3 early Brewers offseason rumors that should have fans really concerned
This offseason has not been an easy time to be a Milwaukee Brewers fan. It kicked off with the worst kind of bang: losing manager Craig Counsell to the division rival Cubs, a surprise non-tendering of Brandon Woodruff, and now whispers of a Corbin Burnes trade are getting louder. The Brewers have been quiet about any potential strategy going into the offseason, though their release of Woodruff and DH Rowdy Tellez cleared up some space on their payroll, leading to some intrigue around what they might do with that extra money.
However, aside from the addition of former Yankees first baseman Jake Bauers to the roster, the hiring of Pat Murphy to replace Counsell, and some small trades away from Milwaukee for prospects (Mark Canha and Abraham Toro), the Brewers and the rumor mill around them have been relatively quiet.
Here are 3 early Brewers offseason rumors that should have fans really concerned
And yet, the ones that have been able to cut through the noise have been rather disquieting. It's always important to note that rumors are just rumors, and when it comes to baseball, they can be particularly misleading or complete busts altogether. Still, there's that saying — "every rumor carries a seed of truth." If any of the following rumors carry a seed of truth, they'll be reason for fans to worry. Here are three that have popped up so far this offseason.
A Corbin Burnes/Willy Adames package deal might be in the works
Corbin Burnes' name has been on the chopping block seemingly since the very beginning of the offseason, with some doomsayers even wondering if he could be traded to the Cubs in the worst kick-them-when-they're-down fashion following the departure of Craig Counsell to Chicago. A Burnes trade to the Cubs feels incredibly unlikely, but a Burnes trade elsewhere could be less so. His name has been so prominent in trade conversations for a reason.
The Brewers are down to only a few major pieces that they could play to fill in their many gaps without spending a good deal of money on free agents this offseason, and Burnes is one of them. Another is Willy Adames who, despite putting up a not so great .217/.310/.407 slash line this year, managed 24 home runs and 80 RBI and is an elite defender at shortstop.
Burnes and Adames have been variously linked to separate teams, but a rumor has emerged that presents a scenario which would be even harder to swallow: Burnes and Adames both being dealt to the Dodgers. MLB Insider Ken Rosenthal believes that the Brewers have backtracked on an LA deal, and compelling arguments against the possibility of a Burnes trade to any other teams have been made. However, the Brewers are clearly open to shopping their biggest pieces, and that alone should be cause for concern. Just because a Burnes/Adames package deal might not happen for the Dodgers, that doesn't rule out the possibility of it happening at all.
The Brewers are willing to trade anyone on their roster
The trades might not stop with Corbin Burnes and Willy Adames; Ken Rosenthal believes that no Brewers are safe from the possibility of a trade. This includes Christian Yelich, who is indisputably the face of the franchise. Yelich does have a no-trade clause, but the point here still stands. Everyone is at risk this offseason. The Brewers are willing to gut their team to build back up again.
It's sort of difficult to wrap your head around, given the Brewers' success this season. They're by no means shoe-ins for first in the NL Central next year, given the Cubs' and Cardinals' clear aggression this offseason, but they had more to build on rather than tear down to start again. Their problems — the need for an everyday third baseman, the need for a designated hitter after non-tendering Rowdy Tellez, the need for more pitching — don't seem to warrant this kind of finger-on-the-trigger mentality. Plenty of teams are dealing with the same issues without being ready to give up the entirety of their current roster.
Taking into account the wealth of young talent they've been developing and got good amounts of playing times in the majors, especially toward the end of the season, a total teardown doesn't make sense. Brice Turang, Sal Frelick, Joey Wiemer, and Garrett Mitchell, prospects the team was excited about going into the 2023 season and have already shown flashes of real proficiency in the major leagues, should all expect to be more regular presences if they don't find themselves on the chopping block.
The Brewers' willingness to turn their players over in a fire sale feels like an overreaction, but it's sort of unclear what they're overreacting to. This is definitely a rumor that we hope is overstated or just completely untrue, but it's one to keep an eye on either way.
The year's biggest free agents are more interested in division rivals
The Brewers' aren't projecting an incredibly strong-armed, aggressive image to the league at the moment. They've mostly been in the news for the pieces they've lost rather than the ones they've gained: Mark Canha and Abraham Toro were traded away for a prospect each in return, Craig Counsell went to the Cubs, the team non-tendered Brandon Woodruff, and now they're openly shopping Corbin Burnes and Willy Adames while not publicly gunning for any particular players in return. What's more, their name hasn't come up in conversations about any of the year's big free agent chases.
There are two teams in close proximity to the Brewers who have been aggressive, though, and they happen to be division rivals. The St. Louis Cardinals have been taking up most of the free agent air so far this offseason, having signed Kyle Gibson, Lance Lynn, and Sonny Gray in rapid succession this past week. They've also been connected to Tyler Glasnow and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, inarguably the most in-demand pitcher across the board. After their worst season since 1959, they're already making themselves a team to watch very closely, if not be actively afraid of.
In Chicago, the Cubs have been quieter, but they also feel a bit like sleeping giants as the only Midwestern team to have caught the eye of Shohei Ohtani. They've also been in discussions with the Guardians about Shane Bieber and with free agent Robert Stephenson. They still have some work to do in their outfield, given the departure of Cody Bellinger, and are as yet undecided about Christopher Morel's future with the team, but given their connection to Ohtani, they clearly have money they're prepared to spend and certain lengths they're willing to go to in order to acquire top talent.
If the Brewers remain inert when their rivals keep moving, it'll make the division even harder to clinch next year and put Milwaukee on the back foot from day one.