica said it was “fricking awesome” when a friend told him about Yelich’s ancestry last year. His own friends, he said Pat Valaika Jersey , feel the same.“They’re just kind of like awestruck,” Torbica said. “They’re like, ‘Wow, I can’t believe it. He’s Serbian, are you kidding me? MVP?’ It’s unbelievable.”Yelich said he has never visited Serbia or fully researched his heritage, but he feels “pride in it.”“Any time you can have an impact on anybody’s life in a positive direction, to bring happiness to the community or a certain group of people, you don’t take that lightly as a team, as a player,” he said.The Brewers acquired Yelich from the Miami Marlins in a trade this past offseason and he went on to win the National League batting title with a .326 average. He hit 36 home runs and had 110 RBIs, just missing the Triple Crown — a rare feat last accomplished by Miguel Cabrera for Detroit in 2012.Now, Yelich is a frequent topic of conversation among Milwaukee’s small, tight-knit Serbian community that likes cheering for athletes who have a connection to home, said Steve Petrovic, the president of the American Serb Hall on the city’s southwest side. Petrovic said it’s the same adulation Serbians feel for athletes like tennis superstar Novak Djokovic and retired NBA player Vlade Divac.“When you’re within the Serbian community, that kind of stuff is talked about — ‘Did you see Yelich had three hits the other night?'” Petrovic said. “That is very commonplace.”Serbians’ migration to Milwaukee began in the late 1800s, driven by poverty and overpopulation in Eastern Europe, said John Gurda, a Milwaukee historian and author.They settled in Milwaukee’s Walker’s Point neighborhood, near the city’s south side, and largely worked industrial jobs, Gurda said. Another wave of Serbian immigrants began arriving in Milwaukee in the 1980s during the wars in Sarajevo and the Bosnian conflict.The St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Cathedral Daniel Castro Jersey , the St. Sava Orthodox School and Serb Hall have become important gathering places for Serbians, who number about 4,000 in the area, according to census data.“I can guarantee you that if you go out to Serb Hall or the school, they know (about Yelich) and they’re proud,” Gurda said.That pride is part of Serbians’ nationalistic streak and their “special draw” toward cheering on their own when they succeed, said Mike Uzelac, 63, former president of Serb Hall.“We try to support each other, and root for each other whether it’s basketball, football, acting, whatever,” he said.Now that more Serbians are learning about Yelich’s heritage, they want to make sure that others know it, too.“Now I’m going to be bringing it up to all my friends,” said Ilija Stojsavljevic, 47, an engineer from the Milwaukee suburb of Cudahy. “I will be bringing that up whenever possible.”