Milwaukee Brewers: Comprehensive 2018-19 Offseason Primer

The Milwaukee Brewers are reigning NL Central Champions and will look to defend their title in 2019. To do that, they’re going to need to make some improvements to the ballclub.

The offseason can be an exciting time for fans as they watch General Managers make move after move to try to improve their teams. Milwaukee Brewers GM David Stearns is one of the best in the business at building a team. Last winter was slower than most in recent memory, but with a big free agent class this offseason, that figures to change.

There’s various ways to improve the Brewers going into next season, and there’s a lot of ways in which it could change. We don’t know how things will turn out this winter, but David Stearns has earned the trust of fans to believe that what he’s doing is the right move.

With that, here’s a comprehensive 2018-19 offseason primer for Milwaukee Brewers fans which will cover free agents, contract options, arbitration players, and Rule 5 eligible players.

Unrestricted Free Agents (5)

Gio Gonzalez, Wade Miley, Curtis Granderson, Dan Jennings, Erik Kratz

Gio Gonzalez was a nice pickup from Washington at the end of August. He made five regular season starts and pitched well in them. He also made two postseason starts and failed to make it into the third inning in either of them, although the first was by design and the second was because of injury. Don’t anticipate Gonzalez coming back.

Wade Miley is an interesting case. A minor league signee in spring training, Miley turned in a tremendous 2.57 ERA in 16 regular season starts this year and was one of the two trusted starting pitchers for the Milwaukee Brewers in the postseason. He made four postseason starts and finished October with a 1.23 ERA. However, his advanced metrics lead you to believe this success is unsustainable. Plus he’s also likely to get large offers from other clubs in free agency. It’s tough to see Miley back in a Milwaukee uniform.

Curtis Granderson was a nice bench addition for the final stretch run. He didn’t have a major impact on the field but his clubhouse presence helped more than anything. Given the already crowded outfield picture, the soon-to-be 38 year old Granderson is likely headed elsewhere this winter.

Dan Jennings was a pretty good left handed option out of the bullpen for most of the year, finishing with a 3.22 ERA. He struggled a bit towards the end of the season and was left off both postseason rosters. With Xavier Cedeno under control for another season, this may have been the last we see of Jennings in a Brewers uniform.

Erik Kratz was the darling of the Milwaukee Brewers in 2018. A career backup, Kratz played better than his career numbers for the Brewers this season and at 38 years old while making his first postseason roster, it was a great story. However, this could end up being his only year in Milwaukee. He’ll be 39 next season and the Brewers have other, younger options at the position with a better track record at the plate. It’s doubtful that Kratz would be back for another season.

Contract Options (4)

Joakim Soria (C), Mike Moustakas (M), Jeremy Jeffress (C), Jordan Lyles (C)

(C) – Club Option, (M) – Mutual Option

Joakim Soria added another experienced late inning arm to the back of the Milwaukee Brewers bullpen when he joined the club in July. He wasn’t spectacular, posting a 4.09 ERA in 26 appearances. With a club option for $10 million for next season, it’s an easy decline for GM David Stearns. Soria would be the third or fourth option to close games for Craig Counsell and there’s no reason to pay $10 million for a 7th inning setup man.

Mike Moustakas is the most difficult case of the four. He has a mutual option for $15 million for next season. If he opts out, the Brewers decision is moot, since both would have to opt in. Should he opt in, it will be an interesting decision for David Stearns. Moose was his most productive July pickup and he’s well-liked in Milwaukee. But $15 million is a lot to pay for a player when you already have someone who can play his position in Travis Shaw on the roster. Is Moose worth $15 million? That’s for Stearns to decide, but it’ll be a tough decision either way.

Jeremy Jeffress took over the closer’s role when Corey Knebel hit a major rough patch. He did a tremendous job, becoming an All Star this year, along with closing 15 games with a 1.29 ERA. Jeffress struggled in the postseason, but overall is a great reliever who excels in Milwaukee. His $3.175 million option for next season is an easy pick-up for the Brewers.

Jordan Lyles presents an interesting case for his option as well. It’s not as interesting as Moustakas’ case, but still. Lyles would be due $3.5 million should his contract be picked up. Lyles was an August waiver claim who pitched pretty well, finishing with a 3.31 ERA in 11 appearances. He’s a long relief option at best and there’s already a bunch of those currently on the roster. Unless other room is cleared, don’t be surprised to see the Brewers decline Lyles’ option. $3.5 million isn’t a ton of money, but someone else can fill his role for less money. And the Brewers need to save money wherever they can.

Arbitration-Eligible Players (12)

Stephen Vogt ($3.065MM), Jonathan Schoop ($10.1MM), Xavier Cedeno ($1.5MM), Jimmy Nelson ($3.7MM), Hernan Perez ($2.7MM), Travis Shaw ($5.1MM), Tyler Saladino ($1.0MM), Zach Davies ($2.4MM), Manny Pina ($1.8MM), Domingo Santana ($2.0MM), Corey Knebel ($4.9MM), Junior Guerra ($2.7MM)

Arbitration projection numbers courtesy of Roster Resource.

Stephen Vogt missed all of 2018 with a shoulder injury. There was the possibility he could’ve gotten non-tendered last winter, but he was brought back. His injury puts a dark cloud over his status for next season. If Stearns still likes what Vogt can do, they could tender him for his final year of arbitration.

Jonathan Schoop is the most interesting case of all the 12 players eligible. He’s due $10.1 million, which is far more than his production level in Milwaukee shows he’s worth. Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel said the Brewers are unlikely to non-tender Schoop. Robert Murray of The Athletic (subscription required) said the Brewers are likely to non-tender Schoop. So take anything about Schoop being tendered/non-tendered with a grain of salt. There’s still the possibility the Milwaukee Brewers trade Schoop to someone else this winter. That way they get something for him at least.

Xavier Cedeno was added in August and was decent, but nothing special. With Dan Jennings entering free agency, Cedeno could be brought back as the situational lefty out of the bullpen for next year.

Jimmy Nelson missed all of 2018 rehabbing from shoulder surgery, similar to Vogt. While Vogt’s status for 2019 is up in the air, Nelson is virtually guaranteed to be on the Brewers team next year. Nelson won’t get a raise from what he earned in 2018, and is projected to get the same salary next year as he did this year.

Hernan Perez is a pretty decent utility option off the bench for Craig Counsell. He brings solid defense to every position and swings a decent bat. For $2.7 million, Perez is a nice guy to have on the roster. He’s not going to be a stud starting infielder, but he can hit lefties pretty well and he won’t break the bank for the Crew.

Travis Shaw is projected to earn the second largest arbitration salary on the team behind only Schoop. This is Shaw’s first year entering arbitration and he’s making a big jump in salary with a projected earnings of $5.1 million. Arbitration pays players more for certain stats, especially home runs. With 63 regular season home runs in two years in Milwaukee, Shaw has earned his raise.

Tyler Saladino had a brief stint as the starting shortstop of the Milwaukee Brewers after a hot stretch at the plate. Then he got injured, cooled off at the plate, and was sent down to Triple-A. He came back up for September but didn’t play much and doesn’t look to figure into the Crew’s future plans. Don’t be surprised to see Saladino non-tendered and playing for someone else next season.

More from Brewers News

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This was not a good time for Zach Davies to miss most of the season with various injuries. He made only 13 starts and posted a 4.77 ERA in 2018. For both postseason rosters, Davies was left off, before being brought on to replace an injured Gio Gonzalez. Davies is still likely to be tendered a contract for somewhere around $2.4 million, but he’s fallen behind on the depth chart. Some of the young arms have jumped him and he could be a trade candidate.

Manny Pina split catching duties with Erik Kratz down the stretch despite having the superior offensive numbers. His numbers still were not outstanding and he finished with a .252/.307/.395 slash line. He went from a roughly league average hitter in 2017 to a below average hitter in 2018. Still, the major league catching depth for the Brewers is a bit thin and $1.8 million isn’t too bad for a strong defensive catcher.

Domingo Santana struggled mightily in 2018. The additions of Christian Yelich and Lorenzo Cain cut into Santana’s playing time and he was sent to Triple-A for most of the year. He came back in September and turned into a viable pinch hitting power option. His strikeout struggles are still real and $2.0 million for a reserve outfielder with power isn’t bad. Santana could also find himself on the trade block again this winter.

Corey Knebel missed most of April with a hamstring strain and struggled for a while afterwards. But after a demotion to Triple-A, Knebel was back to form. He stands to regain the full-time closer’s role next season. His projected $4.9 million contract will not be a hindrance to that.

Junior Guerra was Stearns’ first acquisition. He pitched well out of the bullpen late in the year after being removed from the rotation. It’s tough to see Guerra regaining a full time rotation spot barring a couple of injuries. Guerra’s not bad, but he could be on non-tender watch.