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  • Milwaukee Brewers Free Agent & Trade Rumors, Notes, & Tidbits

    The latest Milwaukee Brewers free agent and trade rumors, along with notes and tidbits about the team.
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    Brock Beauchamp
    The incestuous nature of the National League Central continues. Bob Nightengale of USA Today has reported the Brewers are interested in Padres third base coach and former Cardinal skipper, Mike Shildt.
    Shildt has spent the past few years in the Padres organization as a player development assistant and as a part-time third base coach, filling in for Matt Williams in that role. Brewers fan will be far more familiar with Shildt from his time as the Cardinals manager, filling in after the departure of Mike Matheny in 2018. He managed the Cards until he was fired following the 2021 season over "philosophical differences". Given the recent turmoil in the Cardinals front office and coaching, this may not be a black mark on Shildt.
    The Padres are also considering Shildt for their manager role and given that he is currently in the San Diego organization, they will have first negotiating rights with him.
    Brock Beauchamp
    Jonathan India, 2021 National League Rookie of the Year, is likely to be put on the trade block by the Reds. Cincinnati fielded offers on India at last year's trade deadline but ultimately, nothing came of it.
    Seeing how the Brewers and Reds are division rivals, lining up a trade is tricky. India is entering his first year of arbitration in 2024 and will not become a free agent until after the 2026 season. Any trade for India likely means that Willy Adames will be dealt, allowing Brice Turang to slide over to shortstop while India takes second base.
    The Reds need pitching in a bad way. It's hard to see the Brewers giving up any of their young pitching for a position player while their true roster excess is in the outfield. But if the Reds are interested in one of the Brewers' young outfielders, a deal makes sense for both teams.
    Brock Beauchamp
    What does it mean?!?!?
    The pragmatic among us realizes that the Brewers and their progressive front office are open to trades every offseason. Last winter, newly in-charge General Manager Matt Arnold pulled off the steal of the offseason in acquiring William Contreras by inserting himself between a trade that was already likely to happen between the Braves and Athletics.
    The cynical among us read this as an organizational adjustment and I'm not sure they're wrong in this case. With Brandon Woodruff basically out for the entire 2024 season, perpetually-salty Corbin Burnes eyeing free agency in 12 months, and Willy Adames faltering last season as he approaches the same free agency class as Burnes, it's hard to predict how the Milwaukee Brewers view themselves this offseason. The following offseason, it's likely the Brewers also wave goodbye to Devin Williams and his Airbender.
    Either way, this looks to be an incredibly engaging winter for Brewers fans.
     
    Brock Beauchamp
    Ken Rosenthal posted a list of names that are of interest to the Brewers in their quest to replace departing manager Craig Counsell. Unsurprisingly, coaching staff of teams like the Astros and Dodgers make the list, though some of the names are both surprising and familiar. Apparently, Milwaukee is keeping the door open to an internal option, Rickie Weeks. The long-time Brewer came back to the organization early in 2022 as an assistant to player development.
    Also on the list is grizzled veteran of the diamond and dugout, Don Mattingly. While Mattingly has shown to be a capable manager for teams in the past, it's hard to envision a development-first and progressive organization like the Brewers is interested in an aging rehire but only time will tell what their plans might be.
     
    Brock Beauchamp
    Todd Rosiak of the Journal-Sentinel mentioned on Twitter that the Brewers have an offer out to manager Craig Counsell that will make him the highest-paid manage in Major League Baseball.
    Rumors have been circulating that if the Brewers match the best offer to Counsell, it's likely he remains in Milwaukee to manage the team.
    Now the real question is "how invested is Steve Cohen in this situation?" The Mets owner has shown an unrivaled willingness to shove money in the direction of players he likes and there's little reason to believe he won't do the same for a manager should he decide Counsell is a must-have person in the Mets organization.
     
    Brock Beauchamp
    This comes out of left field but makes a lot of sense upon further examination. Terry Francona, long time Guardians manager, has retired and Cleveland is looking for a capable replacement, reports Will Sammon of The Athletic.. Francona has long been regarded as one of the best managers in the game, an attribute now shared by Counsell.
    Initially, what surprised me most about this is that the Guardians are notoriously cheap... what I didn't realize is that the one place they haven't been cheap is manager. Counsell is one of the more highly-paid managers in the sport and the departing Francona actually made more money.
    It's still unclear whether Counsell is actually interested in leaving Milwaukee - his childhood home town - or if he's trying to leverage other teams into a better paycheck from the Brewers.
    Brock Beauchamp
    This is something of a shock. While Counsell-to-Mets rumors have been swirling all year, the Brewers still have their manager under contract through the end of the World Series. Teams will often grant permission for their employees to be interviewed by other MLB clubs but often only if the job opening is a step up the ladder for the employee.
    Obviously, this is not the case with Counsell, who is interviewing for a lateral position in New York.
    Counsell is already one of the highest-paid managers in the sport but when it comes to pure spending power, no one in the sport can compete with the Cohen-owned Mets.
    More to come as the situation develops.
     
    Jim Goulart
    Carlos Santana was instrumental in the Brewers' second half run to the postseason, posting a 109 OPS+ after being traded to Milwaukee on July 27th. Santana is a free agent the moment the World Series ends and 2024 will be his age 38 season.
    William Contreras, the breakout catching star acquired last offseason in a three-way trade, posted a cryptic tweet. Could it mean the Brewers and Santana are interested in running it back for 2024?
     
    Brock Beauchamp
    Well, the Craig Counsell rumor mill has begun churning in earnest, thanks to Jon Heyman of the New York Post.
    In the end, it feels like no one has any idea what Counsell is thinking or where he will end up in baseball, if he remains in baseball at all. One aspect of this story stuck out to me. I knew Counsell's situation in Milwaukee is rare but I didn't realize it was this rare:
    "Counsell is believed to be the only one of 30 managers who lives year-round in the city he manages, so there’s a definite home-field advantage for Milwaukee."
    That's crazy. Ultimately, it might come down to money though Counsell may not be swayed by a small pay raise. He made roughly $21 million as a player and his salary as a manager is reported to be around $3.5 million, which puts him near the top of manager salaries in baseball.
    Would Counsell risk the bright lights and cut throat media presence in New York to leave his home town team? Only Craig knows for sure and it feels really weird to be talking in this context about a manager instead of a player or even a front office executive.
    Brock Beauchamp
    Ken Rosenthal rounded up a few rumors on trade deadline day and one of them caught my eye: the Milwaukee Brewers have been in contact with the Arizona Diamondbacks about left-handed reliever Andrew Chafin.
    The Brewers have had a rather active trade deadline thus far, headlined by the acquisitions of Carlos Santana and Mark Canha. But they're still in need of bullpen help, particularly left-handed pitchers.
    This rumor is particularly interesting because, as of this writing, the Diamondbacks and Brewers are tied in the standings for the final Wild Card berth. The Brewers likely have their eye on the division title - not the Wild Card - but there's a good chance Arizona and Milwaukee are competing in a zero-sum game at season's end.
    Chafin's stats are, at a glance, underwhelming. The 33-year-old's 4.19 ERA is quite bad... but his 3.13 FIP and 12.8 K/9 look great (though he walks too many). He has a club option for 2024 so he's not a rental.
    I'm kind of rooting for this to happen because take a gander at the guy... he looks like a Milwaukee Brewer. And that counts for something, at least to me.
    Brock Beauchamp
    Ken Rosenthal reported this morning that the Brewers are still in search of a bat, even in the wake of trading for Carlos Santana.
    No specific names are mentioned but it's likely the Brewers are looking for a right-handed bat that plays in a corner position or at designated hitter.
    Two names drawing a lot of interest are the White Sox's Eloy Jimenez and the Nationals' Jeimer Candelario, the latter of whom has become something of a darling of the 2023 trade deadline. At least eight teams are reportedly pursuing the player, according to the Nationals' general manager.
    Who should the Brewers pursue in the next 30-ish hours?
    Seth Stohs
    What does it mean? Justin Jarvis has had a nice season between AA and AAA and is in the category of "nearly MLB ready" starting pitcher. So, is it possible that the Brewers are including him in a deal we will hear about soon, or in the coming days? Maybe he's sick, but at this time of the year (and with so many trades happening already), stuff like this gets noticed... 
    H/T to @Smichaelis9: 
     
    Brock Beauchamp
    Congratulations, you've unlocked trade deadline weekend! Up to this point, the deadline has been rather quiet, as there are many teams still on the fence about selling and few selling teams have have clear upgrades at positions. MLBTR's Anthony Franco runs through the best remaining trade targets heading into the final 72 hours before the trade deadline, many of which should be of interest to the Brewers.
    Of particular interest to the Brewers:
    Mark Canha: RH OF, New York Mets Tommy Pham: RH OF, New York Mets Teoscar Hernandez: RH OF, Seattle Mariners Josh Hader: RP, San Diego Padres Who are your favorite trade targets and why?
    Brock Beauchamp
    Will Sammon of The Athletic is reporting the Brewers have expressed interest in first baseman and outfielder Mark Canha.
    Canha fills several needs for the Brewers by being both a capable first baseman and corner outfielder that bats right-handed. He has a 104 wRC+, slightly above league average but slightly below average for a corner position.
    Canha fits General Manager Matt Arnold's stated goal of prioritizing run prevention, as well. According to both DRS (Defensive Runs Saved) and OAA (Outs Above Average), he's neutral or slightly better than average at both positions.
    Canha is not a rental and the price will be reflected in that, should the Brewers choose to trade for him. He has a $11.5 million option for 2024 with a $2 million buyout.
    Brock Beauchamp
    Bruce Levine of 670 The Score in Chicago mentioned that the Brewers and Marlins are expressing interest in White Sox slugging DH Eloy Jimenez.
    Pursuing Jimenez makes a lot of sense, as was argued by our own Tim Muma yesterday.
    Jimenez checks almost every box imaginable for the Brewers: he's still only 26 years old, he is cost-controlled through the end of the 2026 season with multiple option years, he bats right-handed, and he has an OPS over .800 on the season.
    The White Sox have been very active at the deadline but have only moved expiring contracts; over the past couple of weeks, they've reiterated that they will not move pieces they consider to be cornerstones of the 2024 season and beyond.
    The White Sox are also 20 games under .500 and have the 26th-ranked farm system according to MLB.com. It's possible they come to their sense in the next 72 hours and start moving players that will actually bring back significant prospect capital.
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