Any discussion of the Brewers trading a catcher begins with looking at the progress made by William Contreras.  During the off season prior to the 2023 season, the Brewers were part of the three-team trade that brought Contreras to the Brewers from the Atlanta Braves.  At the time Contreras was seen as a young player with great offensive upside but also as a defensive liability. 

The offensive profile didn’t change during Contreras’ first season with the Brewers. (.289 average, .367 OBP, .457 slugging for a .825 OPS) to win the silver slugger award for catchers in the National League.  What did improve is his defensive profile.  Contreras worked and improved his defensive game to become a slightly above average defensive MLB catcher.  (defensive runs prevented 13th,  6^th in pitch framing, 11^th blocking pitches and  a less impressive 34^th in throwing runners out at second at 17%.)  (Stats from Baseball savant)   

In the wings is prospect Jeferson Quero. He will likely begin the year at AAA this year with a potential call up during 2024.  Quero consistently rates as one of the Brewers top three prospects.  He has hit at each level of the minor leagues while playing up two or three levels for his age.  (.278, .349. 445 for a .779 OPS) And he possesses the defensive chops that Contreras is working to achieve. Quero was eighth in the Southern League with a caught stealing rate of 35%.  Quero is naturally a better defensive catcher than Contreras.    

If Quero continues to progress, the Brewers are going to have to make a choice about their future behind the plate. Contreras is 25 and won’t reach free agency until after the 2027 season.  Quero is only 20.  There is the potential to move Contreras to another position. But if his catching ability continues to be at least average, moving him to first base is wasting his defensive value. 

If the Brewers trade either catcher this off season it will be a telling sign that the Brewers are either moving into a rebuild mode, (trading Contreras) or a more aggressive win now mode (trading a top prospect Quero) than is typical for this team.  It is unlikely to see a trade this off season.

The Brewers thoughts on the future of Contreras could become a bit more clear this spring training if we see Contreras play more at another position on the diamond.  Hopefully the Brewers are also exploring if Contreras could be an option at third base rather than at first.  

If Contreras’ future position will be catcher; than a trade closer to the trade deadline or after the 2024 season is likely.  If at the deadline, this will likely be a trade for longer term contributors rather than a trade for a rental player.  More likely they will be looking to both improve the current team and also player(s) that will contribute in 2025 and beyond.   

Trading an elite level catcher or catching prospect doesn’t happen often. The Brewers will be in the fortunate position of having this type of trade chip available.  This trade will be one of the biggest moves of the Matt Arnold tenure as General Manager and will impact this team’s ability to compete for division titles for the next four to six seasons.