The Milwaukee Brewers made an incredible trade on Monday afternoon. In a three-team deal with the Atlanta Braves and Oakland A’s, they acquired All-Star catcher William Contreras. The Brewers also acquired right-handed reliever Joel Payamps and right-handed prospect Justin Yeager. To say that the trade lit a fire under Brewers fans on social media would be an understatement.
C William Contreras (ATL), RHP Joel Payamps (OAK) and RHP Justin Yeager (ATL) have officially been acquired in a three-team trade with Atlanta and Oakland.
OF Esteury Ruiz has been sent to Oakland. pic.twitter.com/UTPetoCOTj
— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) December 12, 2022
Brewers Fans React to William Contreras Trade on Social Media
After the disappointment that followed the Josh Hader trade, it was refreshing to have a trade that was so widely accepted by Brewers fans. Indeed, the only downside to this trade, it seems, is that the season is still so far away!
I am nothing more than a local know-nothingsman, but acquiring one of the best young catchers in baseball and two arms for the team's fifth-best outfield prospect?
I would say that the Brewers have made out like bandits. https://t.co/AVHs39f0ij
— Curt Hogg (@CyrtHogg) December 12, 2022
Brewers quietly got involved as a facilitator then added a big right handed bat in Contreras, an MLB quality reliever (Payamps) plus a potential high leverage backend reliever (Yeager) that won't require addition to the 40 Man Roster until next offseason.
Stealth by Matt Arnold
— MLBExecutiveBurner (@HotStoveintel) December 12, 2022
I don’t want to get ahead of myself but I believe this trade puts the Milwaukee Brewers comfortably in the driver’s seat for the World Series
— Steve Pelischek (@stevepeli) December 12, 2022
How William Contreras would have ranked had he been on the Brewers in 2022:
AVG – 1st
OBP – 2nd
SLG – 1st
OPS – 1st
OPS+ – 1stOh, and he also ranked seventh in the majors in OPS against lefties.
— Elisha Twerski (@ElishaTwerski) December 12, 2022
Last season, William Contreras had a 138 OPS+ in 376 PA.
The last Brewer with an OPS+ that high: Christian Yelich in 2019.
The last Brewer catcher with an OPS+ that high: Dave Nilsson in 1999. pic.twitter.com/3HrfBrJZ8d
— Brewers Stats (@BrewersStat) December 12, 2022
Brewers news release: Hey guys, we finally figured out the whole restaurant thing.
Matt Arnold: pic.twitter.com/ZoCpmhuVXv
— Matt Carroll (@MKEMatt13) December 12, 2022
I’m not saying Ruiz is a bad prospect or doesn’t have MLB staying power potential. But given the outfield prospect depth the Brewers already have? Sacrificing him and only him to acquire William Contreras feels like a steal. #Brewers
— Daniel Lavender (@DoctorAdmirals) December 12, 2022
Fun Fact About Today’s Trade
The Brewers made the trade for William Contreras on December 12. This is a significant date in franchise history. On December 12, 1980, the Brewers acquired Ted Simmons, Rollie Fingers, and Pete Vuckovich for Sixto Lezcano, David Green, Dave LaPoint, and Lary Sorensen.
Hey @Wcontreras42 welcome to Milwaukee! No pressure, but 42 years ago to the day the #Brewers acquired you, they also acquired Hall of Fame catcher Ted Simmons.
But you know, no pressure. https://t.co/SQj514NV2E
— Robin Adams (@theotherRobin19) December 12, 2022
The Brewers Offseason Moves So Far
The Brewers did not make any moves at the Winter Meetings. However, they have already made several moves to help improve their roster:
- Trade Kolten Wong to the Seattle Mariner for Jesse Winker and Abraham Toro
- Trade Hunter Renfroe to the Los Angeles Angels for pitching depth
- Selected right-handed pitcher Gus Varland in the Rule-5 Draft
Who Will Not Return to the Brewers in 2023?
Of course, there are still some players that remain unsigned that might be re-signed at some point, but at this point, we know these players, among others, will not be back:
- Omar Narvaez- free agency
- Brent Suter- claimed off waivers by the Colorado Rockies
- Kolten Wong (see above)
- Hunter Renfroe (see above)
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