I like what the team is doing. It was a tough situation this offseason. Grandal and Moose only signed because their market was slow, and Pomeranz and Lyles could be acquired because they were rentals who had struggled (And were also very cheap). Those four then play so well that they combine for $50m AAV. Replacing that was always going to be tough. And even if they had gotten them all back, there would still be spots that needed filling, and they'd have absolutely no money to do it with. So shedding contracts made sense; opting against taking the chances for a bounceback year for the injured Nelson and slumping Shaw (I believe they both will be a lot better in 2020. But perhaps not sure enough to pay $5m each). Opting to try and get Andersons production for less than $8.5m and Thames for 7.5m. Opting to not pay bench players with poor bats (Spangenberg, Perez), and not paying for middle relief (Claudio, Guerra).

So they then take the approach that the movie version of Moneyball has a scene about; They can't replace Giambi and Damon, so they recreate them in the aggregate. And it's kind of what the Brewers are doing. Consider that Moose and Grandal aren't the only position players gone; they're the ones we'll miss the most (performance wise), but we'll also not see Aguilar, Shaw, Perez, Spangenberg, and less (I presume) of Gamel and Arcia. So to improve on that, they'd need to add players who can improve over the combined stats of those 6 (or 8). And I'd argue that they have already done so, even if Sogard/Healy would be the 3B players as it stands (And I don't think it will).

In a free agent market that's more robust than it has in the past, and with some uncertainty in how good the team will be (Will Cain bounce back? How good is Urias? Does Lindblom's changes translate from KBO to MLB? Corbin Burnes?), signing solid if unspectacular veterans to short-term deals makes a lot of sense as opposed to participating in bidding wars. Makes the team better, won't limit them in 2021, and they have team options on several of them if things turn out well.

There was also the moves for Narvaez and Lauer/Urias; Narvaez where the offense of Grandal was replaced for a fraction of the cost (Though they'll have to handle the defensive drop off) and for more years of control. And Luer/Urias where young talent was traded from a position of surplus (And a stronger open market) in exchange for young talent at a position of need. And swapping two similar(ish) pitchers, while gaining more team control and at a lower salary. So they've even added "young controllable talent". And the idea of signing these short-term free agent deals with veterans actually helps that. You add wins to the roster without giving up prospects or comp picks. You don't have highly paid veterans for years blocking talented prospects. It allows prospects to develop and come up to the majors when ready.

There are still moves that will happen, I'm sure, but I'd say that this offseason further solidifies the idea of Stearns as being 100% about the value, and (Like I talked about in the "recreating in the aggregate" bit) not thinking about the roster in terms of specific positions, or starters and bench players. Not focusing on replacing an allstar 3B/C combo, but on replacing the runs and wins they contributed. So the team will enter 2021 with very little guaranteed money on the books, and another year of prospect development. Allowing for either a soft reset or a spending push, depending on how their signings and their prospects play out.

I like that the offense will be seemingly less strikeout-prone and less HR-reliant. If the balls stay juiced that might not be a positive move overall, but I think it'll be more enjoyable and less frustrating to watch.