Matt Arnold, Pat Murphy On William Contreras's Health, Sal Frelick's Position, Devin Williams's Future

Matt Arnold and Pat Murphy each held their end-of-season press conferences with local media on Thursday. Here are a few nuggets of note to take into the offseason.

William Contreras played through a sprained knee in the postseason
Milwaukee’s All-Star backstop went 2-for-12 in the Wild Card Series and was not moving well out of the batter’s box all week. The club revised its lineup multiple times ahead of Game 3, with Contreras shifting to the DH slot after he was originally going to start at catcher. Arnold revealed the shuffling was due to a knee sprain.

“He wanted to be in the lineup and was able to get in the lineup,” he said. “There was no talking him out of that, not that we tried to. He was adamant about playing, but he was hurt.”

The Brewers believe it to be a mild injury and are not concerned about it long-term, but it still re-raises the question of whether the club allowed him to assume too heavy a workload. 

Contreras insists upon catching as often as possible. He talked his way out of a planned day off at the start of June and started each of the team’s first 64 games, catching in 52 of them. That run ended with a prolonged slump that saw him hit .222/.256/.301 in 36 games from mid-May through June, after a red-hot start.

The Brewers worked in a few more days off for Contreras the rest of the way, but he still appeared in 158 of the team’s 165 games in 2024 and finished 62 innings behind Cal Raleigh for most regular-season innings caught. Could he get more regular rest next year?

“We’re certainly aware of it, and it’s something we want to monitor going forward,” said Arnold, adding that the club feels Murphy and the training staff do a “fantastic job” at keeping players fresh. “But he’s a leader on this team, and we always want him in the lineup every day.”

The Brewers are “open-minded” about Devin Williams’s future
With one season of control remaining before he hits free agency, Williams could join Josh Hader and Corbin Burnes as elite pitchers whom the Brewers cashed in for long-term capital, as part of their goal to avoid competitive cycles and to remain perennial contenders.

Dating back to David Stearns’s days as president of baseball operations, the Brewers have repeatedly expressed that they never rule out the creative and challenging moves necessitated by their market. Unsurprisingly, Arnold struck the same note when asked about Williams’s future.

“We never want to close the door on anything,” he said. “On anything, we have to stay open-minded. We’re the smallest market in the league, so that’s something that’s required in the place that we are.”

Arnold and the rest of the front office could retain Williams if they receive no offers to their liking, but history indicates that the two-time National League Reliever of the Year will likely have a new home by Opening Day.

Multiple positions are still on the table for Tyler Black–and Sal Frelick
Black’s profile as a prospect has been a plate discipline savant, without a clear defensive home. The latter limited his time in the big leagues this year, as he received just 57 MLB plate appearances and played just six games in the field, all at first base.

The 24-year-old has natural athleticism, but has failed to settle in at any infield position. His long-term home may be in the outfield, where he started 12 games in the minor leagues last season and 15 in 2022. Moving him there full-time would not create a spot for him, though, as the Brewers feature a crowded outfield section of the 40-man roster already.

Arnold indicated the Brewers could continue to give Black work at multiple positions in 2025 as both parties continue their efforts to land on a fit with the big-league club.

“He’s just a really good athlete,” he said. “I wouldn’t pigeonhole him necessarily into one position.”

Black could still carve out a role on next year’s team, but his current unclear fit and uninspiring results in a minuscule big-league sample make him an offseason trade candidate.

Meanwhile, Murphy revealed that the Brewers still believe Frelick can provide additional positional flexibility beyond the outfield. His trial run at third base in spring training all but ended when Garrett Mitchell’s injury at the end of March forced him back to full-time outfield duty, but the Brewers could revisit it next year.

“He was making great progress [at third base],” Murphy said. “That’s on the table for sure, depending on if we acquire anyone, if we don’t, if we lose somebody else, injuries. But to have that in our pocket, that versatility is crucial.”

While flexibility is valuable, it’s uncertain whether Frelick is most helpful to the Brewers if he plays third base even semi-regularly. He’s been a below-average hitter in the big leagues, but his elite defense in the outfield has made him a solid everyday player. He’s unlikely to have the same level of impact with the glove at the hot corner.

Roles remain undecided for Aaron Ashby, DL Hall, Jacob Misiorowski
Initially viewed by the organization as starting pitchers in the long run, Ashby and Hall repaired their stock with encouraging showings as relievers late in the season. Misiorowski, meanwhile, also shifted to a relief role after an August promotion to Triple-A.

Arnold said the organization has not decided what roles the trio will fill next year and beyond. Murphy struck a similar tone on Ashby, but indicated that he believes the left-hander can be more than a short-range reliever at the back end of the bullpen.

“I’d say he’s more of a candidate to throw more innings, because the stuff is pretty special,” Murphy said. “But that’s going to be discussed.”

Injury updates on Abner Uribe, Robert Gasser
Uribe and Gasser were supposed to be major contributors this year, but their big-league time was limited for varying reasons.

Uribe pitched to a 6.91 ERA and 4.63 FIP in 14 appearances before a high walk rate and composure issues prompted a demotion to Triple-A. He then sustained a right knee injury in the minor leagues that required surgery.

Gasser was carving out a role in the starting rotation, authoring a 2.57 ERA and 3.38 FIP in his first five big-league starts, but his balky left elbow ultimately required Tommy John surgery.

Arnold said Uribe will have a standard offseason and should be ready for spring training.

“I saw him when we were playing in Arizona a couple weeks ago, and he was moving around really well.”

Gasser’s timeline is less certain after receiving a full UCL replacement. The optimistic projection is a late-season return, but Arnold cautioned that a precise timeline is not set in stone.

“It’s hard to tell with any kind of surgery like that,” he said, “but I think that’s sort of the timeline we’re thinking.”