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Milwaukee Brewers have second-largest arbitration class

By Brian Sampson

Jun 12, 2022; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Milwaukee Brewers shortstop Willy Adames (27) reacts after hitting a two run home run in the fifth inning against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 12, 2022; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Milwaukee Brewers shortstop Willy Adames (27) reacts after hitting a two run home run in the fifth inning against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports /
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Before the Milwaukee Brewers can even think about adding to their roster this offseason, they must take care of their massive arbitration class.

As of now, they only have $26.9 million committed on the payroll to three players–Christian Yelich ($22 million), Freddy Peralta ($3.7 million) and Aaron Ashby ($1.2 million). In addition, they have club options for Kolten Wong ($10 million) and Brad Boxberger ($3 million) they’ll need to make decisions on.

Their 18-player arbitration class–the second-largest in the MLB behind only the Tampa Bay Rays with 19–projects to fill in the rest of the salary and push them near or over the max spending limit the owners have given the team.

The Milwaukee Brewers have some major decisions to make this offseason, as they have the second-largest arbitration class in the MLB.

Hunter Renfrow, Willy Adames, Brandon Woodruff and Corbin Burnes headline a powerful arbitration class for the Brewers, each projected to receive between $9-12 million this offseason. That’s a lot of firepower Milwaukee has under team control and they should do what they must to re-sign those guys.

There are many other major contributors set to receive arbitration as well. Those players include Luis Urias, Eric Lauer, Rowdy Tellez, Adrian Houser, Devin Williams and Brent Suter. Each of those guys will be cheaper than the tier above, but still play critical roles for the team.

The next tier of arbitration-eligible players are Victor Caratini, Luis Perdomo, Matt Bush, Trevor Gott, Jandel Gustave, Hoby Milner, Mike Brosseau and Keston Hiura. Milwaukee doesn’t need to offer a salary to each of them if they decide to let them go or trade them. That could be the play with a few of them, such as Hiura, if they want to save money or open up roster spots for upcoming prospects.

dark. Next. 5 Brewers set to hit unrestricted free agency

All in all, MLB Trade Rumors projects the Brewers to pay their arbitration-eligible players $79.9 million this season. If we add that to their current payroll plus the club options, it comes out to about $120 million. That’s creeping up on the payroll last year and could limit their willingness/ability to add players and improve moving forward. Keep your eye on how these negotiations play out during the winter.

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