As Major League Baseball approached a lockout last offseason, the Milwaukee Brewers made a late-night trade for Hunter Renfroe. They sent Jackie Bradley Jr., Alex Binelas, and David Hamilton to the Red Sox in return. Late last night, the Brewers again made a trade involving Renfroe. This time, they shipped him off to the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for three pitchers: Janson Junk, Elvis Peguero, and Adam Seminaris. After the trade was made, Brewers general manager Matt Arnold released some statements regarding the decision to trade Renfroe.
The Brewers Have Faith in Their Current Outfielders
In addition to Renfroe, the Brewers have already bid adieu to outfield/designated hitter Andrew McCutchen. This means that the only two veterans currently set in the outfield are Christian Yelich and Tyrone Taylor. However, Arnold expressed that the organization has incredible faith in the outfielders they have coming up:
Arnold on the OF prospects: "I think we have a number of guys that are in the mix to compete. We have a long way to go between now and then. But we're excited about this group and the mix of outfielders that we have going into 2023."
— Todd Rosiak (@Todd_Rosiak) November 23, 2022
The young outfielders that Arnold is referring to are a group of four Triple-A outfielders from last season that are on the precipice of breaking into the Majors. One of them, Garrett Mitchell, already has. In 28 games with the Brewers, Mitchell hit .311/.373/.459 with two home runs and nine RBI. He also stole eight bases. Prior to joining the Brewers, Mitchell hit .343/.435/.466 a home run, nine RBI, and nine stolen bases in 20 games with Triple-A Nashville. Before that, he spent 44 games with Double-A Biloxi. Overall, Mitchell hit .287/.377/.426 with five home runs, 34 RBI, and 17 stolen bases in the Minors.
Another, Sal Frelick, is now almost assured a spot on the Opening Day roster with Renfroe gone. Frelick shot up the Brewers’ pipeline this past season, hitting .331/.403/.480 with 11 home runs, 59 RBI, and 24 stolen bases across three levels. Esteury Ruiz, who the Brewers received in the Josh Hader trade, is also a promising outfield prospect. While he did not hit well in his short stints with the Padres and Brewers on the Major League level, he did rake in the Minors. In 114 games between Double-A and Triple-A, Ruiz hit .332/.447/.526 with 16 home runs, 65 RBI, and astounding 85 stolen bases.
Finally, there is Joey Wiemer. This prospect is the one who has drawn the biggest comparisons to Renfore. Playing for Double-A and Triple-A last season, Wiemer hit .256/.336/.465 with 21 home runs, 75 RBI, and 31 stolen bases. In 2021, with Low-A and High-A, Wiemer hit .296/.403/.556 with 27 home runs, 77 RBI, and 30 stolen bases.
The Trade Was not About Payroll, It Was About Adding Pitching
According to Arnold, the Renfroe trade was “more about adding arms to the organization” than it was about cutting payroll. They Brewers certainly got some projects in return. However, the upside they bring is impressive.
Arnold on Janson Junk: "Good young arm. Four-pitch mix and a solid young starter. We believe that he has a chance to compete for a spot in our rotation, potentially. Has shown flashes and moved fast through the (Angels') system."
— Todd Rosiak (@Todd_Rosiak) November 23, 2022
Janson Junk is the most notable of the three pitchers the Brewers received. Last season, in Triple-A, Junk was 1-7 with a 4.64 ERA and 1.29 WHIP. However, the year before in Double-A and Triple-A, he was 6-3 with a 2.81 ERA 1.10 WHIP.
As for the other two pitchers, here are their 2022 stats:
- Elvis Peguero: 4-1, 2.84 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, five saves (38 games)
- Adam Seminaris: 7-11, 3.84 ERA, 1.43 WHIP (21 starts, 24 total games)
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