The William Contreras blockbuster gains new chapter after Dodgers' latest trade

Three years ago, at this time of the year, Milwaukee Brewers fans were still basking in the success of their front office, who had seemingly just pulled off one of the best trades in franchise history. By sneaking his way into a three-team blockbuster with the Atlanta Braves and Oakland Athletics, Matt Arnold, who was just weeks into his tenure as the head man in Milwaukee's front office, turned outfield prospect Esteury Ruiz into William Contreras, Joel Payamps, and pitching prospect Justin Yeager.

Even at the time, Brewers fans were astonished by the wizardry from their front office. Ruiz was no-doubt a talented prospect, but Milwaukee's farm system was chock-full of outfield talent at the time, with names like Garrett Mitchell, Sal Frelick, and Joey Wiemer knocking on the door of the big leagues. Arnold and his team turned a redundant outfield prospect into an All-Star catcher who had five years of team control remaining, an emerging high-leverage weapon, and a talented pitching prospect who could impact the Brewers' big-league roster in 2026.

The trade seemingly had a high floor from the onset; the only way that it would have turned out poorly for the Brewers was if Ruiz became a star and Contreras took a big step backward from his 2022 All-Star campaign. Three years removed, neither of those two realities has occurred, and as a result, the trade couldn't have aged any better for the Brewers. Just yesterday, the Los Angeles Dodgers executed a deal involving Ruiz that further confirmed Milwaukee's fleece of the Athletics and Braves back in December of 2022.

The Dodgers' recent trade of Esteury Ruiz to Marlins further confirms Brewers' trade win in William Contreras blockbuster

After the Brewers sent Ruiz to the then-Oakland Athletics, the speedy outfielder appeared in 132 major league games during his rookie season in 2023. Despite not showing much value at the plate, with a below league-average OPS+ of 88 to prove it, Ruiz was the best base-stealer in the American League, swiping 67 bases in 80 tries.

A wrist injury derailed Ruiz's 2024 campaign, limiting him to just 29 games at the big league level, while players like Lawrence Butler and Tyler Soderstrom emerged as everyday players for the Athletics. As a result, just before the start of the 2025 season, the Athletics designated Ruiz for assignment. Before he could go unclaimed on waivers, the A's executed a deal with the Dodgers that sent Ruiz to Los Angeles in exchange for right-handed pitching prospect Carlos Duran.

The fact that Ruiz was DFAd just two years after he was traded for Contreras, Payamps, and Yeager, was enough on its own to prove that Milwaukee were the clear winners of the three-team blockbuster, but his performance in 2025 further solidified that fact. Ruiz was given just 21 at-bats by the Dodgers last season and collected only four hits in the process. That said, he did post a solid .923 OPS with 16 homers in Triple-A, continuing the success that he has found at the highest minor league level in each of the last four seasons.

However, on Monday evening, the Dodgers executed a deal that even further revealed Ruiz's true value and added another chapter to the Contreras-blockbuster story. The Dodgers sent Ruiz to the Miami Marlins in exchange for 18-year-old lottery ticket prospect Adriano Marrero, who made 10 appearances for the Marlins' Dominican Summer League squad in his first season of professional baseball in 2025. The trade was first reported by independent MLB insider Francys Romero.

Still just 26 years old, Ruiz's MLB story is far from written. He should get a chance to prove himself in Miami, where he already holds a 40-man roster spot. With a toolsy skillset that includes an excellent glove in the outfield and a sprint speed in the 97th percentile, there's much to like about Ruiz's profile, but until he can find consistent success at the plate in MLB, it will remain difficult to justify giving him everyday at-bats.

Meanwhile, Contreras has put together three consecutive seasons with 3.7 bWAR or better, Payamps was a go-to high-leverage arm for the Crew in 2023 and 2024 before fizzling out in 2025, and, as previously mentioned, Yeager is knocking on the door of the big leagues after strong seasons in Milwaukee's farm system in 2024 and 2025. Therefore, if Milwaukee's trade win in the 2022 three-team blockbuster wasn't already obvious, the fact that Ruiz is already on his third team since the deal went down is further proof of the fleece that Arnold and the Brewers' front office pulled off.