Article: 5 Intriguing Brewers Roster Thoughts as Opening Day Approaches

[Tim Muma]

With just over a week left before Opening Day, the Milwaukee Brewers still have some challenging decisions regarding their active roster. Though the 26-man roster will change throughout the season, who begins the year in Milwaukee will impact the present and future.

Image courtesy of © Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The Milwaukee Brewers have plenty of locks for their Opening Day 26-man roster. As is often the case with competitive teams, some thoughts and questions remain in a few areas, mostly about depth and fringe options. It's getting close to crunch time for the front office, and there are five roster thoughts on many minds.

1) Gus Varland
The 26-year-old pitcher was a Rule 5 draft pick from Los Angeles Dodgers. The Brewers must keep him on the active major-league roster for the entire season, or else offer him back to the Dodgers for a small cost. As much as the organization likes Varland, it's difficult to see the Brewers keeping him in the bullpen with a competitive team bound to play many close games. Varland has never pitched above Double A, and he's had an up-and-down Cactus League run. He's been a strike-throwing machine, with a 16.2 K/9 rate to go with just one walk. However, he has given up seven hits and three home runs in five frames.

Gus Varland was hitting 98 & the radar at ONEOK can be 1 mph slow at times. He had 31 K's in his last 19.1 innings pitched and had an ERA of just 1.86 in August. Someday, he & his brother need to be on the same MLB team. @LouieVarland starts and @GusBusVarland closes. #dodgers pic.twitter.com/UxSTqZnC0F

— Dodgers Daily (@dodger_daily) December 5, 2022

Milwaukee's best option is to offer the Dodgers something in a trade to gain the rights to Varland's contract officially (can I interest you in a slightly used Keston Hiura?). The Brewers could then send Varland to the minors to work, develop, and be ready as a depth charge come midseason. Varland has some great tools for the Brewers' pitching lab to work with, including a 95-98 MPH fastball with a high spin rate; an upper-80s slider; and even a changeup he's worked on adding to his arsenal.

2) Owen Miller
Can the Brewers afford to play him in center field with any regularity? The need for a right-handed bat in the outfield is understandable, but at what cost to the defense? If the Brewers are trying to maximize value against a left-handed starting pitching, the outfield would likely be Christian Yelich (left field), Miller (center field), and Brian Anderson (right field). Considering Miller's inexperience and uncertainty as an outfielder; Yelich's below-average defense the past couple of seasons; and Anderson playing his secondary position in right, that is a scary proposition. Milwaukee is still a run-prevention team first, so philosophically, this feels like a tough call.

Miller has undoubtedly earned a spot on the 26-man Opening day roster with his spring offensive output (.321/.367/.464/.831) and defensive versatility. The Brewers may see Miller as more of an emergency answer in center field or with very specific lineups, which helps them to keep Luke Voit on the roster, too.

3) Luke Voit
Voit threatens to be a 30-homer bat with regular at-bats when he's happy and healthy. In his first 33 plate appearances this spring, Voit has a .344/.364/.594/.957 slash line. While spring training stats mean little, those jump off the page, and are a reminder of his past success. Voit's past couple of seasons were hampered by injuries and dissatisfaction with his role in San Diego, then his trade to the Washington Nationals, the worst team in baseball in 2022. Even in a down year, his Statcast numbers like Expected Isolated Power (xISO), Barrel Percentage (Brl%), and most hard-hit data put him in the upper tier of MLB.

Voit sounds excited to be back with a team that expects to play past Game 162. That is evidenced by his agreement to push back his decision to leave the club, which could be playing a role in his hot exhibition performance. Voit should have plenty of at-bats between DH and first base. He also provides quality insurance for both Rowdy Tellez and Jesse Winker, should they struggle or suffer injuries. Voit's lack of versatility is less of an issue with the number of other position-flexible players on the roster.

4) Tyler Naquin vs. Sal Frelick vs. Joey Wiemer
Assuming Garrett Mitchell is healthy and starting in center field, the fourth outfielder spot comes down to three guys. Naquin is the veteran who is likely gone if he isn't on the big league roster. The problem is that he's left-handed (like Yelich, Mitchell, and Winker), and he has yet to show much this spring in 28 plate appearances (.174/.286/.261/.547). His best bet is if the Brewers want to avoid starting the free-agent clock on the two youngsters.

Keeping Frelick and Wiemer in the minor leagues for a few weeks would allow Milwaukee to gain an extra year of control of both players. But should that be a reason to potentially hurt the big-league club? As for their merits alone, Frelick looks ready to compete with MLB pitching after a solid World Baseball Classic performance. He hit .304 with a .768 OPS, three doubles, three runs, and four RBI in five games. Frelick is also a lefty, but his contact skills, speed, and ability to back up Mitchell in center field are all major plusses. As for Wiemer, his edge comes as a right-handed power bat, something the Brewers are missing in the outfield. Manager Craig Counsell didn't deny the possibility of his appearance on the Opening Day roster, so Wiemer might have a shot. He would likely struggle with strikeouts, but offers strong defense and the correct batting side to round out the active roster.

5) Bullpen's Minor League Option Problem
The Brewers' strategy with relievers is often to shuttle guys between Milwaukee and the minor leagues. This tactic allows them to bring up fresh arms after heavy usage or send down an ineffective reliever with the hopes of better performances from another option. The current roster construction of the bullpen doesn't allow them as much flexibility, at least not without risk.

Of what many would consider the eight projected bullpen arms on Opening Day for the Brewers, five are out of minor league options. Those are Matt Bush, Javy Guerra, Bryse Wilson, Joel Payamps, and Adrian Houser. That means if Milwaukee tried to send any of them down, they'd be exposed to waivers where any team could claim them. The three hurlers with options remaining are closer Devin Williams, Hoby Milner (the only lefty in the bullpen), and Peter Strzelecki, who posted a 2.83 ERA (141 ERA+) in 35 innings last season.

3⃣0⃣ days until opening day!!!

Last season, Peter Strzelecki appeared in 30 games. In those games, he had a 2.83 ERA and struck out 40 batters across 35 innings.

Strzelecki will have an opportunity to pitch in higher-leverage situations in 2023. pic.twitter.com/iOksnmYlat

— Brewers Stats (@BrewersStat) February 28, 2023

Strzelecki would likely be the only one who might get shuttled out at times, but that's just one slot to maximize throughout the season. Of course, injuries (and "alleged" injuries) allow them to get new relievers onto the active roster during the year. Things would get interesting if two or three guys without an option struggle immensely early in the season. Do the Brewers risk losing guys like Payamps, Guerra, or Wilson to call up Jake Cousins, Elvis Peguero, or Justin Yaeger? The depth exists for now, but it could come at a price down the road.

Which roster situation are you most interested in? Do any of them give you the most cause for concern? Share these and any other thoughts on the Brewers' roster in the comments as we inch closer to Opening Day!

View full article

[MVP2110]

I do think Varland is on his way to making the roster, one of the few stats that translates from spring is K/BB ratio and his is off the charts. I think the Brewers will start him off in low leverage situations. I do think Payamps might be in some trouble but ultimately the pen will work itself out between injury and ineffectiveness 

[Tim Muma]

1 minute ago, MVP2110 said:

I do think Varland is on his way to making the roster, one of the few stats that translates from spring is K/BB ratio and his is off the charts. I think the Brewers will start him off in low leverage situations. I do think Payamps might be in some trouble but ultimately the pen will work itself out between injury and ineffectiveness 

100% agree on the K/BB ratio in terms of some value in Spring Training. Varland has the stuff to be a contributor now, you just wonder about the lack of experience and who are you sending out? Maybe someone comes down with "arm fatigue" for a couple of weeks to start the season until they get a chance to figure out who steps it up in the big leagues. 

[brewmann04]

I think this Bullepen will be in Flux all season IMO

[AKCheesehead]

Agree I hope Varland at least gets a shot.  I'd be lying if I said part of that feeling is just that I don't want to give him back to LAD. Agree with Tim that "arm fatigue" could be something that just happens to pop up in the bullpen from time to time here. 

[Brock Beauchamp]

Trading Hiura for Varland would be kinda wild. I like it, though I'm skeptical the Dodgers feel the same way.

It also potentially clears space for Voit to be with the big league club, which I would prefer to see anyway.

[Brock Beauchamp]

21 hours ago, brewmann04 said:

I think this Bullepen will be in Flux all season IMO

Honestly, most bullpens are nowadays.