Brewers: 8 Takeaways From GM Matt Arnold's End Of Season Press Conference

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Brewers GM Matt Arnold held his end of season press conference on Tuesday after yet another disappointing early exit from the postseason. He talked for about half an hour and answered a variety of questions about the team.

What were the important things he said that Brewers fans can take away from this press conference?

Takeaway #1: No timetable yet on a Craig Counsell decision

The first topic that Arnold was peppered with questions on was none other than Craig Counsell. Counsell's contract is up and he didn't want to talk extension until after the season. Now that the season is done, where does he stand?

According to Arnold, there is no timetable yet on Counsell's decision. They are in regular conversation with him and he hopes to have news soon if possible on the subject, but he's giving Counsell the space he needs to make a decision on if he wants to stay.

Arnold also said they are prepared if Counsell chooses to leave Milwaukee, but he hopes it doesn't come to that and would prefer that Counsell returns.

Takeaway #2: Mark Canha is in a "really good spot" for his contract option to be picked up

Matt Arnold wouldn't commit to picking up Mark Canha's club option for 2024 as it's too early to make a decision there, but it sounded like they were trending in that direction. Arnold raved about what Canha brought to the team after the Trade Deadline, hitting .287 with an .800 OPS over the final two months and coming up with some big hits for the team and that he put himself in a really good spot for that option to be picked up.

Canha's option carries a $11.5MM salary for next year with a $2MM buyout, essentially making it a $9.5MM decision for the front office. Based on Canha's play, it sounds like he's likely to be back in a Brewers uniform in 2024.

Takeaway #3: Very good chance "The Big 3" remain in Milwaukee for 2024

The Big Three, also known as Corbin Burnes, Brandon Woodruff, and Willy Adames, are all entering their final year of arbitration before hitting free agency after the 2024 season. There's going to be much speculation over the offseason about the Brewers trading one or more of them in order to get a solid prospect return rather than losing them as a free agent.

Matt Arnold said he would feel very comfortable with all three remaining on the roster for 2024, that he knows how valuable all three of them are to this team and he doesn't anticipate trading them away.

At the same time, Arnold did leave the door open and didn't close himself off from making a trade from that group. When pressed specifically on Burnes, the likeliest trade candidate, Arnold did give the classic GM-speak of "we'll see what happens" and you never know how discussions over the offseason will go, but he did also state that he expects Burnes to be a Brewer next season.

Takeaway #4: Brewers will "aggressively" look into adding more pitching depth

Coinciding with the trade talk surrounding Burnes and Woodruff, Matt Arnold did state that the Brewers will be aggressively looking at addressing their pitching depth this offseason after the rotation was ravaged with injuries throughout the year.

Trading Burnes or Woodruff from that group would obviously hurt the Crew's pitching depth, but there's other players that factor in as well.

Colin Rea, who was depended on quite a bit this year, will be a free agent this offseason. Wade Miley, another key piece in the rotation, has a $10MM mutual option for next year, and mutual options are rarely exercised by both sides.

The Brewers will need to continue to backfill their pitching depth this offseason and even though they have prospects like Robert Gasser and Carlos Rodriguez nearing the big leagues, acquiring some proven MLB talent will be a priority as well.

Takeaway #5: Still no answer on Brandon Woodruff's injury

Brandon Woodruff has gone to seek a second opinion from a shoulder specialist on his capsular injury that ended his postseason before it could start. After missing most of the year with a sub-scapular injury, this second deep tissue shoulder injury is a concern for many.

There's no update on Woodruff's evaluation just yet but news on that will likely be coming soon. Whatever happens with Woodruff is going to impact how the Brewers approach the offseason. Arnold wouldn't commit to Woodruff being ready for Opening Day 2024 because they're still unsure of what the timetable from the second opinion is.

If Woodruff does need to miss time in 2024, that will impact the Brewers search for pitching depth in the offseason and certainly tank any of those trade discussions previously mentioned. The Brewers strength is in the starting rotation and losing Woodruff would massively hurt that strength.

Takeaway #6: Tyler Black is in consideration for early season promotion at corner infield spots

When asked about needs in the corner infield, Matt Arnold specifically mentioned Tyler Black as a possibility at either first base or third base, even early in the season in 2024. Black's name was not mentioned in the question and Arnold brought it up on his own, indicating how close Black is to contributing.

Black put up monster numbers this year across Double-A and Triple-A with a combined stat line of .284/.417/.513 with 25 doubles, 12 triples, 18 homers, 55 stolen bases, and a .903 OPS.

Black's arm strength has improved enough that he spent the majority of his time at third base, a question mark when he was drafted. If Black can stick at third base, that could solve what's been a major problem position for the Brewers over the last decade or so. Matt Arnold also mentioned Andruw Monasterio as a candidate to get a lot of playing time over at third base.

Takeaway #7: This playoff exit hurt more than others

The Brewers truly felt they had a championship caliber team in 2023, making this year's early playoff exit more painful than ones in recent years. The closeness of it also likely played an impact in that feeling, said Arnold, but they believed this group could win it.

At times, it certainly looked that way this year. Matt Arnold also added that they are not disappointed with the season, having won the NL Central by a wide margin. Arnold views the regular season success and the postseason as two separate things, meaning the disappointed in how the season ended doesn't make it a disappointing season.

It's understandable that's where Arnold is coming from, although when the regular season has consistently been good and the postseason runs have consistently been short, it does feel like the regular season success is diminished to most, but the Brewers front office doesn't feel that way.

Arnold also added that they will take an assessment of the entire organization to figure out ways they can get better and achieve their ultimate goal of winning the World Series. Arnold believes it's more than just one thing and one area they can get better. They've focused a lot on raising the floor of the roster in recent years and Arnold suggested they now need to focus on raising the ceiling of this roster as well.

Takeaway #8: They believe Jesse Winker's health caused his issues and that's why he played in the postseason

When asked about Jesse Winker, a player who was supposed to be a big factor in the lineup this year but struggled mightily, Matt Arnold said the organization believed his struggles were due to injuries. He wasn't healthy for most of the year, even when he was playing he wasn't 100%.

But towards the end of the year, when Winker was out for two months, they believed that Winker was fully healthy once again as the playoffs got going, and a fully healthy Winker should be, well, productive. That's why he was put on the postseason roster despite not playing in any big league games down the stretch after being on IL for two months.

Still, the playoffs are an odd time to just throw Winker back into the fire when he hasn't been healthy or productive all season believing that now all of a sudden he is healthy and will be productive. Also, when Winker tweaked his oblique in his first at-bat in the postseason, the Brewers still should've pulled him from the roster after that because it was clear he wasn't back to 100%.

The Brewers postseason exit stings for Arnold as much as it does for everyone else. They'll be looking to make some changes this offseason, but a lot is hinging on two things still, the health of Brandon Woodruff and the contract status of Craig Counsell. Those two big things are still up in the air as of Arnold's press conference.

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