The Milwaukee Brewers currently have a great core of players who are either entering the arbitration process or are a few years in. This year, 13 Brewers in total are eligible for arbitration and the organization has until November 30th to decide if they want to tender contracts to these players or not.
Previously the non-tender deadline had been scheduled for December 1st. However, due to ongoing collective bargaining agreement discussions, it was moved up. That being said, teams are operating under the assumption that a lockout will begin on December 1st. That means this years non-tender deadline could be filled with plenty of action.
In this article, we will preview which players may be non-tender candidates.
Of the 13 players, five are entering their first year of arbitration. Those players are Corbin Burnes, Willy Adames, Adrian Houser, Luis Urias, and Rowdy Tellez. After winning the 2021 NL Cy Young Award, Corbin Burnes will come at a bargain cost for the 2022 season. Given his talent level, the Brewers may look to offer him a contract extension that would extend past his arbitration years and into free agency.
Adames, Houser, Urias, and Tellez were all important contributors last season. Houser quietly put together a the best season of his career. Urias had an up and down season, but now that Eduardo Escobar has signed with the Mets, he potentially may be the starting third basemen next year.
Last on the list is Rowdy Tellez. He came up clutch on several occasions for the Brewers, but with Daniel Vogelbach also arbitration eligible it seems likely that only one would be tendered a contract. It is possible that the Brewers hold onto both with the hopes of universal DH being implemented next year. They also could non-tender both and go in a completely different direction.
Aside from Tellez and Vogelbach, Jace Peterson is also on the non-tender chopping block
Peterson served as the Brewers utility infielder last season and did quite well. He made a name for himself and was referred to as “On Base Jace.” However, he is out of minor league options and the Brewers recently traded for infielder Mike Brosseau, who is expected to play a similar role.
Of the remaining arbitration players, Josh Hader, Brandon Woodruff, Omar Narvaez, Eric Lauer, and Brent Suter all are unlikely to be non-tendered. Jandel Gustave is the last remaining player who has not been mentioned. He is projected to earn $800k in 2022 and would help provide depth in the bullpen.
From strictly a tender or non-tender standpoint, there is not a lot too debate. However, as mentioned teams are being aggressive due to a lockout looming. It is possible that this results in more trades and/or contract extensions prior to December 1st. It will be interesting to see how the Brewers elect to proceed.
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