Could the Brewers Replicate Their Legendary 2018 Double Move?

Let’s look back at one of the greatest days of Brewers franchise history: January 25, 2018. After a 2017 season wherein they ended one game shy of the second Wild Card spot, the Brewers looked ready to compete with their young crop of players. Travis Shaw, Orlando Arcia, Jonathan Villar and Eric Thames filled out the infield nicely. Manny Piña and Jett Bandy at catcher seemed decent for the immediate future. With Hernán Pérez and Jesús Aguilar set as reserves, it seemed the lineup was all but set--that is, except for the outfield.

Besides Ryan Braun, the other outfielders on the roster were all under the age of 25. Domingo Santana had been called up and down for the last few seasons. Keon Broxton was great defensively, though boom-or-bust at bat. Lewis Brinson and Brett Phillips were just getting their feet wet against MLB pitching. That’s pretty much it.

Then, on a random Thursday in January, the Brewers changed their franchise forever by adding Christian Yelich from the Marlins and Lorenzo Cain via free agency. Just like that, the Brewers had a roster craving their first World Series appearance since 1982. They didn’t get there, but they were one win away. But for the dual heroics of Chris Taylor and Yasiel Puig, they'd have gotten over the hump.

We are coming up on six years since that team-altering day. Surely, there is no way of replicating that feat, right? Well, what if they can? The Brewers' projected 2024 payroll is only around $96.5 million which is $30 million less than what it was at the end of the 2023 season. With the second-best overall farm system (according to the Baseball America Prospect Handbook) and money to spend, they have the potential to do something huge again. This will be a series, fleshing out three different scenarios in which the Brewers could try to recapture the magic of that one day in January 2018. Today, it's this one.

Trade for Luis Arráez and Sign Rhys Hoskins
With the recent news that the Miami Marlins are listening to offers on anybody on their roster, it could intrigue the Brewers to trade for the player who won batting titles for each of the last two seasons. The two-time All-Star and Silver Slugger Award winner is coming off his first year with Miami, providing a .354/.393/.469 line fueled by a 5.5 percent strike out rate.

He would not provide much pop in the lineup, as he only has 24 career home runs over five seasons. However, loanDepot Park is considered a pitcher-friendly ballpark, whereas American Family Field is the opposite. The best example is Yelich himself; he was averaging around 15 home runs a season before coming to Milwaukee. I’m not saying Arraez will start mashing the ball as a Brewer, but we might see some sort of jump in raw power numbers.

The Brewers could use Arráez as the leadoff hitter and play him at second base. If they want to see current second baseman Brice Turang step up this season, then Arraez can slide to first, where he has played 619 innings in MLB and rates as an average-plus defender.

Arráez, 26, has two years of club control remaining and hasn’t settled on a deal with the Marlins this season. Those parties (or Arráez and his new team) are headed toward an arbitration hearing in February. According to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, he will make either $10.8 million or $12 million if the two sides don’t come to an agreement.

The deal that would make most sense to me is one of the young outfielders (in this case, Joey Wiemer) and a prospect set to make his MLB debut this season, Tyler Black. As the roster stands, Wiemer is one of two outfielders who are right-handed hitters. If Jackson Chourio is going to get the lion's share of the playing time in center field in 2024, Wiemer will have to try to find at-bats on the short side of a platoon with Sal Frelick and as a defensive-minded stopgap for Yelich.

Black was drafted as a second baseman back in 2021, but could play third, first and/or the outfield if the team desires. His arm strength isn’t the greatest, and he's still trying to find a role within the organization. He would fill the role that Arráez had in Miami, with four or five extra years of team control. In 39 games with Nashville, Black hit .310/.428/.514, with four homers and eight walks.

Yes, it would suck to lose a player of his caliber, but it must hurt a little bit to acquire an All-Star. Given the legitimate questions about Black's power projection, Arráez offers a balance of certainty and upside that Black can't match, despite his promise. However, the Brewers still could use an upgrade at first base. The revolving door could come to a stop in its frame, if the Crew sign former Philadelphia Phillies first baseman, Rhys Hoskins.

Hoskins was out for the entirety of the 2023 regular season and the playoffs, due to a torn ACL he suffered in spring training. With Bryce Harper becoming the regular first baseman for the Phillies, Hoskins is now looking for a new club that needs one. Hoskins has hit 148 home runs in six seasons, and has an OPS+ of 125. He would provide pop in a lineup that could use some, with Rowdy Tellez, Mark Canha and Carlos Santana no longer part of the club.

Hoskins is projected to make $16-18 million a year in free agency. Maybe the Brewers can offer him a three-year deal worth $52 million, with a club option for the third season. Like the Kolton Wong deal in 2021, the Brewers can defer some money for future seasons, or backload the deal to alleviate the payroll impact for the 2024 season.

If the Brewers can pull this off, they could add $25-30 million to the payroll and stay at roughly the same amount as they paid out last season. At the same time, they would add two important pieces to the lineup, without destroying an incredible minor-league system.

Would you be in favor of this bold move, aimed at keeping the Brewers atop the NL Central heap in the medium term but potentially applying pressure for the team to bolster its pitching staff when Corbin Burnes departs next winter? Would a lineup with Arráez and Hoskins intermingled with Yelich, William Contreras, Willy Adames, and the team's less certain young players be good enough to get them past any of the National League's titans come October? Jump into the comments to discuss it, and come back tomorrow for another vision of how Arnold could pull this off.