Brewers Winter Meetings Roundup: Rule 5 Draft, Garrett Crochet, bullpen signing

The Winter Meetings are wrapping up from the Hilton Anatole in Dallas and the Milwaukee Brewers finally had some activity on Wednesday. They didn't come through with any blockbuster moves as most expected, but there was some roster shuffling going on and plenty of interesting offseason chatter.

Wednesday saw the Brewers add some players in the Rule 5 Draft, lose some players in the same Draft, get heavily involved and nearly acquire an ace starting pitcher on the trade market, and sign their first major league free agent contract of the offseason. There's a lot to dig into.

Brewers 2024 Rule 5 Draft results in new prospects and the loss of others

The Rule 5 Draft began with a loss for the Brewers as right hander Shane Smith was selected first overall by the Chicago White Sox. Smith made the transition to the starting rotation this year in Double-A Biloxi and it was wildly successful. He had a 2.96 ERA in 16 starts and a 3.05 ERA on the entire season. He's the first player the Brewers have lost in the major league portion of the Rule 5 since Miguel Diaz back in 2016, who also was selected first overall.

The Brewers also lost a minor league infielder, Miguel Briceno, to the Minnesota Twins. Briceno spent 2024 with the Low-A Carolina Mudcats. The 21 year old infielder had a .277 average with 16 doubles, three homers, and 16 stolen bases with a .685 OPS.

The Brewers didn't come away empty-handed, however, as they also made a pick in the major league portion of the Rule 5 draft in selecting LHP Connor Thomas from the Cardinals. Thomas has spent the last three years in Triple-A and has largely been developed as a starter. He moved to the bullpen in 2024 with great results, pitching to a 2.89 ERA in 90.1 IP across 56 appearances. The Brewers plan to give him a chance to start but there's always the fallback of the bullpen that could allow him to stick as a Rule 5 selection.

In the minor league phase, the Brewers made two selections. They first picked outfielder Garrett Spain from the Blue Jays. Spain spent last year in Double-A with just a .167 average but 11 home runs and 12 stolen bases. Milwaukee needs some upper level outfield depth and Spain helps provide that. Perhaps some tweaks at the plate will help further unlock the potential of the 24 year old.

In the second round, the Brewers picked up right-hander Zach Peek from the Orioles. Peek has been injured a lot past few years, undergoing Tommy John surgery in August 2022. He's thrown just 26.1 IP in 2023 and 2024 combined but showed some solid stuff prior to his injury. Perhaps with some health and getting into the Brewers pitching development program will help get Peek's career back on track.

Garrett Crochet trade rumors hint at Brewers thinking big

The Brewers were rumored to be heavily involved in trade talks for White Sox ace Garrett Crochet. Ultimately, Crochet was traded to the Boston Red Sox for a huge haul of prospects, including the last two first round picks for Boston in Kyle Teel and Braden Montgomery. Per Adam McCalvy, the prospect package discussed for Crochet would've been "painful" if the Brewers were able to complete the trade.

The Red Sox traded their No. 4, 5, 11, and 14 prospects per MLB Pipeline for Crochet. While going across systems isn't exactly apples to apples, the equivalent of that return from the Brewers would have been Jesus Made, Tyler Black, Logan Henderson, and Eric Bitonti. While a Brewers trade package may have looked somewhat different, it gives the general idea of what a "painful" return would have looked like and that group of four players would certainly qualify.

Crochet has two years of team control left and just has one fully healthy season at the major league level. The Brewers can still pivot elsewhere for starting pitching.

Brewers make first MLB free agent signing of the offseason

The Brewers have finally dipped their toes into the free agent waters, signing left-handed pitcher Grant Wolfram to a one year, major league contract, the team announced. Wolfram, turning 28 years old on Thursday, has yet to make his MLB debut, but turned in a 3.13 ERA in Triple-A Round Rock in the Rangers system in 2024.

Wolfram is 6'8, giving the Brewers three relievers that are 6'8 or taller on their 40 man roster, joining Trevor Megill and Bryan Hudson.

Wolfram will join the bullpen mix and has a full slate of minor league options remaining. He'll compete for a spot in spring training.

The Brewers made two additions to the 40 man roster as the Winter Meetings wrapped up with Wolfram and Thomas. While they aren't walking away with an ace starting pitcher, the Brewers have clearly been active in seeking upgrades to the roster. They only got a couple of moves on the fringes of the roster across the finish line, but just because the Winter Meetings may be done, doesn't mean the Brewers are.