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Monday’s deadline for organizations to put forth qualifying offers to their free agents in order to ensure a draft pick came and went without the Milwaukee Brewers extending an offer to first baseman Corey Hart. The Brewers were smart with their decision not to offer him $14.1 million to return next season for several reasons.
For starters, Hart would have eaten up the qualifying offer in a heartbeat. The fact is Milwaukee wants to see the slugger back in uniform but not for that ridiculous amount of money in 2014. The Brewers are more interested in a deal in which Hart can make a decent amount of money over several years. There is no question it is the way to go, especially since there is no way it would take as much as $14.1 million to keep him in uniform.
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“I talked to Corey’s agent [Jeff Berry] last week and just said we would check in again a little bit further down the road,” Brewers general manager Doug Melvin said, according to Brewers.com. “I’ve seen some video on him. He’s working out; it looks like he’s moving around. We’ll eventually follow up on it.”
Hart has made it very clear he has every intention of staying in Milwaukee. He wants to remain a part of the Brewers franchise so badly that he has even gone as far as to say he will take a pay cut to stay with the organization.
“I’ve told them I would be very generous to stay here,” Hart said in late September, according to Brewers.com. “I wouldn’t sit there and ask for anything that is outlandish. I would take a discount to stay here, because I think I owe it to them to stay here and be a cheaper player, because — nobody wants to play for free — but I’ve basically sat there and watched all season. I think I owe it to them and the fans to come back. That’s kind of what we’re hoping for, but at the same time, you don’t know what’s going to happen.”
“If it’s up to me, I would stay here. I think we’re leaving it up to them — if it’s something they want.”
Obviously, there are several reasons why Milwaukee should re-sign Hart. The team’s public relations need some serious repair after what Ryan Braun did to the organization. More importantly, the Brewers need a first baseman for next year.
In my opinion, it will just be a matter of time before the deal is official.
