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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
    MLB Trade Rumors released a lengthy piece about the Corbin Burnes situation and outlined several potential suitors for the Brewers starter.
    While much of the piece deals with the usual suspects (the Dodgers), there are some intriguing ideas here. One that stuck out to me was the Blue Jays, who are currently determining what to do with struggling starter Alek Manoah. While a straight Manoah-for-Burnes feels like insanity, if the Blue Jays are particularly down on the big righty, they might be willing to juice the offer with him.
    Of course, all of this depends on how the Brewers view Manoah internally. The 25-year-old was extraordinary in 2021 and 2022, posting a 2.60 ERA. Inversely, 2023 was equally disastrous as he posted a 5.87 ERA.
    Anyway, click the link above to see the entire list of teams.
    Matthew Trueblood
    According to ESPN insider Buster Olney and a rival executive who served as his source, the Brewers might prefer to wait and see with their top two trade chips. The idea is that Burnes, especially, might not have significantly lower value in July (if trading him still seems like a prudent course) than he has right now.
    That might be true of Burnes, because of the premium teams pay for starting pitching when a playoff race looms. Then again, by then, the Brewers might be in a playoff race themselves, at which point dealing Burnes would feel unsettlingly like the trade that sent Josh Hader to San Diego in 2022. Nor is the loss of a potential compensatory pick (value that evaporates if Burnes is still on the team come Opening Day) as negligible as Olney seems to imply.
    With Adames, the gulf in likely value between now and July is pretty wide. He could have such a resurgent 2024 that he's an elite target by then, but even in that case, his value would be limited by the fact that only teams in need of a shortstop (or infielder, at least) would have much interest. Rental position players just don't fetch nearly what short-term pitchers can at the trade deadline.
    Incorporating Adames into this report reads mostly as a means to juice it for greater attention. It still feels unlikely that the Brewers would hold onto both of these guys, except in the case that they decide to make other, proactive additions and push hard for the playoffs in a go-for-it final season with both players in the fold. This report is a good reminder, though, that the direction of the offseason is far from being set in concrete at this early stage.
    Brock Beauchamp
    I stay pretty plugged into rumors but don't recall hearing that the Brewers were pursuing enigmatic slugger Eloy Jimenez, as reported in this MLB Trade Rumors roundup.
    Jimenez is a potent bat... about half the time. Over the past four seasons, he has posted an OPS+ of 139, 99, 141, and 104. And he's also injured often, playing only 259 games in the past three seasons.
    Pretty much a DH-only, Jimenez would add a sizable right-handed threat to the Brewers but it's hard to see where he fits on this roster as currently constructed. And his contract won't be cheap. He is owed $13.8 million in 2024 and has two team options in 2025 and 2026 for $16.5 and $18.5 million, respectively.
    Brewcrew82

    Burnes Unlikely to be Traded?

    By Brewcrew82, in Rumors,

    Per Jon Heyman of the New York Post, while the Brewers are telling teams they'll listen to offers on everyone currently on the roster, they seem to be more inclined to chase another division title with a possible reevaluation at the deadline. Heyman pegs the odds of a trade at 30%.
    Any trade of Burnes today has to factor in the compensatory draft pick any team will receive following the 2024 season, which will not be awarded should Burnes be traded midseason.
    nate82

    Twins Cutting Payroll

    By nate82, in Rumors,

    None of the players mentioned would even be desirable but now I think the Twins would really be interested in Peralta if they are looking at cutting payroll and won't be bringing back Gray it sounds like.  I would still do this trade with the Twins: Peralta to the Twins for Brooks Lee, Soto (SP) and Festa (SP).
    The one veteran that might interest the Brewers is 2B Jorge Polanco. He has two options remaining on the contract he signed in 2019; a $10.5 million option in 2024 and a $12 million option in 2025. Polanco posted a 115 OPS+ in 2023.
    https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/mlb-rumors-yankees-eye-jordan-montgomery-reunion-plus-cody-bellinger-and-juan-soto-twins-could-cut-payroll/
    Brock Beauchamp
    Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic is reporting that rival executives are saying the Blue Jays are open to trading embattled starter Alek Manoah. 
    Manoah was one of the promising young pitchers in baseball as he pitched 308 innings over 2021-2022 with an incredible 157 ERA+. Unfortunately, his 2023 was equally as bad as those seasons were good. He pitched to a 5.87 ERA in 87.1 innings pitched and lost all control over his pitches.
    The big (and I mean BIG, 6'6" & 285 lbs) right-hander won't come cheaply but with the Brewers knack for developing starting pitching, he could be worth the sizable risk. Manoah is still only 25 years old, won't become arbitration-eligible until after the 2024 season, and will not be a free agent until the 2028 season.
    Brock Beauchamp
    Now that non-tender day has come and gone, the free agent list is as robust as it will be all winter.
    It's hard to predict what the Brewers and GM Matt Arnold are going to do this winter. It feels likely they will be, and in that fact already have, been active on the trade market. Thus far they've mainly been playing on the fringes of the market, shuffling lower-ranked prospects for marginal MLB players with a little upside.
    It feels like the Brewers are not going to aggressively pursue any significant names in the free agent market but with Woodruff's salary off the books, Burnes's likely to follow soon, they're going to be well under 2023's payroll quite soon.
    But what are they going to do with that money?
    Matt Breen
    Brewers reportedly talking about Brandon Woodruff with multiple teams. Woodruff underwent right shoulder surgery to repair his anterior capsule and is not expected to pitch in 2024, though he remains vocally optimistic he can return some time in the second half of the season.
    Any trade would likely include negotiation for option years past 2024 for this reason.
    https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2023/11/brewers-discussing-brandon-woodruff-trades.html
    Matthew Trueblood
    In a surprising (and, frankly, almost incredible) twist, Jesse Rogers of ESPN is reporting that the Cubs are "keeping an eye" on Corbin Burnes, and that the Brewers are open to trading with them. He's not saying for certain that the Crew will sell, or trade Burnes under any circumstance, but he makes clear that Burnes is on the Cubs' radar.
    That would be wild. Especially in light of the Craig Counsell defection, it is extremely hard to imagine the Brewers being willing to work with the Cubs on a trade that substantial. In all likelihood, the price tag to trade Burnes within the division (much less right down I-94) would be so high that the deal would end up falling apart. Even so, it's fascinating to imagine. 
    Would a trade that starts with and centers upon slugging infielder Christopher Morel work for both sides? The Cubs have made him available this fall. Morel has obvious flaws, but also power that exceeds that of any current Brewers. This is, at minimum, a very intriguing rumor with which to start a Thursday morning.
    homer

    Rays Likely to Trade Tyler Glasnow

    By homer, in Rumors,

    Boom or bust.
    If he hits the high end of his variance you probably get 160 Cy Young-worthy innings. At the low end of the variance, he gets hurt reading an art book and misses the whole season. Would you? If so, what would you be willing to part with to get him?
     
    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.
     
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