3 more moves Milwaukee Brewers should make this offseason
By Todd Welter
The Milwaukee Brewers finally made a big move this offseason. General manager Matt Arnold’s first three-team deal netted the Brewers All-Star William Contreras, reliever Joel Payamps, and a pitching prospect.
It only cost Arnold a prospect to get Contreras from the Atlanta Braves and Payamps from the Oakland A’s. You can thank the Braves’ desperation for catcher Sean Murphy and agreeing to part with multiple players for the low price Matt Arnold had to pay.
Still, the Brewers are having a typical small-market team offseason. That means they traded away high-dollar veterans and replaced them with cheaper players.
The Crew traded away veterans Hunter Renfroe and Kolten Wong. Renfroe was projected to make $12 million in his last year of arbitration eligibility. Wong is going to make $10 million in 2023.
Milwaukee got outfielder Jesse Winker and infielder Abraham Toro back for Wong. Winker is set to make $8.25 million in 2023, and Toro is still under team control for a couple of seasons. The Brewers got three pitchers on the cheap back for Renfroe.
Cheap is the keyword here.
It looks like the Milwaukee Brewers are cutting payroll. The Brewers’ total payroll was around $133 million last season. The 2023 payroll currently projects to be around $112 million.
$60 million of that is tied up to players who are arbitration eligible. Corbin Burnes, Brandon Woodruff, Devin Williams, Willy Adames, and Rowdy Tellez are among those players eligible for a raise.
Since they have yet to come to terms on a 2023 salary, it has left Matt Arnold’s hands a little tied. Such is life for the small market club.
The financial cost difference between competing for the postseason and winning a World Series has always been an issue for the Brewers. The Milwaukee Brewers gave the Los Angeles Dodgers a fight in the 2018 National League Championship Series, but the Crew just did not have the financial resources for a dominant ace pitcher required to put them over the top.
The Brewers lacked quality bats to make enough noise in the 2019-2021 playoffs. Finances derailed the 2022 season when the Brewers traded All-Star closer Josh Hader at the deadline. The thinking was the Crew could still win the division while maximizing his trade value.
The trade also meant avoiding having to pay Hader in his final arbitration year.
There was a belief this offseason that Arnold might move Burnes, Woodruff, and Adames to maximize their trade value. That appears to not be the case.
The Milwaukee Brewers want to be competitive again in 2023. Adding Contreras will improve the lineup immensely. Arnold still has more work to do. Other than trading for William Contreras, he has only pulled off a couple of minor-league signings.
The Crew could pull off three moves to still position the team to compete with the St. Louis Cardinals and the Chicago Cubs for the NL Central title.