How are these seven members of the 2023 Brewers doing with their new teams?

Despite being a popular regression candidate heading into Opening Day, the Milwaukee Brewers are off to a very strong start to the 2024 season. They hold a two-game lead in the National League Central as they approach Memorial Day weekend, and they've received valuable contributions all throughout the roster in the early goings of the season.

Impressively, the Brewers have managed this success in spite of facing a good bit of roster turnover this offseason. The Crew made a handful of significant moves this winter, as they parted ways with several pieces who were key contributors in 2023 or beyond.

Just over a quarter of the way through the 2024 MLB season, let's check in on some of these former Brewers and see how they are performing with their new ball clubs.

Stats and ranks taken prior to first pitch on May 22.

RHP Corbin Burnes - Baltimore Orioles

To little surprise, Corbin Burnes has continued his dominance with the Baltimore Orioles. Across 59.2 innings pitched, Burnes is pitching to the tune of a 2.56 ERA to go with a WHIP of 1.04. He's near the top of the American League in several metrics, and all signs point to him being a finalist for the AL Cy Young Award come season's end.

Burnes has leaned upon his secondary pitches a bit more this season, and it's yielding positive results thus far. While he is hovering around league average in terms of quality of contact allowed (7.5% barrel rate, 36.5% hard-hit rate, 88.4 mph average exit velocity), a lot of that hard contact has been hit on the ground. In fact, Burnes is inducing ground balls at the highest rate of his career.

Burnes has an average launch angle against of just 8.1 degrees, which is the lowest of his career. In turn, he is generating a career-high 52.2% ground ball rate, which is over an eight percent increase from a season ago. He's successfully limiting damaging contact by keeping the ball on the ground more often, and he's doing it while still commanding his pitches at a high level.

He's cut his walk rate to just 6.4%, which is a two percent drop from his number last season. Additionally, he's maintained his impressive strikeout totals, as he sits in the 70th percentile in strikeout rate at 25.6%, according to Baseball Savant.

Burnes' steadiness and consistency at the top of the rotation has been extremely valuable for the Orioles. Set to hit free agency at the end of the year, Burnes appears primed for yet another stellar season and remains one of the best pitchers in the sport.

1B Rowdy Tellez - Pittsburgh Pirates

After being non-tendered by the Milwaukee Brewers, Rowdy Tellez signed a one-year deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates this past offseason. Coming off the worst offensive season of his career in 2023, Tellez is in dire need of a career resurgence in Pittsburgh. However, through his first 44 games of the season, that has yet to come to fruition.

The 29-year-old has struggled to make an impact with the Pirates. In 128 plate appearances, Tellez is slashing just .181/.250/.233 for an OPS of .483 and a wRC+ of just 40. Not only is he failing to put the ball in play, but his power output has completely dropped off.

So far this season, Tellez has just one home run, and that came back on March 31st. He has only four extra-base hits on the year, and that is yielding an Isolated Power (ISO) of just 0.52. Similarly, he currently has a barrel rate of 3.4%, which is a career low by five percent.

After launching 35 homers with the Brewers in 2022, Tellez's slugging numbers have tanked over the past two seasons. Tellez's value is severely limited if he isn't making an impact in the power department, and that has unfortunately continued to be the case in 2024.

A change in clubhouses has yet to yield better results for Tellez. He's been Pittsburgh's primary option at first base for a majority of the season, but the Pirates may have no choice but to go in a different direction if he can't turn things around at the plate.

RHP Adrian Houser - New York Mets

Long time Brewers pitcher Adrian Houser has struggled mightily in his young New York Mets tenure. In his first six turns through the rotation, Houser pitched to an 8.16 ERA to go along with a 1.85 WHIP while allowing an opponent batting average of .287. Struggling to produce in the rotation, the Mets have since moved him into a swingman-type role for the foreseeable future.

For years, Houser has thrived on pitching to soft contact and keeping the ball on the ground. However, that has not been the case this season. While the 31-year-old is still posting an above average ground ball rate of 46.2%, it's his lowest mark since 2018. Moreover, he is currently sporting the highest barrel rate (7.6%) and second-highest average exit velocity (90.8 mph) of his career.

More significantly, Houser's walk rate has ballooned to a whopping 13.3%, which is nearly double his number from last season. Likewise, while he has never been a strikeout artist, his 11.7% strikeout rate is the second-lowest among all pitchers with a minimum of 30 innings pitched.

For years, Houser gave the Brewers a chance to win whenever he toed the rubber. His numbers might not fly off the page, but he would generally provide dependable innings at the back of the rotation. However, that has been far from the case this season with the New York Mets. Set to hit free agency at the end of the season, Houser's value is taking a hit after a brutal start to his 2024 campaign.

OF Mark Canha - Detroit Tigers

Mark Canha was a key performer down the stretch for the Brewers last season, but a logjam in the outfield led to an offseason trade that sent him to the Detroit Tigers. The 35-year-old has settled in nicely with the Tigers and has continued to be a steady producer with his new team.

Canha has had a consistent MLB career thanks to his ability to get on-base at an elite rate, and that has continued to be the case this season. In 186 plate appearances, Canha is hitting .231, but he is getting on-base at a .355 clip thanks to his outstanding walk rate of 12.9%. He has a wRC+ of 118 on the year, and he has the second most RBIs on the team with 20.

Already with six homers and eight doubles in the young season, Canha's quality of contact has improved from a season ago. His ISO of .167 is the highest since his 2019 season with the Oakland Athletics. Additionally, he's currently sporting a hard-hit rate of 41.9%, which is over a five percent increase from a season ago and his best since 2016.

While his stats might not light up the box score, Canha has provided a nice boost of offense for the Tigers through their first 48 games this season. He brings valuable experience to Detroit's young lineup, and he continues to be a steady and consistent producer in his first year with the Tigers.

1B Carlos Santana - Minnesota Twins

Carlos Santana, another one of Milwaukee's key trade deadline acquisitions from a season ago, signed with the Minnesota Twins this offseason, but it's been a slow start to his 2024 campaign.

The 38-year-old veteran is hitting just .210 through 45 games, and his walk rate has tapered off to a career-low 6.8%. Likewise, his .654 OPS and 85 wRC+ have regressed noticeably from his previous two seasons.

That said, Santana's quality of contact has taken a nice step forward despite his mediocre performance at the plate. He has seven homers and six doubles on the year, and his hard-hit rate is seven ticks up from last season. In turn, he's second on the Twins in RBIs with 22, and he's still found a way to be a valuable run producer for Minnesota.

What's more, Santana continues to provide elite defense in his 15th big league season. He already has three Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) under his belt to go along with three Outs Above Average (OAA), which is in the 89th percentile according to Baseball Savant.

At this stage of his career, Santana is far from being the focal point of the roster. However, he still has some pop in his bat, and he can bring strong defense to the first base position, making him a valuable piece for the Minnesota Twins.

LF Jesse Winker - Washington Nationals

The Jesse Winker experiment in Milwaukee couldn't have gone much worse. It was by far the worst offensive season of his career, and he struggled to stay on the field. The Washington Nationals are the latest team to roll the dice on a Winker, and it has paid off for them so far.

After signing a minor league deal with Washington's Triple-A affiliate, the Nationals promoted Winker to their big league roster prior to Opening Day, and he has been a much more effective hitter with his new club.

It's early in the year, but Winker looks like an entirely new hitter in comparison to a season ago. In 45 games this year, Winker already has six homers and nine doubles. His 15 extra-base hits are already nine more than he had in 61 games with Milwaukee last season.

Likewise, when comparing his stats this season to his metrics in 2023, he has nearly doubled his barrel rate, his hard-hit rate is over six percent higher, and he has cut his strikeout rate by over three percent. In turn, he already has 21 RBIs on the year, which is the third most on the team and nearly as many as he had all of last season.

However, it's worth noting that Winker has cooled off a bit since the calendar turned to May. After posting an .800 OPS and a 133 wRC+ in March/April, Winker is hitting just .164 with a .652 OPS and an 83 wRC+ in the month of May.

Still, while there may be ups and downs in Winker's production, there's no denying his offensive potential when things are clicking for him at the plate. He appears to finally be healthy as he transitions back to the outfield, and he will look to recapture his old form with the Nationals this season.