Brewers salvage something out of Josh Hader trade by acquiring William Contreras

The Milwaukee Brewers went from leading the NL Central to not making the playoffs after trading All-Star closer Josh Hader at last season’s trade deadline.

Hader went on to help the San Diego Padres make the playoffs and get to the National League Championship Series. The closer the Brewers got back in the trade, Taylor Rogers, was part of a bullpen that collapsed down the stretch.

The late-inning relief corp failed to protect leads in key September games and that was one of the reasons the Brewers missed the playoffs for the first time since 2017.

The Milwaukee Brewers also looked bad in the trade after they designated Dinelson Lamet for assignment. Lamet was one of the four players the Brewers got back for Hader. Lamet fell on hard times after the 2020 season but was a possible reclamation project. Instead, he was cut just days after Milwaukee acquired him.

The doomed trade was one of the few stains on an otherwise fairly clean resume for former Brewers president of baseball operations David Stearns.

Stearns’ successor, Matt Arnold, found a way to salvage something out of a trade that derailed the Brewers 2022 season.

Arnold was able to acquire All-Star William Contreras in a three-team trade involving the Oakland Athletics and the Atlanta Braves. It only cost the Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Esteury Ruiz.

Ruiz was one of the two prospects the Brewers got in exchange for Josh Hader. Ruiz is known more for his speed than for having a lot of power. He was the Brewers eighth-best prospect.

Beyond not having a lot of pop in his bat, the problem Ruiz faced was that four of Milwaukee’s five best prospects are all outfielders. Those four players are nearly ready to be everyday players in the Majors.

Ruiz might turn into a solid leadoff or nine-hole hitter, but he was probably going to be nothing more than the fourth outfielder for the Brewers. Since the Braves agreed to give up more players to get Sean Murphy, it meant Matt Arnold only needed to trade one player.

The Hader trade appeared to be classified as an epic mistake. Now, it looks like Matt Arnold’s first three-team trade will be able to get the Brewers’ lineup a much-needed bat.

Arnold flipped Ruiz for an All-Star player that addresses two major needs.

The Brewers needed a catcher with Omar Narvaez set to depart in free agency. They also needed a solid bat for an offense that struggled to hit in 2022.

Contreras addresses both of those needs. He was the starting designated hitter for the National League All-Star team.

Contreras hit .278 with 20 home runs last season.

He had a .354 on-base percentage along with a .506 slugging percentage. Contreras was a 2.6 wins above replacement player. He posted a .860 OPS and a 138 wRC+ in 97 games.

Contreras still needs to improve his defense. He has yet to play a full season in the big leagues so he still has the chance to improve. He can also take some at-bats at DH. Milwaukee also has a need at that spot in the lineup.

On top of all that, Contreras is not eligible for arbitration yet and has five years of team control

The Milwaukee Brewers get some bullpen help in this trade.

Joel Payamps and Justin Yeager were also part of the Brewers’ haul in this trade.

Payamps had a 3.23 ERA in 55.2 innings last season. He split time with the Kansas City Royals and the A’s. The righty can induce a lot of ground balls with a 52.8% grounder percentage. He has a career 94.7mph velocity average.

Yeager had a 3.10 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP in 52.1 innings last season where he split time between Single and Double-A ball.

Arnold continues to add young arms this offseason. He traded outfielder Hunter Renfroe to the Los Angeles Angles for three pitchers.

Arnold is overhauling the bullpen. He declined Brad Boxberger’s option, waved long-time reliever Brent Suter, and non-tendered three relief pitchers.

The Brewers got two players that can help the club immediately and it only cost them a prospect one player. Ruiz will always be a part of the club’s most infamous trade. This recent trade he is part of makes the Josh Hader trade seem like it was not all that terrible in the long run.