No Reboot: Should The Brewers Run It Back For 2024?

Last week, we considered rebooting the Brewers' major league roster by moving short-term assets, including Corbin Burnes, Willy Adames, Devin Williams, and Freddy Peralta. The idea was to inject the roster with some high-end talent. Such a move would likely have caused the Brewers to punt the 2024 season but would have left the team poised for bigger things in 2025 and beyond.

However, such a move discounts the fact that the Brewers won the division in 2023, and it’s not out of the realm of possibility that they could make another run in 2024, even after losing Brandon Woodruff and Wade Miley. 

How Can They Run It Back?
The first thing looming over the upcoming season is the status of über prospect Jackson Chourio. Recent rumblings indicate the team will lock up Chourio to a long-term contract. Such a deal would mean the club has little reason - short of an atrocious spring camp - to keep Chourio in the minor leagues. With that in mind, let’s assume Chourio breaks camp with the Brewers.

This means Milwaukee has a crowded outfield, including Yelich, Frelick, Mitchell, Chourio, Taylor, and Wiemer. A solution to this is to shift the worst fielder of the group (Yelich) to another position. This would be first base. Again, I’m making a leap that this is feasible, or something he’d accept. Yelich played first in high school, is athletic, and would benefit health-wise from playing a less stressful position. 

With Yelich at first, the outfield would thus consist of Chourio, Frelick, Mitchell, Wiemer, and Taylor.

As for DH, one of the five outfielders (or Contreras) could regularly slot into the position. 

Around the infield, William Contreras is set at catcher, and the club could either re-sign Victor Caratini or try someone such as youngster Payton Henry (who is a free agent) or another low-cost glove-first type veteran. Top prospect Jeferson Quero probably needs at least a half season at AAA but could get called up if needed. 

Let’s go around the horn. Yelich is at first, Brice Turang is at second, and Adames is at shortstop, leaving third base open. This would go to rookie Tyler Black. This assumes that the club feels Tyler Black could handle the position (yes, we are making many assumptions in this article - but that’s okay). As for reserves, there’s Andruw Monasterio and Owen Miller, but the club might want to find a low-cost right-handed bat that can play first and third base. An example would be Evan Longoria or Nick Senzel.

The Pitching Staff
The rotation would begin with Burnes, Peralta, Houser, and Rea. The fifth spot would be Robert Gasser. After a full season at Triple A in 2023, he should be ready for the majors. 

Depth is problematic. Carlos Rodriguez probably needs at least half a season at Triple A, so a veteran arm should be added. An example is Alex Wood (who could be had for a low price - even a minor-league deal). Another interesting arm is Erick Fedde, who had a monster campaign in Korea in 2023. Fedde disappointed in the majors, but last year, he found success overseas (20 wins and a 2.00 ERA in 180 IP). He should receive at least $5-6 million in a new contract. Considering his lack of success in the majors, this would be a considerable risk, but it might have some big upside (or complete failure - see the Josh Lindblom deal).

As for relievers, Williams, Uribe, Milner, Peguero, Payamps, Wilson, and Megill make a formidable pen - and there are plenty of arms to fill the final spot and provide depth. 

Free Agent Additions
That would, for the most part, set the team for 2024. However, I have not spent much on free agency. The roster as it sits is at around $100 million in payroll. Adding some depth bats and a minor league deal pitcher shouldn’t take up too much cash, maybe $5 million total. Assuming the team has a budget of $120 million, we could consider some of the following ideas:

Add a quality bat as DH. Justin Turner, Rhys Hoskins, or JD Martinez would be obvious fits - right-handed bats might be available on a one-year deal in the $12-15 million range. If the market goes beyond this (in years or money) pass on the idea. Each player carries a risk (age, recovering from injury) but could be a valuable asset on a one-year deal. 

Add a more established pitcher to the rotation. We have options: an innings-eating type arm, a guy coming off injury, or an older player (examples include Mike Clevinger, Jack Flaherty, and old friend Wade Miley). The idea would be to get some more upside. As with the DH, these deals would be limited to one year in the $10-12 million area. 

The club could also hang on to its cash surplus, allowing it to add players as the season went on. 

The 2024 Brewers would be an interesting group if we go this route. The team would take big risks with rookies (Chourio, Black, Gasser) and rely on other young players to improve (Turang, Wiemer, Frelick, Mitchell). But that’s the sort of thing the Brewers need to do every season due to their limited budgets. 

Also, the club could deal any players in the final year of their contracts (Burnes, Adamas, Houser) at the deadline if things don’t go well. They won’t get as much as they would if they traded them now - but at least we wouldn’t be throwing in the towel in 2024 before the season began.

As for 2025 and beyond, the Brewers could use next season to see if Turang can hit enough to replace Adames, and monitor how their young outfielders develop. Replacing Burnes would be the most challenging aspect but the club would have the financial flexibility to add a starter - maybe not of Burnes’s quality - but at least a decent player. And there’s the hope that a younger player like Rodriguez could develop into a quality MLB starter. 

No matter what way forward the team selects, it will be an interesting 2024 for the Brewers.