Milwaukee Brewers trade rumors: Renfore trade a “salary dump”, Kolten Wong next
Things are about to get dicey for the Milwaukee Brewers. Fans have been up in arms after the team traded away star reliever Josh Hader in the middle of a playoff push, only to see the squad plummet and miss the postseason altogether.
They recently traded Hunter Renfroe to the Los Angeles Angels in what looks exactly like a salary dump despite general manager Matt Arnold assuring fans it wasn’t. Renfroe was set to receive about $11 million in arbitration this season before hitting free agency next year.
The Brewers received three minor league pitchers in return–three guys who are cheap and under team control, but have no proven track record in the majors. Renfroe, meanwhile, was the Brewers’ best hitter in a lineup that desperately needed offense.
A key MLB insider called the Milwaukee Brewers trade of Hunter Renfroe a salary dump and said teams expect Kolten Wong to go next.
ESPN insider Buster Olney tweeted Wednesday morning that the deal was indeed a “salary dump.” He reported Milwaukee had been “aggressively” shopping Renfroe and settled on a deal with a pitching-depleted club in the Angels.
In the same tweet, he reported that rival teams expect Kolten Wong to be the next to go. Milwaukee surprisingly picked up Wong’s $10 million club option for this season. However, it appears it could’ve been simply to trade him away for more players.
Milwaukee struggles with being a small market and owner Mark Attanasio has been open about the financial difficulties of owning a ballclub. However, the Brewers are in the midst of one of their best stretches in franchise history and fans are rightfully livid that the team continues to sell their best players for pennies on the dollar. Milwaukee has a ton of talent, but is quickly depleting that and closing its window to win a World Series (if it was ever open).
Grading Hunter Renfroe trade. dark. Next
It will be interesting to see the final product the Brewers put on the field come Spring Training. Trading away Renfroe could be dismissed as a salary dump, but if it is part of a larger trend, that will be harder to deny. Buckle up for what could be a rough and angry offseason.