This story was taken from Adam McCalvy’s Brewers Beat newsletter. To read the entire newsletter, click here. AND subscribe to receive them regularly in your inbox.
MILWAUKEE — Believe it or not, it’s already time for the Winter Baseball Meetings. The annual convention of owners, officials, agents and job seekers (from players to aspiring CEOs) takes place Sunday evening at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas.
In Part 1 of our preview of this year’s event, we rank the Brewers’ position groups – catcher, infield, hitter, starters and relievers – according to what Milwaukee needs most as the offseason kicks into high gear:
1. Goal area
The 40-man squad: Tyler Black, Vinny Capra, Oliver Dunn, Rhys Hoskins, Andruw Monasterio, Joey Ortiz, Brice Turang
The most obvious hole in the lineup is the brief break following the departure of free agent Willy Adames, but the Brewers have a few ways to make up for his absence. They could sign or trade for a front-line player (unlikely given the constrained options after Adames on the market). Or they could instead focus on acquiring a third or second baseman and pass on the duties to Ortiz or (less likely, considering he just won a Platinum Glove Award in the Dutch League while playing second base) to Turang.
There were a few players worth keeping in mind in this mix, included on Mark Feinsand’s trade chip list on MLB.com ahead of the Winter Meetings. One of them is newborn midfielder Maikel Garcia from the Royals; He’s only 24 years ancient, would be a great baserunner (37 steals in 39 attempts last season) and can play all over the field. The third baseman on Feinsand’s list includes Mets reliever prospect Brett Baty and three Phillies All-Stars Alec Bohm, the Cardinals’ Nolan Arenado and the Rockies’ Ryan McMahon.
2. Start pitching
The 40-man roster: Aaron Ashby, Aaron Civale, Robert Gasser, DL Hall, Logan Henderson, Tobias Myers, Chad Patrick, Freddy Peralta, Carlos Rodriguez, Brandon Woodruff
The Brewers broke a franchise record by using 17 starting pitchers last season, and while some of them served as relievers playing as openers, it took a lot of hands to pitch 162 games. Peralta once again leads the rotation heading into 2025 with plenty of question marks behind him. Will Myers be able to repeat his unexpected success as a rookie in 1924? Can Woodruff return to his former self after major shoulder surgery? Will arbitration-eligible Civale still be a brewer on opening day? Will Ashby and Hall be primarily starters or backups? Will Gasser be ready to return from Tommy John surgery before the end of the season? Can Rodriguez, a two-time Minor League Pitcher of the Year, recover from last season’s disappointment? Are Henderson or Patrick ready to make the jump to the huge leagues after being protected under the Rule 5 draft?
With so much uncertainty, depth will be more vital than ever, and you can expect GM Matt Arnold to add to this group before spring training begins. Leading pitching prospect Jacob Misiorowski is not yet on the 40-man roster, but there is a call-up option if the Brewers feel he is ready. The Brewers also added Triple-A starting depth with left-hander Thomas Pannone, who signed a Minor League contract along with an invitation to Major League camp.
3. Throwing with relief
The 40-man roster: Ashby, JB Bukauskas, Hall, Henderson, Bryan Hudson, Tyler Jay, Jared Koenig, Nick Mears, Trevor Megill, Joel Payamps, Elvis Peguero, Abner Uribe, Devin Williams
The industry expects the Brewers to trade Williams, who finds himself in the same contract situation — one year of club control remaining — that Corbin Burnes found himself in this time last year. The question, however, is whether they will do it this winter or in the heat of next year’s trade deadline.
If they decide to make a move this winter, it could impact the rest of the offseason. Megill proved to be a worthy addition to the shorter-yardage game while Williams was sidelined with a back injury for the first four months of last season and made 20 saves. Payamps has been a consistent player since coming to Milwaukee in the William Contreras trade. But then, just like the starting pitching group, we have questions. Was Koenig’s breakout season really? Can Hudson shake off the disappointment of going from All-Star Game candidate to demotion? Can Peguero find consistency? Assuming there are no setbacks when he returns from season-ending knee surgery, will Uribe be able to maintain his composure? Why didn’t Mears’ ERA match his good products?
The group has the makings of a really good team, and Uribe is a prime candidate to break through once he serves his brief suspension, especially if Ashby, Hall or Misiorowski make some relief innings. Other potential names to be aware of include Brett Wichrowski (MLB Pipeline’s No. 18 prospect), Craig Yoho (No. 20) and Coleman Crow (No. 30).
4. Catchers
The 40-person squad: William Contreras, Eric Haase, Jeferson Quero
The Brewers could add depth here, but Contreras is firmly entrenched as the starter while the highly regarded Quero, the Brewers’ MLB Pipeline prospect, returns from shoulder surgery that cost him all of last season and continues his development. Wes Clarke, Nick Kahle and Darrien Miller are just some of the depth in the Minors.
5. Outer field
The 40-man squad: Jackson Chourio, Isaac Collins, Sal Frelick, Brewer Hicklen, Garrett Mitchell, Blake Perkins, Christian Yelich
The Brewers are looking deep into the outfield, assuming Yelich’s return from back surgery will not bring any setbacks. It is expected to be ready for opening day. Chourio’s emergence overdue last season, when he became the youngest player to join the 20-20 club en route to finishing third in NL Rookie of the Year voting, is key to the whole thing because it gives the Brewers the flexibility to play Yelich in the outfield as much or as little as they want, mixing and matching with Gold Glove winner Frelick, Gold Glove finalist Perkins and Mitchell, who is not hunchbacked as the defender himself.
