Brewers Start Their Roster Shakeup, and a Badger Gets a Big Payday

In this week's episode of The Wisconsin Sportscast, Lucas and Oates start by remembering Ryne Sandberg, who passed this week at the age of 65. A Hall of Famer with 10 All Star Team invites, 9 Golden Gloves, and hundreds of stolen bases, Oates calls him a quiet professional. He wasn’t particularly showy and not a loud mouth, he was a linchpin in a group of players who helped revive the Cubs. He even had a game named after him, the Sandberg Game back in 1984, when he famously helped the Cubs beat the Cardinals in extra innings. He was a player that everyone could respect, even Brewers and Cardinals fans. That’ll be on display Tuesday night, when the Brewers hold a moment of silence in his honor ahead of their game against the Cubs. 

Speaking of the Brewers, they made their first big move ahead of the trade deadline on Monday by acquiring catcher Danny Jansen. A Wisconsin native, Jansen attended Appleton West High School before being drafted to the Blue Jays in 2013. His addition means that means that Eric Haase is going to have to go. He caught lightning in a bottle last year, but this season just hasn’t been working out for him. Add in the fact that William Contreras is the type of guy who doesn’t like to sit out, he just doesn’t fit in with the team. 

The trade deadline is just days away now, and the one big question on everyone's mind is: will the Brewers get their power hitter. The big name being thrown around is Eugenio Suárez, but can they actually make that kind of move? Lucas says no way, but Oates thinks that they’ll be at least trying. They better try at the very least, if the team is truly serious about getting more than a few games into the postseason.

Finally, moving away from baseball, a former Badger Football player is getting a big payday: Jake Ferguson has signed a $52 million four-year extension with the Dallas Cowboys. He is now the highest paid tight end in Cowboys franchise history, and hey, he deserves it. He’s being rewarded for a great career. He has a big catch radius, he runs well, he’s smart and he’s competitive. Sure, tight ends might not be the most recognizable names on the roster, but they are beginning to be paid like they should be better recognized. 

The Wisconsin Sportscast with Lucas & Oates is a Cap Times podcast produced by Nate Wegehaupt. Find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

A weekly podcast with insights and analysis on the Wisconsin Badgers, Milwaukee Brewers, Green Bay Packers and Milwaukee Bucks from two of Wisconsin’s most experienced sports journalists. Mike Lucas is a veteran sports columnist for the Cap Times and was a Badgers radio color commentator for over 25 years. Tom Oates was a sports reporter and columnist for the Wisconsin State Journal for 40 years.