The Milwaukee Brewers finally got their upgrade at catcher. After not making a move for a new catcher at Winter Meetings, today a three-way trade between the Brewers, Athletics, and Braves came to fruition. In the blockbuster deal, Matt Arnold gave up just one prospect (Esteury Ruiz) and received an All-Star catcher (William Contreras) and two relievers in return (Justin Yeager and Joel Payamps).
Here is what Matt Arnold had to say about new Brewers catcher William Contreras.
Matt Arnold on Wm. Contreras: “We are excited to welcome one of the top young catchers in baseball to the Brewers. William adds a power bat to our lineup, was an All-Star last season, and we believe he will only improve going forward.”
— Adam McCalvy (@AdamMcCalvy) December 12, 2022
Matt Arnold on William Contreras’ reputation as a hitter first, catcher second: “It’s been primarily bat first, but we also think he has some really good ingredients back there.”
— Adam McCalvy (@AdamMcCalvy) December 12, 2022
The team control (through 2027) is obviously a big and exciting part of this trade for the Brewers, Arnold says.
— Todd Rosiak (@Todd_Rosiak) December 12, 2022
Matt Arnold says William Contreras brings a “solid middle-of-the-order bat” to the Brewers, which is obviously something the team has desperately needed.
— Todd Rosiak (@Todd_Rosiak) December 12, 2022
A lot has been talked about regarding Contreras’s ability at the plate. As mentioned by Arnold, he is viewed as a bat first type player who can hit in the middle of the order. This is evidenced by his 20 home runs and .506 slugging percentage in 2022.
Had Contreras been a member of the Brewers in 2021, he would have ranked first in several offensive categories. Those categories are batting average (.278), slugging (.506), OPS (.860), and OPS+ (138). He would have been second in on base percentage at .354.
Brewers fans seem to be very happy with this trade. As mentioned, Contreras is under club control through 2027 and will be a focal point in their offense going forward.
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