Four Hard Questions The Brewers Need To Answer

For the most part, the Crew has been doing well. That said, even in success, there may be some hard questions the Crew will need to start thinking about this early in the 2024 season. Let’s take a look at them.

1. How Do You Deal With DL Hall When He Returns?
Hall’s transition to a major-league starter has been rocky. Among Brewers starters, his 7.71 ERA, 7.02 FIP, and 2.27 WHIP are the highest by wide margins. To put these numbers into perspective, in 2019, Corbin Burnes posted better WHIP and FIP numbers than Hall has now, which everyone considers a disastrous year for the eventual Cy Young winner. What should the Brewers do?

MLB Pipeline has described Hall’s stuff as “premium” and “elite,” – but right now, it’s a question of whether his continued presence in the Brewers’ rotation is sustainable. He went on the injured list with a mild knee sprain. That's only postponing the hard question. The Crew may need to move Hall back to the bullpen (and get a high-end relief option) or send him to Nashville to work out the kinks of returning to the rotation. It may be time for Tobias Myers or Chad Patrick to get a prolonged chance at eating innings in the rotation, given their dominance at Nashville. Myers is receiving his chance now but questions remain.

Hall as an ace reliever might not be a bad thing—he could pair with Abner Uribe and Devin Williams (when the latter returns from the injured list) to be a "Nasty Boys" pen akin to the trio of Josh Hader, Corey Knebel, and Jeremy Jeffress on that 2018 team. This would allow the Crew to have Joel Payamps and Hoby Milner cover the 6th and 7th innings while shopping Elvis Peguero for some future lottery tickets.

2. Should The Crew Swap Out Sanchez At DH And Call On Christian Yelich?
We’re only 25 games into the season, but so far, Gary Sanchez’s numbers are not as bad as Jesse Winker’s, but they're not as good as hoped. His .680 OPS is bad enough, but he’s only drawn two walks as of April 27. Winker at least got on base and made pitchers face the next guy on a reliable basis, despite his other offensive issues. The Brewers have some other options on their 26-man and 40-man roster for DH at-bats in the short term. One option could be to rotate Sal Frelick, Jackson Chourio, and Joey Wiemer into the DH role while Christian Yelich is on the injured list.

As the only other catcher on the Crew’s 40-man, Sanchez can back up William Contreras, but the DH role doesn’t seem to work out. That said, a .680 OPS is somewhat sustainable for a backup catcher. But should Sanchez backslide, the Brewers have Eric Haase and Francisco Mejia at Nashville, and both are performing well.

On the flip side, the return of MVP-level Yelich in 11 games was very good news for the Brewers until his back put him on the injured list. He averaged 7.1 Wins Above Replacement in 2018 and 2019. From 2021-2023, he averaged 2.5 WAR a season. That’s a 4.6-WAR difference. But the real issue is that the Crew needs Yelich hitting at MVP level to get the bulk of that WAR, and he can’t do it when he’s on the IL.

Sanchez’s performance opens a path. The Brewers can move Yelich to designated hitter full-time and open a space for one of the young outfielders (Garrett Mitchell? Joey Wiemer?) or someone else (Tyler Black? Brewer Hicklen?) to handle left field.

3. Move Adames, Or Roll with Willy?
Yelich is not the only Brewer with an offensive resurgence. Willy Adames has posted 144 OPS+ so far in 2024. He’s not only contributed on the field; he’s also been an excellent clubhouse leader. Right now, the Crew could deal with Adames and move either Joey Ortiz or Brice Turang to shortstop and not lose much, if anything, on the field.

Off the field, though, the specter of the 2022 Josh Hader trade hangs over a potential Adames deal. Do the Brewers risk disrupting the clubhouse with an Adames deal that could land prospects who can help the team in the future one way or another? The Hader trade eventually gave the Brewers William Contreras, but the short term didn’t go well. The alternative: They stick with Adames in 2024, make a qualifying offer, and see what compensation emerges in a future MLB draft. Or Adames could take the QO, and the Brewers lose him without compensation after 2025.

Could they sign Adames to an extension? That could end up being $20 million a year, but the Brewers could end up in a payroll crunch. The Brewers don’t have bad options at shortstop, but each comes with some risks.

4. How Does The Crew Patch Up The Rotation?
The fact that multiple rotation members (Wade Miley, Jakob Junis, DL Hall) have spent time on the injured list is a big worry. The Crew is going to have to make a move to get help. Do they rush up Bradley Blaylock and bet on Tobias Myers for the short term? Do they turn to Aaron Ashby, who is still recovering his pre-injury form? Do they stretch out Bryse Wilson or Bryan Hudson?

They could trade, but which prospects do they give up? Jeferson Quero and Brock Wilken are on the shelf with injuries that will need surgery. Do they trade Tyler Black, who looks like a left-handed Paul Molitor? Do they deal one of their emerging prospects, like Gregory Barrios or Tayden Hall? Or do they package one of their MLB-ready young outfielders and thin themselves more than they probably should at that position? 

They could also go the free-agent route, which raises the question of who is designated for assignment. Furthermore, which free-agent pitcher do you call on?  Trevor Bauer has talent but comes with more baggage than a season of the late Jerry Springer's talk show (to put it mildly). Could Zack Greinke be enticed to return to Milwaukee to help eat innings? Who else could come back? There are lots of questions for a rotation that is a step down from the 2021-2022 dominance.

What are the hard questions the Brewers are facing early in the season? Let us know in the comments below.