New leader of baseball operations Matt Arnold made his first tough decision of the off-season. That decision was picking up Kolten Wong’s 2023 club option. Wong will make $10MM next year and is coming off a strange 2022 season. Among Brewer fans, there were mixed reactions. Reactions ranged from excited, shocked, and disappointed in the fact that it likely means prospect Brice Turang will not get an immediate shot at every day playing time. There even were reactions that Wong could still be traded despite his option being picked up.
Here are numerous reactions to the news that Kolten Wong’s 2023 option was being picked up.
WOAH!
I like it. Kolten has been pretty darn good in Milwaukee and we need the Veterans around here to win. https://t.co/XfhMp3iDS2
— Pitchers⚾️ & Pitchers🍺 (@BrewersOfMKE) November 8, 2022
I’m just way too excited to see prospects. Kolten Wong is a great option at second base, but I’d like to see Turang. So many other teams throw rookies right into the mix and I’d like to see the Brewers give it a shot.
— Brewtal Takes (@BrewtalTakes) November 8, 2022
you see a $10 option. we see a trade-able contract
— ONABÁM Fan Account 🌵 🏆 (@ONABAMfan) November 8, 2022
I was always confused why the consensus seemed to be this wouldn’t happen. There just aren’t that many available 2B/3B at that price, and you can’t rely on Turang to immediately start producing.
— Skander Halim (@SkanderHalim) November 8, 2022
Why not take a chance on a cheap player and save the money for the other 20 or so arbitration eligible guys we have. We can’t rely on Wong to produce either.
— AndrewMKE (@Andrew_MKE) November 8, 2022
Money was also a common topic as Brewer fans reacted to the news. A $10MM salary on a small market team is not taken lightly. This may be why some reactions hinted at the possibility of the Brewers still trading him this off season. In an event that does occur, that would work out well for the Brewers because rather than losing him to free agency they would be getting players in return.
However, it is anticipated that Wong will start the 2023 season with the Brewers. Matt Arnold referenced him as a championship-level player. Brice Turang is still likely to be added to the 40-man roster for he is rule 5 draft eligible this off-season. Retaining Wong may provide the Brewers the opportunity to ease Turang in and allow him to learn from the two time gold glover.
Follow me on Twitter @tylerkoerth. Follow us @WiSportsHeroics for more great content. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in Wisconsin sports, click here!
