Milwaukee Brewers: The 5 Biggest Stories of 2022

September 5th, 2022: Former outfielder Lorenzo Cain roasts Milwaukee Brewers management

Center fielder Lorenzo Cain had been one of the fan favorites since being reunited with the Brewers prior to the 2018 season. Helping bring the team back to the playoffs for the first time in seven years that season helped, but the giant smile, fun references to his three kids, and hustle on the field endeared himself to the fanbase as well.

But you could tell things were coming to an end in 2022. Cain struggled hard all season. He was hitting below the Mendoza Line, had an OPS below .500, and hadn't barreled a single ball all season. In mid-June, however, he found himself approaching the big milestone of 10 years of MLB service time and the Brewers wanted to get him there.

Cain got there, and shortly thereafter, the team designated him for assignment. The move was reported to be mutual and gave the outfielder some time to decide whether to catch on with another team or spend some time away from the game.

That would not be the last fans would hear from the veteran, though. In early September, Cain met with the team for some fantasy football related activities and took some time to speak with Brewers beat writer for MLB.com Adam McCalvy. In doing so, he offered up a rather scathing analysis of the club's upper management.

Among other things, he spoke about how the team's chemistry had seemed to have taken a hit, how as a veteran and leader that he didn't feel as though he got respect from certain coaches and members of management, and how things just generally seemed to be off with the team.

In retrospect, it's hard to argue with his comments on the chemistry. Things never looked the same with the team from the trade deadline to the end of the season, one that saw them miss the playoffs for the first time since 2017.

It has also now been admitted by multiple members of the club, from president of baseball operations David Stearns down to manager Craig Counsell, that no one considered heavily enough just how much the Hader trade in particular would affect the players and the clubhouse.

Call it what you will: sour grapes by a released player or expert analysis by a veteran who was close enough to see it. Either way, it was the type of talk fans hadn't really seen from a player like Cain in his four years with the team.