5 Trade Targets for the Milwaukee Brewers this offseason
By Todd Welter
The Milwaukee Brewers have a new man in charge of baseball operations. Matt Arnold now runs the show after David Stearns stepped down as baseball operations president.
Arnold is facing a pivotal offseason. The Milwaukee Brewers failed to make the postseason for the first time since 2017. The Brewers have 11 players that are arbitration eligible. Corbin Burnes, Brandon Woodruff, and Willy Adames are among the players in line for a pay raise.
The Milwaukee Brewers are projected to have a payroll of around $111 million. Being a small market team, it will be hard to see the Brewers improving the roster through free agency with that type of payroll.
The Brewers need to address catcher, centerfield, and third base. They also need to replace Hunter Renfroe in right field after he was traded to the Los Angeles Angels.
The Brew Crew also requires upgrades for an offense that was in the top 10 in runs but the bottom 20 in batting average. The Brewers were also in the bottom 20 of the league in weighted runs created plus (wRC+).
Matt Arnold could choose to use some of his top prospects to upgrade the offense.
Garrett Mitchell already showed some flashes with the big league club in 61 at-bats at the end of the year. Sal Frelick and Joey Wiemer could also be in the mix. Brice Turang might be up with the Brewers at some point in 2023 as well.
The Milwaukee Brewers probably will not make a huge splash in free agency. They are watching costs, as that was one of the reasons Renfroe was dealt.
Arnold could instead choose to go down the trade route. He could choose to move Burnes or Woodruff since they only have two more years of contract control. Moving those two ace pitchers would involve a blockbuster deal. The Brewers could also use some of their prospects to acquire some everyday players.