Brewers: 3 Moves That Still Need To Get Done Now That The Winter Meetings Are Over

The Brewers checked some things off the to-do list, but there's still more

Nov 8, 2023; Scottsdale, AZ, USA; Milwaukee Brewers general manager Matt Arnold speaks to the media
Nov 8, 2023; Scottsdale, AZ, USA; Milwaukee Brewers general manager Matt Arnold speaks to the media / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
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The Winter Meetings wrapped up earlier this week and the Brewers checked off some boxes on their offseason to-do list. They signed Jackson Chourio to a long-term extension, they brought back a veteran leader in Wade Miley, and added to the pitching depth with Joe Ross.

Those were some important moves, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. The Brewers have a lot more work to do this offseason and some big needs to address.

The Brewers have laid the foundations for their next moves, but now that the Winter Meetings are over, soon they'll need to get those moves across the finish line. The next week or two after the Meetings are some of the busiest in terms of transactions.

Here are three things the Brewers need to do next following the Winter Meetings.

1. Trade from the outfield surplus

The Jackson Chourio contract extension is exciting as the Brewers have secured a major piece of their future. His contract also means that his odds of making the Opening Day roster just massively improved and when he does arrive, he'll command a lot of playing time. Milwaukee's incumbent outfielders are left fighting for a dwindling number of available at-bats.

Joey Wiemer, Garrett Mitchell, and Sal Frelick are all starting-quality outfielders and the Brewers only have one starting outfield spot left up for grabs. Rumors came out of the Meetings that the Brewers were fielding trade offers on their surplus of outfielders and it's easy to see why. These players are valuable and the Brewers have other needs to address.

Those other needs include both corner infield spots and pitching depth. Trading from an area of strength to fix an area of weakness is just good roster management.

As for which outfielder it could be that's traded, Joey Wiemer seems like the logical choice. He's coming off a struggle-filled rookie year but his stock is still pretty high. He has shown he can capably play centerfield and his power is enticing. Wiemer's a former 4th round pick while the other two outfield prospects he came up with were first round selections. With so much more invested in Mitchell and Frelick by the club, they may be more apt to keep them and part with Wiemer.

Mitchell is also a potential trade candidate, coming off a season that was mostly wiped out by injury. He has star potential for teams to dream on, and should be worth quite a lot if traded, but coming off the injury may dampen his value in the eyes of other teams, which could lead Milwaukee to hold on to him.

Frelick was the highest ranked prospect of these three and had the most successful debut season. It's highly unlikely that Frelick is the outfielder that gets moved.

2. Find a new backup catcher

Victor Caratini found a new home during the Winter Meetings, signing a two year, $12MM contract with the Houston Astros. That leaves the Brewers with just two catchers on the 40 man roster, William Contreras and Jeferson Quero.

Since Quero has yet to even reach Triple-A, the Brewers are going to need to bring in a more experienced catcher to back up Contreras for 2024.

There are a couple of free agent options out there, but they also could seek out the trade market to fill this need. Whichever route they choose, they will be bringing in a new catcher to the organization very soon.

The free agent market doesn't have much in the way of inspiring options. Granted, backup catcher isn't exactly a position that fires up fanbases. Finding an even passable hitter among the free agents may be difficult. Veteran Austin Hedges has a relationship with Pat Murphy that could maybe lead to a deal, but he's as light-hitting as it gets for a big league position player. Jorge Alfaro and Tucker Barnhart are among other options.

The Brewers have gone to the trade market before to get catching help. They traded for William Contreras last offseason, and traded for Victor Caratini and Alex Jackson right before the 2022 season. Max Stassi just got traded to Atlanta but he might not stay there long since they already have Travis D'Arnaud and Sean Murphy. The Twins are trying to move Christian Vazquez but his contract is sizable and he's coming off a down year.

Last year the Brewers surprised everyone by getting William Contreras in that Sean Murphy trade. Perhaps they'll come up with another trade for a catcher that no one is expecting, albeit this time it won't be as big of a get as the Contreras deal.

3. Address the corner infield problem

The Brewers exited the Winter Meetings without finding a solution for either one of their corner infield spots. We've seen Jeimer Candelario, one of the top free agent corner infielders go off the board and sign with a division rival, the Cincinnati Reds.

Now that the Meetings are done and one of the top targets is off the market, the Brewers need to get a solution to the corner infield problem across the finish line.

Rhys Hoskins is the top free agent first baseman. He's reportedly looking for a one year deal to re-establish his value following an ACL tear that wiped out his entire 2023 season. Still, even on a one year deal, his price tag may be a tad high for Milwaukee and the Brewers might have to look elsewhere.

Justin Turner and 2023 Brewer Carlos Santana are the fallback options after that. GM Matt Arnold has said that he's open to a reunion with Santana, so that is a possible, potentially even likely avenue to address the need at first base.

There's also the trade market that's a possibility. Pete Alonso of the Mets would be a dream addition. Harold Ramirez or Isaac Paredes of the Rays would also be fantastic acquisitions. Perhaps the Brewers could use that outfield surplus to help address this need and knock out two birds with one stone.

Milwaukee isn't done. They have an overflow of outfielders and not enough infielders or catchers. Fixing those problems must be next on GM Matt Arnold's to-do list following the Winter Meetings.

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