Milwaukee Brewers general manager Matt Arnold held the annual postseason press conference on Tuesday morning at American Family Field. Arnold said as much as he loved watching his kids play sports this past weekend, he would’ve loved to have been coming home from LA to take on the Dodgers at home.
Here are some topics covered in this brief conference.
Brandon Woodruff Injury Still a Question Mark
One of the first questions asked by the media on Tuesday was the status of Brandon Woodruff and his shoulder injury that held him back from pitching in the Wild Card Series.
Arnold reported that Woodruff will be looked at this week, saying they’re optimistic about the status.
“We’re optimistic, but we’ll never know until the reports come out,” Arnold said. “Anytime you have issues with a shoulder, it’s hard to know exactly because it’s so complicated, so many mechanisms in the shoulder that we know are a factor and it is more complicated than the elbow.”
No Timetable on Counsell
Rumors have been thrown around since before the quick ending of the Brewers season as to whether or not Craig Counsell will be their manager for the 2024 season. Many have speculated that once his contract is up, he’ll find another team to manage, or just be done with managing baseball altogether. However, Arnold said that they aren’t putting a timetable on anything.
“We’re in regular conversation with him, and I’m excited about having those conversations with him,” said Arnold. “I’m looking forward to hopefully having some news for you guys as soon as possible, but either way we’re going to be prepared to have a manager next year if it’s not Craig, but I want to keep every line open for communication here with Craig as much as we can because he’s our top choice for sure.”
Matt Arnold stated that he has a very good relationship with Counsell, says that Counsell is one of his favorites that he’s had the chance to work with.
“He challenges us in great ways,” Arnold said. “We see the world differently. I think it’s healthy. I think he means a lot to this community…he’s special to this team and I hope we partner again for a really long time.”
Early Postseason Exit
The Brewers were a first round exit after the Arizona Diamondbacks took two games against them in the National League Wild Card Series. Arnold states that after talking with the staff, they all could agree that they were disappointed with the early leave.
“We’re disappointed with the ending, but we’re not disappointed with the season. I think there’s a distinction between the two.”
Matt Arnold doesn’t discredit the season the crew had, as it was an amazing one with a high caliber team, but does say that it’s always disappointing to leave after one series and not have the outcome they truly wanted.
“The more you get away from it, the more you appreciate. We have a lot of good here, and we have a lot of good things we can build upon…There’s a lot to be proud of, for sure.”
Roster Improvements
While the Brewers had a very impressive roster this season, Arnold said that they’re not comfortable with where they are; Says they’re going to assess as an organization.
“As I mentioned, we’ve had success, but we’re not comfortable with where we are. We want to win the last game of the season,” Arnold said. “I think that’s really important to us, important to the fans, so I think it’s gonna be a long process to evaluate on where we can get better.”
Matt Arnold also went on to say that it’s “difficult to when you’ve had a season defined by one series.” The Brewers organization believed that they had that playoff caliber team that could go all the way, and that’s why it’s even more disappointing to have their season end so sudden.
Burnes, Woodruff, Adames Staying in Milwaukee
Media asked Arnold how comfortable he would be having Corbin Burnes, Brandon Woodruff, and Willy Adames on their roster going into their last contracted years and he said they are very comfortable with having them.
A big concern to Brewers fans was the status of where Corbin Burnes would be next season. After an ugly arbitration case, many thought Burnes would be gone by the end of this season, or possibly even traded at the deadline. Arnold said that Burnes is a very valuable member of their franchise, and the conversation is happening, and is ongoing as we venture into the offseason.
“Corbin means a ton to what we’ve done here. He’s a warrior on the mound. He’s been the guy that we want on the mound in big games. I’m thrilled that he’s here, and we’ll see how it goes in the course of the offseason, but I would expect him to be a Brewer here next year.”
Jackson Chourio (and other prospects) Making Big League Debut?
The Brewers farm system has been one of great success in terms of bringing prospects to the big leagues and them producing in big ways. Jackson Chourio in specific was mentioned and where we could expect to see him next season.
“I think those guys have put themselves in position to help us. You know, we’ve moved these guys pretty aggressively too. We want to move these guys through the system. We want them to help us here.”
Message to Brewers fans
Arnold was asked by media what his message to Brewers fans was, a week out from postseason elimination.
“We are dedicated to winning the last game of the season. That is our goal,” he said. “It’s not just to get in, we want to try and win a World Series here, I think that’s really important to our community. It means a lot to a lot of people starting with Bob Uecker…That is our goal.”
The full 26-minute press conference is linked here.
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