Milwaukee Brewers have been sellers this offseason
The Milwaukee Brewers nearly made it to the postseason in 2022. Following the Josh Hader trade, they fell just short in the final month and missed their chance at a World Series run. Since then, the Brewers have made several moves, such as losing their best bat, Hunter Renfroe, that appear to show the Brewers are sellers before the 2023 season.
Brewers owner Mark Attanasio hinted the club would be active in the offseason. So far, they’ve lost more prominent names from their roster than what they’ve brought in. However, they have been crafty in bringing in prospects to replace players that will require hefty salaries in the future.
Jim Bowden handed out grades for each MLB team this offseason. Bowden wrote that the Brewers earned a “C” grade for the moves they’ve made so far:
“I like that the Brewers decided not to trade their top two starters, Corbin Burnes and Brandon Woodruff, even though they control them for only two more years. Milwaukee finished just one game out of the playoffs last season (to the Phillies, who made it to the World Series), and trying to make one more run makes sense, especially with those two aces at the top of their rotation. I also liked their trade with the Mariners that netted outfielder Jesse Winker and infielder Abraham Toro, as long as Winker is healthy by Opening Day. The Brewers still need to add more pitching depth and another catcher.”
Keeping Burnes and Woodruff is enormous to keep the Brewers competitive next season. However, the Brewers have watched a few teams in the NL Central get much better in the past week. Winker and Toro have the potential to be solid contributors. They’ll need players to step on this roster unless the Brewers really make an aggressive move. But so far, the “active” moves the Brewers have made probably haven’t been too exciting to fans.
