3 simple reasons the Milwaukee Brewers did not spend much this offseason

Top prospects are ready for the big leagues.

The Milwaukee Brewers have been slowly building up the farm system. The Crew has gone from the league’s bottom to 19th in their minor league system rankings. Milwaukee currently has three prospects rated amongst the top 100 prospects in baseball.

Additionally, the Brewers’ top-five prospects are either ready for the Majors or could debut sometime this season.

You do not want to block the path to the big leagues for prospects like outfielders Jackson Chourio (a top-10 prospect), Sal Frelick, and Joey Wiemer. Also, Garrett Mitchell showed in his brief late-season stint that he can be a potentially productive player. Brice Turang appears ready to join the big club.

Signing free agents would take away necessary at-bats for these five players who have the potential to form a championship core in the lineup.

Chourio and Frelick are in baseball’s top-10 prospects for outfielders.

Chourio has rocketed through the minors ever since signing with the Brewers in 2021. His slash line was .288/.342/.538 between Low and High-A ball and Double-A. Chourio will start the season in the minors but manager Craig Counsell has not ruled out that Jackson could be up sometime this season. Chourio is still a teenager with the talent to be a possible superstar.

Frelick slashed .331/.403/.480 with a .883 OPS across High-A, Double-A, and Triple-A. He absolutely raked at the plate at Triple-A Nashville in his short time there.

Although, Frelick expects to start at Triple-A and possibly get a midseason call-up.

Weimer will be given a shot to make the big-league team. This is a young man with some legit pop in his bat. He has 48 career home runs and already got to Triple-A in just his second year in the Brewers’ farm system.

Then there is Mitchell and Turang.

Mitchell only had 61 at-bats with the Brewers last season and he produced 19 hits along with two home runs. Turang was a first-round pick in 2018 who has progressed through the minors over four years where all that is left to see is if he can be an everyday big leaguer ball player.

Moving Kolten Wong has opened a spot for Turang to get the at-bats to see if he can man second base for the next seven years.

Rolling the dice on five prospects while still having pieces to contend is a gamble. All five player’s potential might be worth it as their upside ranges from solid player to potential superstar.

By avoiding signing a free agent to a long-term deal, the Milwaukee Brewers have created a path for all five players to contribute this season or in 2024.

Wiemer can DH. Mitchell and Frelick have the chance to start every day in centerfield. Chourio can do both. We have already discussed Turang.

While it can be frustrating to see the Brewers not spend the necessary money to finally win a World Series, at least this offseason the Brewers have legit reasons beyond just being strapped for cash.