DuWayne Steurer

Tua is 5/8 for 192 yards. Playing against our defense is like playing Madden on easy.

Why don't they EVER just try to get a first down on 4th and short? I know they think they're going to catch the D sleeping or some such, but it never works.

don't care that we got the stop because Miami inflicted multiple wounds on themselves. A stop is a stop at this point.

Nice play call. Like the design to get the TE open in the endzone.

Easy jog into the endzone and 9 just falls down.

Surprised they didn't get Tom for a hold there. Lucky.

sigh.

It's one thing to take a sack, but Rodgers had 8 yards of space where he saw what he had to do, and didn't do it.

Throw. The ball. Away. omg.

Dude is so dangerous on returns.

1987 isn't *that* long ago, relatively speaking, and I think it really needs to be appreciated that Chuck Crim "averaged" 106 innings out of the pen for a five year period. That will probably never happen again.

The Brewers rotation has been the team's strength the last few seasons and looks to be so again in 2023. We'll break down what the rotation will look like in the coming season. Image courtesy of © Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports The Brewers rotation has been the team's strength the last few seasons and looks to be so again in 2023. We'll break down what the rotation will look like in the coming season. Despite injuries to top-of-the-rotation starters Brandon Woodruff and Freddy Peralta, the Brewers starting staff once again bolstered the team amid a season where the bullpen struggled at times, especially after ace closer Josh Hader was dealt to the Padres. The Brewers' top seven starters from 2022 remain with the team as of mid-December. Let's take a look at the projections and break things down. Name Team GS G IP W L QS SV HLD H ER HR SO BB WHIP K/9 BB/9 ERA FIP WAR RA9-WAR ADP Corbin Burnes MIL 32 32 197.0 13 10 21 0 0 161 69 21 239 55 1.10 10.92 2.51 3.15 3.03 4.9 4.8 999.0 Brandon Woodruff MIL 31 31 182.0 12 10 18 0 0 156 70 23 209 51 1.13 10.29 2.50 3.47 3.39 3.7 3.8 999.0 Aaron Ashby MIL 21 37 127.0 8 7 10 0 1 110 48 12 138 53 1.28 9.78 3.76 3.43 3.51 2.1 2.5 999.0 Freddy Peralta MIL 26 26 138.0 9 9 11 0 0 119 61 19 150 52 1.24 9.80 3.41 3.99 4.04 2.0 2.1 999.0 Eric Lauer MIL 28 28 156.0 9 10 12 0 0 148 74 24 150 59 1.32 8.69 3.39 4.30 4.42 1.3 1.8 999.0 Adrian Houser MIL 13 61 117.0 6 7 5 0 1 122 58 14 88 47 1.44 6.76 3.62 4.46 4.49 0.5 0.4 999.0 Jason Alexander MIL 5 43 65.0 3 4 2 0 1 70 32 8 46 21 1.39 6.32 2.90 4.40 4.47 0.1 0.1 999.0 Robert Gasser MIL 2 2 9.0 1 1 1 0 0 9 5 1 8 4 1.38 7.69 3.53 4.52 4.71 0.0 0.1 999.0 Ethan Small MIL 3 37 52.0 3 3 1 0 1 49 25 7 48 25 1.42 8.35 4.40 4.33 4.61 0.0 0.2 999. Corbin Burnes was once again the unquestioned ace of the staff; after winning the National League Cy Young in 2021, he followed up in 2022 by leading the senior circuit with 243 strikeouts while sporting a 2.94 E.R.A, 3.14 FIP, to go along with his 12-8 record, while finishing seventh in the Cy Young voting. The Brewers are getting close to a point where they'll have to decide about his near-term future in Milwaukee, but for 2023, they can ride it out and hold onto Burnes if they're in or close to a playoff spot. General Manager Matt Arnold's hand isn't forced just yet, but trading Burnes could become a reality if the Brewers fade from playoff contention by mid-summer. Steamer projections have solid confidence in a follow-up season from Burnes, with an ERA just a shade over three and projecting almost 240 strikeouts. Brandon Woodruff played a fine second fiddle to Burnes in 2022, going 13-4 with a 3.05 ERA (3.08 FIP) along with 190 strikeouts in just 153 1/3 innings pitched. Woodruff spent a few weeks on the disabled list in June and returned strong, giving up two or fewer earned runs in nine of his next 11 starts. After a five earned run hiccup against the Diamondbacks, he finished out September by going six or more innings and allowing two or fewer runs in six straight starts. A healthy Woodruff looks like a safe bet to be a quality number two again in 2023, with Steamer projections of a 3.43 E.R.A and 209 strikeouts. Like Burnes, however, the Brewers have some tough decisions about Woody's future in Milwaukee, regarding whether they will trade, keep, or even try to extend him. Freddy Peralta pitched well to start the year but spent a fair amount of time on the disabled list. Steamer projections have Peralta notched at 26 starts, 138 innings pitched, and a 3.99 ERA and 2.0 WAR. Peralta has pitched well when healthy and, entering his age 27 season, should be reaching his peak, so those numbers seem on the conservative side, but Peralta has to get and stay healthy. Peralta was incredible in 2021, striking out nearly 200 batters and posting an ERA under three in 27 starts, so there is potential to be a dominant mid-rotation pitcher. Peralta's strikeout rate fell off quite a bit in 2022, which may be concerning, so it'll be something to watch and see where that trends in 2023. Steamer doesn't project much more of a falloff in that category, but it's still concerning to see Peralta regress in that area. Steamer projections look at Aaron Ashby as a pitcher who will take a step forward this season. Ashby struggled at times last year but also suffered from some extreme bad luck. Season Team Level GB/FB LD% GB% FB% IFFB% HR/FB IFH% BUH% Pull% Cent% Oppo% Soft% Med% Hard% SIERA xFIP- xFIP 2018 MIL R 2.00 22.4% 51.7% 25.9% 6.7% 20.0% 39.7% 20.7% 39.7% 4.89 2018 MIL A 2.13 23.5% 52.0% 24.5% 8.3% 4.2% 37.4% 26.3% 36.4% 2.25 2019 MIL A 1.43 16.8% 49.0% 34.2% 15.7% 7.8% 38.2% 22.8% 39.0% 3.13 2019 MIL A+ 1.52 19.3% 48.6% 32.0% 36.2% 1.7% 46.0% 20.3% 33.7% 4.10 2021 MIL AAA 5.69 21.3% 66.9% 11.8% 6.3% 25.0% 44.8% 20.3% 35.0% 2.26 2021 MIL MLB 2.45 13.8% 61.3% 25.0% 0.0% 20.0% 10.2% 100.0% 42.0% 30.9% 27.2% 18.5% 55.6% 25.9% 3.18 72 3.05 2022 MIL MLB 2.17 16.9% 56.9% 26.2% 6.6% 19.7% 12.7% 33.3% 40.5% 34.8% 24.7% 17.9% 54.7% 27.4% 3.48 83 3.29 Total - - - MLB 2.23 16.2% 57.8% 25.9% 5.2% 19.8% 12.1% 42.9% 40.8% 34.0% 25.2% 18.0% 54.9% 27.1% 3.41 80 3.24 Ashby has an above-average strikeout rate for a starter (10.6 per 9 innings), has a solid groundball-to-flyball ratio, and doesn't allow much hard contact. The crazy outlier in his data set is that a whopping 19.7% of flyballs hit off of Ashby went for home runs in 2022. That's almost double the major league average, and probably (hopefully) an anomaly, and something that reverts to the mean in the future. Ashby's ERA this past season was 4.44, his FIP (fielding independent pitching) was 4.06, and his xFIP (fielding independent pitching normalized for an average home run rate) was 3.29. Ashby's a good pitcher. There are control issues with the walks but there was also a bit of bad luck. Here's to a big bounce back in 2023 and Steamer appears to agree. Eric Lauer started hot for the Brewers in 2022. He was so good through early June that he was referred to as the Brewers' "fourth ace," deservedly so. As all good things must, his hot streak ended, and Lauer returned to earth. He still put together a solid campaign, winning 11 games against seven losses with a 3.69 ERA while striking out a batter per inning. Lauer has been talked about as a trade chip and asset that could bring some much-needed hitting talent to Milwaukee. Still, until one of the younger pitchers like Ashby, Gasser, or Small forces Lauer out of the picture, it's tough to see how a number four guy with Lauer's stuff will be removed from the rotation. Eventually, he may price himself out of the Brewers' plans but for now, having a pitcher at the bottom of the rotation with Lauer's makeup is a luxury most baseball teams do not enjoy. Steamer projects a relatively large jump in ERA for Lauer this coming season, despite putting up a 3.19 and 3.69 ERA each of the previous two seasons. It'll be interesting to see how Lauer performs this coming year after having a stellar start to the season, followed by inconsistent ball down the stretch. Adrian Houser could be the odd man if the Brewers go with a five-man rotation. Houser's ERA jumped by a full one and a half runs to 4.73, while his FIP actually dropped from 4.33 to 4.21. Steamer projects him to be adequately mediocre again in 2023. Houser isn't a bad guy to have around as a long bullpen piece or a starter to run through the rotation four or five times if someone hits the disabled list for a few weeks, but it seems like the league has seen his stuff enough times to know what he has to offer. Houser may still have some trade value for a team looking for a back-end starter, so like Lauer, it will be interesting to see how the rest of the off-season plays out with a few of these players. The rest of the starter depth is about what you'll expect out of number seven starter material. Jason Alexander (no, not THAT Jason Alexander), a rookie at age 29, had a few successful weeks filling in for injured starters, and then when the league had some looks at him, it became clear why he was a rookie at age 29. Still, he was serviceable for a short time and may fill that emergency starter role again in 2023. Neither Ethan Small nor Robert Gasser figures to play any significant role in the rotation in 2023, but Steamer has each of them making a few starts. Small profiles as more of a reliever at this point, but the Brewers have made no indication yet that they aren't going to try to have him stick at starter. If things go wildly out of control on the injury front, we could see Small or Gasser making a start or two or possibly see a September call-up, but aside from that, I wouldn't figure to see either of these prospects see significant time in the rotation. So, what do you think, Brewer Fanatics? Based on what we see today, the Brewers will "run it back" with the same rotation. Is that the right approach? Do the Steamer projections look about right to you? How does the rotation stack up? Let us know in the comment section! View full article

Douglas, what the heck man. Just go down.

Nijman just got beat like a rented mule.

I love that dude argued that facemask and he literally had a whole-ass handful of someone's facemask for like 7 minutes without letting go.

Stopped em' on 3rd and 17 and there's a LOT of celebrating going on on defense. Not without reason.....

They have not gotten a team to jump offsides for like 7 years but they still try it like 3 times a game.

It is literally never Aaron Rodgers fault for an INT at this point. No matter what, somoene will slow a tape down, and break it down frame by frame and point at one out of context arm or leg and say "see, that was the WR's fault".

If we get an .850 - 860 OPS and 100 catcher starts from Contreras, plus some DH starts, I'm sure most folks will be over the moon. I wouldn't be disappointed with anything around/over an .800 OPS with 20+ homer power.

I think most projection systems tend to be conservative, some more than others. It's hard for a mathematical model to predict big breakouts (or major dropoffs), as they're based on following trends rather than predicting outliers or anomlies. That being said, one of the things holding Winker's numbers down may be the uncertainty around his return from injury. I also agree that the numbers for Contreras seemed conservative, (and stated as much) but he's young, and has barely had a full season worth of playing time in the majors to draw from, so there's not a lot of data to draw from.

After adding Jesse Winker, and William Contreras (and let's not forget Owen Miller!), we'll look at the Brewers' position players and some of the projected numbers and see where the offense stands. Image courtesy of © Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports After adding Jesse Winker, and William Contreras (and let's not forget Owen Miller!), we'll look at the Brewers' position players and some of the projected numbers and see where the offense stands. While Brewers General Manager Matt Arnold hasn't made any splashy moves such as inking any of the decade-plus, 300-million dollar signings, he has maneuvered trades to bring Jesse Winker and William Contreras to Milwaukee. Contreras is a young first-time all-star with legitimate 30 home run potential, and Winker is a candidate for a solid bounce-back campaign after an injury-marred 2022 season in Seattle. Arnold also brought in a pair of utility infielders, Abraham Toro and Owen Miller, possibly to compete for the Jace Peterson super-utility role or simply as extra depth. More moves may be made, and Luis Urias may fill the super-sub role in the future. Everyone has their preferred projection system, and each one uses different algorithms or methods to reach the numbers you see on the screen when you make your fantasy draft or browse the various sites. Another important distinction (a big distinction) is the difference between projections and predictions. Most of these systems are not predictions but simply mathematical models based on the previous season's data, age, and other factors. That being said, let's dig in! I'm going to use Steamer today. For one, it's available, and ZiPS currently isn't for the Brewers 2023 yet, and two, Steamer does a much better job of projecting playing time than ZiPS (and some other systems) does. So how does Steamer think the Brewers 2023 positional group stacks up? (per FanGraphs) Name Team G PA AB H 2B 3B HR R RBI BB SO HBP SB CS AVG OBP SLG OPS wOBA wRC+ BsR Fld Off Def WAR ADP Willy Adames MIL 146 653 580 141 30 1 28 85 81 61 173 3 8 4 .244 .316 .441 .758 .328 111 0.8 -1.5 9.3 5.8 3.9 999.0 Christian Yelich MIL 146 666 563 140 26 3 21 90 68 89 164 5 14 4 .249 .354 .419 .772 .339 119 1.5 -0.9 15.9 -9.5 3.0 999.0 Luis Urías MIL 139 575 501 122 24 1 19 65 65 59 119 9 4 2 .243 .331 .409 .740 .326 110 -0.5 0.6 6.0 3.2 3.0 999.0 Rowdy Tellez MIL 128 553 489 121 24 1 30 73 84 53 113 6 2 1 .247 .326 .486 .812 .346 123 -1.7 0.7 13.2 -10.3 2.3 999.0 William Contreras MIL 112 472 421 104 18 1 22 57 66 43 122 4 2 1 .247 .320 .450 .770 .334 115 -1.3 -1.9 7.1 2.2 2.2 999.0 Garrett Mitchell MIL 109 432 383 93 18 2 11 46 46 39 123 4 13 5 .243 .317 .385 .702 .310 99 0.4 0.4 -0.2 2.2 1.7 999.0 Jesse Winker MIL 115 494 418 104 21 1 17 61 59 64 92 6 1 0 .250 .355 .425 .780 .343 122 -2.4 -2.7 10.0 -12.0 1.5 999.0 Tyrone Taylor MIL 118 464 420 98 20 2 18 53 58 29 111 7 5 2 .232 .292 .419 .711 .309 98 0.2 2.6 -0.7 -2.1 1.4 999.0 Brice Turang MIL 102 384 340 83 16 1 7 43 37 36 77 2 12 3 .244 .317 .366 .683 .303 94 0.7 0.0 -2.1 1.9 1.3 999.0 Victor Caratini MIL 62 242 212 49 9 0 7 26 25 22 55 4 1 0 .232 .315 .372 .687 .303 94 -0.6 -0.1 -2.2 4.6 1.2 999.0 Sal Frelick MIL 32 131 118 33 6 1 3 15 14 10 19 2 3 1 .276 .337 .414 .751 .328 111 0.0 0.0 1.7 0.2 0.7 999.0 Abraham Toro MIL 42 172 153 37 8 1 5 19 20 14 30 2 2 1 .241 .313 .408 .721 .315 103 -0.2 -0.8 0.3 -0.1 0.6 999.0 Mike Brosseau MIL 44 181 160 35 7 0 6 20 20 16 52 3 2 1 .221 .301 .376 .676 .299 91 -0.3 -1.1 -2.2 -0.5 0.4 999.0 Joey Wiemer MIL 28 112 100 23 5 0 4 13 13 9 30 1 3 1 .234 .301 .414 .715 .311 99 0.0 0.0 0.0 -1.2 0.3 999.0 Keston Hiura MIL 66 272 240 52 10 1 12 31 33 23 99 6 4 2 .216 .298 .409 .707 .310 99 -0.1 0.0 -0.5 -6.5 0.2 999.0 Payton Henry MIL 6 24 21 4 1 0 1 2 2 2 7 0 0 0 .207 .278 .331 .609 .271 72 0.0 0.0 -0.8 0.5 0.1 999.0 Owen Miller MIL 13 54 49 12 3 0 1 5 5 4 12 1 0 0 .241 .299 .364 .663 .292 87 0.0 -0.6 -0.9 -0.4 0.1 999.0 Blake Perkins MIL 13 53 46 10 2 0 2 6 5 6 14 1 1 0 .211 .301 .363 .664 .295 88 0.0 0.0 -0.7 -0.6 0.0 999.0 Outfield The Brewers shipped out slugging right fielder Hunter Renfroe and brought in Jesse Winker. Winker profiles almost exclusively as a DH due to his defense, but the Brewers ideally would use Christian Yelich and Keston Hiura (if he remains with the club) in that role often as well. Right now, the outfield lines up with the bulk of playing time going to Yelich, Garrett Mitchell, and Tyrone Taylor. Steamer projects Mitchell for a 1.7 WAR and a .702 OPS, but it wouldn't be outrageous for a prospect to struggle his second time around the league. Mitchell hit well in his late-season call-up in 2022, but that's a sample of less than 100 plate appearances and his strikeout rate was over 40% in those limited chances. While Tyrone Taylor got the lion's share of playing time in center field after Lorenzo Cain was released last year, he struggled with on-base percentage and is well past prospect status entering his age 29 season. With Mitchell, Sal Frelick, and Joey Wiemer banging on the door, the Brewers could move Taylor to a reserve role sooner rather than later if he struggles to get on base. Christian Yelich projects for a 3.0 WAR and 21 home runs in Steamer's system, which would make most Brewer fans ecstatic. Tempering our enthusiasm, if Yelich can continue to be an on-base threat at the top of the order and set the table, he'll be providing worth as a table setter and leadoff man. Frelick's playing time depends on several factors. Notably, whether or not the Brewers acquire any other outfield pieces, whether or not Taylor struggles, and how well Frelick adjusts to big-league pitching. Infield There are some question marks here after dealing away Kolten Wong and Jace Peterson signing elsewhere. Rowdy Tellez returns at first base with his power bat. Despite knocking 35 home runs, Tellez hit just .219 last year with a .767 OPS. Tellez hopes to improve on that mainly by seeing a bounce back in his .215 BABiP (Batting Average on Balls in Play). Willy Adames will man shortstop again in 2023 after posting a 4.7 WAR in 2022. Adames' .298 on-base percentage last year was the lowest of his career by a wide margin, so it's arguable if he maintains his power (31 home runs), there's room to improve on the offensive side. The Brewers may look to hand second base to rookie Brice Turang, who broke through at Nashville in 2022 and had a .286 average and .772 OPS. Early projections from Steamer have a limited amount of confidence in his offense but the Brewers will have to be willing to let Turang grow into his game and let his defense provide his value until his bat can catch up. As of now, it looks like Luis Urias is the third baseman. Steamer projects a 3.0 WAR from Urias, which aligns with where he's been the last few years. A bit of power, a decent on base percentage, and decent defense. While the Brewers may end up going another route for third base, a 3.0 WAR projection is a safe bet. The infield backups are Abraham Toro, Owen Miller, and Mike Brosseau. Brosseau had a solid season in partial playing time for Milwaukee last year, but the Brewers will almost certainly look at the whole group and decide what pieces make the most sense and fit. Miller played almost full-time in Cleveland last year, primarily due to injuries to other players, and wasn't particularly spectacular, but he could provide a decent backup around the diamond. Designated Hitter Right now, there are plenty of DH candidates, but I'll focus on Jesse Winker and Keston Hiura. I suspect there's at least some chance that Hiura will be dealt with before spring training, so this is subject to change. After a brutal campaign in 2021, Hiura bounced back quite a bit this past year and slugged fourteen home runs with a .765 OPS in part-time play. Despite that, he never seemed to get on the good side of manager Craig Counsell and earned anything more than sporadic playing time. Often his playing time came against left-handed pitching, which he's notoriously (and oddly) terrible against. Be that as it may, with reverse splits, he doesn't make a good platoon DH partner for Winker, who hits left-handed and has more typical platoon splits. It'll be interesting to see how and when Hiura is used if he's still with the team come April. Jesse Winker was acquired in the Kolten Wong trade, and the Brewers are betting heavily on Winker having a big bounce-back season. He was terrible in Seattle in 2022. No getting around it. But in 2020 and 2021, he put up ..932 and .949 OPS numbers, respectively. His defensive prowess is best left unsaid, and if he only finds the field a handful of times, it's for the best. The DH spot will likely end up as Christian Yelich's long-term home, but for one season (Winker is a free agent after this year), Yelich can handle left field while WInker DHs. I'd be remiss if I didn't point out Winker's platoon splits. He has a career of .661 OPS vs. left-handers. The Brewers will need to find a platoon partner for him and hide that weakness. Catcher The big get of the offseason so far, and what a get it was. The Brewers acquired all-star catcher William Contreras in a three-team trade for minor league outfielder Esteury Ruiz. Contreras immediately adds some much-needed right-handed pop to the lineup, and should hit somewhere in the middle of the order. Contreras has his defensive drawbacks, but the Brewers seem more than willing to live with it and hope he improves. Steamer puts Contreras at 2.2 WAR with 22 home runs. I hope that's slightly conservative. The backup catcher is currently Victor Caratini. Caratini was doing a solid job with the backup duties to Omar Narvaez last year, providing some pop and decent defense. During the second half of the season, when he was forced to take on more regular catching duties his offensive numbers declined in August and September. Despite that, Caratini is a solid option for a backup with good defense and some decent power. That's where we stand in mid-December. The Brewers may make more moves, and there are plenty of free agents below the top-tier names who remain unsigned. What do you think, Brewer Fanatics? What will the lineup look like? What do you think of the first Projections that have come out? Let us know in the comments! View full article

I edited this back to William, and I was pretty sure I had double double double checked myself when I wrote the article, but I was like 'Huh', must have just mentally typed Willson instead. "No biggie". Good to know I'm not the only one!

Brewers General Manager Matt Arnold surprised everyone on Monday afternoon when he pulled the trigger on a trade that brought all-star catcher William Contreras to Milwaukee to replace outgoing Omar Narvaez. We'll look at the trade and the Brewers' roster in the wake of this enormous acquisition. Image courtesy of © Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports Brewers General Manager Matt Arnold surprised everyone on Monday afternoon when he pulled the trigger on a trade that brought all-star catcher William Contreras to Milwaukee to replace outgoing Omar Narvaez. We'll look at the trade and the Brewers' roster in the wake of this enormous acquisition. Before I say anything about the numbers, data, stats, or anything else, it has to be said that this deal was an absolute steal from the Brewers' standpoint. Even if you question the methodology or accuracy of sites like Baseball Trade Values, the Brewers got a fantastic deal, value-wise, compared to what they gave up. If you have yet to see it anywhere else... Baseball Trade Values won't even allow that trade to go through. It's tilted at 33.2 million dollars in surplus value in favor of the Brewers. Again, I understand that sites like these are just a starting point, and scouts and general managers have many advanced ways to evaluate trades, but at first blush, this one looks like highway robbery. Trades involving prospects are always best evaluated after they hit the big leagues and their impact on the big clubs is better felt. Still, everyone feels confident from the Brewer standpoint that giving up Esteury Ruiz for a young, slugging catcher and two relievers is a good deal right now. So what did the Brewers get, and what did they give up? Ruiz came over in the Josh Hader trade this past summer, and while he might have been looked at as the centerpiece of that particular trade, many looked at the return the Brewers got for the premier closer in the game to be light. Ruiz put up excellent numbers at Nashville after being acquired, and while he doesn't have the kind of bat that scouts expect to produce much power at the big league level, he has elite speed, stealing 85 bags over three levels in the minors last year. Another thing holding Ruiz back (at least in Milwaukee) will be the trio of talented outfielders already knocking on the door in Garrett Mitchell, Sal Frelick, and Joey Wiemer, not to mention the fast-rising and ultra-talented Jackson Chourio. Flipping a piece of the Hader trade then for a young, cost-controlled all-star catcher had to be a no-brainer for Matt Arnold and the Brewers front office. William Contreras emerged from the long shadow of his three-time all-star brother Willson last year to put together a big campaign for the Braves. With a .278/.354/.506 slash line and a healthy 138 ops+, Contreras was a first-time all-star at age 24. Contreras mauled left-handed pitching last year with a 1.036 OPS, which is an area the Brewers struggled all season long, so having his power bat from the right side of the plate in the middle of the order will be an immediate boost for the offense. He was still capable against right-handed pitching with a .784 OPS. I Split G GS PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS TB GDP HBP SH SF IBB ROE BAbip tOPS+ vs RHP 139 416 374 49 91 12 1 21 51 1 0 38 120 .243 .315 .449 .764 168 5 2 0 2 2 2 .298 89 vs LHP 76 155 133 21 41 7 1 7 18 1 0 20 42 .308 .400 .534 .934 71 3 1 0 1 0 1 .400 132 vs RHP as RHB 139 416 374 91 12 1 21 51 0 0 38 120 .243 .315 .449 .764 168 5 2 0 2 2 2 .298 89 vs LHP as RHB 76 155 133 41 7 1 7 18 0 0 20 42 .308 .400 .534 .934 71 3 1 0 1 0 1 .400 132 vs RH Starter 106 95 392 350 44 83 9 1 19 39 0 0 38 117 .237 .314 .431 .745 151 5 2 0 2 2 2 .296 84 vs LH Starter 47 43 179 157 26 49 10 1 9 30 2 0 20 45 .312 .391 .561 .952 88 3 1 0 1 0 1 .385 135 Baseball-Reference rates Contreras' defense a bit higher than Fangraphs. At BR, he's listed at 0.0 dWAR for the last two years at BR. Fangraphs is a little more negative on his defense. Season Team Level Batting Base Running Fielding Positional Offense Defense League Replacement RAR WAR Dollars Salary 2020 ATL MLB 0.5 -0.1 0.0 0.2 0.4 0.2 -0.1 0.3 0.9 0.1 $0.7 2021 ATL MLB -3.2 -0.8 -5.9 3.6 -4.1 -2.3 0.4 5.8 -0.2 0.0 -$0.2 2022 ATL MLB 16.6 -2.6 -4.1 0.7 14.0 -3.4 1.4 11.2 23.3 2.4 $19.5 Total - - - MLB 13.9 -3.6 -10.0 4.5 10.4 -5.5 1.8 17.3 23.9 2.5 $20.1 With Victor Caratini most likely returning this year, it will be interesting to see how the catching duties are split and if Contreras spends any appreciable time at DH again, as he did in Atlanta in 2022. Either way, his defensive numbers aren't so bad as to viably negate his offensive value. The Brewers control Contreras through the 2027 season, so they're looking at five years of control through Contreras' age 29 season. Having those years of control for a team like the Brewers that will have to flip assets for prospects routinely is extremely valuable, especially when they're still in a competitive window with Burnes, Woodruff, and Peralta. Of the two relievers the Brewers acquired in the trade, Joel Payamps has seen major league experience, pitching over 50 innings each of the past two seasons. He's produced an earned run average of 3.35 over 113 major league innings, with a FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching) of 4.19. Payamps is not a big strikeout pitcher, punching out 6.7 batters per nine innings over his career, and that number has been consistent. Payamps throws a mid 90's four-seamer, mixed with a heavy sinker, slider, and occasional changeup that he relies on to induce an almost two-to-one groundball to flyout ratio. (per FanGraphs) Season Team Level GB/FB LD% GB% FB% IFFB% HR/FB IFH% BUH% Pull% Cent% Oppo% Soft% Med% Hard% SIERA xFIP- xFIP 2019 ARI MLB 0.20 40.0% 10.0% 50.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 36.4% 45.5% 18.2% 18.2% 27.3% 54.5% 6.63 146 6.45 2020 ARI MLB 0.50 62.5% 12.5% 25.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 37.5% 37.5% 25.0% 0.0% 25.0% 75.0% 7.49 138 6.14 2021 2 Tms MLB 1.08 14.6% 44.4% 41.1% 16.1% 9.7% 14.9% 0.0% 43.4% 32.9% 23.7% 21.1% 52.0% 27.0% 4.33 110 4.73 2022 2 Tms MLB 1.73 16.7% 52.8% 30.6% 21.8% 12.7% 11.6% 50.0% 47.3% 33.0% 19.8% 20.9% 52.7% 26.4% 3.86 103 4.07 Total - - - MLB 1.32 17.5% 47.0% 35.5% 17.7% 10.5% 12.8% 25.0% 45.0% 33.4% 21.5% 20.4% 51.0% 28.6% 4.27 109 4.50 While Payamps has relied on weak contact and groundballs to produce results, it would still be nice to see him push that K/9 rate more up around eight or nine punchouts per nine innings. Even so, if he can produce a low 3's ERA like he has the past two seasons, he can be a solid addition to the middle of the Brewers bullpen. The last piece acquired by the Brewers in the trade, Justin Yeager, came from the Braves. Yeager is a 24-year-old reliever who reached AA Mississippi in the Braves system this season. The right-hander works in the high 90's with his four-seamer but can touch 100, and he struck out 81 batters in 52.1 innings this past season. On the flip side, he also walked 32 batters and 66 batters in just 117.2 innings worked in affiliated ball. While Yeager certainly has the physical tools to be successful, gaining control of his repertoire will decide how far up the prospect ladder Yeager can climb. This trade (as many do) came out of left field for Brewers fans and certainly felt like a nice pre-holiday treat. It certainly shakes up the lineup and gives the team a little more (or a lot more) punch against left-handed pitching, and adds a reliable, if unspectacular, arm to the middle of the bullpen. At the same time, the Brewers were dealing from a position of depth and strength to strengthen their major league roster. Contreras should slot into the middle of the order and give the Brewers some much-needed right-hand power after the Hunter Renfroe trade. What do you think, Brewer Fanatics? Is Matt Arnold done making trades, or is something more on the horizon? What other moves might he have to improve the team before opening day? Let us know what you think in the comments! View full article