Milwaukee Brewers executive David Stearns spent a great deal of time addressing the media earlier this week. During this session, Stearns discussed a variety of topics. Among these was how the Josh Hader trade affected the team much more than he thought it would. Not only did it affect the clubhouse according to multiple players, but also affected the depth of the team’s pitching. Trade deadline acquisitions Matt Bush and Taylor Rogers were ineffective as Brewers relievers while Trevor Rosenthal did not even get healthy enough to play. Dinelson Lamet was arguably the best performer of the pitcher the Brewers acquired. Unfortunately, he didn’t pitch for them. Instead, the Colorado Rockies claimed him after Milwaukee designated him for assignment. Clearly, pitching depth turned into a major weakness for the Brewers as they missed the playoffs for the first time since 2017.
David Stearns Hinted the Brewers Will Add Pitcher via Free Agency or Trade
There are certainly going to be changes in the Brewers’ roster build-up next season. That being said, Stearns did say that they are going to try to return their core of position players. This would seem to indicate that the team will not be adding any big-name position players/hitters. He did say, though, that the Brewers will look “externally” for some more pitching depth:
Many couched GM-speak statements this afternoon, so it's noteworthy that Stearns mentioned they will need to build starting pitching depth to a greater degree than in 2022: "I do think building pitching depth is important and some of that’s going to have to come externally."
— Curt Hogg (@CyrtHogg) October 11, 2022
This comment is certainly intriguing, yet the truth remains that the Brewers are not going to bring in a very expensive free agent. With a plethora of outfield depth in the Minors, it is possible that they could leverage a trade for a high-quality pitcher with a few years of club control remaining.
Of course, the Brewers also have some offensive holes to fill, namely at catcher, third base, and (possibly) second base. It will be interesting to see what kinds of deal Stearns can work this winter in those areas as well.
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